Swell EP: Yuck - Southern Skies EP [indie rock / shoegaze / dream pop]

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Not many bands consider moving forward with their project or have the fans' support to do so after losing a lead singer, but London's "90s rock revival" quartet Yuck managed to bounce back with style and plenty of listeners after the departure of vocalist/guitarist Daniel Blumberg (currently recording as Hebronix) one year ago. Last September saw their strong Blumberg-less sophomore comeback Glow & Behold, with which the band managed to prove that putting guitarist Max Bloom behind the microphone full-time wouldn't change the nostalgic, fuzzy indie rock that makes them Yuck. Hell, Bloom actually had lead vocals on a couple of my favorite songs from their 2011 self-titled debut (see "Operation").

As if surprising fans and critics alike with a successful recovery wasn't enough, seven months later Yuck are back with a new release entitled Southern Skies EP. This record brings us four new Yuck songs, two of which don't really sound like anything explored on the previous two full-lengths. The soaring opening track "Athena" wouldn't have been out of place on Glow & Behold and the EP's most energetic song, "Another One", takes me all the way back to 2011's Yuck. The two remaining songs open up new sonic possibilities for the band. The second track "Set In Motion (Let's Say We Did)" is mostly foreign to the ear for Sebastian Fors's guest vocals and its twangy psych-pop feel, while the gorgeous title track hints at a dreamier, more subdued future for Yuck's infectious sound waves.

Stream the Southern Skies EP below and download your own copy now via iTunes.

Just Rolled In: Merchandise - "Figured Out" [post-punk / indie rock / shoegaze]

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photo by Sean Lewis at Primavera Sound 2013 (Barcelona)

Sharing my hometown of Tampa, Florida, post-punk rockers Merchandise are back from last year's excellent Totale Nite LP, which made #39 on holaOLA's Top 50 Albums of 2013 list, with new music, a proper drummer (pictured above), a horn/sax player, and a new record called After The End coming out on their new label 4AD. Their latest track "Figured Out" won't be released on the upcoming full-length; instead, it will be released by 540 Records as part of a three-way split 12" entitled USA '13 also featuring Milk Music and Destruction Unit as a document of the three's spring 2013 tour together.

If you've heard Merchandise's previous recordings, you may be surprised to hear an actual drum kit on "Figured Out" and a more traditional "pop" rock structure, although the band's nostalgic post-punk sound, resonating guitars, and singer Carson Cox's quavering baritone voice remain intact. The band says to expect a different sound on their forthcoming release so I'm assuming this track is a taste of what's to come.

Get your hands on one of the only 2,000 prints of USA '13 this Record Store Day (April 19) and look out for Merchandise's new album being released sometime soon. Stream "Figured Out" below followed by their first 4AD single "Begging For Your Life / In The City Light", and the single from their 2013 Totale Nite LP, "Anxiety's Door".

Swell Album: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Oddments [garage / psychedelic / soul]

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Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have just released their fourth LP, Oddments, in as little as eighteen months. The most impressive part is that each album successfully pulls off something different—the Thee Oh Sees-indebted garage-psych of 12 Bar Bruise, the experimental narrative-led spaghetti western album Eyes Like the Sky, the 60s-influenced psychedelia of Float Along – Fill Your Lungs, and the soulful pysch-pop kaleidoscope of their most recent LP Oddments. Since the first installment of this hyperactive recording series, the Gizz & Liz Wiz have scraped away a good amount of the fuzz signature of any psychedelic garage rock band to let the vocals breathe a bit more and to reveal their more soulful side, making this record the most dynamic and accessible listening experience.

While there's no doubt that garage rockers like Black Lips or Thee Oh Sees have played a part in driving the seven-piece to produce their energetic, and often humorous, brand of psychedelic garage rock, a likening to Unknown Mortal Orchestra is also plausible, especially in the comparably unhurried lo-fi track "Stressin'". The main difference between Oddments and its predecessors is that it doesn't cling too hard to any one idea. Each song brings something different into the mix, leaving us with a melting pot of influences and most importantly, a really fun record, maybe just as fun as saying the band's name—King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.

Stream the entire album below or listen to it on their Bandcamp, along with the rest of their discography.