Category Archives: Album of the Week

You Need Free Weed

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FreeWeed04

Artist: Free Weed
Album: Introducing
Label: Bad Diet
Release Date: Feb 24, 2015
RIYL: Stoner Pop, The Memories, White Fang
Featured Track: “Later”

You need Free Weed, yes you do. The band, silly!!

Rikky Gage, the ringleader of beloved acts like The Memories, White Fang and Gnar Tapes is up to his (endearing) shenanigans again with a new music act called Free Weed, which – by the way – is excellent positioning and branding for the booming “green rush” era. As a devoted fan of The Memories, I squealed with delight when this track landed in my inbox. After giving the album a spin, I’m hooked. Stoner generation: meet your new ambassador. For a good time, go see a live show. Trust me on this.

Best New Music // Foreign/National

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Artist: Foreign/National
Album: Foreign/National EP
Release Date: September 22, 2014
Hails From: Melbourne, Australia
RIYL: Tame Impala-tinged pop. Yum!

Australia just keeps turning out the good music and I’ve completely fallen for this 5 piece from Melbourne  – hook, line and sinker.  Just wrap your ears around their Tame Impala tinged pop and try NOT to fall in love. I dare you.

Album of the Week // BRONCHO

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Say hello to your new favorite band, BRONCHO. Their new album, “Just Enough Hip to be Woman”, dropped today and is available to stream in its entirety on Soundcloud. The Oklahoma-based group swung by The Independent recently for an amazing live performance, where I snapped this pic of their guitarist, who is definitely hip enough to be a woman. A rad woman.

Pond Releases “Beard, Wives and Denim”; Announces US Tour

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Artist: Pond
Album: “Beard, Wives, Denim”
Release Date: March 6, 2012
Hails From: Australia
RIYL: Tame Impala, 70’s tinged psych rock
Featured Track: “Moth Wings”

One of my more anticipated albums of 2012,  the lastest release by Australian group Pond features two members of Tame Impala‘s touring band, Nick Allbrook and Jay Watson, and a lot of that Tame Impala- esque psych rock goodness you’ve come to know and love. They’ve just announced an extensive US Tour and will be announcing SXSW show dates soon! Stream the new album in it’s entirety on Hype Machine now.

POND US TOUR DATES

Sun March 11th || Fitzgerald’s || Houston, TX
Sun March 18th || Low Key Arts || Hot Springs, AR
Mon March 19th || Grimey’s Record Store || Nashville, TN (in-store show)
Tues March 20th || Johnny Brenda’s || Philadelphia, PA
Wed March 21st || Bowery Ballroom || New York, NY
Thurs March 22nd || Brighton Music Hall || Boston, MA
Fri March 23rd || Casa Del Popolo || Montreal, QC
Sat March 24th || Café Dekcuf || Ottowa, ON
Sun March 25th || The Drake Hotel || Toronto, ON
Tues March 27th || Lincoln Hall || Chicago, IL
Wed March 28th || Taylor University || Upland, IN
Fri March 30th || Cactus Club || Milwaukee, WI
Sat March 31st || The Maintenance Shop || Ames, IA
Mon April 2nd || 7th Street Entry || Minneapolis, MN
Wed April 4th || A Club || Spokane, WA
Thurs April 5th || Sunset Tavern || Seattle, WA
Fri April 6th || The Biltmore Cabaret || Vancouver, BC
Sat April 7th || Jinx Art Space || Bellingham, WA
Sun April 8th || Squeak & Squawk Music || Tacoma, WA
Mon April 9th || Mississippi Studios || Portland, OR
Wed April 11th || Rickshaw Stop || San Francisco, CA
Fri April 13th || The Echo || Los Angeles, CA

Best New Music: Young Circles – “Jungle Habits”

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Artist: Young Circles
Album: Jungle Habits
Release Date: August 23,2011
Homeland: Miami, FL
File Under: Psychedelic Garage
Featured Tracks: “2012”, “Love Hitch”

Fell in love with the gritty, psychedelic sounds from this Miami-based trio earlier this year. The upstart band release their first EP, Bones, just this year and has become one of my favorites for 2011. Now they’re back with their debut LP, Jungle Habits, which is already on heavy rotation and quickly becoming one of my favorite LPs for 2011. An EP and LP from the same band earning top honors in the same year?! Prolific. They’ll be touring around the East Coast with plans to head West soon, I hope!

