Memory Tapes Messes With Your Mind

Memory Tapes is a puzzler.  His songs kind of have a Caribou-y Hot Chip-y feel but then throw in a little Neon Indian and season with 80s pop.  It’s an interesting concoction and it’s been a chore to try to pin it to a genre.  I guess the term is glo-fi or “chillwave.”  Toro y Moi are in the same camp.  In this case I think the genre isn’t important.  The sound is diverse weaving from post-dilla beats, to weird Flylo-esque samples, to indie pop, to world music, to house and electronic.  Part of the fun is tracing the songs as they morph and evolve over their duration.  Listen to “Bicycles” and “Stop Talking” and see for yourself. 

Bicycle-Memory Tapes by TheBoyandColors

Stop Talking-Memory Tapes by TheBoyandColors

Summer of Surf Rock: Wavves, Japandroids, Surfer Blood, and More!

Summer 2010 is here and so are the music trends:

Trend #1: Surf Rock

Artists- 

Japandroids

Wavves

The Drums

The Soft Pack

Cloud Nothings

Male Bonding

Surfer Blood

The Young Veins

This list starts on the punk-ier side with Japandroids and Wavves, bands whose popularity among the likes of Pitchfork and Sterogum perplexes me; these are the same sites that utterly despise Blink-182.  Wavves and Japandroids have a VERY Blink-esque sound so why are they exempt?  My theory is that since garage-punk was so common and popular back in the 90s, it was easier to be "that guy" and rebel against it, listen to The White Stripes, and think you were cooler than everyone else.  But now that garage-punk is almost extinct, hearing a band like Wavves or Japandroids sounds fresh and cool.  But whatever, I've always been a Blink fan and as long as it isn't to emo-y I like the genre. More Kool-Aid!  

After that we transition to the pop-y-er side of surf rock: The Drums, The Soft Pack, and Cloud Nothings.  All three are very different.  The Drums are super upbeat with lots of energy and songs about Summer and surfing.  Soft Pack's strong suit is their simplicity; early on while listening I designated them the California-Strokes.  Now obviously, they're not nearly as good as the Strokes (most of their lyrics fall pretty flat) but it has that kind untampered-with, raw guitar-bass-kickdrum style.  It's quintessential "alternative." If The Strokes were from Cali playing out of a beach-garage in Santa Monica, this could be them.  Cloud Nothings is classic modern/indie pop music with 90s-style punkwhine vocals and an organ player, which is a nice touch.          

Male Bonding and Surfer Blood walk the line between the punky surf rock of Wavves and Japandroids and the ambient choruses of The Beach Boys.  On their respective albums you'll find fist-pounder's like Male Bonding's "Year's Not Long"  and Surfer Blood's "Swim," but also shimmery time reflections "Franklin" and "Catholic Pagans."

Lastly, we have the Beach Boys, I mean the Beatles, I mean the Kinks, I mean The Young Veins.  They are comprised of the guitarist and bassist from Panic! at the Disco, which really threw me off and predisposed me to hate them but after giving 'em a fair listen I have to say, they're making some pretty good music. They go full Beach Boys on their solid summer jam "Take a Vacation!"  Apparently, other times they're the Beatles or the Kinks, but really it just sounds like 60s pop... which in my opinion is a good thing.     


Here are the killer tracks:


Post Acid-Wavves by TheBoyandColors
Younger Us-Japandroids by TheBoyandColors
Saddest Summer-The Drums by TheBoyandColors
C'Mon-The Soft Pack by TheBoyandColors
Didn't You-Cloud Nothings by TheBoyandColors

Franklin-Male Bonding by TheBoyandColors

Floating Vibes-Surfer Blood by TheBoyandColors
Take A Vacation!-The Young Veins by TheBoyandColors

So there you have it.  Get ready for a summer of beach, sun, and surf (rock).  

-TheBoyandColors

Check Out My Buddy's Blog: Crustacean Cognition

My bud El Langosta just posted a really cool article about electro band Land Lord, Ben Gibbard, and NPR. Check it out here:

Crustacean Cognition: Back In LA! (LandLord EP)

Amoeba Records, Eli Roth, and People Under the Stairs

Alright, listen. First, if you live in the greater Los Angeles area and you haven't been to Amoeba Records, just do us all a favor and end it. Ok. You live in Alaska? I'm sorry. But then check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/user/amoeba

It's their YouTube account. Okay I was watching a slew of these videos "What's in My Bag?" Eli Roth, People Under the Stairs, The Black Keys, Mike Schank (aka God from American Movie), Demetri Martin, Ben Stiller. They're all talking about what they bought at meeb's. So I'll save you the trouble of watching all of these and post the things I found tizzy and swizzy.

Eli Roth-

Bad B Horror Movies that are Awesome:

Zombie

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080057/

Pieces

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082748/

Random Movies that are Awesome:

The Seventh Seal

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050976/

American Movie

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181288/

Watch American Movie. It's so weird.

Alright moving on. Next we have some musical recommendations from

People Under the Stairs-

Mixmaster Spade (stuff's hard to find, but an L.A. legend none the less)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvZdZsuzvoA

Nice & Smooth

	Nice & Smooth - Funky For You .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

And a Special Message From PUTS:

"F*** SHWAYZE!"

Here's what I'm diggin on my own these days:

Deltron 3030 Get the whole album! Here's a snipp.

	Del & Automator - Deltron 3030 - Snippet .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Suga Free-In Your Mouth feat. Snoop and Eastsidaz

CLICK HERE

The Great Escape

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkwmIDx9RwQ

For Roadside Assistance Press 4