Is it safe to say that Woodsist may have the greatest batting average of any record label this year? Looking to put one more trophy in the cabinet, they plan to release the debut full-length from Real Estate next month. The garden state group uses phased surf guitar working in cahoots with autumnal acoustic overtones to produce something along the lines of a slacker Yo La Tengo. A dejected tropical palette forged by guitarist Matt Mondanile of Ducktails (although this is closer sounding to his recent work with Parasails), and vocalist/guitarist Martin Courtney, whose singing evokes a folkier Doug Martsch. This new self-titled album is largely a collection of rerecorded tracks from previous EP’s and 7″s . The changes are mostly on the mixing/mastering end, and while it’s usually a polarizing venture to polish up a band’s style, the smoother production more than suits Real Estate’s gossamer melodies. You can find all the dates for their current fall tour here.
The self-titled debut will be out on Woodsist November 17th.
For Fans of: Yo La Tengo, Ducktails/Parasails, Best Coast
MP3 :::
Real Estate – Fake Blues
Real Estate – Snow Days
Portland’s Meth Teeth recently released their full length record Everything Went Wrong. Surprisingly enough, Mattey Hubele and company found time to release the record despite MTV’s Portland invasion and a handful of other musical projects. Hubele is a busy dude these days, acknowledging however that Meth Teeth has been taking up most of his time.
The band’s playfully dirty aesthetic is heard throughout the record, a sort of stylistic trademark I come to think of when listening to up and comers from the Pacific Northwest. Huebele’s folk roots can be heard from time to time, mangled beautifully by truckloads of lo-fi distortion. Honesty seems to permeate throughout; the amalgam of blues, folk, garage rock and pop melodies are all managed and intertwined cleverly. Comparisons to Eat Skull seem to be spot on, especially in tracks like “Never Been to Church” and “I Was Wrong,” both of which happen to be two of the better tracks on the album. Be sure to check out Portland’s latest gem ASAP via Woodsist (home of the beloved Fuck It Tapes).
For fans of: Eat Skull, R Stevie Moore, Beachwood Sparks on the *brown* fuckin’ acid
MP3 :::
Meth Teeth – I Was Wrong
Meth Teeth – Never Been to Church
How can you pass on a band called Psychedelic Horseshit? These Columbus, Ohio psych-poppers are largely dismissive of the shitgaze scene that they are often lumped into, and talk their fair share of trash about its guilty participants. Core member Matt Whitehurst recently chatted with the Washington Post about the current state of lo-fi music noting, “I’m not Rick Rubin, but I wanna be,” and going on to accuse peers like Wavves of, “hiding behind static.” And while he’s probably right, all this “constructive criticism” is just gonna land these guys in the bitter has-bin with Lydia Lunch one day.
Of course, none of this gossip would matter if Psychedelic Horeshit didn’t have some killer bite to back up the nagging. Their most recent assault is the cheekily-titled Shitgaze Anthems, a self-desribed “b-sides EP from an album that hasn’t come out yet.” It’s loud, catchy, and filtered through the kind of fuzz that really sticks to the bottom your shoes. These six songs willfully interchange psych, punk, dub, folk, psychobilly, and garage rock for their unique sound that could sit comfortably within the Black Lips early catalog. Opener “We’re Pink Floyd, Bitch” juxtaposes snot-nosed vocals and insane choral explosions of grinding stone melodies and chirping synths into some seriously thick-skinned pop. There are many surprises on this EP, from amphetamine C86-style punk of “Dreadlock Paranoia,” that abruptly dissolves into a clunky reggae bridge, to the coarse acoustic strumming of “As in Dreams Pt. 2″. With the adventurous song-structures, the vocals are the most lack luster component of this outspoken group, but if he ever takes the clothes pin off his nose, these guys may someday replace their umbrella-peers like Vivian Girls as no-fi royalty.
Shitgaze Anthems is available now on Woodsist, and no one blames you if you can’t get into it.
For fans of: Sic Alps, Eat Skulls, early Black Lips
MP3 :::
Psychedelic Horseshit – Dreadlock Paranoia
Psychedelic Horseshit – We’re Pink Floyd, Bitch
