Category Archives: Mixcloud

Mixcloud Playlist

In The Pharmacy #27

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The 17 best tracks I’ve heard in the last two weeks. Including a couple of tracks displaying a Go-Betweens influence and one honest to goodness Go-Betweens cover version. My favourite track from the new Atoms For Peace album, a lot of 90s slacker indie rock influences, a tune that sounds like Daft Punk, some trip hop, plus the return of CocoRosie, Thalia Zedek, Kurt Vile, Mogwai and The Men.

Atoms For Peace ‘Dropped’
One of many highlights from Thom Yorke’s slippery groove based supergroup’s debut album (not a dud track on it).
[Atoms For Peace]

Purling Hiss ‘Mercury Retrograde’
Philly band known for their lo-fi rock clean up their sound and deliver a lovely bit of 90s influenced, melodic, slacker  indie rock.
[Purling Hiss]

CocoRosie ‘Gravedigress’
Following on from last year’s superb ‘We Are On Fire’ with the first taste of forthcoming album Tales of A Grass Widdow.
[CocoRosie]

Scott & Charlene’s Wedding ‘Two Weeks’
A bit of that 80s Flying Nun sound  / a bit of The Go-Betweens from Brooklyn based expat Melbournite.
[Scott & Charlene’s Wedding]

Kurt Vile ‘Wakin’ On A Pretty Day’
More slacker indie. Nine-and-a-half languorous minutes from the chief Violator’s forthcoming similarly titled album Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze. “Even my cranky mom likes it” says producer (and legend) John Agnello.
[Kurt Vile]

La Luz ‘Sure As Spring’
Seattle outfit channeling those 60s surf rock / girl group sounds.
[La Luz]

The Men ‘I Saw Her Face’
More melodic, 90s influenced indie rock with that magical Crazy Horse slack vibe from the brilliant Santa Monica band.
[The Men]

Thalia Zedek Band ‘Walk Away’
Ex-Live Skull and Come legend returns five years after her last album, reassuring us that loss is still her muse and if anything, her voice is improving with age. Indie rock blues with the sort of wistful violin from David Michael Curry that wouldn’t have been out of place on latter period Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci.
[Thalia Zedek Band]

London Grammar ‘Metal and Dust’
Quite a few trip-hop influenced tracks surfacing lately. This one from the London based trio is particularly catchy.
[London Grammar]

Waxahatchee ‘Coast To Coast’
[Waxahatchee]

Mogwai ‘Wizard Motor’
I stopped paying attention to Mogwai after the superb Rock Action. Nothing personal, I just lost interest in instrumental post-rock. This (taken from their soundtrack to French TV show Les Revenants) has made me want to pick up where I left off.
[Mogwai]

Classixx ‘Holding On’
Sounds like classic Daft Punk. Therefore = good.
[Classixx]

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper ‘Bird Balloons’
Prolific 23-year-old self-releaser of bluesy indie rock revisits one of her oldest songs for her Ba Da Bing! debut. Intriguing.
[Lady Lamb the Beekeeper]

Shellshag ‘Face to Face’
Veteran Brooklyn du of John ‘Shellhead’ Driver and Jennifer Shagawat (see what they did there?) return with scuzzy, 90s influenced indie rock.
[Shellshag]

Dick Diver ‘Water Damage’
Like Scott and Charlene’s Wedding, Aussie Dick Diver has a taste for 80s-Flying-Nun-meets-The-Go-Betweens jangle pop with added quality songwriting.
[Dick Diver]

Steve Kilbey ‘The Wrong Road’
The Church’s frontman pays tribute to his friend and Jack Frost colleague Grant McLennan with a cover of one of GM’s best Go-Between’s songs. Recorded back in 2006 and only recently posted online by SK to mark what would have been GM’s birthday (Feb 13).
[Steve Kilbey]

The Weather Station w/Baby Eagle ‘Mule In The Flowers’
Canadian singer songwriter Tamara Lindeman records as The Weather Station and has embarked on series of Duets of which this is the second to surface. Recorded with former Constantines guitarist / Baby Eagle Steven Lambke, this is lovely slice of indie folk, with hushed vocals and simple picked guitar.
[The Weather Station]

Takeaway

NB: Atoms for Peace artwork taken from Lockheed Nuclear Products advert in Spet 1958 edition of National Geographic

In The Pharmacy #26

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The 16 best songs I’ve heard in the last two weeks. Definitely the best 14 days of the year so far. What you’ll hear: indie rock, electropop, indie-pop, Afro-pop influences, a Springsteen cover version, r’nb, dreampop, coldwave, trip hop, folk and jazz.

