Weekend Music Roundup

The weekend is here and I'm enjoying some vacation time round my way, which means extra time for listening to tunes and finding more tunes to listen to. This week I bring you a few new releases that I'd been looking forward to and some albums that I found while looking for new things to get into. As always, there's a mix of styles on here, from stoner metal to jazz, Britpop to indie rock. Hopefully there's something you'll want to listen to. Enjoy.

Sleep - The Sciences: The legendary sludge metal band's first album since Dopesmoker was released 15 years ago was released back in April on Jack White's Third Man Records. Despite time away, these guys are still the masters of stoner sludge metal. These extended metal grooves are just the right amount of mellow and heavy and perfect for the soundtrack of their favorite hobby of choice. "Sonic Titan" takes up the entire second side of the double album, and I could stand another side of it. Side 3 features another full length track, "Antarcticans Thawed" which is a Melvins-esque if they ever did a sonic novel. The first and last side of the album each contain two tracks, with "Giza Butler" being my personal favorite. Pure audio satisfaction.

Roadkill Ghost Choir - In Tongues: Released in 2014, this is the debut album from the Florida based indie band. Having recently listened to their newly released second album, I have to say I prefer the sound on this one which is more honest. It reminds me of Wooden Sky, The War on Drugs and other indie bands of the past 10 years. "HWY," "I Could See Everything," "Womb," "See You Soon," "Lazarus, You've Been Dreaming," and "Dead Friend" are among my favorites on this solid effort.  Definitely one for fans of the genre to check out.

Mason Proffit - Wanted!: The debut album from early '70's country rock band out of Indy. This has a definite David Crosby vibe to it that I'm really digging. It's very much a precursor to the kind of folk rock that would become a radio staple in the years to come, but this is early enough in the expanse of this sound that it still borrows heavily from bands like Jefferson Airplane and The Byrds. It might not be the best thing out there, but I really love the sound of this album.

DMA's - For Now: The second album from the Britpop band out of Australia was released this spring. I just recently heard about this band on an Oasis fan site where fans were saying this is their new favorite band. Always in search of Oasis inspired material, I was eager to check this out. It's much more Britpop-y than Oasis's 60's and 70's nostalgia, reminding more of later Britpop bands like Haven. "In the Air," "Tape Deck Sick," "Do I Need You Now?," and "Break Me" are standouts on a solid sophomore album.

The Flying Eyes - Burning of the Season: The fourth album from the Baltimore stoner rock band. Like a lot of albums in the genre of late, it seems to take inspiration from Led Zeppelin and more blues grunge bands in equal parts. It has a sort of classic rock vibe the way Alice in Chains or Soundgarden did in their interpretation of punk and metal. Not the most original record but worthy of a listen. "Sing Praise," "Come Round," and "Farewell" were my favorites. 

The Amazing Jimmy Smith Trio - Live at The Village Gate: Recorded in '63 and released two years later, this album highlights the energy Jimmy Smith brings to the keys in a live setting. Already well into his career, this performance shows the improvisation that Smith was a master of. This swings from hard bop to soul jazz and rhythm and blues. A great bit of up-tempo jazz with a nice clear sound. Definitely worth checking out.