SSION and Ariel Pink

Dreamy, breezy artist/producer SSION just released a new song, and it features Ariel Pink at that.  "At Least the Sky Is Blue" plays like a chilled, psych pop leaning, soft rock jam, sure to grace stereo speakers at pool parties and yacht clubs once the summer begins in earnest.  Listen below, cop the song here, and be on the lookout for the upcoming "O" LP in May on DERO Arcade.

Kraus

Kraus is project of New York by way of Texas artist Will Kraus, and it's a loud and raucous blend of shoegaze and noise, like heaven's chorus as played by power tools.  Listen to "Bum" below, grab the upcoming "Path" LP here (Due from Terrible Records in March), and be on the lookout for him during SXSW.

Mahr

Here's some absolutely crushing and atmospheric black metal from mysterious band Mahr.  I don't know anything about them, and honestly i don't need to.  A little mystery is usually a benefit to black metal artists, so the less i know, the better.  Listen to "Apostasy" below, and then download the "Antelux" album here from Fallen Empire Records.

Wharf Cat Records releasing ACLU Benefit Album

Hey folks, nothing makes the heart grow like donating money to a worthy cause, and if you get some tunes out of the deal, none the better.  Brooklyn record label Wharf Cat Records is set to release a 2LP compilation featuring bands like The Men, Merchandise, Psychic Blood, and more on April 20th, with almost 95% of the proceeds benefiting the ACLU.  It's a good cause and a good deal, and it will make you feel good about yourself...if even just for a fleeting moment.  Check out Alice Cohen's off-kilter pop contribution "Hourglass" below and get more info/pre-order here.

Wand - The Gift

LA band Wand consistently make great psych rock music, and their upcoming "Perfume" EP (due in May) looks to continue that grand tradition.  Take a listen to "The Gift" below, a riff-centric and intricate little piece of psychedelic pop, and then pre-order the EP here via Drag City.

Ails

The good folks over at The Flenser are generally pretty good at keeping my ear for dark and heavy music satiated.  This year looks to be no different with "The Unraveling," a new album from Bay Area metal band Ails.  Listen to bombastic opener "The Echoes Waned" below and pre-order the record here, due in April.

El Perro Del Mar

Somewhere along the way i forgot all about El Perro Del Mar.  The Swedish artist has a new EP out now, "We Are History," and it's a dark and haunting piece or orchestra-laden pop.  Listen to "Fight For Life" below and get the EP here via The Control Group.

Carpenter Brut

French electronic artist Carpenter Brut surprise released a new album of techno bangers and John Carpenter-inspired synth jams this week, a new imaginary film score to blast our eardrums to.  "Leather Teeth" has all the makings of an 80's slasher soundtrack run amok, killer blips and grooves perfect for stalking teenagers.  Listen to the title track below and download the album here via No Quarter.

Zola Jesus - Bound

April sees Zola Jesus expanding upon last year's excellent "Okovi" LP.  "Okovi: Additions" has unreleased songs not used on the original album and some remixes, and like the majority of music Zola Jesus creates, is well worth your time.  Listen to "Bound" below and get the record from Sacred Bones.

Friday Horror Trailer - Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II

Mint Field

Tijuana, Mexico does not immediately spring to mind when i think of dreamy shoegaze music, and yet here we are.  Female duo Mint Field craft spacey, emotional, reverb-layered epic jams to fade away in the cosmos to.  New album "Pasar de las Luces" is due tomorrow on Innovative Leisure.  Get it here.  Then listen to "Ojos en el Carro" below and be on the lookout for them at SXSW next month.

Parquet Courts

The next three months are shaping up to give us a veritable bounty of excellent new releases, and the latest to be added to the bunch is May's "Wide Awake" LP from Parquet Courts.  Watch the video for "Almost Had to Start a Fight / In and Out of Patience" below and pre-order the record here from Rough Trade.

Black Moth Super Rainbow

New music from Pittsburgh's Black Moth Super Rainbow is always most welcome news, their particular brand of bubblegum-infused, psych-fueled, analog synthesizer electronic pop being just the thing i need to soothe my ravaged soul.  New album "Panic Blooms" is due in May on Rad Cult which you can pre-order here, but you can listen to album closer "Mr No One" below right now.  Do it!