Heavy Rotation: Unknown Mortal Orchestra

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Artist: Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Album: Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Homeland: Portland, OR (via New Zealand)
File Under: Psych Pop

Spooling endlessly on the self-titled Fat Possum debut from this Portland (by way of New Zealand) group. Listening to it feels like what a 70s era photograph would sound like if it came to life. Desaturated, lo-fi, vintage goodness. They’re currently on the road, supporting Yuck, and will be hitting The Independent in San Francisco on July 26.

Best New Music: Abbe May – “Design Desire”

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Artist: Abbe May
Album: Design Desire
Release Date: July 8, 2011
Homeland: Perth, Australia
Featured Tracks: “Mammalian Locomotion” (Remixed by Tame Impala)

“Taurus Chorus”

I’m having a love affair with Australian music scene of late and have been particularly obsessed with Perth-based blues rock goddess Abbe May. I’ve been anxiously awaiting her solo debut for…oh, about nine months now. Ever since I stumbled upon her smoking single “Mammalian Locomotion”. Then when I heard Tame Impala remix it shortly thereafter, I knew I was on to something. And so finally, it’s here. “Design Desire” was released today and as good as I hoped it would be. The kind of soul satisfying, ass kicking rock and roll that smacks you in the face and keeps you coming back for more.

Thurston Moore – “Demolished Thoughts”

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Thurston Moore’s (of Sonic Youth fame) third solo effort, “Demolished Thoughts”, is simply lovely. Quickly emerging as one of my favorite albums this year. Produced by Beck, the effort is being coined acoustic folk. But don’t let the wimpy genre fool you.  His music still has the same intensity you would expect from a Sonic Youth tune, just unplugged, and dusted with a little Beck fairy dust for ambience. An intoxicating combination.

The album features Thurston on guitar and vocals, Samara Lubelski on violin, Mary Lattimore on harp, Beck on synths, vocals and bass, and Joey Waronker on percussion, among others. Thurston will be stopping through the Bay Area with Kurt Vile for two shows next month. Hello!  Mark your calendars and reserve your seats for July 25 at The New Parish in Oakland and July 26 at Great American Music Hall in SF. In the meantime, enjoy this Take Away show from La Blogotheque.

The Morning Benders – “Japan Echo” Benefit EP

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Last week The Morning Benders were supposed to play their very first show in Tokyo, Japan. That didn’t happen for obvious reasons. In support of the terrible disaster, they’ve put together an EP of unreleased material. Visit their site to donate and download.

Japan Echo EP (日本・エコー) Tracklisting:

1. Cold War (Star Slinger Remix)
2. Better In Blue
3. Hand Me Downs (Wild Nothing Remix)
4. Excuses (RAC Remix)
5. Mason Jar (Twin Sister Remix)
6. Wet Cement (Aislyn Remix)
7. Little Riot
8. Promises (Star Slinger Remix)

That Ghost – Songs Out Here

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Artist: That Ghost
Album: Songs Out Here
Homeland: Santa Rosa, CA
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Featured Tracks: “To Like You” [audio http://www.bantermm.com/tracks/ThatGhost-ToLikeYou.mp3]

Some might say that the one man band of Ryan Schmale, known as That Ghost, might be somewhat of a boy genius. Having self released three albums before he was seventeen would certainly classify him as ambitious. The now 21-year-old has recorded and is about to release his fifth album, Songs Out Here, on Two Syllable Records. Written partially on the grounds of author Jack London’s Bay Area estate, all the instruments on the recording were played by Schmale himself.