Buddy Holly - Blue Days, Black Nights: Look no further, here's your original hipster

Buddy Holly's Not Fade Away - The Complete Studio Recordigs and More

And I mean hipster in the less pejorative way possible. This is one of modern music's most influential figures and one of my all time favorite musicians. If you enjoy your jangly, poppy, vibey modern indie rockers, then now you know who's to blame. Even his big old glasses have been replicated these last few years by angst-ridden teenagers and quarter-life-crisis-afflicted millennials. 

Although this song was written by Ben Hall, another famed musician, it was Holly who brought it to life, being the first to record it, and making it his first single released through Decca records. The single, however, failed to sell as expected, an
d it was shelved until Buddy found his well known success in later years. The song features tremendous guitar playing, courtesy of Grady Martin, aching to that Merle Travis/Chet Atkins thumb play style that would become a crucial part of The Nasvhille Sound in the years to come; Buddy's mellow, upbeat singing accompanied by a tight rhythm section consisting of upright bass and drums -the typical Rock 'n' Roll setup- make this song a stunner for your summer days.

As usual, check today's second pill right here, right now. Don't forget to drop a comment as well!

Spacin' - Over Uneasy: Get ready 'cause it's gonna get weird!

This pretty neat artwork might give you an idea of what's to come. Read on! - Spacin' - Total Freedom's artwork on Bandcamp

Seriously, the song title's no joke. Sometimes we gotta give a run for his money to the weirdo we all carry inside. I can't think of a better way to do so than blasting this pretty little gem.

An oddity for our fancy little blog, as we usually favour shorter songs,this beast stands at 08:47 minutes long. Just picture nearly 9 minutes of continuous pounding, panning, reverb-drenched everything, with lyrics you can't quite make out and riffs Mr. Keef would be proud of. Actually, this is a key feat to this: I think this is exactly how the Rolling Stones would sound if they were sleepless, DMT loaded and paranoid for a week or more. Whether that's a compliment or not, I'll leave it to yourself. 

This spatial shebang can get a little too heavy to bear sometimes, but occasionally you're in the right mood for getting challenged with something that might otherwise bore you on a sunny day. Use it at your own risk, let these people make you overly uneasy, and if you dig'em, go like'em on the big ol' F.

Check the song out, as usual, right here, right now. Don't forget to leave a comment as well!

Gerry & The Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone: In Loving Memory

Today we mourn the parting of the tripulation of the plane that was headed to Medellín, Colombia, carrying Chapecoense's football team, staff, journalists and the plane's personnel 

On this day, we join the grieving world of football, showing our sympathy for the families and friends of those who perished in the tragic plane accident that took place in the mountains of Antioquia, Colombia. May their souls rest in peace.

Our thoughts are with you. Remember, in these challenging times, you'll never walk alone.

The Doors - Unhappy Girl: Fillers, you say?

The Doors' Strage Days - It always gave me the heebie-jeebies

What can I say about The Doors' acclaimed second album that has not already been said before? Probably not a lot, but let our second pill of the day show you the importance of looking beyond the highlights of any album. I know plenty of people that dismiss a whole bunch of songs from a certain record just because they're not that particular song. I know, I know, let people do whatever the heck they wanna do, but we're talking about music here, man, and paying a little extra attention always pays off. 

Unhappy Girl might be a filler to some, but if you've heard this record before, which is probably the case, go back and revisit it. You'll find an exquisite piece that has just the right length, with mesmerizing keyboards and your usual dark, inviting lyrics by the Lizard King. As it is usual with The Doors lyrics, the whole thing is open for interpretation, which makes all the more fun to listen to. Although, trying to get into Morrison's head through his songs proves to be a bit of a demanding pickle. 

As usual, check this cool little piece right here, right now in the embedded track below. Don't forget to leave a comment!

Roky Erickson - Cold Night For Alligators: The king of mishaps spits out greatness

The Evil One - Roky Erickson - Taken from Bandcamp - One of my all-time favorite artworks!