Chvrches ‘Recover’
Best track so far from Glaswegian electronic band clearly influenced by The Knife.
[Chvrches]

Veronica Falls ‘If You Still Want Me’
A personal favourite from the London indiepop band’s second album, ‘Waiting For Something To Happen’.
[Veronica Falls]

Divine Fits ‘Hungry Heart’
Indie supergroup, makers of the best album of 2012, take on Bruce Springsteen for Triple-J’s Like A Version.
[Divine Fits]

Young Dreams ‘First Days of Something’
Norwegian indie-pop with some nice West African guitar touches
[Young Dreams]

Laura Stevenson ‘Runner’
Long-Island based indie songstress.
[Laura Stevenson]

Melt Yourself Down ‘Fix My Life’
UK jazz collective follow up last November’s ’We Are Enough’ (ITP #21). Like Pigbag meets Holy Fuck in a souk.
[Melt Yourself Down]

Lust for Youth ‘Chasing The Light’
Coldwave /gothy electropop from Swedish producer Hannes Norrvide.
[Lust For Youth]

Dean Blunt ‘Papi’
Trip hop noir from male half of Hype Williams. Surprisingly Bill Callahan-like delivery.
[Dean Blunt]

Gun Outfit ‘Flyin’ Low, Maria’
Lo-fi Pacific Northwest indie with 80s/90s alt-rock influences. Hints of psychedelia in the guitars, hints of early Courtney Love in the vocals.
[Gun Outfit]

Mikal Cronin ‘Shout It Out’
Power pop with hints of early Ben Kweller meets Beaulah’s Miles Kurosky from the sometime Ty Segall collaborator.
[Mikal Cronin]

Elephant ‘Skyscraper’
Dreamy indie-pop.
[Elephant]

Sun Kil Moon / The Album Leaf ‘Caroline’
Second track to emerge from their eagerly anticipated collaborative album Perils From the Sea.
[Sun Kil Moon] [The Album Leaf]

Anaïs Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer ‘Willie of Winsbury’
Traditional song from the folkies’ collaborative album Child Ballads.
[Anaïs Mitchell]

Autre Ne Veut ‘Play By Play’
R n’b track which builds to a euphoric, killer refrain.
[Autre Ne Veut]

Vondelpark ‘California Analog Dream’
Surrey trio on R&S label re-record old track, strip away clunky UK Garage beat and polish up everything else into something altogether more interesting.
[Vondelpark]

Tourist ‘I Have No Fear’
Tourist’s instrumental head-nodder ‘Placid Acid’ was featured in ITP#1 back in January 2012. On first listen this seems more minimal, but reveals itself as just as much of an earworm.
[Tourist]

Takeaway

In The Pharmacy Cloudcast #25

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13 of the best songs from the last two weeks. The return of Devendra Banhart, a track that sounds like At The Drive-In meets The Hold Steady, a song that sounds like classic Neil Young and Crazy Horse, post-punk, indie-folk and electropop.

Blue Hawaii ‘Try To Be’
Chilled out pop built from BRAIDS’ Raphaelle Standell-Preston and fellow Montreal-based multi-instrumentalist Alexander Gowan. Sounds like a less saccharine, more mature Grimes.
[Blue Hawaii]

Wampire ‘The Hearse’
Portland indie pop with a hint of post-punk, new wave and power pop.
[Wampire]

Mozart’s Sister ‘Mozart’s Sister’

More 80s electropop from Montreal’s Caila Thompson Hannet who records as Mozart’s Sister. The ‘When Doves Cry’ worshipping ‘Don’t Leave It To Me’ was featured back in June last year in ITP #10.
[Mozart’s Sister]

Beach Fossils ‘Generational Synthetic’
After a year focussing on side projects (DIIV, Heavenly Beat) the Brooklyn melodic indie rockers return with a taste of their forthcoming second album Clash The Truth.
[Beach Fossils]

Waxahtachee ‘Peace and Quiet’
Brooklyn-based Katie Crutchfield, specialist in lo-fi sadness.
[Waxahtachee]

Doldrums featuring Austra ‘Anomaly’
More 80s-influenced electropop from the great white north. Austra’s Katie Stelmanis provides vocals.
[Doldrums]

Thao and the Get Down Stay Down w/ Joanna Newsom ‘Kindness Be Conceived’
Thao and Joanna start a hoedown. From Thao’s forthcoming album We The Common.
[Thao and The Get Down Stay Down]

