You may remember reading about the Twitter-riffic dissolution of Jay Reatard’s band a few weeks back or even about the time he asked the Cola Freaks to join him shortly after that. Though we heard whispers about this in a bar late last week but were quickly distracted by a beer, Pitchfork reported yesterday that Wavves’ Nathan Williams has recently adopted a new backing band: bassist Stephen Pope and drummer Billy Hayes, formerly the rhythm section behind Reatard. Please note: these two are not to be confused with members of Reatard’s earlier band The Reatards. They are however, featured prominently in audiovisual evidence up top, a recent YouTube clip of the new three-piece shaking the stage at a recent show in Mexico City.

The vacancy in Williams’ lineup came as former drummer/wild man Zach Hill mangled his hand while playing drums recently. If you’ve ever seen dude hit a drum, that should make some sense. From his mouth to your brain:

so last week in los angeles at wavves practice i somehow mangled/broke/exploded my left hand while playing drums.it was immediately apparent that my injury was a little serious. after stopping practice i was unable to make a fist and my lacerations wouldnt stop bleeding. i visited a clinic and found i had two small fractures. one to the knuckles and one on my pointer finger plus some tweaked ligaments(unable to grip). this isnt a first for me but unfortunately the timing of its forced me to NOT be joining nate on the upcoming european wavves tour. bummer! the entire wavves tour will still go down as scheduled with some friends filling in and backing nate. they’re gonna handle it! hit up the shows! on the upside i should be straight in the hands within a few weeks and will be spending this period working on the new marnie stern album and finishing up my next solo release etc,etc,etc! PEACY P

Story by Michael McGregor

Photography by John Francis Peters

It all began at Santos Party House, a tricked out Honda Civic of a venue owned by Andrew W.K. and located in the heart of the downtown bottle service scene. Though nine-dollar drinks are common, mescaline ballads are not. Mostly glitz, bass and neon, Santos isn’t Ganglians’ home in any sense of the word. But apparently no one told Ryan Grubbs that. “We’re back… from the beyond,” the leader/frontman of the Ganglians race proclaimed before launching into a relentless set of Kesey-infused MC5 jams.

With allusions to shamans, vision quests and ancient civilizations, Ganglians are hopelessly psychedelic. Bound by neither time, place, nor state-of-mind, this band of ruffians came together by chance. Grubbs, a Montana native who headed to Sacramento after a trip with his grandfather, would often hear local natives Adrian Comenzind and Alex Sowles jamming from the attic of an old house on late night strolls through the city. Once Grubbs—who by happenstance had previously met Comenzind—found out who was sound-tracking his late night jaunts, the three began to jam together. The seeds that would become the band’s scattershot debut 12-inch were sown.

While much of their debut was engulfed in bong hits, propeller-head rhythms and damaged tape hiss, songs like “Stuck Under Town,” “Radically Inept Candy Girl” and “The Void” provided a glimpse of the band’s more melodic side, foreshadowing the majestic nature of Monster Head Room, on which both re-imagined versions of “Candy Girl” and “The Void” appear. Recorded in what must have been a deep, dark cavern, Monster Head Room, in many ways, finds Ganglians seeing the light for the first time. Moving away from the breakneck freak-outs of their debut, the album is metaphysically linked to Mesa Verde, and, depending on what you’ve ingested, it can often sound like waking up in those ancient cliff dwellings would feel. Harmonic cooing, layered found sounds, hypnotic axe wielding, patchouli mists— all the trappings of classic Californian drug folk are locked within. If limited to copious drug references and digital soundscapes, Monster Head Room would succumb to its own cliché. It doesn’t.

And such is the conundrum of a mystic psych act from Northern California arriving in the media capital of the world for a weekends worth of shows with So Cal punk brat Wavves. On stage, the ruffians stepped away from the crystalline jangle of Monster Head Room, choosing to rival Wavves ADHD output with equally turbulent if not more muscular fare like new single “Blood on the Sand,” as well as “My House,” a new tune written just before tour. Teenage Wavves fans didn’t seem to know how to react— moshing and flailing as though Ganglians’ was just another Wavves set. One sarcastic young’n even yelled “Hey Dave Pirner, play ‘Runaway Train.’” Instead, Ganglians conjured fits with “OMG, this shit is coming on strong” songs like “Rats Man.”

Twenty-four hours later, Ganglians are elsewhere again: the Market Hotel, Bushwick’s finest sweat box. Jeremy Earl, singer for Woods and founder of label Woodsist, brings Ryan Grubbs pre-show tacos from the Taco Truck. Amidst massive bites of chicken and guacamole, conversation inevitably veers toward drugs and production ramblings. “The 12” we just really wanted to get out there,” Grubbs says. “It’s raw, and we like it like that. I don’t want to say the songs were hurried, but we let them take hold naturally. We just wrote them, recorded them and that was that. But with Monster Head Room, we really wanted to take our time, let things breathe, play with some different production techniques and really hone the record. We wanted to make an old school, stoner headphone album.”

From first listen, it’s clear Ganglians took the time to nurture Monster Head Room, laying enough lysergic energy to tape to fuel a thousand trips into the nether-world. The production, while exquisite, is not overbearing, giving the record a subtle psychedelic quality that resonates as much with kids experimenting with robo-trippin’, as it does with their parents remembering fond days smoking grass in an imagined Golden Gate Park. Rarely does it overpower the listener, and when it does, it’s serene, as in outro of “The Void” that guides the listener into “To June.”

“The Void,” a droning ballad featured on both the band’s Woodsist 12” and Monster Head Room, best exemplifies that ambiance: a bedroom trip, the heat of a lava lamp left on for days, the fluorescent sheen of a black light making rose bud wallpaper bleed more like geometric fractals than the watercolors they are. “We really wanted to flesh ‘The Void’ out for Monster Head Room,” Grubbs explains. “The version on the 12″ is pretty fucking psychedelic, but we knew we could experiment with it, really take it out there, so we worked long and hard at fleshing it out the way we knew it could sound because, well, it’s an acid song.” No question “The Void,” a hallucinatory ballad with allusions to worlds inside worlds, goes out there. But it also refers to tripping on DMT, or Dimethyltryptamine, a natural drug produced by the human body, and incidentally, what some consider the most potent known psychedelic.

