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.

Thursday night I had a wonderful surprise in my inbox…Jamie from Cascaders (and Group Tightener, Men & Women, ect) had sent over the new Cascaders track. Jamie seems to have a knack for for putting together seemless ambient noise tracks intertwining minimalist melodies, and creating beauty out of something that in the hands of another person might just appear to be noise.

“Don’t Want It” is his new masterpiece clocking in at almost a full eight and a half minutes showing that he can bring these james into a much longer format.  It’s exciting to hear this longer piece because it gives a taste of what can be expected when this is recreated live. This time he incorporates, if I’m hearing this right, vocals that come across more as repetitive hollow tones along with his delicate melodies that ride just above the beats and atmosphere.  ”Don’t Want It” gives the listener enough time to get full enveloped in the music, and wanting more when it is finished.  Sometimes with longer ambient tracks I feel like artists have a hard time figuring out how to bring it to a close, but Cascaders drop out elements of the track, one at a time, and eventually leave us with one lasting tone.  No fade out, and that is something that I really appreciate.  Looking forward to rocking this on my lunch break today, and delving back into Leviathan.

[mp3] Cascaders- “Don’t Want It”

I’m pretty excited because Cascaders is one of several new acts that have been helping me regain interest in the ambient and the experimental (more of these artists will be appearing on here in the next couple of weeks).

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• more on cascaders can be found here.
• more on Group Tightener Records here.

I came across a couple tracks by a band called Cascaders on Friendship Bracelet last week, and low and behold it is the new project of Jamie from Group Tightener Records and Men & Women.  I contacted Jamie, and he sent over the three songs that he has finished.  I’ve been delving back into some philosophy texts these days, and instrumental music is what I crave…and Cascaders pretty much hit that spot.

Cascaders are dark cold compositions based in electronics and guitar.  The sparse sounds remind me of being up on a mountain or deep in a forest at night…with no one around, solemn and isolating echoing like the thoughts in your head.  ”Lifetimes” is calculated and timed to perfection, and “Harpoon Dodger” is sparse and beautiful.  Both perfect to complement deep thoughts and meditation.

But the track that hit me the most out of the “Skybridge,” a bit lighter than the rest, and up lifting in a way.  Where as “Harpoon Dodger” and “Lifetimes” evoke a the cold depths of a cave “Skybridge” is more like emerging from hibernation…seeing the sunlight for the first time in a long time.  The booming drums resonate in your head as the song progresses and is overall one of the most soothing tracks I’ve heard in quite sometime, and the last notes of the song just resonate like an echo deep in your mind.

[mp3] Cascaders- “Skybridge”

[mp3] Cascaders- “Harpoon Dodger”

head over to Friendship Bracelet to snag the third and final track “Lifetimes” here.

Truly looking forward to more songs coming out of Cascaders…especially if I get back into school…this could be the soundtrack to my studies.

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• more on Group Tightener Records here.

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The photo above was taken by klk, and is 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.

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.

Even though I just got the Cloud Nothings CD in the mail last month it felt like I had been waiting forever to see this band live, and this past Saturday I finally got the chance.

Another wonderful show put on by Chocolate Bobka (if you didn’t know Chocolate Bobka is the little sister to Underwater Peoples, big brother of Ray Conception, and the girl scout troop leader of Pitchfork’s Forkast) and this time he teamed up with the budding record label Group Tightener (maybe that means they are now cousins with Bobka?  If you didn’t check it out already…Jamie from Group Tightener contributed his best of 2009 list to the Great Pumpkin).

Both Chocolate Bobka and Group Tightener throw really fun shows whether it’s at a church or at Monster Island…and this time it was at Monster Island.  I got to the show right as Nude Beach ended, and Cloud Nothings took the stage.

Dylan Baldi and company put on an impressive live show for such a young band.  They played an extremely tight set, and seemed to complement each other very well.  In this bands short time playing live (the first time being about a month ago here in New York) they have already had one line up change, but that has not slowed them down.   I was particularly impressed by the fact that the guitar solos on songs like “Can’t Stay Awake” sounded as good, if not better, live.  It seems like there are only good things to come from Cloud Nothings, and I’m very happy I got to experience them this early stage.

My video camera is back in action, and I was able to capture a handful of what I’m already considering Cloud Nothings classics as well as two new songs.  I actually took a whole lot more video than I thought….here they are:

Cloud Nothings- “Can’t Stay Awake”

Cloud Nothings- “Hey Cool Kid”

Cloud Nothings- “Turning On”

Cloud Nothings- “”whaddya wanna know”

[mp3] Cloud Nothings- “Whaddya Wanna Know”

These four songs are off of Cloud Nothings album Turning On. Buy it here on tape or cd.  Keep and eye out for the vinyl here.

Cloud Nothings- “Morgan”

Cloud Nothings- “strummin”

On a slightly less exciting note I was not able to get close enough to Alex Bleeker and the Freaks to actually see them play.  They sounded amazing, and I can’t wait to get another opportunity to see Bleeker with a full band.  It was a little disappointing that most of the crowd found their conversations more important than Bleeker’s music because I would hav really like to be fully emersed.  Mr. Bleeker…I look forward to seeing you again.

Links:

• Buy Cloud Nothings’ Turning On from Bridgetown Records here.
• more on Cloud Nothings here.
• more on Alex Bleeker and the Freaks here.
• Buy the Alex Bleeker & The Freaks LP from Underwater Peoples here.
• more on Group Tightener Records here.
• the photo above  was taken by klk and I on a holga in the Calvary Cemetery in Queens.

