My First Days On Junk

We really should make an effort to check our email inbox a bit more closely, or at least loosen the filter in my brain as to what constitutes PR firm megamail. I received a message the other day from a friend of MML who just so happens to run the lovely music blog Powerpopulist, regarding a band we remembered (if only by name) receiving information on and unfortunately overlooking. What we mistakenly thought was another one of "those" emails around a month ago, now turns out to be something of a must listen for those of you who share our footwear-fixation when exploring new music. My First Days On Junk is a five piece rock outfit consisting of primary musician Steven Hazen Williams (guitars, bass, percussion, vocals), along with Colin Clary (vocals), Jason Routhier (drums), Jedidiah Mayer (drums) and Brooke Dooley (vocals) from Burlington, Vermont. They've been around since 2003 and now have a brand new, sophomore release through State Capital Records, titled No Order. If you are already listening to the featured track right now, it might be easy to understand our thought of any given late 1980s/early 1990s haughty traditionalist having an impossible time looking down the nose at this music. In the same breath, this new offering seems to present the perfect introduction for unfamiliar listeners to this particular genre of music. The swirling guitars that caught our initial attention are complimented by an equally effective series of low-key songs which are threaded warmly into No Order. For more raised eyebrows and perked ears, a visit to the My First Days On Junk MySpace page as well as the MFDOJ website is recommended. Have a listen..

MP3: Try Hard

The Legends

If you frequent the MML blog and just so happen to keep up to date with Swedish label Labrador Records, today's featured artist will be no surprise to you. Not because of any similarity in a sound that could easily be mistaken as having a nouveau-shoegaze influence, or even that the band hails from a country of choice for plenty of our content. Instead, it might be obvious (for those who have skipped ahead to listen while reading) that the combination of heavy noise and beautiful pop would be an instant favorite for us. There might not be any other way to describe the manipulated feedback involved in this track, other than something of a semi-functioning hairdryer accompanied by a coin-operated car wash vacuum cleaner, but if you can think of something fun we would be more than interested to hear it. The Legends are a nine piece from Stockholm, Sweden fronted by multi-instrumentalist Johan Angergård who started the band in 2003. Today's featured listen will end up being a single that is set for a release date of November 5, through Labrador, and we highly suggest a listen. This is beautiful noise that leaves us rather smitten. Enjoy.

MP3: Seconds Away

BlindPlace

As concerned as we are about the world economy and the ridiculous political stunt that was leveled upon our country today, by a supposed war hero no less?... uggg, we have decided to turn away and wish for a happy place we can share. Imagine yourself at an outdoor summer festival, cold beer(s) in hand, sitting on a lush lawn with eyes closed enjoying the music... now that's more like it!! Fest is an aptly titled song that was recorded, in various forms, for an EP and LP last year and the 8+ minutes of this instrumental track provides us with a much needed warm fuzzy feeling. BlindPlace is a four-piece consisting of Hiroshi Sanse (vocals, guitar), Koji Tsuruno (percussion), Syun Katsumi (bass guitar) and Haruhiko Sagawa (guitars) from Tokyo, Japan. There are a pair of additional songs to download on the BlindPlace website as well as some more information if you visit the BlindPlace MySpace page and/or the Pure Volume profile... This song is quite nice and the perfect distraction from our deteriorating daily news.

MP3: Fest

The Beijing Tangs

The Beijing Tangs have a name that might bring to mind a lost gang from the classic 1979 film The Wanderers or even a give the impression they are a slick-ass media-cultivated rockabilly outfit from NYC, but we can assure you they are neither. Bandmates Mike Parkin and Nick Olsen (sharing vocal/guitar/bass duties) started out as a recording project and have since added Mario on percussion earlier this year to complete a full trio plenty of you will be more than pleased with. The influences involved are decidedly shoegaze-era, however, an undeniable sound that falls somewhere between later favorites Ride and Swervedriver is what struck our collective fancy after a few listens. You can find more music upon visiting this Scottsdale, Arizona band at The Beijing Tangs MySpace page and there will hopefully be a website, at some point, to coincide with the full length release they mention is in the works. There is also the amazing possibility of of a split EP with previously featured lovelies Skylight and, to be honest, both of our heads would probably explode if that one arrived in the post. Let's have a listen... shall we?

