The Rentals

The Rentals have been releasing a new track every couple of weeks pretty much since the year began, and last Friday finally released their new and epic album "Q36."  Stuffed to the brim with ideas, the space pop album is an infectious toe tapper.  Check out the album close "Elon Musk Is Making Me Sad" below and download the album here.

Daily Jam - What It Takes

Being an MTV kid growing up, Aerosmith had a pretty prevalent spot in my childhood and teen years, the band's music videos eating up a considerable amount of my time.  They kind of dominated a lot of rock radio back then too.  Anyway, here's one of my favorites, the sappy "What It Takes," our Daily Jam.

Secret Machines

Space rock bands from every era are rising anew like fuzzed up phoenixes, with Hum dropping a surprise album last week, and now news of a new record from Secret Machines coming our way in August.  Check out "Talos' Corpse" below and pre-order the "Awake in the Brain Chamber" LP here from the band.

Daily Jam - Holding All the Globes

Going with some '00s indie rock today from a band called Boat.  "Songs That You Might Not Like" is still one of my favorite album titles ever, and here's "Holding All the Globes," our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Illumination

Any, and i cannot stress this enough, time is a good time to listen to Broadcast.  Here's the dreamy "Illumination," our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Fade to Grey

Finding myself in an '80s synth pop mode today...as happens with some regularity.  Here's "Fade to Grey" from Visage, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - We're in This Together

"The Fragile" was one of the record releases i was probably the most excited for, it and Radiohead's "Kid A" being maybe the only times i went to a record store at midnight for the special release.  And it's still a solid listen today, maybe not as revered as the earlier albums, but a flawed masterpiece in its own way.  Here's "We're in This Together," our Daily Jam.

And wear your goddamn mask.

Friday Horror Trailer - Superstition

Hoops

Dreamy, Indiana indie pop band Hoops have a new record coming our way in the Fall.  Listen to the jangly "Fall Back" below and pre-order the "Halo" LP here from Fat Possum.

Daily Jam - They Say I Look Like God

In the '50s and '60s, jazz maestro Dave Brubeck put together a musical project called The Real Ambassadors with the legendary Louis Armstrong and his band among others.  One of the tracks produced by the project was the powerful and spiritual "They Say I Look Like God," a kind of chant and chamber music piece with nods to gospel and Armstrong's unmistakable voice at the forefront.  It's really something.  Listen to it below, our Daily Jam.

Boris

I swear a few years ago i heard that the long running Japanese psych metal band Boris were going to retire.  And i also swear that they're released at least half a dozen records since then.  Here's hoping they never retire and play until they're dust.  Anyway, new record "NO" is out next week.  Listen to "Loveless" below and pre-order the album here from the band.

Uniform

New York band Uniform have been pretty abrasive since their inception, paired with The Body or not, and the industrial metal punk band have a new album coming our way on September 11th of all days.  Check out new tune "Delco" below and pre-order the "Shame" LP here from Sacred Bones.

MIKE and Earl Sweatshirt

MIKE is a New York rapper who for the last few years has managed to release an album on the same day in June.  That's pretty cool, and it's also pretty cool that his latest June release, "Weight of the World," features Earl Sweatshirt on a track.  Listen to "Allstar" below and get the album here.

Jónsi

Sigur Rós front man Jónsi has a new solo album heading our way in the fall.  "Shiver" looks to be a sweeping pop album that pushes the artist outside of his usual post rock and ambient explorations.  Listen to "Swill" below and pre-order the record here from KRUNK.

Jesu

Aside from the most welcome new album from Hum yesterday, we also got word that a new mini-LP from Justin K. Broadrick's long running Jesu project is heading our way next week.  Check out the video for the beautiful new track "Because of You" below, a kind of mix of ethereal sounds, electronic drums, and shoegazey reverb.  The for "Never" next week from Avalanche Recordings, but in the meantime, you can download the single here from the artist.

Daily Jam - Winter's Love

Animal Collective seems to be one of those bands that folks either love or hate.  I usually fall into the former category, particularly when it comes to the quasi neo-folk of stuff like "Winter's Love."  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

Hum

I've gotta say that a surprise new album, their first in 22 years, from '90s alt-rock band Hum was not something i expected to happen today.  But it did, and my first listen through is bringing me nothing but smiles.  Check out the space rock opening track "Waves" below and download the new "Inlet" album here from the band and pre-order the vinyl here from Polyvinyl.

Daily Jam - Somebody to Shove

For a hot second in the '90s, Soul Ayslum were maybe the biggest band out there.  It didn't last long, but that's probably for the best.  They're still cool.  Here's "Somebody to Shove," our Daily Jam.

Primitive Man

If you were looking for something just absolutely crushing today, here's the latest from Denver doom and sludge metal band Primitive Man.  "The Lifer" sounds like the universe collapsing in on itself...which can pretty much sum up a lot of feelings lately.  Check it out below and pre-order the upcoming "Immersion" LP here via Relapse.

