Alex Izenberg

California artist Alex Izenberg has been making music for a few years now, but somehow always remained under my radar.  That all changes with last month's new album "Alex Izenberg & The Exiles."  This is his debut with a full band, and there's a full-on '70s psych pop vibe going on throughout, giving the songs a classic and timeless feel.  Check out "Drinking the Dusk Away" below and get the LP here from Weird World.

Drugdealer

If it seems like there is a veritable endless amount of musical styles, genres, and influences to mine for modern inspiration, that's because there is.  Drugdealer, the latest side project from Run DMT main man Mike Collins channels the easy soft rock grandeur of folks like Carole King and that ilk to sublime effect on the single "Suddenly" featuring a vocal assist from Weyes Blood's Natalie Mering, and Ariel Pink on the boards.  It's lovely.  Listen below, and pre-order the upcoming "The End of Comedy" LP on Weird World Records.

Peaking Lights

Here's a new tropical-flavored, low-tech jam from perennial crate diggers Peaking Lights.  "Breakdown" comes from the duo's upcoming "Cosmic Logic" LP out in October on Weird World, and it kind of sounds like walking through a dusk-lit pool party in slow motion, strutting, nodding, drinking.  Listen below.

Hookworms

I've been on a little bit of a psych-rock tear lately, so it's quite convenient that i come across Leeds act Hookworms.  Listen to the epic, sprawling "Away / Towards" below from their upcoming "Pearl Mystic" LP due this September on Weird World.  Slow builds of ever increasing noise and feedback, screaming, yelling, hollering through a wall of Velvet Underground-inspired fuzzy crunch.  This is the sound of staring into the sun for too long.  Listen and download below.