MP3: Faster Than The Dream
MP3: Empty

Girl Loves Distortion: Debut Release

So we open the mailbox that barely hangs from the side of our house late last week and, after sorting through various coupons and credit bills, a package containing the CD we have been waiting for had finally arrived. With the brand new debut release, titled Earth Beings On Exhibit, from Washington, DC trio Girl Loves Distortion now in hand, a decision was made to do the unthinkable. Review this music in the car?? Oh yes, our trusty mobile sound unit (Mazda 3) was put to good use as our otherwise mundane series of daily tasks were fulfilled and the outcome was more than we ever could have expected. No, this is not a bad episode of Top Gear, but after starting up the car to the amazing lead track we featured back in February, a quick stop to the local fuel station revealed a JSBX-threaded gem in Luminance, while our extended drive to northern Kentucky in search of cheap cigarettes offered even more of the music we can now easily recommend. From the scorching guitars that introduce Earth Beings On Exhibit, with the track Transition + Resistance, to the ramped-down conclusion of Upstart, GLD maintains a tension that serves to remind us of the possibility they could become unglued at any given moment. This is a beautiful thing the hierarchy of new(er) Washington DC bands have seemingly forgotten... so a listen to the previously featured song is a mandatory refresher course.

MP3: Transition + Resistance



Earth Beings On Exhibit was just released on new label Etxe Records (Etxe MySpace) and is currently available through fabled DC label Dischord Records. You can find more of the music at the Girl Loves Distortion MySpace page as well as some insight into the dislocated honesty we have come to love at the Girl Loves Distortion website. Since the band was generous enough to give us an opportunity to post another track, we bring you a steady, driving slug fest plucked from somewhere in the middle of this gem of a debut. Enjoy!

MP3: Psychic Raygun

Summer Jets

It's hard to believe it actually happened, but those hurricane winds that originated in the Gulf of Mexico made their way up to southwestern Ohio on Sunday, at category one strength, ripping apart trees and houses while leaving a half million people in our area alone without power or internet service. We are grateful, however, to report that the new house was untouched and our internet service is back up to full speed in order to bring you a great band this evening. Summer Jets are the Bedfordshire, UK duo of Mark Mills (guitar, bass, keyboard, tech geek) and Suzy Mills (lovely vocals, bass, tech geek) who have been members of various bands since the late 1980s. If some of you MML regulars have taken the high road and skipped past my endless blathering to listen, the sound will be satisfying and distinct. 50 Reasons is the most recent track from the band, and it might have admirers of traditional wall-of-sound shoegaze raising more than an eyebrow as all out Lush fans will probably need to be removed from the ceiling of any given room in which they happen to be listening. Oh, it's that good. There is currently no website for the band, so you will need to visit the Summer Jets MySpace page for more music/video as well as their Silver Sound MySpace page where you can find an impressive listing of gear Mark and Suzy have commandeered over the years... check the blog section for sure.

MP3: 50 Reasons

Interesting Note: The last live or, at least public, performance took place just a couple of weeks ago in the kitchen of Andy Clegg (yes that Andy Clegg) formerly of The Chameleons (Chameleons MySpace) and The Sun And The Moon. I must admit that I was completely unaware of these bands before this post but Michelle assures me they were both well in circulation during her early 1990s tenure at Reading, UK record shop The Sound Machine. (Well yeah, they'd been around for a decade or so at that point! - M.) Anyway... Andy ended up providing accompaniment in the form of a children's drum set and we can only hope someone videotaped the event. We love Summer Jets.

