The weekend has arrived and it brings the promise of cooler air in the coming days, a much needed relief from the hellish heat that we have suffered through during the start of the hottest month on record. Despite the heat, the music never stops and this week I take a look at some eclectic new releases, some eclectic older releases, and some recent vinyl pickups. Psych, Dixieland, and Soul...what more could you ask for, well besides cooler weather. Enjoy.
Devil's Witches - Cherry Napalm: A few weeks back, I raved about this heavy psych band from L.A. and their epic debut which came out in March and is currently among my favorite releases of the year. In May, they followed up with this acoustic four track EP. Taking the heavy psych tracks that blew me away and turning them into acoustic folkish tracks was equally mind-blowing and shows the immense talent of these guys. This is a band that I'm going to follow for years. Absolutely brilliant!
Emma Ruth Rundle / Jaye Jayle - The Between Us: This EP features one side of Emma and the other of Jaye Jayle (which is a band, not a guy). Over the past year, Emma Ruth Rundle has become one of my favorite new discoveries. Her powerfully fragile voice and emotional dream folk are right up my alley. These three songs are spectacular. Not knowing Jay Jayle, I was very impressed with their tracks as well, which had a country americana feel. A very nice sampler of two great artists.
Acid Eater - Black Fuzz on Wheels: The psychedelic garage punk band from Japan's 2010 full length is their most recent release, and possibly their last. This fuzzed out, noisy rock with obvious '60s influence but takes it to a new deviant level. I came across this by accident and had to give it a go, and I'm sure glad I did. Not for the faint of heart, only for those that like their garage sound to be heavy and strange.
Otis Redding - Otis Redding: I recently picked up this French compilation on vinyl for free. The cover was a little beat up, but the wax sounds great. Otis is another one in a long list of musical greats who died too soon, passing away at the age of 27. But in his short career, he produced legendary songs that everybody knows. His soulful voice is unforgettable on every song he recorded. I'm so glad to finally have a collection of his on vinyl.
Mythic Sunship - Land Between Rivers: The fifth album from the Danish psychedelic band consists of three extensive instrumental tracks. There is a jam band mentality to these compositions, meaning that they are all given a lot of room to breathe and wander, which is a trait that often works well in psychedelic records. This is an enjoyable listen for background sounds, but I found it a little too thin to warrent careful study. Decent enough for those into fuzzy soundscapes reminiscent of later day Earth.
Muggsy Spanier - Muggsy Spanier: This album contains most of the classic recordings from one of the leading figures in Chicago's Dixieland Jazz scene. I should set the record straight by saying that I absolutely love Dixieland jazz. There is nothing in the world that sounds quite like it. It has the magic of a great drug movie and the mellow beauty of a come-down. Muggsy's work is fantastic. Definitely one of the players fans should have in their collections.
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