Devendra Banhart
Freak folkster returns with a laid back tune that sounds like the beach at sunset. Effortlessly segues into a funk soul outro.
[Devendra Banhart]

Disclosure featuring AlunaGeorge ‘White Noise’
Two London based duos team up for dancefloor pop perfection.
[AlunaGeorge] [Disclosure]

Girls Names ‘Pittura Infamante’
Fourth track we’ve featured from Belfast post punk indie rockers. From their forthcoming album The New Life.
[Girls Names]

Single Mothers ‘Christian Girls’
At the Drive-In meets The Hold Steady.
[Single Mothers]

Dan Michaelson and the Coastguards ‘Sheets’
Like a seriously depressed The National (in a good way).
[Dan Michaelson and the Coastguards]

Retribution Gospel Choir ‘Seven’
RGC channel their inner Crazy Horse on this 21 minute monster.
[Retribution Gospel Choir]

In The Pharmacy #24 January 2013

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The 23 best tracks I’ve heard so far this year. Nearly 100 minutes of new music and not an inch of fat. The first hour features indie rock, folk, dreampop, garage rock, art rock, psych pop and new wave, while those of you who love all things electronica, from euphoric techno to industrial dance should check out the last 40 minutes.

Torres ‘Honey’
22-year-old Nashville singer songwriter uses distorted guitar and vocals to great effect, building to a point where it feels like it’s about to go over the edge, reigning it in and then taking it to over the edge, before pulling back again. Taking it to the brink rather than bridge.
[Torres]

Bloods ‘Farmer John’
Sydney three-piece take on The Premier’s classic as part of the Nuggets: Antipodean Interpolations of the First Psychedelic Era tribute album Antipodean Interpolations of the First Psychedelic Era
[Bloods]

Ex Cops ‘James’

Bright indiepop in the Pains of Being Pure At Heart mould. Right up my street, although I cringed a little at them rhyming ‘tea’ with ‘quality’.
[Ex Cops]

The Men ‘Electric’

Brooklyn punks The Men remind me of one of those pre-grunge alt rock bands like Green River – all punk energy but with a pop sensibility and a dose of the acceptable end of hard rock. This is from their forthcoming third album.
[The Men]

Merchandise ‘Anxiety’s Door
’
Although they are from Tampa, Florida this sounds very Australian 80s new wave to these ears. Someone should put them in the studio with Nick Launay.
[Merchandise]

Local Natives ‘Heavy Feet’
Back in October Local Natives put out ‘Breakers’, the first taste of their Aaron Dessner-produced forthcoming second album Hummingbird. Although it blended the sound of their excellent debut Gorilla Manor with elements of Dessner’s band The National (mainly in the way the drums and guitars were treated) it felt a little underwhelming; merely good when before they’d been vital.

Like ‘Breakers’, ‘Heavy Feet’ is underpinned by handclaps and moves even more towards the sound of The National, but does this more successfully, maintaining the energy of the best tracks from their debut. This is a song driven along by the rhythm section and Kelcey Ayer’s yearning vocals, with guitars and keyboards mainly adding texture. It might not reach the heights of ‘Camera Talk’, ‘Wide Eyes’ and ‘Shapeshifter’, but it’s made my anticipation for Hummingbird greater.
[Local Natives]

Thao and The Get Down Stay Down ‘We the Common’

Best know her in Australia for providing the theme tune to post-modern rom-com family drama series Offspring, this finds San Franciscan based Thao Nguyen merging her more experimental side with her pop sensibilities. Features a great wordless refrain.
[Thao and The Get Down Stay Down]

Generationals ‘Spinoza’
Scratchy indiepop from New Orleans duo whose ‘Lucky Numbers’ was one of last year’s highlights.
[Generationals]

Spectral Park ‘L’appel du Vide’
Southampton multi-instrumentalist Luke Donovan created the basics of the forthcoming Spectral Park debut album from samples of records he found dumped in the street, manipulating them and adding his own original instrunmnation and vocals to come up with furious 60s flavoured psych-pop concoctions like this.
[Spectral Park]

Foxygen ‘No Destruction’
Last year (back on ITP #12) they were channelling Bowie and Jagger on ‘Waitin’ 4 U’, this time around it’s more Lou Reed circa-Loaded
.
[Foxygen]

Rachel Zeffira ‘Here On In’
Canadian opera singer Rachel Zeffira is half of Cat’s Eye with The Horrors’ Farris Badawan. Here she sounds not unlike the late Trish Keenan on an intriguing slice of noir-ish dreampop.
[Rachel Zeffira]