Vox Von Braun

As we've mentioned many times in the past, Subroutine Records (Subroutine MySpace) is a Netherlands based label that we keep in touch with on a regular basis and there seems to be no shortage of outstanding new music emanating from their lineup. This time around, we have the chance to offer up a band we originally featured as part of our first Milk Mixer almost one year ago. Vox Von Braun is the impressive, fuzz-tastic collective of Wymer Vaatstra (vocals, guitar), Ben Wennekers (guitar, organ), Maike Doornebosch (bass, backing vocals) and Janwillem van der Veen (drums) from Groningen, Netherlands. The band has a brand new, debut, full length release, titled Something Ain't Wrong, and we can easily suggest a proper first listen. Here you go...

From the 2008 full length debut Something Ain't Wrong:
MP3: When Did You Become So Popular



One of the things we love about Vox Von Braun is the playful approach they take in recognizing their varied and semi-retro influences while maintaining a unique, strong sound that stands more than well enough on its own. For additional new music, you can visit the Vox Von Braun MySpace page and also check out the Vox Von Braun website. A very cool event will take place later this month in nearby Tilburg as the band takes stage on September 20 at the ZXZW Independent Culture Festival. As an extra bonus, the following is a live video for the track Julia... oh yes, we love this band.

Haruki

Another week at the day-job/office has begun for the both of us, and refreshed or content is probably the last way I would describe one of these type of days. Often times I think the music we find, or that finds us, is one of the bright spots that help us maintain a semi-reasonable level of sanity... and today's featured artist is just what we needed. Haruki is the experimental music project of a multi-instrumentalist named Boris from Ghent, Belgium. His impressive repertoire of shared musical endeavors with a number of international contributors, along with plenty of additional tracks from new and previous releases can be found on the Haruki MySpace page. From what information we were generously given, the evolution from purely electronic music to more of an acoustic sound (including banjo, accordion, mandolin and guitar) was a gradual and purposeful one. We highly recommend the following tracks and look forward to a more expanded review of upcoming music.

MP3: I Had It All Planned Out

MP3: In The Garden

Skylight: New Demo!

Around six months ago [March 18, 2008], we featured the swirling shoegaze-threaded music of Chicago, Illinois based outfit Skylight. As mentioned in our previous review, the band has been an on and off project of Perry and Brent since 1990 with the most recent core addition of Kim and her lovely vocals in 2007. Earlier this week, we received a heads up and access to some of the brand new demo material that will eventually belong to a yet-to-be-named debut release that will become available late 2008/early 2009. After listening, we had a difficult time cherry picking for a favorite since all of the tracks were amazingly solid, even if not completely polished, so we decided to post the first one we wrapped our ears around. To be honest, If there were ever any questions as to what exactly we look for where featured music is concerned, this new demo should provide an easy answer. As it turns out, the song we chose to feature was first recorded in 1990 and you can listen to that original version on the Skylight MySpace page. Now we need to get to business with the new music for you:

MP3: As You Leave (demo 2008)

As if that were not enough, Perry & Co. also provided us with an additional track from back in the day.

*Bonus MP3: She Got Lost (1990)

MML Update: Phillip Eno

If you are a regular visitor to MML and enjoy the darker side of experimental pop, today's offering might serve as another reason to explore and/or follow some of the featured musicians a bit more closely. Our original review of New York City based outfit Phillip Eno took place earlier this year in April and there are now two brand new releases to report. Blueprint is an impressive collection of new songs, while Maybe Tomorrow gives an acoustic look back at some of the band's previous material. Both new albums are freely available for download on the Phillip Eno website and you can also visit the Phillip Eno MySpace page to meet a few like-minded friends. Before I forget, the next live show will take place September 18 at local NYC venue Lit Lounge. Have a few listens?

From the 2008 release Blueprint:
MP3: Try As I Might (highly recommended!)
MP3: Your Name

From the 2008 acoustic release Maybe Tomorrow:
MP3: Dumplings

Kai Reiner

Our most recent (unannounced) mini-vacation turned out to be an enjoyable week with family in from overseas and some quality time spent mostly away from computers, but it really is good to be back with music we could wait no longer to feature. While away, I had the chance to take in a fair amount of lo-fi/swirling noise rock from the inbox which ended up being an instantly favorable series of spins and so, with that being said, it may seem strange that we decided to return with a crisp guitar-based indie pop artist instead of our original plan to come out of our corner pelting you with an array of distortion pedals... ohh, but just you have a listen. Kai Reiner is a musician based in Hamburg, Germany who kindly sent us a copy of his brand new self-titled release. After listening to several rotations, we will not attempt to paint this as anything close to complicated or avant-garde in any way, shape or form. Instead, what we found was a solid catch-driven collection of well crafted songs we can highly recommend from start to finish. For more music and information on purchasing this summer 2008 release, check out the Kai Reiner website as well as the compulsory Kai Reiner MySpace page. Hopefully you are already listening... enjoy.

