Shin Joong Hyon – beautiful rivers & mountains 2011

Shin’s story is a hash of half-familiar myths: He started out entertaining at a U.S. Army base, dropped acid, introduced socially conservative South Korea to psych rock, suffered state censure. His music is also a hodgepodge: square sax-rock, Motown, bongo-heavy folk ballads, and sunshine pop, all tinted by Shin’s guitar, which is alternately savage and buttoned-up. Interestingly, there’s a purity of Western influence atypical of most non-Western comps — fewer traces of folk tradition, fewer happy misunderstandings of the source material.

MF

Low-Fye – You Keep Them [2010]

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This must be the ghost of Syd Barrett who is recorded onto dictaphone.
32 tiny songs full of tape hiss and reverb. You always hear the click of the record button at the beginning, then some pretty remindable melodies, a whispering voice and ghosts that speaks through the tape hiss. Then clicks the stop button and the ghosts voices are still present in your room, in your head. But they would not harm you. They are like friends.
Released 15 April 2010

Squinch Owl – Homeward Bound [ep] [2010]

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A squinch owl can be any great variety of things: in literature it is the title of a short story penned by Zora Neale Hurston, while in architecture a squinch is the device by which a square or polygonal room is transformed to support a dome.

For singer-songwriter Sofia Albam it is her musical moniker, and while the image of a squinching owl may seem to embody a creature that is fearful and shy, the voice of this artist is anything but a passing flutter. Composed of such brash aggression of a heartfelt nature rather than messy constitution, she plays accordion and banjo and is accompanied by a three piece band whose folk formats find themselves juxtaposed with the oftentimes, vocal punk urgency of their lyricist.

Homeward Bound, described as “seven songs to shriek and sing and laugh and love and dance to, if you want to”, is the last in a series of three EPs released via Bandcamp this year. Its Gothic folk quality and stark production are telling of its homemade characteristics and gritty narrative.

The Main Street Gospel – Love Will Have Revenge [2010]

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The Main Street Gospel is a Columbus, Ohio trio who mix psych-infused classic rock with dusty country vibes and dirt-stained blues. The band was born in 2005, when Barry Dean–former tambourine shaker for the Brian Jonestown Massacre–began writing songs with longtime friend Ryan “Tito” Ida. Adam Scoppa joined the band on drums the following year.

Dean grew up around music, as his grandfather was a touring and recording guitarist for acts like Roy Rogers & The Sons of the Pioneers and The Georgia Crackers. It’s safe to say that passion for country music was passed on to his grandson. Tito grew up listening to Hank Williams and Bob Dylan and also paved his musical path early on. Scoppa takes his back beat cues from vintage Chicago blues and ’60s garage.

Together, the band has a strong sense of understanding and respect for the true roots of rock n’roll. Their sound recalls elements of folk giants The Byrds and Neil Young, while at the same time retaining the modern aesthetics of revivalists like Spacemen 3 and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

BigColour – Centuries Of Summer [2010]

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Chicago’s one-man sound collage artist, Bigcolour, has just dished out their 2nd free EP along with a new video for the fantastically minimal “Red Silk Bow”.  The track and video alike are strongly reminiscent of seasonal changes which are shown in the Autumn tones/hues and the down-tempo riffage are basically signaling Summer’s end.  Via his Bandcamp page, both of their EPs can be grabbed for free but it also seems that he plans to work with new label (and hometown friends) Gypsy Ancestry.

Omar Rodriguez Lopez – Cizaña de Los Amores [2010]

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Cizaña de los Amores is the seventeenth studio album by Omar Rodríguez-López as a solo artist. The album will be released October 18, 2010 on CD and vinyl by Rodriguez-Lopez Productions on Koncurrent in Europe, then November 18 through the US hello merch store. It is the first collaboration between Omar and vocalist Lisa Papineau, who had previously worked with The Mars Volta bandmate Juan Alderete in their band Big Sir. This record features the song “Victimas del Cielo” in studio form, having first been released on the live album Los Sueños de un Hígado.

Y La Bamba – Lupons [2010]

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“Y La Bamba makes fractured folk that sounds as if it comes from dog-eared diaries. The author is statuesque Luz Elena, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, whose vintage vocals seem to come from the 78-rpm era.” – Buzzbands LA

“…mixes Devendra Banhart-influenced art-folk with hazy femme vocals and traditional Mexican sounds to weirdly entrancing effect.” – LA Weekly

Phantom Payn Days – Phantom Payn Daze [2010]

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While in the widely neglected 39 Clocks, he made records that never sold and played gigs that few ever saw, Juergen Gleue has arguably been the most important exponent of electrified German sound since the late 1970s. Phantom Payn Daze was made in the mid to late 90s and has never been released. It’s his final LP and is overflowing with all the elements that romanticized, loner / stoner music claims, an encoded expression of highly private feelings, an ambiguous, emotional quotient, and a dark, murkily melodic vibe. It’s a record that first and foremost lives and breathes with an endless stream of great songs. But perhaps it’s most curious component is it’s amazingly prescient sound, a precursor to so many of today’s lo fi acts, all wrapped up in their San Francisco hair.

Dovekins – Assemble The Aviary [2010]

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Put together the unity of street punk and the instruments of bluegrass and folk and you get Dovekins, with just a bit more of a modern indie edge. Assemble the Aviary is fresh and aged at the same time – these guys are old souls making modern music.
As the clarinet takes the lead into the first song, “Great Eastern Sun,” I’m intrigued. It’s like a soundtrack to a modern-day tribal sacrifice ceremony: A harmonizing chorus of voices precedes an orchestral chiming in of many other instruments.

Sproatly Smith – Pixieled [2010]

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This is the second Sproatly Smith release on Reverb Worship.“Pixieled” is a really superb and enchanting recording which takes its inspiration from folklore.Many tales exist of mischievous spirits of the dead or other supernatural beings such as pixies attempting to lead travellers astray so that the hapless traveller becomes hopelessly lost, even when they are on familiar territory .