Friday Horror Trailer - Sweet Sixteen

Hilux

Recommendations from any of you out there who stumble upon this blog are always welcome, and a recent one was for Oakland artist Hilux.  New album "Nine White Moons" is kind of hard to pin down, an experimental synth pop record of sorts that juxtaposes multiple different sounds into one sometimes icy, sometimes soothing cohesive unit.  Elements of darkwave synth, post punk, New Age, R&B, and more churn and swirl together, setting the often dark atmosphere for this concept album about the tragic Greek myth of Persephone.  Listen to "Vernal Dawn" below and get the cassette here from the artist.

David Israel

Here's a jangly guitar pop nugget from Austin's own David Israel.  Watch the surreal video for "Car Commercial" below and grab the artist's new "The Year that Felt Like Two" LP here from Austin Town Hall Records.

Fucked Up

If you've never had the fortune to catch a live show from Ontario's long-running, dramatic, often almost operatic, hardcore punk troubadours Fucked Up, you really need to do yourself the favor of remedying that just as soon as humanly possible.  And hey, the band has a new record headed our way in October on Merge, so some shows should be in our future.  Listen to the kind of new wavey "Raise Your Voice Joyce" below and go ahead and pre-order the upcoming "Dose Your Dreams" here.

Ovlov

Channeling all the best crunchy guitar sounds from the '90s, Connecticut band Ovlov are back with a new record for a post-grunge world.  Listen to album closer "Grab It from the Garden" below, download the album from the band here, and get some vinyl here from Exploding In Sound.

Golden Dawn Arkestra

Somehow we're over halfway through the summer and i completely missed that Austin's funky, jazzy, Nigerian Afro-psychedelic space rock explorers Golden Dawn Arkestra put out a new record at the beginning of June.  Newest album "Children of the Sun" continues the band's tripped out, interstellar meanderings to delightful effect.  Listen to the chug and fuzz of "Wings of Ra" below and get the record here from Nine Mile.

The Column

Here's a little lo-fi darkwave dreampop from The Column for this blisteringly hot Saturday.  Listen to "Reasons" below and get the "Oracle" LP here from Funeral Party.

YITH

It feels like a black metal kind of day.  I don't know why.  It's a like 107 degrees outside or something ridiculous like that, so maybe i'm just wanting to feel something a little colder.  YITH's new album "Immemorial" will do nicely.  It's cold and crushing and kind of soothing too in its own weird little way.  Listen to the title track below and grab the album here from Vendetta Records.

Friday Horror Trailer - Horror Express

Alison Cotton

Experimental psych artist Alison Cotton's work has been described as "contemporary psychedelic folk and viola trance-out," and that's good enough for me, and more than enough to pique my interest.  Listen to the droney, meditative "All Is Quiet at the Ancient Theatre" below and snag a copy of the album of the same name here via Bloxham Tapes.

Prana Crafter

Prana Crafter is the project of Washington artist William Sol, and upcoming album "Enter the Stream" is a kind of flow of consciousness record that blends psych and folk into pure brain candy.  Listen to the album's title track below, and pre-order here via Sunrise Ocean Bender (if you're in North America) or here via Cardinal Fuzz (in Europe).

Popera Cosmic

Finders Keepers does it again.  One of those Holy Grails of record collectors, the wild, frenetic, and hypnotic "Les Esclaves" LP from French jazzy psych pop band Popera Cosmic, which has been out of print for nearly half a decade, makes its triumphant return in August remastered for the masses.  The record, made with the help of members of Space Art, Guy Skornik (who would later make all kinds of wonderful sounds for Alejandro Jodorowsky), a teen-aged Jean Michel-Jarre, and Jean Rollin orchestrator Paul Piot, is a sonic freakout that would go on to influence folks like Serge Gainsbourg and Magma.  Some mind bending stuff right here.  Listen to "Poursuite" below and order the record here.

