EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: Harlem - Caroline + Psychedelic Tits
To answer a question they'll soon tire of hearing, Harlem are not from Harlem. They're from Austin, Texas (by way of Los Angeles), a place full of cheap beer and cheap rent and lots of sun; basically a perfect spot for a trio of dudes to play music that sounds like The Move sped up to +8 and not really have to do much else. Their self-released debut album Free Drugs;) dropped last year (get it at their MySpace), a dizzying sprint through lo-fi garage tropes that we thought was pretty awesome, and by awesome we mean it sounds like sociopathic doo-wop with guitars. We asked them for some tracks and they were cool enough to send over two songs from the album--one with a simple title, the other not so much--so save these for when you leave work and unwind accordingly.
Sounds like: The Move, Black Lips, Howlies
EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: M Pour Montreal: Red Mass - Terrorizer + Let's Play Dead
Listing 29 members on their MySpace page, including King Khan and Mark Sultan, Red Mass "is a collective and gathering of minds," creating a cacophony of psychedelic garage rock lead by the Red Mass chief, Roy (of rebel rousers and fire enthusiasts CPC Gangbangs). Featuring pretty much everyone you'd want to party with in Montreal, Red Mass has put together a live show featuring a menacing standing drummer, a varied horn section, some ferocious guitar players, a girl who stands front and center looking bad ass and housing a voice to shake floors and golden, under-wear clad "male model" who plays cowbell - all conducted through the enthusiastic snarl of Choyce (Roy). The 2 tunes on RCRD LBL today are a proper intro to the sound-effect-laced dark pop hooks and controlled chaos of Red Mass.
Sounds Like: CPC Gangbangs, Demon's Claws, Duchess Says, King Khan, Mark Sultan
VIDEO THRWBCK: The Hives - Hate To Say I Told You So (2002)
None of the "The" bands really sounded similar, but at least The Hives looked better than everybody else. They even changed their whole getup for each subsequent album, the most recent being of the school uniform variety. This was one of the first videos and I just remember being surprised by how sweaty these dudes looked. No other "The" band played this hard. They also acted (and still act) like the Kanye Wests of garage rock. Only Kanye isn't collaborating with Cyndi Lauper. Gotta get on that man.
EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: The (International) Noise Conspiracy - Boredom of Safety
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I know we're all getting a little tired of the endless stream of Swedo-Situationist garage rock, but I'm gonna ask you nicely to make room for one more. The (International) Noise Conspiracy formed like Voltron from the remnants of Refused and a bunch of other Swedish hardcore bands, and ten years later they're still alive with pleasure. The new album Cross of My Calling will be out later this month on Vagrant, but this is the only place you can cop "Boredom of Safety," your typical agit-prop slow dance number that sounds like the MC5 playing at your wedding.
Sounds Like: Division of Laura Lee, The Hives, The Make-Up
Download: The (International) Noise Conspiracy - Boredom of Safety
DOWNLOAD: Phil And The Osophers - High Art + Third World American
Brooklyn duo Phil And The Osophers are a band who swim in the same gutter water of neo-Nuggets groups like The Black Lips and King Khan & The Shrines, the three-chord pop songs written for cheap guitars and drums that sound like they're falling all over the room set. The group just released their fifth DIY full-length, Toward Conquering The Invisible North, and have graciously hooked us up with two tracks from the album: "High Art," a stuck-in-bubblegum tune with some glassy Casio organ, and "Third World American," a more classic midwest garage joint centered around a four-note guitar riff and steady snare bashment. Pick up the album at Insound.
Sounds like: Cause Co-Motion, The Black Lips, Howlies
Download: Phil And The Osophers - High Art
DOWNLOAD: Talbot Tagora - We Live In Sack
If the positive clamour of LA duo No Age represents the grown-up face of grunge, Talbot Tagora still revel in its unrivalled ability to strop. "We Live in Sack" is an indie-rock song that gradually untangles itself from a sulky fugue of chords and a hollow vocal refrain to arrive at a chorus where things lurch from deadpan to madcap. Suddenly those awkward chords are cascading with an arpeggiated mischief that recalls Four Volts and uncouth '60s punk bands and that Ani Ricci can barely keep leashed, her drums allowing guitarists Mark Greshowak and Chris Ando havoc in chapters as each bar yanks the chain to send punk snot dribbling. Look out for this track and others on Abstract Distractions, the Seattle trio’s forthcoming split with Bipolar Bear.
