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The Living Eyes

living_eyes

The Living Eyes
Living Large
Agitated Records

The Saints have come back and are marching in, but Australia’s The Living Eyes don’t wanna be in that number, they wanna do their own number. And that number isn’t the D4, erstwhile and ersatz garage punks. This lot sure as hell know their product and they totally own it. In fact they sell it hard. While Tame Impala and Pond do the hippy dippy do, with thousand yard stares and degrees in distortion, The Living Eyes combine the song writing sass of The Clean with the bare knuckle vigour of The Hard Ons. And if King Gizzard did garage psych, this lot do garage psycho. Less likely to hit the superfuzz pedal than do a super big piddle on your shoes.

As you might imagine from the title this is a party record, and one which Andrew WK the professional party idiot might approve. Hooky as hell, it recalls compatriot’s Eddy Current Surpression Ring, and last year’s excellent Meatbodies album, and wouldn’t be out of place in San Francisco or on Castle Face, In The Red or Goner Records. But in fact they’re on Agitated Records. This is their second album but their first was put out on bandleader Billy Gardner’s own Antifade records, a man staking his claim as a Melbourne Ty Segall by also playing in bands enticingly called Ausmuteants and Wet Blankets.

Stand-out and hair on neck stand up song ‘Guilty Pleasures’ starts off like Adam & The Ants’ ‘Antmusic’, goes all Dick Dale and ends up like The Damned before dying abruptly in a brick wall of feedback. I won’t pretend that this is high-brow, in fact it’s more like deep set monobrow but it’s one furrow that I don’t mind ploughing.

Nick Hutchings

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Wicketkeeper

wicketkeeper

Wicketkeeper
‘All My Friends’
Facebook

It’d be foolish to be a London based trio of guitar wielding slackers without knowing that there’s a ton of other Londoners wielding their slack charms left right and centre throughout the capital city. Thankfully for Wicketkeeper, their breezy pop-smarts see them standing tall among a sea of five panel caps.

Methodically simple without being dumb, immediate without being throwaway, ‘All My Friends’ is a hook-laden, Lemonheads meets Pavement homage full of late 20s ennui. Captured live at House of Strange in South East London, their no-frills recording approach lets the song speak for itself as the raw energy pours and their slick melodies rise.

If you thrive on chunky guitar hooks and slacker charm then be sure to catch this instrument swapping trio live at The Shacklewell Arms on February 3rd with Naomi Punk.

‘All My Friends’ is taken from Wicketkeeper’s debut EP, Muscle Baby, self-released from Feb 9th.

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Purling Hiss

purlinghiss_weirdonPURLING HISS
Weirdon
(Drag City)

As a band name Purling Hiss is a pleasing Spoonerism, nearly as satisfying as when Jeremy Hunt, Cultural Secretary’s name was catastrophically mispronounced by James Naughtie on Radio 4’s Today programme.

Weirdon is also a catchy if not mind boggling title for an album. You wonder what causes a weirdon, and is it something you can hide by crossing your legs. Released at the tail (no pun intended) end of last year on Drag City, this one slipped under the radar, but much like the record by Ultimate Painting – it’s a real grower. Part Archers of Loaf, part Pavement, part Tall Dwarfs, and at its gnarliest Male Bonding, this pop is not just angular it’s so wonky that the shelf holding the vinyl copy has just fallen off the wall of Ikea and squashed your meat balls.

Purling Hiss is basically Mike Polizze, and he makes sounding lop sided effortless even though you know his fretwork is spotless. Easily on a par with recent records by Mikal Cronin and Kelley Stoltz, it’s not razing trees to the ground, it’s not ripping them up, but it is making them bend back like Thunderbird 2 emerging from its Tracy Island lair ready to ping in your face. Like an international rescue from your January stupor.

Weirdon is out now on Drag City.

Nick Hutchings

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The Sonics

SonicsThe Sonics
‘Bad Betty’
Revox Records

We’re all used to reunions, cash ins and very vague versions of classic bands coming back to have another go at reigniting their long lost youths but as come backs go, few can challenge The Sonics for sheer ability to pick up and kick back into where they left off some forty years later!

It’s impossible to over exaggerate the influence that The Sonics had when they detonated out of Tacoma, Washington in the early sixties. Their primal fuzz, distortion and garage rock grooves was so far ahead of their time they practically invented every form of rock music that’s come since.

The Sonics have had a few reunions over the years but this coming March 31st sees the release of their first new studio album since the release of Introducing back in 1967. Titled This Is The Sonics and due to be issued through their own label, Revox, the first taster from its grooves has just been released and ‘Bad Betty’ very quickly asserts itself as a comeback worth waiting for. High energy, explosive and full of fuzz, despite fast approaching their seventies, ‘Bad Betty’ sounds like no time has passed since and The Sonics have effortlessly recaptured the energy and aggression of their teenage years.

Produced by Jim Diamond (White Stripes, Dirtbombs) and featuring original members Jerry Roslie, Larry Parypa, and Rob Lind, The Sonics also now feature Freddie Dennis from The Kingsmen and Liverpool Five, plus Dusty Watson who played with Dick Dale and Agent Orange. And if ‘Bad Betty’ is anything to go by, This Is The Sonics promises to eclipse even their early material for amp-slashing, foot stomping garage rock mania. Bring it on!