Daily Jam - Alone Again

I listen to some iteration of King Khan every single week, and today it's from King Khan and BBQ Show.  Here's the stripped down, lo-fi, garage doo-wop of "Alone Again," our Daily Jam.

Special Interest

New Orleans no-wave band Special Interest have a new record of industrial-tinged and noisy punk rock heading our way later this summer.  For the time being, you can listen to and download the whole thing from the band here, with the record dropping sometime later here on Thrilling Living Records (pre-order on July 3rd).  In the meantime, listen to "All Tomorrow's Carry" below.

TALsounds

Digging on more music from the Windy City this morning, this time around from the improvisational and experimental artist TALsounds.  Utilizing analog synthesizers to create deep and layered soundscapes, the artist who also goes by Natalie Chami, just released her new album "Acquiesce" last month on NNA Tapes.  Beautiful, transfixing stuff.  Listen to "Hermit" below and get the record here.

Angel Bat Dawid

I maybe wasn't expecting to be completely beguiled by a drum machine and clarinet duet this morning, but here we are.  The excellent Chicago jazz label International Anthem gives up a new 7" record from hometown girl Angel Bat Dawid.  And the artist creates something wholly spiritual and mystifying with the A-side, "Transition East."  Check it out below and get it here.

Alyssandra Nighswonger Covers Nilsson

I don't think i'd go so far as to say that Robert Altman's 1980 live-action "Popeye" movie is good necessarily, but it is kind of oddly fascinating in its own way.  And part of that probably has to be because of Harry Nilsson's music.  And i've always had a soft spot for the song "He Needs Me."  Anyway, singer/songwriter Alyssandra Nighswonger released an album of Nilsson cover songs, titled "Nighswonger Sings Nilsson" appropriately enough, back in March, and her version of the tune is just wonderful, like some long lost folk oddity.  Listen below and get the record here.

Daily Jam - Burning Bridges (Instrumental)

Figured i'd go with some of the most dad music (my dad anyway) i could find today.  And it doesn't get anymore dad than the soundtrack to "Kelly's Heroes."  So here's Lalo Schifrin's instrumental reprise or "Burning Bridges" for our Daily Jam.

Cindy Cane

The moody death rock or New York band Cindy Cane was one of my favorite finds of SXSW...way back in the long ago that was March of 2019.  And it looks like we've finally got a full length album heading our way sometime in the future, "New York Strangers."  Check out the gothy lead single "Let Me In" below and get it here.

Daily Jam - River Man

This could be my Saturday morning vibe today, if not for my two crazy children.  Calmness, stillness, and serenity are no longer a thing at my house.  But here's Nick Drake's "River Man" anyway, our Daily Jam.

Friday Horror Trailer - Creepozoids

Linea Aspera

Berlin's Linea Aspera has got you covered today for any and all of your synth wave meets techno pop needs.  Listen to "Solar Flare" below and pre-order the upcoming "Linea Aspera LP II" album heading our way in September here from the artist.

Daily Jam - Roygbiv

There are songs out there that can just soothe me, even if only for a moment, and one of those is "Roygbiv" by Boards of Canada.  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

Sault

Mysterious UK outfit Sault are back with a new album today, after last year's one, two punch of "5" and "7."  The new record, "Untitled (Black Is)," is a powerful testament to blackness, channeling a whole range of emotions of this very moment in time and utilizing that anger and rage as well as that love and camaraderie to create something truly poignant and magnificent.  Elements of Motown soul, Afro-psych, gospel, hip-hop, and R&B shine throughout.  We just got ourselves a record of the year contender.  Check out "Eternal Life" below and get the record here from Forever Living Originals.

L.A. Witch

LA trio L.A. Witch are back with a new album of garage rippers on the upcoming "Play With Fire."  Licks and jams for days for beaches and bar brawls.  Check out "I Wanna Lose" below and pre-order the record here from Suicide Squeeze.

Daily Jam - Millennium

One of those songs that got itself into my head decades ago and then just never left, "Millennium" by Robbie Williams just keeps on pounding away in there.  I blame the Bond sample.  Anyway, listen below, our Daily Jam.

IDLES

Over just a short few years, Bristol post punk band IDLES have amassed themselves quite the fanatical following.  And it makes sense when you hear things like their latest track "Grounds."  It's aggressive, frenetic, and powerful, and threatens to just break apart at any moment, kind of like our general psyche.  Anyway, listen to it below and pre-order the band's upcoming new "Ultra Mono" LP here from Partisan Records.

Also, i love this album cover art.

