If I had a bunch of money, like, if me and Jim Kramer went into a hedge fund and it went ballistic or somethin’, I would buy a lot of stuff. I’m materialistic. Having shit is aces. I would get a Telecaster, a Sea-Doo jet ski, a sitar, a shit-ton of Wii games, and an anti-gravity tank. The latter would be the most important and most difficult to obtain, as it would be tough fitting an anti-gravity tank in a city apartment – so that item would be coupled with a storage space west of the city somewhere. I would invite friends over to the anti-gravity tank, which I would dub La Nave Espacial. It would act as the perfect gathering place for birthdays, anniversaries, bar mitzvahs, retirement parties, weddings, funerals, et al. It would also serve as a great complement to both Allegories‘ and Asteroid #4’s latest jam canons.

Philadelphia’s The Asteroid #4, currently part of Anton “They Broke My Fucking Sitar” Newcombe’s Committee to Keep Music Evil collective and possibly brahs with Bardo Pond, are preparing to drop off some serious hazetrips in These Flowers of Ours, out on the 16th of this month. Compared to the hit-or-miss An Amazing Dream, the new jam hive sounds like it’s shaping up to be really good. Trading in the mid-tempo bubblegum hooks that NPR affiliates ape over for some real sinister textures, soaring harmonies, and amped-up baroque pop flavors, The Asteroid #4 is properly channeling the best of classic shoegaze. The title track is gorgeous, lush, and bombastic, like Mayo Thompson meets Van Dyke Parks, or what Ride’s Carnival of Light would’ve sounded like if Andy Bell still gave a care or the Stone Roses’ Second Coming if they 86ed the bad whiteboy blues juju. The Verve needs to take notes. Derivative, yes, but delicious. Great for suspending gravity.

By the way, when is “sounding early ’90s” a valid reason to bum on an album – especially considering the vile poppycock currently being pushed onto us as the hot shit? Nice blueblockers, dork. My mom has a pair, too. They look better on her. Goddammit, I hate music blogs besides mine and Swan Fungus. Sorry for the neg vibes. Moving on…

The recently released Surreal Auteur, the debut by Ontario’s Allegories is quite excellent. It helps you remember that time you were floating in the womb. The group lists a prolific queue of artists in their “influences” field that, for once, nails exactly what they sound like (as well as an accurate description of what your record collection should look like if you’re Decibel Tollsin’ around). Sigur Ros (with cherubic chant in tow), Beach Boys, and Grizzly Bear are the obvious comparisons, but there’s also some serious shades of disparate influences like Fennesz and Talk Talk (their post rock period), Maserati and Pentangle, The Books and Cocteau Twins, et cetera. Go peep their MySpazzz, or the empeethrees below, if you’ve been looking to fill out your Windy & Carl and Bark Psychosis collections. Great soundtrack for hang-gliding.

Today’s post was brought to you by the letter A.

MP3 :::
The Asteroid #4 – Flowers of Ours
The Asteroid #4 – I Look Around
Allegories – Fish Water Desert Trapeze
Allegories – Grass Toboggan