Last night I saw Big Troubles video for “Bite Yr Tongue” for the first time, and all I could do was smile.  These boys are adorable, and the video represents everything that is Big Troubles and New Jersey…car rides, food (PIZZA and HOT DOGs), soda, great pop music, and more.  One of my favorite music videos of 2010.

If you haven’t see this yet, watch it and have a great weekend.

Big Troubles also released the video for “Modern Intimacy” today! This one is all about skydiving…I’m not into adventure sports, but the LP version of this song is super rad.

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Big Troubles WFMU set has been rocking my world (since May!)…if you don’t already have it check it out the live mp3s of the songs above, and then snag the whole thing:

[mp3] Big Troubles- “Modern Intimacy (Live on WFMU)”

[mp3] Big Troubles- “Bite Your Tongue (Live on WFMU)”

[album download/stream] Big Troubles Live on WFMU’s Talk’s Cheap with Jason Sigal

then…..

Go Pre-order Big Troubles debut LP Worry!  Get it on iTunes here, or on LP here.

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Creative Common Copyright credits:

• more on Big Troubles here.
• more from the Free Music Archive here.

Back To the Future the Ride (BTTFtr) is the solo exploration of sound by the one and only Brian Miller.  One of the people responsible for Friends Forever (if you haven’t seen the Friends Forever documentary, it’s one of the best rock n roll docs ever), as well as  the unearthly power that is Foot Village.

BTTFtr is about ambient tones, sound exploration, and constructing massive soundscapes to consume the listener into dark and  land that even in the heat and sun of the summer can make you feel cold and alone (and I mean that in the best way possible). BTTFtr is a band that is perfect for those days of deep meditation, contemplative reading, and as the case was yesterday a long dark subway ride that never ended.

Brian recently sent over this expansive track that is set to be released on his upcoming cassette , Neutrino Based Lifeforms for 5nakefork Records. It’s titled “When Jupiter and Saturn Align” that is sure to bring you to a place in time and space that you have yet to experience.  Using Windows 95 MIDI and other electronics to a construct dark oscillating, yet minimally melodic desolate landscape…beautiful noise rising from deep dark space.

I’m extremely happy to premiere this track on the Great Pumpkin:

[mp3] Back To the Future The Ride- “When Jupiter and Saturn Align”

• buy it, eventually, here.

BTTFtr have another release set to come out titled Pronoia Sunsets.  This cassette overall carries a lighter vibe than the track above, and the initial track “Zero Ghosts” shows a slightly more melodic side of Miller showcasing warm tones to creating a soothing dissension into the darkness that is a monster of a second track, “Sanity,” which boasts a run time of over ten minutes.  Pronoia Sunsets has be the sound track to my philosophical meditations since it was sent to me, and I hope it can do the same for you.

[mp3] Back To The Future The Ride- “Zero Ghosts”

• out soon on Accidie Records.
  

“Black Bones Inside the Sun Pink Bones Encircling the Sun” is also from the upcoming Pronoia Sunsets tape, and the video for the song was directed by Angie Meng:

If these teasers aren’t enough BTTFtr for you Death Bomb Arc is offering a free EP for your consumption… you can snag that here:

[album download] Back to the Future the Ride’s BTTFtr

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BTTFtr is going on tour with Universal Studios Florida this October!  (get it? it’s awesome!)

• Fri Oct 1 – at Cairo in Seattle
• Sat Oct 2 (daytime) at The Chapel on Reed Campus in Portland w/ Ghost Animal
• Sat Oct 2 (nighttime) – at tba in Portland
• Sun Oct 3 – at Heco’s in Oakland
• Mon Oct 4 – at Pehrspace in Los Angeles w/ Kevin Blechdom
• Tue Oct 5 – at Origami Vinyl in Los Angeles
• Wed Oct 6 – at UCI in Irvine
• Thurs Oct 7 – at Pomona College in Pomona
• Fri Oct 8 – at The Smell in Los Angeles w/ The Urxed (member of High Places)
• Sat Oct 9 -  at tba in Oakland (USF only)
• Sun Oct 10 – at Hemlock in San Francisco (USF only)
• Mon Oct 11 – at tba in Portland (USF only)

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• BTTFtr’s Tumblr
• follow Brian Miller on Twitter.
• Buy the Friends Forever Documentary here.
• Also check out Foot Village and Death Bomb Arc!
• picture of Jupiter via here.