“I’ve never done DMT before, but I want to,” says Grubbs, whose affinity for psychedelics is way beyond that of an experimenting philosophy major. In fact, it’s almost scholarly, as he talks pressed pills and blotter tabs like an appraiser on Antique Road Show, noting the similarities and subtleties of trips, the voices, figures and motives associated with the other dimension as if they were a master carpenter’s etchings on a red oak chest from the Victorian era. “When I wrote “The Void” I was literally seeing furry trolls in the bushes,” he remembers. “I would look out, and I could see their eyes peering out from in between the brush. I was roaming around and I could sense and see these tiny worlds secretly dwelling in front of me, behind rocks, in bushes. I felt like I was always being followed by the unknown, while peeking into the unknown, a world that I didn’t know existed, or doesn’t exist.  The whole experience literally took me some other world, some sort of void. I really wanted to try and recreate that world.”

Clocked at four and a half minutes, “The Void” is not just the centerpiece of Monster Head Room but a treasure map to the unknown. Explorers, Ganglians exude an openness often associated with freewheeling religious zealots and missionaries. They are preachers, but their doctrine is more the distilled essence of the Acid Tests than that of divide-and-conquer. Simply to exist and express, the band acknowledge both darkness and light, while leaving both to the wayside, giving credence only to the molecules that form our existence. It’s a bit heady, yes, but so is their mantra, a manifesto scrawled on the scroll that is their MySpace: “The whole of the Ganglian race. The squirrels in the walls that bounce acorns across the ceiling in the dead of night. NONE OF THIS SHOULD WORK BUT IT DOES!!!”

An e-mail from the folks at Baeblemusic (great name, by the way (sincerely)) just slipped into our inbox a few minutes ago with some great video footage of two Tripwire favorites Wavves and Port O’Brien doing business. While we’re not calling Mr. Nathan Williams a Kurt Cobain by any means, we’ve said earlier that the transition his Wavves project is making from drummer to Zach Hill is a lot like the difference one could hear in Nirvana’s recordings back when they subbed in Dave Grohl for Chad Channing. Below is some video of Hill and Williams plowing through “So Bored.” Again, the former never overpowers the song itself and instead gives Williams a fancy new (rhythmic) jetpack. Watch the full show here. Speaking of Nirvana, Port O’Brien’s got a great new record that features a great new song whose title looks like it came straight from the Nevermind lyricbook: “My Will Is Good.” Check out a acoustic/nakey version below, cop a download of the Bodega Girls remix we posted a little while ago here.

Nathan Williams, professional massage and distortion enthusiast behind SoCal grunge duo Wavves, stopped by the Daytrotter studios recently with new drummer/wild beast Zach Hill. Together they recorded some fare both old (relatively speaking) and new, clawing into Wavvves’ “To The Dregs” as well as the fresher “Hula Hoop” and “Horse Sholes.” You can definitely hear the jolt that Hill’s provided since hopping on board, the difference analogous to say, Nirvana with Chad Channing on drums and Nirvana with Dave Grohl on drums. Listen for yourself here.

In case we haven’t expressed adequately enough just how excited we are about the addition of Hella’s Zach Hill to the Wavves equation, let us start your day off with a sonnet we penned this morning in honor of the grunge pop outfit’s main man, Nathan Williams and new jam “Cool Jumper.” Just kidding! That stuff stays in the diary, everybody! Anyway, Williams announced his upcoming Fall tour weeks ago, though waiting until just now to add that Hill—a Mad Max of a stickman whose contributions you can see here—would be joining him for the trek. Epic news.

Dates below:

09.05 – Los Angeles, CA @ LA Historic State Park w/ FYF Fest
09.06 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Shop *
09.13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge *
09.14 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge *
09.15 – Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Music Hall *
09.16 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
09.17 – Grinnell, IA @ Gardner Lounge, Grinnel College *
09.18 – Champaign, IL @ Pygmalion Music Festival *
09.19 – Madison, WI @ Forward Music Festival *
09.20 – Chicago, IL @ Chopin Theater (Early All Ages) *
09.20 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle (Late 21+) *
09.21 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Cafe *
09.22 – Toronto, ONT @ El Mocambo *
09.23 – Montreal, QC @ Friendship Cove *
09.24 – New York, NY @ Santos Party House *
09.25 – New York, NY @ Todd P NYC *
09.27 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott *
09.29 – Philidelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church *
09.30 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar *
10.01 – Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel *
10.02 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 *
10.03 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club *
10.04 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl *
10.06 – Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s *
10.09 – Dallas, TX @ Pastime Lounge *
10.10 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s w/ The Soft Pack
10.15 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room *
10.16 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah *
10.17 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex *
* w/ Ganglians

Straight from the horse’s mouth, aka Nathan Williams’ blog:

This is a rough live mix from how the song will be when it’s finished but once it’s done the track WILL be on the next record. Lyrically/Sonically the song will be pretty different but jam on it.

Please note the new presence of Zach Hill on drums. Good. Lord. (via Terroreyes.tv)

Epic meltdowns and busted wrists be damned- Wavves has announced a fall tour with Ganglians, stretching from the end of August through mid-October, from California to the East Coast and back again. Massages will be few and far between.

