Tag: trouble in mind records

Last Week’s Jams, Today (5.31 – 6.3)

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Man, even in a short week, I managed to cover a whole lot of ground that we should remind you ran last week on ye’ ole site. Clocking in at just under an hour, you get a reminder to check out Team Play‘s debut LP, or maybe jump on the Onyon bandwagon with the rest of us now that Trouble in Mind have reissued their rad debut. Maybe you just want tried and true, like a new Florist tune or a Slow Magic remix for Letting Up Despite Great Faults. Pick your poison…it’s probably in here. Paris. Yeah.

Dummy Share Atonal Poem

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We’ve been on board the Dummy train since their first EP, and let me tell you, you’re in for a real treat when you unwrap your copy of their debut Mandatory Enjoyment. On the last single before the record drops, the band have chosen to release an instrumental jam…but one that ties this LP to their first EP. When we first heard EP 1, you were getting the feeling that the band was just finding their footing, sampling a collection of sounds. But, in retrospect, and seeing how “Atonal Poem” fits into the new record, it feels more purposeful. It’s like they sat down to create a 7 course (or 12 song) meal, and in it, there are supreme highs, and subtle treats, and there are palate cleansers, like the closer we have below. Coming across like an instrumental sonic exploration, this tune caps off the record, allowing you the space and time to reflect on the whole of your experience. Mandatory Enjoyment hits on October 22nd via Trouble in Mind.

Cool Friday Album Streams: Smoke Bellow, Hits, Sweet Nobody and TC Superstar

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I’ve been posting a whole lot of singles and stuff this week, mostly because I like to over-indulge and see who is listening. No one, apparently. But, why not wrap up this week of working harder than I ever have before by sharing some cool records I liked that drop today? Yeah? Ok.

Smoke Bellow – Open for Business (Trouble in Mind)

If you’re into that new Dry Cleaning album (and you should be), then see how far this Baltimore outfit can take that sound…pushing to a weirder, albeit synthesized, world. Like Kraftwerk covering Dry Cleaning at a Halloween party for art school kids.

Sweet Nobody – We’re Trying Our Best (Daydream Records)

I’ve written about every single on this album, and could easily make comparisons to the likes of the Beths or Alvvays…all good things. If you’ve got a sweet tooth and need something to snack on, press play.

Hits – Cielo Nublado (Paisley Shirt Records)

You ever wonder what Sarah Records would sound like if they got transported to the future about 20 years? Well, pretty sure that Hits have given you the answer to that question, so if you’re looking for ramshackle pop, you’ve come to the right place!

TC Superstar – As Seen on TV

Austin’s dance party drop their latest record today; it’s 9 songs of catchy hooks ready for you to invite your friends over for the night to celebrate the joys of life. Stomp about until the neighbors complain about the noise.

Check the Latest from Smoke Bellow

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The first minute or so of this new Smoke Bellow tune is sort of this meditative mood, like there’s been a glitch in the Matrix and we’re all just biding time as we watched the giant-headed characters on the screen. Meredith McHugh conducts here voice like she’s welcoming you to some sort of psychedelic retreat, a sort of softened mantra that beckons you to fall deep into the contemplative nature of this tune. You look up on the screen, and you’re united by the rest of the big heads, taking part in the joyousness of sonic exploration. I love how just as I think I’ve got this lot figured out, they take a turn and lead me somewhere else. I’ll gladly follow to the release of Open for Business, out next week via Trouble in Mind Records.

Dummy Share Final Weapon Video

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I think my favorite thing this year is going to be reading all the glowing Dummy reviews and see exactly where people name drop an influence here or there. I’m sure they’re likely to get some ESG, some Stereolab, maybe even some Peel Dream Magazine (if you’re going more recent), but I really wanna see what everyone drops; I need new stuff to listen to; I’m not trying to be a jerk. I honestly don’t even think it matters, as the band seem to kind of operate like some mad lunch lady, stirring a pot of everything left in the kitchen pantry and churning out something incredible. This latest single flirts with these propulsive notes that kind of seem dance-floor ready, yet there’s this layer of left-field psychedelic experimentation that kind of holds everything in one unique spot…all the while, the vocals here feel like they’re trying to bewitch me, seducing me with this calm amidst these vibrant sounds. That’s the wonderful thing about the band, they seem to be kind of formulating their sound as they go, so it constantly seems to evolve, and that bodes well for all of Mandatory Enjoyment, out October 22 via Trouble in Mind.