I wasn't sure if I had to introduce our first pill of the day's mastermind, but a couple days ago while talking to a friend of mine, I casually mentioned Roky Erickson to exemplify how psychiatrists can actually turn an already troubled person into a totally insane individual. Her reply baffled me -Roky who?. Shit, it's Roky fucking Erickson. The main composer, eccentric extraordinaire, 13th Floor Elevators frontman. America's psychedelic music forefather, what some people might call a doggone legend. Well, shocked as I was, it made me realize that I had to do something to raise awareness of Mr. Erickson's Genius. 

Today's first pill is no less than Cold Night For Alligators, off of his absolutely amazing The Evil One, a compendium of top notch sci-fi themed, kick-ass Rock and Roll tunes. It's just that, good old R'n'R executed brilliantly. Guitar harmonies and solos, power chord riffs, Roky's signature squeaky singing and his somewhat cathartic, mysterious lyrics make this song a must for any music fan, horror fan or both! It's a darned shame he didn't achieve the reach he was aiming for with this innovative and inventive effort, but those fortunate enough to have been reached are left with what would be the greatest lost masterpiece of weirdo rock. 

Check out this fine ass piece of a tune right here, right now, in the embedded track below. Leave us a comment and share the word around, or don't, whatever!

Reverberation Radio: I know that I know nothing

Hey dear readers! For this beautiful Sunday I wanted to do something a bit different from what we usually do here, so I'm going to share what has been probably the best discovery I've made over the last few years.

Music is a huge part of my life, so discovering new music everyday has been pretty much paramount in my mind. I found The Allah-las a few years back and fell in love with a sounds that had eluded me for years. It's not about the whole surf/beach/beat/merseyside/country-ish kinda thing they (and other California bands like Los Growlers) have going on; Rather, it's about this pretty vague sense of longing and belonging, a sense of times long gone and mysterious values that you can't quite put your finger in. I know it sounds confusing but bear with me, it's pretty god damn hard to explain. I grew up on all the music you can fit into the Classic Rock category, and a couples years into my first experience, I heard Progressive Rock music. I was struck immediately by this pleasant uneasiness that to this day I have a really hard time describing. From then on, I spent years and years trying to find that sound, that inexplicable stimuli that precipitated such rush of emotions.

One day, I was reading through some interview featuring Matt Correia from the Allah-las, in which the interviewer called him a prolific curator of playlists. I thought it was awesome, being known for doing just that, so I kept on reading, specifically aiming at finding the reason why he was called that. And then I found it, this aesthetically brilliant Tumblr kinda blog with, by then, 200 playlists containing roughly 10 to 12 songs each. I thought, well, that's awesome, lots of cool music to listen to. I kept browsing the playlists and realized I knew maybe one song out of each. Just one. One fucking song. I felt as if the weight of the world was pushed into my shoulders. What the fuck is all this, and more importantly, why have I never heard about any of that?.

So I began, slowly but steadily listening to everything that I was unfamiliar with. To my surprise, I experienced even stronger uneasiness and emotions than I ever experienced before with any piece of music. What's all the more interesting is, it doesn't matter what style of music the song featured. Everything sent chills down my spine... So then, I realized, it's not about this certain, very specific type of music, but rather, it's a combination of thoroughly looking into the vast extension of the undiscovered and whatever feelings it might bring, and the certainty of that immensity. 

So today, I present to you: the undiscovered. Have fun.

Thee Commons - Wampiro: An exciting take on an exotic style

Thee Commons' Loteria Tribal - Taken from their Bandcamp

Aaaaaaaaaah! Cumbia! For today's second pill, we'll be checking out the intriguing sounds of this LA Band, and their take on one of Latin America's most wide spread rhythms. 

