Billowing clouds of smoke, a neon-lit cast of tie-dye colors, and various voodoo references help define The Great Society Mind Destroyers. Chaos is an all-encompassing description once the opening track on the Chicago-based quartet’s new album, Spirit Smoke, gets underway. “Temple Lurker” sounds nearly half-ironic in its title; its whirlwind of heavily distorted psych-rock is bizarre and wonderfully convoluted enough to deserve the mythological enigma of a temple, but the song does the opposite of “lurk”. It thunderously clamors instead, like rain on a straw roof during a storm that Poseidon deems worthy. Reflective of the band’s aggressively ambitious style, this in-your-face album is one of relentlessness and drug-fueled mysticism. Lost behind the rumbling distortion, gauzy rhythmic swipes, and fiercely energetic drumming there are some phenomenal pieces of songwriting to be found. With Spirit Smoke, The Great Society Mind Destroyers join a short list of contemporary psych/noise-rock artists that are too talented of songwriters to become examples of audible over-indulgence.

As one of two tracks on Spirit Smoke not in the 7+ minute range, “Samsara Drag” is the best entry point for listeners. Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Mogwai are all great acts that help defined modern conventions for (semi)-instrumental post-rock, and this track does justice in showing The Great Society Mind Destroyers’ stylistic separation from such artists. This is a band that could easily pursue full-on instrumentals and still leave many tracks feeling over-stuffed. The instrumentation alone is well beyond most contemporary post-rockers today, but TGSMD’s addition of vocals lends an ambitious acid-rock feel reminiscent of late ‘60s/early ’70s acts like The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jefferson Airplane, and The Great Society (the latter a mid-‘60s San Fran rock collective whose name similarity points to a very probable influence). Add to such influences a more forward-leaning percussive method, more akin to the thrashing of metal and grunge with heavy uses of hi-hat and cymbals, and you have The Great Society Mind Destroyers, a band combining the best aspects of psych-rock’s past and present.

Fortunately for descriptive purposes, there has been a recent insurgence the past few years in psych-rock acts cross-breeding into both throwback and contemporary styles of post-rock, grunge, and acid-rock. Dungen has been doing it for some time and has touched on each of these styles with separate interpretations at some point. Names like Tame Impala, Dead Meadow, and The Warlocks are also noteworthy for their smart and generally infectious acknowledgement of such sounds. Unlike some work – like The Brian Jonestown Massacre’s most recent offerings – that rely wholly on their influences to produce anything worthwhile, TGSMD’s creativity arises from original songwriting simply designed for remnants of nostalgia; the anachronistic elements do not serve as the plot, but merely the setting. The production of artists like Dungen, Tame Impala, and The Great Society Mind Destroyers may intentionally invoke something from the past, but its reliance on it is minimal at best. There are no gimmicks or shticks at hand to disguise a lack of innovation.

Back to “Samsara Drag”, it is exemplary of such feats. A sliding bass and restrained percussion helm the first moments, followed then by an extended bass line with subtle electric guitar harmonics panned to the left. The vocals enter in an unenthusiastic drawl, the lyrics indistinguishable but the melody itself asserting a dominance that needs no words. Once it is revealed that the verse’s intentions were to set up an explosive raucous of guitars, the song’s structure begins to take shape. A yelp at 01:26 signals the shift; the dynamic that takes here is astonishing, as flexible guitar and bass lines collide into one another with a seamless whimsy reminiscent of only the best psych-rockers. This is a remarkably brief track by The Great Society Mind Destroyers’ standards, but they do not waste a moment. The other shorter effort, “Equation of Time”, is in somewhat of a contrast. The feel there is certainly more spaced-out, with the guitars focusing on droning solos and repeating rhythms. The LSD-inspired vein of acid-rock is more prevalent here, from the subdued collective chants (which resemble a cross between a somber funeral and over-drugged concert in the woods) in the intro to the roaring assortment of guitars throughout the conclusion.

