The Zoltars "Walking Through The Dark" on CQ Records

Jared from The Zoltars is a master of simple melody, he knows exactly how to slowly reveal the tracks on "Walking Through The Dark" without great fanfare in an attempt to seem smarter than everyone else in the room, even if he is.
This album has much more space than his pervious full length Should I Try Once More. There’s a much grander sense of space, his themes continue to explore everyday and mundane but this underlying huge sound builds like a backwards ripple growing larger the more time passes.
It's just not a happy record.
The Zoltars wallow in those mellow feelings of depair without getting morbid - far from it - they seems to be able to be ok with sharing this internal battle ending up with great tracks from doubt and failure.

“Here In My Room” begins the album with a lament to staying inside - and he’s torn, like most sentiments on this record. The narrator knows it's good for him but he still can’t bring himself to get out the door. Jared makes it sound great though, his solemn piano strikes echoing throughout this space. The massive guitars and chorus feel like an internal revelation. This becomes important, this simple act of leaving a house is a labored over decision. Nothing can be taken lightly and the first track places this far away from the carefree summer pop caregory, far away from lush psych harmonies and fuzzy guitars. "Fear Not Death" is their trademark somber sound. The way this vocal is distanced and barely sung as if he's going to make the absolute least amount of effort to deliver this. The melody is strong and thought out but he’ll be damned if it's going to be given up that easily, giving you all the clues you need. He's harmonizing with himself in the haziest slow motion blur psych rooted in the Velvet Underground repetition. Picking abnormal rhythms and sticking them out long enough until they're something else. "Don't Want You To Go Away" opens on a slow, brushed electric with long reverb piano strikes that are so specific to them. There’s no one else that would go straight for this forlorn sound nailing down this unique take on melancholy. Like a goth Real Estate The Zoltars are a textbook example for not blasting away as fast and hard as possible to evoke emotion. He's got me second guessing all kinds of punk records, his fragile vocal almost disappearing in these melodies. He can do incredible things with hardly anything, the sign of a great songwriter. Every instinct is to pour it on and he takes it all away.

"I Was Outside" finally makes it out the door, hardly singing with the instrumentation drowned into the background. Gently pressed keys on a piano and the backup vocal fades in not breaking in on the moment. You're leaning in - "All my favorite people are dead?" You get that feeling like on Antenna to the Afterworld, this record can't help but avoid the gushing, flowery psych and embrace a dark place that's inspiring even if it’s not going to get you out of bed. You just want to stay under Jared’s smothering, heavy warm blanket. The last track, "Walking Through The Dark" is a lullaby, an old folksong that sums this all up, and I'm talking about more than just a record. Sometimes you are just that clueless, jumping headfirst into a relationship or starting a family. And you have to move forward blindly, not thinking about it too much. It's not faith, I don't get a religious sensibility from the Zoltars, I don't think they think there’s a higher power at work it’s instead looking inside to find the things that keep you going every day.

Get this from CQ Records.

Broncho "It's On" on CQ Records

Sometimes all it takes is the strength of a single song that can have you looking for a full length before it's even over. "It's On" from Broncho on CQ Records is that song you can spend all night playing on repeat, never even making it to the B-Side, the layers slowly revealing themselves. There's a cool, dorkyness to the way the vocals unfold about bellbottoms and cocktails, none of it should sound as good as it does. I don't know exactly what he's even talking about sometimes, but that's my fault I'm sure of it. The title lyric becomes a crazy anthem about making something happen out of three chords. A perfect two and a half minutes. On A-Side's "It's On" sticks count off to heavily gated power guitar, one of those loose riffs combined with a stutter rhythm - there's no way this isn't going to get you. When Ryan comes in with that nasally vocal wading in a shallow echo it immediately becomes an update on the Feelies or The Embarrassment. Between his verses the rhythm doubles up with vocals about going to LA and having Manhattans, pulling off his burden of cool like Matty from the Soft Pack. They repeatedly let things breathe, allowing for space in this, crafting a song that drives itself. I think CQ should be coming out with another full length from these guys soon? If you try to bum me out - it's on. A track made for the A-Side, this is why the format exists, you're going to want to hear this right away, that's all there is to it. B-Side I love you but there's no way you're better than this.

B-Side "Kurt" takes things into a steadier rhythm with anther great depth of echo, not that far back but not human, a sexy robot that keeps shifting turning metallic. Ryan works his weird seductive sound, the guitars cutting a wide pop path with a smooth psych rock sound. Multiple hazy vocals swirling around this instrumentation that isn't psych after all, the guitars are tight, the drums perfectly mic'd. Eventually the giuitar has a weird mental breakdown between verses but it's the vocals that take this into an undefinable place. This slap of the reverb sheets for extra thunderous hits of off kilter rhythm keeps this skittering - almost toppling over, just a hair off the beat, and his incessant na na / na na against the bass line. These two tracks are have completely proved they've got this concise junk pop song down and I want a new full length of this experimental hyper stuff. God dammit it's great.