MP3: Cold Summer

Eye Was An Ion

Where updates are concerned, today's featured artist finds us reaching back into some of the earliest days of the MML music blog, It was just over two years ago, on July 7 2006, when we originally presented what was then a two piece from Canada consisting of Mac Colasimone and Ryan Kitchen on the now dormant MML MySpace group page. Another mention of the band was made on our compilation post Celebrating The Duo and, since that time, there have been some recent additions to the lineup. Patrick and Martin (full names/instrumental duties unavailable) now round out the full band experience and there is also great news of an upcoming LP to report. This yet-to-be-titled DIY release, which we are only guessing by the new t-shirts to be self-titled, will become available within the upcoming month of September so it is highly recommended... no wait, mandatory for you dry-tank regulars to visit the Eye Was An Ion MySpace page for updated information on the exact date of release. If our first listen to the track I Will Hunt You is any indication of what to expect out of the latest material from this understated Sudbury, Ontario, Canada indie rock outfit, there will be plenty of additional updates and enthusiasm from our direction.

MP3: I Will Hunt You

The Black Watch

The fall months are quickly approaching our doorstep, but aside from the increasingly cool temperatures at night, the only inkling we could have possibly noticed is that of some favorite bands preparing new music to warm our ears for another brisk Ohio autumn. In the case of today's previously featured artist, however, an amazing summer release was recorded and we neglected to investigate the news... until a month after the event. If a day late equals one dollar (USD hopefully) short, then I am thinking we owe the band a 30-spot by now... but never mind all of that. Our original discovery and feature of The Black Watch happened January 2007, with an October 07 update to follow. From what we have recently learned, this long-nurtured music project of Los Angeles, California based songwriter/novelist John Andrew Fredrick (guitar, vocals), along with contributing band members Scott Taylor (bass, vocals), Rick Woodard (drums) and latest addition Steven Schayer (guitar, vocals) have a brand new album, titled Icing The Snow Queen, which was released through what I am guessing is John's very own label Eskimo Records.



If you are familiar with The Black Watch, and/or our initial shoegaze introduction, you might be pleasantly surprised to find this relaxed new material to be more along the lines of the semi-delicate side of GBV rather than any type of MBV experience. After listening to the entire new release for a few days, we can easily report Icing The Snow Queen as being a favorite new album for 2008. More music, past and present, can be found by stopping in for a visit to The Black Watch MySpace page. There is also plenty of information and background that exists for your review on The Black Watch website. For those who reside in Los Angeles, an upcoming show in the outlying town of Sierra Madre will soon take place as TBW takes the stage at a pirate-themed venue known as The Buccaneer on August 30. Please enjoy 6:32 minutes of a low key track we couldn't resist...

MP3: Quartz Pink Cloud

MML Update: Loyal Trooper

Just over one year ago, in the earliest part of August 2007, we featured a song from London, UK based musician Andy Walker and his music project Loyal Trooper. A few months later, in December 2007, we again felt the urgency to post a handful of Andy's demo tracks that inhabited our computer speakers on more than a regular basis... and with good reason. Now we have the opportunity to present a first listen to the full band/finished product of one of our favorite demos from that last visit. The Holloway To Beeston Express is what you are hopefully listening to right now and this is only the beginning, where news on today's artist is concerned. There will be a mini-album made available on September 15 as well as a yet-to-be-titled, full length release at some point during the early months of 2009. You can find more information and gain some ongoing insight by visiting the Loyal Trooper journal/blog and also make a new internet friend while listening to the Loyal Trooper MySpace page. This coming Wednesday, August 20, a live performance will take place at local London (Soho) venue Black Gardenia. If only I had moved to London instead of Michelle invading Ohio... we would be there for the show.

