The Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound - Ekranoplan (2007)

If I had been handed this on vinyl and told it was recorded in 1972, I wouldn’t have second-guessed it. The convoluted feel of their name extends to their range of influences, enabling them to present a sound that pulls from hard rock, alternative, space rock, doom metal, and psychedelic-blues. The revival of this late-60’s/early-70’s hodgepodge (sometimes dubbed ‘stoner rock,’ although I’m not a personal fan of that phrase) is being seen with current bands such as Dead Meadow, Comets on Fire, Wooden Shjips, and fellow Tee Pee Records label-mates Witch. This group’s music fits in nice and snug while still sounding distinct from their contemporaries. The best feature of the album is that each song emphasizes a different element of their influences, preventing the album from coming off as one overly-long repetitive jam.

Streamable Track: "Mosquito Lantern"


Artist Website / Album Purchase

Song Obsessions for May

I return. The dust has settled, and it’s with great excitement that I continue posting these musical recommendations of past and present. Seeing as how May was sorely lacking in material on this site, I shall include more than the usual three tracks in the end-of-the-month round-up. Additionally, each artist will receive their own eye-candy.



Mixel Pixel – "Sinking Feeling" off Let's Be Friends (2008)

Thankfully, Mixel Pixel’s music lives up to the undeniable cuteness that their name emotes. Their blend of warm indie pop, lo-fi synth-pop, and alternating male/female vocals presents a playful mix of the Magnetic Fields and Human League. While the entirety of their recent 2nd album didn’t hold my attention, this particular track has secured itself in my rotation for a while to come.






Cloud Cult – "When Water Comes to Life" off Feel Good Ghosts (2008)

Not unlike the Arcade Fire, Cloud Cult shares that urgent, energetic quality that makes you incapable of stopping a song part-way through. "When Water Comes to Life" is no exception and pulls you into a whirlwind of strings, horns, and everything else necessary for that ‘epic’ feel. Feeling the need to take the term 'art-rock' literally, over the course of a show band members Connie Minowa and Scott West complete a painting that is auctioned off at the end.






Clinic - "The Witch (Made to Measure)" off Do It! (2008)

Numerous reviews of Clinic’s most recent release have criticized the band’s apparent need to stay within their comfort zone and put out music that really doesn’t change much from one album to the next. Be that as it may (and yes, I agree this album is pretty similar to every other they record), I’m still a fan of their unique blend of psychedelic-experiemental-surf-rock.






Dosh - "If You Want To, You Have To" off Wolves & Wishes (2008)

Dosh is an electronic and multi-percussionist artist who puts out lush, instrumental pieces. His recent 4th LP is no different and features guests including Andrew Bird, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, and Odd Nosdam. While the entire album is great, the third track off “Wolves & Wishes” was the first to initially grab me.






Dame Satan - "Big Weed" off Ghost Mansion (2005)

For those keeping track, these guys were featured back in January when I came across "Sirens" on a 7" split. While that song walked the line between psychedelic and blues-rock, this one off an earlier album of theirs pulls more from stripped-down folk and acoustic harmonies.






The Glass Family - "Swimming in Fiction" off Sleep Inside This Wheel (2005)

To sum up this set, I’ll leave you with another energetic piece. Austin’s Glass Family, who play powerful indie pop/rock, give us a song that allows the piano to take the lead against the guitar, but it’s the shuffling percussion and immediate vocals that win out.