Witching Waves And Their Crystal Cafe

Witching Waves’ Crystal Café is a restless record of noisy guitars, sugary sweet vocals and driving rhythms.  Sounding something like the Pixies/Breeders with a bit of riot grrl, Lush and Sonic Youth thrown in for good measure Britain's Witching Waves create a raucous distorted wall of edginess with just enough pop sensibility to make it all memorable.  Not overly produced or even overly played, Crystal Café churns through songs in a torrent of frenzied riffs, shouts, melodies and broken drum heads.  It’s all a bit rough and tarnished around the edges but that’s what makes Witching Waves so darn good and fun to jump around to. 

Crystal Café is probably the most American record I’ve heard a British band produce since Urusei Yatsura did things like this in the 90’s.  And while there are bits and bobs that sound British in their tendencies, most of the songs lend credence to the thought that Witching Waves were raised on 90’s indie rock from the States.  Irregardless of origin, the eleven songs that make up Crystal Café are all brilliant and there’s so little wrong with this indie rock gem it’s not even worth mentioning.   From the jumpiness of the guitars to the boy girl vocal trade-offs and even the subdued basslines prodding the songs along Witching Waves have stumbled on to some songwriting gold here and it all comes together to make for one heck of a thirty minute ride.  Raw, unrefined and fun Crystal Café is a modern indie rock classic and one of the best records of 2016 thus far.  

Versus Is Well Worth The Trip To Eureka California

As shambolic as the cover would seem to indicate Eureka California’s Versus is a crazy ride through the indie rock lexicon.  Sounding like a perfect smash up between Daydream Nation era Sonic Youth, Slanted and Enchanted Pavement, a bit of Superchunk and some surf guitar Versus is a noisy wrangled record of chaotic fun.  This is a sloppy and loud record that hits you over the head with massive melodies, geeky guitar work, and songs that are hard to forget.

Eureka California don’t necessarily write anything overly complicated but what they do write seems to be held together by some broken guitar strings, duct tape, and a bit of luck.  It’s all very messy but its simplistic nature is its greatest asset.  This is a homage to classic 90’s indie rock made with a heart the size of Texas and it’s so in love with that era it’s hard to believe this was released this year.  Versus is an awesome listen and catchier than the zika virus it’s songs recklessly careen through three minutes like a 90 year old granny backing up in a parking lot.  Rough, raw and prone to blowing speakers Versus is a shining example of how indie rawk should be played. 

Eureka California’s Versus could fall apart at any point while it’s being listened to.  Its disheveled songs, shaky walls of noisy guitars and muddled melodies somehow manage to hold together just long enough to work their way into your consciousness and never leave.  It is almost impossible to dislike sloppy stuff like this because its organic nature is so unpolished and raw that its intentions are laid bare. Eureka California are an awesome band and Versus is a trip well worth making.    

Silva's Jupiter Is A Work Of Cosmic Beauty

Silva’s Jupiter is a musical tribute to the largest planet in our solar system and is inspire by pop, bossa nova, electronica and even chanson.  Led by 27 year old Espirito Santo and his endless fascination by the planet the album is a bit unusual and geeky when you think about it.  Who’s inspired and endlessly curious about a planet nowadays that isn’t in NASA or ESA?  Not very many people but I think that’s what makes Jupiter feel so special it’s an honest and spacious (so to speak) record that reflects the size and strength of the planet.

With Jupiter Silva (Santo) challenged himself to step away from layering endless amounts of music on top of each other.  Instead he chose a more organic and minimal structure that despite its implications still is expansive and vast.  Jupiter is a sumptuous and sensual record that takes elements of hip hop and electronica and chills them to perfection.  The album is a slow moving gyration of steaminess.  The record isn’t blatantly sexy but the slow moving beats, near jazzy atmospheres and whispered vocals create an atmosphere that makes it that way.  From pulsating bass lines, tickled pianos and slow steady beats this record slowly builds up a cold sweat. 

You might not have any idea what Silva is saying on Jupiter but you don’t really need to.  The overarching chilled out vibe and stirring musical passages convey all the messaging you need.  Jupiter is as beautiful as the galaxy itself and as magnificent and majestic as the planet that it’s named after.  Not world music by any stretch of the imagination Silva had created a chilled global downtempo work of awesomeness. 

Lakou Mizik Bring The Beauty of Haiti Home On Wa Di Yo

Formed in the wake of the Haitian earthquake of 2010 Lakou Mizik is makde up of a diverse collection of musicians coming together to make music together.  Various religious, social and economic strata are represented within the group and each have united to tell stories and share their struggles.  The resulting musical tales are encapsulated on Wa Di Yo.  Spanning generations Lakou Mizik create Afro Caribbean call and response harmonies that are as celebratory as they are introspective.

