Psychedelic Garage Rock with The Sufis

Burger Records had a pretty awesome cassette sale this summer with any of their tapes going for just over a 3 dollars, and thus I picked up some of their back catalog that I had been meaning to get.

One of the strongest in the bunch was a band named The Sufis, a garage act from Nashville that borrows heavily from 60s garage psychedelia and Syd Barret's Pink Floyd era. Some really great meditative jams that know just when to focus in on the riff and bring the whole thing home. If the Elephant 6 label was still around, these guys would have been on it.

Pick up the tape here.

Burger Records Bio

Since I am accustomed to releasing cassette tapes myself, and find myself buying most of my new music in the format, the recent series at Allmusic about cassette labels and culture has been great. This wee, they feature one of my favorite cassette labels here in California, Burger Records. Check out the whole piece here.

Best of the Backlog - Car Seat Headrest (Twin Fantasy)

Been trying to catch up after a busy few months overseas, but one of the records that was just gnawing at me, waiting to be shared while I was moving about, was Car Seat Headrest. The record comes from Will Toledo, who records out of Williamsburg and makes some lovely lo-fi psychedelic pop that could easily fit into the Elephant 6 Collective. My favorite track is "Sober to Death," with its crashing guitar riffs that close out the impassioned plea. Highly recommended.

A limited edition cassette is also going to be available from Hatecrime Records. Preorder one now, and get a super nifty shirt as well.

Kisses Release Summer Mix

Indie Disco Kisses has put together a fine summer mix for the waning days of sun. Jump on over to Modular to check it out.

They also recently released a single, "Funny Heartbeat," from their forthcoming full length.  

The Whitest Boy Alive

No Stopping Fatoumata Diawara

Mali's Fatoumata Diawara is one of those voices that should garner more respect from music aficionados. At the moment, she is picking up popularity among "world" music types, but fuck all that jazz. The "World Music" tag is a kiss of death, and for many, brings forth an image of a balding Yoga instructor who shops at Whole Foods and votes for Dennis Kucinich. Diawara's style and confidence should be enjoyed outside of that limiting genre, and the following track and video should make my case. The song is free to download, so what do you have to lose? Well, bandwidth and time, but trust me, it is still worthy of your time.

The Last Years rock out in San Diego

The Last Years is a punk act made by a friend of ours. I remember going to a show with their frontman, but never making it inside the actual venue. Rather, we got wasted in the alley outside the joint, watching people fight and argue. Twas good times.

Playing fast and furious punk rock, the Last Years are one of those acts that make San Diego a place worth being.

Oakland's Mara Hruby

I came across Mara Hruby on accident: I was looking for a recent mixtape from a vocalist from Oakland, and I ended up stumbling upon Mara and her newest record. Playing cool, breezy soul music, I will definitely be on the lookout for her future releases.

The Sunnies - "Complex Systems"

We used to laugh at the bad metal bands that bled through the walls of our shitty practice space in Montreal. One day, the squall was gone. In its place: The Sunnies. It was a good day.

The quintet's guitar pop is warm and unaffected -- so much that I'd wager a Fin du Monde that three of these guys grew up in the Maritimes. Though their music doesn't appear to be available for sale or download, you can jangle 'til you've had your fill with "Complex Systems," "Sisyphus" and a couple others at their Myspace.

Sitting in a smokey 1930's bar with Gregory Page

I am a schoolteacher, and while I enjoy it, it does not always put me in the best of moods at the end of the day. Dealing with disobedient children, reckless parents, and clueless administrators takes a toll on one's psyche. So while I love to bust out some Hardcore, Metal, and Noise when time permits, I occasionally just want some relaxing songs that make me feel like I am living in a Woody Allen movie. San Diego's Gregory Page does just that.

Playing jazzy lounge numbers that would have been quite at home on my grandmother's turntable, Page isn't trying to reinvent the wheel here. On his newest release, "My True Love," he has created some excellent songs however, and should be enjoyed by anyone who just likes to sit back at the end of the day with an alcoholic beverage and a comfortable space that just feels like home.

Thats You from Gregory Page on Vimeo.