Showing posts with label joaopq. Show all posts
Showing posts with label joaopq. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

[interview] Pictureplane

Fortunately, I could interview Pictureplane. Fusing house with psychedelic themes, transcending cliché acid house, this artist could easily make a tune that would be a hit in many discos, if people nowadays cared more about music when they go to a disco. He also makes magic with a Microkorg [how I envy him, I wish I could be that good with my synth].

Serotonin Sounds
: What do you think of Witch House? I asked you this one because I see you use lots of "occult" related images, like the triangles and ourobouros, etc.
Pictureplane: dont think a lot of people know this, but i invented the term "witch house" ! the first time it was used was on my blog. my friend shams and i were joking around about a new style of occultish house music that we were making. and we called it witch house. it actually is supposed to be house music, not the slow stuff that is being called witch house. i dont know how it took off on the internet like it did, but it is really interesting.

SS: What are your influences?
PP:contemporary art, fashion, the future, mysticism, the occult, aliens, the "other", the hidden, mysteries, touch, sex, magic. oh , and other music.

SS: You seem to have a wide musical taste. You like Siouxsie and the Banshees and at the same time make your own music: with this I mean, why do you feel related with these more dark trends and at simultaneously make your music, which seems to be happier?
PP:there has always been a darker element to my music. a lot of my old lyrics were really violent and stuff. i always liked that juxtaposition. i love pop music. and my music is meant to be positive and optimistic. so that is why it sounds happy i think. music and art can look or sound a certain way but still carry different meanings. of course. i like to hide things within my songs. but at the same time, i have always been influenced by "dark" music.


SS:Are you the author of your artwork?
PP:of course. i went to school for painting actually. visual art is a huge part of my life.

SS:When playing live, you use a Microkorg, right? When producing, you still use the Microkorg? And do you use any other synths too while producing?
PP:i love my mikrokorg! i have had it for 6 years. it is covered in dirt and some keyes are missing. i am trying to get a new synth, but i am pretty poor and i am also a wizard with the korg. it is the only thing i use really.


SS:Would you like your music to be played at discos?
PP:more pictureplane at discos!

SS:Are you planning to sell some of your t-shirts online? [I want one, hehe]
PP:yes! HOPEFULLY THAT WEBSITE WILL BE UP SOON.

SS:Do you like Throbbing Gristle? If so, how have they affected your music?
PP:i am an extremely huge fan of throbbing gristle. more so for their concepts and theories about culture, the world, freedom and magik. i honestly never really "listen" to them, but i am constantly reading about them and studying them. i collect writings by genesis p. orridge, who is probably one of my biggest life inspirations. genesis forever.

SS:Choose one band / musical group you're enjoying lately and tell us why.
PP:future islands. i have loved this band for a while, but they have a new album and just performed at where i live in denver, rhinoceropolis. and they blew me away. they are one of the best live bands and their music is so emotional and beautiful. they are truly a special and rare band. not enough people know about them.


Thank you once again, Pictureplane.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

[interview] †‡†

I had a chance to interview †‡†, one of my favourite witch house artists. Lately I've been investigating a bit this emerging genre, possibly one of the best newborn musical paradigm.
Read the interview right below:

Serotonin Sounds: What are your influences?
†‡†:New Wave, Dance, Acid House, Goth Rock, Hip-Hop, Noise, Black Metal.

SS: How did you come up with your name?
†‡†:It doesn't really mean anything specific, it means something for me, could mean something different for everyone.

SS: How do you produce your music? [If so], what synths do you use?
†‡†:I do most of the work on a computer using a lot of software and use some other things like mics and effect pedals occasionally.

SS: What do you think of this new term "witch house" and the whole scene?
†‡†:I like the term, when I started listening to SALEM people were calling it "gothic chillwave" so this is much better. I don't think the current scene is what Pictureplane had in mind when he came up with the term "witch house" though, things have changed a lot since the movement started.
I like most of the bands that became associated with witch house when it started but I'm not a fan of most new acts. Some are still good though, like XIX. Most people think this is just a trend that will die before the year ends but I really doubt that's going to happen, 2010 is just the beginning.
Finally, growing up as a fan of 2nd wave Black Metal and Goth music I really love the aesthetic and occult imagery (which I think is what, along with being on Disaro, made me be associated with the movement in the first place).
I think witch house has a lot to offer.

SS: What are your favourite artists on Disaro?
†‡†:White Ring, Passions, oOoOO and Modern Witch. not sure if TEARIST is/was on Disaro but I love them too.

