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 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.

———————————————————

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.

—————————————

• 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.

Sonny and the Sunsets‘ Tomorrow is Alright came out toward the end of 2009 (If you haven’t checked out my best of 2010 list Sonny is on it…read that here.), and it was my fear that I would have to wait another 12 months to get new tunes from the popsmith that is Sonny Smith.  But just six weeks into twenty ten we get Sonny’s new single The Hypnotist out on Future Stress Recordings.

Act fast because the first 100 mail orders come with a limited edition comic booklet written and illustrated by Sonny! And if you are a colored vinyl dork like me you can get your hands on the limited blue/yellow swirl wax edition.

Sonny’s lyrics will have you singing along in no time.  This four song 7″ of Sonny’s signature acoustic pop features one track from Tomorrow is Alright, and three new songs.  I’ll leave you with “Stranded” so that you can ruminate on the track for a minute, and then hopefully make your way over to Future Stress to pick up a copy of this limited 7″ before it’s sold out.  ”Stranded” is on the b-side of this record, and I feel is a perfect representation of Sonny’s music and his honest and hilarious lyrics are why I’ve fallen in love with his songs.

[mp3] Sonny and the Sunsets- “Stranded”

Sonny is a very talented man, and if the comic booklet that came with the long sold out Love and Death 7″ is any indication I’m almost as excited about the comic as I am about the record….so now let me direct you to this link:

Buy Sonny’s The Hypnotist 7″ from Future Stress here.

————————————-

• more on Sonny & the Sunsets can be found here.
• more on the Endless Nest collective can be found here.
• thanks to always wonderful RSTB for the tip on this one.

Just when I thought I had all the So Cow news posted yesterday, Josh from Ireland’s own Pop Goes the Radio commented on my post.

Pop Goes the Radio posted three tracks from upcoming album on Meaningless Friendly due out very soon on Tic Tac Totally.  Here is what Tic Tac Totally has to say about the new album:

So Cow “Meaningless Friendly” LP/CD is just 2 weeks away folks! The album will be released mid-tour (see below for dates!) just in time for SXSW. The new record expands brilliantly on the promise/premise of the “S/T” LP from last year, which featured 18 of his best collected tracks. Here offering 13 fresh ones of the great off-kilter TVP’s-meets-Home Blitz-pop wandering So Cow delivers. In the meantime we have a digital album release set up for 2/16/10 on iTunes, so no worries if you’re fiending either!

“Extra Friendly” LP+7″ edition
Check back REAL soon for this! This package gets you the new LP, plus a limited edition 7″ EP with 3 bonus tracks.Exclusively through TTT and ltd. to 300 copies. Look out!

Keep your eyes on Tic Tac Totally’s Website…I know I will.  I need to get a copy of that limited edition 7″.  This is the most exciting music news, at least for me, in 2010 so far!

In the mean time check out these tracks.

“Girl Racer” reminds us that So Cow at it’s core is one man, Brian Kelly. Using not much more than minimal electronics, and electric guitar Kelly crafts a near perfect pop track .  This track really resonates in the part of my brain that loved “Shackleton.”  Even though this track has perfect pop sensibility that doesn’t prevent Kelly from adding some psychedelic guitar to the background.  Apparently if you are from Tuam, or Ireland in general, there are references in this song that us Americans just don’t get, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that it is an awesome introduction to So Cow’s new album.  A version of this track originally appeared on a compilation CD about Tuam which Pop Goes the Radio might be posting in the future.

[mp3] So Cow- “Girl Racer”

“Random Girls” is a track that I’m sure many of us boys can relate to…so many ladies in this world, and so many crushes (I’m lucky to already have my special lady).  This track shows a little more of what North America is in store for on So Cow’s tour.  This track features a full band, and an intense guitar solo toward the end.   Kelly’s musicianship is what made me fall in love with So Cow in the first place, and this track is a perfect example of that.  There are sure to be plenty of ladies crushing on these Irish boys as they make their way through the states and Canada.

[mp3] So Cow- “Random girls”

If “Girl Racer” and “Random Girls” are any indication of the rest of the album we are sure in for a treat.  I’ll let you head over to Pop Goes the Radio for the third track called “Dunno.” This final track is one I remember from So Cow’s last American tour. Check it out here.

Meaningless Friendly is now on sale from Tic Tac Totally.  Buy it  here .

———————————————————–

New Yorkers, So Cow will be in the City on:

• Feb 13 Monster Island Basement Brooklyn, New York
  
• Feb 14 Cake Shop New York, New York

The tour starts tonight, February 11th,  at Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park.

For a full list of tour dates click here (or if you are on the main page of my blog…scroll down…they were posted yesterday).

• much more on So Cow can be found here.
• more This Week In Mail Order can be found here.

