The Tender Fruit :: Flotsam & Krill

The Tender Fruit is the project of North Carolina musician Christy Smith. Around the corners of the interweb, you'll read Smith used to date Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. In fact, as legend goes, she's the girl that broke Vernon's heart, sending him into Wisconsin exile to record his stunning debut, For Emma, Forever Ago. But of course, that's an oversimplification that ignores the gorey details of the relationship, which as fans, we'll never be privy to.

Tristen - "Matchstick Murder"

Driven by an irresistible galloping rhythm section and layers of sugary harmony, "Matchstick Murder" by Nashville songwriter Tristen is a refreshingly vibrant bit of folk rock that feels akin to pouring a pitcher of warm sunshine over your cold shoulders—a honeyed elixir proven to immediately lift the spirits. Tristen's debut record, Charlatans At The Garden Gate, is brimful of similarly rich acoustic-based pop music. Whether singing about delivering drugs to a lover or starving another of affection so she's "Eager For Your Love," what comes across is a confident songwriter with a voice as casual and sweet as it is tough and commanding.

T. Rex & Ty Rex :: "Salamanda Palaganda"

On Record Store Day, Ty Segall released a six-song EP of T. Rex covers dubbed Ty Rex. One of the most compelling covers on the EP is "Salamanda Palaganda." When the track was originally released in 1968 on the LP Prophets, Seers & Sages, T. Rex was then known as Tyrannosaurus Rex and Marc Bolan hadn't yet achieved the level of mainstream success he would later in the 1970s as a glam rock god. Here, on the bongo and acoustic guitar-filled "Salamanda Palaganda," Bolan was still just a psychadelic folk artist, albeit an exceptionally creative one. That's why it's so interesting to hear Segall's version, as it's the first time the song has really been electrified. Thanks to Ty Rex, this oddly worded gem finally gets the glam rock treatment it's always deserved.

Ty Segall - "Salamanda Palaganda" (from Ty Rex)
Tyrannosaurus Rex - "Salamanda Palganda" (from Prophets, Seers, & Sages)

Video: Blake Mills - "Hey Lover"

Blake Mills' "Hey Lover"—one of of Everybody Taste's favorite songs of 2010, off our pick for album of the year, Break Mirrors—finally gets a well-deserved music video. Directed by Nick Darmstaedter and shot on what looks like VHS tape, much of the low key video takes place in a Los Angeles ice skating rink with Mills—dressed in a Canadian tuxedo and cowboy hat—sauntering about with his acoustic guitar, shooting up some bad guys at the arcade, and even taking a few laps around the rink. Hello early 1990s.

Watch the video after the jump. Then make sure to order that "Hey Lover" 7" you've been lusting after from our Analog Edition imprint.

Paul Cary - "Goner"

I've been on a bit of a vinyl binge of late and one of my favorite purchases has been this split 7" with Thee Oh Sees and Paul Cary from 2009. Cary, formerly of the Horrors, released an impressive full-length last year titled Ghost of a Man, which you can still download for free at Candy Dinner. The songwriter's tangled lo-fi garage rock is spun into a reflective country ditty on the winning "Goner," which slowly crackles and jangles along with Cary's acoustic guitar and quiet breathes of trumpet. If you're inclined to go the raw and bluesy route, try the great "Iryna."

Buy the Ghost of a Man 12" at Stankhouse Records for a measly $10.

Paul Cary - "Goner" (from Thee Oh Sees / Paul Cary 7")
Paul Cary - "Iryna" (from Ghost of a Man)

Ganglians - "Jungle"

Sacramento’s Ganglians are set to return with their first release since 2009—the double LP Still Living, due out on August 23rd via Lefse. Today, we get our fast cut off the album with "Jungle," a track that boasts soaring vocal harmonies and sharp, clean cutting electric guitar riffs. Bookended by samples of honking horns and car alarms, the song—wild, psychedelic, and tribal in its chanted "whoa ohs"—proves to be a welcome escape from the familiar sounds of everyday urban life.