Thee Commons label the music they play as Psychedelic Cumbia Punk, and I couldn't agree more. It's as mystic as cumbia, as fun as punk and as experiential as psychedelic music. This particular song features prominent bass and drums, excitingly put together in a tropical, ear-catching, colourful way. Reverberated guitars are something that feels like home to me, and when delivered in this dub-ish kinda way, it sure as hell makes me go "Uh!". This lovely pill doesn't have a lot of singing, but little as it has, it's delivered in a great, very entertaining way and just at the right moment. 

I gotta say, this sort of fondness for latin mojo driven music has been growing on me a lot recently, so I just had to go back and rediscover a whole bunch of bands that I dismissed in the past. Luckily, that wasn't the case with this one, specially with this song; actually, it came at the right moment, right when my mind was open enough to get really excited about it. Talk about a serious deal, right?

But enough of this pseudo astral talk, let this be a lesson to yourself. Times change, and so do people.
Thread lightly, and while you can by all means stand by what you believe in, try not to be so categorical with your taste, it's always changing and -here comes an ugly word- evolving. 

Check out this little piece of my own personal experience with evolution in the embedded track below. Shoot us a comment if you've got som'ing to say!

The Murlocs - Space Cadet: Australia's space project comes to light

Holy duck, that's an awesome cover - Loopholes by The Murlocs. Taken from Bandcamp

All aboard! I guess... Welcome to today's first installment of your annoying daily series. Today we have a very special guest all the way from culturally rich Melbourne in your favorite continent, Australia.

The Murlocs were formed in 2011, proudly wielding their distinctive brand of psyched out Rhythm & Blues, featuring quirky-yet-inspiring harp playing, single coil bite in their guitar sound, powerful and memorable bass lines and fitting drums. 

Do you feel like taking a little trip out of orbit? Say no more: merging the best of black American music with the more polished California sound, Space Cadet feels psychedelic without resorting to a huge amount of effects, just using the power of get-you-butt-on-the-danceflo' songwriting. Soon you'll find yourself swirling around millions of shades of colour, sweating due to the intense singing (seriously, it just imparts power!) and mouthing harp sounds like an idiot. A happy idiot that is. 

Lasting just over 3 minutes, you'll probably want to replay it, so get ready for more. Don't wait around any longer and play the embedded track below. Start dreaming, star gazer! But before you go, leave us a comment below!

Mild High Club - Tesselation: Noir music for noir souls

Artwork for Skiptracing by Mild High Club - Taken from Bandcamp

Noir, noir, noir, noir. I don't know about you people, but I've always found the aesthetics surrounding Film-noir to be extremely appealing. If you're in this way like me, then you're in for a marvelous treat. This is Film-noir made music, and what's best, it's not like anything you've actually heard in that kind of movies. 

The groove, the smoothness, the velvety feel and the interesting harmonic background make this song a real standout in today's over-saturated music offer, because it still retains that pop sensitivity that is both alluring and enchanting. If you're into the kind of open, artsy songwriting that pullulated in the 60's and 70's, this is the right direction for you. As I've stated before, I hate to encompass music relating it to stuff that has been done before and the ones who've done it, and the beauty of this particular song is that I can't even do that, not even if I wanted to. It sounds fresh and original, even if it aches to decades left behind. 

I normally go for short songs, I like concise music I guess, but with this pill, I just have to go back to it and listen a million more times, because I can't seem to grasp everything the way I would like to. Yeah, it's that special. 

Follow Mild High Club on Facebook. Check this remarkable pill out, as usual, using the embedded track below. Thank me later!

Warm Soda - Waiting For Your Call: Sticky Bubble-gum Glam Punk for romantics

The song is off of Warm Soda's Someone For You - Taken from Bandcamp

Joyous things to behold abound in the mighty endless lands of the fairy tale kingdom that is the Internet. These guys I discovered a few years back while I was dangerously hooked on American power pop, with emphasis in power. 