West Palm Beach’s Totem Pole make haunting 60′s influenced pop music.  Totem Pole is the music of Kevin Williams, and he is backed up by Sam Lang with additional vocals from Tess Bass.  Totem Pole played their first show about two years ago, and just last month the band released their first EP titled Caves and Tunnels, Mountains and Stairs, and once again I have Jheri at Get Off the Coast to thanks for posting it!

Caves and Tunnels, Mountains and Stairs is a 6 song EP that oozes psychedelic folk, conventional pop, 60′s nostalgia, and delicately layered vocal melodies.  Initially the stand out tracks for me were”Pointless/Love Gallery” and “The Rain Chasers.”  “Pointless/Love Gallery” is a delicately layered pop number that shows off Williams’ ability to craft perfect pop which is bridged by the lovely vocals of Tess Bass into an eerie  instrumental using found sounds and loops as underlying noise.  “The Rain Chasers” starts off with long tones, the subtle ring of tambourine zils, and then the cadence of Williams crystal clear vocals kicks in  as well as the occasional understated wail of the guitar.  Just as the song title suggests this track would be even more magical than it already is during a thunderstorm…the tape hiss and found sounds of rain and bird caws at the end of the track bring that even closer to home.

[mp3] Totem Pole- “Pointless/Love Gallery”

[mp3] Totem Pole- “The Rain Chasers”

With each listen of the EP all of the songs seem to mesh closer together, and flow more perfectly than the time before.  It’s  something that I’ve literally listened to at least once a day for the past month.  Check out the other hits like “Stained Glasses On” and “Voyeuristic Tradition” here:

[full album download] Totem Pole’s Caves and Tunnels, Mountains and Stairs

On that note I happy to announce that Totem Pole is working on a brand new EP for  Fight the Future Cassettes! This EP will be taking shape over the next couple months and we are looking forward to bringing it to you late this fall.  As the release takes shape there will be more information posted here, and on the Fight the Future blog.  It’s exciting times here at the Great Pumpkin and Fight the Future, and we couldn’t be happier to be sharing it with you!  More to come soon for sure!

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• more on Fight the Future Cassettes here!

Hello All,

For those of you following this blog since the first post you know that the initial idea was to have the blog turn in a record label.  Last fall that dream was almost brought into fruition, but do to the actual finances involved in pressing records I had to back down from the idea…luckily the band I was working with has become close friends.

After a long time of thinking about it and gathering inspiration from a bunch of wonderful people (Mirror Universe, Patient Sounds, Deathbomb Arc, The Curatorial Club, and Bridgetown I’m looking at you) I’m proud to announce that The Great Pumpkin is launching a sister label called Fight the Future Cassettes.

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Fight the Future Cassettes is proud to bring to you releases by Blacksburg, VA’s Dream Cop and Denver, CO’s I Am The Dot.  These releases will be new recordings by both bands.

Dream Cop is the recording project of Tommy Davidson, and if you have been following the Great Pumpkin in 2010 several of his tracks have appeared on this site.  Dream Cop’s music has a vast range approaching many genres from psychedelic folk, upbeat rock, and even venturing into ambient R & B.

Dream Cop has been featured on Visitation Rites, Transparent, Get Off The Coast, and Pitchfork Media.

It’s been a while since Dream Cop has released any new songs, and I can’t wait to hear the new tracks…in the mean time check out “Marooned” and “Daily Mirage,” both of which have been previously posted here on the Great Pumpkin:

[mp3] Dream Cop- “Marooned”

[mp3] Dream Cop- “Daily Mirage”

• check out my previous write ups on Dream Cop here.

I Am The Dot is the recording project of Zachary Tipton.  Tipton started I Am The Dot during a time when the members of his other band, Young Coyotes, were out of town, and has since released six EPs (all of which are available on his bandcamp site).