When tackling TGSMD’s lengthier and often more experimental efforts, like “Higher Bodies” and “Divinorum”, listeners should ready themselves for movement. These are predictably developmental, which for the band’s consistently nostalgic sound can be a risky venture. “Higher Bodies” does an extraordinary job of maintaining the listener’s interest though; the vocal involvement here is the most melodic and diverse on the album, while the relationship between twangy guitar solos and a deafening rhythm section is unpredictably defiant. They alternate leads while furthering the same initial melody, never letting dull improvisation take control of a surprisingly focused track. During the final three minutes, the band implements several scratching/production techniques to diversify the guitars’ tonal frequencies. You can even hear a touch of keys toward the conclusion. The fascinating versatility helps keep “Higher Bodies” afloat for its ten-minute duration, both for fans accustomed to post-rock and those who consider a track over four minutes to be “too long”. Spirit Smoke should be a widely appealing album in that sense though; any fan of post-rock, grunge, OR any variant of psych-rock (from acid-rock to space-rock and even stoner-rock) will enjoy it. A job well done.

RIYL: Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jefferson Airplane, The Great Society, Dungen, Tame Impala, Dead Meadow, The Warlocks, Bob Hund, Black Mountain

The Great Society Mind Destroyers – Samsara Drag

The Great Society Mind Destroyers – Equation of Time

The Great Society Mind Destroyers – Divinorum

Bandcamp / MySpace / Commune Records

The post The Great Society Mind Destroyers appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

Top News Story:

The White Stripes (1999-2011)

In a relatively painless manner, the White Stripes announced on Wednesday their dissolution.  While many immediately began speculating as to the reason, Jack and Meg posted a letter informing fans that it was simply time for the White Stripes to be finished.  The Whites made it clear in the letter that it was not a time for mourning, but a time to reflect upon what has been made and the integrity of that music.  Jack and Meg White gave us seven amazing albums and a decade of touring.  Most bands don’t have the decency to bow out gracefully (see the Rolling Stones, U2), so it’s refreshing to see the White Stripes do just that.

The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army

The White Stripes – Jolene

BUY

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New Tracks:

The Kills – Satellite

* The first single from the Kills’ new album, Blood Pressures.  This track is a dirty, grimy, punchy showcase of the kind of sound the Kills produce so well.  While I was disappointed in Midnight Boom back in 2008, it was mostly because it didn’t show the same energy that No Wow conjured back in 2005.  “Satellite” never has a low point. Hopefully, the rest of the album will act accordingly.

Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

* I’ll be the first to say I fell in love with Fleet Foxes’ 2008 debut.  Unfortunately, Robin Pecknold’s brand of psychedelic folk started to irritate me for unexplainable reasons.  I later realized that it was because Fleet Foxes inevitably sounded fluffy; it was full of over-arranged instruments and hyper-flourished vocals.  And while those elements were attractive at first, they soon came to be a point of resentment.  This leads me to “Helplessness Blues”, a very Fleet Foxes-esque track, indeed.  All the standard parts are there (acoustic guitar, Pecknold vocals eventually soaring, crashing breakdown into an instrumental medley.)  What struck me about this song was how much more pompous Pecknold sounds now than he did in 2008.  What before could be chalked up to underground naivety now sounds silly and ridiculous coming from a band who has enjoyed success and should be pushing the boundaries instead of resting on their laurels.  If you like Fleet Foxes, you’ll love “Helplessness Blues.”  If you don’t love Fleet Foxes, this song won’t change your opinion.

Michael Jackson/Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Thriller/Heads Will Roll (Glee)

* Because it appeals to a huge audience, because it covers Broadway (and off-) musicals, because it’s so insanely, hugely popular, Glee gets a pretty bad rap among the “underground” music community.  And granted, most of the songs chosen for the show are downright abysmal (Celine Dion, Lizza Minnelli!?!?), but sometimes – just sometimes – the show succeeds in rising above it’s pop/musical rut (i.e. – “Proud Mary”, “River Deep, Mountain High”, “Valerie”) This mash-up of (arguably) the best songs by both Michael Jackson and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is one of those good moments.  And honestly, if Danger Mouse or Girl Talk mashed them up, we’d all be bowing to their insight.  A simple bump in energy creates an amazing combination that will be totally overlooked by many simply because it carries the Glee brand.