Father John Misty - Mr. Tillman

Admittedly, if i was forced to spend any significant amount of time alone with him, i would probably punch Father John Misty in the face repeatedly, but damn if i'm not utterly entranced by his music.  New single "Mr. Tillman," kind of a surprising release considering how epic last year's "Pure Comedy" was, is kind of a combo of Americana, soft rock, 60's sunshine rock, and folk, sliding in right alongside the artist's other stellar output.  Maybe there's a new album already on the way.  Maybe not.  Anyway, listen below.

Dawn of the Dead

For a label that consistently outdoes itself, Waxwork may have just topped out.  Tomorrow brings us the most complete version of Goblin's score for George Romero's classic "Dawn of the Dead" that's ever been released, with amazing new album art to boot.  I'm stoked...so much so that i'm ready to purchase yet another version of this record.  This one looks to be the last though.  Listen to "L'alba Dei Morti Viventi (Alternate Take 1)" below and order the record sometime tomorrow here.

Miracle

Long a fan of prolific artist Steve Moore, whether it be his soundtrack work or his proggier synth moods with duo Zombi, there's just something kind of magical when he goes all out New Wave pop.  Miracle, his synthy, poppy project with Daniel O'Sullivan pulses and grooves with the best dance records from 30+ years ago, and still leans into moments of prog rock, Carpenter-esque synth wave, and pure, unadulterated cheese.  It's fucking great.  Watch the video for "Light Mind" below and get "The Strife of Love in a Dream" LP here from Relapse.

Burnt Ones

Indianapolis band Burnt Ones have issued what they are calling their final album, and after my first run through, it's quite the swan song.  A lo-fi mix of soundscapes and cerebral tinkering, this is the kind of record that creeps under the skin and sinks its teeth into your bones.  Hard to categorize, at times noisy, and at others more brooding, i'm really feeling this one.  Listen to "Through Coarse Windows" below and snag the "Last Draft in Different Rooms" cassette here while they last.

Lustre - The First Snow

Here's some beautiful, atmospheric new black metal from Sweden's Lustre for this dreary Sunday (dreary in Central Texas at least).  "The First Snow" sounds just like its name, cold and chilly, a wintry echo of sound and gray.  Listen below and get it here via Nordvis.

Brigid Mae Power

Here's some Gothic Americana-tinged, topical folk from Portland by way of Ireland artist Brigid Mae Power.  Her new album "The Two Worlds" is layered in isolated arrangements and acoustic drone.  It's beautiful and powerful.  Listen to "Don't Shut Me Up (Politely)" below and get the record here from Tompkins Square.

Beach House - Lemon Glow

Here's some swirly new music from dreampop mainstays Beach House.  Listen to "Lemon Glow" below and be on the lookout for a new album some time this spring.

Friday Horror Trailer - The Ritual

Frank Ocean - Moon River

Frank Ocean dropped a cover of the Henry Mancini classic "Moon River" last night, and it's pretty darn good.  Simple, subdued, and a little stark, and it works wonderfully.  Listen below.

Living Hour covers Françoise Hardy

Evoking or covering Françoise Hardy is one of the fastest ways to my heart.  And so we have Canadian shoegaze band Living Hour and their absolute dream of a cover of Hardy's "Tous Les Garçons Et Les Filles."  Listen below, and be on the lookout for the band's upcoming covers EP, "Lovely, Lonely: A Collection of Covers for Hollow Hearts" due next month.  I'll also now be seeking the band out during SXSW.  Hooray!

La Luz

La Luz is one of those bands i seem to catch on multiple occasions at SXSW every year that i'm always glad to see.  There's enough surf and girls-in-the-garage vibes to go around, and we're all the better for it.  Anyway, the Seattle band has a new album out in May on Hardly Art.  Listen to "Cicada" below, and pre-order "Floating Features" here.

The Body

Portland duo The Body's 2016 album "No One Deserves Happiness" is still in pretty normal rotation for me two years later, and there's still nothing else out there that sounds like it.  May brings us the band's latest, "I Have Fought Against It, But I Can't Any Longer," which seems to push even further into the sonic territories the band has been laying the groundwork for their entire career.  Elements of electronic, synth-wave, pop, and more seep their way into the thundering, black metal-indebted, experimental soup.  All at once, it's beautiful and terrifying, and i cannot wait for this record to come out.  Listen to "Nothing Stirs" below and pre-order the album here via Thrill Jockey.