Today's first pill offers a great deal of duality, combining the harder edge of chugging power chord riffs with genius melodies (for both vocals and guitars); frantic, fairly compressed drumming with mellow singing and the cherry on top: pinkish lyrics over a chord progression that would make Buddy Holly's crickets run for cover. If you've been following our previous posts, you should know by know that catchyness dictates what we share here for the most part. 

A couple days ago, one of my closest friends and I came to this somewhat obvious conclusion: While certainly all great songs have to be catchy, not all catchy songs are great. Well, this is a great song, and I don't think catchy quite describes what this song will do to your brain. Seriously, fucking stop. This has got to be one of history's go-to songs when it comes to holy shit get it out of my head. 

Anyway, you've been warned, click the embedded track below at your own risk. I know I would, I know you would too, oh-oh, oh-ooohhhh. Don't try to fake it.

Wyldlife - Trash: I bet you know someone who could use this song!

The time has come to Rock & Roll album artwork - From Bandcamp

You don't have to be a musician to appreciate the nature of the songs you listen to, but I think there's a certain sensitivity that’s necessary to embrace the experience to a full extent. Our second pill on this beautiful tropical Friday is another addition to our teenage angst edition. It’s all about feeling young again –or being reminded that you still are– and moving around like a banty rooster while wholeheartedly singing lyrics you can somewhat relate to.

Wyldlife is a New York band fronted by one of my favorite frontmen in current times, Dangerous Dave Feldman. This is a straight up Rock and Roll song that sounds like Rock and Roll is supposed to sound: it’s raw, uncompromising and fun, while retaining what to me sets great songs apart from where have I heard this before?, melodic hooks. This is a band that just KNOWS how to get you to fist-pump, stomp your feet and cry/sing the lyrics like a disenchanted teenage girl –Yeah, it’s that powerful– it’s engaging and invigorating. Never a dull moment with these dudes. Not one.

Give this songs a few spins and I guarantee you’ll be thinking of someone you could fit the song to. I’m sure you know that one person that became another one’s treasure now. Wyldlife are releasing a new album soon (early 2017) so keep an eye out for that. Also, find them on facebook here. Play the song below, as usual, on the embedded track; and don’t forget to comment and share around!

The Sloths – Haunted: Get Yer Halloween Fix All Year Long!

I know it's not the right artwork. Gimme a freakin' break!

Teenage rebels, here's a treat for y'all! Mighty 60's Garage Punk/Rock and Roll legends The Sloths are ready to punch your gut with this sweetly poignant rocker. Reverberated vocals? Check. Propelling bassline? Double Check. Sounds like and old 50's greaser getting his kicks on Halloween? That's a triple kill right there! 

What's not to like? One hit wonders should not always be dismissed, these guys are living proof of that. With a catchy melody supported by your healthy combination of power chords and open chords, single line riffs that would make the Ghost Rider jealous, and the eerie and overwhelming power of Link Wray's Rumble after a ton of your favorite holiday candy, it's guaranteed fun or an early grave. 
Get that pompadour out, fix your shiny patent shoes and wear your favorite Greg Iron's Devil mask and you'll be good to go. Swingin' and a rollin' all night long!

The Sloths' Back From The Grave is out on Burger Records featuring Darren Merinuk's fantastic artwork. Give these old farts a chance to be hip and follow them on facebook. Also, as usual, check this beast of a tune right here, right now; and don't forget to leave a comment! Or don't, whatever.

Stay tuned for more teenage-angst-loaded action®!

Boogarins – Doce

Boogarins' Doce Artwork - Taken from Bandcamp

Hypnotizing bass lines have always been my thing. If a song doesn’t have a memorable bass line, then the bass should cut enough through the mix for me to be aware of it without using exceedingly fancy audio devices (For me, this kind of songs are best appreciated when walking down the street). 

Today’s second pill doesn’t have that kind of hum-able bass line, but what it does have is a neatly put together mix, where the bass is loud enough to captivate and entrance you.