Low ‘Plastic Cup’
Two songs have surfaced from Low’s Jeff Tweedy produced tenth album The Invisible Way. ‘Plastic Cup’ is the more familiar sounding of them, Alan Sparhawk takes lead vocal and provides what suspiciously sounds like acoustic guitar, while Mimi Parker’s harmonies and wordless backing vocals are essential to the magic.
[Low]

Jim James ‘New Life’
‘Know ‘til Now’ was featured back in November on ITP #22, this is the second track to surface from Regions of Light and Sound the forthcoming solo album from the My Morning Jacket frontman. This one is all about the vocals.
[Jim James]

Ólöf Arnalds ‘Treat Her Kindly’
A rare English language outing for the Icelandic solo artist (and erstwhile member of múm). A lovely folky number with strings and accordion (or possibly harmonium). She’s also currently running a campaign over on Pledge Music for her forthcoming album Sudden Elevation.
[Ólöf Arnalds]

Angel Olsen ‘Sweet Dreams’
Half noir-pop / half rock n’ roll croon like a female Roy Orbison, this will leave you haunted. [Angel Olsen] https://www.facebook.com/angelolsenmusic Carmen Villain ‘Lifeisin’
Carmen Hillestad, half Norwegian-half Mexican, US born, London based former model sounds like a heavily-reverbed, lo-fi Cat Power.
[Carmen Villain]

Low ‘Just Make It Stop’
This finds Mimi Parker on lead vocals over brushed snare and some rhythmic piano chords, bass and guitar. Probably as close as Low will ever get to ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’. [Low]

Mitzi ‘All I Heard’

Self proclaimed “garage-disco” from Brisbane four-piece, warm analog sounds and elastic basslines. Catchy as all hell.
[Mitzi]

Darwin Deez ‘Free (Unicorn Kid Remix)’
Air-punching euphoric techno remix of Brooklynite’s forthcoming album track.
[Darwin Deez] [Unicorn Kid]

Javelin ‘Nnormal’
The return of Brooklyn blog rockers now signed to David Byrne’s Luaka Bop label. Robotized vocals and squelchy stuttering electronica, this is less funky than previous releases, but no less engrossing.
[Javelin]

Factory Floor ‘Fall Back’
Eight-and-a-half minutes of Industrial dance from London-based, DFA signed outfit fronted by Nik Colk Void (previously Nikki Colk of Kaito. What ‘I Feel Love’ might have sounded like if Giorgio Moroder had used Front 242 as Donna Summer’s backing band.
[Factory Floor]

Blanck Mass ‘Hellion Earth’
Benjamin Power of Fuck Buttons drops the noise of that outfit in favour of a more straightforward piece of dancefloor electronica.
[Blanck Mass]

Ryan Hemsworth ‘BasedWorld’
Producer du jour from Halifax, Nova Scotia delivers electronica instrumental. Check out some of his mixes on the link below
[Ryan Hemsworth]

In The Pharmacy Cloudcast 22

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Sixteen great songs from the last two weeks. Indie rock, indie pop, electronica, psych-rock, and sunshine pop. You’ll hear the influence of artists such as Radiohead, The Byrds, Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem, The Velvet Underground, Richard and Linda Thompson, and The Knife, plus the tracks show exposure to genres including classic 80s indiepop, post-hardcore, shoegaze, dreampop, quiet storm and gospel.

The Evens ‘King of Kings’
Iain MacKaye and Amy Farina return six years after their last album with the first taste of The Odds, pretty much picking up where they left off with drums, baritone guitar and twin vocals. Can’t wait for the album and really hope they’ll make it out to Australia when they tour.
[The Evens]

Veronica Falls ‘Teenage’
Of all the bands updating that 80s indiepop-jangle that eventually mutated into shoegazing, Veronica Falls are the best. You can place them on that axis that runs through the Beatles / The Byrds / Velvet Underground / Orange Juice/ The Pastels / The Smiths / The Primitives / The Shop Assistants / My Bloody Valentine / The Charlottes.
[Veronica Falls]

Kate Boy ‘Northern Lights’
Superior electropop heavily indebted to fellow Swedes,The Knife.
[Kate Boy]

Free Energy ‘Dance All Night’
Catchy mid-tempo rocker with a stadium feel from the power pop / new wave / classic rock hybrid. Taken from their forthcoming second album, Love Signs.
[Free Energy]

Yo La Tengo ‘Before We Run’ 
On a long term creative peak, Hoboken’s finest add mournful horns, strings and cowbell to their Velvet Underground-and-Krautrock-rooted indie-rock. Should win over a few fans of The National with this one.
[Yo La Tengo]

Sally Shapiro ‘What Can I Do’
Sunshine indiepop from Sweden.
[Sally Shapiro]

Suuns ‘Edie’s Dream’
Psychedelic pop with Radiohead guitar textures from Montreal band.
[Suuns]

Jim James ‘Know Til Now’
First taste of the My Morning Jacket frontman’s solo album. A soulful slow jam that’s like a hypnagogic take on the mid-70s quiet storm sound.