Jaye Jayle

Young Widows member Jaye Jayle strikes out on his own in deliberately less raucous fashion on new solo effort "No Trail and Other Unholy Paths," aided on the boards by none other that Dean Hurley (he of David Lynch sound/music production fame).  Combining bits and pieces of folk, metal, drone, krautrock and a kind of meandering dark blues, the music is both soothing and ominous.  Listen to "Accepting" below and download the album here via Sargent House.

Jonathan Bree

New Zealand artist Jonathan Bree makes a kind of dreamy and smoky classic pop.  It feels indebted to the sounds of the '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s alike, an amalgamation of everything that's come before.  Check out the swooning "You're So Cool" below and the accompanying all-timer of a video.  It's equal parts creepy and fascinating.  Then grab the "Sleepwalking" LP here via Lil' Chief Records.

Molly Nilsson

It looks like we've got new music from the wonderful lo-fi synth pop artist Molly Nilsson headed our way in October.  It seems like we just got a new record from her, but i'm not complaining.  I get older and older and time moves faster and faster.  Anyway, check out the video for "Serious Flowers" below and be on the lookout for the upcoming "2020" LP soon from Dark Skies/Night School.

Major Murphy - Strangers

Hey folks, i got to see Michigan 3-piece Major Murphy perform at SXSW earlier this year, and they were great.  And now the band has released a cover of The Kinks' "Strangers," will all the proceeds benefiting the Fianza Fund, an organization that supports and aids migrants who have been detained at the southern US border.  Listen below, get the song here, and visit the organization here.

The Myrrors

August sees the release of "Borderlands," the latest album from Arizona psych band The Myrrors, and judging from out first taste, the haunting and ominous "The Blood that Runs the Border," we may be in for dark tome, blood cast to the sands of the desert, and all of the heartbreak and menace that that entails.  Listen below and pre-order the record here from Beyond Beyond Is Beyond.

Mesarthim

Always nice to get new music from Australia's cosmos inspired black metal band Mesarthim, so here's their latest, epic "Coma Wall."  Listen below and get it here.

Friday Horror Trailer - Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning

Beak> - Brean Down

A new album from Geoff Barrow's Krautrock band Beak> is headed our way in September on the artist's Invada label.  The ">>>" LP continues the band's penchant for crafting woozy little bits of fuzz and rhythm.  Listen to "Brean Down" below.

Roy Montgomery featuring Liz Harris

New Zealand guitarist and composer Roy Montgomery has been making music for a while now (he is pushing 60 after all), and the artist has a new album, "Suffuse," headed our way in the very near future (August!) which features a whole slew of guest vocalists (stemming from Montgomery's distaste for his own voice).  Guests include Julanna Barwick, Purple Pilgrims, and Circuit Des Yeux's Haley Fohr among others.  And our first taste of the record features gorgeous vocals from Liz Harris, whom you may otherwise know as Grouper.  Listen to "Landfall" below and pre-order the album here from Grapefruit Records.

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

Good news everyone!  It looks like we've got some new music headed our way from the wonderfully named stoner psych metal band Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs coming our way in September.  Listen to the crunchy "Cake of Light" below and pre-order the "King of Coward" album here from Rocket Recordings.

George Clanton

I first heard Brooklyn artist George Clanton's particular brand of hazy, bouncy, thowback pop rock jams on a whim a few months ago whilst digging around for tunes online.  And now we've got a full-length album headed our way next month.  Listen to "Dumb" below and order the "Slide" LP here from 100% Electronica.

Cigarettes After Sex

Smoky, breathy Brooklyn band Cigarettes After Sex released a new single yesterday, a dreamy and hazy bit of moody pop called "Crush."  It's gorgeous and haunting and should be on your headphones right now.  Listen below and get it here from Partisan Records.

Hatchie

Here's some dreamy pop music from Australia's Hatchie, whom i saw earlier this year at SXSW, but had kind of forgotten about.  Anyway, the artist has a little bit of a Cocteau Twins vibe going for her, and we're always down for that kind of thing around these parts.  Listen to "Sure" below and get the "Sugar & Spice" EP here via Double Double Whammy.

