In celebration of the new podcast we recently announced, fan/fiction w/ andrew/zach, it only feels appropriate to have a listen to this Super Sonic Fusion EP from Joshua Morse of Sonic the Hedgehog themes done in a jazz fusion style. If that’s not fan/fiction, I don’t know what is.

Morse has posted plenty of other chiptune music that we’ve reviewed here on the site and this particular EP takes a decidedly infectious upbeat turn. The original source material was already classic but this Muzak style Jazzing up makes it enjoyable in a whole new way.

Howling Giant is known for creating sprawling metal epics on their two full-length releases, Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 1 and Part 2. With titles like that, I think you know what you’re getting into and they don’t fail to deliver.

So, when they popped up on a new Magnetic Eye compilation of bands covering The Best of Pink Floyd, interest was piqued. Their contribution of “Matilda Mother” (from Pink Floyd’s 1967 debut The Piper at the Gates of Dawn) couldn’t be a more fitting redux of the song. The light pop flair of the original is traded for giant riffs and, you guessed it, sprawling epic metal goodness. It’s a nice representation of Nashville musical diversity and a helluva cover in itself.

Thanks to Metal Injection for the tip.

The debut from Faust is eight tracks of hip-hop but something about it feels decidedly un-hip-hop. Much like the early works of WHY? there’s lots of beats and samples fueling the music but there’s a talk-sing nature to the vocal delivery that draws it out of being the standard fair.

The label of “un-hip-hop” is not meant to be disparaging but rather a heads up that something more interesting is happening here than what you’d expect. A lot of rudimentary hip-hop establishes a beat and seldomly variates from that, giving focus to the lyrical delivery. These songs travese a lot of changes, some horn solos and even the occasional field recording style interludes.

Start with “Power Struggle Interlude” and let it carry you into “Cake Faced Criminal” for the best introductory experience.

It wouldn’t be a proper April 20th without several bands paying homage in some way or another to their favorite pot smoking activities. Boo Dudes, usually known for their yearly hibernation and revival activities around Halloween, have released a new track called “Smoke Unto Me” that stretches out across 4 minutes and 23 seconds of spacey bass lines, samples of hesitant pot smokes and just a general “woah, dude” vibe. It works.

I’m just going to put this out there – Bazookatooth is a great name for a punk band. It’s nonsense and absurd but still sends that powerful, riotous, message that you gotta have with the genre. The self-titled EP delivers exactly what you’d expect; high paced songs mostly under 2 minutes with barked, unintelligible, vocals best experienced in a sweaty mosh pit.

“Precious Boy” – the longest track on the release – showcases some male / female vocal tradeoffs that really work. On the whole, it’s a less than 10 minutes of your life to get amped up and be prepared to fuck the system.

You may have caught this on the Cream already but it bears repeating – the new EP from Katy Kirby is worth your time. Not to be too earnest but there’s an overwhelming mixture of sweetness and melancholy to both her vocal delivery and her lyrics. The songs are upbeat and catchy but seem to tell tales of continuous loss. It’s an emotional mixture but it works extremely well.

My only complaint for the record would be that it’s only three songs and it really leaves you wanting more. Looking forward to future releases.

There are many pleasantly surprising and pleasing things about this new full-length from Lonely Benson. First and foremost, it’s an upbeat, bright, sunny record from a new artist with an incredibly slick production.

Secondly, and no less important, the album was written to be intentionally positive. It started as a Kickstarter campaign from multi-instrumentalist Daniel Young with this synopsis: “These days, even the news is enough to give you a nervous breakdown. That’s why I’ve set out to create music that helps people CHILL.” What could be read as naive optimism actually comes through in spades throughout the record. Young sought to create songs that were “groovy and laid back but also just casual and relaxing” and absolutely nailed that vibe.

If you’re a fan of Toro Y Moi, you’ll probably feel at home here. The smooth production and languid songwriting lends itself to be the perfect backdrop of sitting in a hot place and chilling the fuck out. It’s the respite we deserve.