Acid Mothers Temple and Space Paranoid, “Black Magic Satori” LP

cover - acid mothers temple black magic satoriAcid Mothers Temple and Space Paranoid is the latest, umpteenth version of the Japanese psychedelic rock collective, and on this go-’round, Black Magic Satori, it’s less psych and more doom. I mean, seriously: DOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

No, but really: there’s some super down-tempo Black Sabbath love on this LP — “Black Sabbth” the song, specifically, right down to the ringing bell. On the title track, “Black Magic Satori,” Acid Mothers Temple and Space Paranoid takes the sound out of the grave and into outer space, courtesy of Higashi Hiroshi‘s madman synths.
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Listen to Wake, right now


In rare thing, we’re just going to tell you to go listen to this EP from Richmond’s Wake. We got the e-mail announcing the impending vinyl release of the self-titled 7-inch yesterday, and promptly started listening. It’s snotty hardcore, and while Rival Mob might be the big new in terms of hardcore releases this week, take a moment (quite literally, less than ten minutes) to listen to Wake. It’s almost better than a big cup of coffee to wake you up and get you moving. It kicks off with thirty seconds of gang vocals, so get your fist-pumping and finger-pointing skills up to snuff before you click play.

The vinyl is so newly-announced, Glass Nail Records doesn’t even know the colors yet. It’ll be out in July, though, and you can pre-order that sucker through the Glass Nail store. How’s that for being on the bleeding edge of news?

“Till Death” a gory Valentine’s Day card

book cover - till deathThe upcoming release of Till Death… A Guide to Love and Loss is sure to be a big deal for fans of New Years Day and its frontwoman, Ash Costello, as well as Kriz DK of the Genitorturers and Deadstar Assembly. It’s a wonderfully shot series of photographs by Jeremy Saffer, and the concept is that it “shows what it might be like to date a Gothic matriarch, like Morticia, Elvira, Lily, etc. prior to them meeting their Gomez or Herman.”

It’s a 70-page, full-color hardcover, with the images within hewing to “Addams/Tales From The Crypt” sense of humor. Essentially, that means some very cheesy (cheap Valentine’s Day level, really) visual puns, coupled with some excruciatingly gory imagery.
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Kid Congo Powers & the Pink Monkey Birds, “Conjure Man”

cover - kid congo conjure manThe latest single from psychedelic rockers Kid Congo Powers & the Pink Monkey Birds won’t be released until January 22 via In the Red, but you can listen to to the a-side, “Conjure Man,” right now via Soundcloud.

The b-side has “a deranged cover of an old Seeds tune,” “Lose Your Mind,” according to the press release. Both tracks are exclusive to this 7-inch, and won’t appear on Haunted Head, the next long-player from the former member of the Bad Seeds, the Cramps, and the Gun Club, due out later next year. If you don’t trust your local record shop to get in this spooky slab o’ wax, you can pre-order it from Midheaven Mailorder
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The Pharmacy, “Stoned & Alone” LP

cover-stoned-and-alone-pharmacyEvery so often, an act writes a song so good, they’ll spend the rest of there career being judged by it. Think “Big Country” by Big Country — a song so superlative, so perfect, that nothing else — no matter how good — would ever measure up to it. Such is the case with the Pharmacy, whose “Dig Your Grave” has seen more play in the Nuthouse this year than any other song.

The single on which that song appeared, and from which it drew its name, came out earlier this year, and pretty much secured its position as my favorite thing to come out in 2012, with the EP-ending track, “Burn All Yr Bridges” coming in a close second as my favorite song for the better part of six months.
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Sample the new record from Be My Doppleganger

be-my-doppleganger-kickstarterIt’s poppy, it’s punky, but it’s not quite pop-punk. Be My Doppleganger hew close to the power pop end of the rock ‘n’ roll spectrum on these four songs from their forthcoming third LP. Tentatively titled Artless, the band is planning on self-releasing the record this fall.

