LISTEN: Music For Your Plants

  Music For Your Plants - Mr. Huanted by Music For Your Plants

I woke up this morning to find it snowing again and the roads and pavements hidden once again. I also woke up to find an e-mail labelled 'some plant music' and a short message that included a mediafire link to their new self-released, self-titled EP and a link to the band's Soundcloud page. 

"We are a threesome voyage expedition adventure band from tallinn, estonia."

  Music For Your Plants - Enchanted Sister by Music For Your Plants

The band label themselves as playing "tropical, lo-fi, instrumental" music and whist that isn't too far off, they incorporate a whole load of other influences and sounds. In places they remind of 60s elevator music ('Agave Americana'), in others Dam-Funk ('Dr Mudawi') and others Ducktails and Dick Dale ('Enchanted Sister') and even At The Drive-In (Listen to 'Mr. Huanted'). Tropical Acid Surf Music complete with the sounds of the ocean and birds.

Be sure to also check out this interview with the band over at Ashtapes.

http://www.myspace.com/musicforyourplants

LISTEN: Family Portrait

Glide Part One (Demo) 

Glide Part Two (Demo) 

 As you might already have noticed, I'm a huge fan of Underwater Peoples Records. I first heard Real Estate last winter, which was my first winter here in Sweden and their debut album will always remind me of the orange tinted snow from the streetlights and the part-time job I had opening up a tent that housed Father Christmas. For most people, Underwater Peoples symbolizes summer and the beach, but for me it's always going to be cosy music for autumn/winter and with winter fast approaching and the upcoming release of Family Portrait's debut, it looks like they may be 2010s cosiness.

 Listen to more here.

VIDEO: Julian Lynch - Just Enough

Julian Lynch "Just Enough" from OLDE ENGLISH SPELLING BEE on Vimeo.

Check out this great video for 'Just Enough' off Julian's excellent album, 'Mare.'

Ducktails - Hamilton Road 7"

These guys really can't do anything wrong in my eyes! Alex Bleeker, Ducktails, Real Estate, Julian Lynch...such a talented group of guys! Plus now we have a Seinfeld reference thrown in! It doesn't get any better! An alternate version of 'Art Vandelay' will appear on his upcoming release, 'Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics', this autumn. Click the album link to listen to the title track off this 7".

Ducktails - Art Vandelay

Buy it here.

COMING SOON: Ducktails - Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics

Ducktails - Hamilton Road

http://www.myspace.com/ducktailss

http://www.woodsist.com/

Ducktails - Mirror Image 7"

 Ducktails aka Matt Mondanile of Real Estate released his 7" 'Mirror Image' a couple of months ago and I completely forgot to mention it. Anyway, I am now and you can check out the video to the A-side, 'Applewalk', over on Choc Bobka and take a listen to the B-side, 'Mirror Image Index', below. Perfect tropicala lo-fi goodness to kick back to! You can pick the 7" up over on Shdwply Records.

Mirror Image Index (mp3 from Impose)

COMING SOON: Julian Lynch - Mare (2010)

Julian Lynch will release 'Mare', his follow-up to 'Orange You Glad' sometime this year on Olde English Spelling Bee. Lynch and friends really are turning into favourites of mine and so far I have been a fan of everything they've touched. If you're not sure who these guys are, be sure to check out Ducktails, Alex Bleeker & The Freaks, Alex Bleeker's solo work, Real Estate and anyone on Underwater Peoples.

You can listen to two of the new songs below. I've also posted a couple of videos of songs off his previous effort ('Seed') and one off the Ducktails/Julian Lynch split 7" ('Garden 2').

Listen to the title track here.
Julian Lynch - Just Enough

* mp3 courtesy of Stereogum

ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Alex Bleeker and the Freaks - S/T (2009)

I know I already posted about this album a couple of months back, but I hadn't heard the album then. I've been listening to the album the last few days and I just had to tell you all how GOOD it is! A few reviews I've read refer to this album as classic rock for our generation and it's pretty much bang on! This is a talented bunch of guys! I don't think I've heard an album involving any of these New Jerseyers that I haven't liked. Be it Real Estate, Julian Lynch, Ducktails or Alex Bleeker's recent solo 7", 'These Days'. All the albums have a similar sort of vibe, but sound quite different at the same time. Alex Bleeker and the Freaks have a really loose, jam style quality to them, complete with wailing guitar licks and Neil Youngesque melodies that are perfect this time of the year. The album plays works best as just that, an album. The whole thing blends into 26 minutes of carefree good times that always has me hitting play again as soon as it stops. The longer instrumental passages combine perfectly with the more 'song' based material, such as their cover of Mountain Man's 'Animal Tracks' and the transition from 'Summer' into 'Epilogue' is incredible. Although this was released last year, this is definitely going to be one of my most listened to albums of the year and I look forward to more releases from Bleeker & co.

Next on my list of bands to listen to are all the other artists on Under Water Peoples Records, which is home to Real Estate, Bleeker and company!

Listen in Spotify 

Check out this interview with Bleeker over at Low Log.

NEW TRACK: Run DMT - Spruce Bringsteen (2010)

I've never heard of these guys before, but just came across this track over on Chocolate Bobka and thought it was pretty damn nice. It's a great summer track and should definitiely be filed next to the likes of Real Estate, Ducktails etc. Their Myspace page says they're on Woodist/Wigflip, but I can't find too much else about them anywhere. They do have some free music for download on there too, so be sure to check it out.

Run DMT - Spruce Bringsteen

Alex Bleeker and the Freaks

 Real Estate's album was one of my favourites of last year and I've recently got into Ducktails' album, 'Landscapes'. All of these guys went to high school together in new Jersey and have played together for years. Now we have Alex Bleeker and the Freaks. Alex plays bass in Real Estate and is joined by Martin Courtney on bass and Matt Mondanile (Ducktails) on drums both also of Real Estate and Julian Lynch. Julian Lynch also released his full-length debut last year ('Orange You Glad'), though I haven't heard it yet.

I haven't heard this album yet, but have listened to several tracks on You Tube/Vimeo and really like what I'm hearing. All these guys seem to have a similar sound, but each has their own take on it. Maybe it's just a perfect way for them all to express themselves. Although these are still early days, they kinda remind of Crosby, Still, Nash & Young in the way all the members had solo projects alongside various group offerings. So here are a couple of nice tracks I found on Vimeo...the first being a cover of Mountain Man's 'Animal Tracks' (also included below) which is kinda like a more Crazy Horse style take on the song. The second song, 'Summer>Epilogue' sounds a little Neil Youngesque, mixed with some almost country-style singing and a little Grateful Dead style haziness.



Alex Bleeker and the Freaks - "Animal Tracks" from Elise Oh on Vimeo.


Alex Bleeker & The Freaks - Summer > Epilogue from Chocolate Bobka on Vimeo.

Ducktails - Landscapes

Matthew Mondanile is guitarist for 'Real Estate' and last year he also released 'Landscapes' under the name Ducktails (his solo project). As with Real Estate's brilliant self-titled album last year, this album is also very much about atmosphere and mood. This one recalls warm, hazy evenings and faint, Ariel Pink style memories of childhood or as with Dam-Funk, you can quite easily imagine yourself driving through L.A. late at night, with a warm breeze and lthe flickering of neon lights. It also kinda reminds me of the Lost In Translation soundtrack. This isn't Ducktails' first release and I'm not entirely sure how many albums he has released, but there are definitely a few floating around. I could only find one You Tube video off this album, but check out the album...you won't be disappointed.