Somewhat by happy accident we’ve focused on vintage 60s psych and surf rock today with Jackie Zealous and Best Behaviour, and to prove good things do come in threes, here is another… A couple of years ago we did a short post on San Diego’s Soft Lions, whose own mix of 60s San Francisco pop with noisy garage-guitar driven tracks, gave their songs a definitive West Coast vibe. … Continue reading Soft Lions – Spellbreaker
A perfect companion piece to our Jackie Zealous post earlier, Best Behavior have also crafted their own mix of surf and garage-rock with a playful ’60s vibe. Inspired by heartbreak and a not-so-sunny prediction made by an astrologer, frontman Alex Gruenburg wrote the band’s debut LP in under a month, and went on to play and sing every part himself. The album, Good Luck Bad … Continue reading Introducing >>> Best Behavior
The somewhat curiously named Jackie Zealous are a surf inspired garage rock trio from Santa Cruz, California. Next week (23rd) sees the release of their debut self-titled EP. It features six charmingly fuzzy tracks that demonstrate a keen ear for melody and a memorable hook. Lead track is the infectiously cheery jangle of Talk It. Have a listen… . Continue reading MM Shorts 729: Jackie Zealous
Paying homage to everything from glam to post-punk, Danish noiseniks Less Win churn together a melting pot of angular guitars, distorted bass-lines and hard-hitting, precise, organic drumming. Their debut UK EP Further, set for release tomorrow on the The Big Oil Recording Company, is powered by four explosive tracks that pack more than a punch: a sonic assault that is held together by a short fuse. Everything is … Continue reading Introducing >>> Less Win
Fine Points is a new project featuring members of San Francisco psych band Sleepy Sun. They mix crystalline guitars with hazy, psych-tinged melodies, and their new video for single Astral Season features the same mellow, dreamy West Coast vibes as the song, with kaleidoscopic shots of the band exploring California’s landscapes. Watch it here. . . Continue reading New Video: Fine Points – Astral Season
The wonderful, and wonderfully prolific, Parquet Courts are back with a new split single with Joey Pizza Slice, where each band covers a track by the other. It will be followed by a second split single with Brooklyn’s Big Ups, which will be in support of the legendary VERA venue in Groningen. Limited to a vinyl run of 500, this release sees Parquet Courts covering Pretty … Continue reading New Split Single From Parquet Courts
Norway’s explosive duo Burning Motherfuckers have revealed their first new tracks since their debut EP release back in 2012, after the duo spent a longer period of time writing and recording across Oslo, London and in the Swedish forest. Listen to I’m Your Lion slowly building up to a monumentally explosive climax. Listen here. . Continue reading MM Shorts 728: Burning Motherfuckers
New York City’s Ballroom explode out of the gate with a whirlwind fury. Anchored by a tornado of vicious snare drum thwacks and excoriating guitars, their self-titled debut features no mellow songs, sappy ballads or moments of false sincerity. Instead we get six tracks of pure visceral fury where dissonance and feedback battle it out with primal punk rhythms and thunderous riffs for supremacy. Where no … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends… Ballroom
Via their Bandcamp page, Turchi (who have featured a few times on MM) have announced a final EP We Spoke In Song that marks the the final collaboration between Cameron Weeks, Andrew Hamlet, and Reed Turchi – the lineup that was active from November 2012 to October 2014, and recorded the albums Live in Lafayette, My Time Ain’t Now, and Can’t Bury Your Past together. We … Continue reading Farewell EP From Turchi
Fakers are a band from LA. Fakers members were in other bands. Some of the other bands include Piebald, The Henry Clay People, Vanaprasta, and Summer Darling. Realistically speaking, Fakers are a very loud band. Three electric guitars, distorted bass, and a frenzied drummer will do that. Heaps of scorching guitar riffs and noisey freak-outs means its exciting, visceral stuff and this track, $600 is proof of … Continue reading Introducing >>> Fakers
The Mad Mackerel 