“Well, that process is over for another 12 months, and following vigorous head-scratching, hot debate and much umming and ahhing, the results are in.
Returning heroes, brand new discoveries and instant classics mix in a melange of magical music…”
“Before Ty Segall can issue Emotional Mugger, his latest (in a string of many) collections of grimy garage rock, but he has to look back before he moves forward. Way back. The California-based songwriter’s affinity for the sparkly songwriting of T. Rex’s Marc Bolan has been no secret, but next week he’s underscoring that with the release of Ty-Rex, a compilation of covers on Goner Records…”
Depuis son arrivée fracassante sur nos ondes avec le maelström psychédélique de “I’m In Your Mind Fuzz”, la bande de freaks australienne de King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard est dans l’œil du cyclone.
“King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard released their new album Paper Mâché Dream Balloon last week and if you haven’t heard it yet it’s streaming through the service of your choice (we’ve got Spotify below). The record eschews their crazed psych-garage in favor of acoustic instruments, jazzy arrangements and more than a little flute…”
“It should be no surprise that Paper Mâché Dream Balloon moves into a different direction on their ATO Records debut which finds the group lightening the mood with shorter and bouncier songs that believe it or not, have a catchy flute as its driving instrument. I know it sounds odd but that is KGATLW and even though fans may have an initial hard time swallowing it (like I did), I encourage that Paper Mâché Dream Balloon be given its proper spin because all of the weirdness and groove you enjoy from KGATLW is in here…”
“Dream Balloon doesn’t lose the big, loping, surf-Kraut grooves, and the squad channels a more restrained Canned Heat on the album’s longest track, the four-and-a-half minute “Bitter Boogie.” Finding the unknown halfway point between Woods and Thee Oh Sees, everything is glistening and golden across the lands of the fair and just King Gizzard…”
“Breaking from the album’s general tone, “Trapdoor” is reminiscent of the nervous tension of They Might Be Giants, and they echo Canned Heat’s “On the Road Again” on “The Bitter Boogie,” with Ambrose Kenny Smith providing bluesy harmonica. But if the lyrics occasionally suggest a darker side below a giddy blast of sunshine, the irresistible sound of unison flute and guitar on “Time = Fate” will redirect your focus toward the light…”
“As the California garage-pop wunderkind becomes a grown-ass man, will he still make super catchy, loud and awesome music? The answer is most likely “heck yes.” Tickets are $16 Adv./ $18 Day of show. Get them here, OK!…”
“Fuzz, a garage-rock-tinged metal band, has been around for about four years, but guitarist Charles Moothart (left) has been playing since high school with Ty Segall (right), a high-profile bandmate whose solo work is characterized by distorted vocals, psychedelic guitar riffs, and a sound melding garage, glam, and surf rock…”
“Earlier this week, Ty Segall and Drag City sent out a VHS tape featuring an 11-song album called Emotional Mugger. Today, Segall officially announced the album, which will be out January 22 via Drag City. (Yes, it’s coming out in non-VHS formats.) He’s also announced a giant tour; find those dates below, as well as the album art…”
“Ty Segall has been keeping himself busy. In the past four months alone, the California garage-rock king has formed two new bands and released a ripping new album with his band Fuzz. But it’s been over a year since his last solo LP, the glam-rock opus Manipulator, which means it’s about time for a new one. And, sure enough, Pitchfork reports that his label, Drag City, has mailed out copies of Emotional Mugger, a new 11-track album credited to “Ty Garrett Segall,” on glitched-out VHS tape…”
“Less than a month removed from the releases of FUZZ’s sophomore album, II, ever-prolific Cali garage pop guy Ty Segall has announced yet another project. This one is an album called Emotional Mugger, and to play it, you’ll apparently need to hook up your old VHS player…”
“He then quickly released his new EP, Another One, which he concludes by giving his home address and inviting fans over for coffee. In today’s World Cafe session, hear DeMarco talk about how that invitation has worked out and give live performances of the new songs in the studio…”
“Despite its heaviness, the album gives the listener a break here and there, lightening the sonic palette even if the lyrics stay serious. Another One successfully pairs difficult introspection with playful daydreaming, fostering a place of thoughtful relaxation. On “Without Me,” there’s a glimpse of progress. DeMarco ruminates: “Will she find love again tomorrow? I don’t know, I hope so . . . as long as I know she’s happy…”
“The 28-year-old visits The Grey Eagle on Nov. 12 with his other other other band, Fuzz, whose second album, “II,” also debuted this year. The trio’s modern take on the classic garage band sound features shades of Nirvana and Black Sabbath as Charles Moothart’s big guitar solos explode from the driving distortion backbone of Chad Ubovich’s bass and Segall’s rollicking drums…”
“he decision to record without the use of any electric instruments gives PMDB a playful touch, even with all of the monsters lurking beneath its bed. There’s a distinct flavour of the Monkees, Beatles, Nuggets, and other 60s psych mainstays (The Byrds, Love et al.). In almost the same vein as the cheeky title of “Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds”, KG&TLW are able to take the gentle melodies and use them as a first layer for much rougher psychic state on top. Album opener “Sense” contains an absolutely delicious flute riff, and in a style comparable to smooth-jazz…”
“Beach Goth is upon us. I make my way through the crowd, everyone is outfitted in their grooviest festival garb. I walk past the backstage garden party, through a sea of bedazzled vests and fish-eyed friends, and up a set of stairs. There sits Andy, the guitarist from Mac Demarco’s band. Momentarily stopping amidst the chaos and excitement of the festivities, Andy and I chill out for a conversation…”
“It might be noteworthy to mention DeMarco’s setlist (he mostly played songs from his last two albums, Another One and Salad Days, in case you’re wondering), but his music was overshadowed by his presence, which wasn’t necessarily a detriment. The music was magical, of course — it’s Mac DeMarco we’re talking about — but the intriguing peculiarities and oddities are what will be remembered most..”