Tour dates are as follows:

08.28.09 San Diego, CA @ Street Scene
09.05.09 Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Fest presents: Save Our State Parks @ LA Historic State Park
09.06.09 San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
09.13.09 Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
09.14.09 Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
09.15.09 Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Music Hall
09.16.09 Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
09.17.09 Grinnell, IA @ Gardner Lounge, Grinnell College
09.18.09 Champaign, IL @ Pygmalion Music Festival
09.19.09 Madison, WI @ Forward Music Festival
09.20.09 Chicago, IL @ Chopin Theater (Early All Ages)
09.20.09 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle (Late 21+)
09.21.09 Detroit, MI @ Majestic Café
09.22.09 Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo
09.23.09 Montreal, QC @ Friendship Cove
09.24.09 New York, NY @ Santos Party House
09.25.09 New York, NY @ Todd P Show venue TBA
09.27.09 Boston, MA @ Great Scott
09.29.09 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
09.30.09 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
10.01.09 Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
10.02.09 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
10.03.09 Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
10.04.09 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10.06.09 Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s
10.09.09 Dallas, TX @ Pastime Lounge
10.10.09 Austin, TX @ Emo’s
10.15.09 Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
10.16.09 San Diego, CA @ Casbah
10.17.09 Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex

Two days after Nathan Williams shattered his wrist and only a few hours before his brain-melting set at Bowery Ballroom, we treated he of Wavves notoreity to a rubdown in Chinatown. So it came to be that Nathan christened our new series, The Rubdown, and chatted with us about his wrist, his thoughts on Barcelona, and his new grunge project with Hella drummer Zach Hill. Things are looking up. And they sound awesome.

As you may have read, Wavves‘ Nathan Williams took a tumble while skateboarding last week. But after toughing it through a cast few shows, including comeback sets at New York’s Bowery Ballroom and the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago, the San Diego noisemaker is going under the knife: on the 22nd of this month (tomorrow) Williams will be getting screws in his wrist instead of playing a skatepark benefit at the Smell in Los Angeles. To make amends for the cancelled show, however, Williams provided fans with an Animal Collective-tinged track on his blog. Although he claims, ”This was a demo that I never ended up coming back to and probably wont end up doing anything with but jam on it n-e-wayz.” Download “Mickey Mouse” here.

Ever since Wavves aka Nathan Williams had a little mental breakdown on the Pitchfork-curated stage at the Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona a few weeks ago, the music site has taken a not-so-subtle negative stance towards Williams whenever it sees an opportunity. It began with the actual news story of Wavves bad Primavera show, which Pitchfork founder Ryan Schreiber himself began with this little cat scratch directed at the Best New Music-earning band…

Over the past six months, the San Diego no-fi outfit Wavves has notoriously made a better bedroom project than live band.

… and finished with a suggestion that Williams and drummer Ryan Ulsh might kill each other before they even made it to Pitchfork’s own music festival on July 18th. The latter bit of blood lust has proven itself to be untrue with the passage of time, but the former seems an odd assertion considering Schreiber is presumably the one who booked (or approved the booking of) Wavves at both Primavera and the Pitchfork Festival. We’ve also seen Wavves several times in venues both large and small and he’s never failed to be pretty awesome, if not more accessible than he is on record.

So what are we to make of Pitchfork’s recent Wavves-bashing editorial direction, which culminated today in a post that quotes Black Lips’ Jared Swilley talking wildly about Williams in a Norwegian radio interview, crescendos (yeah, blog posts crescendo) with “it should be noted that this is not the first time a band has talked shit about Wavves” (yes, clearly should be noted) and mentions both bands will be at Pitchfork’s festival and ends with “Feel the drama!” (really?)?

We’d like to hear what you think in the comments section. Has Wavves one bad show earned the ire of music’s biggest critic? Is Pitchfork just trying to pump up its festival’s ticket sales? Or is Pitchfork just being a dick? Let’s hear it.

First it was the meltdown in front of thousands of people. Then came the apology, which was focused on the level of stress Nathan Williams has endured since starting to tour extensively in February. Now comes the solution (or one solution we should say).

As Pitchfork is reporting, the rest of the Wavves European tour is apparently cancelled — or at least not listed on their MySpace anymore.

As reported last Friday, Nathan Williams and drummer Ryan Ulsh stumbled their way through a cut-short Wavves set at the Primavera Sound Festival that included an intraband meltdown, shoe tossing, boos and passive aggressive audience taunting. Later that evening, Williams apologized via his Ghost Ramp, citing copious amounts of alcohol, sedatives and touring as the culprit.

From the Wavves Ghost blog:
Friday, May 29, 2009
Primavera/Europe

I think in the back of my head I knew I wasn’t exactly mentally healthy enough to continue to tour the way I have been since February. Honest truth is this has all happened so fast and I feel like the weight of it has been building for months now with what seems like a never ending touring and press schedule which includes absolutely zero time to myself. I’m sorry to everyone who has put effort into this and to everyone who supported me. Mixing ecstasy valium and xanax before having to play in front of thousands of people was one of the more poor decisions I’ve made(duh) and I realize my drinking has been a problem now for a good period of time. Nothing else I can do but apologize to everyone that has been affected by my poor decision making. I made a mistake. Not the first mistake I’ve made and it for sure wont be the last. I’m human. Don’t know why I chose the biggest platform I could imagine to loose my shit, but that’s life. You live and you learn.

Pitchfork’s Ryan Schreiber posted his account this morning of last night’s Wavves debacle at the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona. According to the website’s founder, Nathan Williams and drummer Ryan Ulsh stumbled their way through a cut-short set that included an intraband meltdown, shoe tossing, boos and passive aggressive audience taunting.

Get the full story here.

Keeping with our Crystal theme today, here’s the newest video from Brooklyn’s Crystal Stilts, who remain one of our favorite bands of the recent garage revival. Where some have gone for total punk, while others have gone psych, and we can’t forget the pop, the Stilts seamlessly can blend them all for a mixture you can still groove to without any of the guilt.

Crystal Stilts – “Love Is A Wave”

The indie world is amok with affluent white kids who wear loafers and v-necks, which is in stark contrast to the recent implosion of extroverted diy hipsters that now fill the air-Wavves with lo-fi, three-chord pop songs. This is why a band like White Rabbits — who are more authentic than affluent and more intro- than extroverted — stands just outside and above both cliches. So in honor of the release of their sophomore LP It’s Frightening today on TBD Records, here is the video for the lead single “Percussion Gun” directed by Andrew Droz Palermo.