Iceage - Catch It

Alright, we've got some new music from Iceage.  It's been a little while since we last heard from these Danish punks, and hopefully "Catch It" is a signifier for a new album on the horizon.  Watch the video below.

Collector

Well, the 2-year old got me sick.  I'm not on my deathbed or anything, as i'm not sure this is even the flu, but here's some eerie and foreboding electronic drone to soundtrack the virus's journey through my bloodstream anyway.  Collector's "Forced Extraction" EP came out last November on Beat Concern, but is perfect for anytime the end is near.  Listen to "Tip of the Blade" below and get the record here.

Sloan

April brings us a new album from the long running Canadian band Sloan.  Listen to "The Day Will Be Mine" below and pre-order the "12" LP here.  Feel the power pop!

Friday Horror Trailer - Alone in the Dark

PJ Harvey - An Acre of Land

I'm home with a sick kiddo today, and let me tell you, a 2-year old with the flu is shitty combination.  Anyway, we're taking it easy, loading up on meds, and listening to PJ Harvey's stark and absolutely stunning cover of traditional folk song "An Acre of Land" from the upcoming British film "Dark River."  It's really something.  Listen below.

Ought

I'm admittedly late to the party for Canadian post punk act Ought, but after falling in love with main man Tim Darcy's solo effort last year, i'm firmly on board.  New album "Room Inside the World" is out next week on Merge, but check out new single "Desire" below now.

King Tuff - Psycho Star

And like magic, we've got another new single from King Tuff...and an album announcement.  Check out the video for the bouncy "Psycho Star" below and look for new album, "The Other," in April on Sub Pop.  Hooray!

Anemone - Endless Dive

"Endless Dive" by Canadian artist Anemone actually came out way back in June of last year, but i'm just hearing it now for the first time, along with its fun and goofy video.  Catch all the dreamy psych vibes below, download the track here, and if you're in Austin during SXSW, seek the artist out.

The Limiñanas

The Limiñanas have been making great music for a while now, and on their latest record "Shadow People," they've partnered up with Brian Jonestown Massacre's Anton Newcombe and New Order's Peter Hook to make some timeless psych pop rock.  Listen to the title track below featuring Emmanuelle Seigner, and get the album now from Because Music.

Holy Motors

I first got clued on to Estonian band Holy Motors and their particular band of dreamy, desert shoegaze on last year's "Sleeprydr," a hazy little piece of psych-tinged pop that would have paired perfectly with "Twin Peaks."  And now we've got a full-length from the band out this week from Wharf Cat.  The "Slow Sundown" LP picks up right where last year's 7" left off to wonderful effect.  Listen to the Mazzy Star meets Lee Hazlewood vibes of "Honeymooning" below.

A Place to Bury Strangers

April brings us new noise from Brooklyn's A Place to Bury Strangers and their usual blistering mix of post punk, psychedelia, and chaos.  Always something to look forward to.  Listen to "Never Coming Back" below, pre-order new album "Pinned" from Dead Oceans here, and be on the lookout for the group in Austin in March at SXSW.

Bat Fangs

Any artist who is described as picking up where Roky and The Aliens left off is going to get my attention.  So here's Bat Fangs, a short and rocking burst of banging jams from some shredding females.  Listen to "Rock the Reaper" below and get the self-titled album from Don Giovanni Records.

Typhoon

Here's some epic, post-rock-tinged, orchestral pop from Oregon 8-piece Typhoon.  "Empiricist" comes from the band's new album "Offerings," some music to toil away to in these last weeks of winter.  Listen below and get the record here from Roll Call Records and Management.

Friday Horror Trailer - Evilspeak

Sufis

"After Hours" is the third release from Brooklyn by way of Nashville band Sufis.  The band has kind of a breezy, psych and Americana nodding groove, hearkening back to eras long past, like and AM radio version of The Velvet Underground.  Listen to "Another Way (71)" below and get the album from Burger Records.