Dummy Announce Mandatory Enjoyment

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We’ve been anxiously awaiting new music from Dummy, knowing they’d signed on with Trouble in Mind after two wildly successful EPs. Our first listen to Mandatory Enjoyment is beyond my expectations, so label me blown away or whatever you need to say here. There’s this synthetic hum that shoves the song forward, bleeding in with the jangling guitar riffs underneath and the dueling harmonies. But, where the immediacy could just get dialed in to an easy close, they opt to go the other route, bringing you a big blast of discordant noise to seal the song’s end. Dummy release Mandatory Enjoyment on October 22nd.

 

Smoke Bellow Announce Open For Business

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It seems like the year’s been packed full of acts brandishing their own interpretation of what indie rock is/was, so you’ve got to look to your favorite labels to see where its going, like with the latest from Trouble in Mind. Today the label announces the release of a new LP from Smoke Bellow, and while pieces of the sound collage are definitely familiar, the presentation feels fairly unique, albeit one in line with current trends. It’s almost what one would call no-punk or no-pop; it’s got that sort of arty presentation, with stabbing guitar lines, rhythmic pulse and a kind of off-beat nature about it…sort of reminds me of one of my ATX faves, Deep Time. Don’t be confused, there’s still delectable pop bits in here, just tossed out in a fashion that’s not as easy to consume, but ultimately as rewarding. Open for Business drops on September 17th.

Melenas Cover Grauzone with Osa Polar

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Friday’s are perfect days to get your weekend attitude on, and what better way than to listen to one of the ATH faves Melenas (not to be confused with Melons) cover the 80s hit from Swiss outfit Grauzone, “Eisbaer.” They’ve retitled the tune, giving the bear a female perspective, one that prefers living in the isolation of the Arctic where intruders aren’t allowed. The mood between the cover and the original is definitely similar, though I feel like there’s more warmth in the Melenas version; the industrial sterility of the original seems to have been given a nice softening of the textures. If this isn’t getting you ready to dance yourself into Friday night, then I don’t know what will. This tune’s brought to us courtesy of Trouble in Mind Records.

The Tubs Announce Names EP

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While the Tubs will most likely draw you in due to their association (and participation for that matter) in the now defunct Joanna Gruesome, don’t line up thinking you’ll get some brand of rehash for your time! Instead, they’re looking back on the great sounds that have informed so many of us: the obscurity of mid-80s guitar pop. Right up front you have those guitar licks, chopping up the song with sharp notes and ringing jangles, all bobbing along the tops of a steady rhythmic pulse. You can hear a love for Felt in the way the vocals have this softness, contrasted pleasantly against the anxiousness of the song’s push. Even more fitting is that the band find themselves a home on Trouble in Mind Records for the release of their Names EP, which will drop this July!

Mountain Movers Announce World What World

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The first single from the new Mountain Movers drops in with these crunchy riffs, hinting on psychedelia, though tethered to folk roots. As it moves on, the song unfolds, offering a heavy pop sensibility, the sort we probably wished we heard from our modern folk brethren. For me, it totally reminds me of that moment in the bus in Almost Famous where everyone is singing “Tiny Dancer”; the riffs kind of ring out, allowing everyone to join in on their own time, settling into the chorus as one; it’s one of those moments that just makes everyone feel good to be together with this tune blasting really loud. Of course, here you get an incendiary little solo, cuz this ain’t no Elton John tune. World What World is the title of their new LP, and it drops on June 18th via Trouble in Mind Records.

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