Jorge Elbrecht

Following the wonder "Here Lies" LP from earlier this year, New York artist Jorge Elbrecht has a new EP headed our way next month.  First track "Down in Flames" has a real dark synth pop vibe going for it.  Listen below, and pre-order the "Happiness" EP here.

Kevin Nichols

There's a real '90s alt-rock thing going on with what California artist Kevin Nichols is doing, and i am here for it.  Take a listen to the title track of the artist's latest album, "I Don't Wanna Die but I Wanna Die" and dig on that "120 Minutes" vibe.  Download here from the artist, and snag a cassette here (while they last) from Open Door Records.

Bambara

Brooklyn 3-piece Bambara make a moody, brooding kind of psychobilly post punk, all dark and echoed guitar licks and menacing vocals beckoning you into the desert at night.  The "Shadow on Everything" LP is out now (get it here), but go ahead and get hooked on the album opening "Dark Circles" below.

Kadhja Bonet

Over the last few weeks, i kept seeing the cover art above all over the place, sprouting up on blogs, websites, and record stores, and i finally got to checking it out.  Whoa.  "Childqueen" is the latest from LA artist Kadhja Bonet, a hypnotic and intoxicating mix of jazz, funk, folk, and psychedelia.  It's a summer soundtrack for walking into ocean at sunset, the horizon melting into the sea in oranges and pinks.  Listen to the title track below, and get the record here from Fat Possum.

Warm Drag

Warm Drag is the duo of Paul Quattrone (Oh Sees, !!!) and Vashti Windish (Golden Triangle), and the pair create a kind of warped and dubby version of psych rock, a lo-fi and trippy mess of sound.  A self-titled record is due sometime later this summer from In The Red, but in the meantime, check out first single "Cave Crawl" below, with a warbled video to match.

Friday Horror Trailer - Psycho II

Beastmaker

I don't know who Beastmaker are, but the Fresno stoner metal band just released 8 EPs of bong ripping riffs and mean psychedelic mayhem.  Let's call it music to take acid and ride a motorcycle to.  Get all 8 of the EPs here from the band and listen to "Night of the Eagle" from "EP.8" below.

Happy 4th!

Try not to blow yourselves up today...unless you're an asshole.  Then go ahead.

Roar

Phoenix artist Roar makes a kind of baroque psychedelic pop, but with a lo-fi and dreamy aesthetic, the kind of music you listen to with your eyes closed and the sun on your face.  Latest album, "Pathétique Aesthétique" is available now (get it here), but go ahead and listen to "Wondering Why" below.

Slift

French psych rock band Slift have a new album headed our way in September.  Check out the fuzz explosion of "Fearless Eye" below with accompanying trippy video, and get the "La Planete Inexploree" LP here from Howlin' Banana.

Hoover iii

LA band Hoover iii, which includes members of Mind Meld and Numb.er, makes face melting, Krautrock aping psych rock.  The band's new"Guillotine" 7" comes out soon from Permanent Records, which you can pre-order here.  Listen to acid drenched, desert wandering B-side "Taste in High Life" below.  It sounds like getting lost in a Jodorowsky film.

Laure Briard

French singer Laure Briard first came to my attention a couple of years ago with the artist's wonderful "Sur la Piste de Danse" LP, and now she's got a new EP of Ye-Ye influenced psychedelia for our listening pleasure, this time around with a hint of Tropicalia in the mix as well.  Listen to "Coração Louco" below and get the album here from Midnight Special.

Graham Reznick

The good folks over at Burning Witches Records continue their 2018 sweep with yet another outstanding release of synthetic wonder.  Graham Reznick's "Robophasia" is music made by computers for computers, all with a big retro bow tying it together.  Listen to "The Score" below and grab the album (quickly) here.