Pick this up from CQ Records. It's On alright.

7Inches - Episode 13

We talked to Justin from CQ Records about his latest single from Broncho "It's On" that comes out today. He pressed their first record on vinyl and those guys are working on another full length that should be out later this year. We talk about his previous releases from The French Inhales, Bottle Service, Love Collector and the Zoltars.

In the news we cover a Johnny Cash found track, Fred Armisten's various fake bands and a singles series coming out on Drag City - Hometown Heroes.

Jason's pick this week is Buck Biloxi and the Fucks on Holotrash Records. (The track included is from an upcoming single from Total Trash/Floridas Dying)

Darren's pick this week is on the Volcom Entertainment label - a split with Shockwave Riders and the Bitchen' bahas.

HOTTT NEWZ! Call 347-770-1469 + leave a voicemail

Bonus announcement from Velocity of Sound about an upcoming release.

Itunes page here.

The Zoltars "Live Like Dragons" on CQ Records

Real Numbers, The Johnny Ill Band, The Muslims and The Zoltars are reasons why I started writing about singles almost ten years ago. I would have never come across these guys if it weren’t for poking around looking for stuff to talk about for the next day’s post. Ever since Gang of Four’s Entertainment! I’ve been chasing that standard of primitive politics and, although not working in the same post punk sound, this group has been travelling the same road in contemporary ways. The Zoltars specifically have carved out a loose psych feel with creepy monotone style that says, “We are the ghosts of your future.”

"All My Friends" on the A-Side reminded me the reason I loved these guys was because of their repetitive jangly rhythms and anti melodic vocals from Jared. He’s got such a emotionless style that shouldn’t work, but tell that to Matt Lamkin of Soft Pack. These guys are also reminiscent of west coast’s Wounded Lion with less of a party boy, tongue in cheek sound. They are honestly stilted like the Feelies, with a jittery, manic sound, basic as anything with no tricks. They hit on a “Roadrunner” sound there's nothing really that different in the end except everything you can’t name. The way it feels so easy and familiar. I guess because it’s a revelation the way they put this together and seem to sway in this see saw rhythm forever. It’s a typed love letter to friends which gets emotional because they try to avoid that sentimentality.(?) "Heroin Thunder" gets strumming rhythms into a groove and plod along like boxcars, rocking back and forth. Then they hit this chorus of "Heroin Thunder" lyrically a great contradiction of course. They would put those two things together separated across stereo channels. The mix is crazy with left side guitar harmonies plinking out in a slightly higher range than the right which is all rhythm blasting away. The track is ominous without hinting at danger in the vocals.

I like people who don't like you / I like people who don’t like people / I like when they don’t take phone calls

The Zoltars don’t mince words or try anything fancy on those guitars, or hit that tambourine in anything but a stompy percussion. They don’t even push the volume or raise anything more than a whisper. Why? Because they don’t have anything to prove. They hold back and wait for those measured epic moments that they’ve they're earned.

B-Side’s "In the Basement" takes a slow strumming tact with huge garage echo on Jared, they raise the volume of these distortions for the end of a verse and go quiet again. The timid inherent quietness he delivers in a higher falsetto gives you a false sense of calm. A Beach Boys lull pop unless you start paying attention because they are always turning this stuff on its head. “In the Basement” could be just as easily about a kidnapping. There's lyrics about dying and getting old, so specific that it makes them great, their razor sharp point of view, like an updated, cold Nodzzz sound. Taking a practical look at pop and why it doesn't always have to be about the opposite sex and heartbreak. There's a lot of weird sides to human nature and The Zoltars are into the darker, stripped down ones.

Get this from CQ Records. Just saw they have a full length recorded coming soon.

Love Collector on CQ Records

CQ Records sent in their latest single from Love Collector, a three piece out of Austin, who've been playing in various awesomely punk titled outfits around town... my favorite being The Shitty Beach Boys. They've played as Love Collector at Gonerfest and SXSW and are drawing from the sort of paper thin rowdy garage rock like the Reatards, Oblivians or Dirtbombs. Recorded with one thing in mind...to try and capture the raw, spontaneous sound of shifting, impermanent punk.