[Jim James]

Widowspeak ‘Ballad of the Golden Hour’
Subtle indie rock with breathy female vocals that builds into a mini-epic. A real grower.
[Widowspeak]

The History of Apple Pie ‘Glitch’
London band with a distinct Pixies influence on the guitars and a vocalist with a hint of Tanya Donelly.
[The History of Apple Pie]

Tyvek ‘Wayne County Roads’
Garage rock from Detroit.
[Tyvek]

Amateur Best ‘Too Much’
Joe Flory, previously recording as Primary 1, returns as Amateur Best with this soulful slice of melodic, layered electronica.
[Amateur Best]

Pat Jordache ‘Steps (Damaged Goods)’
“Hello, my name is Pat Jordache and I used to be in a band with Merril ‘Tune-Yards’ Garbus. I like early Talking Heads records and David Bowie’s Scary Monsters album (especially the title track)”.
[Pat Jordache]

Dutch Uncles ‘Fester’
Manchester band come over like Hot Chip with the quirk turned up to 11 on the first track lifted from their forthcoming third album Out of Touch In The Wild.
[Dutch Uncles]

Paradise ‘Blue Flower’
A song originally by German art-rock types Slapp Happy (it’s on Sort Of, their debut album from 1972), introduced to my generation via Mazzy Star’s 1990 shoegaze cover version and now resurrected for another generation by this London based duo (we’ll skip over Pale Saints unnecessary effort from 1992).
[Paradise]

Angel Olsen / Marisa Nadler ‘Withered and Died’
Two great feamles singer-songwriters (both of whom have featured solo in earlier In The Pharmacy cloudcasts) team up to take on this track from Richard and Linda Thompson’s classic I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight (1974).
[Angel Olsen / Marisa Nadler]

In The Pharmacy Cloudcast 21

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The 12 best songs I’ve heard in the last fortnight. Indie, electronica, dreampop, and Americana where you’ll hear the influences of:

 • Krautrock (Vinyl Williams / Sinkane)
 • Roy Orbison and George Harrison (Angel Olsen)
 • Felt (Christopher Owens)
 • Sufjan Stevens (Born Gold)
 • Pigbag (Melt Yourself Down)
 • Classic 60s female singer/songwriters (Jessica Pratt)

Mount Moriah ‘Plane’
Country-folk-secular-gospel from North Carolina. Their eponymously titled debut album came out last year but just got a vinyl re-issue on Merge. 

[Mount Moriah]

People Get Ready ‘Middle Name’
Former members of David Byrne’s band and Yeasyer feature here, which you can hear in the combination of electronic pop, sustained organ chromatics, and hints of West Africa in the guitar and rhythms.
[People Get Ready]

School of Seven Bells ‘Secret Days’
Dream pop electronica with an acid tribal feel, from the forthcoming Put Your Sad Down EP.
[School of Seven Bells]

Vinyl Williams ‘Higher Worlds’
Krauty psychpop from Los Angelino Lionel Williams

[Vinyl Williams]

Deerhoof ‘Sexy, But Sparkly’
Previously a noise band, Deerhoof currently deal in sparkly, off-kilter pop music. This is part of Famous Class’s Less Artists More Condos single series and doesn’t feature on the new Deerhoof album.
[Deerhoof]

Melt Yourself Down ‘We Are Enough’
Members of Polar Bear, Zero 7, Acoustci Ladyland, Zun Zun Egui and more get funky punky in a Pigbag kind of way.
[Melt Yourself Down]

Parquet Floors ‘Borrowed Time’
Melodic post punk featuring Andrew Savage whose other band Fergus & Geronimo were featured in ITP#14 back in July with the not dissimilar ‘No Parties’.
[Parquet Courts]

Christopher Owens ‘Lysandre’s Theme’ / ‘Here We Go’
Former Girls frontman continues to channel Lawrence from Felt and adds flute, fuzzy guitar and [Christopher Owens]

Angel Olsen ‘The Waiting’
Sometime Bonnie “Prince” Billy collaborator, Missouri-born, Chicago-based singer Angel Olsen here channels Roy Orbison and George Harrison to wondrous effect.
[Angel Olsen]