MP3: The Holloway To Beeston Express

The Salteens

With so many artists now escaping the traditional structure of annual release dates in order to reveal new music on a monthly basis, it's always a treat to find an outstanding band that has the presence of mind to take this trend and make it work in their favour... with two songs a month to boot!! I'd like to think we pay close attention to updated information on the musicians we feature but, truth be told, we have the attention span of a common goldfish and could use all of the help we can get. With that admission out of the way, we can now get to business. The Salteens are a five piece musical collective made up of Scott Walker, Rob Calder, Brent Follet, Kevin Cooper and Carrie Tennant from the western city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The monthly music can be found upon visiing The Salteens website and more information is available through The Salteens MySpace page. We've had the guitar portion of this most recent submission happily floating in and out of our brains/ears for a few days now, so here you have a good listen on MML...

MP3: All We Want Is What You've Got

This month, the freely downloadable dual release from today's band is presented as a split single involving a B-side in the form of a spinoff project, titled The War Amps, which includes Salteen members Scott and Kevin. Here ya go...

MP3: The War Amps - All This time

Bonus Video: The following is a YouTube version of a video for the track "I'm So Happy, I Can Dance" that was filmed last year for the Nick Jr. television production Yo Gabba Gabba. If you are not familiar with children's television and are sitting at a table with a gun and an empty bottle of whiskey, this is probably not the video for you to watch. If, however, an unimaginable dose of sweet happiness can be appreciated without question, this viewing will find you in a warm little place few can argue with.

Honey Thief

As is often the case, we found ourselves bumbling around some of our favorite music-related websites and blogs for news late last week. After checking into Bob Mould's own personal blog, aptly titled Boblog, we found some new details regarding the upcoming February 2009 release, as well as his usual and often entertaining handful of random links. This time around, Mr. Mould listed MySpace links for a pair of bands with no explanation besides a single word that followed... that one all-important word being 'shoegaze'. Needless to say, taking into consideration Bob's massive influence on the original crop of bands from that particular genre of music, we scrambled to check things out and ended up listening to an amazing outfit that you MML regulars really have to hear. Honey Thief is an experimental indie rock trio consisting of musicians Leonard Orozco, Todd Kreth and Kevin Hudson from Austin/San Antonio, Texas. The current members have been active, in various regional bands, for the better part of 15 years and have now found a common focus in their latest incarnation. Before a first listen, we need to ask a somewhat ridiculous, but completely necessary question. Are you ready for your new favorite shoegaze band? I certainly hope so, and think we just found our own in today's featured artist.

MP3: 7th Fold

In case you were wondering, the balance of music that can be found on the Honey Thief MySpace page, as well as the Honey Thief website is equally impressive and a refreshing fix for those not yet ready to give up on a sound that deserves every ounce of energy and detail Leonard, Todd and Kevin have put into it. The next live performance will take place August 30 at San Antonio coffee/ale venue Ruta Maya Riverwalk. Let's finish with another song that might give you a better idea of why we are gushing so profusely. Enjoy.

MP3: Beyond Movement

Many big thanks to Todd & Co. for getting back to us and allowing MML to post the music on this short notice.

Le Rug: Sex Reduction Flower

So the official notice needs to go out once again... Le Rug retains the title (dubious or otherwise) of being the most frequently featured music project on MML. It's been almost exactly one year, aside from numerous beers in a Kentucky hotel room and a January 2008 performance at Cincinnati venue Gypsy Hut, since our last visit with the band... but before we dig into the new stuff, and for those not really keeping tabs, here are some links to previous features that contain plenty of music for your review:

June 18, 2007 (C.R.E.E.P. Release)
March 16, 20007 (Bleenex Release)
January 10, 2007
January 9, 2007
May 27, 2006 (previous band The Medics)

