Download Natural Child – Yer Birthday mp3 (from 1971)
Download The Middle East – Jesus Came To My Birthday Party mp3 (from I Want That You Are Always Happy)
Download Joshua James – Black July mp3 (from Build Me This)
Download Small Houses – Late July mp3 (from Mixtape #1)
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Another Round Up of the good, the very good and the exceptional tunes that have recently wormed their way in between our ears via our In-box or the internet and blogosphere. Let them do the same for you.
We have a few new tracks from artists we’ve previously posted about, some new bands and a couple of big names too.
First up, The Warped 45s follow the brilliant Grampa Carl with another track from new album Matador Sunset. Talk About Evil is more of a fiddle and bluegrass affair with a rousing chorus and a toe-tappin’ rhythm.
Download The Warped 45s – Talk About Evil mp3 (from Matador Sunset)
Download The Warped 45s – Grampa Carl mp3 (from Matador Sunset)
Likewise with Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside who have a new offering from their album Dirty Radio - simply called Danger, it is another rollicking example of their retro 50s inspired harmonies and good time country twang.
Download Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside – Danger mp3 (from Dirty Radio)
Download Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside – I Swear mp3 (from Dirty Radio)
We’ve also posted about melancholic singer-songwriter Luke Rathborne before too. To mark his forthcoming tour of the west coast he’s made a new track available for download. Nice chap! Get tour dates here.
Download Luke Rathborne - You Let Me In mp3 (from I Can Be One E.P. / Dog Years E.P.)
Download Luke Rathborne – Dog Years mp3 (from I Can Be One E.P. / Dog Years E.P.)
Download Luke Rathborne – I Can Be One mp3 (from I Can Be One E.P. / Dog Years E.P.)
More recently we gave you the excellent Hunger Song from the folk inflected Middle East’s album I Want That You Are Always Happy. Although authorised we got a DMCA takedown notice so here is another track from the album, Jesus Came To My Birthday Party – and if you’re the knob who thinks this isn’t authorised, think again. We have been given full permission to post the track, just like we had with the last one – get in touch with us direct if you’re worried!
Download The Middle East – Jesus Came To My Birthday Party mp3 (from I Want That You Are Always Happy)
Download The Middle East – Hunger Song mp3 (from I Want That You Are Always Happy)
Having previously posted Young Pros, Velvet Itch is another track of sleazy garage goodness from Bass Drum Of Death’s reverb heavy album GB City.
Download Bass Drum Of Death – Velvet Itch mp3 (from GB City)
Download Bass Drum Of Death – Young Pros mp3 (from GB City)
Madeline’s Black Velvet album is full of dark twisted pop and crooning psychedelia, we’re pleased to offer up Gather The Flowers, which is the second (equally good) single from it.
Download Madeline – Gather The Feathers mp3 (from Black Velvet)
Download Madeline – Hurry Up Pronto mp3 (from Black Velvet)
Little Horn (having been called any number of combinations of indie, folk, gothic, psychedelic, progressive and rock) have made a second track available from their new album 12, take a listen to Thief and decide for yourself.
Download Little Horn – Thief mp3 (from 12)
Download Little Horn – Bridges Break mp3 (from 12)
New to MM, and hailing from upstate NY, you might shrug your shoulders at a band named Cattle Drums but you would be remiss by doing so. Mixing post-punk, hardcore, shards of math rock and even traces of dark Americana into one glorious cacophony of sound, this track comes from their Boy Kisser Sessions +3 release, which can be got for free from their label Tiny Engines Bandcamp page here.
Download Cattle Drums – Sluts And Coconuts mp3 (from The Boy Kisser Sessions + 3)
Robert Ellis is a songwriter and a country singer in the old fashioned, traditional sense – think Willie Nelson or Lefty Frizell and a classic Nashville sound. What’s In It For Me? is taken from new album Photographs which was released a couple of days ago.
Download Robert Ellis – What’s In It For Me? mp3 (from Photographs)
By contrast, if there is anyone out there who can match Sun Araw for dubby, sun-baked, desert psych then we’ve yet to come across them. Although, thinking about it, collaborators on latest offering Night Gallery, Eternal Tapestry might well be contenders. Try Night Gallery III on for size.