Wa Di Yo is a gorgeously tropical record that’s in a constant state of motion.  Its rhythms and grooves have a pop sensibility about them while being introspective and thoughtful.  The record’s uncomplicated feel and multipart harmonies are simply awesome and give the album a sense of nimbleness throughout.  Steeped in Haitian and Creole culture and influenced by generations of music the record is an intriguing picture of Haitian culture today.    This is a country that has been through one of the worst natural disasters of the last twenty years and somehow, some way the people have a spirit of resiliency about them.  This spirt pulsates through Wa Di Yo and guides many of the songs. 

Lakou Mizik is a band that has seen more than its fair share of dark days but instead of dwelling on them they’ve chosen to move forward.  Wa Di Yo is the sound of healing and inspiration and it’s simply fantastic stuff.   Although it sounds world away, Wa Di Yo brings the spirit and culture of Haiti straight to your heart.  It’s a great record that’s brimming with positivity and hope and there’s nothing the matter with that!

Zona's Quest For Peace, Love and Understanding

I have to admit, I didn’t give Zona’s Peace, Love and Understanding any chance of being good.  I mean look at the cover.  It’s not good; it just isn’t.  Then I put the disc in and holy frehole I was taken aback at what I was hearing.  Peace, Love and Understanding is a mind numbing house record that harks back to all those classic late 90’s records that made mega-clubs temples to 4/4 time. 

Peace, Love and Understanding is packed with 12 tracks of sensual disco influenced vocal house that are so damn sexy and groove laden you’ll be spilling champagne all over the dance floor.  What’s truly different about this record is Zona’s use of live instrumentation in addition to the soulful vocals of Angela McGary, Chezere Brathwaite, Jackie Wilson, Wade Chandler, Chellena Black and Valarie Moise.  Brimming with positivity and packed with dancefloor friendly grooves this record is about as close a musical religious experience as you are likely to have.  Listening to Peace, Love and Understanding reminded me how much I miss this traditional taken on house music.

Zona has created a euphoric, upbeat, glittery, sexy house record with Peace, Love and Understanding. It might be a cliché saying but nothing about this record is cliché except for how wrong I was to judge it by its cover.   In a world littered by dirty and aggressive dance music, Zona reminds us how sensual and positive the genre can be when it’s at its best.  Peace, Love and Understanding is an understated and subdued classic that needs to be in your life.          

The High Violets Heroes & Halos

Five albums in and The High Violets kind of have the whole post-gazing dream pop thing down pat.  They know their way around ethereality and could sculpt a noise pop song in their sleep.  They know how to take their influences and make them their own.  These guys are good and their latest album Heroes and Halos does anything but disappoint.

While they often get compared to Slowdive, I really think of The High Violets as Saint Etienne lost in a shoegazing haze.  Vocalist Kaitlyn at times sounds so much like Sarah from Etienne you’d swear she was trapped in Foxbase Alpha.   This isn’t a bad thing in any way, shape or form and in fact, it’s all a bit endearing if you ask me.  While vocally the album has a slightly twee edge about it musically, Heroes & Halos is a blissed out beautiful trip through sheets of shimmering guitar noise.  The songs are wispy, willowy and as light as breeze.  It’s all really rather gorgeous stuff and the band create an aural aesthetic that as heavenly as the album’s name implies.   There’s so little to fault here because The High Violets know how to do this with their eyes closed and they don’t it really, really well. 

Heroes & Halos is the latest album in The High Violets career that exceeds expectations.  In a world littered with post-gazing pop bands The High Violets have staked their claim as leaders of the new school and with Heroes & Halos it’s easy to see why; dreampop has never sounded so heavenly as it does here.  Perfection personified.

Dear Dark Head Create Strange Weather

DearDarkHead’s Mini LP Strange Weather is a six song ethereal journey into the post-shoegazing landscape.    This instrumental record is utterly gorgeous and features some of the best guitar work I’ve heard on an instrumental work in a really long time.  And while the musicianship on this record is top notch or higher, it’s one of the few atmospheric albums that I’ve heard that would benefit immensely from vocals.

If you ever wondered what the Stone Roses would sound like without Ian Brown, Strange Weather answers that question.   It’s a crisp record that jangles, jumps, jams and shimmers in the sunlight.  The songs are memorable, danceable, and ready for a vocalist to take them into the stratosphere.  Not really post rock, not really ambient, not really anything related to anything similar DDH seems to be a band that simply couldn’t find a vocalist.  That being said, if they ever were to find one suited to their tastes DearDarkHead could be a band with an arsenal of killer singles and world domination at their feet.  Until then bliss out to Strange Weather and enjoy its post-shoegazing atmospherics.