The Hussy

Ever felt like screaming a big FUCK YOU to the world & it's bull shit? That's what terrifically terrible twosome The Hussy have been doing with their music, so if you need a soundtrack to your FUCK OFF session, look no further. In a world full of over-produced, over-thought, over-played crap, the music made by Bobby and Heather of The Hussy, from Madison, Wisconsin, USA, is the antithesis of all that. The mission of The Hussy: to get you off your ass & get you to have a good time. Short and simple songs that never stop rocking out hard have made me fall in complete love with every single song I've heard from The Hussy. Alternating between sweet and screwed up, this is trashed-out, super catchy and fun garage rock you will love.
Five EPs/7"s came before the new album Cement Tomb Mind Control, and you can listen to everything they've released on The Hussy's Band Camp page and Last.fm page. HAVE FUN WITH THIS MUSIC. It's meant to rock out to and have a blast instead of taking everything so seriously. I'm pretty sure before things got so crazy deep and complicated, rock & roll was meant to be as loud, simple, and fun as The Hussy. I am in love with their spirit; it's my soundtrack to a great time. Go see for yourselves what The Hussy is all about.
See the list on the right side of The Hussy's Band Camp page for a gig near you, soon.

Kent State

Kent State is the side project of Baltimore, Maryland, USA punk rock guitarist Nicholas Vance. Nicholas plays with Deep Sleep most of his time, but has recently begun recording songs of a less-punk nature with some friends under the band name Kent State. Spahn Ranch is the first four-song EP he's made available to us, and it's a killer of a debut EP. Though the songs may not be the punk rock Nicholas plays with Deep Sleep, they are nonetheless as edgy as hell, played with loud snarls of guitars, lots of reverb & noise, and dark lyrics that are a bit distorted to add to the mysterious vibe of the music. So you have mystery, energy, and some great, dark, noisy guitars played in four short songs that beg repeating. Nicholas's own description for the style of music is 'psychedelic death pop'. I bet you're intrigued by that, huh? I have to admit, I could not have put it better myself, as all those descriptive elements are definitely in these four songs. But there is also more, down deep, dark & hidden, which makes this music even more intriguing. These songs have an immediate catch, the hooks and riffs that you get, right at first listen, but later, there is the itch that you like it, but you're missing something, so you keep listening, and it gets better and better. The blog Paranoid Futures is where Nicholas Vance is posting any and all of his work and updates, so check it out and get the Spahn Ranch EP from his link there. Yes you can listen to the songs first on the player, but trust me, you will want them for yourselves. And also, there is more to come from Kent State, very very soon, excellent news.

The Dirty Lungs new single release

My favorite band from Alabama, The Dirty Lungs, previously reviewed HERE, have just recently released a new single and b-side, Don't Fucking Remind Me b/w Serial Suicide. It seems like these guys are constantly reinventing their sound: these are two more songs from The Dirty Lungs that sound nothing like anything else they recorded before. Don't Fucking Remind Me, all easy, dreamy sweeps of California-style sounds and lyrics about lost love (yeah, it did not take me long to know the words to that song, guys) backed with the evil yells and pounding drums of Serial Suicide, are just two more reasons to know and love The Dirty Lungs. You never know what to expect from them, but you are never disappointed.

Antenna relase new single

Strange Fusion backed with Headlights, the new single from San Francisco rockers Antenna, is up on their excellent website, go listen NOW. Ville and Jaakko have now found their permanent third member, Mina, and have solidified their sound into a deep rock groove. The two songs of the single are some excellent works of pure and perfect rock and roll. Antenna were profiled a while back for DSK blog, you can check that out HERE if you missed that original post. The band's site is kept up to date, so BOOKMARK IT for future gig dates and releases from Antenna, San Francisco's finest.

The Leafs

The information I have on these guys is this: The Leafs is two guys, Michael and Gus, from Melbourne, AU, who were in other bands, but decided the styles were not for them, and subsequently chose to collaborate on an eight song EP called Space Elevator, in the style favored by Sic Alps: sometimes noisy, sometimes quiet, decidedly lo-fi. This style suits The Leafs to a TEE. The tracks of Space Elevator EP are brilliant. Perfectly executed in the garage rock tradition of simplicity with a sharp edge, any fan of lo-fi rock and roll owes it to himself to check out this music, and The Leafs are kindly giving it to us for FREE on their Band Camp page. The title track rocks out teetering on the edge of punk, but then, following tracks on the EP slow down the pace & creep along, elegantly. Fields and Fences rocks back into the groove again, closing song Waves the Size of Mountains is a poem set to acoustic guitar, again, simply elegant. Actually, I found out from the band, each song has a story behind it, all of them pretty damn cool. You can tell these guys are not new to making music, but I suppose with the style of The Leafs' sound, they have found their perfect niche, and I am thankful for the wise Aussie who turned me onto this. The songs are short, though, and the Space Elevator EP leaves me wanting more, much much more.