Download Eternal Tapestry & Sun Araw – Night Gallery III mp3 (from Night Gallery)
The Heaven’s Jail Band plays distinctly American music. Twin guitars, drums and bass, harmonies and lyricism. Themes of love, loss, age, failure, freedom, beauty and redemption are dealt with in a deceptively casual blend of heroic and vulgar language. Classic rock, country and folk filtered through punk’s nihilism and heavy metal’s romanticism. Pretty Lady Blues comes from their self-titled debut on Heartbreakbeat Records.
Download The Heaven’s Jail Band – Pretty Lady Blues mp3 (from The Heaven’s Jail Band)
We were big fans of Grass Widows Past Time album last year and they have returned with a cracking new 7″ single titled Milo Minute. This is one of the two tracks on the b-side – a suitably jangly and messy cover of Wire’s classic Mannequin.
Download Grass Widow – Mannequin mp3 (from Milo Minute 7″)
Belfast’s Cashier No. 9 are picking up quite a bit of buzz over here in the UK and are signed to the excellent Bella Union label. Drawing influences (and comparisons) from the Byrds to The Stone Roses and from Pavement to The Flaming Lips, their rich vocal harmonies, bold guitar textures and supremely catchy melodies creates a sound that’s indeterminably none of these yet equally vibrant. This track comes from recently released debut To The Death Of Fun.
Download Cashier No. 9 – Lost At Sea mp3 (from To The Death Of Fun)
LA band Dunes have a new 7″ single, Tied Together just out. The vinyl is limited to 300 on Teenage Teardrops (order here) and is a nice smoky slice of sunshine inflected garage pop.
Download Dunes – Tied Together mp3 (from Tied Together 7″)
Lastly, The Happy Thoughts are a gem of a discovery via RSTB and deliver two and a half minutes of perfect, roughly hewn, garage style power pop in the shape of the hook laden Sweet Dirty Love from their self-titled debut album.
Download The Happy Thoughts – Sweet Dirty Love mp3 (from The Happy Thoughts)
As always please, please support the artists – buy the records, buy the merchandise, go and see them live.
Follow @madmackerel
Here are the juiciest cuts from our May postings rounded up and presented as one marvellous mix plus a couple of cracking new tracks as well. Be sure to check out all our previous ‘Best Of the Month’ mixes in the sidebar too.
Download Country Mice – Morning Son mp3 (from Twister)
Country rock and blistering sonic experiments combining to deliver a brilliant apocalyptic ballad.
Download Howling Owls – Hay Fever mp3 (from When Tipsy Turns Somber EP)
Deliciously ominous folk music that creeps from the edges of the swamp and imperceptibly curls icy fingers around the back of your neck.
Download The Black Lips – Modern Art mp3 (from Arabia Mountain)
A garage fuelled boozy swagger with added meaty Stooges Fun House era sonics.
Download Jackie-O Motherfucker – In The Willows mp3 (from Earth Sound System)
Banks of hazy guitars that threaten to show the chillwave youngsters where it’s at with some sun dappled riffs.
Download Abigail Washburn – City Of Refuge mp3 (from City Of Refuge)
Charming mix of Appalachian folk and bluegrass topped with a gorgeous vocal delivery.
Download The Skeleton Dead – Lock The Doors mp3
Brilliantly realised tale of the macabre – follow the twists and turns of a murderous burglar told over a sparse backdrop of gentle instrumentation that acts as a wonderful counterbalance to the coiled menace of the lyrics – this gem gives a twisted new take on murder ballads.
Download Mount Moriah – Lament mp3 (from Mount Moriah)
Wonderfully hymnal chant over a delicate acoustic narrative.
Download Leaving – Lonely Child mp3 (from Ghost House EP)
Sparse, ghostly and beautiful folk with slow, swirling instrumentation like tendrils of smoke from a campfire.
Download The Middle East – Hunger Song mp3 (from I Want That You Are Always Happy)
Australian folk musical collective’s upbeat gem.
