Title: goblins cry too
Artist: teen suicide
610 plays
Teen Suicide // Goblin Problems
They’re back. Again. Sam had been teasing the release of the EP Goblin Problems for a while now, then he decided that today was as good a day as any to drop it. And since my blog has become Sam’s personal cheerleading squad for over two years now I figured I’d add another two cents on the fuzz punk troublemakers known as Teen Suicide.
Sam remains an interesting online presence. I told him that Teen Suicide is noise pop for people who don’t like noise pop. Plus they chose a purposefully offensive name for the project; one that many people would ignore without even checking out the music were it not for the fact that it’s by the (in)famous Sam Ray. But for all his quirks and his ADHD-riddled Tumblr page, Sam remains one of today’s finest songwriters. If you were never sure how seriously to take him, do yourself a favor and let the music speak for itself. He and Teen Suicide’s under-acknowledged other half Eric Livingston are doing their best to absolutely own 2012 and Goblin Problems is just another step in making that goal a reality.
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BANDCAMP | TUMBLR | FACEBOOK
Title: bad news
Artist: teen suicide
260 plays
Teen Suicide // DC Snuff Film
It’s pretty much a given that if you are reading this blog then you are aware of ambient slacker poster child Ricky Eat Acid. I think out of all the artists I’ve covered, I’ve given the most amount of time to Sam Ray’s music. Now that he is devoting much of his time to his band Teen Suicide (now a full band with his friend Eric Livingston) those numbers are only going to increase all the more. I wasn’t even planning on blogging this weekend but then Sam farted this thing out on Twitter last night, so here we are (plus it’s been in my iTunes for about a month now, so I pretty much know how I feel about it).
This is the first we’ve heard from Teen Suicide since their album Bad Vibes Forever. At only seven tracks long, this thing is only half the length of their debut. Right off the bat I can tell you that this is a much more focused, cohesive effort from the band. Also the songwriting is tighter, faster, and louder resulting in a release that is pretty much straight punk rock. I love the fidelity of these tracks. Strap on some headphones and you basically feel like the band is right there in your head bangin these tracks out. You can hear every buzz of the guitar strings, every crackle in Sam’s voice, and the snap of each drum hit. It’s just a super solid release that I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I do.
*Oh, word to the wise. You might have some explaining to do when people see that you ‘like’ Teen Suicide on Facebook. Just letting you know.*
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BANDCAMP | TUMBLR | FACEBOOK
Title: Crying
Artist: Teen Suicide
170 plays
*PREMIERE*
Teen Suicide // Bad Vibes Forever
I have the extreme pleasure of premiering this new project. It’s been a long time in the making and its creator has gestated it like a nurturing mother (father, whatever), waiting until the time was right to release it into the world. That creator is none other than songwriting dynamo Sam Ray. Churning out a sickening amount of music as Ricky Eat Acid he has switched gears completely with this new noise pop project Teen Suicide. In fact, switching gears really isn’t strong enough of a term to convey the metamorphosis here. A total changing of tracks, course, and final destination is what has occurred in a basement somewhere in Maryland.
On Bad Vibes Forever Sam makes his love for three things painfully obvious: music, fuzz, and the early 1960’s. When these tracks aren’t buzzing the headphones out of your ears they will be crooning you into a nostalgic haze of years that you didn’t even experience. On the album closer “Crying” Sam plays the part of a love-sick teenager whose raw emotion has left him nothing to do except pour himself out into his music. The gently cascading guitars (and later piano) create an atmosphere that comes off as utterly wistful but also gentle and charming. It’s about as perfect of a track as I really care to hear these days.
I’m really proud of Sam and the work he’s done here. I am also really blessed to consider Sam a friend of mine. He’s been a big supporter of mine and this weirdo blog even before I really knew what it was. So do yourself a huge favor and support Sam by downloading this thing as soon as possible. You can nab it in its entirety from either the bandcamp site or from this here link.
Check him out: BANDCAMP | TWITTER
Ricky Eat Acid // Haunt u forever
After being no stranger to this blog for quite awhile, Ricky Eat Acid and Cactus-Mouth decided to take their relationship to the next level… a physical level. Hahaha. No, not like that, you pervert. Chill Mega Chill decided to release Sam’s music on cassette. Tripp and I both agreed that Sam’s music was a perfect fit for our label, and well, the rest is history!