Ganglians - "Jungle" (from Still Living)

Au Ras Au Ras - "Jon"

Generationals drummer Tess Brunet recently posted an unmastered cut from her forthcoming solo debut as Au Ras Au Ras. I've been keeping a close eye on the project since helping Kickstart it back in October, and then perhaps even more so after learning Everybody Taste favorite Seth Kauffman of Floating Action would be producing playing on the record. "Jon," set on a train with a lovelorn drifting narrator, is a promising taste of things to come with a raw bass and soft organ riding on top of steady uptempo drums and Brunet's honeyed intimate vocals. More details and a release date to come. For now, follow Brunet on Twitter or Facebook for updates.

Video: Heavenly States - "Berlin Wall" (Feat. Britt Daniel of Spoon)

The Heavenly States' excellent new EP, Oui Camera Oui, received a bit of a boost when Spoon frontman Britt Daniel agreed to contribute vocals to the track "Berlin Wall." Daniel, a champion of the Bay area band, previously had the Heavenly States open for Spoon during a three-night stint at the Fillmore and proclaimed their 2010 LP Delayer one of his favorite records of the year. After the jump, check out Kristoffer West Johnson's animated video for "Berlin Wall"—which stars an egg-shaped Humpty Dumpty-looking character with Daniel's voice. You can also nab the free "Model Son," another highly enjoyable track off the EP.

Thee Oh Sees - "I Need Seed"

Yesterday, San Francisco's wildly prolific psych-rockers Thee Oh Sees released the first single from their forthcoming June 14th release, Castlemania. "I Need Seed" is a typically out-of-this-world acoustic ditty that features the John Dwyer-sung chorus, "I need seed, I need seed / Throw off the grass, throw up the trees." The 16-song double LP includes three cover songs: "I Won't Hurt You" by the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, "If I Stay Too Long" by The Creation, and "What Are We Craving?" by Norma Tanega. William Keihn makes a dazzling return here as Thee Oh Sees de facto album artist with the mind-bending, ghoulish, and monster-themed cover for Castlemania. My only complaint here is that the band didn't put the LP out on their own label, Castle Face Records. I mean, right? That would've been castle-tastic.

Pre-order the 2xLP from Midheaven Mailorder.

Thee Oh Sees - "I Need Seed" (from Castlemania)

Delta Spirit - "She's Not There" (The Zombies cover)

It seems while working in the studio on their forthcoming third LP together, Delta Spirit had time to crank out a crunchy and organ-dusted cover of The Zombies 1964 single "She's Not There." The band also recently launched a nifty new web site with a handful of live dates in June and a complete discography, which includes links to the bands whopping four Daytrotter sessions. Session numero four is a particular doozy with its fistful of raspy-throated, ramshackle, and raw Tom Waits covers.

Delta Spirit - "She's Not There" (The Zombies cover)
Delta Spirit - "Come On Up To The House" (Tom Waits cover)

Craft Spells :: Idle Labor

Every time I glance at the album artwork for Craft Spell's debut LP Idle Labor, I'm immediately reminded of the classic cover for New Order's Power, Corruption & Lies. English artist Peter Saville adorned the 1983 cover with a reproduction of "A Basket of Roses" by French painter Henri Fantin-Latour and a color-based code to represent the band's name and album title. On Idle Labor, a pastel colored bouquet of flowers clearly pays homage to both New Order and the band's then Factory Records home, but perhaps by being photographed through a window, the flowers appear blurred with movement from reflections of light.

The Echo Chamber: The Sound of Surf Rock

'Surf rock' is a term that's been misappropriated of late to describe the recent array of 'beach' and 'surf' dubbed acts like Beach Fossils, Surfer Blood, and songs like the Drums' "Let's Go Surfing." Sure, these bands dig reverb and linking themselves to the perennially hip surf culture, but this isn't surf rock. Or is it?