White Rabbits – “Percussion Gun”

The Wavves phenomenon has created a monster when it comes to the notion of bedroom recording artists “getting their hopes up.” But when we hear of one shining example from a 13-year old Midwestern kid, it begs the question to be asked: Is this the future of indie?

From Impose:
Technically the corollary to this fuzzy pop punk isn’t Wavves (though we wouldn’t blame you for disagreeing) as it is Tiny Masters of Today. This is some really young kid making punk music without the parental mainlines to Karen O.

Although, not everyone agrees:

He goes by the name Natural Numbers and you can download his Ocean Ghost EP here. We suggest checking out “Powhatan” and “Don’t Tell Me You Know”.

Some people dig Wavves, others do not. A listening experience not dissimilar to running your favorite rock record through a analog lo-fi grinder, it’s not hard to hear why Wavves’ much-hyped almost-eponymous debut album Wavvves has been polarizing. But wow, in Psychedelic Horseshit’s interview with the Washington Post, they really tear the kid a new one. Brandishing “Wavves Suxx” t-shirts, the dudes in Psychedelic Horseshit go on to lament their current situation: “We should have named ourselves Wavves. We’d be rich now if we would’ve. We’re better than Wavves, he does the same kind of [expletive].” And that’s not all:

MW: Right it’s one person with GarageBand and a few chords and like — Wavves to me sounds like [expletive] TV on the Radio. That band sucks [expletive]. It’s one of the worst bands to get popular in a long time. They [expletive] trump No Age because I think it’s worse than No Age. No Age is just like, [expletive]. It’s really [expletive].

Washington Post: Do you think it’ll be fleeting, or will these bands maintain fans?
MW: I don’t know. Honestly I hope so because somehow if those [expletive][expletive]-[expletive] bands, by default, are like the leaders of the lo-fi movement now and we’re somehow under that umbrella because we made a lo-fi album. So it’s like, if those bands [expletive] don’t do good, I’m going to hunt them down and kill them because that’s the end of us. They’re [expletive] representing a bunch of good bands. Somehow the [expletive] bands get to represent the good bands. But it’s like that all through [expletive] history. Psychedelic Horse[expletive] – I think we’re better than Wavves, for sure….

I don’t care if people like Psychedelic Horse[expletive]. It’s for me. It’s for me to make music that I like. I don’t give a [expletive] if anybody likes it. Those bands, they’re all about like, Oh, we’re girls! Or, Oh, we’re skaters! Or, Oh, we’re California bros! Yeah, but, can you write a good song? No. You [expletive] put a couple chords together – I don’t know. I shouldn’t be talking so much [expletive] in an interview about Psychedelic Horse[expletive]. But it’s so prevalent now, everybody’s getting a [expletive] about all these bands…

Washington Post: Anyway, so you think this will make it harder for the “good” bands to break through?
MW: Well now it’s like if we make a record people are gonna be like, Oh, this Psychedelic Horse[expletive] record sounds like Wavves! Because it’s lo-fi! No. No, it doesn’t sound like Wavves. Wavves sounds like TV on the Radio, which [expletive] sounds like some really bad [expletive].

Washington Post: Yeah, I don’t really get that band, they’re not the worst.
MW: It’s just like Wavves if he had some black dudes and a full band

Well, whatever the incredibly nice dudes in TV On the Radio did to deserve this verbal thrashing, I’m sure they’ll get over it with their (deservingly) award-winning album’s and world-tour. [Via Stereogum]

The ladies of Topshop get J-Lo and Kate Moss at their opening. What do the dudes get? Lo-fi bands at a graffiti strewn diy venue in Brooklyn. It’s cool that Topman will be throwing a party this weekend (for free) with some really solid bands on the bill (for free), but men who fancy their clothes to be European taylored, we think it’s time you ask for some big star power in your branding. Did we mention it’s free?

Topman has teamed up with four local college radio stations (at Fordham, NYU, Pratt and Bard) to present the show this Saturday (April 25) at The Shank in Brooklyn. Apparently only for college students (college ID’s are required for the free ticket), the line-up features Crash Diet Crew, Muggabears, These Are Powers, Wavves and Crystal Stilts.

To get your tickets, you’ve got to get yourself to the Topman store in SoHo with your college ID between 2 and 7 p.m. on Friday the 24th.

Is it too much of a pun to say we’re getting bored of “So Bored”? To be fair to Nathan Williams — aka Wavves — he wrote it and it is one hell of a catchy tune, but we heard it a lot at SxSW, only to find out at subsequent non-Wavves shows that the Vivian Girls were also covering and playing it live. But then we heard our 8-bit heroes Anamanaguchi’s version of it, taking it out of the garage rock murk and giving it new life. Now we’re pumped on it again.

Before listening to the song below, we strongly suggest checking out our profile on Anamanaguchi for a few original tracks and you can watch Wavves playing “So Bored” live in Austin, TX here.

Anamanaguchi – “So Bored” (Wavves Cover)

Nathan Williams’ current wavve of attention has been helped by incessant touring — so far in this young year he’s toured around the world, including at least six shows here in NY.. and he’s playing again tonight at Mercury Lounge.

A quote from a Ramones documentary claimed that if you slowed down their songs you’d get The Beach Boys. Although WAVVES acknowledges that his music is pop, his flirtations with noise, ambient and lo-fi have helped win him an adoring indie fanbase. Yet last night’s Cake Shop performance was, at least to me, distinctly punk rock – 30 fast-paced minutes, dimly lit hot packed basement, the smell of sweat, dancing and pushing. No need for any shouts of “1234.”

