While on their own meteoric rise, you have to give credit to the folks in Dummy; they’ve enlisted a bunch of electronic artists (some with pedigrees, some without) to remix their album Free Energy. Getting folks like Wishy and Three Quarter Skies to participate allows the band to give back to the community that’s responsible for their own dive into electronic music. Watching the group grow from their noise purveyors to electronic savants makes sense when you hear the way the pieces all fit together in this unique remix record. You can stream Bubbelibrium DLC all below, and then applaud the band for turning other folks onto their favorite artists.
I felt like I didn’t manage to crush it as much as I prefer, but in that, we still managed to get at least 20 rad tunes for you to digest, all of which you can hear in the spot below. RayRay got up the latest from Hotline TNT, and we hung with the masses in there, dropping jams from Winter, TAGABOW and the likes…but don’t you worry, we still dug into a little bit of the obscure. I was super stoked to hear that Wombo has a new LP for Fire Talk, and even more so to dig into a little more of the dub vibes from Pachyman. Plus, we premiered the “Clown Car” video from Lung, which you can read about HERE. If that’s not your jam, I’m sure you’ll find plenty to adore below.
When Dummy first burst onto the scene, you could tell they were a band in flux, moving from other projects to create something bold and new; you can hear how far they went in that goal by relaxing to the ambient piece below, one of the 3 bonus tracks available on their forthcoming reissue of the Dumb EPs. According to the group, the song came to be as a reminder about “simple gesture calming extreme anxiety,” which is perhaps still an aim we’re all seeking in this hell-hole of a world. That said, this track takes patience, as life does, so settle in and let the electronic wash splash against your ears, with the band in no rush to hurry their texturizing of the tune. The Dumb EPs will drop via K/Perennial this August.
While the week certainly felt overly busy on my end, we perhaps didn’t cover as much ground as we generally do. That said, we have over an hour of music to provide you, which is missing new stuff from Monnone Alone and Wine Country, so there’s more from last week on the site. We were also prepping for Austin Psych Fest, so you had preview pieces from Dummy and Blackwater Holylight; they went along perfectly with our coverage of the Melvins/Napalm Death Austin show.You’ll find new stuff from Gelli Haha, Strange Pilgrim and more, so just click play and let us do the rest!
In a weekend filled with legendary acts like Galaxie 500 or Kim Gordon or Dinosaur Jr, there are other acts waiting for you to fall in love with, and Dummy is one such band you need to catch at Psych Fest.
The LA outfit has roots in the indiepop/dream pop scene, but they’ve left that past behind, which we first encountered on their two early Dummy EPs. They moved forward one step with Mandatory Enjoyment, which took some of their noisier tendencies and mashed it into this electronic fusion that drew comparisons to acts like Stereolab and Broadcast. That said, if you caught the band live on those early tours, they were anything but just a nod to influences, ripping through a set with an intoxicating mixture of synthetic textures and dissonant guitar vibes.
Nowadays, they’ve stretched themselves even further on their most recent LP, last year’s Free Energy. They left a few breadcrumbs to their previous efforts, but what I loved (as did the masses) was that they pushed further into the intersection between electronic vibes and rock, at times even leaving the rock aspect in the distant past. It left listeners with a transformative listen that illustrated the band’s willingness to meet pop music on their own terms, with their own set of influences. It’s even led to a masterful remix album titled Bubbelibrium DLC, out this June.
After a brief break, then transitioning to Levitation, Austin Psych Fest made its return last year; they’ve slimmed it down and made it two action packed days of psychedelic jams for the masses. Today they’ve announced the new lineup, and the headliners are surely going to turn heads. You’ve got Explosions in the Sky and Godspeed at the top…also Yo La Tengo and Kim Gordon, but I want you to remember that the bottom of the bill is where the folks at Resound and Levitation excel. I mean, Dummy put out one of the best records last year, and I still feel like the cool kids haven’t quite caught on yet. Oh, and Dean Wareham is going to do a Galaxie 500 set! This is going to be bonkers, so get your tickets now while you can! The fest goes on from April 25- 27; grab tickets right HERE. Brought to you by Levitation and Resound Presents.
I love to wrap up the year later than most, mostly because my real job always has me swimming against the current. But, nonetheless, I’ve got a solid list of the records I loved this year…and you’ll notice a lot of the same stuff as my peers, with maybe a few tweaks here and there to throw my own flare into it. Not really sure how to write an intro into something that seems so opinion-based, so here’s the list of records you should already have purchased if you come to this site frequently!
Seemed like a strange week for some reason, but there were some definitely tunes that just broke my heart, in the best way possible. I continue to be impressed by Merce Lemon‘s new stuff, and “Crow” was just a beast. Porridge Radio, too, offered up a song that just wanted to shatter spirits, though if that’s the case, I won’t mind one bit. Alas, there was some pop in the week, like the new record from Young Scum and new single from Jim Nothing. Plus, old favorites the New Tigers are back, as is Germany’s Roller Derby. Indulge yourselves by pressing play below, but be sure to start with the powerhouse hit from The Wickies.
Dropped the ball last week, and there were several notable releases hitting the streets, at least on my end (Dummy and Mythical Motors). Plus, there were some solid releases dropping this week we wanted to remind you of. This section just needs the streams and the links, so you can make up your own mind! Stream and buy the stuff below!
Lunar Vacation – Everything Matters, Everything’s Fire (Keeled Scales)
Sorry for taking Monday off, but even us little guys need a break from time to time. But, here we are to remind you of the great stuff we covered last week, with some absolute bangers you’ll have in your ear for the rest of the day/week/year. I absolutely love the Miners tune that kicks things off, with a quick jangling follow up from Young Scum right behind it. And to be honest, the Pop Filter tune had me in my feelings all weekend long, so be sure you stick to the end of that track. Some nods to new releases from Easy Sleeper, Mint Field, Stinako and Shady Cove also made it into our weekly suggestions. Oh, and as if all this wasn’t enough, you have to dip your toes in the new Dummy and Nothing Natural singles, doing the Cali subset proud.