I should have been on this months ago, but it took Bryant over at Part Time to bring it to my attention.

Family Trees are a Brooklyn based threesome that recently released a7″ on the quickly rising Father/Daughter Records. Ryan Trott, Amanda Finn, and Joe Pruitt make up the trio and as the title of this post/song suggests we get blissful dream filled pop. Gentle guitars and hazy vocals, complete with harmonies, comprise this short but sweet pop number. A song that is perfect for these thick humid end of summer days. Toward the end of the track the guitar takes the lead and rings out like a sudden thunder storm in the summer heat. Family Trees show restraint in this song using that catchy guitar riff only twice, when another band might use that single riff as the basis of an entire song. A sign of maturity and the ability to craft songs which is rare in a bands first release, and a promise of more great things to come.

[mp3] Family Trees- “Dream Talkin’”

Family Trees claim Phil Elverum’s Microphones and the Beach Boys as their influences, and hearing this track makes that apparent. A beautiful realization of two very different musical visionaries colliding.

On top of this wonderful single Amanda Finn, drummer of Family Trees, directed this video for one of the b-sides:

Buy Family Trees’ Dream Talkin from Father/Daughter Records here.

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Family Trees have been playing out around Brooklyn, but there is a prime chance to see this great new band tomorrow in Manhattan:

August 17th, 2010
Live at Pianos!
Julian Lynch (11pm)
Family Portrait (10pm)
Family Trees (9pm)
and
Guardian Alien (8pm)

If you couldn’t already tell by this line up… it’s filled with gprecs favorites…you might remember the countless times I’ve posted on Julian (who released one of my favorite records of 2009, and it’s looking the same way for 2010), and Family Portrait (great dudes who make great music)…there couldn’t be a better time to catch Family Trees than with these two acts.

If by chance you still don’t know Julian or Family Portrait here are some mp3s from the archives (all previously posted):

[mp3] Julian Lynch- “Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper Cover)“

[mp3] Julian Lynch- “Rancher”

• buy it here.

[mp3] Family Portrait- “Killer Statements”

• “Killer Statements”appeared on the Underwater Peoples Winter Review, with a ton of other great bands.
  • Buy it here.

[mp3] Family Portrait- “On The Floor”

• Buy their split 7″ with Andrew Cedermark here.

Keep up to date on Family Trees shows by following their blog!

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• more This Week In Mail Order here.
• more on Julian Lynch here.
• more on Family Portrait here.

These days it seems like there has been a huge revival of C86, Sarah and K Records influenced bands popping up.  I can’t count the times that I’ve caught myself making a Tiger Trap, Field Mice, Talulah Gosh,  Beat Happening, or Veronica Lake  references in the past year.  While I feel that a lot of the credit has been going to all girl pop groups for revival of this sound there is something to be said for perfectly executed boy//girl vocals.  And that brings me to Veronica Falls.

Veronica Falls are from Glassgow, Scottland (one of the cities were the C86 sounds originated) and consist of Roxanne (vocals, guitar), Marion (bass), Patrick (drums), James (guitar).  They have released, in my opinion, a flawless single on Trouble Records in the UK and Brooklyn’s own Captured Tracks here in the states.  The a-side of the single is titled “Found Love in a Graveyard,” and this original brings home the pop sounds of late 80′s UK and even sounds from the pacific north west of the same time period, but Veronica Falls have managed to intertwine a dark gothy vibe that not only come through in their imagery and lyrics, but also in their sound setting them apart from the rest.  The booming drums, chanting background vocals, and Roxanne’s crystal clear voice give “Found Love in a Graveyard” the sonic qualities to send chills up your, well my, spine.  Even the guitars have this hollow sound, and while the song is about finding love, even if it is with a ghost, it gives you a sense of being alone.  A track that evokes emotion, and one that I keep listening to over and over. Definitely a mixtape song to be saved for that special someone.

[mp3] Veronica Falls- “Found Love in a Graveyard”

The use of the male//female vocals is done so perfectly it makes me long for an LP by this budding band.  The b-side of this 7″ is an amazing rendition of Roky Erickson’s “Starry Eyes.”  This cover keeps with the dark vibe that their a-side portrays, and secures this record firmly as my favorite 7″ of 2010 thus far (yeah, I said it).