His cassette Haunt u forever finds Sam pushing his musical boundaries a bit. While his music always brings a certain amount of joy, the tracks on Haunt u forever are guaranteed to accompany that joy with a big, toothy grin. His scratchy beats have had me bobbing my head for days. On top of that, his use of sampling fits right into the music like the final piece on a puzzle. I meant when I said that I really couldn’t be happier that Tripp and I were able to do this with Sam. Having an awesome relationship with the artist(s) has made this whole experience all the more enjoyable.
You can still snag a copy of Sam’s limited cassette on the label’s site. And if you wanna hear the rest of the EP, you can stream it over on Chill Mega Chill’s new bandcamp page.
*And keep your lids peeled because Chill Mega Chill has more where this came from!*
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listen to: “Ur my destiny ~~”
Things are rolling! Get yours now!
chillmegachill:
So proud to announce Chill Mega Chill’s debut release from Baltimore’s Ricky Eat Acid!!!
Side A:
1. Foxxx
2. Slo-dancin’
3. Grrrrls
4. My darling bby
5. Beautiful gurrls
Side B:
6. Ur my bby
7. Fallin’ 4 u
8. Luvin’ u
9. Ur my destiny ~~
Following a prolific stream of ambient releases, this collection of avant-pop vignettes was recorded over the span of 5 days in an attempt to explore other avenues of sonic texture.
Haunt U Forever is now available for pre-order. This very, very limited release (edition of 50) is dubbed-to-order on custom airbrushed, neon-green shells, with a hand-designed cover by art director Ian Stanley (Cactus-Mouth).
Wait there’s more! If you’re lucky enough to snag one of these beauties, then you’ll find within each tape a personal note from Ricky Eat Acid along with a secret download code for an unreleased song! JOY!!!
— Tripp & Ian (Chill Mega Chill Team)
I could not be happier about this!
Ricky Eat Acid is honestly one of my favorite artists to come out of this whole DIY scene. I am super stoked to work with him on this, the dude’s a genius. Can’t wait for everyone to hear it!
chillmegachill:
Please welcome the fabulous avant-pop maestro to the Chill Mega Chill family.
Keep an eye out for Ricky Eat Acid’s debut tape release Haunt U Forever out this Spring/Summer 2011.
mad dads // mad dads (demos)
If you downloaded the Valentine’s Day mixtape that Unholy Rhythms and I put together, then you should recognize the track “seventeen”. On the mixtape the track was credited to Ricky Eat Acid, but here it is under Sam Ray’s new musical moniker mad dads. Choosing a new banner to fly this EP under (just to keep things organized), Sam Ray has yet again left me mystified by his boundless creativity.
The music of mad dads is decidedly lo-fi. This isn’t done for gimmick, it’s the way it was spawned. Recorded using cassette, these demos are somewhat of a journey. The trip is not our own though, it is Sam’s. We are just along for the ride. As the EP progresses, we witness first-hand Sam’s experimentation with this new sound. At first it just a toe dipped cautiously into the noise’s shallow end, but before long you find yourself diving headfirst into a pool of deliciously fuzzy noise. Backed by timid and nostalgic Casio beats, these pop songs are like a rare find a dusty thrift store. Sure they’re scratched and a little dirty, but baby, that’s the charm.
Download the EP of demos for free on mad dads’ bandcamp (and keep your ear pressed to the railroad tracks, because you’re bound to hear more stuff like this from Sam in the future).
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listen: “idontwant”
Ricky Eat Acid // like i was floating
I am constantly surprised by Sam Ray. Under his moniker Ricky Eat Acid, he produces release after solid release. After hearing quite a bit of his music it seems to me like he has two musical avenues. There is his utterly sublime ambient glo-fi that can warm even the coldest of hearts and then there is his blown-out, beat heavy instrumental hip-hop. He is equally adept at both; it is as if he dipped his hands into two different pools of musical talent and made off with as much as his arms would allow him.
On this newest EP like i was floating, he brings much of the same arsenal (even his flagrant disregard for capitalization and punctuation), occasionally combining his songwriting talents into one amorphous blob of muted beats and swirling synths. The EP’s best moment even remind me of the lo-fi R&B tinges of artists like How To Dress Well or TOP GIRLS. The most striking difference on this EP however, is the inclusion of vocals by Kiss Kiss Fantastic’s Rachel Levy on two tracks. Her ethereal singing will lure you into a coma of sonic bliss. It’s really quite beautiful. So thanks again, Sam.
