Mikal Cronin & King Khan split 7"

Mikal Cronin's a busy guy. Last year, the young west coast marvel released one of ET's favorite albums of the year via his sharply melodic self-titled debut. In 2012, Cronin has already released one 7" via Goner Records with a second on the way next month: a split with King Khan & The Shrines for Bruise Cruise. Apparently the yearly debauchery-laden garage-rock fueled cruise down to the Bahamas also includes perks like limited edition vinyl. Check out both tracks from the split below.

Mikal Cronin - "Am I Wrong" (from Bruise Cruise 7")
King Khan & The Shrines - "Bite My Tongue" (from Bruise Cruise 7")

La Sera - "Please By My Third Eye"

In our current nerd dominated pop culture, the Twitter feed for Katy Goodman—the bassist for The Vivian Girls and master of all things La Sera—is a hysterical time capsule-like window into its consumption: rants and insights into everything from HBO's Game of Thrones to the graphic novel-adapted Walking Dead series and a host of shoot-em-up video games, some of which Goodman even reviews on her Tumblr. Why do I find that all so interesting? Maybe it's because Goodman—a tall beautiful redhead with an homage to The Ramones' song "Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World" tattooed on her shoulder—makes a living creating pop music. Where The Vivian Girls' brand of garage rock tends to polarize, it's easy to fall for the occasionally Pixies and Phil Spector brushed palette of La Sera. And the first taste from Goodman's second solo LP might just be her best track to date: the excellent, brightly pounding number "Please Be My Third Eye." Goodman's high and light-toned voice contrasts sublimely with the track's dark waves and washes of gain-heavy guitars, as it floats almost effortlessly over swells of feedback and a furiously fast assault of drumming. If "Please Be My Third Eye" is the product of embracing a steady diet of comic books and zombie killing, sign me up.

Pre-order the LP—out March 27th—from Hardly Art.

La Sera - "Please By My Third Eye" (from La Sera Sees The Light)

Hoboken Pie-Slicing Punks: Personal & The Pizzas

"This isn't fucking muscle bound fake tan guido shit. This is the real New Jersey. Pizza eating, beer drinking, chain wielding guido shit." — 1-2-3-4 Go! Records

Allegedly Hoboken, New Jersey-based, Personal and The Pizzas are a band straight out of a comic book: Ramones and Stooges channeling punks with thick cartoonish accents and undeniably catchy superhero pop hooks. Take the anthemic horn-blasted "I Can Read," from its opening comedic monologue to the roaring guitar riffs and beaten-to-death chorus, the track sounds like it came off the soundtrack to an 80s B-movie about dyslexic alien punks that can only survive the earth's atmosphere by consuming armfuls of pizza. Just saying. The band's a blast and I highly recommend picking up a cassette or some wax from any of the classy labels that have put out the band's recordings, including 1-2-3-4 Go!, Burger Records, and Trouble In Mind. Now go buy yourself a slice!

Personal & The Pizzas - "I Don't Feel So Happy Now"

Personal & The Pizzas - "I Can Read"

Personal & The Pizzas - "I Want You"

Spencer Dunham's Rockers & Romancers

Spencer Dunham of the Allah-Las sent over a mix of old reggae joints last night. He culled the selection from overlooked and forgotten vinyl records he discovered while working at Amoeba. I'm a huge fan of the loose and jazzy vibe of old ska and soul-brushed reggae—see posts on Slim Smith, The Skatalites, and Justin Hinds—and the Allah-Las' Catamaran 7" was Everybody Taste's pick for best vinyl single of 2011, so yes, you might say this is a bit up my alley. Here's a few words on the compilation from Dunham:

I was working at Amoeba for a long time and towards the end of it I was pricing bins of reggae clearance all day long. I would go through a lot of stuff that looked like garbage, but every once in a while I would find a cover that would strike my eye, often times with a Studio 1 logo on it, and have to check it out. I ended up finding a bunch of really cool Early-Rocksteady and Jamaican Soul records. For Christmas, I made a bunch friends a compilation of some of my favorite songs of love and heartbreak. Most of the records I got were pretty beat up so when I recorded them onto my computer, I added a smooth touch of reverb on each one to soften the crackles and make it all a little more dreamy.

Dunham's unearthed several real gems here, all coated in that warm and rich vinyl crackle and pop. I've been especially digging Tony Gregory, who seems to appear in every other selection. There's nary a detail about Gregory on the internet, except that he sung with The Skatalites and cut a few records at Studio One. It's a surprising absence and oversight considering Gregory's tremendously soulful vocal chops.

Download a track from Gregory and the rest of the mix below.

