Daily Jam - The Hardest Walk

Do something good for yourself today.  Listen to more Jesus and Mary Chain.  Here's "The Hardest Walk," our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Depression

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that i've been going down some music rabbit holes on YouTube, discovering all kinds of cool old tunes.  Here's an organ heavy garage rock track from the '60s from The Specters.  Listen to "Depression" below, our Daily Jam.

The Violet Mindfield

SoCal quintet The Violet Mindfield play old school garage rock that would fit right in with one of those "Nuggets" compilations without missing a beat.  Check out "Slain in the Spirit" below and snag a copy of the "From the Gutter with Love" 7" here from the band.

Alone in My Room

Here's some new post punk from California band Alone in My Room.  The band's new album "II" is out now.  Get it here from Oraculo Records and listen to the surf-rock-tinged album opener "Gasoline" below.

Daily Jam (October Edition) - The Fly

Somehow, some way, we're kidless tonight.  Gonna enjoy a nice dinner and a quiet house.  But first, The Mummies!  Listen to "The Fly" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam (October Edition) - Horror Staccato

Here's some great '60s novelty Halloween music from the jazzy surf rock, and excellently named, band Frankie Stein and His Ghouls.  Listen to "Horror Staccato" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam (October Edition) - Dracula's Theme

The '60s was a wonderful time for novelty Halloween pop music, particularly of the surf and garage rock variety.  I guess there was just something in the air.  Here's a track from 1964 from The Ghouls.  Listen to "Dracula's Theme" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Borrowed Time

Happy Easter to those who celebrate.  Here's San Antonio garage rock band The Sons of Hercules with "Borrowed Time," our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Ain't Gotta Choose

Dig on the '90s garage rock sounds of short-lived Austin band The Satans.  The group injects some noisy surf and rockabilly into "Ain't Gotta Choose."  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

ELLiS-D

UK alt-rock artist ELLiS-D is dropping a weird album of post-punk and other assorted noise on us next month with upcoming new album "Spill."  Check out the kinda surfy "Drifting" below and pre-order the LP here from Crafting Room Records.

Daily Jam (October Edition) - Graveyard

Throw some spooky organ onto a surf rock track, and voila, you have a Halloween jam.  Michigan quintet The Blazers did just that on their 1963 single "Graveyard."  Check it out below, our Daily Jam.

Cassie Ramone

Cassie Ramone of Vivian Girls fame just dropped her new solo effort "Sweetheart" yesterday.  The title track is a wonderfully fuzzy blend of psychedelia, pop, and alt-rock, and has a kind of timeless feel that's going to have me humming it to myself for the foreseeable future.  Check it out below and order the LP here from the artist.

Juniore

And now for a fun mix of '60s pop, surf rock, psychedelia, and French pop from Paris trio Juniore.  The band's new album "Trois Deux Un" is full of throwback grooves and is out now.  Get it from the band here and listen to the album opening "Le Silence" below.

Daily Jam - Drums A-Go-Go

Gotta get back on the road later this afternoon.  But, we're taking the boys to a water park first so that i can make sure i'm exhausted before going.  Great plan me.  Here's some frenetic music from The Hollywood Persuaders to bounce my brain around and keep me going.  Listen to "Drums A-Go-Go" below, our Daily Jam.

Daily Jam - Head On

There are a handful of things that stick to my memory of when I moved into my very first apartment over 20 years ago. I remember that the humidity on move-in day was ridiculous, the Austin air a thick soup of uncomfortable moisture and oppressive heat. I remember being attracted to the pretty woman who worked in the complex’s leasing office, her Bettie Page aura and demeanor being way, way out of my league. I remember my mom cried at the airport when she flew back home to Midland. I remember the pain in the ass that was assembling my heavy, particle board desk. I remember my dad bought a 6-pack of Shiner for my roommate and me. And I remember getting into a friendly argument with the clerk at the corner store as to whether or not “Head On” was a Jesus and Mary Chain song or a Pixies song. Turns out we were both right.

But I was more right.