Now that we have the history portion of our post out of the way; there is a brand new, full length release to report, titled Sex Reduction Flower (as a play on the 1982 Fall album Hex Enduction Hour), that was just made available yesterday, August 8, through NYC label Tamur Records. If you are already listening and are not at all familiar with this band, the off-kilter vocals of front-man and founder Ray Weiss might bring to mind an unsettling, yet suprisingly addictive tone that falls somewhere between Mac McCaughan and John Lydon. The accompanying musicians that complete the full band lineup seem to change with each new Le Rug endeavor (if not song) so there really isn't any current listing to give you. Just know that the new album, however many nightmares we experience as a result of the cover art, is an outstanding new take on a consistently over-the-top amazing sound we can again recommend highly. Let's have a first couple of listens... shall we?

MP3: Harold Camping
MP3: Hugo

Inquiet

I woke up this morning and took a few steps out of bed to find myself falling down an entire flight of stairs. After sitting on the kitchen floor, examining my body for broken bones and being attended to by my wife, resident editor Michelle of course, only surface injuries were found and a Monday of gimping around the office ensued. It could have been an awful start to the week had it not been for the excited plans we had on posting today's featured artist... so for now I can lick my my wounds in audio/cocktail comfort tonight, knowing you will love the sounds. Inquiet is the music project of Melbourne, Australia based musician Sam Szoke-Burke and the song we decided to present is a beautiful track that belongs to to an upcoming, debut full length release titled Inq Beyong. The entire album will be made available through the artist-run AU label Brother Sister Records and there will be a launch party at local Melbourne media bar Horse Bazaar on September 4. For more experimental goodness, check out the Inquiet MySpace page and an extremely cool world music blog Sam runs called Yawning And Balafon. Have fun with this one... it's verrr good.

MP3: Middle Of The World

MML Video: The Hectors

Earlier this year, on Feburary 13 to be specific, we featured the quartet of Robert Bonilla (guitar), Corinne Dinner (voice, guitar), Erik Greene (drums, percussion) and Jim Saunders (bass) who make up a Los Angeles based music troop known as The Hectors. At the time, the band endeared themselves to us with a recent EP, titled Sometimes They Collide, that had just been released a few months earlier through Tarantism Records. Thanks to a quick message from Corinne, we now have the opportunity to feature another track from that EP in the form of a video that we suggest for viewing. Of course, if we had our way, this video would include more of a certain Lloyd Kaufman/Troma-tastic feel to it, but since most fans probably wouldn't appreciate the band members eating each other's brains in space... ok, let's just say it's probably a good thing we are not consultants for this type of media. Anyway, there is more solid music to be found at The Hectors MySpace page as well as the most updated information at The Hectors website. The next live performance will take place August 9 at a local LA event known as Highland Park Summerfest.

From the 2007 EP titled Sometimes They Collide...
MP3: I Drove All The Way From Bridgeport To Make It With You

From the self titled debut EP:
MP3: Darren

Detektivbyrån

Almost a year and a half ago, we featured the trio of Anders, Jon and Martin who make up the Gothenburg, Sweden based outfit Detektivbyrån, as a highlight of our March 2007 post International Experimental 3. Several months later, in August 07, a mention was also made of their music within a semi-substantial music tribute we ridiculously titled Sweder's Digest. After a recent message from the band, we now have the opportunity to bring you some new, outstanding music from the upcoming 14 track album titled Wermland that is set to be self-released by the band on September 3. Before we submit two of the new songs for your review, it is absolutely mandatory that you view this YouTube video of another track from the latest release. The song is for the video Generation Celebration and you might get a better idea of why we are entirely taken with the idea of checking this mostly instrumental act out live one of these days.



Now that we've been sitting out on our back porch listening, with beers and citronella candles to chase away the insects our cats love to play with (*munch*), we need to give this new album a high recommendation. For more music, please make your extended first stop into the Detektivbyrån MySpace page as well as the Detektivbyrån website for downloads and further information. The band also has a blog you can read that is updated regularly. Here are the two songs we promised from the upcoming album Wermland....

MP3: Neonland
MP3: Om Du Möter Varg