Review: Le Pécheur - Medieval Dreams
Le Pécheur is my new favorite psych band, partially because their name means SINNER, but mostly cause they play the most haunting psychedelic garage rock out there, complete with eerie synth, distortion heavy guitars, strange noisy freakouts and haunting lyrics about evil.
These London-based French ex-pats draw on the drone of Wooden Shjips or Cave and layer jangly melodies over top that slowly suck you deeper and deeper into their reverb hazed world. Not since Dusk at Cubist Castle from Olivia Tremor Control have I been so entranced by a psych record, though Le Pécheur is a bit less Elephant Six/late Beatles pop and more Pebbles compilations dirty fuzz garage. They remind me of the Pretty Things or Count Five filtered through Can and King Crimson.
Le Pécheur’s new LP Medieval Dreams, just released on Azbin Records, is highly recommended for those who can’t get enough of the Night Beats, Feeling of Love, Acid Baby Jesus, Cosmonauts and/or J.C. Satàn (with whom Le Pécheur released a split EP).
GET BENT already listed Medieval Dreams in our top foreign albums you need to check out, and perhaps Le Pécheur should’ve made more best of lists for 2011. It would’ve made mine in retrospect; I almost overlooked these guys. So don’t miss out. Listen to “Apocalypse” below and freak out……
Track: White Fence - It Will Never Be (Edit)
After 2 years of stellar releases, (Is Growing Faith made our 2011 top ten list) Tim Presley, the brain behind White Fence, is ready to blow our minds again with a double LP entitled Family Perfume. The double LP will be released separately first then doubled together sometime later this year. “It Will Never Be (Edit)” is taken from the first half, simply titled Vol. 1, which will be out through Woodsist April 3rd.
Track: Disappears - Replicate
Expanding on the kraut rock rhythms and explosive guitar work found on last year’s LP Glider, Chicago’s Disappears return with “Replicate”, a new track taken from their upcoming 3rd LP Pre Language. Speaking of rhythm, legendary Sonic Youth drummer, Steve Shelley has joined the group for the new LP. As you know, he’s no stranger to working with guitarists who know how to break sound boundaries. Disappears may be expanding on their sound, but definitely not replicating it. With Shelley’s help the band have a new found tight, focused, yet somehow totally unhinged sound that works extremely.
You can grab Pre Language March 1st through Kranky.
Review: Jack of Heart - In Yer Mouth
By Paul Blawat
Let me start by saying that LP covers with giant eyeballs staring at slightly smaller eyeballs with centaur bodies are likely going to lead to one of two things: 1. psychedelic music and 2. extreme coolness. Jack of Heart’s latest LP In Yer Mouth satisfies both of these conditions.
Jack of Heart hail from Southern France in both real life and musical genealogy. Who writes songs about Oscar Wilde?* Jack of Heart have Serge Gainsbourg in their bloodline. French or non, there are few musical acts that choose to reimagine 60’s psych and soul, much less with the sonic studio experimentation found on In Yer Mouth.
The LP begins with a fuzzed out Farfisa wailer (seemingly recorded from the inside of a tin can). “Baby Bitch” even tosses out some Ventures twang solos. Finish off with some lowbrow Gregorian chants and zip, shabam, pow, plop, whiz, we have a sonic psych Mona Lisa (remember: psych music, extreme coolness). ”Rock Stones and Pebbles” is a fucked up early Stones-y country weird-up. “Lady Wilde” is Serge-esque; I don’t recall Gainsbourg ever using that level of reverb though (like Star Wars music bar alien voice reverb). ”JOH Jett III” is a Yardbirds/Beefheart rave-up. With a twist. Not like “The Twist”, but a twist—perhaps a little more shufflestrut™**. “In Yer Mouth”, “Howland Skies”, and “A Northern Pain in the Ass” are all 60’s beautiful rockin’ studio classics - written now. The LP’s last song, “Nowdays”, is drop dead killer. Blending many 60’s psych genres, soundtrack-y; think Impala with vocals.
In Yer Mouth is highly recommended. Watch the video for “Baby Bitch” above and get the record le here.
*A quick Internet search deems that many people have written songs about Oscar Wilde, but mostly dandies and foppish acts.
**shufflestrut CAN adj [shuffelstrut] 1. one who shuffles and struts simultaneously. 2. Keith Richards and Bo Diddley. 3. Captain Beefheart.