Melvins & Mudhoney

Grunge originators and underground mainstays the Melvins and Mudhoney have teamed up for a collaborative EP...that's already sold out.  The "White Lazy Boy" EP was released by Amphetamine Reptile Records on CD only, with no vinyl, no download, and no streaming.  Some industrious folks have seen to putting the four tracks on YouTube, so at least we can all check them out.  And one of those tracks is a cover of Neil Young's "Drive Back."  Check it out below, and then i guess maybe check back here in case there's a repress.

UPDATE: A second CD pressing is in the works and you can pre-order now.

Daily Jam - Psychotic Reaction

In a nuggets kind of mood this morning, so here's some garage rock/proto-punk from California band Count Five.  Listen to "Psychotic Reaction" below, our Daily Jam.

Metabasi

It's already started in earnest, but i think over the next year we're going to get just scores and scores of albums inspired by and conceived and written and recorded during the pandemic, and it will be years after that when we discover what all of this actually did to our collective psyche.  But the evidence will be there on analog tape and digital files.  Italian band Metabasi were all set to begin recording a new album when lockdown forced them to abandon their initial ideas and start fresh.  So the band created new album "SabaSaba," assembled online from home sessions and field recordings from short walks and balconies.  The result is a claustrophobic and often foreboding or somber piece of dark ambient music.  Check out the album closing "π" below and get the cassette here from Maple Death Records.

Daily Jam - Michelle

One thing i dig is a random Beatles cover.  And they are literally everywhere to be found, recorded by thousands of different artists in just as many genres or styles over the last 55 years.  Here's Latin and jazz percussionist Willie Bobo's instrumental take on "Michelle," our Daily Jam.

Our Unseen Guest

Here's some subdued and moody bedroom darkwave from Cleveland artist Our Unseen Guest.  "Sensationalism" deals in a kind of lo-fi and ambient goth vibe, warbled and unsteady.  Check it out below and get the "Always A Way" album here from the artist.

Daily Jam - Politics Music and Drugs

To kick off our week, here's a little early aughts indie rock from Slow Reader.  The duo only released one album in 2002.  Here's "Politics Music and Drugs," our Daily Jam.

Big Ghost Ltd & Widowmaker

Giallo score sounds and vibes as the back drop for an instrumental hip-hop album.  Yeah, it's been done before, but maybe not as seamlessly as "An Open Tomb...An Empty Casket," a collaborative project between producers Big Ghost Ltd and Widomaker.  The whole thing makes for some excellent Sunday morning making breakfast music.  Stream the whole thing below and get the record here via Golden Analogue.

Daily Jam - Waiting for the Night

I always come back around again to Depeche Mode.  Here's the soothing, yet slightly foreboding "Waiting for the Night," our Daily Jam.

Twin Peaks

Here's a new jam from Chicago band Twin Peaks.  Listen to "What's the Matter" below and pre-order the upcoming "Side A" 10" here via Grand Jury Music.

Daily Jam - Temptation

One of those songs that will eternally remind me of a certain place and time, this one being my first year of college in Austin.  Here's Canadian band The Tea Party's "Temptation," our Daily Jam.

Friday Horror Trailer - Body Snatchers

Daily Jam - For I Am Cursed

You ever have a record that for some reason kind of falls by the wayside for whatever reason?  Like maybe you were really paying more attention to some other music at the time, or you just had a lot on your plate, or whatever?  And then, maybe a year later or more, you hear a song that you really like, and think, man i need to buy this, only to discover after a quick search that you already do own it?  That happened to me with Youth Code and the song "For I Am Cursed."  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

Korine

Philly synth pop duo Korine have a new album of dreamy, sweeping, and dance-ready tracks heading our way in September.  Check out "Fate" below and pre-order the upcoming "The Night We Raise" here from the band.

Lights

Canadian artist Lights wrote and recorded an instrumental album of late night, chilled out synth wave to calm the nerves over the last few weeks of restless nights.  There's a lot on everyone's mind right just now, so take a few minutes to calm your own nerves and then carry on.  Listen to "ChainLink" below and get the "How to Sleep When You're on Fire" album here from the artist.  100% of the proceeds go to Black Lives Matter Vancouver.

Daily Jam - Lost Property

Years and years ago, i was in Scotland, hanging out with a bunch of college kids in Aberdeen.  One of the guys took me to a record store and while we were there, we saw a new album from The Divine Comedy.  I was stoked, and he asked me if the band was popular in America.  I thought the prospect of that was hilarious, but the question was asked in earnest, so i just responded, "no no no no no."  Here's a cut from that record.  Listen to "Lost Property" below, our Daily Jam.

Dean Blunt

UK artist and producer Dean Blunt recently released a collection of pieces written and recorded from 2012-2019.  "Roaches 2012 - 2019 (​$​up£r D€lux£)" is a whopping 52 tracks of hip-hop, soul, jazz, dub, and lo-fi haze that sounds like some mad genius's mix tape that got left in the sun.  Check out the moody and warbly album opener "Felony" below and get the whole thing here via World Music.