Wymond Miles' 'Cut Yourself Free' streaming now
Not long after the release of first single "Night Drives," and just in time for the record's official release on October 15th via Sacred Bones, Wymond Miles' Cut Yourself Free is currently streaming in full. Listen to all of the tracks (including "The Ascension," below) over at the Fader. As previously mentioned, Wymond Miles has a couple of local shows coming up in October and November, so you can see the solo work of the Fresh & Onlys' guitarist up close and personal. Wymond Miles The Eagle October 17, 2013 Crocodiles, Wymond Miles The Chapel November 9, [...]
Rustangs – 'Rustang' LP
Do you like your surf rock with layers of fuzz everywhere? If you do, you need to give San Francisco's Rustangs a listen. Rustangs started out as a "moped gang" in an Outer Sunset garage about six years ago, and released their first album Garage Club on vinyl in 2009. The band's latest release, Rustang, was clearly influenced by surf rock throughout, but with a more laid-back, cooler vibe than you may be used to. And of course, there's all that wonderful fuzz. Rustangs will be playing at the cozy Riptide in the Outer Sunset this Saturday October 12. Rustang [...]
Upstairs Downstairs drops self-titled LP, video for "Parkas Indoors"
San Francisco's Upstairs Downstairs released their self-titled sophomore LP on October 1 via City-based label 20 Sided Records. The quintet – consisting of Tory Ford (vocals, guitar), Kyle McGraw (guitars), George Slavik (bass), Isaac Bonnell ("keys and more"), and Dan Caporale (drums) – recorded the new record over the course of a few months at SF's Faultline Studios with McGraw in the role of engineer/producer. McGraw then mixed the album at Jackpot! Studios in Portland. Self-described purveyors of "dreamy, folk-tinged indie rock," Upstairs Downstairs crafted an ethereal and mysterious thirty-five minute follow-up to their debut, 2010's Inland and Out. The [...]
Tony Molina drops 'Six Tracks E.P.' on Matador (stream "Breakin' Up")
Local rising star Tony Molina has a new record out on Matador as part of the legendary indie label's Singles Going Home Alone subscription series. The album, which has the comically straightforward title Six Tracks E.P., is another dose of Molina's undeniably catchy power pop. The first track that he has made available for streaming is the minute-and-a-half gem "Breakin' Up", featuring a riff that you may (or may not, depending on your age) recognize as quite similar to that in Thin Lizzy's "Southbound", off the Irish rockers' 1977 album Bad Reputation – which probably explains the Molina-sanctioned t-shirts for [...]
Bay Area garage compilation to be released on Polyvinyl
Polyvinyl Record Co. has announced the release of I Need You Bad, a compilation that focuses on the Bay Area garage scene. A blend of both emerging and established Bay Area bands (and a few friends from the further reaches of the West coast), the compilation is curated by Sonny Smith. I Need You Bad will contain tracks by Warm Soda, Burnt Ones, Jessica Pratt and Cool Ghouls, with artwork by Shannon and the Clams and Hunx and his Punx’s Shannon Shaw. The album will be released on November 26th and is available for pre-order in the Polyvinyl shop. Listen [...]
Premiere: DonCat – "Like a Drug"
San Francisco's DonCat, the solo project of Duncan Nielsen, has taken a unique approach to fundraising that we told you about shortly after he launched it. He's consistently released a song per month, and today we're pleased to present the eighth single of the project, "Like a Drug". Like all DonCat releases, Nielsen's voice is on point, and the '70s ballad vibe combined with a great guitar solo from Nielsen make this one of my favorites from his collection. Vinyl Cake 2013 by DonCat Nielsen tells me he's about halfway to raising enough money to press vinyl, and he expects [...]
Video: Opski Chan – "Wizardry"
San Jose's Opski Chan is back with a new video for "Wizardry", the first track from his forthcoming LP There's No Such Thing as Opski Chan, which will be released by Open University. Sol Plus 10 crafted a very nice flute and string-heavy beat, and Zero Luck took Opski out into the country to direct the visuals. You should all be keeping an eye on Opski, and this is just another reason why.
Fuck Buttons playing The Independent this Wednesday
Andrew Hung and John Power, better know as Fuck Buttons, will be returning to San Francisco on October 9 to unleash their vast and vacuous Slow Focus on a live audience. Four years since the dynamic post-rock Tarot Sport, Fuck Buttons have further descended into a warped wasteland of post-industrial turmoil. The self-produced Slow Focus casts massively swarming, ominous overtones while still embracing nuances that shift its focus and delivery. It’s rattling and at times overwhelming, but most impressively, it approaches a mortal construct of music without a hint of humanity. Rather, Slow Focus straddles the line between an organized [...]
Slow Motion Cowboys – 'Buzzard Songs' LP
If you follow Bay Area music closely, Slow Motion Cowboys should sound familiar to you – the band is a another project from Trainwreck Riders guitarist and vocalist Pete Frauenfelder. While Trainwreck Riders songs fit into what Fraunenfelder accurately describes as their "own genre that we've created over the last 11 years," Slow Motion Cowboys represent new territory for Pete. The acoustic Buzzard Songs LP is full of wonderful dobro playing, which helped create a mood perfect for lonesome daydreaming. Slow Motion Cowboys just wrapped up a tour of the Southwest, visiting towns normally off the radar of almost all [...]
Scary Little Friends – 'From the Beginning' LP
San Francisco's Scary Little Friends released their From the Beginning LP in May, which I completely missed until they sent it our way last month. After taking the time to listen to it start-to-finish (several times), I have no idea how this album has remained under the radar for so long. I guess From the Beginning could be best described as folk-rock, but it's really just a collection of damn fine songs full of uplifting melodies, big harmonies, and the occasional freight train drums reminiscent of The Tennessee Three. Singer and primary songwriter Chris Jones crafted a polished, cohesive debut [...]