Unfortunately Captured Tracks has already sold out of this release, but you can try to buy it from Insound here…get it fast because I don’t think it will be there long.

or buy the Trouble Records version, with a different b-side, here.

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If you live in the North Eastern states you have several chances to see Veronica Falls (and maybe pick up a copy of this amazing 7″ in person) over the next week.  Veronica Falls is coming into the US for Elm City Pop Fest in New Haven, CT and the ever so wonderful NYC Pop Fest.  They have several shows surrounding these two fests too:

• 5/14/10 New Haven, CT @ Cafe Nine (Elm City Popfest)
• 5/15/10 Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands w/ Crystal Stilts, Home Blitz
• 5/16/10 Brooklyn, NY @ Bruar Falls w/ German Measles & the Surprisers
• 5/17/10 Boston, MA @ Charlie’s Kitchen
• 5/20/10 New York, New York @ Cake Shop w/Sweater Girls (CA), Elephant Parade (NYC), Dream Diary (NYC), Leaving Mornington Crescent (Sweden),Horowitz (UK)
  • This Cake Shop show is an official NYC Pop Fest Show.
• 5/21/10 Philadelphia, PA @ Pi Lam

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Veronica Falls’ first Brooklyn show this Saturday, tomorrow, at Glasslands, and is particularly awesome, because if features not only NYC’s own Crystal Stilts but the amazing rock and roll of New Jersey’s bad ass HOME BLITZ!

Make sure to RSVP if you plan on going…shows at Glasslands sell out…so even if you RSVP get there early (you should be there early anyways to see Home Blitz!).

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• more on Captured Tracks here.
• more on Crystal Stilts here.
• more This Week In Mail Order here.

The Great Pumpkin and Future Stress Recordings present:

a Sonny & The Sunsets’ The Hypnotist 7″ Give Away!

You may recall back at the beginning of the year I featured this wonderful EP by Sonny and the Sunsets in my regular column This Week In Mail Order. The Hypnotist is a four song follow up to  fabulous LP Tomorrow Is Alright that Sonny released last year (one of my favorite records of 2009!).

This limited edition 7″ was pressed by Future Stress Recordings in limited quantities, and I’m happy to bring to you a Give Away of this wonderful piece of vinyl!

Here is the Deal:

There are two ways to enter:

• Comment on this post and tell us the thing you are looking forward to most this summer (big, small, beverage, food, let your imagination go wild).
  • Tweeting about the Sonny and the Sunset’s giveaway with the hashtag (#SonnyGiveAway) will increase your chances of winning (ie enter you twice!  click on my twitter, and RT me!)!
• Or email with “Sonny Give Away” in the subject to (tom at gprecs dot com).

Entries must be made by 5pm on Tuesday May 4th!

To give you a little taste of this piece of delightful pop check out “Stranded”:

[mp3] Sonny & The Sunsets- “Stranded”

Two winners will be picked.

The grand prize is the Sonny 7″ on Blue/Yellow swirled wax, and the runner up will get, the still super cool, black vinyl edition (all 7″s come with a free digital download of the EP too)!  Yes! that means there will be two winners…start the commenting and tweeting! Again make your entry into this contest by 5pm on May 3rd.

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For those who don’t win Future Stress is offering a sweet little deal to the readers of the Great Pumpkin!

• Go to the Future Stress website!
• Add a copy of Sonny & The Sunsets The Hypnotist 7″ to your cart (select NO COMIC BOOK).
• Then when you are in paypal mention The Great Pumpkin, or gprecs in the “Note To Seller” and get a copy of the wonderful comic book drawn by Sonny Smith himself for free!
  • Buy it now!
    • the EP comes with a free digital download too!

It’s a great record, and I’m happy to be working with an artist that I love and a great new record label.  Now enter to win, or buy this great 7″ now!!!  Those of you in Brooklyn should be able to pick up a copy at my local haunt, Permanent Records (they are big fans of Sonny!).

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• more on Sonny and the Sunsets can be found here.
• previous Give Aways can be seen here.
• more This Week In Mail Order can be found here.

