My first introduction to Telefones was their “Bad Machine / Chicago” split that they released back in October of 2016. The “Chicago” track caught my ear as a particularly compelling slow-burn of a spaced-out musing with a helluva explosive release near the end. It’s that explosive release that best captures the bands mission.

The newest release is the track “Castlefactory“, one half of a forthcoming split 7” coming out on Banana Tapes and Cold Lunch Recordings. There’s no slow burn present here as the band comes right out of the gate with steady pace of swelling bass lines, crunchy garage guitars and howling vocals. The song only maintains the intensity through the duration, capping out right under 3 minutes.

Releasing a series of singles is a great way to record a little and build an audience but I’m ready for a full onslaught of an album from these guys. A full 11 tracks of high energy swagger would do me right.

It’s probably irresponsible to review a band that has released exactly one song because what context is there to really make a proper judgment? Will the band continue to sound like their initial offering lays the groundwork for? Are there assumptions being made on the part of the listener that inappropriately put the band in a premature box?

All those concerns be damned because “Full Sun Prism Blues” is the one and only song available from Crease Reader and it’s already entered regular rotation. Everything from the gentle vocals to the slightly Western inspired guitar to the ever present keys to the title of the damn song have me entranced. There’s no telling what the future holds but I’m in the honeymoon phase with Crease Reader and it feels good.

There hasn’t been an official release from Ttotals since 2014 (with Let Everything Come Through). Despite that lack of recorded output, the band has been consistently playing shows and building a live set that is both visually and audibly engrossing.

The introduction to Skyview Drive is written as such:

Skyview Drive, is Ttotals singing the blues. Their take on the blues-The Outer Blues.

The Outer Blues is a blending of the traditional and experimental. It’s born of an idea that the blues is more than just particular notes or rhythms or emotions. It’s an all encompassing, existential release through sound. That sound, as found here, is sometimes buried deep in the spaces between notes where you may not notice it at first.

Listening to the record, one would not assume that The Blues, or The Outer Blues, were being channeled but with that knowledge in mind, the experience is colored even deeper. Vocal lamentations and wide open musical spaces allow for inner contemplations and a zen-like release of the self as you immerse yourself in the soundscapes. That may sound a bit over the top for a psych rock record but try listening to “World Geometry” at full volume and tell me you’re not carried away to some other place.

Overall, Ttotals has created a record that manages to involve all the standard tropes you’d hope for and expect in a psych rock record – some western sludge, some foreboding lyrical delivery, large walls of guitars through spaced out reverb – but also flexes quite a bit of diversity well beyond that with the inclusion of horns, some serious space for songs to breath and, dare I say, some pop sensibilities.

Self Portrait, the latest from Hikko Mori, is a surprisingly eclectic exercise in beat making and sampling the vaguely familiar. Tracks like “Peace is Pessimism” sample Paul McCartney and Eddie Murphy but still manage to create a new experience, despite the audible touchstone. Inversely, “Zilch” feels like the bedrock for a videogame soundtrack that was abandoned for being too dark.

Throughout the course of the record, a myriad of genres and styles are pursued. Interestingly enough, the album actually picks up speed as it rolls along. Instead of top loading the experience with the most upbeat tracks, it’s a slow burn of atmospheric experiences until about the tenth track (“Science & Seagulls“) when the drums start to hit harder and the intensity cranks up a bit. By the time the final track hits, featuring MF Doom from “Figaro”, you’re glued in.

As it’s mostly an instrumental beats record, the tracks are short but that helps the various surprise samples shine a bit more. I’m convinced “Scooby Snax” is sampling this guy and that’s more than enough for me to recommend it to everyone.

The self-described Recommended If You Like for the debut Corinthian Leathers album reads as such:

Recommended If You Like: Garage rock tunes with fake drums. Preplanned solos. Cascading mini hooks.

Taking that, and the fact that it’s tagged “Dad Rock”, it’s clear that this endeavor is a very self-aware undertaking. However, despite it’s amusing self-deprecation, it’s not entirely accurate.

While there are moments of Garage Rock spread throughout the record, the majority of the offering is a much more intricate, varied and interesting pop record. Lead track “Global Warming” comes out swinging with tender vocals about the destruction of the Earth and a dissolving relationship. Clever! Further in, “Clancy Runs the VooDoo Down / Tomorrow” amps up those programmed drums (as promised) and manages to deliver a diverse bit of guitar play and calming mantra about the perpetuity of the Earth.

After giving the record a few spins, Corinthian Leathers ends up being one of those surprising treats from an anonymous Nashville source that spans a multitude of genres effortlessly.