Mystic Braves - To Myself: Join the garage rock madness!

Mystic Braves' Days of Yesteryears - Taken from the band's Bandcamp

We've talked about the importance of timeless sounds before, so I'm not gonna bore you with that anymore. Here are the Mystic Braves with a fantastic testimony on that importance (if you don't know what I'm talking about, please read most of our previous entries). 

To Myself is a great song, don't judge it solely on the times running, just focus on what it is musically and what it delivers. Catchy and haunting melodies abound here, with perfectly placed keyboards, interesting chord progressions and a blasting rhythm section. That's what Rock and Roll is all about. Sometimes you just need that, a friendly reminder on how music should bear no prejudice. 

As usual, check the tune out right here, right now, in the embedded track below. Shoot us a comment and subscribe to our mailing list. Stay tuned for more Dude, the 60's are gone action!

Reverberation #244 - Reverberation Radio

This week's reverberation radio features a tribute to Leon Russell (one of the greatest songwriters/session musicians of all time) and famed jazz musician (and also one of the biggest contributors to the mainstream attention of jazz, blues and bebop songs, performed by some of the biggest names in the 1970s) Mose Allison, who both passed away in the second week of November. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Listen to it here.

1. Leon Russell - Smashed
2. Mose Allison - It Didn’t Turn Out That Way
3. Mose Allison - What’s With You
4. The High Numbers - Young Man Blues
5. The Yardbirds - I’m Not Talking
6. Mose Allison - Baby Please Don’t Go
7. Mose Allison - Your Mind Is On Vacation
8. Georgie Fame - Parchman Farm
9. Mose Allison - Rollin’ Stone
10. Mose Allison - Don’t Forget To Smile
11. Mose Allison - Everybody Crying Mercy

Just to clarify, I don't have any participation in Reverberation Radio. I just love it so much I feel the need to share it with y'all.

Levitation Room - Reasons Why: More timeless sounds out of sunny California

Levitation Room - Ethos (from the band's Bandcamp)

Today's first pill comes from -to my judgment- one of the best records of 2016. Now, my list isn't really that hard to make, I've got a lot of favorite records, and those seamlessly change from month to month or even week to week, but this one has kept its status for a fair amount of time. 

As you've probably noticed, we're very fond of that kind of Rock and Roll you first heard in the 60's, mixing psychedelia with bluesy leads and jangly chord progressions. We've also discussed how for some people, this music might come across as derivative, but this isn't the case. Reasons Why sounds fresh and articulate: the overall sound of the song seems convincingly effortless in its execution, with all the right elements to transmit the vibe these guys certainly set out for. That's how you tell apart mindless copycats from passionate, talented songwriters. 

Now, to describe the song a little further, it's catchy, which is mandatory for this sort of music. It has a pretty standard form, but as it progresses, its intensity rises, peaking with a nice keyboard part that enhances the climax, leaving you breathless and eager for another spin.

As usual, check the song out right here, right now, in the embedded track below. Don't leave us a coment, we hate that, and don't stay tuned for more garage your way outta high school action!

The Reverberations - Outtasite: Hop in for the trip (back in time) of your lives!

A great album cover to boot. This is how you do things. 

The Reverberations play a style of music that some might call "retro" or "revival", but to quote Mr Nicke Andersson of The Hellacopters and Imperial State Electric fame, "I just call it timeless". That's the reason for the title of today's second pill, some people might think this is a trip back to simpler times, but I know with all my heart, because I've seen it and I've experienced it: this music has never been gone. 

The thing with this timeless style is that it is as good as the songs are catchy. If you're spitting out unmemorable tunes with a lousy vocal melody and no feel-good rock and roll attitude, then you can record as analogically possible and still not retain what makes this music so fresh and cool no matter how many times it's been done over. That of course, is not the case with this song. Clocking at a little over two and a half minutes, you could have the attention span of a mosquito and still be left with the savory lyrics in your tongue. That's what you must do right to continue to play in this style. The riff feels like home, the reverb drenched production is like a warm blanket on a cold winter night and last but not least, it reeks attitude. 

So what are you waiting for? Get down or get out. Go ahead and play the track in the embedded track below. Also, don't forget to leave a comment!

Tame Impala - Music To Walk Home By

Tame Impala - Lonerism (last.fm)

Kevin Parker's brainchild brings you today's first pill of the day. The title suits it completely, as it is a fairly upbeat song, which is great for walking, but at the same time it has a certain relaxed vibe to it that lets you know you shouldn't be in a hurry. 

As soon as it starts with its trippy intro with loads of synths and effects, featured in many of Tame Impala's songs, you know you're in for a treat; as soon as you recover, the song then launches into a fab-four kind of vocal melody. This is definitely a highlight in almost all of Parker's songs. They're catchy, easy to sing along to and they usually have this somehow relatable lyrics about infatuation and uneasiness caused by a lover or a crush. 

The rhythm section is superb, these are elements that are always impeccably executed by Parker. In my opinion, he's a pretty underrated bass player: most of his bass lines are memorable, way more than his guitar riffs, and that's what you end up humming to, ain't that great? Same for his kinda 60s-ish, wild approach to drumming, it adds a certain intensity that some modern psychedelic bands lack. 

That's enough descrption for it, experience it yourself right here, right now in the embedded track below. Can you hear already the fun you should be having?

The Rolling Stones - Child Of The Moon: British hangover from psychedelic times

The back cover for the Jumpin' Jack Flash singe, featuring our first pill of the day

It's a fun task, going through the Stones' catalog. There's so many different vibes, moods, styles and tones, you'll certainly find a song that suits however you're feeling in any moment, or at least that's what I think, knowing that to some, this band might feel like a derivative mess. 

But we're not here to debate the consistency and quality of this band's numerous releases, but rather, to enjoy one of their kind of obscure pieces. Today's first pill comes straight from 1968, and it's obscure mostly because it was a B-side to one of their most successful, well-known singles -Jumpin' Jack Flash- and while the A-side was some kind of return to their roots, Child of The Moon features some traces of their psychedelic wanderings in their previous records. To many people, this is a filler song, but to me, it's a great piece that showcases the transition between these to Stones eras. 

Brian Jones plays the sax here, proving once again his proficiency in several instruments. The lyrics are some kind of love-letter to Mick Jagger's love at the time, the widely controversial Marianne Faithfull. All around a catchy song, perfect for walking down the streets, singing along. I must add, I'm particularly fond for the song's drums arrangement, to me seems like one of Charlie Watt's most out there kinda parts. Brilliant!

As usual, check out the song right here, right now, in the embedded track below. Don't forget to leave us a comment and stay tuned for more crescent-shaped smile action!

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!

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.

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!

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 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:  

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.