Cloud Nothings are coming back to New York shortly after the release of Turning On, and this time it is to play with Alex Bleeker and the Freaks (and Beach Fossiles).  I’ve listen to Turning On more times than I can count on my headphones since I got it at the beginning of December (see my post on Turning On here), and I’m ready to see what it sounds like live.  Cloud Nothings’ Turning On is almost sold out at Bridgetown records, and Speaker Tree Records, out of Lynchberg, Virginia is planning to release it on LP toward the end of February (with an extra track).

Breakfast of Champs have posted a newish mp3 from Cloud Nothings that will be on their forthcoming compilation:

[mp3] Cloud Nothings- “Crying Underwater”
(eventually it will be available here)

On top of Cloud Nothings….Alex Bleeker is playing too…

When I got to see Alex Bleeker play with Mountain Man back in December (actually the same weekend I got the Cloud Nothings CD) it was a truly surreal event. Alex Bleeker played a beautiful set, and his only backing musicians were the women from Mountain Man. The crowd was the most respectful I’ve ever seen in New York, and let the quietness and intimacy of the Lutheran Church of the Messiah, as well as the music itself, shine. As wonderful of an experience as that was I’m looking forward to seeing him backed by the Freaks.  But we do have this mp3 to remember that event by, thanks to Chocolate Bobka:

[mp3] Alex Bleeker w/ Molly Sarle of Mountain Man- “Oh, Boy (Girls cover)”
recorded live at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah. via Chocolate Bobka.

Saturday should be fun…you should be there:

Presented by Chocolate Bobka & Group Tightener:
This Saturday, January 16th
Beach Fossils.
Alex Bleeker & the Freaks.
Cloud Nothings.
Nude Beach.
at Monster Island Basement.
Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Links:

• Buy Cloud Nothings’ Turning On from Bridgetown Records here.
• more on Cloud Nothings here.
• more on Alex Bleeker and the Freaks here.
• Buy the Alex Bleeker & The Freaks LP from Underwater Peoples here.
• more on Group Tightener Records here.

Jamie from Group Tightener Records and Men & Women is next in my best of series.  Group Tightener is a label that I gained notice of earlier this year, and I had the pleasure of attending their un-official CMJ party at Monster Island (see videos of Best Coast at that show here).

Group Tightener Records has already released the Men & Women  LP (technically on War & Moon), and Best Coast’s Make You Mine 7″…and appears to have a big year in 2010 lined up. Upcoming releases include: Alex Bleeker & the Freaks, Fluffy Lumbers, Twin Lion, Fungi Girls, Cloud Nothings, Coasting, and a Forest Swords/High Wolf split.

Jamie from Group Tightener/ Men & Women’s Best of 2009:

real estate (band site/ album info)
- super great to see this band develop over the course of the year and release their awesome full length to cap it off.

rusko essential mix/joker purple wow sound mix (check it out here)
- in a year where i became pretty bored with dance music both of these artists pushed the envelope in different ways. joker laid down the buttery g-funk synths while rusko just went ape shit raving the fuck out – i picture this mix sound tracking some sort of intergalactic rodeo from the future…

salem (band site/ 7″ info)
- i think i subconsciously figured out why this band resonates with me so much the other night when i was talking to somebody about listening to music when i was younger. i was basically obsessed with 90s rap and grunge-y guitar music and this group meets 11 year old me in the middle. they only released three 7″s (and one of them had one song and was only in japan or something) this year and played like 2 live shows where they basically just smoked ciggs and looked at the ground while sketchy vhs tapes of drunk drivers played behind them, but for some reason all of that made sense.

brilliant colors (band site/ album info)
- even though i grew up in the northwest and went to college in olympia i was never all that into all the riot grrl bands to be honest. and truth be told out i wasn’t much into the first couple 7″s these ladies put out but that’s what made their full length that much more enjoyable to me.

wavves (band site / album info)
- my favorite shit all year was when i’d read people say stuff like ‘well it COULD be good but it just sounds like shit’ sorry that’s the point people – yeah, he may have had a limited range of recording options but it was definitely an aesthetic decision and i personally thought it ruled.

girls (band site / album info)
- this has been a pretty rough year for me personally and for some reason this album came around at the right time and made perfect sense to me. when i hear these songs later on in life i’m sure that, along with real estate, i’ll associate them with this time period. nostalgia in the making.

tim & eric awesome show great job (website)
- still the funniest and most forward thinking comedy around. this show has changed the way i think about all media. sort of like psychedelics -  i’ll never be the same.

fresh and onlys (band website / record info)
- they released two full lengths this year, and while i definitely think they would have gotten a stronger response if they edited both of them down to just one LP i’m never mad at listening to more music. some GREAT songs.

high wolf (band site / album info)
- along with ducktails, the high wolf tapes i was able to get my hands on were the best of the experimental/psychedelic stuff i heard this year. it encompasses everything i liked about early animal collective way before avey tare started yelling in my face. but beyond all those comparisons you can tell that he isn’t just fucking around and seeing what sticks – he is truly in the zone. excited to be putting out some of his first stuff on vinyl next year…

woods (band site / album info)
- this band really came into their own this year also. full length was awesome, 7″ was awesome, live radio record was surprisingly sophisticated and the live show just keeps getting better and better.

other stuff: ganglians – blood on the sand 7″, moon duo, memory tapes – bicycle, gary war, fever ray, blank dogs/dum dum girls/mayfair set, atlas sound, kurt vile, animal collective lp

7″ that should have happened: cold cave ‘life magazine/heaven was full’

Links:

• Group Tightener blog / twitter / myspace
• more on Group Tightener Records here.
• more on Best Coast here.
• more on Cloud Nothings here.
• more best of 2009 guest contributions can be found here.

thanks again to Jamie for contributing a best of list.  I look forward to the Group Tightener Releases to come, and ya’ll know I’m loving Cloud Nothings (I can’t wait for that 12″)!