Little Dragon - "NightLight"

"NightLight" by Gothenburg, Sweden's Little Dragon is an odd but wholly revelatory amalgam of analog synthesizers, mechanical percussion, blippy Atari videogame sound effects, and sensual whispery vocals. In short, this is futuristic funk music of the highest order. Little Dragon has been playing together for roughly 15 years, dating all the way back to high school. But the group and its talented singer Yukimi Nagano seem to be finally getting their deserved time in the spotlight thanks to backing from high profile friends like Damon Albarn of the Gorillaz, TV On The Radio, and Big Boi. Little Dragon's third album, Ritual Union, drops July 12th. Watch the group perform the album's title-track on Late Night after the jump.

Little Dragon - "NightLight" (from NightLight)

Repost: Mixtape #2 :: Oh Sweet Sun

Because it's finally nice outside in Portland, Or., here's a repost of one of my favorite mixes from 2010.

A Closer Look: Bill Callahan's "Drover"

In a recent article for the New Yorker, music writer Sasha Frere-Jones asked Bill Callahan—the cult singer/songwriter of Smog fame—if he'd ever "killed it" with a song. It's a silly question, but Callahan candidly responded, "I think I killed it on 'Drover.'" For anyone who's spent time with his latest masterwork, Apocalypse, and its opening track, the songwriter's admission simply confirms what we as listeners already know: "Drover" is a career-defining moment—a gritty and nuanced epic that leaves everything on the table.

The nearly 6-minute long track places the album on a bleak course with a lone frontiersman set against the task of controlling a herd of cattle. The drover here is left with nothing but his own thoughts and "dreams," the cold barren landscape, and the beasts he's burdened with protecting: "Don't touch them / Don't try to hurt them." The scenery here is colored with sparse brushstrokes: first with Callahan's own acoustic guitar, and then a tense build of clacking drums sticks, pounding bass drum, and jarring distorted bursts of guitar. The whole scene plays out as if on the edge of a knife, nervously shifting balance between major and minor keys and harmony and dissonance.

The Fresh & Onlys - "Do You Believe In Destiny?"

Tim Cohen has been typically busy this year releasing a solo LP and EP on Captured Tracks, and now on April 26th, he'll have yet another collection of songs released to the public: Secret Walls, an EP with his equally prolific band, The Fresh & Onlys. Our first taste of the 5-song EP comes in the form of the reverb-washed lonesomeness of "Do You Believe In Destiny?" available below. You can also take a peak at the band developing the EP's voluminous and cavernous sound during the Secret Walls recording sessions after the jump. Order the EP directly from Sacred Bones Records here.

The Fresh & Onlys - "Do You Believe In Destiny?" (from Secret Walls)

The Limiñanas - "AF3458"

The seductive nonchalance of Perpignan's The Limiñanas immediately brings to mind a young Velvet Underground—albiet in French—especially the fuzzy tonal influence of John Cale. The drifting distorted guitars, the unhurried percussive stroll, and even-keeled vocal delivery all clearly demonstrate this group knows how to play it cool. Back in March, the Limiñanas put out a 7" on SDZ Records featuring the track "AF3458." The mysterious title lends itself well to the group's vintage and vaguely psychedelic 1960s aesthetic. Here, a march of drums, tambourine, and finger-picked acoustic guitar work their way into a hypnotic trance before a wave of electric guitar washes over the scene with a vibrant dissonance.


The Limiñanas - "I'm Dead" (from I'm Dead 7")

Fiery Furnaces' Solo Output: Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger

Eclectic brother-sister duo The Fiery Furnaces aim to put out a total of 10 albums this year: one by the band, 8 solo records by Matthew Friedberger, and one by Eleanor, who announced today she's signed with Merge Records. The siblings are both highly intellectual and a bit whacky—that's a given. What we've seen with their solo output though is Matthew lean towards a more idiosyncratic and experiemental sound, while Eleanor, on the freshly leaked "My Mistakes," goes straight for the listener's pop jugular with a razor blade. Is that a saxophone solo at the end of "My Mistakes"? Yes, you better believe it. Eleanor's bringing the sax back to rock & roll.

