As I write this, my one-and-a-half year old daughter is no doubt being babysat by cartoons, which says more about the power of DJ Lance Rock or Toopy and Binoo than it does my parenting skills, believe me. But at least there’s hope. Her age is an advantage, and given the right tools — crayons, stickers, books, toy drums, dance moves — my cute little ball of clay may one day have the brain power and artistic fortitude to combat high definition zombification. Of course, she’ll need a like-minded crew of pop weasel funsters with which she can run, some true-blooded twenty-somethings that are environmentally sharp and politically smart. And should she call me one day from her cozy, TV-free apartment in Montreal, where her and some of her electrically-charged, vociferous idea machines share a living — and creating — space, seeking my sage council and wise advice, I’ll tell her the garage punk fuzz of Sonic Avenues’ Television Youth is the perfect accompaniment to her Gen Z groove. It’s biting, melodic, furious, hip, Denton-driven, and just as powerful as fashion and booze. Change the world, I’ll say. Break them of their spell.
Listen to “Television Youth” and “OCD Vibes” from Television Youth by Sonic Avenues!
Oh, goodness. Delta doom with 70s proto-metal production from a band from the Netherlands? Sure, a stoner/psych band from the cannabis capital of the world ain’t much of a stretch (hell, they even come from Tilburg, the city that hosts Roadburn every year), but Yama are so much more than that. I mean, never in one million years could you invent this kind of band in your smoke-addled mind, and yet here they are, the demonstrative figureheads of your living fuzz fantasy. Originally released as a 2011 demo (now out of print), the three songs “Hollow,” “Seaquake,” and “Synergy” have been reissued as the Seaquake EP so those of us who missed out the first time time can now revel in Yama’s throaty, acid-fried downer rock with its swampy Sabbath groove and ghostly, Zep-wrecking effects. I suppose it seems obvious to scream and curse for a full-length, but I’m gonna go ahead an do it anyway at anyone within earshot until it happens because I need to hear more. I hope it happens soon, but if not, I’ll gladly go hoarse for Yama.
If you were one of those people championing Graveyard’s brilliant Hisingen Blues last year — and I know you were because there wasn’t a person on the heavy music planet who wasn’t — I’m here to tell you that the horse on which to let it all ride this year is Horisont. Full of 70s-style gallop n’ groove, Second Assault is an aptly named fuzz bucket follow-up to 2009′s Tva Sidor Av Horisonten, and ought to finally earn Horisont as much attention as fellow new old school Swedes Witchcraft and the aforementioned Graveyard. Urged on by advanced riff demonology, soaring vocals, and thumping bass, Second Assault is proto-metal for pot heads, hard rock for leaf hounds, and there isn’t a funky scorcher in the bunch that won’t have you pining to grow one of those weepy ‘staches. Hell, even the witchy ballads, with their boss spook and grainy melody, will inflame your throwback spirit. No doubt about it, this is a glorious windfall of retro riches, my friends.
Check out the video for “Second Assault” from Second Assault!
Sonic Avenues
Yama
Horisont