Warm Your Feet By the Psychedelic Fire

January kicked our butts, but there's good news on the horizon. Warm psychedelic jams are on order in the first two records to capture my attention this year. Both records are unique in that they manage to be shimmering and layered, whilst avoiding being too heady and overbearing. They're available now, so go and dig it!

Quilt Held In Splendor (Mexican Summer)

Quilt's second record is pretty traditional psych, with chambered vocal harmonies and shimmery phased-out guitar. Each song has at least one instrument that sits above the smoke while the band jams along. Also, the songs are different enough that it's not boring, and most of the melodies are fairly memorable, when not lofty and repetitive. Sometimes it's dreamy, sometimes it's dark, but it's pretty strong. Retro 60's psych seems to be a hot ticket these days, what with the Tame Impala's and the Unknown Mortal Orchestra's, but there is certainly enough on this LP to make it unique. 

Morgan Delt s/t (Trouble in Mind)

Okay I lied, this one is pretty heady. It's worth it, though. Lo-fi sound and mix, degraded samples, creepy melodies, psych freak out guitar, fuzz bass, this one's a doozy. It's also the debut record from this guy. Some of it reminds me of White Fence, some of it the Flaming Lips, if Stephen were the leader. These kinds of records fascinate me in their creativity and density, and Delt is as strong a songwriter as you need. He's imaginative, but really tempers that challenging quality and churns out an LP full of distorted pop goodness.  

New Spins // Honorable Mention Edition

Here are a few honorable mentions on the list this year that were a bit lesser-known, in my opinion, and I think they deserve the new spins treatment. Check 'em out if you can. 

T Hardy Morris Audition Tapes (Dangerbird Spain)

Dead Confederate founder's solo debut. This record is a strong set of songs that range from folk, alt country, rock; and it's all pretty accessible. He has a unique voice (think Delta Spirit), and inhabits the even-paced songs very naturally. This is probably my favorite one of the above four. The more I listen to it, the more I think it should've made the top ten.

Dent May Warm Blanket (Paw Tracks)

2012 found him an honorable mention too, and this 2013 LP is equally strong. On the surface, this one is a bit weird. His voice is syrupy sweet, like discount cough medicine. The arrangements sometimes have a George Harrison feel (see "Do I Cross Your Mind?") Overall, though, a very hypnotic and unique record that lingers if you give it a shot. 

Diane Coffee My Friend Fish (Western Vinyl)

The drummer from Foxygen has some pipes. There's lots of the throwback qualities that band employs here, and a bit of it's sense of humor, too. The mix has a nice open sound, and you can pick out all the little extras. This record reminds me a bit of RAM that way, and it's probably why I like it so much. This guy is pretty impressive and seems like a bit of a weirdo. That's cool, though. 

Generationals Heza (Polyvinyl)

Discovered this one when I was ordering Of Montreal's new one from Polyvinyl. I guess you'd call this 'indie' rock. Lots of synth editions, but pretty straightforward throughout. The opening track "Spinoza" has so much energy, it had me starting the thing over every time. In that, I found a catchy, memorable record that I never tired of.

Top Ten of 2013

The enjoyable yet tiring process of choosing my favorite ten records of 2013 is finished. There was so much great music this year, I can't believe it. Spotify was a great help digging through it all as usual. Here's the master list and some honorable mentions. Cheers!

1. Portugal. The Man Evil Friends (Atlantic)
2. Cass McCombs Big Wheel & Others (Domino)
3. Foxygen We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic (Jagjaguwar)
4. Pokey LaFarge s/t (Third Man)
5. Happy Jawbone Family Band s/t (Mexican Summer)
6. The Strokes Comedown Machine (RCA)
7. Kurt Vile Wakin on A Pretty Daze (Matador)
8. Queens Of The Stone Age …Like Clockwork (Matador)
9. Jim James Regions of Light and Sound of God (ATO/RED)
10. Unknown Mortal Orchestra II (Jagjaguwar)

Honorable Mentions

New Spins: Check these Footlongs

Califone Stitches
(Dead Oceans)

Mister mumble and his kitchen sink crew clean up the place a bit on this new Califone LP, the first that Tim has done outside Chicago. The mix is pretty straightforward and the vocals are front and center. This is a tighter album than 2009's meandering All My Friends Are Funeral Singers and that's all for the better. Califone goes places they've seldom gone on this one, and they're all the better for it. Easily their strongest outing since Quicksand/Cradlesnakes. If you're a Califone fan, let's face it, you should already have this. If you're not, it's a great place to start.

Caveman s/t
(Fat Possum)

Strange in name, atrocious artwork does not a bad record make. This one took a bit to sink in, but it's quite a diverse, interesting journey. Synth-fueled jams chock full of reverb, blurry background vocals and creative melody. The first real song on the LP, "In the City" recalls the seriousness of the late seventies, and sells it hard. Songs get stretched out and fade back into the mix, but when the vocals push, it's pretty emotional. "Ankles" is a favorite at the moment, give it some volume. Certainly not a party album, but they can't all be, right?

