Best of the Rest (March & April)

We do our best each month to cover as much music as we can, but dozens and dozens of tracks cross our radar that don’t make it on to the site (and thousands of emails go unread….). Here are a few that we missed in March and April that you may like.

Communions “Out of My World”

Do you like you shoes “gazey” and your pop “dreamy”? Well, here you go.

Leon Bridges “Coming Home”

Retro soul music done really well. I’m somewhat under the impression that he is going to blow up and become a household name, which I am totally OK with.

Damaged Bug “The Mirror”

John Dwyer from Thee Oh Sees damaged (get it?) 8-bit project that trades buzz-saw fuzzy guitars for cheap electronics. A gentler, more melodic take on weirdo pop from this living legend.

A Place To Bury Strangers – “What We Don’t See”

The group voted most likely to become Jesus and Mary Chain give us no reason to change our vote.

Uniform “Perfect Vehicle”

Kinda electronic, kinda fuzzy guitar noise.

Ty Segall & King Tuff

Both these guys are fuzz/garage kingpins, and monsters on the stage. For this split 7″, Ty Segall shows his softer side, and King Tuff shows his glammy side.

Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe & Ariel Kalma “Mille Voix”

The FRKWYS series from the RVNG INTL label is one of the coolest, best features around these days, so get hip to it if you aren’t already. The latest in the series that connects legendary musicians with younger artists influenced by their sound is from Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe & Ariel Kalma, and is a dreamy, ambient soundscape that barely raises above a whisper.

King Gizzard & The Wizard Lizard “The River”

Highly underrated Australian garage/fuzz/glam group who have been consistently putting out great music over the last few years. Their latest is a bit more trippy and lucid, but just as great as their previous materials. Don’t sleep on them.

Mujeres “Lose Control”

Buckle up your boots and strap on your faded leather jacket, we’ve got some punk.

Swans “A Little God in My Hands” (Live)

Noise rock gods wakes up from a decades long slumber a few years back, create some amazing albums, leave a trail of damaged eardrums, and all we have to show for it is a cool live video documenting the band churning out their chaotic glory.

Dog Party “Peanut Butter Dream”

The kind of snotty, paint-by-the-numbers fuzzy pop that Burger Records have been flooding the world with over the last few years. This isn’t the best of the bunch, but it is fun and a good summer jam for your hipster bbq.

Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires – Sweet Disorder

Sweat. Blood. Rock and Roll. Hopefully more of the first and third, but the country-fried spirit of LBIII&TGF leaves anything open.

Tal National – “Farila (Chimurenga Renaissance Remix)”

Chimurenga Renaissance is the non-rapping half of Shabazz Palaces, and it is a beautiful thing that he goes all in for an edit on a track from the amazing Tal National’s new LP. Sunny vibes for your sullen spirit.

Crocodiles “Fooling Around”

At one point, Crocodiles were attempting to give A Place to Bury Strangers a run for their money on the Jesus and Mary Chain crown (they would have lost), but they’ve taken a more glam/pop route, which probably suits them better. Now they have a Peanuts themed video, which is cool. Everybody gets a medal.

Warm Soda “I Wanna Go Fast”

Warm Soda make perfectly enjoyable garage/pop/glam music that sounds like a lot of other music these days (for example, see this post). They do it well, with enough technical expertise and emotional dexterity to keep me coming back, but not to ever send me over the moon. See for yourself.

Mondo Drag “The Dawn”

Thick slabs of riffs, stilted marching beats, jilted time signatures and a dark undercurrent that feels like it could fall off the rails at any point? Sounds good to me.