SS: If you could choose a label, what would it be?
†‡†:Oh man I don't know. Have never really thought about it.

SS: Do you do any live shows? If so, when and where are your upcoming shows?
†‡†:Yes, I can't say much about it right now but you'll know in a couple of months through myspace.

SS: Are you into industrial music? This whole occultism surround the genre seems to drawback from the "second-wave of industrial" like some C93, NWW and other artists.
†‡†:I love industrial music, definitely a strong influence in my music.

SS: Are you going to release an EP and/or album soon [or at least pretend to]?
†‡†:I have a CDR coming out on Disaro later this summer.

Monday, June 14, 2010

[mixtapes / compilations] Witch House artists' mixtapes

Here are various mixtapes from witch house and/or witch house related artists:

Pictureplane new mixtape on Fader, entitled Creep 5; click on the image or on the words to hear/download Denver 2009 sampler, another mixtape by this artist.


Mater Suspiria Vision new mixtape; click here or on the image.

Zombie Rave mixtape by O ℑ⊇≥◊≤⊆ℜ O

Friday, June 11, 2010

[upcoming gigs] Out Jazz

If you enjoy jazz and open spaces, grab your bag, put some drinks into it and go to the gardens and other spots where these events will be held. One of the most relaxing musical events occuring in Lisbon, enjoy burning time this weekend and other days of your summer with Out Jazz.
Information in portuguese:
"O Out Jazz chega à sua quarta edição mostrando que veio para ficar. Durante cinco meses o jazz vai ocupar cinco jardins de Lisboa, num ambiente de plena harmonia entre a natureza e as notas musicais. Todos os domingos, de Maio a Setembro, das 17h ao anoitecer, grupos de jazz e um dj vão animar os transeuntes."

Visit the official website right here.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

William Basinski "The Garden of Brokenness"

You have to listen to this album in certain conditions to give it the value it deserves. This isn't William Basinski's expected music, too: because it shows a struggle of peculiar noise that the reader can hear in the background and the same time a melancholic piano filling the environment with its own notes. It's kind of strange. It gives you desolation.
I got into William Basinski some months ago because of this blog, called Zepelim. They mentioned sometimes one or two Basinski musical pieces and I was curious and downloaded right away some of his music. "The Garden of Brokenness" must of been the first link I've clicked and it's funny since this isn't a typical tune made by this artist. Afterwards, I got hearing some "Disintegration Loops"... They sure have a beautiful story behind their birth. To a common person it may seem that Basinski's work is monochordic, repetitive and boring: to the reader who likes to care about what his trully hearing, this music is filled with details, refracted sounds, that enable a cloud of thoughts around one's head.

The tracklist is:
The Garden of Brokenness (49minutes;47seconds)

Get it here via MegaUpload.

I couldn't find any excerpt of this piece, but I'll put one of a great record: "Vivian & Ondine":

Sunday, January 24, 2010

[gig reviews] Jandek at Teatro Maria Matos

Jandek...To many an iconic figure that fights for anonymity, Jandek decided to perform not long ago. He started his musical career around 1978. He has only given one interview which I think he was somewhat forced to. His work is usually labeled as "outsider music".
It's funny that only in 2004 Jandek started playing live. I'm proud I still got a chance to see him live. His music is enigmatic and depicts many times his aging, as I can see, it's like a introspective diary, his whole works, since the photos he used in his albums, to the lyrics.

This time, the musician has chosen 3 more musicians to play with. They were: Sei Miguel (trompetist, composer, a dedicated jazz musician), André Abel (guitarrist of the well-known portuguese band Tropa Macaca and also co-creator of an uprising portuguese experimental band entitled Aquaparque) and finally, Peter Baastien (saxofonist, percussionist and european free spirit, that contributed to the birth of the free jazz movement in Netherlands in the 60's, played with the best bands of the Dakar dance in the 70's and plays for around 40 years, although he hasn't released any record- just like if it was an inversed Jandek situation).
The concert had a good sound. Jandek was the last musician to enter the stage, if I remember.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

[Random records selection of the Week] part 1


Once a week I'll choose various records from many musical genres, so that you can check them out for yourself... I'll only specify the genre, the band's name and the respective record. If you want to download them, click on the album cover.