Sounds like: The Gories, L7, Four Volts
EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: Red Eyed Legends - Libido Incognito
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"18 inch speakers, sealin' my doom" - I'm not entirely certain what that means, but it sure as hell sounds good hurtling out of Chris Thomson's mouth, along with all the other jagged shards of speech. Red Eyed Legends' Wake Up, Legend drops today on an unselfrespecting public, except those of us wise enough to download their last RCRD LBL exclusive. "Libido Incognito" is another dose of straightjacket rock 'n' roll, designed to nestle on the backside of your brain and pick fights with your ego. Download the track, buy the record, reconsider your Halloween costume.
Sounds Like: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Monorchid, Le Shok
Download: Red Eyed Legends - Libido Incognito
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CMJ: EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: Royal Bangs - Little Switzerland + Two More
Royal Bangs are from Knoxville, an eastern Tennessee town probably known more for NASCAR and the University of Tennensse than any tradition of rock music. But that isn’t to say that their collapsing, arty garage rock doesn’t keep with some semblance of Southern hospitality. What I’m saying is, while these guys might sound like their banging away at anything they can get their hands on, crashing through cleverly-crafted songs that sound like the MC5 with RISD degrees, they never manage to sound uptight or elite. Case in point: “Little Switzerland,” a tune whose verse is punctuated with some optimistic yelps and lingering maracas. WHO DOESN’T LOVE MARACAS? Aside from the triangle, they are easily the most democratic of percussion instruments. All you do is shake them! For CMJ'ers that want to play air maracas (count me in), Royal Bangs will be playing their showcase at the Cake Shop on Saturday, 10/25 at 11PM. For those that just want to hear a phenomenal young band, you'll find three songs from their album We Breed Champions—including the exclusive "Little Switzerland"—below.
Sounds like: White Denim, Weezer's Pinkerton, Pavement
Exclusive Download: Royal Bangs - Little Switzerland
Download: Royal Bangs - Broke Calculator
EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: Brother JT3 - Accident Waiting
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I'm not sure if it's the rockin' pneumonia or the boogie-woogie blues, but Brother JT certainly looks afflicted. Dig the elongated "nnnnnhhhhhh" sounds ala The Fall's Mark E. Smith, a vocal tic which sounds surprisingly natural for a dude from Easton, PA. Drag City Records describes the sound of Brother JT3 as "house party blues," and I'm inclined to agree: copious amounts of fuzz make nice with guitars and keys while the rhythm section rides that goddam train. Jelly Roll Gospel is being released on vinyl ONLY, which makes this exclusive download all the more exclusive.
Sounds Like: Crystal Stilts, The 'Plants, Brian Jonestown Massacre
Exclusive Download: Brother JT3 - Accident Waiting
EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: Fiasco - Steve Herman
(Photo: Sam Horine)
The first thing you will likely hear about Fiasco is that they are very young (all three are still in high school) and that they have been shredding gnar in DIY spaces around their hometown of Brooklyn since they were just able to legally rent Twister. Like a hard-headed lovechild between Lightning Bolt and The Gun Club, Fiasco’s garage-prog is all sixteenth-note clipping and squeaky punk riffage; juvie jamming for wild, bottle-breaking souls. Their new album Native Canadians is set to drop October 14 through Impose, and they’ve graciously hooked up an exclusive download of the record's leadoff track “Steve Herman,” which manages to pack every aspect of Fiasco’s ear-drum annihilation into a concise three and a half minutes. Detonate below.
Sounds like: Lightning Bolt, The Gun Club, Awesome Color
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