I do not think I have to prove my love to the band The Asteroid #4. Their wild, unique blend of psychedelic country-folk freak-out is one that is well worth the investigation. Two records as of late most definitely make the case of The Asteroid #4's greatness.

The first record is a digital-only release, B-Sides and Singles 1997-2007. I don't know exactly what singles they released, or what era each song is, but I really don't care. You'll find it all here: noisy shoegaze ("90 Colors"), mellow Syd Barrett-esque folk ("Tinkerbell Meets Reality"), gorgeous dreampop ("Car Thief Millenia"), and country swagger ("Lady"). There's a lot to be found here--well over an hour and a half of music--and it might be a bit much for one sitting. But if you put it on random and let it skip around, you'll hardly find anything that's a disappointment.

Listen To: "Lady"
Listen To: "Car Thief Millenia"

Much more concise is These Flowers of Ours. It is the work of a mature psych-rock band; none of that superfluous crap that litters bands that try to be "psych"--no posturing, no posing, no phony irony, either. This is the real deal, and it's obvious from the opening "My Love"--no, not the Paul McCartney classic, but I'm sure they'd do an excellent job of covering it! The next ten songs range from ballads to rockers to what could provisionally be called "bootgaze"--yes, a wonderful mix of shoegaze and Byrds-style country-rock! There's heaviness and there's tenderness, and all of it sounds really, really good. Few American "psych-rock" bands are this good, and they got this way by practice and experience.

Listen To: "My Love"
Listen To: "Let It Go"

Labels: Reivews A, The Asteroid Number Four, The Committee to Keep Music Evil

posted by joseph kyle @ 11:03 AM 0 comments

Asteroid #4 Going Down

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Philly-based country-psych rockers Asteroid #4 is a band I've had an affinity ever since I heard their wonderful album Honeyspot. They have an excellent new record coming out in September, but before we get to it, let's talk a bit about their latest single. It's a two-track affair, and it's great. "Going Down" is a mellow rocker that's hazy and a little bit stoned. "My Love" isn't the Wings song, dammit, but it's a slow ballad that got a bit of reverb to it and reminds me of vintage My Morning Jacket, but not in a rip-off kind of way. I love the harmonies on it, too; it's a simply delightful and kind of sad song. You're going to experience my love of their music shortl, as I shall be writing about their two latest records, a singles collection and a new album. But I thought I'd introduce you now, as I recommend these two songs as a little tease. Enjoy!

Listen To: "Going Down"

Labels: reviews a, The Asteroid Number Four, The Committee to Keep Music Evil

posted by joseph kyle @ 9:47 AM 0 comments

The Quarter After Changes Near

Monday, June 30, 2008

If there's one guitar tone I love, it's the Rickenbacker. To succinctly describe the sound: if you hear a record that makes you think of the 1960s, or if a song makes you think of the Byrds or bands of that sort, chances are you're hearing a Rickenbacker. Roger McGuinn made it famous with his band of Byrds, and, really, its rustic sound made many psych-rock bands sound even more down-home.

Two fellows who have an expert mastery of the Rickenbacker guitar are brothers Dominic and Robert Campanella, the masterminds behind the excellent The Quarter After. These two fellows are veterans of the modern folk-rock scene, and, unsurprisingly, their musical roots lead through and reveal members to have been in Brian Jonestown Massacre, as well as having worked with Brian Wilson, Beachwood Sparks and the Tyde. But that doesn't matter because The Quarter After's sound is clearly their own; heck, if you're a long-time reader, you'll remember that I sang their praises for their first album--and I still stand by my loving words!

Their new album, Changes Near, is a beautiful slab of harmony-soaked, weed-sceneted mellow psych-rock that can best be described as primo shit. Musically, their styling never really varies; their music is inspired by the good ol' days, but, really, their sound is much more modern. When they throw down those classic harmonies on "Sanctuary" and "She Revolves," my little heart swoons and my little soul is transported into a very beautiful, heady place. When they kick it mellow, like on "Nothing Out of Something" or "Winter Song," your cares and stresses of the day, they simply float away.

But what makes them great is how they utilize a sound that might seem trite and cliched and make it sound fresh. In a weird way, a song like "Early Morning Rider" or "See How Good It Feels" starts off with a riff that might make you think Dinosaur Jr, but with a quick rock shift, they go into Tom Petty territory, and then they turn around mix both styles together in a beautiful way that will leave you say, "Amazing!" I mean, I dig stuff like this; really, I love stuff like this! I can't really verbalize it and intellectualize it; I simply enjoy this. A treasure worth seeking out and ingesting.

Listen To: "Making Nothing out of Something"

Changes Near is available now on The Committee to Keep Music Evil

Labels: reviews q, The Committee to Keep Music Evil, The Quarter After

posted by joseph kyle @ 6:39 PM 0 comments

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