Artist: Sun Araw
Record: Beach Head
Label: Not Not Fun
Genre: Hypnagogic Pop
(released in 2008)



Artist: The Tuss
Record: Rushup Edge
Label: Rephlex
Genre: IDM / Breakcore
(released in 2007)



Artist: Melvins
Record: The Maggot
Label: Ipecac
Genre: Sludge Metal
(released in 1999)


Artist: Lunar Abyss Deus Organum
Record: Snovidenie
Label: Vresnit
Genre: Shamanistic Ambient / Ritual Industrial
(released in 2006)


Artist: Merzbow
Record: Metal Acoustic Music
Label: Extreme Records
Genre: Noise
(released in 1981)

...keep promoting music: buy records, go to concerts, etc. It is our advice.

Monday, December 21, 2009

[gig reviews] Wavves and Teengirl Fantasy

Teengirl Fantasy's show was quite calm, proper to their music. Chilling, listening to their beats, while they were having fun creating melodies out of awkward loops, many people got along with it... Some just wanted Wavves to pop up on the stage and start playing though. But I liked it, I thought they were good and promising too.
Below is a video of Teengirl Fantasy performing (recorded by João Almeida with my camera):


Wavves
final gig of their european tour... how can I describe it? Marvelous, paradoxal, genius. Some hated the show, some loved it. I'm by the side of the ones who fell in love with that decaying spirit. Nathan yelled "boo" and then shouted with the whole crowd "satan! satan! satan!". Pure genius. Download this recording to see for yourself.
I couldn't film this show, but a friend of mine used the my camara and recorded almost the whole thing. However, he didn't film many crowdsurfs (don't ask me why...), including when I crowdsurfed twice. There were people outside Galeria Zé dos Bois astonished with the show, some of them even stanted there for like half an hour straight, seeing us all have fun.
The setlist wasn't bad... They didn't play "No hope kids"- many people wanted this one to be sang. "To the dregs" was featured, "Wavves" too, in which Nathan crowdsurfed while playing his guitar at the same time!!!... "So Bored" was the last song: at the end there was a stage invasion. This is all recorded by João Almeida with my camera.
You can see this below:

(part 1)


(part 2)


(part 3)

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Wave Machines "Wave if you're really there"

Wave Machines started around 2007, in Liverpool. They've released this album since then, entitled "Wave if you're really there". Receiving good reviews, this work has got lots of great tracks to choose from, each of them, peculiar, but with Wave Machines' characteristics within it. They use synthesizers, samplers, drums, guitars, basses, vocals, blending them in their own way: the product is surely marvelous.
The tracks are:
1. You say the Stupidest Things
2.I go I go I go
3. Keep the Lights on
4. Punk Spirit
5. The Greatest Escape We Ever Made
6. Wave If You're Really There
7. The Line
8. I Joined a Union
9. Carry me Back to My Home
10. Dead Houses

The album's lenght is around 40 minutes, I believe. My favourite tracks are: "Punk Spirit", "You Say the Stupidest Things", "Dead Houses" and "Carry me Back to My Home".
To get this album, click here.

Below is "Punk Spirit"'s official videoclip:

Saturday, December 19, 2009

[gig reviews] Epic Randomness at Gala dos Maristas and Os Passos Em Volta at Padaria do Povo


Yesterday I saw two good gigs: Epic Randomness' first gig (at Gala dos Maristas) and Os Passos Em Volta gig at Padaria do Povo.
First I'll talk about Epic Randomness' show: they only played one song, which was a cover of "Paradise City" (Guns 'n Roses song, in case you didn't know). It went really well, since it was, basically, their first gig. They were also in front of a big crowd, around more or less 725 people. They behaved really well, I must say... Now it's time they give more shows and make some EP's or merch. While playing, the drummer, Abreu, made some remarkable efforts on improvisations to accompain the guitarrist when he was "showing off".
These are some photographs I took from this event: photograph 1, photograph 2, photograph 3, photograph 4, photograph 5, photograph 6, photograph 7, photograph 8, photograph 9, photograph 10 and photograph 11.