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oh, the beauty: “anxieties (ft. Rachel Levy)”
Ricky Eat Acid // Enhues :: “HYPOTHESIS”
Sam of Ricky Eat Acid just alerted me to this great remix of his song “HYPOTHESIS”. The original track is familiar Ricky Eat Acid territory with its ambient vocals and synths backed by a thunderous, blown-out beat. The track also samples a guitar line from an older Death Cab for Cutie song.
Ricky Eat Acid :: “HYPOTHESIS”
When Enhues gets his hands on the song he transforms it from a choppy, beat-heavy track to something completely different. He minimizes the blown-out beats and accentuates the songs synths and bass track, chopping and looping bits and pieces over themselves. The resulting track has an almost shoegazey feel to it, finding it worlds away from the original track.
Ricky Eat Acid :: “HYPOTHESIS (Enhues Remix)”
Also, the remix is featured on Enhues’ new EP Walking Alone Through a Rainy City At Night. Grab it for free on his bandcamp or right here.
*Cactus-Mouth and Unholy Rhythms Premiere!!*
About a month ago Unholy Rhythms and I (with some support from Yvyynyl) decided to collectively put together a wintry mixtape. We asked some of our favorite artists to contribute an exclusive song and then we sat back as they, one by one, sent us their contributions. The result is a really fun, really cheerful winter mixtape. While some artists decided to write songs about wintertime, some took a more Christmas-themed route. You’ll no doubt recognize many of the artists on here, but hopefully some will be new to your ears. As always, look them up and lend them your support, because they all deserve it. Without further ado, we present you with:
“Holiday Sweaters & Egg Nog” A Cactus-Mouth & U/R Christmas 2010 Mix
- BAnanas Symphony :: “Holidaze”
- unouomedude :: “Emelia”
- Ra Calium :: “SNOW FALLS”
- DannielRadall :: “Love Is You”
- Closed Cassette :: “Things Must Get Done”
- Megafortress :: “Silent Night”
- Craig Cruiser :: “Snowed In”
- Dream Band :: “Missa Do Galo”
- Ricky Eat Acid :: “wntrsngs”
- Guerre :: “MF”
- Holy Spirits :: “The Sea”
- Martha! Mother :: “Michael W. Smit”
- SNOWMINE :: “Nervous”
- Mutual Benefit :: “Silent Nite”
Download HERE
**Merry Christmas, everyone!**
Ugh. Now that I’ve finished my favorite 25 albums of 2010 I want to do something that I’ve not done before. Over the next few days I will share with you what 50 of my favorite songs released this year were: 10 a day for 5 days. Here are my guidelines though. Not only am I excluding tracks from artists on my favorite albums list, but I will also only include one song per artist. My blog, my rules. Let’s begin.
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50 TV Girl :: TV Girl EP :: “It’s Not Something”
The first cut from TV Girl’s solid EP is everything you could want in a summer pop song. The warm electronic vibes mesh perfectly with the song’s Beach Boys’ influence. I hope to hear more from them in the future.
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49 TEARIST :: CD-R :: “A of N”
I suppose you could brand TEARIST witch house. They definitely run in that circle, but they’re unlike any other witch house act you’ve probably heard this year. Yasmine’s raspy vocals scratch and scrape their way across this track through shrieks and howls. It’s a devilish good time.
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48 High On Fire :: Snakes for the Divine :: “Snakes for the Divine”
Stoner/sludge metal stalwarts High On Fire open up their latest album Snakes for the Divine with this punch to the gut. It encapsulates the band’s raw power and energy in one epic 8-minute track. Hold onto your butts.
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47 No Joy :: No Joy 7” :: “No Summer”
I can never get enough good shoegaze. There were a few bands this year whose vibes sound so authentic you could swear that the music is a lost relic of the 1980’s. No Joy is one such band. “No Summer” was many people’s first impression of the new band, and by gosh it was a good one.
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46 Liam the Younger :: Revel Hidden Worlds :: “Ode”
This song is about as simple as they come. A lo-fi guitar pop jam with about as honest a melody as is humanly possible. I know very little about Liam the Younger, but as long as he keeps pumping out music as great as this, that’s all I need to know.
