Artist: Tame Impala

Hails From: Perth, Australia

Musical Style: Psychedelic, rock

For Fans of: Cream, Jefferson Airplane, Black Keys

Solitude Is Bliss

Why you should check them out :

Sometimes it’s nice to find a band that’s not trying to reinvent the wheel. There are a lot of bands pioneering news sounds, let them do their thing; it’s nice to go back to a familiar sound every once in a while. Tame Impala offer listeners a new take on a genre that’s is reliably awesome: psychedelic rock. They’re not concerned with updating psychedelia with electronic bells and whistles (I’m looking at you Animal Collective), they are a true throwback to the origins of the psychedelic sound. Their sound evokes ripped jeans, psychotropic mushrooms and ironed hair. In case you missed the late 60’s/early 70’s, Tame Impala is giving you a chance to (re)live it.

Background Check:

The two founders of Tame Impala are Kevin Parker (vocals/guitar) and Dominic Simper (bass). They toyed with bedroom recordings of their psych alternative sound from 1999 to 2007. Then they discovered Myspace. They posted their songs, it struck a nerve with a young audience and soon enough Tame Impala became a highly sought after band. In 2008 they were the prize in a label bidding war, and eventually signed to Modular.

They released an EP in September 2008 and then their full-length debut in June 2010 . The blogosphere has shown plenty of love to these Aussie’s rockers, Pitchfork gave them their stamp of approval with a Best New Music, and several smaller blogs have jumped on board as well. They opened up for The Black Keys and MGMT this year, and their popularity only seems to rising. It’s amazing what a recycled sound can do these days.

–Dawson Ludwig

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

myspace

official website

On Tour:

jambase

Artist: Black Mountain

Hails from: Vancouver, Canada

Musical Style: Rock, Indie, Psychedelic

For Fans of: Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath, My Morning Jacket

Why you should check them out:

Celebrating the release of their hardest rocking album to date in early 2008, the Vancouver quintet Black Mountain have been modernizing the sound of early psychedelic rock since 2004, gaining generous critical acclaim and media attention within only a few short years.

Background Check: 

Since first hearing Black Mountain a few years back, I have been downright hooked.  Their two full length albums have received hours of continuous play, and their fierce live shows have been thoroughly enjoyed by an ever growing mass of fans equally affected by their current day homage to 70’s stoner jams.

Black Mountain don’t simply emulate the psychedelic rock genre, but rather take it a step further, modernizing the classics with folk and indie rock inspired additions.  Incorporating duel vocals from both Stephen McBean and Amber Webber, the Vancouver quintet fluctuate between dark and delicate breakdowns and classic Sabbath guitar riffs heard throughout their album opener “Stormy High”.

While two previous EPs and their 2005 self titled album introduced Black Mountain with a few electronic beats and mellow numbers, their latest In The Future  is pure rock, with added guitar solos, vocal wailing, and persuasive organ riffs to prove it.  Getting their start as suitable background music, Black Mountain have re-situated themselves to the musical forefront, merging psychedelic guitar solos and riff heavy metal with the indie pop of more recent generations.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

Black Mountain Army homepage

Jagjaguwar.com

Myspace

Where you can find them on tour:

Jambase

Artist: Holy Fuck

Hails From: Toronto Canada

Musical Style: Experimental, Electronica, Rock

For Fans of: Radiohead, The Faint, LCD Soundsystem

Why you should check them out:

It’s not everday that Ed O’Brien and Thom Yorke of Radiohead call a song, “Amazing, Brilliant, Excellent”, but for Toronto based Holy Fuck, it’s just one more word of praise for their highly celebrated track, “Lovely Allen” off their 2007 full length LP.

Background Check:

I’ve often thought how nice it would be if there were always a soundtrack playing in real life like in the movies.  We can be alerted when scary events were about to happen with shrill violins or provided sappy melodic numbers in romantic situations.  And although an ipod may come pretty close, film characters definitely have it made.

Offering up some prime cinematic soundscapes, perfect for picking up the most mediocre of moments, is the experimental electronic collective Holy Fuck. Formed in 2004 by Graham Walsh and Brian Borcherdt, Holy Fuck has quickly earned the status as “Toronto’s evil super group” by fellow musicians in the Canadian scene. Known for their use of everything from a film sequencer to toy phaser guns on stage, Holy Fuck continue to charm audiences with their unique take on electronic music.

In 2007 Holy Fuck released their second album entitled LP, which has since gained unanimous praise from music critics and fans of their self titled 2005 debut. Though both albums offer an innovative sound, Holy Fuck really captivate during their energetic live sets, all of which are heavily improvised. Boosting their credibility through high profile opening slots with M.I.A., Cornelius and Clinic, Holy Fuck back up the hype all without the use of laptop derived beats. And while Holy Fuck’s lively electronic tracks may never come to you in the form of a personalized film soundtrack, they’re still guaranteed to make life’s most monotonous events more uplifting.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

http://www.myspace.com/holyfuck

http://www.holyfuckmusic.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Fuck

Where you can find them on Tour:

Jambase