Next was Os Passos em Volta concert, held at Padaria do Povo, located at Campo de Ourique, in Lisbon, Portugal. It was one hell of a show, one of the best I've seen from this band. They played well, synchronized in their own way, with their distinct sound. I couldn't take any pictures, because I didn't have my camera's batteries loaded. At this gig, there was even a crowdsurf, which was funny and at the same time cool. There was also some mosh held along some songs. These photographs were taken by a friend of mine and are available on Os Passos em Volta's myspace:

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Biosphere "Substrata"

Geir Jenssen, the mind behind all of this celestial musical brilliance, hails from Norway. It's a fact that this country's landscapes have influenced him as an artist and sound producer. If you still didn't know his "Biosphere" project, you should: take this in count, this album was elected as a classic ambient album, consistently in the top 5 in surveys on the Hyperreal ambient mailing list.
According to Wikipedia: "Biosphere's first truly ambient album, it has a theme of cold, of mountains and glaciers and running water. Sounds of howling wind and creaking wood, although infrequently employed, create a chilling soundscape interrupted by sonorous but quietly suspenseful music."
His music is hauntingly beautiful to me.
The songs featured in this album are:
  1. "As the Sun Kissed the Horizon" – 1:47
  2. "Poa Alpina" – 4:10
  3. "Chukhung" – 7:34
  4. "The Things I Tell You" – 6:28
  5. "Times When I Know You'll Be Sad" – 3:44
  6. "Hyperborea" – 5:45
  7. "Kobresia" – 7:12
  8. "Antennaria" – 5:05
  9. "Uva-Ursi" – 3:00
  10. "Sphere of No-Form" – 5:47
  11. "Silene" – 7:54
My favourite ones are: "Poa Alpina", "Hyperborea", "Antennaria" and "Sphere of No-Form". However, this album is peculiar and each song whispers stories to one's mind. Creativity stimulation, is what this is.
You can get the album here, if you want too... I strongly recommend this ambient album to any person who's willing for some "thought-stimulant"or just to relax.

Below is an unnoficial video of the song "Antennaria":

Friday, December 11, 2009

[gig reviews] Super Bock em Stock (day 5 of December]


Now it's 5th December's gigs turn to be reviewed here on the blog. The bands I got to see were, by the following order: Os Golpes, Beach House, Little Joy, Kap Bambino, DR Ramos (with the collaboration of Ramesh Srivastava - Voxtrot's singer) and Zé Pedro DJ.

The first concert, which was Os Golpes', I only got to hear around 3 of their songs, since afterwards I ran to the waiting line for Beach House's gig in Tivoli. Os Golpes' gig was in Cinema São Jorge Sala 1.
However, from what I got to see, they did a fine performance, nothing that was that remarkable either. I'll leave below some videos of their performance (these weren't filmed by me, take that in count):

Here are some more videos: video 1, video 2 and video 3.

Beach House's concert was the kind of thing I expected from them: it was filled with their sweet nostalgic and psychedelic sounds, gently embracing the crowd along their songs. Nothing that would make it a memorable gig among this festival however. I filmed a lot of their songs and [I think] I uploaded all of my footage onto youtube. It was their first step on the portuguese soil. They are returning to Lisbon on 17th of March of 2010, to play on Lux (a local disco).
Below is one of my films of their concert (it's part 2):

Here are some more videos: part 1, part 3, part 4 and part 5.

Then it was Little Joy's turn to appear on Tivoli's stage. I got to know that this band formed in 2006 on the portuguese festival Lisboa Soundz. Bands like You Should Go Ahead, Los Hermanos, She Wants Revenge, Isobel Campbell, Dirty Pretty Things and The Strokes played at this festival. It was due to this festival that Little Joy were born: Los Hermanos' singer, Rodrigo Amarante, met with Fabrizzio Moretti of The Strokes and then they decided to form Little Joy.
Little Joy's gig was kind of soft, with a good environment among the crowd and the band. I didn't like it that much, since I'm not that fond of Little Joy's music, however, it was a good gig. We left a bit before it ended, to see Kap Bambino.
Here is a video [I didn't film it]. When I upload Little Joy's videos, I'll post the links right away.

Kap Bambino was the last "real" concert, before the DJ set at Underground / Garagens do Marquês do Pombal. Noisy, as expected, full of energy: there was a nucleus of fans that continuously, all the time, jumped and moshed. I even had a chance to do some crowdsurf. Kap Bambino had a very good setlist with songs like "Kaos Killer", "Hey" and "New Breath" among many others (their themes included songs from their first records to "Blacklist").
I couldn't film this gig since I was all the time jumping around and enjoying it, has everyone was. Take this is count: this band's gigs are always memorable.
Like I said before, everyone was dancing around, but, still, I found 2 videos. There's one of them below. The other one can be viewed here.