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Artist Profile:

Black Mountain

The Black Mountain Army began as a joke; an anecdote between friends in the Vancouver area.  Today, the BMA represents the musicians, artists and bands associated with the Army’s primary group, Black Mountain.  And at the top of that peak is Stephen McBean, the vocalist and guitarist for Black Mountain and Pink Mountaintops.  Perhaps the most eccentric of the band, McBean is often obscured behind his long, wavy hair and massive beard.  But to lead an outfit that plays psychedelic acid rock, McBean is a champion.  The band’s debut EP, Drugunaut, came out in early 2005 and their self-titled LP was released later the same year on Jagjaguwar Records to rave reviews.  In 2008, In the Future was released.  Black Mountain’s sophomore LP marked a huge growth for the band.  A more unified sound and focused mixing proved successful.  The deluxe edition came packaged with Bastards of Light, a three-song EP.  Over the next two years, McBean and Company released the Stormy High single and Lucy Brown b/w Shelter on Sub Pop Records.  2010 saw the release of Wilderness Heart, their third on Jagjaguwar.

Bassist Matt Camirand and Drummer Joshua Wells moonlight in the alternative country band Blood Meridian. Wells also plays with vocalist Webber as Lightning Dust. Additionally, Schmidt has a solo moniker, Sinoia Caves, which only released one album of six tracks back in 2006.  Lightning Dust has two excellent albums, Lightning Dust and Infinite Light, under their belt, and Blood Meridian released three albums, all before 2007.

Of course, this couldn’t be a Black Mountain feature without mentioning Pink Mountaintops, the expanded band.  All the members of Black Mountain proper appear, along with ten to twelve other members, some of whom change with each album.  The self-titled LP actually came out in 2004, a year before Black Mountain’s first album.  In 2006, Pink Mountaintops released Axis of Evol, and Oustide Love in 2009.  And while Black Mountain’s acidic, dirty guitar riffs drive forward their psychedelic rock, Pink Mountaintops plays more lighthearted, melodic jams designed to let you sing along with the five or six recorded vocalists.  They’re sound is more straightforward through more traditional word play coupled with expansive instrumentals.

Read Jay’s review of Wilderness Heart here.

Black Mountain – The Hair Song

Black Mountain – Old Fangs

Pink Mountaintops – Come Down

BUY

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Song of the Week:

The Beach Boys – I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times

by Mike Mineo

I have been on a Beach Boys kick as of late. This was surely evidenced by my appreciative Bullion feature, but even that did not allow me to touch on one of the greatest songwriters ever. Brian Wilson’s story is a particularly touching one, as undisputed genius is a rare case and one that rarely results in a happy ending. Wilson has struggled with mental illness since the ’70s, and to see him emerge triumphantly at the beginning of 2000 with a new-found sense of focus exhilarated me. One of – if not the – greatest American songwriters of all-time was once again able to focus on the craft he loved so much. The craft that he saw as an escape from insecurities, psychological abuse from his father, and times that just weren’t made for an innovator like him.

On the classic Pet Sounds, this is precisely why “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” resounds so strongly. He wrote it at a time where friends thought Pet Sounds would be an unequivocal disaster, not perhaps the greatest album of all-time. “Every time I get the inspiration to go change things around / No one wants to help me look for places, where new things might be found” is a particularly poignant line, as his absurd amount of creativity drew criticism from band members like (the terrible) Mike Love simply because his mind was too elementary to grasp Wilson’s direction. All could see this frustration come full circle when Wilson went through years of self-abuse after Pet Sounds, with his mind eventually under full control of a psychologist named Eugene Landy whose methods deprived Wilson of the creativity that made Pet Sounds an American classic.

These methods made Wilson somewhat stable, but his innovation had practically been defeated and music became an insubstantial part in his life. When he emerged again in the late ’80s with a self-titled solo album (at a time when Mike Love had already sabotaged the Beach Boys into a cash-craving joke), Wilson’s material had his typical stylistic trademarks, but it was clear that his brilliance had been stymied by an over-controlling force in Landy. It was not until 1998’s Imagination where the first glimpses of a return to form were found. At this point, he was again healthy enough to commit himself to music. More importantly, his enthusiasm was back. This resulted in the triumphant recovery of SMiLE – the lost Beach Boys classic – in 2004. The songs date back to the ’60s, but the new recordings of Wilson’s voice and stellar backing band made it sound as good as any Beach Boys classic. Take a listen to the album if you haven’t already. It’s a real American treasure, and any musical historian would agree.

