Heavy Hawaii // “Airborne Kawasaki”

I guess I spoke too soon when I said that I would love a proper album from Heavy Hawaii but have learned to not count on one. I posted their demo “For people who like to smoke…” last week and not long after that post the band announced the coming of their debut album. Funny how that worked out. Apparently the album is called Goosebumps and will be out on March 19th through Art Fag Records. 

A couple of days ago the band released what is now the first single off of that album. It’s called “Airborne Kawasaki” and it’s got all of the Heavy Hawaii staples in spades. The warbled production, the shamelessly-jangly beach pop guitars, and all of those familar “A-WOO-OOH’s” that the guys very obviously love. There’s not much change up in style, but seeing as I’ve been waiting a couple years for a whole album of these guys tape-warped beach pop I’m not complaining. Crazy stoked for this one.

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BANDCAMP | TUMBLR | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

 

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Heavy Hawaii // “For people who like to smoke…”

It’s been a super long time since we’ve heard anything from San Diego beach warblers Heavy Hawaii. A year ago they dropped the single “Super Bowl XXIX” and before that was their 2010 EP HH. Even though it hasn’t been much, I’ve been a huge fan of pretty much everything the band has released, but I’ve sort of given up on hoping for a proper release. Instead I’m going to just take it as it comes.

Their latest single, which seemed to just drop out of nowhere, sounds like it was recorded on the spot using a crappy microphone and a tape recorder. No matter though, it’s still a catchy affair with jangling guitars and the band’s typical Beach Boys melodies. Pair that with the cellphone photo they used for the cover art and I’m starting to think that the track is either a demo that is waiting to be fleshed out or it’s just a track that the guys threw together one weekend after a few beers. Either way I’m digging it and as always I’m ready for whatever these guys decide to release. Whenever that is.

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BANDCAMP | TUMBLR | FACEBOOK

 

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Summer Schatzies // Take Me to Bohemia

Well I’ll be darned if this isn’t a wonderful little surprise. Zsófia from Budapest dark-pop band Piresian Beach just shot this EP over to me a few days ago. Summer Schatzies is a new band that she started earlier this summer with members of fellow Hungarian bands Broken Cups and Halál Judit.

Given the shadowy sonic places that Piresian Beach and Broken Cups lurk in, it’s a bit surprising that the tracks on Take Me to Bohemia are so sunny and upbeat. According to Zsófia they are songs “about the sweet, frustrating teenage years, smokey kisses, and drinking cheap things out in the street.” It’s a nice change of pace to hear happy, jangling beach pop coming from artists whose typical musical output deals in gloom and doom. If you’re a fan of “Catholicked”-era Dum Dum Girls, then you’ll probably find a lot to like about Summer Schatzies.

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Jeans Wilder // “Spanish Tile”

A hotly anticipated album around these parts is the upcoming full-length from San Diego lo-fi wonder Jeans Wilder. I’ve been a big fan of Jeans since 2009 when he put out Antiques through Night People. Since that time his sound has evolved from ghost pop to more of a 1960’s-tinged, beach-encrusted psych pop. On June 26, Everloving will put out Totally, Jeans followup to 2010’s excellent “nice trash.”

“Spanish Tile” is actually the second single to surface from the album and it finds Jeans noodling around with 1960’s exotica vibes. If you’ve ever wondered what it would sound like when a California beach bum emulated Les Baxter or Bert Kaempfert while simultaneously retaining a beach pop attitude, then “Spanish Tile” will put that farfetched and somewhat bizarre curiosity to rest. Oh, and make sure you check out the album’s first single “Limeade” while you’re at it.

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BANDCAMP | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

 

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The Fagettes // “When I’m With You”

I actually found out about this Allston, MA band because they are going to be playing a show with my crushes in SLUTEVER later this month. One quick spin through The Fagettes bandcamp page along with a watch of their video for “When I’m With You” pretty much secured my adoration.

Now I know that the whole 1960’s California pop aesthetic has been strung up by its heels on a meat hook and exsanguinated by Best Coast, but I urge you to forget about all that and check this video out anyways. Shot on 16mm film, the aesthetic that the video and accompanying track put forth is not only earnest in spirit, but it’s catchy as well (the guitar solo towards the end of the track damn near brought me to tears). I’m not taking for granted that in an oversaturated scene, The Fagettes have managed to stand out for me.