Water Liars Wyoming
(Fat Possum)

Folk is king right now, it seems, but it's an easy genre to botch. Water Liars' sophomore album does it well, without posing or forcing it on you. Justin's small touch of southern drawl lends some authenticity to the sadder songs. "Backbone" was released as a single a time before the LP, and it's a two sided jekyll and hyde tune that manages to channel Cass McCombs, Jim James and AA Bondy all at once. The album as a whole is a great listen, perfect for the Fall. Nothing too overcomplicated or challenging here, and that's just the way it should be.

Pokey LaFarge

To us St. Louisans, Pokey LaFarge has become something of a local treasure. From his sets at Blues City Deli, to his rising star-like sold-out Off Broadway shows, we've always been proud of this time-traveling troubadour and his love for our fair city. 

To those unaware, Pokey drives in a lane that's part tribute, part satire, and part brilliance when it comes to representing traditional blues, roots, delta, folk, whatever you want to call it, really. He looks as if he's just stepped off a time-travelled locomotive from the 1930's. You may think to yourself, what is this guy doing? After all, nods to music's simpler and finer times are all too familiar in modern music, be it 50's, 60's or even 80's eras. However, Pokey reaches even further back in time, and pulls it front and center for all of us to enjoy. And, he takes it quite seriously. 

So, another purveyor of music past, Jack White, paid attention. He brought Pokey down to his Nashville studio to record a Third Man Blue Series single ("Chittlin' Cookin' Time In Cheatham County") and also had Pokey and the South City Three back him up on a tune from his solo album, Blunderbuss ("I Guess I'll Just Go to Sleep"). This led to Pokey signing to Third Man Records, proper, and now the release of his new album, simply titled Pokey LaFarge.

Simply said, Pokey's new record is fantastic. The songs are richer, his stories strong, as always. And while he's ditched the South City Three moniker for his backing band, they shine as bright as him throughout the album. The record starts strong with "Central Time," a song sure to make any Midwesterner beam with pride.  The upright bass, harmonica, and guitar work on "The Devil Ain't Lazy" is spectacular, and they backing vocals perfect his words of wisdom. The mix is very clean, and the album relies more on instrument choice (and skill) rather than trickery to make it sound 'old.' Muted horns, saloon piano, and classical guitar do that just fine (dig "What the Rain Will Bring or "Kentucky Mae" or "Day after Day"). "Bowlegged Woman" is a fabulous jig sure to inspire a few dance moves, and there's a little more truth in "City Summer Blues" than we'd like to admit. I could go on and on, but you'll just have to hear in for yourself. It could open your mind to a different era of music, a prospect I'm sure would make Pokey grin. 

This record is sure to make Pokey a bigger star, and as far as I'm concerned, it's much deserved. Do yourself a favor and pick this up. Play it at your next house party, drink some whiskey and dance until the sun comes up.

New Spins

Portugal.The Man  Evil Friends
(Atlantic)

After being underwhelmed by the first few singles released by Portugal.The Man this year, I finally had a chance to sit down with the entire album. It wasn't as instantly great as In the Mountain, In the Cloud, but after a few listens, it gets really good. The songwriting is a little darker and dirtier (Dangermouse produced it, after all). The singles dissolve into the album's frame and make more sense, and the deep tracks show a lot of growth and willingness to experiment. Just solidifies the practice of not listening to anything until the album comes out. Worth a download, at least.

Queens of the Stone Age  ...Like Clockwork
(Matador)

Queens return with their best album since Songs for the Deaf, and with it returns the sound of jumping around on the tuner dial. There are nods to their previous three records' styles, and a myriad of guests make this quite a ride. Dave Grohl mans the drums on half the record, and Trent Reznor, Elton John, Mark Lanegan, and Alex Turner all lend a bit of spice to tracks to which they contribute. Obviously, though, the star is Josh Homme. His riffs are just as heavy, just as weird, and there is a new sense of personality to his lyrics (that is to say, if you've ever wondered what it would be like to have a tail). With this powerful, interesting album, QOTSA prove they are perhaps the most unique band in modern rock, and quite possibly give us the album of the year.

New Spins, Ketchup

Playing a little bit of ketchup today.
Been preoccupied by baseball. Dig.

Har Mar Superstar Bye Bye 17
(Cult Records/Frenchkiss Label Group)

Crazy bastard starts to take music a little more seriously and applies a vintage R&B vibe and some killer horns. His voice is quite good here, especially on the opening track "Lady You Shot Me." It will suck you right in. Plus, when Fab from the Strokes is on your album, you know you're pretty cool.

Junip s/t
(Mute)

The second record from José González is a little darker, a little softer and a bit more concise. Another one that starts strong, with "Line of Fire." Kudos to KDHX for this one. The mix is a bit muffled, which makes the songs sound better, I think, it plays well against the electronic additions. Listen to it twice.

Kurt Vile Wakin On A Pretty Daze
(Matador)

This mumbly long-hair finally has my attention. Despite the title, it's perfect on a dreary day. The tunes are long and relaxing, spacey and cool. He can be funny, witty, and uses inspired melodies. These wonderful songs are over so quick, you won't notice the length. Time to dig through the back catalog and find what I was missing.