The Flying Change
Pain is a Reliable Signal
Scarlet Shame Records
Street: 05.19
The Flying Change = The Beatles + Elliot Smith + shit
Nine times. It took me nine times to listen to this album without nodding off, or turning it off. Talk about a driving hazard. Once I made it through the full album, I was a little depressed. This was caused by the blues undertone of the music, and the sorrowful, melancholy lyrics. It made me feel bored, disconnected, and anxious to get away. It was very similar to those feelings I have in church during the hymns. The Flying Change seem like a couple brokenhearted cowboys with too much time on their hands. Maybe if the records don’t sell, they can make a deal with doctors and be used as a sleeping aid. –Alexandra Harris
Foundation
Chimborazo
Paper + Plastick
Street: 03.24
Foundation = Drag the River + Lucero + Limbeck
It happens all too often these days: a punk-rock frontman picks up an acoustic guitar/banjo/fiddle in an attempt to channel his inner bumpkin. However, Rob Huddleston (ex-Ann Beretta, Inquisition) has been in the punk-gone-folk game for the better part of the new millennium, and Chimborazo proves that Foundation isn’t in it to capitalize on a trend. If you’re looking for gritty man’s man’s tales about riding the rails and shooting men in Reno just to watch them die, you won’t find them here. However, if you’re looking for well-crafted songs and don’t mind a moderate to high amount of twang in your music, you should probably check this out. Most of these songs would work perfectly well without the harmonicas, fiddles and twangy guitar, but these flourishes never come across as gimmicky and they help to give the songs more personality. Foundation is the real deal, and hopefully they won’t get lost in the sea of copycats. –Ricky Vigil
The Fresh & Onlys
Self-Titled
Castle Face Records
Street: 03.17
The Fresh & Onlys = Belles Will Ring + The Zombies
The Fresh & Onlys are full of vintage love. Their simple guitar riffs, eerie keyboards, and suave vocals pull in the air of a 70s street fair. “Peacock and Wing” is my favorite song on the album. It starts out slow and bursts into spinning guitar and tambourine fights. The vocals have a radio-distortion quality that pull together the smooth-then-shout of “Will You be My One and Only?” I would yell “yes” back, but that may come off as a little creepy when sitting alone. However, after awhile, the songs fade into chunky, happy, “groovy afternoon in the meadow” riffs. I lose track of each transition, and then it’s over like a night of laughs and drinks that mysteriously cause unconsciousness. –Jessica Davis
Giant Squid
The Ichthylologist
Self-released
Street: 02.03
Giant Squid = Pelican + Blonde Redhead + Jacques Cousteau
Confused by the above equation? This is one reason why you need to listen to Giant Squid. I can honestly say that this album establishes the band as something that is no longer easily classified. Heavily laden with stoner riffs, the music is actually quite accessible and even catchy, utilizing everything from your standard guitar and drums to trumpet, banjo, mandolin, and complementary male and female vocals. The addition of Jackie Perez Gratz, (Grayceon, Neurosis) on vocals and electric cello really add an essential aspect the band needs to create “their sound” effectively. Considering this is a concept album, the songs don’t all run together like you may expect, but there is a great deal of consistency in the writing. There are currently only 1,000 copies of this in existence. This band absolutely needs to be signed and I think you’ll agree with me once you hear this. –Conor Dow
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