Indeed, Wilson “Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” in the ’60s, but it was not his fault that audiences were not able to recognize blazing innovation and stylistic transformation at this period in music. The Beach Boys’ transformation from feel-good pop songs like “Surfin’ U.S.A.” into bleak, moody territory was initially criticized by audiences and some band members alike. What is clear now, though, is that it served as one of the first instances in pop music where an artist was undergoing a radical period of artistic transformation, one where he stayed true to himself and his cast of moods instead of what would bring the greatest profits. The classic Pet Sounds and SMiLE are evidence of this. At the time, such genuine sentiments were mostly absent in music. As a result, any fan of independent music should be appreciative of Wilson’s contributions, both as a musician and a figure who encouraged artists to pursue their own drive and creativity without regard for what the radio considers profitable at the time. He is a legend in several capacities.

BUY

The post Week in Review (2/5) appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

September has little value to me beyond the start of football. The weather manages to retain the worst aspects of summer (NYC is 95°F today) as our lifestyles adjust to more focused, goal-driven tasks. Nothing wrong with responsibility, but I’d much prefer to be doing work when it is bitter cold outside. Showing up to work dripping in sweat because of the 20°F difference between the subway, street, and building is not fun at all. But all things must come to an end, including leisure and accessibility. Music fortunately does not have an expiration date though. I am looking forward to fall actually arriving in October so my commute does not involve gallons of sweat, but until then we at least have some great new music. 2010 has been a fantastic year for it and August debuted some great new material. I am proud of this compilation because it offers some great new tracks, with the only “big” name being Arcade Fire. I really think efforts by Lotus Feet, Pop Winds, and Miami Horror will propel them into a more popular state though. Just listen to see why.

01. Arcade Fire – Rococo (post)
02. Lotus Feet – Early Bird (post)
03. Pop Winds – Feel It (post)
04. Altar Eagle – Honey (post)
05. Miami Horror – Holidays (post)
06. Feu Thérèse – Nada (post)
07. Ross Fish – Outside Your Mind (post)
08. Black Mountain – The Hair Song (post)
09. The Hood Internet – Shoeing Horses in 1901 (Phoenix x Why?) (post)
10. Cloud Nothings – Even If It Worked Out (post)
11. Shapiro – All Things Around the Sun (post)
12. Ghost Mall – 40 Nugs (post)
13. Woozy Viper – King Kong (post)
14. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Home (post)

DOWNLOAD ENTIRE COMPILATION>>> (55.9 MB, .RAR)

The post Obscure Sound: Best of August 2010 appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

by Jay Mattson

Canada has been a venerable bastion of good music for the past decade.  The New Pornographers, Broken Social Scene, Wolf Parade and Death From Above 1979, just to name a few, have all hailed from our neighbor to the north.  Vancouver’s Black Mountain joined the fray with a 2005 self-titled debut that was heavy on classic, stoner-rock machismo.  The album was gritty, catchy and mellow.  They successfully followed up their initial hype with 2008’s In the Future, a heavier, deeper album that experimented with grandiose and spectacle.  And intertwined through all of this, band leader Stephen McBean (along with the other members) made time to pump out albums from their side project, the more psychedelic-leaning act Pink Mountaintops, who released their third album, Outside Love, last year to critical praise.  The Black Mountain Army (a moniker for the various people associated with Black Mountain) has been working consistently since 2004, releasing new material almost every year.  This year brings us the third proper Black Mountain album, Wilderness Heart.

From earlier interviews, McBean stated that this was the first album that was not self-produced by the band and was not recorded in their studio in Vancouver. Wilderness Heart was recorded in Los Angeles, a decidedly different environment from the band’s home. The production comes courtesy of D.Sardy (Nine Inch Nails, LCD Soundsystem) and Randall Dunn (Boris).  Both of these elements are foreign to a band who self-recorded their debut album and most of their sophomore.  But as McBean stated in an interview with Pitchfork a few months back, “…We wanted a bit of a surprise for ourselves, to take a bit of a chance.”  That chance has paid off in big ways. Not only is Wilderness Heart the most cohesive Black Mountain album to date, it is also the most accessible without straying too far from the attitude that has brought McBean and company such critical acclaim in the past.

