Daily Jam - Cop Killer

So, Pandemic 2020 for me has meant working from home, homeschooling children, doing my best to support local breweries, drinking beer from said local breweries, discovering and listening to and purchasing SO MUCH music, and doing my very best to hold it all together and maintain the last shreds of my sanity.  Watching over the last couple days as everything unfolds is doing its best to break that hold on sanity.  There is literally hours of footage from all over the country of the police abusing their power, not that i thought this wasn't happening, but it's all in broad daylight now, and seemingly with no repercussions for any of them.  I've watched footage of a cop on a horse ride over a lady.  I've watched a multiple videos of police cruisers driving through crowds with reckless abandon.  I've seen journalists shot with tear gas, rubber bullets, and arrested on live TV.  Police firing into homes.  An old man with a cane shoved into the pavement.  And bystanders beaten in the streets.  It's sickening.  Turns out watching the police murder another black man finally made this country hit the boiling over point.  And then compound this whole racist systemic structure with over 100,000 dead, off the rails unemployment, and a political system and environment that does jack shit for anybody aside from the rich and elite, and well...we might just be done.

Anyway, this one feels appropriate.  Here's "Cop Killer" from John Maus, our Daily Jam.

Be careful out there.

Delores Galore

New Orleans artist Gabrielle Washington fronts R&B synth pop group Sexy Dex and The Fresh, and released her first side solo effort donned Delores Galore last October.  The EP fuses synth pop, R&B, and post disco into smooth and groovy pop to get down to.  Listen to "One Touch" below and get the "New Growth" cassette here from the artist.

Special Interest

In a weird mood this morning, but as per usual, still hunting down as much new music (to me at least) as my ears can stand.  Here's a track from earlier this year from New Orleans No Wave act Special Interest.  "Don't Kiss Me in Public" is noisy and raucous and still totally something to shake your butt to.  Check it out below and get it here from the band.

Daily Jam - Dance, Girl, Dance

When he's not fronting British indie rock group The Wedding Present, David Gedge fronts British pop group Cinerama instead.  Here's the latter's "Dance, Girl, Dance," our Daily Jam.

Young Ejecta

Young Ejecta is the synth pop project of Leanne Macomber and Joel Ford, and it's been a few years since we last heard from them.  The duo looks to remedy that with this summer's upcoming "Ride Lonesome" LP.  Listen to the sweet and melancholy "Crayon Cactus" below and pre-order the record here from Driftless Recordings.

The Flaming Lips and Kacey Musgraves

I'm a longtime fan of The Flaming Lips, and it this point i'm in for the long haul, but the output of the last few years has not been my favorite.  I can dig on the experimentation, but it's been almost a decade since i really liked a Lips record ("Heady Fwends"), and even longer since i've loved one ("Embryonic").  All that being said, the band's new single, "Flowers of Neptune 6," featuring Kacey Musgraves on backing vocals is just lovely.  It harkens back to the turn of the century sounds of "Soft Bulletin," but without feeling like a complete retread.  And the video has Wayne back in the bubble, which i suppose is a good place to be these days.  Check it out below.

Friday Horror Trailer - Prison

Daily Jam - Young Liars

A lot of the time when i'm posting one of these Daily Jams, i like to try and frame it or contextualize it in a way.  But i'm tired.  And my brain hurts.  And my body hurts.  So instead, let's just listen to and enjoy "Young Liars" by TV on The Radio, our Daily Jam.

Black Dresses

Apparently the ladies of Black Dresses have decided to call it quits, in part due to some online harassment that one of the duo has been receiving.  That sucks, both the harassment and the disbandment.  So much wonderful noise we may not be privy to now in part because of some internet assholes.  For now at least, we can just listen to the duo's brand of glitchy, techno-tinged, industrial goth pop, like last month's "Peaceful as Hell" album.  Check out the album opening "Left Arm of Life" below and get it here from the band.

Daily Jam - Get Free

Remember these guys?  Here's The Vines' "Get Free," our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - I'm Sorry Baby

One of those bands that's just kind of quietly been going at it for 30 years now is Cracker.  They may have peaked chart wise right out the gate, but the output has been consistent and solid ever since.  Here's a cut from their most recent album.  Check out the alt-country "I'm Sorry Baby," our Daily Jam.

Trees Speak

Arizona band Trees Speak craft beautiful, instrumental soundscapes for the desert, utilizing the sounds of kruatrock and kosmische to get there.  Wonderful stuff, gooey analog synths, motorik beats, and noir psychedelia.  Watch the video for "Shadow Circuit" below and get the band's latest, "Ohms," here from Soul Jazz Records.

Paint

Allah-Las' member Pedrum Siadatian is back this July with a new album as Paint.  Check out the groovy, worldly rhythms of "Ta Fardah" below, and pre-order the upcoming sophomore album "Spiritual Vegas" here from Mexican Summer.