I Am the Dot caught my attention when I saw him featured on Transparent, multiple times on Get Off The Coast, and countless times on the FMLY.

I Am the Dot has an emphasis on composition using electronics and keyboards (among other things) to craft intricate psychedelic pop songs as a vehicle for Tipton’s vocals and lyrics.  These days it’s rare to find a musician who lets their vocals come through so clearly, but with I Am The Dot it is deliberate, undistorted, and something that draws me to his music.   I Am the Dot first made it on my computer with his track “Love Song For Camus,” and later with “Mark Twain.”  These two songs got me over to his bandcamp where there is at least an album’s worth of tunes, and since I’ve fallen in love with his music and specifically the Minimal Love EP.

here are the two tracks that started me on I Am The Dot:

[mp3] I Am The Dot- “Mark Twain”

[mp3] I Am The Dot- “Love Song for Camus”

• you can purchase I Am The Dot’s music digitally here.

Again, all of the mp3s on this post are previously released tracks…track details for the Fight the Future release will be announced when the release gets closer.  I’m extremely excited to be working with I Am the Dot and Dream Cop!

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This is just the tip of the iceberg that will be Fight the Future.  We are looking at a release date of late September or early October for this split, and the second release will be announced shortly.

Keep an eye on the Great Pumpkin, and the Fight the Future blog for more details, mp3s, and additional news (Fight the Future also has a twitter)!  The second release will be announced probably next week as well.  Exciting things are happening, and I’m so happy to share them with you!

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• more on Dream Cop can be found here.
• listen/buy I Am the Dot recordings here.
• this Fight the Future logo was drawn by Leah Klein.
  • can you draw spaceships and cassettes?  want to contribute an image to the label(it will be used in some way, shape or form)?  Get in touch: fightthefuture (at) gprecs.com
• Follow the Fight the Future blog here!

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UPDATE 9/2/10: As is the case with split releases everyone works at different paces.  We are changing gears, and Fight The Future’s first release will not be a split between I Am The Dot and Dream Cop, but a new EP by I Am The Dot.  A release is still in the works with Dream Cop, and direction and details on that release are still in the works!

From the ashes of Desolation Wilderness rises Nick Zwart’s new solo recording project Electric Sunset, who’s debut self titled album is set to be released on K Records on September 7th.

While it’s obvious from the first single, “Soda,” that Electric Sunset is farther than a stones throw from Desolation Wilderness, but once you look a little bit deeper I start to see aspects of that shoegaze band that I’ve pined over for the past couple years.

“Soda” is an ambient pop jam that starts with the slow pulse of electronic drum beats leading into wavering tones creating a perfect vehicle for Zwart’s soft sweet vocals.  The guitars kick in you witness the coming together of the two styles as the wall of sound of shoegazey guitar meets ambient electro pop creating a delicate but jangly noisy back drop.  Zwart has created something new and unique with aspects of eltronic pop and psychedica using synthesizers, guitar, modified samplers and computers…something that will appeal to fans of Desolation Wilderness and the Postal Service a like…and that is a large gap to bridge.

[mp3] Electric Sunset- “Soda”

A full review of this album will be posted once I let it settle, but I really like what I’m hearing…and that being said I’ve listened to it like three times today.

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Electric Sunset has a couple West Coast tour dates lined up too:

• 07/07 – Berkeley, CA 2703 Fullerston w/ St. Stag Hare & Gkfoes vjgoaf
• 08/21 – Rochester, WA Helsing Junction Farm

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• This is part of my Speed Dating series.
  • You can read more about singles I have featured in this series here.
• more on Desolation Wilderness here.
• more on K Records here.

Just over a month ago I posted a new track by Dead Gaze, and a review of his album End of Days, Why Not You? (check out that post here) and at that point he didn’t have any shows booked, but tomorrow night brings this Mississippi psych rocker to Brooklyn for a Group Tightener showcase at Monster Island Basement.