Afterwards, people relaxed a bit, with some more soft music playing. I got a chance to take a picture with Caroline, from Kap Bambino too.
Suddenly, an alarm sounded: it was DR Ramos' performance beggining. He included some themes ranging from Motörhead to Queens of the Stone Age, mainly mainstream things, compared to the whole festival's purpose. DR Ramos also works on radio RADAR and on Antena 3, I think. He invited Ramesh [Voxtrot's singer] to DJ a bit.
Below is a video of Ramesh' on stage:


Finally, came Xutos e Pontapés' Zé Pedro, starring as a DJ. I'll upload a video I have of his performance. He wasn't bad, however he surelly fits more as a guitarrist / rocker than a DJ. He remixed some tunes like U2's "Elevation".

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Blog of the Week at Cotonete


Serotonin Sounds was elected "Blog of the Week" by Cotonete, a famous portuguese website that strongly promotes music in many ways.
You can see the "Blog of the Week" section by clicking in this link.
Later, this month, my blog will be on a poll entitled "Golden Blog", that features the blogs elected during the weeks of December.
Once again, thank you Cotonete!...

Friday, November 20, 2009

Jellowaste "Jellowaste at Whiskey Fit"

According to this musician, Jellowaste, he got his looks due to: "...this transformation [due to the fact Tom Cruise injected him with Biotoxin 45 ~ a chemical that was supposed to kill him) was so incredible, the 10 foot radiotransformative aura emitted during the changes turned his car into a neon yellow Firebird ~ complete with a radiation symbol on the hood."

I got to know this artist thanks to Drop Dead Festival... I saw some info about his earlier D.D.F. shows and he sure knows how to entertain a crowd and produce eccentric [and simultaneously good] music / sounds.
The track list is the following:
1. Conveyorbelt Supremeincinerator 1:55
2. Dirtpires 2:40
3. Dokytrsle 2:50
4. Dump Slump 2:05
5. Jellybeanery FT The Zodworths 2:37
6. Sludgeplant 1:58
7. Steamengineering 3:03

My favourite songs are: "Dokytrsle", "Dump Slump" and also "Jellybeanery FT The Zodworths" (this one has a collab with one of the members of the band, that is now extinct, Din Glorious). The record's lenght is around 24 minutes and 55 seconds.
Jellowaste's myspace can be accessed here.
You can get it here (it has around 25 megabytes by the way).

"Dump Slump" song below:

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Big Black "Atomizer"


Big Black's career started around 1982. They didn't found much mainstream success, however they've influenced the early industrial rock scene and have been remarked as a "must" for any person who's into noise. Their use of provocative lyrics garnered much attention.
This album entitled "Atomizer" (which is their debut album), as received good reviews .Take this into consideration: All Music gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Their brutal slashing guitars and great use of drum machines were widely influencial. This album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. I know this sounds awkward, but the singer's [Steve Albini] voice of Gray Matter's vocals.
The track list for this album is:
  1. "Jordan, Minnesota"
  2. "Passing Complexion"
  3. "Big Money"
  4. "Kerosene"
  5. "Bad Houses"
  6. "Fists of Love"
  7. "Stinking Drunk"
  8. "Bazooka Joe"
  9. "Strange Things"
  10. "Cables" (live)
My favourite ones are: "Passing Complexion", "Stinking Drunk", "Big Money" and also "Kerosene". The album's lenght is 37 minutes and 37 seconds. The whole album is really dense and has a lot of cohesion along the song's transitions. Some people who aren't into "noise" should think about this fact: this work has more thoughts behind than it seems.
You can get the album here too.

Below is "Passing Complexion":

Saturday, November 7, 2009

DJ Scotch Egg "KFC Core"

DJ Scotch Egg, one of the most respectable icons in an 8bit experimental scene perhaps, he sure knows how to produce great sounds. He has influences like Karlheinz Stockhausen, John Cage, Steve Reich among others. Imagine gabber played with a Game Boy.Now add extreme distorted vocals. Getting sick? Next you'll mix that with KFC themed songs. Finally, many covers of classic compositions, ranging from Bach to Grieg. It's DJ Scotch Egg what you guys are hearing!...
The track list of this debut album of this colossal genius musician is:
  1. KFC Core
  2. Scotch Chicken
  3. Tetris Wonderland
  4. Scotch Heads
  5. Scotch Grime
  6. KFC Song
  7. Scotch Forest
  8. Scotch Attack
  9. Acid Boy Two
  10. Scotch Land
  11. Scotch Out
  12. Knock Knock Sandwich Next Door / Scotch Orchestra
Listen to these: "Scotch Chicken", "Scotch Forest" ("In the hall of the mountain Kind" by Edvard Grieg sabotaged) and also "Acid Boy Two".There's a review that Stylus Magazine made concerning this work - read it here.
You can get this album here.