A-Side's "Human Bodies" can't be recorded any other way or you'd start questioning the whole sentiment - it's down and dirty punk, recorded in a rehearsal space, or spare shack, vocals barely rising above the slappy snare and electrocuted guitar. Shawn is singing through a tin can with all the sloppiness and uncalculated genius of Liquor Store. There's even a broken phaser effect on this canned guitar and Shawn is singing about something in a basement where they're probably doing bad things to people down there. A poppy upbeat solo sounds demented alongside the stark, bare bulb snarly vocals coming from a hole in the sheetrock. They like to use that bashing caveman beat, all snare and kick all the time, both at once. "You Drain My Batteries" feels '70s English, screaming BATT-ER-REEYS this is a blur of ham fisted chords and things put on the table as quickly as possible. As if they were just trying to get it down before they lose it. The swirling guitar is back, positively yelling, they won't let you get your own thought in edgewise. That phaser makes it's way over to the vocals as they run out of energy....and ....slow...to.... a ....crawl.

B-Side "Non Stop Love" goes NoBunny in a more recently garage way instead of the late '70s punk sound on the A-Side. Still lots of attitude but more space around these guitars, bigger buildups, still built on matchsticks that are quickly heating up. They've managed to capture that racket of the kick drum hit right into a ton of distortion, an all chorus sound with everyone singing along right from the beginning. I want them all to start like this. Nothing like taking it down to this base level, the primal area it lives in. All emotion and reaction, not the lyrics or even thinking. "Circuit breaker" is back in hyper energy again thinking about these modern things we're tied to. You can't blame these guys for trying to figure out what we're so crazy for, electricity, batteries...what's with power? That slight phaser rearing it's head - I think they've upped the energy here, and about to trip that breaker again actually. It's weirdly almost like Plastic Passion, a little less reverb here, but that same weird post punk sound, almst clean ... deliberate and alien, but they are way more punk here than those guys ever were. A tiny bit of that weirdness from the early singles.

Marble chewing gum color vinyl with download card and almsot NSFW reverse sleeve from CQ Records.

The French Inhales / Bottle Service split single on CQ Records

Justin from CQ Records sent this split single in from these two Austin locals, The French Inhales and Bottle Service, looks like it's the first release for this garage/punk startup and they jumped right into a couple of full lengths from BRONCHO and the Love Collectors.


The French Inhales start their A-Side off with "Small Among Giants" and their cool, detached sound... an artsy, off kilter feel with repeated stuttery riffs and jagged rhythms of emotionless punk. Dan delivers a pretty sinister vocal that's ready to give up at the same time. There's layers of distortions and riffs over this hyped up tom fill that's been extended into a real pounding exercise. Lots of delayed out bare bones psych sound. It's a punk Young Marble Giants, trade the apathy for more craft and sheer skill at instrumental complexity. It's a distant, damaged sound...almost a mix of The Soft Moon and the Pixies penchant for running directly at a melody, carving out those unexpected really nice tunes that seem too epic and complex for garage.
The next one, 'Bored and Loney' has clickity clackity guitar tones set the tone, a rim shot rhythm from the bendy string section, the tom beat on the dark side is going after the primitive roots along with this straight ahead bass. Sounding like an emotional Thursten, Dan's belting it out, spewing over this post punk coollness that blows up into big chords and soaring distortion...still sounding cool and minimal. A high guitar tone rings out sounding like or blending in with a possible horn section? It almost gets Scottish with this bleating bagpipe refrain which have to just be tortured, detuned chords. A unique, distinct vision. Cold art and indie rock and if you're into these guys and play the drums or bass, move to Austin, they could use you.

Bottle Service (who have surprisingly little info online, or that this is a far too common expression in Austin) does "Cat Food" with super gritty guitar and powerful synth keys like a demented Cramps hockey game. There's plenty of echo, in the lost distorted vocals and a sort of crazed blues butthole surfers vibe in a tiki lounge. "Texting" brings beefy guitars and off beat tambourine in a psych Times New viking sound here, messy and raw, fronted by a surf weirdo on acid. Broken guitars and that organ can hardly keep up. "Please Ourselves" (that's right 3 tracks on their side) now comes off like The Coathangers abandoning your so called 'melody' for balls out energy, lots of yelling and off tune chorus. The Minutemen of horror surf.

Pressed with download code in an edition of 100 from CQ Records, samples below:

Before I forget - GO HELP THESE LADIES! - Russian punk band Pussy Riot are in prison because they performed an anti catholic/putin song...and now face up to seven years in prison. I don't ask for much, I don't deserve your paypal donations or kickstarter financing for my selfish projects, but please go sign this Amnesty International petition. I don't know if it will help, I've never even heard them but I love the name. I know there's a lot of bigger problems in the world, but maybe that's why this seems even more insane. Look at you, you're reading about seven inch records, and not sitting in jail because your band played a show. Lucky you.