Podcast - Record Store Day is coming

We talk about the Insound Fresh & Onlys clear exclusive preorder and the Mexican Summer one which comes with a single. Third man insanity for Record Store Day. Our plans for waiting in line and a few of our picks. Tyler from TRAGWAG is cutting records in Brooklyn at Human Head Records. A crazy collaboration on Temporary Residence with Eluvium and Explosions in the Sky called Inventions. A new one on Light in the Attic from a '70s Sabbath cover band, Iron Claw. Bands that 'caught RUSH' and how I describe records by the cover and can't remember anything else about them.

My pick this week is Tony Molina's reissued full length on Slumberland Records.

Darrens pick is Mikal Cronin and Wand split on Famous Class Records.

Listen/Download over here.

New record from VOSR - Shockwave Riderz out April 25th.

Dimples on Mexican Summer

I remember my friend Travis buying an album from Dimples at the salvation army, based mostly on the sleeve, which was a suave African American gentleman in a yellow suit with dimples... and someone was pointing at them. It was the most ridiculous thing we'd ever seen. Was it a concept album? A kids record? You can't possibly take this guy seriously. I don't think I ever listened to it, but you had to buy it. 10 years later Richard 'Dimples' Fields is back! On Mexican Summer!

Dimples latest incarnation is a huge departure from early Dimples R&B, this sounds like a terrible LSD freakout in the desert, '60s...like Wounded Lion fronted by a drunk Jim Belushi, (is there any other kind?) or Make Up's Ian Svenonius. This guy has some god dam personality, the vocals are such a fantastic mess, it's one thing to have a psyche-influenced jam rock sound, but he would sound great over anything. He can pull of this laid back, almost lounge Motorhead sound...I just want to hear more. It's bluesy, even Silver Jews, full of messed up soul. They're taking the falling apart so seriously.
The lyrics are out of control...he's got to be the complete package to pull off this narrative on 'Professional Violence'...there's saxophones, kazoo's...it's classic sleaze rock. I'm so impressed they didn't add any effects on the vocals, but they know they don't need a god dam thing.

Then they went as far as to take back the Dimples name for christ sake...this makes perfect sense. They'll make you a believer.

Dimples presents a marrow-deep comprehension of rock’s most striking moves, strips them of their parts and leaves them up on blocks, as a warning. “I Can Feel You” chugs and chings through a nervy, slicked-down run through West Coast punk delinquency; “Heaven Blotted Regions” throws out the band and leaves Parme alone with a guitar and a drum machine, ripping out the sort of sleazy, Leisure Suit Larry-esque, yet highly personal ballad that sticks to the wall with effortless attitude. Two great goddamn songs.

From Mexican Summer....are they psychic?

jacuzzi Boys on Mexican Summer Records

I don't know who is running Mexican Summer, but they obviously have unlimited resources and know a lot of damn good bands. Ariel Pink, Kurt Vile, Real Estate...it's getting to the point where I hear about a Mexican Summer release and I have to check my paypal balance. I know 2 things: it's going to be kick ass color vinyl in a heavy cardstock sleeve and... it won't be around very long.
Just heard about this the other day from Weekly Tape Deck and I hope it's not too late to pick this up. Jacuzzi boys have seemed from the very beginning like they were doing things on their own terms...from the middle of Florida. (Thank god for Floridas Dying or we would have never heard of these guys by the way) They're not really influenced by any kind of underground Florida scene...they are the only garage Florida scene that I've heard of anyway. Who's to say there couldn't be a third kind of coast with their own take on surf, psyche and garage.....well here they are.
They sound like they're combining a kind of snotty, who cares punk with a little who cares surf...with a minor in the Velvet Underground...repeat the chords, that simplified electric. It's a kind of laid back single... all I know is the Island Ave single ended up getting played a lot, and I want another one.

Order from Mexican Summer.

Born of the swamp and sun in early 2007, the music of the Jacuzzi Boys roosts like a bad vulture somewhere between the hazy shade of the coconut palm and the fevered neon of the Magic City. This is raucous pop of the murkiest order—jangling guitars, caveman drums, and songs of sex and seashells, dead animals and birthday cakes. Dragging behind in their dusty wake, the Jacuzzi Boys come bearing a string of 7″ singles that did nothing if not forecast the twelve-song tornado that is their debut LP, No Seasons. If 2009 was any indication, 2010 is the year the Jacuzzi Boys come busting out of the tropics, naked as the gator and twice as toothy.

