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

MML Exclusive: Tomihira

Here we are at the end of another standard weekend away from various responsibilities... but this is no ordinary Sunday evening by any measure. If you are a regular visitor to our little corner of the music-blog world, you probably already know there are a handful of artists who are acquainted with/adored by MML and are updated frequently. Today's re-featured musician just so happens to be a good friend and, as a result, we all get to have a first listen to the new stuff. Tomihira is the long time music project of San Francisco, California based multi-instrumentalist Dean Tomihira. Our first pair of reviews happened in March and then May of 2006 with a more recent entry to follow again in March of this year. If anyone had a second thought regarding Mr. Tomihira's whereabouts, musically or otherwise, they can now rest assured that good things are well in the works. According to Dean, the plan is to make available one track per month until the brand new full length release, tentatively set to be titled Blackout, is a done deal. For more information, stop into the official Tomihira website or the Tomihira MySpace page to "add" for more compulsory music stalking, as well as a (new to us) Tomihira blog. This new pre-release version of the following track Memory Metal is perfectly warm and lovely... exactly what we have come to expect. Have an extended first listen...

MP3: Memory Metal

Innersky

Instead of our usual long winded drivel, informative or otherwise, and since the majority of tidbits we could find were only available in French language, we decided to present today's featured music on its own with only a few observations. First, let's get to what we do know. Innersky is an energetic electro-rock outfit consisting of founding musicians Jean Ousmane (vocals, guitar, bass) and Alexandre Pradier (programming, bass, guitar, synth) from Paris, France. They began writing music together in 2004 and eventually enlisted the support of fellow musicians Tony Ribeiro (bass) as well as David Laforge (drums), to complete the full band lineup. If you are already listening, there are plenty of impressive, yet subtle, hints of the band's mixed bag of influences including what we heard in the Sonic Youth guitar tones and later JAMC feel in the track In Space. To get the complete picture, we recommend a visit to the Innersky MySpace page for more music and a quality video that was filmed on a local Paris street. There is also an Innersky acoustic MySpace profile with more sounds and a ton of fun pictures of friends in sunglasses for some reason. Have a listen...

MP3: In Space
MP3: Watching

Skipper

While the auto (blog) engine is still warm, we want to keep things purring along in posting yet another artist from the Groningen, Netherlands based label Subroutine Records (Subroutine MySpace). Mike Schepers is the musician behind this Zuid (south) Holland undertaking he has crowned Skipper and the upcoming October 2008 release is set to be titled Architecture And Design. The featured track sent our way didn't actually hit us over the head with a shovel during the first few moments, but we quickly became hooked once the strings kicked in properly and the uncomplicated subject matter, accompanied by a catch-tastic melody, took shape... yeah, we get wasted on occasion. There are three more tracks for listening on the Skipper MySpace page and some of you folks overseas will be able to check out a live performance, as part of a Subroutine showcase, August 29 at a very cool Groningen event known as Noorderzon Performing Arts Festival. Thanks again to Koen of SR for sending the music... we owe him quite a few cheap American water-beers at this point.

MP3: Wasted

The Harvey Girls

So let's just say we decided to ditch our current existence as part time bloggers/full time office dwellers in exchange for a musical commune, of sorts, out in the desert somewhere in the Southwestern United States. Not that we would ever do such a thing (neither of us being able to handle even the driest of heat), but if we did, it would certainly include an effort to recruit today's featured duo to inhabit a modified school bus, makeshift chimney and all, to... aw, who are we kidding? All dreaming and half-joking aside, the once Lawrence, Kansas based, now Portland, Oregonians Melissa Rodenbeek and Hiram Lucke were first featured here in September 2006 with a follow up of the lovely side project Holland Buffalo just this past January 2008. This couple, known to many as The Harvey Girls, now has a brand new full length Circle Into Square Records digital release, titled Nutate, which is an excellent addition to the ever growing catalogue from two of our favorite musicians. You can listen to some of the new tracks while paying a visit to The Harvey Girls MySpace page and also download a ton of stuff, including some very cool cover songs, from The Harvey Girls website. Project after project, this band continues to hold our attention and make us smile gleefully, and that is probably the most important thing about maintaining this music blog. Simply put... we love em.

From the June 2008 digital release Nutate:
MP3: Hey Little Sprout!
MP3:Vicodin Casio

Dead Heart Bloom

This will be a brief post since the email inbox has been a buzzing little bee while we have remained mostly silent, but that all changes now with the first of a series of featured artists who almost had us overlooking their kind messages and outstanding music. In this case, it might have been the band name (I know what you regulars/dry-tank folks are thinking) but don't make the mistake we almost made. Take a listen to this New York City based rock quartet, consisting of founder Boris Skalsky (vocals, songwriting, multi-instrumentalist(ism) along with fellow musicians Paul Wood (guitar), John Hadfield (percussion), Nate Goheen (bass) and you will find a deep, rich sound that brings to mind too many quality influences to mention without exploring our entire catalogue from 20 years ago. The brand new EP, simply titled Fall In, was just released, through KEI Records, and is completely free to download on the Dead Heart Bloom website. You can also find an amazing amount of downloadable music and more information by visiting the Dead Heart Bloom MySpace page. The next live performance will take place tomorrow night, July 16, as the band lights up the stage at Brooklyn venue The Living Room. Oh, and before I forget... the new tracks? Here are a couple of them to sample and enjoy.