Eleanor Friedberger - "My Mistakes" (from Last Summer)
Matthew Friedberger - "Meet Me In Miramas" (from Meet Me In Miramas)

Dawes - "If I Wanted Someone"

It seems that inbetween recording an album and touring the country with Middle Brother and playing backup for the legendary Robbie Robertson, Taylor Goldsmith and the rest of Dawes had time to work on their own record—Nothing Is Wrong, due out on June 7th. This morning we get our first taste of the album with "If I Wanted Someone," which adds a bit more rock & roll edge to the band's already potent Laurel Canyon sound. "If I wanted someone to clean me up, I'd find myself a maid / If I wanted someone to spend my money, I wouldn't even get paid," sings Goldsmith with a bit of fire on his breath. Hearing the "maid" lyric and gritty gain-filled guitar soloing, Neil Young and Crazy Horse inevitably come to mind. But what's really happening here is a band finding fresh legs and fleshing out their sound with newly added weight. Like a boxer heading to the ring, Dawes sound like they're flexing their muscles readying for a fight.

Dawes - "If I Wanted Someone" (from Nothing Is Wrong)

Vacationer - "Trip"

Vacationer—a side project by the interweb's most recent viral sensation, Body Language—has just one song under its belt, but it's quite the impressive introduction. The electronic glaze and pillowy pop vocals of "Trip" sit nicely atop samples of squawking birds and howling monkeys, bringing to mind a humid tropical and jungle-covered destination. The warm and inviting tone of the track pairs perfectly with the band's motif of travel, presenting a potent escape for those of us still stuck in our cold urban homes, waiting impatiently for the warm glow of summer. Well, here's your first taste. (via)

Vacationer - "Trip" 

Denney & The Jets :: The Devils Harvest

What's so endearing about a grown man singing about his love for recreational drug use? Maybe it's the twang and nonchalant demeanor of frontman Chris Denney. Or the fact that he rhymes "cocaine" with "same." Or maybe it's that his band is named after the Elton John song "Bennie and the Jets." All I know is that "Pain Pills"—a three chord wonder of a song—has been on repeat in my apartment since discovering the track on Infinity Cat's spring sampler back in February. The Nashville label—run by JEFF The Brotherhood's Jake and Jamin Orrall—put out Denney's album The Devils Harvest as a cassette-only release in 2010. Whether channeling Gram Parsons or singing about George Jones, Denney's lo-fi six-song set of country, blues, and punk music proves this casual and rebellious voice to be one worth keeping a sharp eye on.

Buy the cassette from Inifty Cat.

Denney and The Jets - "Pain Pills" (from Devils Harvest)
Denney and The Jets - "Doctor Can't Take These Blues Away" (from Devils Harvest)

Eternal Summers :: Prisoner EP

We've heard these descriptors before: jangly, lo-fi, post-punk, deam-pop, blah blah, yada yada. At some point, these overused terms simply lose their meaning. What's important to know about Roanoke, Virginia band Eternal Summers is two fold: they know their way around an infectious vocal melody and they keep their instrumentation simple, tight, and straightforward. While it's fun to occasionally challenge yourself with a difficult band like the Tune-Yards or Dirty Projectors, as listeners, our ears go straight for the sugariest and sweetest pop melodies as if propelled by some sort of magnetic force. And the force is strong with the Eternal Summers. Their latest release, the Prisoner EP—a 12" to be released on the perpetually tasteful Forest Family label—proves that whether accelerating into high gear with the uptempo and contagious pop of "Prisoner" or laying down in a field of sunflowers on the drifting "Pure Affection," this simple pop music has serious legs.

Buy the 12" over at Forest Family Records.

Eternal Summers - "Prisoner" (from Prisoner 12" EP)

Shannon & The Clams: Fiery and Delectable

Over the past weekend, I fell head over heels for the early 60s-tinged garage pop and punk of Oakland's Shannon and The Clams. The group is fronted by bassist Shannon Shaw, also occasionally of Hunx and His Punx, and her confidant and sexy vocal chops lend this band considerable force and talent. "Sick of the dancing and sick of the chanting," sings Shaw on "The Cult Song," a simultaneously clever, hilarious, raging, and danceable gem that represents everything blog sensation The Cults could be, but simply aren't. Shannon and her Clams have edge and fire, and thankfully, they channel that spirit into the most blistering and delectable pop music.