Boogarins is a South American band, from Goiânia, Brazil. What’s best, they sing in Portuguese, which I didn’t really care for before finding them. As it turns out, it’s a pretty effective language to sing psychedelic music in, and I found myself mumbling similar sounds (I don’t know a thing about Portuguese beyond cuss words) and thumping my feet along to the aforementioned soothing, narcotizing bass line. Something that I found quite curious, was the constitution of the climax, that is, at its peak, the songs goes into panning pandemonium, with various synth sounds that make your eyes roll round and round, in a good way.

Puff, I don’t even know where I am right now. But I do know where Boogarins’Facebook site is. Listen to the song on the embedded player below and shoot us a comment!

Temples – Shelter Song

Sun Structures' Artwork. Taken from Temples' Bandcamp

I absolutely despise using references to certain bands to describe the sound of a newcomer, or at least the sound of a pretty recent band, which is the case of today’s first pill. So, I’m going to try my best to avoid the –to some– shockingly obvious comparison, and start by introducing the band: Temples is a British band, and they sound remarkably British, and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. 

Shelter song is an ode to a musical inheritance: the key word here is, wouldn’t you know,  

n o s t a l g i a. Damn it, there it is again, it’s pretty doggone sad that everything that aches to an epoch of blooming creativity and confidence has to be nostalgic. But nevertheless, this is the kind of exciting nostalgia, if that’s even possible, that reminds you there’s still a lot to discover. Infectious, poppy, eerie, psychedelic, all of these you’ll find within this pill, it’s a great pill, with driving drums, vocal harmonies and lots of tension and release. 

I find James Bagshaw’s singing to be strangely comforting, like sunlight beaming through the mist. That’s probably why this song takes me places; foggy, gloomy places, but with a certain tad of joy that I appreciate thoroughly.

Find Temples’ album Sun Structures on Bandcamp. And of course, as usual, listen to it here! Also, feel free to share your thoughts in a comment. Come on, people, RANT ON!

The Hound of Love – If Not For You

Album artwork from Houndy's Bandcamp

Booty beats galore! Seriously, could this widely covered song get any more party-friendly? Enter The Hound of Love’s version of this magnificent Bob Dylan track (also covered by history’s most overlooked guitar player: George Harrison), a totally fresh and different direction from the country ridden original and subsequent versions –not that there’s something wrong with that– that will ignite your foot-stomping, fist-pumping, cheesy 80’s self back into existence.  

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, a city with one of the most vibrant music scenes of the USA, The Hound of Love prints joy and glitter with his range of synths and basses into his songs, this one not being the exception, and does it in an extremely compelling way. One could think this young man really misses the 80’s, despite probably not having lived long enough in them. But that’s the beauty about music: although nostalgia seems like a pretty silly word to use, it also fits perfectly with that longing sensation you get from these long gone times.

Oh well.

Before I get too philosophical about this, check out the song’s official video, from the album Careful Houndy which you can find here. Also, go on and follow the loooove on Facebook, and listen to the song –where else?– Here:

The Allah-Las – Catalina

Self-titled record. Artwork taken from the band's Bandcamp

Behold! The power of modes in music: a fairly simple chord progression sounds… different, haunting and engaging, not to mention it has beachy feeling I love dearly. This song has 4 effectively used chords, base around the Dorian mode. Now, I’m not gonna bore you with music theory on this blog, but if you’re stuck with your own songs try spicing them up a little bit like this! It creates a certain atmosphere that you might not be able to get using your run-of-the-mill major/minor chord progressions.

But enough of that, let’s dive into the song itself.

Haunting and engaging, alright, it is what it is, this is a marvelous song that makes you move around like a hippie; there’s a certain mystique, a certain vibe that I feel every good song should convey –not the same vibe, but at least something! – The Allah-Las succeed at it, championing the hooks and melodies (WHAT.A.MELODY! courtesy of lead guitarist Pedrum Siadatian) ever present in the California sound.