There is still something to be said about releasing a great single, and I’m not just talking about the A side…

The Great Pumpkin favorite 7″s of 2009

10.) Slumberland’s Searching for the Now Vol. 5 (Liechtenstein split 7″ w/ The Faintest Ideas)

Liechtenstein might be the show that I’m most disappointed that I missed this year, and this 7″ would have made my top ten for “This Must Be Heaven” alone.

[mp3] Liechtenstein- “This Must Be Heaven”

• Buy Searching for the Now Vol. 5 here.
• gprecs posts on Liechtenstein can be found here.

9.) The Mayfair Set- “Already Warm//Desert Fun”

One of many great 7″s released by Captured Tracks in 2009, and the combination of Dum Dum Girls and Blank Dogs. I can’t say that I liked the 12″ as much as the 7″, but I’m hoping this wasn’t their peak…a great 45.

[mp3] The Mayfair Set- “Already Warm”

• Buy it here.
• Mayfair Set’s website.

8.) Kurt Vile- Fall Demons

Released by Skulltones in an extremely limited quantity (375 copies, and 25 test presses).  Almost a proper EP at five songs.  One of many releases by KV that I loved this year.  Thanks to Permanent for saving me a copy.

[mp3] Kurt Vile- “Summer Demons”

• out of print.
• gprecs posts on Kurt Vile can be found here.

7.) Ganglians- “Blood on the Sand// Make it Up”

The second Captured Tracks release to make this list.  I couldn’t have asked for a better follow up to Monster Head Room.

[mp3] Ganglians- “Blood On the Sand”

• Buy it here.
• gprecs posts on Ganglians can be found here.

6.) Best Coast- Make You Mine

The first official release of Group Tightener Records, and a great one at that.  I was able to grab a copy right before it sold out.

[mp3] Best Coast- “Make You Mine”

• out of print.
• gprecs posts on Best Coast can be found here.

5.) Magic Kids- “Hey Boy//Good To Be”

These kids make pop from another time, and Goner Records is very lucky to have them.  Expect big things in 2010.

[mp3] Magic Kids- “Hey Boy”

• buy it here.
• gprecs posts on Magic Kids can be found here.

4.) Real Estate- Suburban Beverage

The record that started it all for both Real Estate and Underwater Peoples Records.  Nice people and good music.

[mp3] Real Estate- “Suburban Beverage”

• out of print.
• buy Real Estate’s self titled LP here (includes almost all of these songs).

3.) Young Governor- “Virginia Creeper// I’m A Mess”

Plastic Idol Records put out this great 45 of punk pop by Ben Cook of Fucked Up.  I don’t know why, but I seem to like everything Cook is involved with except for Fucked Up…at least he has enough projects to keep me busy.

[mp3] Young Governor- “Virginia Creeper [edit]“

• buy it here (this has to be almost sold out).
• gprecs post on Young Governor can be found here.

2.) Julian Lynch // Ducktails split 7″

Julian Lynch and Ducktails are two of my favorite discoveries of 2009, and I can thank Underwater Peoples for this.  Oh yeah, and Julian has to be one of the nicest dudes ever.

[mp3] Ducktails- “Parasailing”

• out of print.
• gprecs posts on Ducktails can be found here.
• gprecs posts on Julian can be found here.

1.) Sic Alps- “L Mansion// Super Lungs My Supergirl”

Another beautiful 7″ put out by Slumberland.  I have to say that I’ve seen Sic Alps, and when I did they were not a band I cared for, but after reading about this 7″ I picked it up and was totally blown away.  I can’t wait to hear what comes out of this band in the future…this is one fucking great 45.

[mp3] Sic Alps- “L Mansions”

• buy it here.
• gprecs posts on Sic Alps can be found here.
  • 2/10/10- sorry I just fixed the link to this song. it was another sic alps track until now.

Thanks for reading…I’m getting behind on these best of posts, and they are a little intimidating to do, but I’m going to keep with it…two more…EPs and LPs.  Bare with me while I deal with this last graduate application and the crazy awfulness that is my job…but more is to come.  thanks again.

Links:

• more Best Of posts can be found here.

Best Coast made one of their very few East Coast appearances last night at the Group Tightener Party in the Monster Island Basement.  Bethany Consentino noted that the shows in New York were Best Coast’s first appearances outside of Southern California.  It was a late night, and by time Alex Bleeker, Fluffy Lumbers, Coasting, and Highlife finished it was already midnight….and the show still had Best Coast, Ducktails, and surprise guest Small Black to go (for links check and mp3s by most of the bands check out the post from yesterday).

When Best Coast took the stage Bethany was very personable and welcoming to the New York crowd, both talking about enjoying being back in the city as well as talking about why she left. Her cohort Bobb Bruno quietly set up his equipment, a large set of pedals and a couple of guitars.  Bethany mentioned that Best Coast now has a drummer…but on this jaunt out to the East Coast they had to bring the mini-discs.

In all honestly I have started going into lo-fi garage pop and/or psych/shit-gaze shows with low expectations. Bands like Eat Skull, Sic Alps, and occasionally Vivian Girls have all been less than exciting live (all of whom records I enjoy).

