Doc Brown: What's Up Doc?
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READ THE STORYA collection of Mutt approved music from March. Thank fuck for March.
Thank fuck for March. Sunshine and daffodils. Winter disappearing behind us, and the promise of summer looming large. Still a touch chilly for the beer garden though.
First up this month, we have a solid slab of classic rock from Dunfermline legends Nazareth. 'Hair of the Dog' comes from their album of the same name, released in 1975, which saw the band break big in the US. The song's title doesn't appear in the track but is a play on the words of the main refrain: hair of the dog = heir of the dog = son of a bitch. Get it?
Fuck it, dog, life's a risk. LA skate/surf punks FIDLAR delivered their eponymous debut back in 2013, a riotous nod to growing up around west coast skate and surf culture. Opener 'Cheap Beer' perfectly captures lowbrow boredom-induced hedonism with excellent lo-fi energy..
JOHN (TIMESTWO) - SIBENSKO POWERHOUSE
If you've seen our first issue of MMM (and if you haven't, then why not), you'll already know about JOHN. The duo (of course, both called John) are firm favourites of the Mutt team. This pounder was released in the second half of last year, but we still can't get enough of it.
BDRMM - PORT (A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS REMIX)
What do you get when UK neo-shoegaze meets US noise rock? This absolute blinder, that's what. bdrmm's latest comes with a slew of remixes from Daniel Avery, and Mutt faves Working Men's Club. They really are spoiling us.
BAMBARA - MYTHIC LOVE
New from Bambara, the Athens, Georgia outfit return with some of their trademark emotive and anthemic alt-rock. This track comes from the recently released 'Love on My Mind'. We strongly advise you to give it a listen.
CATE LE BON - MODERATION
In February, the supremely multi-skilled welsh maestro Cate Le Bon treated us to her sixth studio long-player, with 'Moderation' being one of our stand-outs. This track is about 'a nod to the daily dilemma of trying to curb inherited and novel habits', which is a pain we definitely share.
ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN - SEVEN SEAS
Once described by Bill Drummond as 'the greatest rock band of all time', this one from Liverpool's indie royalty is an exquisite classic. 'Ocean Rain' saw the band combine their surreal angularity with lush orchestral arrangements. If you've not heard it before, then you really need to.
GHOST WOMAN - DO YOU
With this track, Canadian multi-instrumentalist Evan Uschenko delivers a cool slab of fuzzy, introspective neo-psyche. That this track was conceived in the Arizona desert and recorded in a solitary abandoned farmhouse (which then burnt down) does come through in its laid back yet strange feel.
FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS - DRACULA DRUG
LA-based Frankie and the Witch Fingers mix together all of our favourites - garage, psych, prog and rock. We just can't get enough of the resulting raucously tuneful noise. 'Dracula Drug' comes from 2019's 'Zam'. 8 minutes of pure joy.
HOLY WAVE - HELL BASTARDS
Holy Wave's purveyors of a far-out, dreamy sound create an immersive sonic experience. 'Hell Bastards' from 2020's 'Interloper' is a driving, relentless, noisy, yet decidedly tuneful experience. We absolutely fucking love it.
LOOP - FERMION
In the late 80s, Loop crafted a super-loud psych sound and a cult following like no others. Then in the early 90s, they called time on the project. After reviving the band for live shows a short while back, March saw their new album 'Sonancy' released after a 30-year studio hiatus. Soundheads rejoice!
PAUL JACOBS - HALF RICH LONER
Purveyors of apocalyptic psyche-doom rock, Finland’s cult rockers Circle go all out on this one. Not ones to take themselves too seriously – check out their ‘Falcon’ side project – they nevertheless sound very serious. ‘Terminal’ features a monster triple-guitar overload yet is still subtle and unstoppably hypnotic. All hail the riff!
SNAPPED ANKLES - BARBECUE IN BRAZIL
Primordial art punks Snapped Ankles are known for their frenzied, hypnotic, shamanistic live shows. Taking on modern politics and the ills of consumer culture with their tongues firmly in their cheeks, 'Barbecue in Brazil' sees them taking aim at 'instaconsumerism' and planet-killing luxury travel.
CREEP FEATURES - SUFFOCATE
Upcoming Sydney rock-duo Creep delivers a track about post-breakup chaos over catchy riffs and a monster breakdown. Taken from their self-titled EP released in February, these guys are definitely ones to watch.
NILUFER YANYA - STABILISE
On her second album, 'Painless', Nilufer Yanya couples beautiful melodies, bristling synths, driving backbeats and nervous guitars. This sound juxtaposes songs about the disorientation and alienation of emotional distress. 'Stabilise' has an addictive claustrophobic yet anthemic feel that we absolutely love.
BODEGA - THROWN
Bodega kicked off the year with this track, the second one taken from their new album 'Broken Equipment'. Their noisy yet robotic style is honed to perfection on this track about self-realisation and recognition. We're keeping this one on repeat.
ALEXISONFIRE - SWEET DREAMS OF OTHERNESS
This new track from post-hardcore legends Alexisonfire sees them running true to form. The band once described their music as 'the sound of two Catholic high-school girls in mid-knife-fight'. Which makes perfect sense to us.
SPRINTS - LITTLE FIX
Sprints are a zero-fucks given, super-energetic and raucous post-punk outfit hailing from Dublin. Singer Karla Chubb explores her own issues and insecurities with a no-nonsense lyrical approach, and this track is no exception. Check them out - you won't regret it.
LIARS - BIG APPETITE
21 years of experimental rock and Liars show no signs of slowing down. Which is all the better for us. 'Big Appetite', the lead single from last summer's 'The Apple Drop', is a brawling beast of a track. Wondering about the selfishness of human nature while on a hallucinogenic journey is a heady cocktail.
GEORGE HARRISON - WAH-WAH
What can we say about this track? Written when George (in our opinion, the best Beatle. Bite us) walked out of the Let It Be sessions after a bust-up with Paul. It details his frustrations with the Beatles' set-up at the time. Included on his post-Beatles solo album 'All Things Must Pass', this is our favourite ex-Beatles diss track. Sadly George wasn't overly fond of the Phil Spector production, but it's still an absolute classic.
Well, that's March done. We're off now to buy a load of chocolate eggs to stuff our faces with while we pull together more musical nuggets for you lucky people throughout April. Until then, remember to keep the volume at no less than 11.