“Mac DeMarco is living the dream. He’s just 25, yet he’s hooked on to a feeling so of the moment he probably won’t resonate with the next generation in quite the same way. And that’s fine with him…”
“Since his high school years, Mac DeMarco has been involved in several musical projects such as “Makeout Videotape.” Now as a solo act the 25-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter has released four studio albums and two accompanying demo records maintaining a distinct musical style described as “slacker rock.”…”
“These days, the Mac you encounter via phone is much more laid back and affable, similar to the one you encounter on his last two records, the critically acclaimed and Polaris Music Prize shortlisted Salad Days, which ended up on several “best of 2014” lists (including Rolling Stone’s), and its followup Another One…”
“Mac DeMarco admits it was a strange choice, ending Another One—the mini-LP he released back in August—by listing his New York address and offering to make you a cup of coffee if you ever stop by. Not a bad choice, per se, but he definitely underestimated the implications: people have taken him up on the offer in droves…”
” Marlon Williams puts his choir boy-meets-punk rocker touch on country music, King Gizzard & Lizard Wizard brings us back to the sunny ’60s and Savages forcefully reminds us that love is the answer…”
“Ty Segall isn’t yet as prolific as Robert Pollard or Ryan Adams, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t trying his damnedest to reach their collective level of (over)productivity. Since 2008, his solo output alone encompasses seven full-length albums and in excess of 30 singles, EPs and miscellaneous live or split records. Factor in his collaborations with Sic Alps, White Fence and Mikal Cronin, as well as limited-run releases, and it’s clear that the 28-year-old’s catalog is calibrated to give completists fits…”
What do Boy George, Sufjan Stevens, and James Murphy have in common? A love of Ezra Furman, apparently, two of the three were spotted at a recent Furman show. The 29-year-old Chicago songwriter has been releasing records in various guises since 2007—initially with his band, the Harpoons, and more recently with The Boy-Friends who play on his current solo album Perpetual Motion People (out now on Bella Union).
” Fuzz do try to fancy things up with string charts on the relatively graceful “Silent Sits the Dust Bowl,” and the 13-minute title track (yes, a song called “II”) shows this band can jam at length without losing the plot or the intensity…”
“The results on their second album, II, are not much different from their self-titled debut except it’s clear Segall’s actually had more time to put into songwriting. Not only is the album longer, the songs take time to develop. Opener ‘Time Collapse pt. II / The 7th Terror’ starts off with the sound of a vinyl being scratched and chopped up under a needle which then segues into a barrage of low-end bass and guitar, amplifier gain turned up to a level that shouldn’t even be legal…”
“Mac Demarco has a way about him. It could be the boyish smile, Canadian chill vibes or that gap between his teeth (sigh), but the moment “Mac Daddy” (yes, someone called him that) took the stage voices were blown and phones were up. I had expected this sort of crowd response from Father John Misty, but Demarco’s giddy fanbase came as kind of a surprise…”
““This is weird, huh?” says Ezra Furman, genuinely mystified. “What happened here? Two thousand people at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. What the hell happened here?”
We’re just two songs into an hour-and-50 minute set from Furman and his band, the Boy-Friends. As they move breathlessly from the itchy, life-affirming pop of Anything Can Happen to the searing, Bo Diddley-indebted At the Bottom of the Ocean, it’s impossible not to love and admire them in equal measure.”
“Drinks is the delightful project of Welsh singer Cate LeBon and Tim Presley (White Fence). Their tunes are a little bit severe and minimalistic in all the right ways. Live, the music has a rougher edge and the shared stage presence is powerful…”
