Noisy Number from Magic Shoppe
I just recently heard a track from Magic Shoppe called “Candy Flip,” and it let me down a short wormhole of the band’s work, which I’ve totally been digging today. I really dig this number, as it faintly reminds me of early Black Rebel Motorcycle Club; I think it has something to do with the shadowy echo of the vocals. But, this version has a full on barrage of squalling guitars and thunderous rhythmic bursts that are sure to rattle your speakers. You’ll find this number on the band’s last album, In Parallel, but if you dig it, consider stopping in on the new track too! Got em’ both below, because why not?
Not too long ago, I shared a moving tune from 
I’ve got a long history with pop punk/power-pop, but stoked to find some sweet pop punk licks close to home, just a few hundred or so miles down the road in San Antonio with 
Austin’s Masculine Pain are fairly new to the scene, though its various members are longtime staples of the music scene here. You’ll recognize the vocals of Eric Braden of Big Bill, while Nate Cardaci of Tres Oui/Literature and Tim Bond round things out. This one’s a slow-burner, building over beats and a bobbing bass line; it’s the perfect setting for Braden’s vocal delivery, matching each syllable to the movement. Dreamy guitar notes filter in from the background as Braden sings “I’m not in control.” For me, the climax comes right at the 1:50, the mood twists, guitars and synths wash in more of a dream vibe, and as the vocals match, it’s this huge wall of euphoria blasting you right in the face; I should have been expecting this. Putting great songwriters together doesn’t always work, except when it does…and here, it does.
It’s really hard not to get personal when writing about 
When I first heard this track from