Triathalon

New York indie 3-piece Triathalon have a new album of slinky pop songs out in February.  Listen to the slow and building "Day One" below, a mix of jangle and synth with just the right amount of creeping foreboding mood sliding just underneath the surface.  And get the upcoming "Online" album here via Broken Circles.

Run Child Run

Here's a new tune from electronic artist Run Child Run for your listening pleasure this fine Wednesday afternoon.  "Can't Catch Me" sounds like stripped down, minimalist trip-hop grooving on old jazz and world samples.  Listen below and pre-order the upcoming "Vanishing Point" album here from the artist.  It drops in January.

U.S. Girls - Velvet 4 Sale

U.S. Girls' "Mad As Hell" is easily one of my favorite songs of 2017, a grooving, disco jam, and as i suspected, a new album is on the horizon.  "A Poem Unlimited" is due in February on 4AD, but you should totally watch the video for album opener "Velvet 4 Sale" below.  It's a slinkier affair, with some 70's detective show horn accompaniment, and all about abuse.  My feeling is that from this cultural sea change moment we currently have in progress surrounding the inevitable outing of sexual harassers and abusers, we are going to hear a lot of important music coming out from women artists.  Listen to them.  Pay attention.

The Warlocks

Years and years ago, i was at an Interpol concert on a surprising and very out of character freezing night in Austin.  With the roads icing over and the temperature steadily dropping, i found myself at the only venue in town that did not close early and cancel or reschedule its shows.  Standing in the cold at the outside stage at the old Emo's, drinking shots of whiskey to give myself the illusion of warmth, it seemed like it took forever for the bands to take the stage, so much so that my wife (then girlfriend) began putting together an argument (and a fairly convincing one) for why we should just go home.  I pushed the suggestion off.  And was then rewarded as The Warlocks began their opening slot.  Putting elements of psych, surf, shoegaze, and more into their layered guitar assault, they made me into a new fan.  And i dug on them for a few years after that, 2005's "Surgery" LP in particular being a favorite.  And then i lost track of them.  But lo and behold, they never went away, and they've got a new record out called "Vevey."  They still do what the do, and do it well, a Jesus and Mary Chain indebted brand of crunching, psychedelic rock.  Listen to "Red Camera" below and get the new record here courtesy of Cleopatra Records.

NOTE: Strange things are occurring when it try to link to the band's bandcamp page, so here's the address instead: https://thewarlocks.bandcamp.com/album/vevey.

Ty Segall - The Main Pretender

All of these new singles from Ty Segall have got to be adding up to a new album i assume, but even if they're not, i'll gladly take these monthly jams from the ever prolific artist.  Out today, "The Main Pretender" combines glam and soul in a bouncy and frenetic sax-heavy affair.  Listen below and get the single here from Drag City.

RÛR

Dark and cold or warm and light (currently the latter her in Central Texas), a lazy Sunday is always a good time Norwegian atmospheric black metal...right?  Right.  The self-titled debut from RÛR is full of shredding guitars, guttural, epic bombast, howling screams, interstellar orchestration, and tones both encroaching and ominous and soaring and beautiful.  This should be the perfect musical accompaniment for putting up a Christmas tree this afternoon.  Hooray!  Listen to "II" below and get the album here from the artist.

Kelley Stoltz

I'm not really sure how i slept on "Que Aura," the latest release from psych-tinged, bedroom pop artist Kelley Stoltz when it came out over the summer, but damn, i'm behind.  Anyway, listen to dance-ready "Empty Kicks" below and grab the record from Castle Face.

Living Nudes - Outside the Orgy

Hey guys, hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and that you're keeping your cool today if you're out and about doing the peak consumerism thing.  Anyway, here's a couple of songs i recorded a few weeks ago whilst alone in the house on a chilly October evening.  Give 'em a listen and download them here if you feel like it.

Friday Horror Trailer - The Slumber Party Massacre

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's not cranberry sauce!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Andrew Douglas Rothbard

A decade or so ago, i first heard recording artist Andrew Douglas Rothbard.  He crafted a lovely mix of psych rock, shoegaze, and indie rock, all to a stunning a beautiful degree.  After a few years though, i kind of lost track of him, as is wont to occur when you get older, but come to find out, he's still doing his thing wonderfully and now of Italians Do It Better.  Listen to "Rat & The Family Bones" below and get the new "Divonium Digitalis" EP here.

HOLY

Here's some warm and gorgeous psychedelic pop from Sweden's HOLY.  "Heard Her" moves and swirls in all the right ways.  Listen below and get the upcoming "All These Worlds Are Yours" LP from PNKSLM in January.

Filthy Huns

It seems like it's been a while since i last hopped on the hype train for vast array of weirdo artists on Not Not Fun, and brother, that's just not right.  Anyway, December sees the release of the new cassette, "Forever Beast," from LA artist Filthy Huns.  Listen to "Magick Tea" below.  It sounds like wasted dub music mixed with pagan rituals all going on an acid trip together in the desert.  Then get it here.