Watch the video made for the song Space Elevator (video made by Gus and thanks to the band for sharing this!):

The Leafs - Space Elevator from Gus Kemp on Vimeo.

Shapes Have Fangs

Shapes Have Fangs, out of Austin, Texas, USA, not only boast one of the coolest names ever for a band, they make some of the coolest garage/psych rock you could ever hear. The songs of their debut album Dinner In The Dark, and the SXSW EP and singles they have released over the past few years, sound straight outta '69. Band members Dustin, Skyler, Josh and Evan were actually working with psych legend Sky Saxon shortly before his death in 2009. Check out Shapes Have Fangs music on their MySpace page, then go for the downloads of their SXSW EP and SXSW singles. Just trust me on this one, anyone who loves psych rock done up old school, will adore Shapes Have Fangs music. If you love that SXSW music of theirs, and I know you will, try checking out their full-length album Dinner In The Dark HERE (if you are a FaceBook account holder you can stream the album).

Austin Psych Fest's website has a page with links to purchase the album, and again, this is a band whom you do NOT want to miss, so DO check out the album, friends.

If Sky Saxon loved these guys, do you really think you won't??!!

Black Market Karma new video

This video is brand new and is for the soon-to-be-released single Pulling Shapes off their long-awaited debut full-length. Not sure of the release date YET for that full-length, but let's hope it's SOON.

Heavy Ghost

Heavy Ghost, out of Cary, Illinois, is a five-piece making some of the most fantastically hazy and catchy shoegaze music I have heard in a long time. Actually, I can't name one other band I've heard in recent years making music that sounds quite like this. Definitely taking influence from the original crop of shoegazers from the early 90s, the vocals are hushed and part of the overall delightfully woozy feel of the songs. Synths are used brilliantly in all four songs of this EP, to give the songs their hazy vibes, and the surprise of a tambourine here and there, well that just puts a little bit of psychedelia into the mix, perfectly. Heavy Ghost has given us an amazing little debut EP, go listen on their Band Camp page, and get it for yourself.

Bloody Knives new EP Disappear

Another band loved so much by DSK blog, Bloody Knives, has released a new EP titled Disappear and it KILLS it, folks.......that signature Bloody Knives sound of darkwave synths and driving percussion is all there, five new songs to crush you, nicely. Absolutely love this release. Go listen now on Bloody Knives' Band Camp page, and check out the VERY limited physical copy you can get your hands on IF you act very fast, as I did. No way am I missing out on their mind-blowing artwork. Love it, boys, LOVE IT. Thank you.

Audiodeluxe: New EP Release

Previously featured in DSK when they released their first EP, as some fantastic new psych-tinged trip hop out of Glasgow, Scotland, Audiodeluxe is now releasing their second EP, which you can listen to and purchase at their Band Camp page HERE. If you loved what you heard on EP1, go now and check out EP2, more gorgeous, trippy electronica done right by Audiodeluxe. We at DSK love it, Dez and Sammy, thank you!

Lead Stones

The Brooklyn, New York band Lead Stones takes this blog back to its roots: psychedelic rock. We originated here as a blog dedicated to UK psych rockers Black Market Karma, but have since branched out to different styles of music so long as the music was made and shared with independent spirit and creativity. Also in dedication to BMK, to get their music more heard among like-minded music fans all over the world, we focused on less-known and/or newer artists in the hopes that more folks will hear & appreciate the music. Well folks, Lead Stones' music needs to be heard by more people, and I have never been more serious. Brought to my attention by band member Andy, Lead Stones is a three-piece band from one of my favorite places in the world, Brooklyn, New York, and who are friends and gig partners with a beloved band of this blog, Sky Picnic. Andy comes from experimental psych rock duo Andy & Zeus; he plays keys for both projects. The work he is doing with Lead Stones is magical: the songs of the album Set + Setting are spell-binding. The album is made and meant to be listened to from beginning to end, hence Andy's favor of releasing music on cassette tape to just let it all flow (he runs a small label that does cassette tape releases called Electrick Gypsy). Have a listen and I think you'll agree the songs run perfectly together, all full of swirls and highs and lows and male/female vocals that simply rain down from the clouds over the music. Something visceral is stirred by music like Lead Stones album Set + Setting. This is music felt deeply, and it can bring your mind to another plane when you concentrate and let it flow. A collection of eight highly original, warm, beautiful songs, this album is truly psychedelic, and simply amazing.

Listen and LOVE Lead Stones