The songs sounded good live. I’ve always enjoyed WAVVES live better than on record. The song “To The Dregs,” in particular, was a highlight. At the end of the (first) brief set, the audience demanded more, to which Williams asked drummer R.W. Ulsh “do we even know any more songs?” Apparently so: the rare encore featured, if my memory serves me correctly, “California Goths” into a solo (and great) “Weed Demon.”

*Sub par photos due to bad lighting:

Holy shit. Ryan Schreiber, founder of Pitchfork Media, has been nominated as a finalist for The Time 100 Most Influential People in the World. Alongside Vladimir Putin, Pope Benedict XVI, Robert Mugabe, Barack Obama and Rush Limbaugh sits our very own indie compadre Mr. Schreiber. The article reads:

“His music-culture website Pitchfork is the Pravda of indie rock, steering opinion (and sales) with its infamously forthright record reviews; even its detractors can’t help but look at it three times a day. Among Pitchfork’s early finds: Arcade Fire, Interpol and Relevant Elephant.”

We always knew Wavves and Will Oldham were going to take over the world, we just didn’t know when. So it seems clear now, our cultural coup d’état is occurring with great fury! The zeitgeist of the 2009 will not be remembered for any sort of economic collapse, political strife or military engagements, but for the popularization of music freed from commercial interests and agendas! All Hail Bradford Cox!

But seriously, that’s awesome and great for Pitchfork. Here at the The Tripwire, we encourage write-in entries for our very own Derek Evers.

Correspondent Meiyee Apple takes us through her guide of SxSW day parties with her search for free music and drinks on Friday, March 20. You can see the Thursday, March 19 installment here.

The Thursday night after my day party extravaganza was filled with Scandinavian bands at the Oya/Oh My Rockness showcase with the Casio Kids, Wavves, and some hardcore band who’s only lyrics for their song “Jeans and Heels” were “jeans” and “heels.” Instead of capping the evening with a late-night party session, I went and ate a “Sloppy Burger” at Magnolia and passed out.

There were high hopes on hitting a bevy of day parties.

The ones that that I hit:
Aussie BBQ with Youth Group
AAM Extravaganza
Reeperbahn Festival Party
Spin Magazine party with the Black Lips, Crystal Method DJing, and Echo and the Bunnymen (totally missed Passion Pit and am still kicking myself for it)

Of course with all that was going on, a lot of parties on my agenda were missed:
BMI Acoustic Brunch (woke up too late)
Onion A/V Club party (long was WAY too line)
Showcasing Scotland at The British Music Embassy (too busy getting hammered at the Spin Party)
The Music Stimulus Event (too busy getting hammered at Spin Party)
Next Big Nashville (too busy getting hammered at the Spin Party)
New Zealand Music Party (too busy getting hammered at the Spin Party)

Upon nightfall, I reported back to the sprawling and wonderful FADER Fort. I had not consumed anything solid all day, despite all the free food at the parties. Hence, the obvious inebriation at the end of my day.

I headed over to the Austin Music Hall for the Touch Tunes Ultimate Party with Datarock, Tricky and Devo. Datarock rocked my socks, Tricky made me fall asleep (due to the lingering booze), and Devo revealed new songs, wore new costumes, and sang the hits. Those old dudes are so timeless.

[Devo]

[Datarock]

[Echo And The Bunnymen]

We know you’ve all been planning your TX days and nights without worrying about the Levi’s®/FADER Fort, because you already knew that it’s all day, every day from Wednesday, March 18 through Saturday, March 21. And we know you already had planned to be there regardless, you were just waiting to hear where it is and who would be there. Well, now you know.

This year we’ll be holing up at a new Fort, on 1101 E. 5th Street (between San Marcos & Waller), and the only way to get in is to RSVP. The Tripwire day is Friday, March 20, but you can check out the full lineup and additional sponsors below. And this year, anytime you want the latest info, text the word “FORT” to FADER (32337) to get Levi’s®/FADER Fort updates sent to your mobile device. Because we’re technical like that.

The Levi’s®/FADER Fort: 1101 E. 5th Street (between San Marcos & Waller)
RSVP

Wednesday, March 18
1:30 – 1:55 American Princes
2:15 – 2:40 Let’s Wrestle
3:00 – 3:25 The Strange Boys
3:45 – 4:10 Esser
4:30 – 4:55 Post War Years
5:15 – 5:40 Abe Vigoda
6:00 – 6:25 Graham Coxon
6:45 – 7:10 Micachu and the Shapes
7:30 – 7:55 B.o.B.
8:15 – 8:45 Little Boots

DJ’s sets by DJ Ceeplus Bad Knives, DJ Kayper, Rezound

Thursday, March 19
1:30 – 1:55 Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head
2:15 – 2:40 Handsome Furs
3:00 – 3:25 Janelle Monae
3:45 – 4:10 Amazing Baby
4:30 – 4:55 The Hot Melts
5:15 – 5:40 Francis & The Lights
6:00 – 6:25 Late of the Pier
6:45 – 7:10 Lissy Trullie
7:30 – 8:10 Tricky
8:30 – 9:00 The Warlocks

DJ’s sets by Disco Shawn and Oro 11 (Bersa Discos), Jokers of the Scene, DJ Diabetic, Egg Foo Young aka Michna

Friday, March 20 (The Tripwire Day)
1:00 – 1:20 The Kidz in the Hall
1:40 – 2:05 The Love Language
2:20 – 2:45 Coupleskate
3:05 – 3:30 Solid Gold
3:45 – 4:10 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
4:30 – 4:55 We Have Band
5:15 – 5:40 Women
6:00 – 6:25 Hatcham Social
6:45 – 7:15 Tinted Windows
7:45 – 8:45 Peter Bjorn & John

DJ’s sets by Round Table Knights, The GrooveLayers, Holy Ghost!, Flosstradamus

Saturday, March 21
1:30 – 1:55 Blank Dogs
2:15 – 2:40 Wavves
3:00 – 3:25 Theophilus London
3:45 – 4:10 Maluca
4:30 – 4:55 Popo
5:15 – 5:40 Major Lazer
6:00 – 6:25 Rick Ross
6:45 – 7:10 Jadakiss
8:30 – 11:00 Good Music with Kid Cudi, Big Sean, GLC, Consequence, Really Doe, Tony Williams, Mr. Hudson and special guests

DJ’s sets by Brick Bandits / Ghetto Division, Nick Catchdubs, Paul Devro (Mad Decent), WE MAKE IT GOOD with Pretty Titty, Chris Devlin, XXXChange & Blaqstarr, Green Lantern

Additional sponsors: East Village Radio (EVR), Guitar Center, Skull Candy, Xbox, Ray-Ban, ShockHound, Budweiser, Budweiser American Ale, Southern Comfort, Pepsi, Ace Hotel.

