Last week took a walk on the darker side, in a good way. The first half of this mix exemplifies that feeling of dancing in the shadows, starting off with a track from Savages, who Brigit saw live at Neumos in Seattle. Then we get lighter with poppier beats before delving into heavy psych world music, picking back up again with the jangly surf rock of King Khan & BBQ Show, who I rocked out to at Santos Party House. We ultimately get resolution in the form of the “1000 Violins” from The Mohawk Lodge. This one’s a journey, y’all.
More about all the tracks in between:
Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds is made up of musicians who are seasoned veterans, but as a collective they are technically a newer band. I mean, we have Kid Congo Powers (The Gun Club, The Cramps, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds), bassist Kiki Solis (Knife In The Water), drummer Ron Miller (Up The Academy), and guitarist Jesse Roberts (Sandrider, The Ruby Doe), so it figures that the stuff they put out as one entity will be something to pay attention to. They popped up on the radar this past week for the release of their video for the dark and swampy “Conjure Man,” the A-side of their new 7 inch. Below on the mix we included their exceptionally creepy take on the legend of La Lliarona.
NYC-based post-punk, electronic duo Tempers shared their new single “Strange Harvest,” which also falls into the mood that’s been set so far on the mix, adding to the dreamy mystique.
Australia bands know how to create some catchy pop melodies, and Yolke is no different. Their new track “Tough Times” picks up the pace and puts some bounce in the flow.
I honestly haven’t listened to much from Born Ruffians since their debut album, but I do remember seeing them live some years ago, and their set being more memorable than whoever it was they opened for. Last week they released their third album, Birthmarks, which shows them still kicked with just as much energy as I remember. I may have to start paying more attention to them again, starting with featured track “Needle.”
Swedish heavy psych world music voo doo practitioners (I’m only half making that last part up – according to their bio, anyway) GOAT released a new “Dreambuilding,” and it’s killer. For old times we’ve included their earlier single “Goathead,” which is also pretty killer.
AM & Shawn Lee’s new album came out on 4/20, and they also unleashed their track “Two Times” that was remixed by Colorama. It’s a jam.
The New Regime is the project of Nine Inch Nails’ drummer Ilan Rubin, and the first feature track from his third album, Exhibit A, to be released May 7 is “Daydream.” It definitely has traces of Nine Inch Nails sensibilities, with some Radiohead circa Hail to the Thief thrown in there too.
Canadian indie rockers The Mohawk Lodge have released new track “1000 Violins” off their latest effort, Damaged Goods, and it’s that perfect finale song for the end of the night when you feel like ruminating on feelings of struggle and redemption.
Tracklist:
Savages – “Husbands”
The New Regime – “Daydream”
Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds – “La Lliarona”
Tempers – “Strange Harvest”
Yolke – “Tough Times”
GOAT – “Goathead”
AM & Shawn Lee – “Two Times” (Colorama Remix)
King Khan & BBQ Show – “I’ll Be Loving You”
Born Ruffians – “Needle”
The Mohawk Lodge – “1000 Violins”
BONUS: Lost Animal’s video for “Lose the Baby” is exactly what I think of when I hear this song. These visuals also make me want to see them live all the more, since it would probably be rather intense with this strong, singular vibe they’re doing so well right now.