Dead Gaze have a way of making heavy psychedelic with the song writing sensibility of a pop band.  At the beginning of “Remember What Brought Us Here” it’s unclear whether the guitar or the synths are going to be the star of the show, and when it gets down to it they both really shine giving even more texture to Cole Furlow’s scratchy crumpled vocals.  The synths drop out just in time for the chorus, but jump back in just before you start to wonder where they went.  This song has been one of my jams lately, one that I go back to, put on mix tapes, and overall have just been rocking all the time.  Just another reason why I’m excited for new releases coming from this talented young Southerner, and his show here in Brooklyn tomorrow night.

[mp3] Dead Gaze- “Remember What Brought Us Here”

• mp3 via the bros at Weekly Tape Deck
  

Dead Gaze have a split cassette with Grey Things that is coming out on Clan Destine (which I think the track above will appear on), and I just heard from Group Tightener that they will be releasing a Dead Gaze 7″!

• Buy Dead Gaze’s End of Days, Why Not You? from Mirror Universe here.

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Andrew Cedermark will also be playing this show,  you might recognize his name from the various Underwater Peoples compilations, or his split 7″ with Family Portrait,  or his face from Titus Andronicus (he used to play with those dudes).

Cedermark is gearing up to release his first full length album titled Moon Deluxe on the previously mentioned Underwater Peoples (are those dudes on a roll or what).  The title track from his new album has been floating around for a while, and has really caught my ear.  “Moon Deluxe” is bringing Cedermark’s guitar playing to the forefront with a wonderful shoegaze inspired track.  He incorporates a little bit of country twang, and heavy nods to Phil Elverum though some of the melodies, and specifically his use of the percussion.  Think Glow Pt. 2 meets New Jersey via Charlottesville finishing with a twist of melodic noise.   This track is just a tease knowing that a full length on the way.

[mp3] Andrew Cedermark- “Moon Deluxe”

• there will be lots more to come on this album as the information is release.  so excited. 
  

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Please note Andrew Cedermark and Dead Gaze are opening this show…so get there early!

Friday July 2nd, 2010
Group Tightener & Todd P present:
Andrew Cedermark
Dead Gaze
Alex Bleeker & the Freaks
Coasting
and
The BEETS
live at Monster Island Basement
$8//Doors at 8pm

Honestly I’m most excited about Cedermark and Dead Gaze, but Alex Bleeker is always great and Coasting and the Beets are both fun.  Should be a great time.  If you are unfamiliar with any of these bands that I didn’t talk about at the beginning of the post…here is a taste:

[mp3] Alex Bleeker & The Freaks- “Animal Tracks (Mountain Man cover)”

• buy it here.

[mp3] Coasting- “Kids”

• Buy it here.

[mp3] The Beets- “Happy But On Our Way”

• Buy it here.

See you at Monster Island.

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• more on Dead Gaze here.
• more on Alex Bleeker here.
• more on Group Tightener here.

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UPDATE: Andrew Cedermark had to cancel.  sad.

Sometimes there are bands that you discover too late, and one of them for me is Pants Yell!

Last years Received Pronunciation was undoubtedly good from the very first listen (check out my review of the album here), but I had no idea the long lasting effects this album would have on me.  I find myself returning to it’s sweet undistorted guitar driven pop over and over again, and the disc itself has been lodged in the cd player of my car since I got it(the car is running again too!).  It’s an album that feels like it could have been made at any point in the past twenty years, and can rival any indie pop for years to come, and I’m starting to feel that way about their 2008 release, Alison Statton, as well.

I’m hearing Alison Statton for the first time this week, and I’m pretty blown away that this album didn’t get more press when it was released.  Another perfect composition of pop music, with the soft sweet voice of Andrew Churchman carrying them to places I never imagined music could go.

The demise of Pants Yell! at this point is imminent, but I will be taking my last chance to see these wonderful popsmiths live this Friday at Don Hills when they perform at this years New York City Pop Fest.  Sadly this will be my first and last time seeing them.

If you are in NYC you should really be there, and if you are not…there are a couple other chances for you to catch Andrew Churchman, Sterling Bryant and Casey Keenan doing what they do best, just not in New York.