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UPDATE 5/7/10: “Some badass responses…Thanks for the love & support for Sonny! …Winner chosen soon :)” -Future Stress Recordings

UPDATE 5/11/10: The winners of this give away were Jen from San Francisco and McGregor from Brooklyn.  Thanks to all that entered.  cheers!

A few weeks ago Zachary Cale sent over the tracks from his new 7″ Come Quietly, which was released on All Hands Electric. All of the songs submitted to the Great Pumpkin are thrown into a mix, and when I listen I don’t look at the artists’ name.  I think this is a fair way to listen to new music in an unbiased manner.  On this particular mix there were two songs that I kept coming back to, and they happened to be “Come Quietly” and “The Wedding Party” both the a-side and b-side from Cale’s newest record.

Zachary Cale lives in Brooklyn, and claims the Gowanus as his home.  He was formerly the front man of the Illuminations (who were also based here in Brooklyn). Cale has the voice of a singer songwriting, the type we know and love from the late 90′s and early 2000′s, and while extremely emotional his voice never turns whiny.  While Cale is a new name to me he has been making music since 2003, and the maturity that comes with time is something that can’t be faked.  Cale brings two amazing songs, both mellow and melodic about love, and pain that take only one listen to engage the listener, and make them realize that they have found something special.

The Come Quietly 7″ was recorded when Cale recorded his last full length, Walking Papers, but they were never released.  These two tracks both stand on their own, but “The Wedding Party” seems to be sticking around in my head, headphones, and now on my turntable.   This track has been also getting radio play over at my beloved WFMU.  A track that is mellow and upbeat at the same time with Cales sweet soothing voice which rides the music like a wave.  These two tracks lead me believe that Cale’s songs are going to be around my home for a long time to come.

[mp3] Zachary Cale- “The Wedding Party”

I recently acquired both Cale’s Walking Papers and See-Saw by the Illuminations.  I’ve very curious to explore more of this talented young man’s music.

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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.

Denver, Colorado’s Weed Diamond have been making their way on to my computer for many months now.  One of the most unique, and unexpectedly awesome ways was from Get Off the Coast’s DENVER’s Show and Tell: TV Themes post where Weed Diamond covered the theme to Pepper Ann (there are two other covers on that post by other Denver bands, and believe me all worth checking out).

While I’ve been enjoying their tunes for some time nothing had hit me as hard as their new tracks from their new 7″ on Transparent (pictured above).

“Oklahoma” is a song that just rings out from the first note.  The lead up is a little bit of feedback into the crystal clear upbeat guitar riff sets the tone for the entire track.  As the drums and the tambourine kick in you can anticipating the vocals about come. The slightly hollow blown out are the perfect acompanyment to the the sing song chorus.  The chorus almost reminds me of an oldies tune revamped by these very talented men from Denver.  This track has been stuck in my head for days(humming the chorus while I ride my bike is something I commonly find myself going), and I’m starting to wish I knew the lyrics.

[mp3] Weed Diamond- “Oklahoma”

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The a-side of this 7″ is the slightly more fuzzy “Snowmelt” and Jheri from Get Off the Coast recently did an amazing video for this track…I won’t say any more….just watch:

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• Buy this 7″ from Leftest Nautical Antiques in the USA here.
  • or Pure Groove in Europe here.

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Go see Weed Diamond on tour with TAN DOLLAR!  Tour dates can be found here.

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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.

Big Troubles have been on constant rotation for me since I initially heard “Freudian Slips” (which I originally posted about back in November). Chocolate Bobka recently brought us a post on their new 7″ (picture of the sleeve below via Bobka) which includes the live staple “Drastic and Difficult,” which also appeared on one of the wonderful Friendship Bracelet compilations.

Drastic and Difficult also happens to be the title of Big Troubles new 7″ on Olde English Spelling Bee, which will  be the precursor to their LP that will come out on the same label.  The picture of the 7″ is actually a picture of the limited test press version that the band has been selling at their live shows.   The 7″ will feature “Bad People” and “Bat Bomb” on the A side, and “Drastic & Difficult” and “Grey Dayz” on the B-side.