MP3: Is This The Way The Good World Will End?
MP3: Come Back

El Jezel

One of our latest discoveries, now that the move has been made from the urban core and compartment/apartment life of downtown Cincinnati, to the quiet, tree lined streets of Norwood, is that of not having to hover over our laptops for music listening purposes. A quick new setup enables us to drink spirits outside and do yard work while listening to music. Do the neighbors like it? Who knows, but today's featured artist was a great way to spend one of our first evenings outdoors. El Jezel is a shoegaze-influenced three piece consisting of members George Flanagan (guitar, vocals), Jessica Flanagan (bass, vocals) and Dan Killoren (drums) from Astoria (Queens), New York. To start things off, we randomly decided to feature track number one from the brand new full length release The Warm Frequency. I think you will find Glow to be a good representation of what to expect from the new album, and an introduction to the music we have been enjoying.

MP3: Glow



Believe it or not, my initial thoughts when listening to the first seconds of that track instantly directed my brain towards some of the later material from The Afghan Whigs, but those old memories quickly faded as the band's solid, and equally delightful, personality invaded our ears. Some of the other songs have a decided Yo La Tengo feel, especially when George takes on vocal duties... and that is not a bad thing by any stretch. Here are a couple of songs, one of which is a Breeders cover, that belong to the 2008-released Champagne & Cold Coffee EP. These are really nice.

MP3: Champagne and Cold Coffee
MP3: Do You Love Me Now? (Breeders cover)

Not that we can imagine it, but if the lead song of the EP were not enough, here is an excellent YouTube version of the video for Champagne & Cold Coffee.



The next live performance will take place Thursday, July 17 at neighboring Brooklyn, New York venue Club Europa and more music can be heard/downloaded from the El Jezel website as well as the compulsory El Jezel MySpace page. As a final bonus, the following track, titled Michigan, features George Flanagan on vocals from the Spring 2006 full length release Elements Of Being Put Together. If you didn't get my earlier YLT reference, just listen to this... Lovely.

MP3: Michigan

Surly Girl Parking Lot Blowout 2008

If anyone made the unfortunate decision to ask me about the current state of affairs involved with the music scene in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, I would probably respond with nothing more than an empty, blank stare or (at best) a second hand account of a band/personality that hasn't been seen or heard since $1 pitchers of beer sloshed off the bar at 1980s mainstay Crazy Mamas. The whole thing might seem slightly ridiculous if you consider that we are still domiciled in Ohio, and have decided to blather on about music from other parts of the world instead of our own back yard. This time, however, we had an amazing experience back home that we felt the need to share. After receiving a heads up from good friend, Columbus restaurateur and community action hero Elizabeth Lessner, we made our way 100 miles north to the third annual Parking Lot Blowout at her Garden District establishment Surly Girl Saloon. It only took a few steps into the crowd to find numerous friendly faces from the past, including Marcy Mays and Sue Harshe of legendary local band Scrawl as well as (yes the name dropping continues) long-lost acquaintance Will Fugman of the more recent reverb-tastic outfit Brainbow. After a few cups of beer and a walk around the festivities we were ready for what we considered to be the main event...

Great Plains



It has been almost 25 years since my teenage ass first sat on the sidewalk outside of the now long defunct Columbus venue Staches with stolen parents beers in pocket and more of grandfather's Dippity Do in my hair than I care to remember. Of course I was too young to enter the shows, but the sounds that billowed out of that front door still echo in my brain to this day. One of the more memorable people who stepped out of that place on a nightly basis was local musician/record store guru Ron House. Aside from being the front man of Great Plains, Mr. House also sold me some of the first music I can remember falling for (Death of Samantha, Tar Babies, Workdogs... etc.), so when the chance presented itself to experience his band once again, I jumped that very second. The above and below pictures, however amateur, are ones taken from last Saturday's parking lot event.



The set was tight to the point of throwing me back all of those years, while remaining playful enough to gain favor with some of the younger crowd in attendance who may have considered this day an updated, more relevant mini-version of what Comfest could have evolved into. You can find more information at an excellent Great Plains discography website, and an interview (from ten years ago!) with Ron's latest band/incarnation Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments. After returning home to Cincinnati, some digging was done and a really interesting article was found on the music website Moistworks. The discussion involved origins of the term "indie" and included music from Big Dipper (who we featured here and here) as well as Great Plains. We grabbed a couple of songs from that submission to share and hope you enjoy them. This is great stuff.