James Sherry

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BC Camplight

BC_CamplightBC Camplight
‘You Should’ve Gone To School’
Bella Union

BC Camplight is the alter ego of Philadelphian songwriter Brian Christinzio, who, after releasing two eloquent psych-pop albums in the mid-00’s, now finds himself reborn into his recently adopted home of Manchester. Though this seemingly simple change of location becomes intriguing when partnered with the knowledge that his brand new album is titled, How To Die In The North. Regardless, the album’s lead track, ‘You Should’ve Gone to School’, see’s the self-proclaimed “guy who blew it” eating his own words.

Opening with a bassline that could have raised the eyebrows of Bernard Edwards himself, this single sees BC Camplight boasting inscrutable song-writing prowess. His hooks are so simple it hurts. The most prevalent being a swirling, cylindrical vocal siren that looms above the chorus, surrounded by an airy and effortless chord progression that never tires. Breaking into the verse, BC explores all manner of lyrical avenues, flying through the glass in his automobile after enduring the cold harsh stare of the creatures in the air, adding a mind bending charm to this marvellously crafted pop tune.

How to die In the North is out now on Bella Union. Check out the video bellow starring Felix the cat.

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Gengahr

Gengahr
‘She’s A Witch’
Transgressive Records

gengahr_loresstevegullick__large

At the back end of 2014 it was Genghar‘s seductive Powder tune that left us salivating for more, and now the wait is over, but it’s even better. Brand new tune ‘She’s A Witch’ sees them move into pole position as one of the most exciting bands of 2015 armed yet again with vocal steez most bands can only dream of.

Some will have spectacular oracular shivers as the four piece canter towards a superb bass laden chorus that you don’t want to end. It has psych, it has pop but most of all it has sheer class. There are no donkeys here, just pure thoroughbreds, as we await an album on Transgressive sometime this year that we hope just gives even more.

This single is out on March 16th, look out for them on the road in the UK at the following dates:

Feb 25th The Eagle Inn, Manchester
Feb 26th The Waiting Room, London

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GANG

gang_silverbackGANG
‘Silverback’
Sexx Tapes

Kick off the week with your ears stinging as Brighton’s GANG emerge with their treacherous head-banger of a new single, ‘Silverback’.

As soon as this monstrous riff kicks in you almost jolt 40 years back in time. These three scuzz mongers make no attempt to hide their love for ‘70s throwback octofuzz and maxed out organ tones that Jon Lord himself would surely give a tip of the hat to. Vocally, frontman Eric Tormey stands alone, howling his pained damnations high above the din.

Coated in sludge, GANG catapult into their filthy basement jam B-side with gusto. Mashing slack chord abuse against a fierce throat shredding mantra, this trio are daring you to question ‘Not A Reason’ as the ideal house party scream-along.

The ‘Silverback’ cassette also features a bonus mix by fellow Brightonite and fuzz advocate Theo Verney, grab a copy of this sludgy sleaze via Sexx Tapes from January 30th.

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Viet Cong

viet_congViet Cong
‘Silhouettes’
Jagjaguwar

Fast approaching their self-titled debut album, Canada’s Viet Cong have shared a colossal new single titled ‘Silhouettes’.

Despite arriving with their deliciously lo-fi and psych’d out ‘Throw It Away’ cassette in 2013, the Calgary quartet’s latest offering sees them veering into the black with a huge post-punk synth sound and grinding bass guitar riffs.

Their clashing guitar chords almost recall of Silent Alarm-era indie before Matt Flegel’s damaged croon soars high above the din into a shimmering pre-chorus, shining a piercing light into the sinister gloom Viet Cong show such prowess in conjuring.

‘Silhouettes’ follows the equally affecting ‘Continental Shelf’ with gusto, find both singles on their forthcoming self titled album, due January 19th on Jagjaguwar.

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Fuzz Fucked

fuzz_fucked
Various artists
Blooming (A Fuzz-Fucked Compilation)
Fleeting Youth Records

The Texan tape label that showed us the deafening sounds of Clouder, Le Rug, Rasputin’s Secret Police and countless others are back with a compilation of mind melting noise to feed your crippling addiction. Fleeting Youth Records’ Blooming is exactly what it says on the sleeve, A Fuzz Fucked Compilation.

Blooming trawls through the darkest corners of sludgy, fuzz-pedal-fuelled, distorted garage rock noise to bring you a selection of 33 bands with 33 individual tracks of loud! Stream it below and head here to purchase and support this fiercely independent label.

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Francisco The Man

Francisco The Man
‘It’s Not Your Fault’
Fat Possum

Francisco_The_Man

Combining dreamy shoegaze-pop with a dose of high end, 90s indie rock, LA’s Francisco The Man have not only released a beautifully crafted track in ‘It’s Not Your Fault’ but also delivered a video to remember to go with it.

Director Alec Nicholas is said to have mimicked his own self obsessions with online viewing to get the most out of his work on this production. The story line is based around an internet stalker whose problem rises to shocking levels with an unhappy ending.

This band may not be a household name here in the UK yet but if their debut album Loose Ends is made up of more songs as amazing as this then 2015 will be their year.