Daily Jam - I Don't Wanna Die

The Unicorns only released one album, 2003's "Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?"  Sure, the band's members have gone on to do other things, but there was just something about that first quirky flash.  Long live The Unicorns!  Here's "I Don't Wanna Die," our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Nasirli Eller

I first discovered Turkish folk singer Selda through the smoking guitar riff on her track "Ince Ince," which has now been sampled by a bevy of different artists.  From there, the Finders Keepers record label was more than happy to take me through the rest of her discography.  Here's the exotic and cinematic ballad, "Nasirli Eller," our Daily Jam.

Ash & Herb

Maine duo Ash & Herb have a new album of acid-drenched psych-freak out sonic explorations to explode your minds and seer your consciousnesses to.  "Roughin' It" collects six live improvisations for earhole pleasure.  Check out the album opening "Zero In" below, 11 minutes of psychedelic wonder that sounds something like slowly losing your grip on reality while surrounded by a hippie death cult.  Check it out below and get the album here from Flower Room.

Tim Presley - Must Let Go

LA psych rock artist Tim Presley, oh he of White Fence and Drinks fame, released a new single for the holiday weekend.  "Must Let Go" is quirky and sweet, spaced and tripping, and somehow uplifting in a world that sorely needs something like that.  Check it out below and get it here via Looking Glass.

Daily Jam - Let Me Kiss You

Nancy Sinatra released a kinda sorta comeback album back in the '00s that featured production and songs and assists from the likes of Jarvis Cocker and Thurston Moore among others.  It also featured this cool cover of Morrissey's "Let Me Kiss You."  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

Kidbug

Here's a '90s alt-rock throwback jam from the kinda indie rock supergroup Kidbug.  Featuring members of Best Coast, Eerie Wanda, and the always formidable Thor Harris of Swans, the band channels all those crunchy old sounds and feelings i grew up loving.  Check out "Lovesick" below and get the self-titled album here via Joyful Noise.

Daily Jam - Abandoner

Prog rock artist, producer, and Porcupine Tree member Steven Wilson released a pretty fantastic solo album, "Insurgentes," way back in 2009.  Off kilter, left of center, and kind of somber jams for the masses.  Listen to "Abandoner" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Get It Up

I went a little crazy over Santigold's and Diplo's "Top Ranking" mixtape when it came out almost 12(!!!) years ago, a cool grooving mix of hip-hop, new wave, reggae, punk, dub, and more.  Tracks from a variety of artists flowed seamlessly into Santigold's own songs and back again.  Just awesome stuff.  The highlight for me though was the MIA assisted and Gorilla Zoe sampled "Get It Up."  Listen below, our Daily Jam.

Friday Horror Trailer - Bloody Moon

Julianna Barwick

July brings us new music from Julianna Barwick.  Check out "Inspirit," the lead track from new album "Healing Is a Miracle."  It sounds like the ocean.  And pre-order the record here from Ninja Tune.

Daily Jam - Medicine

I'll be honest.  There was a whole lot of absolutely wretched music that came out in the '90s.  And i'll cop to listening to some of it.  But occasionally a good song would come out of the post-post-grunge/post-post-alt-rock scene, like Orbit's still very '90s jam "Medicine."  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - I Don't Want to Grow Up

My 6-year old is beginning to discover the Ramones.  Unfortunately it's because of the "Sonic the Hedgehog" movie, but i'll take what i can get.  Here's "I Don't Want to Grow Up," our Daily Jam.

Zombi

Man, i had no idea we were getting new Zombi this year.  The appropriately named "2020," the duo's first new record in five years, opens with "Breakthrough & Conquer," a driving, riff-filled track that feels way more indebted to hard rock than anything the band has done prior.  Take a listen below, and pre-order the record here via Relapse.

Zetra

At the beginning of the month, UK darkwave shoegaze goth industrial black metal band Zetra released a collection of songs recorded during isolation called "With Your Demons Volume One."  It was great.  And a couple of days ago, the duo released Volume Two.  It's also great.  The double cassette with both volumes is sold out, but you can still get both digitally from the band.  Listen to "Beyond Death" below and get the album here.

Daily Jam - The Drugs Don't Work

Sure, it's a tad maudlin, but The Verve's "The Drugs Don't Work" still strikes a nerve for me.  Listen below, our Daily Jam.

Las Kellies

The last i heard from Buenos Aires band Las Kellies, the ladies were making sun glazed and fuzzy psych pop.  Now a duo, the band is still washed in fuzz, but this time around on new album "Suck this Tangerine," there's a dancey, new wave/post punk thing going on too.  Well played Las Kellies.  Well played.  Listen to "Closer" below and get the record here from Fire Records.

Powerplant

Here's some punchy, dubby, deceptively funky post punk from London band Powerplant to energize us all just s little bit this fine and wretched morning.  Listen to "A Spine" below and grab the 7" from the band here via Static Shock Records.