Born Gold ‘I: Ferocious Body’
Canadian electronica with a Sufjan Stevens flavour from sometime colleague of the guys and girls of Purity Ring and Grimes.
[Born Gold]

Sinkane ‘Love Sick’
If you’ve been listening to In The Pharmacy since the beginning, you’ll recognize sometime Yeasayer man Adnma Ghalib’s Sinkane as the purveyors of the first track on In The Pharmacy #1 back in January. Here’s one of the best cuts from his debut album.
[Sinkane]

Jessica Pratt ‘Night Faces’
San Francisco based singer songrwriter with a rich vintage, folky style that comes straight from the cusp of the 60s/70s.
[Jessica Pratt]

In The Pharmacy Cloudcast 20

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The best 12 tracks from the last two weeks…

The Walkmen ‘Vermeer ’65’
After this year’s sublime album Heaven (tracks featured in ITP7, 8 and 9) The Walkmen return with a new 7” of two tracks not included on the album. ‘Vermeer ’65’ is the b-side and has a bit of a Tindersticks feel to it.
[The Walkmen]

Saturday Looks Good to Me ‘Sunglasses’
First new material in forever from the indiepop / soul project of Fred Thomas and what a charmer it is. Features new vocalist Carol Gray.
[Saturday Looks Good To Me]

The Mountain Goats ‘Harlem Roulette’
From Transcendental Youth, one of my favourite albums so far this year. Musically upbeat, this is a tale about the last days of Frankie Lymon who died of a heroin overdose in 1968 at the age of 25. It ends with the utterly devastating lines “Nothing in the shadow but the shadow hands / reaching out to sad, young frightened men / The loneliest people in the whole wide world are the ones you’re never going to see again”.
[The Mountain Goats] 

Alba Lua ‘When I’m Roaming Free’
French band with a lovely feel for almost psychedelic, classic pop
[Alba Lua]

Popstrangers ‘Heaven’
Psychedelic-tinged dreampop from New Zealand. Sounds like a less stoned Autolux.
[Popstrangers]

Goat ‘Goathead’
Swedish psych rockers with an afro-beat flavour. Featuring some seriously wigged out guitar and a lovely pastoral coda.
[Goat]

Times New Viking ‘Sleep In’
Scrappy 90s influenced indie rock from the lo-fi Columbus, Ohio trio. From their new Over & Over EP.
[Times New Viking]

Mean Lady ‘Bop Bop’
Melting pot pop from Delaware three piece with hip hop and psychedelic infuences.
[Mean Lady]

Main Attraktionz ‘Cloud Body’
Cloud rap, like dreampop for hiphop.
[Main Attrakionz]

Holy Ghost! It Gets Dark
DFA affiliated synthpop from Brooklyn.
[Holy Ghost!]

Sam Willis ‘Foxglissandro’
Instrumental techno from forthcoming debut album Winterval.
[Sam Willis]

The Ramona Flowers ‘Dismantle and Rebuild (D/R/U/G/S Remix
)’
Glitchy Bristol band have their debut EP track turned into an epic, euphoric slice of electronic house.
[The Ramona Flowers]

In The Pharmacy Cloudcast 19

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The 14 best songs I’ve heard in the last two weeks. International mixed genre melting pot  including:

  • noisy, melodic indie from Glasgow
  • space disco from Pittsburgh
  • retro blues / soul / rock n’ roll from Melbourne
  • dreampop from Paris
  • new wave from Belfast
  • r n’ b from southeast London

plus cover versions of Robert Wyatt (from Sunderland) and Television (from Denver).

Paws ‘Sore Tummy’
Noisy, melodic Scottish indie in the tradition of Urusei Yatsura, Life Without Buildings etc. From their debut album Cokefloat, out next week.
[Paws]

Black Moth Super Rainbow ‘Gangs In The Garden’
Psychedelic space disco, echoes of Daft Punk in the vocoder-ed vocals, from their forthcoming album Cobra Juicy. The closing track ‘Spraypaint’ was featured on ITP #6 back in April.
[Black Moth Super Rainbow Official] 

Ceremony ‘Everything Burns’
Crisp and urgent guitars on this Califronia bands split single with Titus Andronicus.
[Ceremony] 

Henry Wagons ft Allison Mosshart ‘Unwelcome Wagon’
Retro swamp blues /soul/ rock n’ roll from veteran Melbourne based country and southern rock fan. Hints of Lee and Nancy, Duane Eddy, the Animals, Nick Cave and and even a bit of Antony Newley.
[Henry Wagons ] 