“The Hair Song” opens the album with the most prolific duet McBean and female vocalist, Amber Webber, have ever produced.  The song’s general upbeat tempo has more of a mid-70s city park-performance vibe than an early 2000s sound.  It’s layered with excellent guitar work, mesmerizing lyrics and an overall fun feeling.  All of this leads perfectly into the more somber “Old Fangs”, which retains the near-same level of musical energy whilst tempering the vocal aspect and raising the instrumental grandeur.  “Radiant Heart” moves into acoustic territory with another excellent duet between McBean and Webber, sounding like it could have been a Zeppelin outtake from their later years.  This track takes a deeper lyrical turn as McBean muses “Heaven’s a place where you’re no longer waiting” and “Roses won’t make her feel better tonight, now look what you’ve done to the sky.”

The second act rips right in with the riff-heavy “Roller Coaster”, a track reminiscent of “Tyrants” from In the Future, as its first 30 seconds swell before the eventual fall into psychedelic meandering. This is prior to Webber’s emergence on lead vocals over McBean, while a a roaring guitar  and Matt Camirand’s infectious bass back up one of the best female vocalists today.  “The Hair Song” seems to have set the bar for the entire album, as McBean and Webber share more vocal time than on any past Black Mountain album, and it works.  It really works.  One of the only tracks that doesn’t seem to sit right with the rest of the album is “Let Spirits Ride”, a fast-paced Sabbath-esque rock anthem that feels a little forced and over-the-top considering Black Mountain’s affinity for undertone and weight over speed and explosiveness. Luckily, the energy is brought down to a less-intensive level with the mellow, swaying “Buried by the Blues” which starts out with a single tambourine jangle that soon becomes a nigh-romantic ballad (with yet another excellent McBean/Webber duet.)

Black Mountain would have been right at home performing at Woodstock (69, not 99) with “The Way to Gone”, a song heavily influenced by late-60s psychedelic instrumentation, complete with lighter acoustic work in the background.  Of course, a ferocious guitar eventually rears its head and brings the whole thing together along with haunting chants scattered throughout.  The album’s namesake, “Wilderness Heart”, might be the one track that is most similar to Black Mountain’s earlier work in its sonic synth work, which supports a raucous, jangling guitar that pushes McBean and Webber’s separate vocal sections forward, hinting at a longing heard more prominently in older songs like “Stormy High” and “Lucy Brown.”  The prolific organ around the 02:57 mark builds up to a classic Black Mountain crescendo that explodes into Webber’s warbling vocal style that fits exceedingly well with the music.

Leading to the end of the album is “The Space of your Mind”, a simple, melancholy jaunt with more pronounced melody than any of the other tracks on the album.  Though a bit on the boring side, it is perfect for those nights after a long day of work when all you want to do is sit down, drink a cold beer, and listen to a relaxing song.  And it acts as a good segway into “Sadie”, the album closer and most chilled-out song yet.  The strength of “Sadie” is its lyrical prowess with lines like “Things became vulgar when we became silent”, which comments on a world affected by those who don’t speak up, and “Please, Sadie, oh won’t you come down, it’s time to go home” possibly hinting at either childish play or a drug-induced state of mind.

Wilderness Heart is excellent.  It is full of everything that makes Black Mountain good: incredibly poignant lyrics and vocals, resoundingly strong instrumentation, and a feeling of passion behind each and every song.  Besides a few hiccups along the way, this album has successfully achieved the high expectations that fans of Black Mountain have come to enjoy, as well as making itself prominent enough to be picked up by an audience who may have never heard a song by this amazing Vancouver act in the past.

9.0/10.0

Wilderness Heart is in stores 9/14 on Jagjaguwar Records.

Black Mountain will be touring this fall with the Black Angels, who recently recorded a cover of “No Satisfaction” from Black Mountain’s debut album.  Check it out below.