• Friday May 21st, 2010- New York, New York @ Don Hills
  • part of NYC Pop Fest, and LAST NYC SHOW EVER!
    • Set Times(via Don Hills website)
      • Tender Trap (UK) – 11:00
      • Pants Yell! (MA) – 10:00
      • Allo Darlin’ (UK) – 9:15
      • The Smittens (VT) – 8:30
      • Cotton Candy (MA) – 7:45
• Saturday May 22nd, 2010- Philadelphia, PA @ Pi Lam (U Penn)
  • LAST PHILADELPHIA SHOW EVER!
• Sunday May 23rd, 2010- Cambridge, MA @ ZuZu
  • PANTS YELL!’s LAST SHOW EVER

If you aren’t already convinced I thought I would post a couple tracks to push you along.  First up is “The Royal We” from Alison Statton.  Churchman’s crooning and lyrics are something that fascinates me, and lines like “you’re a bit too old to do what you’re told…that’s growing up” seem to hit home hard these days.

[mp3] Pants Yell!- “The Royal We”

• Buy Alison Statton from Soft Abuse here.

“Marble Staircase” might be the most rocking track off of Received Pronunciation, but slows down all soft and sweet…then gets you going with some rapid hand clapping…and that inital guitar line that repeats through out the songs rings loud in my head all the time.  Churchman seems to draw on personal experience all the time, and puts people he knows in the forefront.  Listening to songs like this one, and really both of these albums gives you insight to him as a person, and the people he cares about (and occasionally despises).  “Marble Staircase” is just one of 9 amazing tracks on this record.

[mp3] Pants Yell!- “Marble Staircase”

and finally this wonderful video for “Someone Loves You”

• Buy Received Pronunciation from Slumberland here (only $8 on LP?!?).

If you are in any of these cities over the weekend these shows should be high on your list of priorities…they will not only be nights of amazing music, but the end of a truly wonderful band.  I can’t wait til Friday.

Thank you Pants Yell!  you will be missed.

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• more on Pants Yell! here.

On Tuesday morning Big Troubles had an amazing live session air on WFMU‘s always wonderful Talk’s Cheap with Jason Sigal.  Big Troubles currently only have two 7″s out (and one is only kind of out), and now they have made this wonderful eight song live session with WFMU available for free download from the Free Music Archive.

Big Troubles’ slightly fuzzed out shoegaze glazed pop comes through in this session just as you would experience it live.  In this session Alex Craig and Ian Drennen are joined by Sam Franklin (Fluffy Lumbers) and Luka Usmani (No Demons Here), and bring us a handful of new Big Troubles tracks.  I can’t express how excited I am about this live set, and all of the songs that I already love sound pretty much perfect in their live conception (“Drastic and Difficult” and “Freudian Slips” sound better than ever!), but what I’m really dying over are the new tracks.  ”Modern Intimacy” starts off the set, and shows from the beginning of the song that Big Troubles not only create awesome pop songs, but can shred on the guitar. And “Bite Your Tongue” has a beautiful guitar solo toward the end.  Check out these two tracks and then make your way over to the Free Music Archive and download the whole set!

[mp3] Big Troubles- “Modern Intimacy (Live on WFMU)”

[mp3] Big Troubles- “Bite Your Tongue (Live on WFMU)”

or just go here:

[album download/stream] Big Troubles Live on WFMU’s Talk’s Cheap with Jason Sigal

looking to own some Big Troubles?

Buy the Freudian Slips 7″ from Black Burn Recordings here

Buy the Drastic and Difficult 7″ from OESB, eventually, here .

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If you are looking for something to do this evening, and happen to be in the NYC area….I highly recommend this (maybe after you hit up Harpoon Night at Barcade?):

Not only will you get to see big troubles, but Knight School and My Teenage Stride are both a please to watch.

Tonight, Thursday May 13th
Live at Death By Audio
My Teenage Stride
Knight School
Big Troubles
NT
and
Creeptales
(members of the Gutsies)

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Creative Common Copyright credits:

• more on Big Troubles here.
• more from the Free Music Archive here.