Fryars ‘A Love So Cold’
What would the first Bon Iver record have sounded like if Justin Vernon had retired to an east London bedsit instead of a cabin in rural Wisconsin? This, maybe.
[Fryars]

Tennis ‘Guiding Light’
Young & Old is one of this year’s most underrated albums for sheer indie pop thrills. Here Tennis take on one of the lowest profile songs fromthe Television’s classic Marquee Moon and, while not straying too far from the original, they make it their own.
[Tennis]

Rhye ‘The Fall’
I find it kind of odd that Sade has become one of the touchstones of new music in 2012, being referenced by Jesse Ware, and The xx and now in relation to the somewhat mysterious Rhye. Here though, I’m hearing The Blue Nile’s ‘Tinseltown In The Rain’ meets Sebastian Tellier’s ‘La Ritournelle’ with a dash of Her Space Holiday.
[Rhye]

Melody’s Echo Chamber ‘Endless Shore’
In a similar vein to School of Seven Bells, this is another slice of Parisien dreampop from Melody Prochet (first featured back in #ITP ), keen ears can probably detect the hand of producer and Tame Imapla mainman Kevin Parker.
[Download] [Melody’s Echo Chamber Facebook]

Rainy Milo ‘This Thing of Ours’
R n’ b flavoured trip-hop pop from 16 year old Londoner.
[Rainy Milo]

AC Newman ‘Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns’
Power pop from New Pornographers’ frontman (with Neko Case on backing vocals). From new album Shut Down the Streets out this Monday, Oct 8.
[AC Newman]

Wooden Wand ‘Southern Colorado Song’
Haunting Americana/ freak folk from super prolific artist James Jackson Toth. From latest album Briarwood.
[Wooden Wand]

Field Music ‘Born Again Cretin’
Sunderland’s Field Music have a Mercury Music nomination for their all originals fourth album Plumb and are about to release a set of covers called Play. We already featured their take on the Pet Shop Boys Rent back in April on ITP #7, here they take on another artist who is known both as a superior singer songwriter and a master of the cover version, Robert Wyatt.
[Field Music]

Total Control ‘Scene From A Marriage’
Melbourne punk super-group Total Control return with a split single with King Tuff on Sub Pop, a nice little nod to Ingmar Bergman in the title.
[Total Control]

Girls Names ‘The New Life’
Belfast band whose ‘A Troubled See’ (featured in ITP#9 back in June) was tapping into the early work of The Cure. You can still hear some of that influence here, but this seven-and a-half-minute number is a progression, with an almost motorik beat, and could be a lo-fi cousin to something like Deerhunter’s ‘Desire Lines’.
[Girls Names]

In The Pharmacy Cloudcast 18

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The 19 best songs I’ve heard in the last two weeks and fuck me if nearly everyone isn’t still channeling the 80s in some way. Even the Grizzly Bear track sounds like they’ve been listening to Japan (no bad thing, obviously). Also:

  • album highlights from Bat For Lashes and Dinosaur Jr
  • angular new wave
  • melodic prog-folk indie rock (better than it sounds!)
  • slippery punk-funkfuzzy, lethargic glam stomp psych pop.

Bat For Lashes ‘Marilyn’
Breathy-vocaled electronic 80s power ballad. Sounds like someone’s been listening to M83. No band thing.
[Bat For Lashes]

Grizzly Bear ‘Gun-Shy’
My current favourite from their brilliant new album Shields, easily their most accessible. There’s a real taste of Japan (the band) here on the fretless bass, rhythms and synths. But also unmistakeably Grizzly Bear.
[Grizzly Bear]

Pinback ‘His Phase’
Second track to surface from forthcoming album Information Retrieved (the subtly epic ‘Proceed to Memory’ was featured on In The Pharmacy 17). After an almost prog intro (and a coupla folky inflectionst) this turns into superior melodic indie rock with an insistant groove.
[Pinback]

Dinosaur Jr ‘Don’t Pretend You Didn’t Know’
Openning track from new album I Bet On Sky. Stupidly catchy riff and a lovely guitar solo over  a simple piano phrase for the last 1min 45secs.
[Dinosuar Jr]

Ladyhawk ‘No Can Do’
Canadian band not to be confused with Pip ‘Ladyhawke’ Brown. This is old school indie rock that sounds like it could have come out in the alte 80s / early 90s.I can hear Husker Du, R.E.M., Gin Blossoms and a dozen other bands in here. A real grower.
[Ladyhawk]

