Merryweather – Space Rangers

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Yair Yona

How come Space Rangers by Neil Merryweather did not become a glam rock classic, deserved an invistation by the FBI, right after they finish their thing with Sopa, Popa and Dopa.

Neil Merryweather, Canadian bass player,  started a band in the late sixties, after quitting Bruce Cockborn’s band Flying Circus.
His early albums like Merryweather, and Word To Mouth were more towards the psych rock, but the two albums he recorded for Mercury Records that were releaed in 74-75 were just amazing glam/hard rock albums, with a much heavier sound.


Space Rangers (released in 1974 and sounds exactley like 1974 should sound) was not issued on CD as far as I know, and if someone from Light In The Attic is reading this – you get the hint.
Masculine guitars, brilliant drum/bass work,  strings arrangments, powerful vocals and one killer cover of Eight Miles High, and this is just the begining. The songs are so damn good that this album will be playing constantly in your ears once you’ll listen to it. \

Fans of proto punk, funk, glam rock and Mick Ronson – this one’s for you.

[Audio] Merryweather – Eight Miles High
Merryweather – Hollywood Blvd

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STR Mixtape – So It Goes

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Yair Yona

Been a long time since my last mixtape.
Download

1. Roger Miller - Me and Bobby McGee
2. Rou Smeck's Tropical Serenaders - Indiana March
3. The Influence - Dream Woman
4. Snooks Eaglin - The Lonesome Road
5. Israel Guion - Three Sisters
6. The Soundcarriers - Morning Haze
7. Mudhoney - Living Wreck (Piece Of Cake)
8. Mutts - Neon Lights
9. Chris Joss - Jha Mon
10. Gong - Oily Way
11. White Fence - Body Gold
12. La Nueva Banda De Santisteban - No Te Acuerdas
13. Ahmed Abdul Malik - E-Lail(The Night)
14. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Flavor
15. Paul McCartney - The Family Way VII
16. Psychic TV - The Orchids
17. Salena Jones & The Keith Mandsfield Orchestra - For Me
18. Steve Tilston - And So It Goes...
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Holy Rattlesnakes

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Yair Yona

That’s a nice surprise.

I stumbled upon this groovy ep by a band called Holy Rattlesnakes from Baltimore.
I don’t know much about them, but I really liked their sound. They are doing a nice strange mix between Akron/Family‘s weird folkiness, Animal Collective‘s electronic experiments (Like in “Call Numbers”, which can also be a lost Efterklang album. Just, you know, electric) and offer an overall Yeasayer-like psychedelic vibe. Put in short, they should move to Brooklyn.

They offer their EP for free, and I really recommend you to listen to it. I’d put a closewatch on them, they are influenced by the good guys, and every 30 year old single lady would agree – good guys are hard to find.

 

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Gap Dream

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Yair Yona

About eight years ago, when I was living in London, I went to the famous Minus Zero record store. One of the two Bill’s that owned the place, recommended me of an album by a guy called himself Orgone Box. It was his first album. That album, a brilliant piece of pop-psych became an instant favorite of mine.

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I love the simple production. Sound like an album recorded at home, or at least not in a professional studio. The guy just had songs, so he did his best to record them and that’s how it should be.

When I listen to the this new and really outstanding self titled album by Gap Dream, I think about Orgone Box again and again.
Gabriel, the man behind Gap Dream, used a drum machine and a home studio, to create really one of the best pop-psych albums I’ve heard in a long time. I can Definitely hear some of the songs appear in a new Fuzzy Warbles album by Andy Partridge or a lost, post Egyptians’ Robyn Hitchcock album.

Gabriel (Gap Dream)

Burger Records released this limited edition cassette (vinyl release due in summer 20120) and I really hope they’ll add the album to their Bandcamp page soon for all you fools out there who threw away the cassette players (me included). And if you’re going to their Bandcamp, don’t miss the label’s excellent sampler.

Meanwhile, here’s something to listen to

[Audio] Gap Dream – 58th St. Fingers

 
P.s. Indirect relation to the post, there’s a new Sonar show in the archives. Check it out and follow the archive for weekly shows about nothing.

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Glenn Jones Live in Tiny Desk Concert

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Yair Yona

 

Maestro Glenn Jones has played in NPR offices’ Tiny Desk Concert series. The result is of course amazing as one can think.

[More Stuff]

 

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Pete La Roca – Basra

Posted on January 14, 2012 by Yair Yona

Pete Sims was playing drums with some important figures in the jazz world. When he was playing, however, he used a stage name from his latin bands days – Pete La Roca.

Under this name he was playing with Sonny Rollins (in the late 50′s, including Rollins’ A Night In Village Vanguard, his brilliant live album) and John Coltrane in 1960, before he was replaced by Elvin Jones.
But aside from being a band member,  he was also a leader in two superb albums – Basra and Bliss.

Basra is a true Blue Note classic, featuring Joe Henderson as leader, Steve Swallaw on bass and Steve Kuhn on piano. A superb hard bop 1965 album, with touches of Spanish influences, mainly in the title track, some late-night vibes, and a great drive. For non jazz fans, this is a real gem. For jazz fans it’s a must.
Oh yea, and in 1968 he quit the music biz to become a lawyer.

[Audio] Pete La Roca – Malaguena

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