Daily Jam - Farewell

Kicking off another week, this time around with a classic from the long running Japanese metal band Boris.  Listen to the crunchy, post rock and shoegaze tinged "Farewell" below, our Daily Jam.

Mrs. Piss

Mrs. Piss is the delightfully named project of Chelsea Wolfe and Jess Gowrie, a grungey, sludgy mess of goth and doom tinged hard rock.  We go pretty hard for Chelsea Wolfe around these parts, and that doesn't look to change anytime soon.  Check out the video for "Knelt" below and pre-order the "Self-Surgery" album here via Sargent House.

Daily Jam - Red on White

When i was in high school, i got really into a bunch of bad industrial pop rock bands, of which there were dozens following the success of Nine Inch Nails.  Stabbing Westward were...well...they were pretty bad, but i can still dig on their first record "Ungod."  I think it was one of those albums i bought based on the cover art alone.  Anyway, let's feel all nostalgic for our misplaced '90s teenage angst and listen to "Red on White," our Daily Jam.

topographies

Here's some new melancholy dreampop from San Francisco's topographies.  New EP "Not My Loneliness, But Ours" was recorded during quarantine with each member doing their part at home.  Listen to the title track below and download the whole thing here.

Daily Jam - Escape

Magnetic System, the trio of Italian composers Vince Tempera, Franco Bixio, and Fabio Frizzi released one record in 1977, the "Godzilla/Escape" 7".  It was supposed to finally be reissued this year for Record Store Day (over in Europe anyway), but hopefully the blast of funky prog rock can find its way to me soon.  Listen to "Escape" below, our Daily Jam.

Friday Horror Trailer - Nightmare Beach

A little NSFW.

Daily Jam - On Her Majesty's Secret Service

I've always dug on this version of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" from UK electronic duo Propellerheads and film score composer David Arnold, even if it is a little cheesy.  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

DDENT

I was just thinking i needed a mix of shoegaze, industrial, and atmospheric black metal to listen to this morning, and here it is.  Thanks French artist DDENT!  Listen to "Volemie" below and pre-order the upcoming "Couvre-sang" album here from Chien Noir.

Daily Jam - Fear Is A Man's Best Friend

Moving in a John Cale kind of direction this morning.  Here's "Fear Is a Man's Best Friend," our Daily Jam.

Circles Around the Sun

Circles Around the Sun's self-titled third album dropped back in March right before everything went to shit.  And watching the space roller rink video for "Babyman," i really wish the band's fried and grooving disco rock had been the pill this world so badly needs.  But for the time being we'll all just have to listen at home.  Check out the video below and get the record here from Royal Potato Family.

Daily Jam - I Wanna Kill

Sure they're just riffing on Jesus and May Chain, but it's not like that's a bad thing.  Quite the opposite actually.  More of us should riff on Jesus and Mary Chain.  Here's "I Wanna Kill" by the Crocodiles, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Chains

Mercury Rev's excellent album "All Is Dream" has the unfortunate distinction of being released in the US on September 11th, 2001.  Because of that, i think it was unfairly forgotten in all the turmoil that followed, not that it would have been this huge breakout record or anything.  It was too weird for that.  But i think it would have and should have garnered the group more attention than it ultimately did.  Anyway, here's "Chains," our Daily Jam.

Nick Griffith

Here's a little lo-fi bedroom pop rock from Australian artist Nick Griffith.  Dig on the scratchy new wave vibes of "Riding on My Bike" below and get the "7AM" album here via Dinosaur City Records.

Daily Jam - Sub

Had you planned on listening to some '70s Italian proggy space disco today?  Probably not, but i think you should anyway.  You might recognize this song from the opening credits of the "Cursed Films" series on Shudder.  Here's "Sub" from I Signori Della Galassia, our Daily Jam.

Shakey Graves

Austin's Shakey Graves released a new EP this month, "Look Alive."  The folk and country tinged artist travels in his normal folk and country tinged sounds, but utilizes more synthesizer and Beatles vibes than usual on the new collection of songs.  Listen to the title track below and get it here.

I Break Horses

I've got to be honest and say that while i've heard the name I Break Horses before, i never really paid any attention.  But holy cow am i digging on "Turn," the sprawling and floating opener for the Swedish artist's new album "Warnings."  Dreamy, yearning wonder.  Give it a listen below and get the new record here from Bella Union.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Daily Jam - Spooky

Here's a classic from Dusty for Mother's Day.  Check out "Spooky" below, our Daily Jam.

Spotlights Cover Pixies

Here's the latest in Spotlights' series of quarantine cover songs, this time around turning the Pixies' "Wave of Mutilation" into a full on space rock opus.  Check it out below and get it here.

Desire

Here's another new single from synth pop artist Desire from her upcoming "Escape" LP, out sometime this summer on Italians Do It Better.  Watch the underwater video for "Liquid Dreams" below and get the single here.