Gap Dream ‘Generator’
Fuzzy-electronic-slowed-down-glam-stomp-psych-pop from the Cleveland, OH artist first featured on In The Pharmacy 3.1 way back in February.
[Gap Dream]

Punks On Mars ‘Showers of Pain’
Quirky angular new wave. From Mars.
[Punks On Mars]

Cymbals Eat Guitars ‘Hawk Highway’
Melodic indie rock from the Staten Island band’s john Agnello-produced forthcoming second album, Lenses Alien.
[Cymbals Eat Guitars]

The Coathangers ‘Merry Go Round’
Atlanta band with a taste for primal surf-garage-rock n’ roll guitars and slippery post-punk funk.
[The Coathangers]

Egyptian Hip Hop ‘Yoro Diallo’
Manchester electronic band with catchy poly-rhythmic afropop (the song takes its name form the respected Malian musician). Recommended if you like Yeasayer / Sinkane etc.
[Egyptian Hip Hop]

Rudi Zygadlo ‘Russian Dolls’
Heavy on the autotune with hints of Hot Chip from the Glasgow-based German producer.
[Rudi Zygadlo]

Nosaj Thing featuring Kazu Makino
Blonde Redhead’s Kazu Makino brings dreamy vocals to the Californian electronic producer’s glitchy electronica.
[Nosaj Thing]

Fear of Men ‘Mosaic’
Female fronted indiepop from Brighton.
[Mosaic]

Teen Daze featuring Frankie Rose ‘Union’
Canadian dreampop featuring vocals from the indiepop Zelig, Frankie Rose.
[Teen Daze]

Black Marble ‘Static’
Featured way back in January’s first In The Pharmacy Cloudcast with ‘Pretender’, this is another slice of Cure-indebted synth-goth-post-punk from the Brooklyn band.
[Black Marble]

The Soft Moon ‘Insides’
More Cure-influenced cold wave (and a bit of Clan of Xymox), this time from the west coast (San Francisco).
[The Soft Moon]

Eraas ‘At Heart’
Atmospheric, gothy post-punk from Brooklyn (their ‘Briar Path’ was featured on In The Pharmacy #15).
[Eraas]

Metz ‘Wet Blanket’
Superb noisy Canadian indie rock on Sub Pop.
[Metz]

FIDLAR ‘Cheap Beer’
Garage punk from Los Angeles.

[FIDLAR]

 

In The Pharmacy Cloudcast 17

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R.Ring ‘Fallout & Fire’
The Breeders’ Kelley Deal has time on her hands while sister Kim is busy doing Pixies stuff. This is the first single and unsurprisingly sounds like her other band but stripped right down.
[R.Ring]

Helio Sequence ‘When The Shadow Falls’
One of my favourite tracks from the new album Negotiations, out next week. You can still pre-order it from Sub Pop with the ltd edition quadrophonic CD.
[Helio Sequence]

Cat Power ‘Peace and Love’
The closing track from the new album Sun, easily her best since Moon Pix.
[Cat Power]

El Movimiento (Teenhäze Edit)
Latino garage punk from Stockholm. What more do you need to know?
[Sudakistan]

Flock of Dimes ‘Curtain’
I’m a little bit obsessed with Wye Oak. This is frontwoman Jenn Wasner’s solo project and this is a more ethereal affair, although you can still see the relation to songs such as ‘Two Small Deaths’.
[Flock of Dimes] [Soundcloud]

Unnatural Helpers ‘Toil’
Noisy indie rock from Seattle.
[Unnatural Helpers]

Toxie ‘Newgate’
Female fronted indie pop from Memphis.
[Toxie]

Stars ‘Walls’
Amy Milan and Torquil Campbell share vocals on the closing track from the new Stars album, The North.
[Stars]

Departures ‘Pillars’
Canadians with a taste for layered guitars, repeptition and subtle variation. 
[Departures]

Pinback ‘Proceed to Memory’
Subtle but epic indie rock from the San Diego band, this is from their first album since 2007’s Autumn of the Seraphs.
[Pinback]

OMBRE ‘Tormentas’
Baroque chill out with a latin feel from Asthmatic Kitty labelmates Julianna Barwick and Helado Negro.
[OMBRE]

Generationals ‘Lucky Numbers’
Catchy, slightly twee electro indiepop from New Orleans. Builds nicely but it’s the hook that comes in at 3:15 (right after the chiming guitars) that’ll get stuck in your head.
[Generationals]

Pure Bathing Culture ‘Gainesville’
Delicious sunshine pop with a vintage feel from Sarah Versprille and Daniel Hindman of Vetiver.
[Pure Bathing Culture]