If you really dig their sound you can download their music for free on their bandcamp. Stimulation Addict Records has also collected the band two EP’s and released them as one on cassette. Grab Vols. 1 & 2 for a measly four bucks from their online store.

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BANDCAMP | BLOGSPOT | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

 

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BG // ~

I am exhausted in more than one sense of the word. I feel like my life has become short moments here and there interspersed between workdays at my full time job. I’m not complaining, I am very grateful to have been lucky enough to acquire employment, but things have gotten a bit more difficult to manage. And I was never that good at juggling anyways.

There was so much going on inside my brain that I didn’t even realize how crowded it was getting up there. Then today my good friend Unholy Rhythms sent me a link to this EP because she thought I’d dig it (some people just know me so well). What ended up happening was that this short but very sweet release seemed to wash everything else in my mind away like when a wave dissolves a sand castle. And while I was playing these five songs nothing else really seemed to matter.

Download it for free on Black Gum’s bandcamp, or BG, whoever they are. And just so you know my posting on here might not be as frequent as it normally is. So just stick with me until I can find a better sort of balance in my life. Or at least until I can attain a more satisfactory level of regular sleep. 

**Buy the extremely limited cassette from Austin-based label Monofonous Press before they run out!**

 

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Friends // Let’s Get Together Again

It seems totally bizarre that I’ve been waiting for more music from this band for almost a year. An entire year. Last September I wrote up a blurb about their Demos EP and now here we are getting a proper full-length from Friends. Now I don’t really listen to much Japanese music but I can see that changing very quickly should there be more where this came from.

These ten songs will see a vinyl release from the Japanese label Second Royal Records. Until then you will just have to stream the tracks on the label’s soundcloud page; which is what I’ve been doing. Over and over (and over) again. Because what the band has here is something of unending worth in my eyes. It’s the kind of music I pine for. I spend hours sifting through internet pages hoping to get a mere taste of the kind of music that Friends has delivered in spades here. There is so much fuzz and reverb but it goes almost unnoticed because the true winner here is the vocal melodies. It’s unbelievable what they’ve managed to hide under those waves of noise, but it’s some of the sweetest music I’ve heard in a long time.

I could ramble on for hours about how much I love this band, but I’d rather let the music do most of the talking. So please don’t hesitate to stream this thing on soundcloud. It is so solid and so choice.

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BANDCAMP | MYSPACE | TWITTER

 

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Swimsuit // Swimsuit

If you couldn’t tell from the band name and the album artwork, Swimsuit is a band that prides itself on warm summertime vibes and beach pop influence. When I was first sent this LP I prematurely compared the band to the likes of Tennis and Seapony before I even heard it. That was a foolish assumption on my part because Swimsuit really doesn’t sound like either band.

Featuring members of City Center and Tyvek (formerly), Swimsuit sorta took me by surprise with how delightfully raw their music sounds. What really drew me in at first was the excellent guitar work on the surf rock tinged instrumental tracks. While I certainly enjoyed the shared male/female vocal duties, the music is what really sold me. Like an impromptu beach side concert put on exclusively for friends, Swimsuit dredges up images of a driftwood bonfire, sunburned skin, and sand in your flip-flops.

The album is out now on Speakertree Records. But if you want to hear the whole thing first you can surf on over to the label’s bandcamp page where you can stream the whole thing in its entirety or snag it digitally for $5. Come on, it’s summer. Who is going to tire of summer music during the summer? Not me.

Check them out: MYSPACE

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“Evaporation”

 

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Dorean // “Darling”

I would like someone to show me what Dan Abary (Youth Castles, Four Visions) can do wrong because so far I can’t find anything and it’s sorta pissing me off. How can one person deviate between genres so effortlessly while I haven’t a shred of musical ability? Whatever. I guess I’ll just have to swallow that bitter pill while listening to this unashamedly summery pop song.

Dan sent me this track a few days ago and mentioned that his intent was to write music with some “perfect summer vibes.” Now if I’m not wrong then I’d have to say that he succeeded brilliantly with his new project Dorean’s track “Darling”. Everything about this track is dripping with the sun-warmed, salty water of the ocean. The guitars seem to bubble up from whatever crafted them on the ocean floor and Dan is there collecting them like a beach bum would scour the sand for seashells after the ocean tide.

Grab this track fast from his bandcamp and join me in hoping that there’s more to come from Dorean before summer’s end.

Check ‘em out: BANDCAMP

 

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