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45 Ricky Eat Acid :: HUGS EP :: “SMILE”
If you read my blog, then it should be no surprise that Sam has a song on this list. When thinking about which song really stuck with me though, it was a tough decision. When it came down to it though, I realize that I always come back to “SMILE”. The warm just radiates off this ambient little number is an almost tangible way.
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44 Yeasayer :: Odd Blood :: “Madder Red”
Yeasayer’s Odd Blood took a much more accessible turn and I believe that it was for the best. There were some real gems on Odd Blood, but overall I felt it lacked consistency. In my opinion “Madder Red” is the album’s crowning achievement. Perfect psych pop brilliance.
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43 Grimes :: Geidi Primes :: “avi”
Lo-fi beauty/weirdo Grimes manages to create some of the most strangely alluring music I’ve heard this year. What sets her apart from other lo-fi electronic pop is the breadth of… curiosity. She manages to craft these sound collages with each feeling vastly different from the last while all the while remaining hauntingly beautiful.
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42 Winks :: Winks :: “Weed Makes Sex Weird”
On “Weed Makes Sex Weird” Winks craft such an effectively sparse and psychedelic lo-fi jam. The music feels like its traveled a long distance before its reached your ears, accruing all sorts of nostalgic character along the way.
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41 Childish Gambino :: Culdesac :: “Hero”
It might be hard to separate Childish Gambino from Donald Glover. Yes, he’s on Community. Yes, he is a screenwriter. But let me stress that he is not just another actor turned rapper though. He is actually really really good. Best part is, he doesn’t feel the need to comedy to appeal to the people. His music speaks for itself.
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Ricky Eat Acid - Sometimes we’re blue
If there is one artist that I have covered rather extensively here, it is Ricky Eat Acid. Why does he get so many posts? Well, repetition indicates importance, and his stuff is pretty important to me. He probably doesn’t know it, but I’ve written many papers and projects to the beautiful ambient music that he creates. Good news for me is that he just released another EP just in time for finals week, which is getting closer and closer.
In his last few releases, Ricky Eat Acid has branched away from the sound that he had carved out for himself. I suppose everyone gets to the point where they don’t want to be boxed in, so they create something new. They stretch themselves. And with his last few releases he has had the opportunity to get more than a few food yawns in there. Now, I genuinely love everything that he puts out, but there is a special place in my heart for the ambient glo-fi that I remember him for. Sometimes we’re blue picks up right where HUGS left off. This time, he exchanges the warmth of summer’s end with the brisk cold of impending winter. Close your eyes and you can just hear the leaves fall to the ground as the sky threatens to sprinkle some snow. It’s perfectly beautiful. It’s perfectly perfect.
Pay what you want for the EP at bandcamp.
mp3: “bones”
Ricky Eat Acid - Dance with u
My bro Sam from Ricky Eat Acid refuses to be pinned down to one genre. I’ve blogged about him several times before because, well, I just think he’s that cool.Fresh in my inbox today was a brand new EP from him called Dance with u.
Depending on how fast you move, you might notice that the sound he is going for with this EP is a continuation of sorts of the stuff he was doing on Haunt u forever. Some things that really stuck out to me on this one however are the samples, which in their original contexts were probably nothing special, but here they are given a creepy new life (especially on tracks like “Ive never been this happy b4”).
So if you are already a fan of Ricky Eat Acid you will find alot to like about this EP. So don’t wait, you can snag it for free on his bandcamp.
Also. keep your ears to the ground for some exciting news from him in the near future.
mp3: “Ive never been this happy b4”
If you thought you knew what Ricky Eats Acid sounded like, then you better think again. Last week he gave us You get sick; you regret things, which served as a clearing of the throat for his next work.
Cue Haunt u forever, a change of direction for the ambient glo-fi artist. While touches of his dreamy chillwave are still present, the majority of this new release consists of scratchy hip-hop beats and glitchy noise pop. It’s a refreshing change of pace for Ricky Eat Acid and it shows that he is no one-trick-pony. He’s got plenty of magic up his sleeve.
So float on over to bandcamp to download the jams.
mp3: “Slo-dancin’”
mp3: “Fallin’ 4 u”
*EDIT*
The EP has been pulled from bandcamp. Here’s a message from the man himself: “TO ANYONE i sent the new ep to or who tried to go download it only to find it was gone - it will be released soon, i had to take it down due to some super secret cool things happening that i’ll let you know about soon hopefully!”
