A Wilhelm Scream is set to release a new S/T EP on November 20th through Paper + Plastick Records. Revolver Magazine has posted an exclusive track from that EP entitled "Bullet Proof", click on the link below to download the song!
There are a lot of bands/records out there that sound very similar to The Smith Westerns’ self-titled debut—lo-fi noisy sound and distorted vocals... and I am a huge sucker for this kind of music as it reminds me so much of some of my favouite punk/hardcore bands from the 80s. So, with its No Age and Wavves-like laidback garage/noise punk attitude mixed with the catchy retro style of Black Lips, The Smith Westerns turns out to be quite a fine record!
visit The Smith Westerns' MySpace here
It was their brilliantly catchy song, "Chrome's On" It that introduced me to Brooklyn’s duo, Telepathe. Although the rest of Dance Mother, Telepathe’s debut is not nearly as catchy or dancey, it is still a fantastic avant-garde electro-pop record! Dance Mother reminds me a little of Tegan and Sara (at least in terms of vocal style)... maybe because of the whole female duo thing. On the other hand, the experimentation of tribal-like rhythms, ambient beats, and bold synth melodies are very Animal Collective, Dirty Projectors, and The Blow sounding. So, I guess if you like the combination of those bands mentioned above, you should definitely check out Dance Mother!
visit Telepathe’s MySpace here
Teenage Bottlerocket’s forth full-length, They Came From The Shadows is not by any means an out-of-this-world record; it is far from being original and no, it will not change your life. However, it is an extremely entertaining pop-punk album. They Came From The Shadows features 14 fast and awesomely fun 90s pop-punk sounding anthems. I was hooked on this album as soon as I heard the lines "And I did a gnarly boneless while my walkman blasted JFA" in the opening track "Skate Or Die"... any band that references JFA gets my undivided attention! An album does not need to be multi-dimensional to be great, and Teenage Bottlerocket proofed this with their simple yet ultra fun latest, They Came From The Shadows!
visit Teenage Bottlerocket's MySpace here
Not only is Ballin' Outrageous by The Zookeepers one of my favourite records of the year, it is also available for free over at the band’s site! Ballin' Outrageous is half an hour of incredible cross-genre journey—from loud screamy vocal ("Ballin' Outrageous") and folk ballads ("Bubbling Brine" and "Mohono") to messy lo-fi noise punk ("Fat Tax") and electro synth pop ("Chicken", "Beautiful World", and "Helio Pause")—it is the most creative record of the year! Another great thing about this record is that it fun, witty, and at times, quite foolish! Ballin' Outrageous is DIY music at its finest... what are you waiting for?! Go discover one of the best albums of 2009 for FREE over at The Zookeepers’ site!
visit The Zookeepers’s MySpace here
Yes, Dead Man’s Bones is that band featuring actors Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields... so what?! Let’s forget who’s in the band and just focus on the band’s music because it is pretty damn wicked! Dead Man’s Bones’ S/T debut is one surprisingly strange and great record—think Timber Timbre meets Scott Walker meets Benoît Pioulard. The spooky piano melodies, mysterious found sound, echoey vocals and the eerier contribution from the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children's Choir make for the perfect soundtrack to Halloween (the holiday, not the movie). Anti- could not have released Dead Man’s Bones at a better time!
visit Dead Man’s Bones' MySpace here