Download Moses Luster – I’m The Lion mp3 (from I’m The Lion)
For lovers of tales of the downtrodden and the desperate.
Download Bonnie “Prince” Billy & The Phantom Family Halo – The Mindeater mp3 (from The Mindeater)
Bonnie’s vocal performance is perhaps already one of his eeriest in years – creepy backwoods paranoia anyone?
Download Marissa Nadler – The Sun Always Reminds Me Of You mp3 (from Marissa Nadler)
Her unique blend of dream pop, but this time pedal steel adds a distinct country feel to accompany that exquisite, ethereal voice.
Download Elliott Brood – Northern Air mp3 (from Days Into Years)
Another very fine example of their bluegrass tinged, up tempo alt-country with a classic singalong chorus.
Download U.S. Girls – If These Walls Could Talk mp3 (from U.S. Girls / Slim Twig Split 12″)
Hazy, insistent pop minimalism.
Download Slim Twig – Priscilla mp3 (from U.S. Girls / Slim Twig Split 12″)
Brilliantly twisted pop-art.
Download Chad VanGaalen – Sara mp3 (from Diaper Island)
Sparse, sweet, wide-eyed acoustic taster from new album.
Download Dirty Bourbon River Show – Train Is Gone mp3 (from Volume 2)
Ultra catchy country and horns rumble.
Download The Stripminers – No Luck mp3
Acerbic, punky take on Americana.
Download The Adultery Brothers – Something In My Drink mp3 (from Let Me Think)
Effevescent toe-tapping indie rock.
Download Pearl & the Beard – Sweetness mp3 (from Killing The Darlings)
Spitting, crackling folk with rousing boy/girl harmonies and mischievous ways.
Download The Blood Arm – Introducing Randy Newman mp3 (from Turn And Face Me)
Explosively catchy blend of tribal drums, relentless rock ‘n’ roll guitar and classicly simple, but effective hooks.
Download Mr Plow – Thank You Mr Ford mp3 (from Joyful In Song We Are)
Rich baritone voice lingers over a backdrop of twangy Gretsch guitars, shuffling drums and zinging flat top acoustic strumming.
Download The Roadside Graves – Love Me More mp3 (from We Can Take Care Of Ourselves)
Perfectly judged slice of tattered country rock with a rich chorus and a expansive feel.
Download Savaging Spires – Bending The Rules For Brian mp3 (from Savaging Spires)
Spooky slice of freakish folk and drone with a chorus that sounds like a voodoo incantation over slow, ominous backing strings.
Download The Sea Thieves – Focus The Stars mp3 (from They Will Run)
Hypnotic and haunting, it is a song that is meant for the quiet of evening when the stars are out and the only other sound is the wind rustling the leaves.
Download Twiggy Frostbite – By The Ocean mp3
Hazy, dreamlike song that sounds like it was created in a netherworld where surreal is the norm, and nothing is quite as it seems or as it should be.
And to finish we have the slightly unhinged proto-garage of The Bats Pajamas, the brilliantly retro garage soul of Fitz & The Tantrums (with a track just made for open-top cruising), and the first taste of songwriter Van Pierszalowski’s new project following the very sad demise of the wonderful Port O’Brien. Called Waters, this is his rousing single For The One.
Download The Bats Pajamas – Downtown Nitty Gritty mp3 (from The Bats Pajamas)
Download Fitz & The Tantrums – Don’t Gotta Work It Out mp3 (from Songs For A Break Up: Volume 1 EP)
Download Waters – For The One mp3 (from Out In The Light)
That’s the Middle East in a musical and not in a geographical sense obviously.
On July 12, the seven-member Australian folk musical collective known as The Middle East will release their debut album, I Want That You Are Always Happy on Missing Piece Records in the US.
The album is the follow-up to their debut EP, Recordings of the Middle East, which earned many accolades and led to extensive touring all over the world. Grab a little taste with Hunger Song below.
Download The Middle East – Hunger Song mp3 (from I Want That You Are Always Happy)