His Electro Blue Voice

Man, i sure am glad i came across Maple Death Records earlier this year when they released a vinyl reissue of Cindy Lee's "Malenkost."  Ever since then, the label has kept me in a steady supply of excellent off-center music coming out of Italy, from cowpunk to loopy synths to post punk and noise.  It's been great.  And now, out in a few days is the latest from Italian band His Electro Blue Voice.  "Mental Hoop" is searing, blistering mix of hardcore punk, industrial, noise, and psychedelic post punk.  Listen to "Earthworm" below and get the record here.

HEALTH & NOLIFE

LA synth-noise-dance-rock band HEALTH have teamed with New York producer NOLIFE to craft the creeping and foreboding "Hard to Be a God."  It's pretty awesome, an oozing mix of icy club music and ominous noise.  Let's hope we get more from these guys soon.  Listen below.

Pinkshinyultrablast

Russian shoegaze band Pinkshinyultrablast go full on lush and gorgeous synth pop with their latest track "In the Hanging Gardens," and it works wonderfully.  An album is in the works, but you can listen to the song below now, and get it from Club AC30.

King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard - Polygondwanaland

Still attempting to release 5 albums before year's end, Aussie psych and garage troubadours King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard just unleashed their 4th effort of the year, "Polygondwanaland," and they've made it available for free download.  Hooray!  Stream the whole thing below, and go get it here from Flightless.  Also, the band has made the masters to the songs available for free as well...which means there may be all manner of bootlegged releases of the record on the horizon in the near future.  Be on the lookout i guess, and let's anxiously await album number 5.  I'm thinking something just in time for Christmas.

Friday Horror Trailer - Nightmare

Tea Leigh and Luke Reed

A few years ago, lo-fi artist Luke Reed used to record lovely dreampop singles with like-minded artist Tea Leigh which were eventually lost to memory and probably the inner sanctums of Soundcloud and Youtube and such.  After parting ways, Leigh went on to become a tattoo artist in Brooklyn, and Reed continued to make music, releasing an album of lo-fi folk pop jams earlier this year.  But now the duo are back together for a new single, the gorgeous and sleepy bedroom pop jam "Underwater."  Listen below, and then get it here from The Native Sound.  While there, you may also want to grab "Singles," an EP of the duo's songs from 2012.  They're fantastic.  Let's hope we get some more.

Loma

The wonderful Dripping Springs, TX band Cross Record have teamed up with Shearwater's Jonathan Meiburg for a new project called Loma.  The project looks to be full of haunting and devastating beauty.  The self-titled album is due in February from Sub Pop.  In the meanwhile, watch the video for "Black Willow" below.

Swiftumz

Here's an excellent mix of psych-tinged Americana and jangle pop, a lo-fi stoner nugget that would have been perfectly at home in the late 80's with the likes of Galaxie 500 and folks like that.  Swiftumz makes jangly bedroom pop for the masses.  Watch the trippy video for "Honey" below and get the "Game Six" 7" here from Fruits and Flowers.

Godflesh - Post Self

F'n A!  I didn't know we were getting new Godflesh this month, but here we are.  New album "Post Self" is out on Friday from Avalanche Recordings.  Listen to crushing title track below and pre-order here.

RIP Fred Cole

Fred Cole with his wife Toody

Fred Cole, lead singer and guitarist of the cult underground garage and punk rock group Dead Moon has passed away at the age of 69 after a battle with cancer.  The man made awesome music for decades.  Listen to one of my faves, "I'm Wise," below.  RIP Fred Cole.

RIP Chuck Mosley

Admittedly, i am a far bigger fan of Patton-era Faith No More than Mosley-era Faith No More, but those goofy, old funk-rap-metal fusion songs maintain a soft spot in my heart, and a lot of that is due to the quirky delivery of former front man Chuck Mosley.  The 57-year old passed away yesterday, and feels like just one more little piece of the music i grew up with fading away.  Watch the video for the band's "We Care A Lot" below.  RIP Chuck Mosley.

Friday Horror Trailer - Slither

Kelly Lee Owens - More Than a Woman

Coming off an excellent self-titled album earlier this year, Kelly Lee Owens just released a single covering Aaliyah's "More That a Woman," and then remixing it herself on the B-side.  I was never into Aaliyah's stuff back in the day, late 90's R&B being outside of my wheelhouse, but Owens' synthy and grooving take on the late artist's track is pretty infectious.  Listen below and get it here via Smalltown Supersound.

Dust Witch

Here's another goody i missed out on last weekend at Mondo-Con.  Massachusetts proggy synth band Dust Witch make 70's (and 80's) soundtrack inspired madness, taking cues from Goblin and Carpenter in equal measure.  Listen to both "Mirage" and "Hibernaculum" below, download the songs here, and you can still get the 7" from Mondo/Death Waltz here.