If Be My Doppleganger is using these four tracks as a way to discern enthusiasm or interest in Artless, I’d like to add a hearty, “yes, please!” The bass work on these cuts is pretty extraordinary, and the production, vocals, and song structure all hearken back to the golden age of ’80s power pop. The Plimsouls, Replacements, Cheap Trick, Smithereens — this is what I’m hearing, especially on “Floor to Shoulder,” which I just want to listen to over and over and over again.

If you want to get behind Artless right fucking now, you can use the Kickstarter the group set up as a way to pre-order. $15 gets you a Kickstarter-only LP color. Seriously, they’ll only press as many as people pledged. You also get a digital download two weeks before the album comes out. And buttons. And stickers. Niiiiiiiice, right? This is Kickstarter done right. Good job, Be My Doppleganger. You got it goin’ on.

Preview & pre-order Melody’s Echo Chamber’s split with Unknown Mortal Orchestra

cover-melodys-echo-chamberThe debut release from French psych-pop act Melody’s Echo Chamber, a split on Fat Possum with Unknown Mortal Orchestra, won’t see release for another three weeks, but you can pre-order the 7-inch right now.

On the 7-inch, Melody’s Echo Chamber brings their track “Crystallized,” which has been heretofore unavailable in any other form other than digital. Unknown Mortal Orchestra covers the MEC track “Endless Shore,” which will see release in September on the MEC full-length debut, also on Fat Possum.

If you’re on the fence as to whether or not your should order it — what, the fact that it was recorded and mixed with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker isn’t enough to pique your interest? — check out the tracks below, via Soundcloud, as well as a pic of what the single will look like (splatter vinyl with a die-cut sleeve — fuckin’ fancy).
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Stream Black Wine’s newest

cover-black-wine-hollow-earthBlack Wine‘s new album, Hollow Earth, doesn’t come out on Don Giovanni until next Tuesday, but you can stream it right now. Which you should do. They’re less abrasive than Hunchback was, but not as poppy as the Ergs, either. They’re this happy medium somewhere in the middle, and Black Wine just always seems to scratch an itch I never knew I had.

Listening to Black Wine usually results in me binging on Superchunk and Husker Du albums for a day or two afterward, because they’re part of this very specific style of music that has very few practitioners. Infectious and catchy, but just discordant enough to keep them interesting. It’s not boozy, stupid music, but neither is it pretentious or high-minded. It’s fucking fun, and I feel the more I talk about them, the more I need to just shut up and let you listen for yourself, so that you’ll go pre-order it from Don Giovanni.

Pre-order the Kepi “Sleepy Hollow” single

cover-kepi-sleepy-hollowItalian label Surfin’ Ki Records has put together a single for Kepi Ghoulie‘s upcoming European tour. It’s a 7-inch featuring both the electric and acoustic versions of his tune “Sleepy Hollow.” They’re basically just slightly different mixes of the versions on Hanging Out and American Gothic, but it’s always cool to have a single like this. Plus, both of those albums have gone out of print on LP, so it’s a nice way to snag those songs if you don’t yet have ’em.

The record — due out next Friday, June 15 — will be limited to 300 copies, with 200 available on black wax and 100 on clear orange wax, and you can choose between blue and orange cover art. You can snag three of the four variants at the Surfin’ Ki wesbtore. The blue cover art / black wax variant will be available exclusively through Interpunk.com starting at the end of the month, and those copies will include a free patch.

Continued news about Ska Is Dead; pre-order and guesses as to the artists

cover-ska-is-deadYesterday, after posting news regarding Underground Communique‘s returning Ska is Dead single series, they posted some more solid details, as well as some hints as to what you can expect.

Like the last series, there will be three 7-inches on black vinyl and three 7-inches on color vinyl (last year, it was white), and they’ll ship in three monthly installments of two 7-inches each, starting in July. Pre-orders start at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday, May 25 via the Ska Is Dead store.
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