Grab the group's newest LP, the sensational Sleep Talk, from 1-2-3-4 Go! Records.

Shannon & The Clams - "The Cult Song" (from Sleep Talk)
Shannon & The Clams - "Sleep Talk" (from Sleep Talk)

If you dig the Clams, make sure to check out similar sounds in our roundup, San Francisco Sounds Delicious.

Review: Natural Child :: 1971

The album cover for Natural Child's debut record 1971 sets the tone for this vintage and straightforward rock & roll affair. First, this is by no means a glamour shot. Rather, Zack (whose eyelids suggest he just came out of a long meeting with Mr. Bong), Wez, and Seth all look as if they've been called to work mid kegger and are being forced to pose in their parent's living room with the soft yellow lighting producing a warm glow of faded portraiture. I can't see a carpet, but my imagination is telling me it's shag.

Throughout the record's 11 roaring tracks and 30-plus minutes, a hazy time-warped feeling permeates as if the listener has been transported to a house party in the 1970s with pot and cigarette smoke hovering around the ceiling and plastic beer-spattered cups littering the floor.  That vibe is introduced as the growl of rumbling guitar on album opener "Easy Street" is met with a mantra of sorts: "Let me get that stoned / Get me a pussy shot / Get me a girl that's hot / Get me a TV spot / Make my record hot." It's as if to say, "Yes, listener, you're in for a wild ride." And if the bubbling bong in the track's outro or the 4/20 release date weren't clear enough, yes, it's time to break out your stash.

Guest Post: Folk Hive's Samantha Kramer

Let's be honest: a lot of music blogs feature writing that is entirely underwhelming. Whether by simply copying and pasting press releases or writing in vague language, the average music blogger is best suited to get his or her point across by simply sharing an mp3—end of thought. That's not the case with one of my absolute favorite sites, Folk Hive: you might visit at first for the music, but you'll return time and again for Samantha Kramer's balls-to-the-wall passionate, insightful, conversational, and hilarious writing.

So, let me just tell you guys what happened. When I was a kid, a teenager, an adult, a new mom, a significant other, I was obsessed with music. Basically that means for like, ever. I had this kid (who is so badass, he thinks we should name his banjo AnnaLee, just like that woman The Band sings about) and after that I did what people do: I started acting like a grown up. I stopped getting drunk on Wednesdays, I started wearing my seatbelt. I bought less cheap beer and more diapers, the former which can make one involuntarily piss themselves and the latter which prevents others from noticing that very thing, oddly enough. Life parallels, that shit right there.

I also started writing again. I started listening to music. More. I started taking it in and jiving only with what appealed to me and what mirrored my life. I started perusing blogs and I watched Almost Famous a fucking thousand-and-two times ("The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone when you're uncool").

San Francisco Sounds Delicious

For a while now, the music coming out of the Bay Area has been hovering around some level of greatness. Bands like Sonny and The Sunsets, Thee Oh Sees and The Fresh and Onlys—all written about in a recent New York Times article—play music that defies contemporary fads, standards, and to a degree, interference from computers: it's classic in every sense of the word, as if plucked right out of San Francisco during the sweet pop and psychedelic-infested 1960s via some sort of slipstream in the fabric of time. And these bands, along with the Girls and Morning Benders, are just the tip of the city's pop iceberg: groups like The Sandwitches, Bare Wires, The Mantles, and Sic Alps are all producing material of equal quality by the shovelful.

Because it's simply impossible to keep up with every little great band out there, I'm going to do my best to catch both you, my dear reader, and me up on the fabulous sounds reverberating around the various garages and warehouses within the great city by the Bay (and Oakland too).

The Antlers: "Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out"

Whether or not you were sold on "Parentheses" is almost irrelevant. Once you hear the emotive pop beast that is "Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out" you will be aching to hear the rest of the studio mix for Burst Apart, The Antlers' forthcoming sophomore effort. The track, leaked earlier today by The National's Twitter account, features a beautiful banjo lead sitting atop a woven tapestry of accompany riffs and electronic patter. But nothing is more potent than songwriter-in-chief Peter Silberman working out some serious demons with a giant and commanding vocal performance. Burst Apart is due out May 10th on your choice of format, which you can pre-order now. Check out the track below along with "Parentheses" and a lovely cover of The xx's "VCR."