Tony Gregory - "Get Out Of My Life, Woman"

Rockers & Romancers.zip

TV Torso - "No Idea Why"

Everybody Taste favorites TV Torso posted a new jam to Soundcloud over the weekend: the sonically rich genre-melting gem, "No Idea Why." Frontman Matt Oliver—who also records a large chunk of Daytrotter's sessions in his Austin studio Big Orange—transmits his vocals with a generous dose of tremolo while pumping giant analog bass synths into this far out vision of pop music. There's a touch of Britt Daniel's raspy vocal delivery and notes of Oliver's former band with Bill Baird, Sound Team, but in the end, TV Torso is unquestionably its own unique beast: a calculated assault of rhythm, hooks, and dizzyingly nuanced layers of aural goodies. If you haven't yet had a chance to snag TV Torso's two rollicking 7"s or stellar 12" EP Status Quo Vadis, we recommend you pick those up immediately. Seriously, this is one of the best and most intriguing bands around.

Purchase TV Torso music on Bandcamp.

TV Torso - "No Idea Why"

TV Torso - "Elegy" (from Status Quo Vadis)

Gentleman Jesse to release second LP, Leaving Atlanta

Few records have instantaneously reeled me in like the fiery, sharp-cutting power-pop of Gentleman Jesse's 2008 debut, the cover of which appropriately paid homage to Elvis Costello's This Year's Model. Songs like "All I Need Tonight (Is You)" and "The Rest of My Days" had touches of everyone from The Exploding Hearts to Paul Collins, all wrapped in Jesse's distinctive musical personality: lyrically playful, rhythmically driven, and overflowing with fearsome and addictive pop hooks. Jesse's been quiet of late. He released two 7"s in 2010, but now it appears we're finally getting that highly anticipated full-length follow-up in Leaving Atlanta. The LP is due out March 20th, but you can listen to snippets of all 13 tracks now over on Midheaven. I don't know about you, but I can't stop playing the sample of album closer "We Got To Get Out Of Here." Get reacquainted with Jesse's goods below via a standout from his debut and a cover of "Connection" from scuzzy Vermont weirdo King Tuff's cult-classic Was Dead.

Gentleman Jesse - "The Rest of My Days" (from Introducing Gentleman Jesse)
Gentleman Jesse - "Connection" (King Tuff cover)

The Happy Thoughts - "One More Fish"

Thanks to a tip from the always tasteful Gentleman Jesse, I've recently been listening nonstop to the punk-glazed power-pop offerings of Indiana trio The Happy Thoughts. The band put out its debut LP via Hozac Records last spring and it's difficult to put into words just how fun, addictive, and charming these songs are. Sprinkling a bit of punk grime over late 50s and early 60s rock 'n' roll staples like Ritchie Valens, The Bobby Fuller Four, and Buddy Holly, The Happy Thoughts have created a crisp and unapologetically cheerful summertime record colored with frisky beats, handclaps, and sharp sing-along choruses. Fans of power-pop greats like The Nerves will find a treasure trove of pop treats here in this light, humor-filled, and catchy-as-hell debut.

Buy the LP from Hozac Records.

The Happy Thoughts - "One More Fish" (from The Happy Thoughts)
The Happy Thoughts - "Indiana Girls" (from The Happy Thoughts)

Luna: "I Can Hypnotize A Pancake"

Longtime Everybody Taste favorites Luna have digitally remastered and released the LPs Romantica, Rendezvous and the 2002 EP Close Cover Before Striking over on Bandcamp. Word on the street is the band may even try and repress a few of these classic records onto vinyl (we've got our fingers crossed over here). If you're a fan of the band's dreamy and mesmerizing pop music, former bandmates Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips have also been keeping busy as the duo Dean & Britta with the acclaimed and spectacular 13 Most Beautiful: Songs For Andy Warhol's Screen Tests, which includes gorgeously captivating covers of The Velvet Underground's "Not A Young Man Anymore" and Bob Dylan's "I'll Keep It With Mine." You can peep the Britta-sung cut of "I'll Keep It With Mine" below along with a remastered version of Close Cover Before Striking's "Teenage Lightning"—one of my all-time favorite Luna tracks, thanks to the gorgeously restrained guitar work and Wareham's wonderfully smart-ass deadpan lyrics (see below). (via Magnet)

"I got pills that make me cranky, I got pills that make me cry. / I have crooked information, tiny nightmares in the sky. / Rest your head upon my pillow, put my hand inside your pant. / You can have it if you want it, if you'd like to take a chance. / I can hypnotize a pancake, I can levitate the pope. / I can make your teacher crazy, 'cause it's all within my scope. 

Rest your head upon my pillow, put my hand inside your pant. / You can have it if you want it, if you'd like to take a chance. / Teenage lightning in the basement, teenage lightning in the night. / Teenage lightning on my window, teenage lightning is alright"

Luna albums are available digitally from Bandcamp. 13 Most Beautiful: Songs For Andy Warhol's Screen Tests is available digitally directly from Dean & Britta.

Luna - "Teenage Lightning"
Dean & Britta - "I'll Keep It With Mine" (Scott Hardkiss Electric Remix)