On “Drastic and Difficult” Big Troubles bring their fuzzed out 80′s influenced rock to a new plain of existence.  The signature of the 4-track is omnipresent on this track from the metronome like tick of the drum machine, to the singled out guitar lines, and the fuzzed over vocals.  While the 4-track is a common medium for recording (both for Big Troubles and many others) this song particularly channels the likes of who I consider 4-track gods…Guided By Voices(specifically their early years) …this influence is not only is this present in the the sound of the 4-track recording, but the guitars and even in the vocals, almost eerily so.  I can’t get this track out of my head…some damn great indie rock:

[mp3] Big Troubles- “Drastic and Difficult”

“Gray Dayz” which fits into the the overall vision Big Troubles brings more of a surf vibe than the GBV of the previous track.  Bringing to mind Shadowy Men from A Shadowy Planet as well as other surf greats, a bit of the shoegaze of the 90′s, and hints from some of their contemporaries like Real Estate and Pure Ecstasy.   The vocals on this track bring me back to why I fell for this band in the first place mellow slightly crooning vocals.  I can’t wait to hear the A side of this record if the b-side is this fucking good.

[mp3] Big Troubles- “Grey Dayz”

I was only going to post “Drastic and Difficult,” but Chocolate Bobka had to post this second track from 7″, and I couldn’t decide between the two. Hence they are both here.

The Drastic and Difficult 7″ will eventually be available for purchase here (left over hand made editions soon, and regular edition toward the end of April).

If you want this record now…go see them live and get it from the band:

• April 3rd- Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel w/ Smith Westerns
• April 8th- Brooklyn, NY @ Death By Audio w/ The Library is on Fire, and Doug Gillard of GBV!
• April 10th- Swarthmore, PA @ Swarthmore College w/ Liam the Younger and Sore Eros

I’m really impressed with the diversity this band has shown in the short time that their mp3s have been flying around.  Big Troubles have depth and 2010 might be the year of Big Troubles.  They have already release of two 7″s in the first three months, and an LP to come soon.  I’m very happy for these dudes, and can’t wait to spin this new 45.

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If you haven’t already picked up the Freudian Slips 7″ from Black Burn Recordings do that here. This record was limited to 375 copies, and I’m shocked that it is still available.  So good…featuring the title track that I have been obsessed with, and three other hits.

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• more on Big Troubles here.
• The photo of Big Troubles is from the White Lodge. If you would like to use this photo please link back to the flickr page, and credit the White Lodge. More posts featuring photos from the White Lodge can be found here.

When your first introduction to a band is a cover song an initial opinion is typically made pretty quick, and there was no exception with Pure Ecstasy.

Winter time is the time of year, oddly enough, when I gravitate towards reggae…I bust out my Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, Soul Jazz and Pressure Sounds comps, Scientist LPs, and The Abyssinians…but I honestly don’t own anything by Toots & The Maytals…that didn’t mean I wasn’t familiar with “Pressure Drop.”

“Pressure Drop” is one of those songs that if you have the slightest interest in reggae as a genre you have probably heard(or maybe you have heard one of the many covers of it), and to hear a cover coming from a fuzzy indie band I can say at the very least I was skeptical, but I shouldn’t have been.

But Austin, Texas’ Pure Ecstasy hit this one right on.  Pure Ecstasy manages to stay true to both the song itself, and to their own sound.  While it’s not clean cut that it is a cover of a reggae classic, but the tone and vibe manage to remain true to the original.  On top of this Pure Ecstasy manage to incorporate their lightly fuzzed out mellow pop into it, and let both sides shine.  In my opinion they accomplish everything that should be present in a good cover song.

[mp3] Pure Ecstasy- “Pressure Drop”

• originally appeared on Friendship Bracelet Club Vol 2. (get that here)

Bringing Pure Ecstasy back to their own tunes is the track “Easy”  the A Side off of their 7″ on Light Lodge Records.  I was able to pick this 7″ up when I saw them play at Bruar Falls with Twin Sister last month (which is also where these pictures were taken).  “Easy” showcases Pure Ecstasy’s laid back indie pop, and has been playing on my iPod way before I got the 7″.  I’m so used to short songs these days, and everytime I play “Easy” I forget that it is a four minute jam…mellow, and long enough to let you truly get into it and relax.  Just when you think the track is over it goes into a ambient drone with just a vocal melody…and the then the guitar kicks back in to finish out the song… a perfect end to the track.