Below is the following song "Scotch Forest":

My Bloody Valentine "Loveless"


My Bloody Valentine, my bloody valentine... What can we say about how paradoxal sometimes love gets? This album is like a potion of all the antagonic feelings there are in a romantic relationship. All of its atonality and a cacophonic indeterminancy caracterize romance. There's a reason for My Bloody Valentine's debut album to be named "Loveless".
The track list is the following:
  1. "Only Shallow" (Bilinda Butcher, Shields) – 4:17
  2. "Loomer" (Butcher, Shields) – 2:38
  3. "Touched" (Colm Ó Cíosóig) – 0:56
  4. "To Here Knows When" (Butcher, Shields) – 5:31
  5. "When You Sleep" – 4:11
  6. "I Only Said" – 5:34
  7. "Come in Alone" – 3:58
  8. "Sometimes" – 5:19
  9. "Blown a Wish" (Butcher, Shields) – 3:36
  10. "What You Want" – 5:33
  11. "Soon" – 6:58
The songs "Only Shallow" and "Sometimes" are the ones I advise you to hear. "Sometimes" has an ambiguous sense of a shallow happiness, if that's possible at all: the person who hears it doesn't know if it is proposed to make you cry or to make you feel good, kind of in a nostalgic way.
When this album came out, there were many music critics and melomaniacs that immediately recognized the importance of this work in contemporary music, particularly in the developing of the "shoegaze" genre and as inspiration for many bands. All music, Rolling Stone, Robert Christgau, NME, Popmatters, The Quietus and many other entities said marvelous things about this album.


-The band.

You can hear below the song "Sometimes":

Thursday, November 5, 2009

[musical instrument] Cacophonator II


Ok, today I was seing DJ Scotch Egg's myspace (one of the best 8bit and glitch DJ's I currently know of) and I found a post on his page about a strange thing called "Cacophonator II". What's that? It's kind of an instrument you link to another musical instrument (or whatever can be linked to) and it simply mutilates in many ways the sounds you produce. It's really interesting, it can make some good noisy combinations. It has a high price, yeah, it's 250 euros (around 325 dollars). For more info, check out the official website here.

There's also a good video about this instrument and how it works:

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

[upcoming bands] CFCF

CFCF is a great promise within genres like electro. He has done awesome remixes and has some of them on his myspace. He introduces himself by modestly saying: "Hi, I am CFCF and I make music". Some of his influences are: Boredoms, Goblin, The Durutti Column, Madonna, Fleetwood Mac & Vangelis.
He released his first EP on January of 2009, being a great start, I say.
Next month he'll release his first album entitled "Continent" (don't miss this one!).
Check out his myspace.

Below you can hear one great song of his, named "Panesian Nights":

CFCF 'Crystal Mines' from the EP 'Panesian Nights' from Paper Bag Records on Vimeo.



Oh, and please hear this awesome remix of HEALTH's "Before tigers" (it's brilliantly smooth and relaxing):

Crystal Antlers "Tentacles"

Formed in 2006, this American indie rock band from Long Beach [in California], have been releasing awesome inventive songs on rad EP's. This debut album called "Tentacles", released in early 2009 was relatively well evaluated by many music critics (like NME, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork) and some hype-bloggers.
However, according to what I've heard in this work, I can assure that it isn't that bad as Pitchfork evaluates it [6.7 out of 10...]. As a matter of fact, it's catchy, a cheerful psych-punk band doing their own music, being [as many bands of nowadays are trying] difficult to be inserted in a particular music genre.
The track list is the following:
  1. "Painless Sleep" - 2:16
  2. "Dust" - 2:27
  3. "Time Erased" - 3:37
  4. "Andrew" - 3:34
  5. "Vapour Trail" - 2:18
  6. "Tentacles" - 1:54
  7. "Until the Sun Dies (Part 1)" - 2:50
  8. "Memorized" - 3:53
  9. "Glacier" - 3:01
  10. "Foot of the Mountain" - 0:25
  11. "Your Spears" - 2:24
  12. "Swollen Sky" - 4:12
  13. "Several Tongues" - 7:11
The whole album is worth hearing, however I advise you to hear the song "Andrew".
You can view their myspace and current tour on their myspace.
You can get the album right here too.

Below you can hear and view "Andrew", one of their best songs:
Related Posts with Thumbnails