Unpiano | Music Blog

This nautical themed little gem by Orange County’s Fever B hit me like a ton of bricks, bricks made of pedal-to-the metal fuzzed out power-pop. Released as a limited edition 12″ on Orange County’s Burger Records, Fever B is a solo project by a dude in a bunch of local bands I’ve never heard of. With a one-man show this solid, I hope “B” kicks it into gear with a full band sometime this year.

Fever B – This Sea Is My Life
Fever B – Words That Make Your Heart Sing

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San Francisco faves The Mantles have graced this little blog a few times, and for good reason as proven by this hot new slab-o’-wax courtesy of Mexican Summer. The Pink Information 12″ is five tracks of hazy, psych-pop with a growing emphasis on the pop (oh fine, AND the production quality AND the shredder guitar riffs). Definitely a band you and your balding-but-ponytailed baby-boomer dad could totally agree on.

The Mantles – Lily Never Married

Twice in the last week, I found myself in the can with an open beer. My “friends” seemed to look at this as some sort of ominous sign of worse things to come, but being an optimist, I see it as my finally coming to terms with what’s important in life. Both times I found myself in this situation followed a good listening of the new Cum Stain record. My low-rent loser friends, in their whirlwind of negativity, might see this band as the hopeless end all of music. A sloppy, distorted cesspool of guitars and snotty bad vibes that all music is sinking into. But for the dreamers, the seers, the positive thinkers, we know better. This band knows that people are on this planet to eat, shit, fuck and die, so lighten the fuck up and party.

Cum Stain – Bachelor’s Life
Cum Stain – Broke My Dick

I know this track from San Francisco’s Royal Baths has been getting around a lot lately, and its probably kind of lame to post it again, but it smokes so I’m going to do it anyway. This has got me juiced for their upcoming LP, due to come out sometime next month. Word on the street is that they’re hot live, and by “street” I mean “friends I trust”, not some crackhead in a pair of stolen Ray Bans with one lens missing telling me “yeah motherfucka they hot, hey you gay? that scarf makes you look gay.”

Royal Baths – Nikki Don’t

Summer’s over and good riddance. Not that I’ve got a beef with sunshine, cold beer and cutoffs, quite the opposite actually, but it was a long hot one and its now time for some sweater weather. If anything is keeping me anchored in the waning, hazy days of Summer 2010 though, its this blazing balls-stuck-to-your-inner-thigh heat and this blazing new Best Coast LP. I’ve raved about this little L.A. band before, and they seem to outdo themselves with each release. Crazy For You sounds like romp through the city in the heat of the day, with Bethany Cosentino’s lazy, lovelorn vocal delivery ducking into every air conditioned bar in town, hand in hand with a crew of treble heavy guitars. Sure, after a few spins Bethany’s pining away for one oblivious dude or another makes me think “Lady, get a fuckin’ hobby or a heroin habit or something else to keep you busy”. But really, if all I have to bitch about is lyrics, most of which (like band names) are completely idiotic, then this record is a win.

Best Coast – Crazy For Your
Best Coast – Goodbye

JESSE’S NOTES: The album’s lead-off track ‘Boyfriend’ kills it for me. For some reason it reminds me of Sonic Youth, and it’s just melancholy enough for me to relate to. Thanks for making me sad again!

Best Coast – Boyfriend
Best Coast – Boyfriend (Ghostwaves Edit)

This great slab of punky girl pop has been getting a lot of play from me lately. Originally recorded in the mid-80s, this Swiss trio would fit right in with the wave of C-86 bands that would later influence the likes of Black Tambourine, Velocity Girl, Tiger Trap and the recent revival of like-minded acts. Every track on this reissued LP is a fun, fuzzy romp. It’s great to know that there are still forgotten bands from this era with enough great material to warrant a quality re-release like this one.

Chin Chin – Never Surrender
Chin Chin – Even If It’s A Lie

I feel like I’ve heard a lot of trash talk about L.A.’s Dum Dum Girls, but I’m going to have to say I’m really digging this new record and that maybe its time for the messageboard trolls to lighten up. I Will Be is a big step up production-wise from Dee Dee’s previous home-taped effort (which mainly consisted of guitar and drum machine), and thanks to producer Richard Gottehrer (of “My Boyfriend’s Back” and “I Want Candy” fame) as well as Dee Dee’s awesome voice, pulls off a great vintage girl-group feel. Drop in a dump-truck full of reverb and a little hi-watt distortion (a nod to another great pop scene of yesteryear, AKA see the Black Tambourine cover below) and you’ve got one of best pop records of early 2010.

Dum Dum Girls – Bhang Bhang, I’m A Burnout
Dum Dum Girls – Jail La La
Dum Dum Girls – Blank Girl
Dum Dum Girls – Throw Aggi From The Bridge (Cover)

I’ve been digging the new record by Little Claw lately, Human Taste is definitely a continuation of their first effort, but there are some solid jams on here. Dark, warbling pop soaked in lots of fuzz and reverb, sometimes spinning off into endless-jam/one-note-drone land but the handful of tracks that hold some sort of structure are pretty amazing.

Little Claw – Human Taste
Little Claw – Frozen In The Future

//photo by rick ele

Wow, Autumn finally kicked in full gear and nothing goes better with Fall weather than a drunk guy screaming in your face over a heap of distorted noise-punk. I was lucky enough to catch Portland’s The Hunches amazing live show a few times before they blew apart this last year. Luckily they offered up one hell of a parting gift with their final LP Exit Dreams on In The Red.

The Hunches – Fall Drive
The Hunches – Carnival Debris

//photo by elizabeth weinberg

Brooklyn’s Small Black just released their self-titled EP this month and it’s filled with swirly keyboards and fuzzy guitars. While it’s true that there have been a bunch of bands in this same vein as of late (check out the last twenty posts and I’m sure you can pick out five or six), Small Black has the advantage of Josh Kolenik’s fogged-out vocal delivery and great songwriting abilities. Washed Out (whose slow, fuzzy songs we wrote about a while back) also remixed their song ‘Despicable Dogs’ and did a damn fine job of making it even further up in the clouds. Gotta love these songs on those gray, overcast days.. you can almost pretend it’s still summertime.

Small Black – Despicable Dogs
Small Black – Weird Machines
Small Black – Bad Lover

Bonus:
Small Black – Despicable Dogs (Washed Out remix)