John Carpenter on mexican summer

I have to admit I know nothing about John Carpenter, but Mexican Summer has had a string of amazing releases...all drool worthy packaging and always low pressings from Kurt Vile and Ariel Pink so I've been keeping them on my radar so I don't miss out on the next anything they put out.
Both of these tracks previously were on a self released EP, but since have been pulled for this single. They're both available on his myspace page, the first, The Seasons is super split left and right. I was half listening at first so I could still hear things around me...ha, and I missed the whole right side bassline, which actually sound like it's an electric, then the drums are all left channel? That's crazy...I like it, and maybe it's myspace? It better not be. It's reverb, slightly surf, dark psyche-60's Velvets guitar. Repeating, heavy effects on the vocals, they're still really clear, just way back in the mix.
The channel separation makes it sound like there are two separate competing songs coming together. I'm getting a late 60's Doors kind of thing here when he starts yelling for a second, or Scott Walker definitely...or even Mark Lannegan, not as defined a voice, upfront dark blues, but something like that.
'Haunt My Home' continues the crazy separation, the guitar on bassline is in the right channel and it's super warm sounding, I want to turn this up. You know those subtle really full sounding tracks that get better really loud. He's really mixed far back there at some points and then Leonard Cohen's you with some deep whispering. John Carpenter has a rock solid vision of what he's about and you can pretty much be sure of the consistency and where it might be going. He's got that disturbed, loner singer songwriter thing...

It's all pretty dark, maybe because it's just unusual in the landscape of weirdo/garage/noise that comes out daily.

From Mexican Summer Records.

Ariel Pink w/Haunted Graffiti on Mexican summer records

"Can't Hear My Eyes" b/w "Evolution's A Lie"

7" SINGLE - LIMITED EDITION OF 500

"hello friend. My name is Ariel Pink. You've probably read my name online somewhere, maybe your best friend burned you some of my older records, or perhaps you even think we've met at some time in the past. Baloney! Everything you think you know is WRONG- DEAD WRONG. THIS is me, naked, without the buffer of awful tape noise drowning out any lack of vision."

Of course I want to hear Ariel Pink without the hiss and low-fi of past efforts. The earwax burned from my ears, the pop of air pressure. This stuff sounds like it's meant for orchestral 24 track expanse, no expenses spared for studio musicians, equipment rental. I know I would want that to happen eventually. Give him the freedom to explore any and every possibility he was interested in. I absolutely support that direction with this latest single and that definitive direction I can imagine he has. This is not an indecisive person.
That's the great thing about progress...the inexpensive option for the artist to get 'discovered' whatever that means in this day and age....but the ability to release that genius, to get it down on paper, it's not lost forever. It will be found on a myspace and then let loose in a much bigger way. I'm all for it, as dangerous a road as it might be for the sound...well dangerous is wrong, I guess unfamiliar.... It's not what I liked initially about it but I know that's where it has to go in the end. I'm on board for whatever ride Ariel is going to take me on...especially if it involves a 7" disc of vinyl.

A rare tracks compilation 94-08 LP is available from Vinyl International. Pick that up on pink vinyl as well.

This single from Mexican Summer on Parasol (completely reasonable for $4.25):

Ariel Pink w/Haunted Graffiti
Can't Hear My Eyes (PRE-ORDER: SALEABLE DECEMBER 9TH)
PS, US What better way to ring in the holidays than with two new cuts from Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti. This new materialconstitutes the FIRST studio recordings with the full band. This 7" is limited to 500 copies, so act quick! The band features keyboardist Kenny Gilmore (Lilys), bassist Tim Koh (White Magic, All Night Radio), drummer Aaron Sperske (Beachwood Sparks, Lilys), and guitarist Cole M. Greif-Neill (The Samps).
MexicanSummer
45
$4.25

Mexican Summer records, a new find thanks to Ariel, has a pretty amazing subscription series involving 7"'s, LP's, picture discs and double gatefold LP's...all curated by MS, with acts like Black Moth Super Rainbow and Dungen...plus holiday stuff...crazy. I think it's $80 for 4 months or something like that....