But when Best Coast started playing I was instantly intrigued.  It was a combination of Bethany’s personality, Bruno’s reserved manner, and the fact not only did the songs sound as they should…they transferred extremely well to the live setting.  I personally find something extremely comforting about the drum machine/mini-disc player, and felt like it suited the night.  Their set was about 35 minutes long, and the heat in Monster Island provided the atmosphere that Best Coast’s music goes best with…hot and sweaty.  The only thing that could have made it better was if the sun was shining down on us generating the heat rather than the lighting and massive amount of bodies in the basement of the island.   Best Coast played to a packed crowded, and seem to be very well received.  When they joked about an encore the crowd even seemed disappointed.  They were charming as a two piece, and were able to stand out among the fuzzy and reverb… I look forward to seeing them as a full band.  The night was well documented as well, you can tell from these videos that there were plenty of cameras present.

Best Coast- “Sun Was High (So Was I)” live at the Group Tightener Party

[mp3] Best Coast- “Sun Was High (So Was I)”

Best Coast- ” So Gone” live at the Group Tightener Party

Best Coast is on a role right now…with two appearances during CMJ (I say during, because the party last night was not an official CMJ event), and a New York Times write up.

Their first 7″ and tape are sold out, but Group Tightener will be releasing the Make You Mine 7″ this month…the packaging was designed by the always wonderful Drew Heffron.  Rumor has it these are going pretty darn fast…and there might even be a repress already in the works.  Get yours before it’s too late.

Pre-Order the Make You Mine 7″ here.

Links:

• more on Best Coast here.
• more on Group Tightener here.
• Group Tightener’s Website, myspace, twitter
• Best Coasts’ myspace, blog, twitter
• more gprecs video here.

Wild Nothing… a name was completely unfamiliar with yesterday, until it popped up on the p4kst.  Wild Nothing is the solo project of Jack Tatum.  Tatum also plays with Jack and the Whale as well as Facepaint (who might back Wild Nothing in the future).

Tatum is based out of Blacksburg, VA and from what I’ve heard Wild Nothing he makes dreamy pop. Tatum sites Cockatoo Twins, Shop Assistants, the Smiths, and several Swedish bands as influences…but it’s hard not to see the Cure in the guitar riffs of “Confirmation.”

[mp3] Wild Nothing- “Confirmation”

I was able to find a couple more tracks via Delicious Scopitone.

[mp3] Wild Nothing- “Summer Holiday” (Pre-Order the Summer Holiday 7″ here!)

[mp3] Wild Nothing- “Pessimist”

While these tracks have strong pop overtones Tatum shows us his more atmospheric side on “Pessimist,” and I feel that this atmospheric noise is the constant undertone in other two tracks.   I’m picking up little things on “Pessimist” and “Summer Holiday” that remind me in a very abstract way of the Field Mice, and the Microphones…whether it is guitar sound or vocal cadence… it’s there, and I think these songs are going to be in regular rotation for a while on my headphones.  While the music does have a bit of a glam element the vocals are understated giving me a sense that Tatum is going to be growing quite a bit as Wild Nothing.

Wild Nothing’s myspace says that they are on Captured Tracks, and these days that probably means we can expect several releases from him in the next year (see pre-order info for the first 7″ below).  I’m definitely keeping my eyes open…I think there are good things to come.

Links:

• Wild Nothing’s myspace.
• read an interview with Wild Nothing at Chugardism.
• pre-order the Summer Holiday 7″ here.
• more on Captured Tracks here.

Ganglians released one of my favorite albums this year, Monster Head Room (on Weird Forest), and the self titled EP that they did on Woodsist was also pretty awesome (and has grown on me a lot).  Now they are back with two new songs on Captured Tracks.

The 7″ is somewhere between the slightly chaotic weirdo pop of the self titled ep and the wonderful, more classically influenced,  psychadelica of  Monster Head Room.  The A side is titled “Blood on the Sand” and the B side “Make it Up.” I’ve only seen Ganglians once, but have been listening to their albums quite a bit and I can say that these songs sounded familiar on the first listen…almost eerily so.  I feel like I have heard them a hundred times, but in actuality it is really like 10. This single seems like it will also be making my year end lists.

If you haven’t heard Ganglians yet I feel that this 7″ is a good starting point.  Pick it for for $6, and you might find yourself hunting down the other two LPs.

[mp3] Ganglians- “Blood on the Sand” (buy it from CT here, or if you prefer at Insound here)

This one is limited to 1,000 copies, and rumor is they are going fast (it’s also rumored that CT won’t let things go out of print…we will see). As much as I enjoy “Blood on the Sands” I’m really in love with “Make It Up,” but you will have to pick up the record to hear that one.  Highly recommended as are all of their releases.

Links:

• more on Ganglians here.
• buy other Ganglians releases here.