The Pixies did indeed record a version of “Head On” for their 1991 album Trompe le Monde, but it was a cover of the tune that originally appeared on The Jesus and Mary Chain’s 1989 album Automatic. Both versions are excellent, but I’m partial to the original, the drum and synth heavy surf rock-riffing jam hitting my earspace in all of the right places.

But let’s listen to both today anyway.

Trabants

And now for some fuzzy surf, psych, and garage rock vibes from LA band Trabants.  The trio's new "Mantra" 7" is out for out listening pleasure at month's end.  Pre-order the record here from the band and listen to the A-side below.

The Garrys

Saskatchewan sister trio The Garrys have added their brother to the mix for new track "Cakewalk."  The song is a blend of lo-fi surf rock, indie folk, and dreampop, and is the perfect sonic accompaniment to a hazy afternoon.  Check it out below and download it here.

Daily Jam - Apache

It’s one of those things that sounds like a total joke at first. Or, maybe it was honestly done, a silly, yet earnest and sincere piece or art that just seems ridiculous in hindsight, now that years have lapsed by and hearts and souls have grown jaded. Oh, maybe it falls into some kind of pit of irony, sustenance for the hordes of snark-fueled cretins.

No. Fuck that. Maybe it’s just awesome and fun, and no amount of silliness or irony or snark can ever take that away. A staple at weddings, anniversary parties, and bar mitzvahs alike; a funky, groove-laden, dance-until-dawn jam for the ages, sampled by umpteen artists and deejays over the last five decades…ladies and gentlemen, I give you “Apache” by The Incredible Bongo Band.

Birthed as a studio project of Michael Viner in 1972, The Incredible Bongo Band featured an array of musicians and studio players crafting bongo-centric covers of a number of popular songs, culminating in the 1973 release of Bongo Rock, a novelty record of sorts that could have slipped away into obscurity if not for the sampling salvation provided by a slew of original rap and hip-hop progenitors keeping it alive in our hearts and asses in their slick break beats.

Need a little fuel for your dance party? Cue up “Apache.” Need to get your body moving? Cue up “Apache.” Looking to put a little smile on your face? Cue up “Apache.” It’s a surefire, certified cure for the blues. Look it up.

Now dig on that beat.

La Luz

Here's some excellent new music from California four-piece La Luz.  "Strange World" mixes garage and surf rock with spacey pop harmonies to delightful and irresistible effect.  Check the track out below and pre-order the upcoming "News of the Universe" LP here from Sub Pop.

Daily Jam - Snakedriver

I love reverb. I love feedback. I love noise. The aesthetic has dominated my musical preference for over 30 years through one genre or another, luring me through so many layers of guitar, so many delay effects, so many echoes, and so much ear piercing triumph. Naturally, I’m a big fan of Scottish act The Jesus and Mary Chain. How could I not be? While the band started to see diminishing returns on their output during the 1990’s before their eventual breakup (and then inevitable reunion a decade later), “Snakedriver,” from 1993’s Sound of Speed EP has been in my constant rotation since I first heard it in the ninth grade.

That year was a wonderful time for me musically, as I discovered so many artists and sounds that have stayed near and dear to me for the last two decades. Just do a Google search of albums released in 1993 and 1994. It’s mind boggling. But back to “Snakedriver.”

The track immediately begins pulsing, a hypnotic, steady tambourine beat that slowly drowns under the growing guitar feedback. It feels like being underwater. It feels like falling or like floating in the sky. Honestly, it feels like getting high. For years this song has been able to put me into a mild trance or ease me into sleep…despite the noise, and it has this classic kind of throwback melody that would fit easily into the catalog of any 60’s garage pop band. But I guess that was kind of their thing. The Jesus and Mary Chain’s sound was always just a much denser and cacophonous version of Phil Spector’s “wall of sound” anyway, with occasional forays into surf rock. And god bless them for that.

The song also appeared on the soundtrack to The Crow the next year, and regardless of your feelings toward the film in general, that compiled soundtrack was an absolute monster when I was fifteen.

Check the song out below, our Daily Jam.