Rez and I headed into Death By Audio expecting a noisy raucous affair, but were treated to a sonic wonder to start the show in U.S. Girls. The one-woman show that is Meghan Remy — a Philly-based noise conductor drenched in fuzz and reverb a la Wavves or the Dum Dum Girls, but with vocals that will send shivers down your spine. Unlike the lazy drawl of many of the lo-fi deconstructionists, Meghan takes an almost R&B vibe on her vocals, and she belted out emphatically over the heavy beats and blips, including her cover of The Dave Clark Five’s “Bits And Pieces”. [Derek Evers]

[US Girls]

And then there’s Fiasco, the band I’ve seen countless times only to keep saying they get better with age. Which was ironic on this night as one of them actually became legal — guitarist Jonathan Edelstein celebrated his 18th birthday with the help of The Homosexuals. With two new songs to their repertoire and the usual array of blistering beats and tapping guitars, Fiasco remain one of my favorite bands to witness live. [Derek Evers]

[Fiasco]

I’d only heard NYC’s Sightings on record and never knew exactly how they concoct their weird, damaged soundscapes. I was pretty impressed to find out that they construct their sound with nothing more than a guitar, a bass, electro-acoustic drums and a bunch of effects pedals. The whole show was like one blistering assault of damaged noise, with guitarist/vocalist Mark Morgan laying down his baritone vocals over the grand cacophony. Their drummer is really sick/technical and all three members are interesting to watch but by the second half of the set, every song seemed to kick its feet into the next and the crowd grew a bit less enthusiastic, rather than the other way around. [Rez Avissar]

[Sightings]

AIDS Wolf tore the roof off the place. I was thinking of adjectives to use to describe the show… “frenzy”…”pandemonium”…”intense.” The band was tight, the singer Special Deluxe was extra vicious on the mic (and looked amazing in her purple sequin dress), and the whole place went fucking nuts. I haven’t danced this hard in a long time and in between paused to snap some glimpses into what basically was sweet, sweet mayhem. [Rez Avissar]

[AIDS Wolf]

[Death By Audio]

Since trying to track the hundreds of day parties or the 52 shows Wavves are playing is nearly impossible, we found this post of SxSW recommendations based on flyer artwork to be as reasonable a gauge as any.

The insightful people at Impose had the idea (and the time) to pull a few of their favorite show posters. Our favorites are the Post Present Medium poster above and the I Guess I’m Floating poster below, but you can see the rest of their picks here. And stay tuned for the best SxSW show listing coming your way later today (hey, that rhymes!).

We’ve been fans of The Coathangers since we saw them play at CMJ. So we’re definitely paying close attention as they prep the release of their Suicide Squeeze debut on April 7, which now includes an in-the-works video for “Stop Stomp Stompin’”

In this footage we see the girls — Julia Kugel (guitar/vocals), Stephanie Luke (drums/vocals), Candice Jones (keyboard/vocals), and Meredith Franco (bass/vocals) — discussing the theme behind the Kevin Borke directed and David Hahn produced video. There’s also some live and interview footage from a show in Atlanta, so you can get primed for what you will see when they play your town on their current tour.

The Coathangers – Behind The Scenes At The “Stop Stomp Stompin’” Video Shoot
Directed by: Kevin Borke
Produced by: David Hahn

The Coathangers tour dates
03.13.09 – Atlanta GA (Drunken Unicorn) #^
03.13.09 – Gainesville FL (Common Grounds) #^
03.13.09 – Orlando FL (The Social) #*^
03.17.09 – Houston TX (The Mink)
03.18.09 – Austin TX (SXSW, Red Eyed Fly, Suicide Squeeze Showcase)
03.19.09 – Austin TX (SXSW)
03.19.09 – Austin TX (SXSW)
03.19.09 – Austin TX (SXSW)
03.19.09 – Dallas TX (The Lounge w/ Wavves, Abe Vigoda)
04.04.09 – Atlanta GA (The Earl, Record Release)
05.11.09 – Atlanta GA (The Eyedrum w/ Calvin Johnson)

# with These Arms Are Snakes
* with All The Saints
^ with Young Widows

So last night I went to a show at Death by Audio that featured the likes of well known noisemakers AIDS Wolf, Fiasco and Sightings. Opening the show was Meghan Remy, a Philly-based noise concoctor who goes by the name of U.S. Girls. I’ve been catching word of her performances for the past few months, but after finally seeing her for myself, I suggest getting acquainted.

A one-woman show drenched in fuzz and reverb a la Wavves or the Dum Dum Girls, but with a much more cerebral approach (see: not as poppy) and vocals that will send shivers down your spine. Unlike the lazy drawl of many of the lo-fi deconstructionists, Meghan takes an almost R&B vibe on her vocals, belting out emphatically over the heavy beats and blips. She’s put out a handful of cassette and 7″ releases, so in an attempt to auralize her wide range, we’re going to offer up an original U.S. Girls track — “Found On The Ground” — and her cover of The Dave Clark Five’s “Bits And Pieces”.