From the Born In A Barn LP (Homestead Records 1984)
MP3: Great Plains - Love To The Third Power

From the Naked At The Buy, Sell And Trade LP (Homestead Records 1986)
MP3: Letter To A Fanzine

Finally, we neglected to mention that the SGS Parking Lot Blowout was an all ages event, which allowed us to to bring along my quickly growing daughter-type-weed Abigail. It was especially cool to witness her excitement when she received her very first underage "X" hand stamps at the door... and here she is showing them off.



Big thanks and love to Elizabeth & Co for making our day a wonderful experience! We love you.

Kill Kill Kill

Exactly one year ago today, we posted a quick theme song for the 4th of July holiday before heading out for the festivities (pubs). This year, however, we've decided to throw you directly into the fire with a completely raw, unpolished new offering from a previously featured artist. We originally featured the music of Brooklyn, New York based duo Boy/Girl during Feburary 2007 with a follow up in early July 2007. Since that time, guitarist/vocalist Eric Stiner seems to have relocated to Los Angeles and is now exploring experimental guitar tones with a handful of new friends. Kill Kill Kill is the new project of Mr. Stiner, and the goal explicitly stated on the Kill Kill Kill MySpace page is to release 12 albums during the next 12 months. Eric's progress can be followed and all of the new music can be heard/downloaded by visiting the frequently updated Kill Kill Kill blog. If you are looking for any type of traditional song structure here, a mild amount of heartburn might accompany your first exposure, but if you can sit back, close your eyes and listen at ear-bleed levels, as we have been doing repeatedly, you will more than likely thank us for the introduction.

Enjoy this 4th of July holiday and the following 8+ minutes of fireworks courtesy of Kill Kill Kill...

MP3: Dirge

Bonus: From the Boy/Girl 2007 released Secret Secret Secret Singles EP
MP3: Rorshack
MP3: The Shakes

Oh, and.....
MP3: Feel

Alouatta

Another week of adjusting to the new house, with a weekend mountain of heavy-duty yard work to complete, left the both of us tired, absent from the blog and almost yearning for a plate of red meat for this Monday evening. Instead of feeding our carnivorous nature with unhealthy food, it was decided to post a highly palatable rock band from Sweden. Alouatta is a post-hardcore punk quartet from Stockholm consisting of members Karl Burhe (vocals, guitar), Robert Bäckström (bass), Fredrik Eriksson (guitar, vocals) and Zet Enochsson (drums). The band has a year under their collective belt with their 2007 CD-EP, titled Manos Arriba!, as well as brand new 7" vinyl single, aptly titled Animal. If you are already listening to the new lead track and are any type of early to mid-80s hardcore fan, you might actually find yourself thinking of some of the better moments in the career of John Sox/Straw Dogs... or even the FUs. It just hit me that way. For more new music and information, be sure to check out the Alouatta MySpace page and also give Karl a good kick to the shins for sending us this song... our computer speakers and ears thank him. The most recent live performance took place last month at a Kristinehamn event known for the past three years as Widow Street Festival, and there are European and US dates (Cincinnati??) planned for the semi-near future. Volume up please....

MP3: Animal

AC Berkheimer

Oh, we've been waiting for a few days to unleash this one on you. It really doesn't get much better than an easy writeup of a band this good... and we only needed to return to our friends in the Netherlands, Subroutine Records (Subroutine MySpace), to make it happen. AC Berkheimer is the indie rock quartet of Gwendolien (guitar, vocals), Valentijn (guitar, vocals), Dagmar (bass, vocals) and Remco (drums) from Rotterdam. The band has been around since 2005 and now has a brand new release, titled In A Series Of Long Days, which can be purchased by visiting the above mentioned links as well as the AC Berkheimer website or the AC Berkheimer MySpace profile. The following tracks belong to this outstanding new offering and don't be surprised if you hear anything from Superchunk (in the guitars) to some of the dreamy musical influences we love so much from the early to mid 1990s. The next live performance will take place July 6 as the band takes the stage at a local Rotterdam event known as Metropolis Festival. Have a listen to this...

MP3: For He's Not There
MP3: Ordinary Days

Disco Ditto

Often times, while sorting through potential artists for upcoming music on the blog, we end up choosing music that is not brand new. The songs can be a couple of years old, a distant memory by today's music blog standards, but might not have received the exposure we believe they deserve. Enter our featured artist-o-the day. Disco Ditto is primarily the music project of a multi-instrumentalist songwriter from Singapore, who is simply known to us as AZ, along with additional musicians Mar (bass), Bach (drums) and Fid (guitar) to complete the full band lineup. In 2004, AZ was an active member of the band Valium as well as Athena Flight. During the years that followed his primary focus on those bands, a decision was made to continue collecting thoughts and musical ideas to funnel into a new soundscape. You can listen to the results of his labor, over what he describes as a "busted" computer, by visiting the Disco Ditto MySpace page. There is also a Disco Ditto AMP profile for more info and music. From what AZ explained to me, we can expect new tracks in the near future.

If you have the chance, we highly advise having a cold glass of water or early cocktail while lounging out in the sun on any given grassy surface while listening to the following 12 minutes of music... enjoy.

MP3: Drift (live)

Bonus MP3: Athena Flight - Away From The Sun