[mp3] Pure Ecstasy- “Easy”

• Buy the Easy 7″ from Light Lodge Records here.
  • buy their the very limited repress of their Future Nostalgia 7″ here.
  • pre-order their new 7″ Voices here.

After listening to “Easy” you can really see that Pure Ecstasy’s sound really does shine in “Pressure Drop.”  Looking forward to more from these dudes.  I know their trip to NYC wasn’t the best…some asshole had to steal their guitar.  I really hope they will be back.

Pure Ecstasy tour dates can be found here.

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The photos of Pure Ecstasy were taken on January 29th, 2010 at Bruar Falls.  These photos are from the White Lodge.

• more posts featuring photos from the White Lodge can be found here.

Just two months ago Cloud Nothings were just a name with their first cassette//cd-r coming out on Bridgetown Records…no shows played, but a few big ones lined up…the first of which was with Real Estate and Woods here in Brooklyn (and I finally caught them in January with Alex Bleeker and the Freaks). Dylan Baldi’s Cloud Nothings were suddenly getting written up all over the internet (including several times by me), and their fuzzy upbeat punk pop was blasting out of stereos…I even had friends across the country ask me to send the digital files of Turning On because their tapes weren’t portable enough (yo dudes…get a walkman).

Now here we are at the end of February, and Cloud Nothings have two more releases out, and a reissue of that first tape but this time it’s on LP.

First up is their split tape with Campfires out on Bathetic Records. I know at this point more and more people are realizing that bands are doing tapes, and while the format might seem to be out of date even Pitchfork just reached out to the format in a big way (see Marc Hogan‘s wonderful feature on cassette culture titled “This is Not A Mixtape“…as well as tape releases often making it on to the 4kst).

This tape features four new songs by Cloud Nothings, and as I expected it is full of the same fuzzy pop as the first full length. Campfires are very much of the same mind set, and offer five songs…making the split well worth the $6 post paid.  A great introduction to Campfires…I can’t wait to her more.

The Fader posted one track from the split, and I’m happy to repost it here for you.  ”Little Raygun” sets the tone for the tape, and is the third song on side A:

[mp3] Cloud Nothings- “Little Raygun”

• Buy the Cloud Nothings//Campfires split from Bathetic Records here.
  • pick it up fast…this tape is limited to 100 copies.

In addition to this split Group Tightener Records has released a extremely limited 7″ single by Cloud Nothings which includes “Morgan” a single from the upcoming 12″ on Group Tightener, and an exclusive b-side: “Another Man.” This is the second release by Group Tightener, and it is limited to 250 copies, and is hand stamped and numbered.

While these are both unreleased tracks You might be familiar with “Morgan” if you saw my videos from Cloud Nothings show at Monster Island back in January. Can’t wait to hear this record, and the recorded version of this tracks…here is a re-post of that video:

Buy the Cloud Nothings’ Morgan/Another Man 7″ from Group Tightener Records here.

Last but certainly not least is that SpeakerTree Records has just started mailing out the LP repress of Cloud Nothings fabulous debut full length Turning On.

Turning On was originally released back in December by Bridgetown Records. I featured this release on my column This Week In Mail Order, and you can read the full write up here. The LP version of Turning On will feature one additional track, “Strummin” as the closer to the album.  This LP press is limited to 500 copies, and to remind you how good this release is check out “Can’t Stay Awake”:

[mp3] Cloud Nothings- “Can’t Stay Awake”

A also captured the exclusive LP track live when Cloud Nothings were in town so you can preview that here:

Buy the LP from SpeakerTree Records here.

• If you don’t have a record player….Bridgetown Records has repressed Turning On on CD…buy that here.
  • and for a limited time you can order the LP release from Bridgetown as well…I highly recommend contacting Kevin at Bridgetown because he is offering some cool combo packages.

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• More on Cloud Nothings (photos, video, mp3s, and reviews) can be found here.
• The photo at the top of the post is from the White Lodge.
• More this week in mail order can be found here.
• CLOUD NOTHINGs are on TOUR and are playing everywhere…go see them!  The dates can be found here.