U.S. Girls – “Bits And Pieces”

U.S. Girls – “Found On The Ground”

Today’s the big day, kids! Lovepump United has two singles hitting the streets, Clip’d Beaks‘ “Visions” b/w “Dank Swamp” 7″ and Pictureplane’s first LPU-release, the “Trance Doll” 7″.

Clip’d Beaks are back from an extended vacay and following up 2007’s Hoarse Lords with the “Visions” 7″. The chaotic post-punk sound is back and more concentrated than ever. “Trance Doll”, Pictureplane’s first release on Lovepump United, is playground of dirty synths and broken beats. He’s working on a full-length, as well, and with a resume of remixes including Crystal Castles, HEALTH and Beirut’s Zach Condon, we’re definitely interested to see where he’s taking us on the LP.

Clip’d Beaks and Pictureplane will be playing LPU’s SXSW showcase, as well as upcoming dates with HEALTH.

Clip’d Beaks on tour
03.16.09 – Los Angeles, CA (The Smell)
03.17.09 – Phoenix, AZ (Trunkspace) w/ Pictureplane & HEALTH
03.18.09 – El Paso, TX (Black Market) w/ Pictureplane & HEALTH
03.21.09 – Austin, TX (The Mohawk) (Lovepump United SXSW Showcase)

Pictureplane on tour with HEALTH
03.17.09 – Phoenix, AZ (Trunkspace) w/ Clip’d Beaks
03.18.09 – El Paso, TX (Black Market) w/ Clip’d Beaks
03.21.09 – Austin, TX (The Mohawk) (Lovepump United SXSW Showcase)
03.23.09 – Tallahassee, FL (Club Down Under)
03.24.09 – Knoxville, TN (Catalyst) w/ WAVVES
03.25.09 – Greensboro, NC (Greene Street Club)
03.26.09 – Atlanta, GA (The Earl)
03.27.09 – Baton Rouge, LA. (The Spanish Moon)
03.28.09 – Houston, TX (Houston Block Party)
03.30.09 – Lubbock, TX (Bash Riprocks)
03.31.09 – Santa Fe, NM (Warehouse 21)
04.01.09 – Tucson, AZ (Solar Culture)

Maybe we here at the Singles Collection are in the minority, but goddamn if we aren’t more than ready for winter to be over and spring to rear its rainy head. We’re tired of everybody getting sick then selfishly passing their colds and flus around, not to mention the general malaise one feels when it’s dark at 5pm and 3 degrees outside. Since the groundhog saw his shadow (we think) and we’ve got another 6 weeks of winter, we figured we’d feature some singles this week that have that good time, stay out in the sun all day vibe. Unsurprisingly, all the singles this week hail from the Sunshine State, where it’s just that little bit easier to dream of an endless Summer.

To kick off the shimmering vibes this week we’ve got Nobunny’s first foray into 7″ territory; “Give it to Me” b/w “Motorhead with Me” on HoZac. Picking up almost exactly where the excellent Love Visions left off, the two songs here are absolutely pop charmers, crammed with more rumbling hooks than a tackle box and reminiscent of a spate of past greats, including Del Shannon, the Beau Brummels and The Box Tops to name but a few. The A-Side is two minutes of incredibly infectious lo-fi bubblegum trash-pop, replete with a so-simple-it’s-genius arrangement and a chorus that rattles around in your head like pac-mac and refuses to leave. B-side “Motorhead with Me” is equally as devastating, if not potentially more so, and is definitely in the running for the best song he’s ever laid to tape. The first edition of this sold out in a flash, but if you act quick, you can get one of the second editions on red from HoZac’s MySpace.

Next up, we’ve got the debut offering, in the form of a self-titled 4-song EP, from San Francisco’s The Fresh & Onlys on Kelly Stoltz’s new Chuffed imprint. Channeling the vintage sounds of their home city, the tunes here are filled with lush 60s-inspired harmonies and slow-burning bits of 70s soft-psych, all wrapped up with deliciously deadpan vocals a la Lou Reed or Lee Hazelwood minus the copious amount of ‘ludes. “Imaginary Friends” sounds like a lost AM radio gem, its delightfully strummy cadence and buoyant, sing-song quality emanating joyous noise from every pore. “Endless Love” may well be the best tune off the record, a snarling riff (and a wicked solo) rides a simple beat while loads of female backing vocals crash in over the top, giving the whole thing a decidedly Zombies-esque feel. This first (and only?) pressing is limited to just 300 copies, and while they seem to be going fast everywhere you look, if you act quick you can probably still grab one from the label’s MySpace.

Last, but certainly not least, we’ve got a pair of singles from beachcombing scuzz-pop troubadour of the moment, Wavves, “So Bored” b/w “How are You” on Young Turks out of the UK and “California Goths” b/w “Here’s to the Sun” on Fat Possum. Out of the pair, the “So Bored” single is definitely the one worth tracking down, as B-Side “How are You” is exclusive to this release, and is an awesome slab of wide-eyed skree-pop that only Wavves could write. Plus, “So Bored” is one of the best tunes he’s ever written, even though it apears on the Wavvves full-length and just about everywhere else these days. The “California Goths” single is a bit puzzling, as both of these songs are on the previous full-length, but they’re both great tunes, and completists will want this anyhow. As you might imagine, both of these are a bit hard to come by, but with some crafty Google searching, you should be able to find a copy of each. Or you can get them from the boy wonder himself if you catch him on his current tour.

Hopefully we’ve been able to bring at least a little bit of sunlight into your Wintery world this week, and hey, it’s warming up ’round here, so maybe our wishful thinking is actually working! Regardless, we’ll be back next week with more tasty platters for your listening pleasure.

Just when you thought your beloved record collection, full of precious pretentiousness and obscure band names, was safe, think again. It looks like the nice guys at Apple have stolen your thunder, and have now made an Indie Store on iTunes; making life just a little bit easier for the independent record label, and giving you an even bigger headache when you find out your lame next door neighbor has heard the new Black Lips record before you.