Track: Low Times - “I Don’t Belong”
By Burgers Rana
Being from Texas, I was fully aware, as any normal garage-loving show going punk should in Texas, of the existence of the amazing San Antonio collective that surrounds itself around the record label known as Aye Aye Aye. Lisa Frank were the gnarliest bunch of ladies, Patsy get you stoned with their tunes, and eetsFeats are just plain fucking amazing to see live. Collaborating with one another was just as normal as making sure to get three kegs for any and all shows. Of the many collaborations, came the DIY to the core Low Times.
In the coming weeks, Aye Aye Aye is set to release a split 7” featuring labelmates eetsFeats and Low Times, on what lead singer/vocalist (and Aye Aye Aye head honcho) Erik Comacho, calls, “classic black vinyl with a run of 300 copies.” The Low Times side is already available online and both songs are sweet hits of surf-drenched attitude. “I Don’t Belong” is the first of the double hitter and its chill, menacing vibe could only be the love child of Night Beats and the Cramps. Second track, “Oh, There’s No Way Out”, is a Venture-riffic ride through what I see as the most drunken-stoned tube ride at a water park.
01 I Don’t Belong.mp3 by LOW TIMES
When you purchase the tracks through the band’s Bandcamp it also comes with eetsFeats side. And if you can’t get enough of the jams, Low Times have just uploaded every song ever recorded by them, including covers, over at their Soundcloud page. These dudes rule.
Track: Royal Baths - Darling Divine
Awesome new track from my favorite band that changed their name, changed lineups and were supposed to break up, Royal Baths. “Darling Divide” is the opening track off of their forthcoming LP Better Luck Next Life, and it continues with the same wigged out, 60’s psych influenced head trip that made up their stellar 2010 LP Litanies.
Better Luck Next life drops February 7th on Kanine Records.
Video: Michael Yonkers with The Blind Shake - So Be
Scott Soriano, founder of S.S. Records, just sent us this chaotic in studio video of Michael Yonkers with The Blind Shake performing “So Be” from their freshly released LP Period. For those of you unfamiliar with Yonkers, he’s been dubbed a musical genius by many, and I wouldn’t argue with anyone about that. Since the late 60’s he’s been creating some of the most out there psychedelic rock, and he continues to push boundaries to this day. “So Be”, whoah, the first few minutes sound like being trapped in a factory room with nothing but machines whirring and pumping around you. The whole thing explodes midway with a burst of maniacal guitars, a pounding rhythm section and Yonkers’ raspy yell commanding the whole assault.
Period is available now through S.S. Records.
Acid Baby Jesus To Tour Europe With Bazooka and Black Lips
You’d think after invading the U.S. and totally dominating it that Anthens’ own Acid Baby Jesus would take a breather from tour life, but no. They’ve just announced a lengthy December tour of Europe with Bazooka, not the Bazooka we recently featured, but the equally good Bazooka from Athens and a one of the rawest live bands around: The Black Lips.
Hell breaks loose December 1st in Pisticci, Italy. You can find the full tour schedule and RSVP to dates here. Acid Baby Jesus’ self-titled LP, a no-brainer for our Hot Shit list, is available now through Slovenly Recordings.
Video: Lil Daggers - Dead Golden Girls
If you’re familiar with Florida’s Lil Daggers, then you know these guys a versatile bunch. Their self-titled LP is a mix bag of garage pop, 60’s psychedelia and melancholic post-punk, as most notably displayed in their new video for “Dead Golden Girls”. The video is colored with a very fitting blue light that complements the organ riffs and hazy guitars that wash in and out with ease.
Lil Daggers’ self-titled LP is available for free streaming on their Bandcamp page. You can get the LP on Limited Fanfare now, or if you’re in the UK you can pick it up via Song By Toad Records December 5th.
Video: K-Holes - Into Black
The fine dudes over at Psych just turned us onto this new Amanda Finn directed video for K-Holes’ “Into Black”, taken from their self-titled LP released earlier this year on HoZac, and we are digging it (almost literally). The eerie sax and sultry bass lines are something you might hear during an old horror movie graveyard scene. This video would of been perfect 2 weeks ago during Halloween, but hey, K-Holes are scary year-round.
You can still pick up K-Holes on HoZac Records. Keem em’ peeled for a new record early next year.