The Antlers - "Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out"(from Burst Apart)
The Antlers - "VCR (The xx cover)" (Live on WPGU)

The Antlers - Parentheses

Los Gatos Salvajes: 1960s Argentinian Garage Rock

This record—apparently now out of print—was playing last weekend in my local shop, Mississippi Records, and I was quickly charmed by its sincere take on classic garage rock. Los Gatos Salvajes—The Wild Cats—were apparently one of Argentina's first rock bands, playing from about 1964 to 1967, and were hugely influential in the evolution of Latin American rock music. The band's own influences are the obvious staples of the time period: greats like Chuck Berry, The Beatles, The Four Tops and The Hollies, along with the occasional surf rock-inspired gem ("Ruta a Go Go"). I'm a sucker for music sung in foreign languages, as there's a certain romantic and hypnotic quality imbued in the songs when you have no idea what the musicians are singing about. For me, when I'm not discerning meaning, the pacing of the language and its syllables all become much more poetic and musical.

Los Gatos Salvajes - "Haras Lo Que Te Pida"
Los Gatos Salvajes - "Donde Vas"

Headed For The Ditch: A Tribute To Neil Young

Universal Electricity, aka the band Vacation, has curated a compilation of Neil Young covers featuring an amazing collection of promising young acts like Foxes In Fiction, Ghost Animal and Breakfast In Fur. Download all 14 tracks from the bands below as a zip file.

Video: Bare Wires - "Don't Ever Change"

Holy sweet rock and roll sandwich: Stick some glam, power-pop, and punk stylings in between a few slices of white bread and you have one tasty Oakland-based band, the Bare Wires. Excuse me if I gush, but I get weak at the knees when I hear pop music this economical and uptempo paired with vocal melodies this sweetly crisp. The Bare Wires, signed to John Dwyer of Thee Oh Sees' label Castle Face Records, seem forged out of the remnants of a 1970s jukebox with all the stains from years of spilled beer and chewed gum coming along for the ride. Whereas fellow 70s revivalist Free Energy sound fresh out of the wash, Bare Wires pay homage to their influences with a dirtier fuzz and lo-fi sincerity.

The Shivers - "Used To Be"

According to their press release, Queens duo Keith Zarriello and Jo Schornikow of the Shivers spent every last bit of their savings on a trip to Manchester to spend five days recording in an analog studio. While I can't speak for the rest of the album, you can certainly feel the warmth of that recording session on "Used To Be," a track that kicks off with the playful and bright fuzz of an analog synthesizer melody. It's a straightforward track, but in the best kind of way: one that reels you into its warm pop arms from the first sound of Zarriello's raspy and confessional vocals. More, which boasts a fantastically cheerful shot of Schornikow for its album cover, is out on May 10th.

The Shivers - "Used To Be" (from More)

Purity Ring - "Lofticries"

Purity Ring's signature chorusing ghost voices return on "Lofticries," the B-side to the duo's upcoming 7" with Transparent Records due out on April 18th. Singer Megan James and Gobble Gobble's Corin Roddick prove their no one-trick pony with a slow jam every bit as tantalizing and expertly produced as their much lauded "Ungirthed." These futuristic tracks are available on wax for European fans here and North Americans here.

Purity Ring - "Lofticries"
Purity Ring - "Ungirthed"

My Morning Jacket - "Circuital"

This morning My Morning Jacket released the title-track from their forthcoming sixth studio album together, Circuital, out on May 31st. The song does its best to capture the live presence of the band, building off a muted guitar riff into a giant and celebratory arrangement with Jim James howling his way through the waves of sound. We also get our first look at the album cover, which looks like the sort of backdrop one might see on stage at an MMJ concert: a bizarre and possibly drug-fueled combination of a green eye, spaceship, and a Secret of The Ooze lathered piece of vinyl. You can now pre-order the album in various formats here. Download the track after the jump for the price of an email.