Follow the Allah-Las on Facebook. Listen to this beauty here:  

Bomba Estéreo – El Alma y el Cuerpo

Copyright license: CC BY-SA 4.0

New and exciting sounds abound on the internet, they’re just there, lurking and waiting for someone to reach out and grab them by the, uh… it doesn’t matter by what, what matters is that you’re able to grab them and make them yours, free or for a very small fee. This isn’t really a new finding for me, but it certainly is a newfound love.

Bomba Estéreo hail from Colombia, as you can probably tell by their Cumbia-driven psicodelia, just as they hit you with vibey keys, syncopated guitars and percussion, and gorgeous autochthonous singing  by Li Saumet, the band’s fiery frontwoman, which has a  very distinctive delivery aching to Colombia’s native coastal rhythms. What’s amazing is that you don’t really have to know what she’s singing about; she speaks right into your body and soul and sets your mind’s controls for the heart of the misty and humid tropical jungle.

Oh, the heat.

Catch their amazingly stunning KEXP performance of this song right here. Also, find them on Facebook and Bandcamp (it’s only USD 2 a song!)

The London Souls - When I'm With You

Photo taken from the band's Facebook

Chuck-full of soul in The London Souls! Okay, I'm sorry, that's terrible, but this New York City based duo does have that soulful Rock and Roll formula down. Just put together some fine guitar playing, punchy drums, a pretty convincing pop sensitivity, passionate singing and last but not least, some Beatle-esque vocal harmonies, and you’ve got yourself a magnanimous single in the way singles –in this writer’s very humble opinion– should be made: organic (ugh, I know it’s an overused word, but bear with me), well thought out and earwormy (Ok, I know I just made that up, but you’ll see what I mean once you hear it). 

Here in A Couple Pills a Day, we are softies, and we have a thing for melodies, so if you’re into that aspect of songwriting, this is a very fitting song to draw inspiration from, and believe it or not, it was released in 2014 as a single.

Check out their website here, and also, they’ve got the official video for this song up on YouTube. I love the Internet!

The Growlers – Derka Blues

The Growlers' Hung At Heart - Taken from their Bandcamp. 

Now, I’ve never been to California, but this to me might be the best description of it, even though it doesn’t really describe anything. There’s just something about that twang, the walls of reverb and the carelessly careful lyrics that convey a beachy feeling, nostalgia for a place you’ve never been to, and a situation you might have never experienced. What I like about it the most, is how casual and daily the lyrics sound. Don’t tell me you’ve never felt like a creeper for watching your loved one for too long, I know I have. 

This is a band I hold close to my heart, I love the beach, and having never lived close it, I need something that reminds of its existence, of something greater and unknown but yet so unnervingly simple and at the same time deep and complex. At the end of the day, it’s just water; at the end of the day, it’s just the Blues. 

Jethro Tull – Wond’ring Aloud

Artwork for the Tull's Manchester 1977 live Album - Taken from Mellow Records Bandcamp

If you think Rock and Roll in the late 60’s and 70’s was all about pomp, flair and self-indulgence, take a look at our first pill of the day. This scandalously simple –yet intricate– piece of work by Ian Anderson’s Jethro Tull (known for the mastery at the moment of executing their tunes) is ready to prove you wrong.  This beautifully crafted waltz-timed song just under two minutes, describing the everyday life of a loving couple, driven by Anderson’s acoustic strumming for the first half, and jumping into an orchestrated arrangement at the climax to give you that last push into the mandatory “why can’t I have that?” sobbing is a fine example of the way an outside-of-the-box kind of character would write a love song. 

Placed between two very upbeat songs on the first side of the record, it’s a breath of fresh air and a delightful variation of the general tongue-in-cheek sarcastic humor generally present in its precedent cuts. It is also great for playing in the campfire, maybe even getting to steal a few tears from the most worn out pairing of the evening.Give it a few spins to spark that love, faded by the horrors of everyday life. This right here might be the definitive sample of a feel-good song.