Ty Segall - My Lady's on Fire

Here's another new jam from prolific garage rock artist Ty Segall, and this time he's got sax!  "My Lady's on Fire" marks the third month (and color) in a row for a new single from Segall.  I'd be happy if goes on ad infinitum.  Listen below and get it here via Drag City.

Tim Heidecker - Sentencing Day

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary that...well...you know what happened.  Anyway, comedian, musician, and fellow libtard Tim Heidecker has been putting out all manner of protest songs about President Dipshit ever since, most of which will be collected on the album "Too Dumb for Suicide," out digitally tomorrow on Jagjaguwar.  Read Heidecker's thoughts on the album and then listen to the ballad "Sentencing Day" below.

Well here it is. About one year in the making, all my Trump songs in one place. Most of these songs were written and recorded quickly, with the blood still boiling from whatever indignity or absurdity had popped up on my newsfeed that day. Certainly, “Trump Tower” was written in the rotten dawn, days after Trump’s win. Let’s hope I don’t write any more of these, but I probably will. Thanks to Davin Wood for playing piano on “Trump Tower,” and thanks to Jonathan Rado, who produced and played on a good number of these (the ones where you hear some of that beautiful tape hiss on, mostly)—his tribute to Steve Nieve on “Imperial Bedroom” is particularly inspired. Thanks to Kane Ritchotte and Max Whipple for providing the best rhythm section a boy could ask for and to Jordan Katz, Taylor Plenn and David Ralicke for laying down some sweet horns on “Wilbur Ross.” Thanks to Vic Berger for adding some backups to “Sentencing Day” and for usually being the best audience for these tunes. Thanks to Josh Tillman for surprising me with a tear-inducing cover of “Trump’s Private Pilot” and for allowing us to include it here…. Finally, NO thanks to Paul Simon who didn’t let us include “I Am a Cuck.”

I'm totally into this.  How about you?

Blut Aus Nord

How did i miss that there was a new Blut Aus Nord record out?  Sure, the French metalhead is prolific enough, but i should have noticed.  Anyway, "Deus Salutis Meae" is the latest brutal and hallucinatory dirge from the black metal artist, and it's a doozy.  Listen to the terrifying "Chorea Macchabeorum" below, then grab the album digitally here or physically here via Debemur Morti Productions.

Khruangbin

Sometimes i forget just how big and diverse the city of Houston is.  I love Austin to death, but the cultural hub of Texas is more than likely a 3 hour drive southeast of us.  And bringing the proverbial noise is Houston 3-piece Khruangbin and their amazing blend of funk, psych, surf rock, and world vibes.  Translated from Thai, the band's name means "Engine Fly," and they keep the groove cool and humming.  New album "Con Todo El Mundo" is due in January on Dead Oceans, but listen to "Maria Tambien" below in the meantime.

Carla dal Forno

Berlin by way of Australia artist Carla dal Forno makes wonderfully complex and moody music with bands like Tarcar and F ingers, but makes equally dark, damaged, and fractured pop as a solo act.  She released her latest, "The Garden" EP, last month on Blackest Ever Black, a short collection of warped and somber post-punk-ish jams.  It's awesome.  Listen to "We Shouldn't Have to Wait" below and get the record here.

Friday Horror Trailer - Splatter University

Horror movies are one of my favorite things.  And after a second consecutive year of posting a horror trailer a day during the month of October, i kind of figured it was bullshit to confine these wonderful slices of blood and exploitation to the Halloween season.  I also love posting these things.  So, from now on, i'm going to post a new horror trailer every Friday.  First up is an 80's slasher obscurity, "Splatter University."

Steve Moore - Unconquered Sun

Steve Moore, one half of the synth prog rock band Zombi, often ventures out solo to record all manner of different projects, be they film scores, droning experiments, or all out synth ragers.  He just put out the previously unreleased "Unconquered Sun," recorded in 2015 for the Star's End Ambient Radio Winter Solstice broadcast on WXPN in Philadelphia.  It's epic.  Listen below and get it from the artist here.

The Belbury Circle

Ghost Box cast members Belbury Poly and The Advisory Circle have joined forces (again) with The Belbury Circle, and new album "Outward Journeys."  Combing through Italian library sounds, cinematic synths, and New Age vibes, the record explores all those old sonic explorations that were supposed to be a path to the future.  Well, here we are.  Listen to some clips from the record below.

Deadly Avenger

Aside from an endless string of amazing reissued soundtracks, Death Waltz also knocks it out of park with regularity on their original releases too.  One of the latest, from the UK's Deadly Avenger, is the artist's new album "Everyday Is Kill."  It's synth drenched goodness, and will be available at this weekend's Mondo-Con here in Austin (which i'm missing this year).  But don't fret if you can't make the trip, as it should be up for sale online shortly thereafter.  In the meanwhile, listen to "Nightrunner" below.