RIYL: Pink Mountaintops, Dead Meadow, The Black Angels, Comets on Fire, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Howlin Rain, Dungen, Tame Impala, Brightblack Morning Light, Blue Cheer, The Besnard Lakes, Nebula, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Oneida

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Black Mountain – The Hair Song

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Black Mountain – Old Fangs

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The Black Angels – No Satisfaction (Black Mountain cover)

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Official Site

MySpace

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The post Black Mountain – Wilderness Heart (2010) appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

by Jay Mattson

Summer is now officially in full swing.  With the hottest season usually comes a venerable “hot” slew of music to go with the temperature.  Whether it be full-fledged albums, smaller EPs or two-song 7”s, bands tend to put their best foot forward for the few months that get filled with bar-b-ques, pool parties, and hum id, late-night house parties that continue into the wee hours of the morning.  In the spirit of the season, here’s a list of songs I’m listening to that will inevitably define summer 2010 for me.

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– “General Patton”, Big Boi, Sir Lucious Left-Foot: The Son of Dusty Chico

* Arguably the best track on Big Boi’s phenomenal solo album.  The more gangsta side of Outakst has gone to great lengths to make sure Sir Lucious Left-Foot is a quintessential  rap album for the new decade, and he’s done a damn fine job.

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– “Bad Vibrations”, The Black Angels, Phosphene Dreams

* The Black Angels’ first two albums weren’t too different.  This was a good thing, as the band found a niche that worked for them, and they did it so well. With “Bad Vibrations”, we see this acid/psych outfit branching out a bit musically.  It’s still excellent.

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– “Guns in the Sky (INXS cover)”, Beck’s Record Club, Kick

* I don’t know if Beck will ever release these Record Club albums or not, but since you can’t buy an MP3 of this song, go to Beck’s website and check out this cover of INXS’s “Guns in the Sky” Beck recorded with Liars, St. Vincent and Os Mutantes.  It’s not only nostalgic, but also a musically tight and a fantastic cover.

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– “Month of May”, Arcade Fire, The Suburbs

* I’ve heard mixed reactions to Arcade Fire’s pre-release tracks for The Suburbs, but I love them, and “Month of May” is an energetic track reminiscent of “Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)”, one of the best tracks from 2004s Funeral.

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– “King of the Beach”, Wavves, King of the Beach

* I already covered this track and album in my full review a while back, but this song needs to be on a summer playlist.  It’s a given.

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– “Coquet Coquette”, of Montreal, False Priest

* I was in the minority amongst my friends for not liking Skeletal Lamping as much as I was supposed to as an Of Montreal fan.  I didn’t feel that it was a solid an album as their  previous three efforts.  If “Coquet Coquette” is an indication, I’ll be pleasently surpised by False Priest, which is due out this fall.

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– “Old Fangs”, Black Mountain, Wilderness Heart

* I love Black Mountain. “Old Fangs” is fantastic.  Wilderness Heart will be amazing. Stephen McBean is a musical guru.  End of story.

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– “Bulletproof (Nacey Remix feat. Matt Hemerlein)”, Major Lazer and La Roux, Lazerproof

* La Roux has never sat right with me.  I can’t explain it.  So I was understandably wary of a La Roux / Major Lazer collaboration.  Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do was an amazing album and I was happy to hear that Major Lazer’s mixtape with La Roux was  laterally infectious and innovative, albeit in a different way.

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– “New Prince (Crown on the Ground)”, Childish Gambino, I AM JUST A RAPPER

* If you haven’t heard Donald Glover (star of NBC’s Community) rapping as his alter-ego, Childish Gambino, do yourself a favor and give him a songs-length to sway you. Glover takes un-edited indie rock tracks and simply raps over them.  No ‘remixes’ or ‘sampling.’  He literally spits rhymes directly over the original song.  It’s terrific and oddly fitting for a funny man such as himself.

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– “Airplanes”, Local Natives, Gorilla Manor

* I was one of those people late to the Local Natives hype, but “Airplanes” is airy, smooth and stylistic.  Gorilla Manor is an honest album that doesn’t try to be anything different than what it is.  It’s great.

The post Jay’s Summer Jam 2010 appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.