The iTunes store created the new “Indie Spotlight,” to feature artists like Fever Ray, Wavves, Cut Copy and Bon Iver among many others. Like Prefix, we’re wondering why? Well, the answer most likely lies in the sales of the spotlighted artists. While they are “indie,” it probably goes without saying that blog wonderkids Animal Collective and Wavves have already been racking up sales for the online music machine.

The spotlight store also has a list of indie podcasts and playlists for users to download and sync right onto their iPods. This is definitely a step in the right direction for the retailer who has helped launch the careers of many unknown artists through their innovative iPod commercials, yet have left most of the front page spotlights to the likes of very large and established artists. We say kudos to iTunes for making the move, and maybe we could direct you to a great indie podcast to consider (hint, hint).

In honor of last night’s BRIT awards, we’ve gone all U.K., all the time with this week’s New Music Thursday picks. Up now is a sloppy little garage-pop trio from London we’ve been following called Let’s Wrestle who might just be headed to a town (or an Austin music festival) near you soon.

Let’s Wrestle has this casual sound that sort of mimics that dressed-down style where you’re trying to say to the world, hey. I didn’t really try or anything, but I look good in a kind of disheveled way, don’t I? Singer Wesley Patrick Gonzalez has this slow, relaxed, almost apathetic vocal style that pairs well with the scratchy, imperfect, U.K. version of the currently popular U.S. garage rock sound, a la Vivian Girls, Blank Dogs, Wavves, etc.

They released a three-song EP Song for Abba Tribute Record in 2007 and a six-song disc called In Loving Memory Of… in 2008 and now they’re heading to the states soon to play with — appropriately anough — the Black Lips and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart before heading down to SXSW. Check out “I’m OK, You’re OK” here.

Let’s Wrestle – “I’m OK, You’re OK”

Let’s Wrestle on tour
03.10.09 – Brooklyn, NY (Music Hall of Williamsburg) w/ Black Lips, Gentleman Jesse & His Men
03.11.09 – Hoboken, NJ (Maxwell’s)
03.12.09 – Brooklyn, NY (Monster Island Basement) w/ Cause Co-Motion
03.13.09 – Brooklyn, NY (The Bellhouse) w/ The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
03.14.09 – Baltimore, MD (The Talking Head Club at Sonar) w/ The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
03.15.09 – Chapel Hill, NC (Local 506) w/ The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
03.16.09 – Atlanta, GA (The Earl) w/ The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

When was the last time you saw someone listening to a walkman? You know, the ones with the huge foam headphones that you used to listen to while skating around mall parking lots. I can think of nothing more enjoyable than skating to the elementary school a couple blocks away and throwing up some graffiti while listening to recent blog detonator Wavves‘ semi-self-titled new record, Wavvves, on a walkman. San Diego native Nathan Williams’ fuzzy bedroom surf punk gems will rejuvenate that reckless, fuck-all teenager inside you and inspire such trips.

With a helpful bump from the likes of ABC News, the recent success of similar sounding groups like Vivian Girls and Times New Viking, and distribution from Fat Possum Records, Wavves have gotten a swift kick into the limelight without playing more than a handful of shows. Williams’ songs don’t need a tour to stand behind though; they can easily stand on their own two punch-drunk, lo-fi legs. Songs, “Get In The Sun” and the blog firecracker “So Bored” explode with the youthful exuberance that comes with drinking 40s and listening to The Ventures and Jesus & Mary Chain. Guitars compressed like springs throw-up all over the sugary, doo-wop inspired vocals of “No Hope Kids” creating a beguiling pile of pop mess. Williams is at his best, however, when he slows it down on the dreamy, beach-sunset-accompanying “Jet Plane (Staying On)” where he channels a bedroom incarcerated Brian Wilson.

Unfortunately the record suffers like a speed freak at a funeral, quickly running out of juice and anxiously scrambling for a hook by the time it reaches songs like “Summer Goth 2″ and “Ghost Ramp 4″. The last half of the record is hoisted on its own apathetic petard as it dissolves into the noisy ruminations of a bored kid. This transition seems inevitable though, as Williams’ recklessly jaded lyrics convey the intense monotony and dullness of his life with a drunken swagger throughout the record. On “Get In The Sun” he sings, “I’m just a boy with nothing to do / I’m just a boy with nothing to say” with such disinterest, we know its just a matter of time until he grows tired of these perfect pop gems.

The record, as a whole, is best taken in small doses, and the standout tracks would make marvelous 7-inches that could shine even brighter when not weighed down by the rest of the misguided mess. Trim all that fat away and Wavvves is the ultimate teenage rabble rousing soundtrack that would have accompanied you on the walk to some basement party or while wandering around a vacant warehouse. Dig up your walkman for one last spin with this record, or better yet, just throw “So Bored” on a mix and go drink with you friends in the park with a boom box in tow. An iPod could work in a pinch too.

Fat Possum Records

SXSW is just a few short weeks away, and the performance schedule has finally been officially released via the event’s website. Yes, it is only the “official” line-up, and there are sure to be tons of “unofficial” parties announced in the next few weeks, but it’s nice to get a few confirmations to add to our schedule.

While the Film festival starts earlier in the week, the musical acts will start on Wednesday, March 18 and run through Sunday the 22. With artists like Phosphorescent, The Bronx, A-Trak, and The Decemberists, Black Lips, Grizzly Bear and blog-boy Wavves confirmed to perform along an ever-increasing line-up of huge acts like Devo or the oft-rumored Metallica, it’s sure to be the gaudy, drunken experience we’ve all come to expect.

Batten down the hatches Austin, the world is coming to tear shit up. You can see the full line-up here.

Ah, to be the media darling of the moment. There may be 25,000 people doing the same thing as you — some may argue doing it better — but what is it that drives everyone to start talking about the same band? Around these parts we call it the Animal Collective effect, but in essence it’s more like a snowball effect. First the bloggers prop you up, then Pitchfork takes it to the mainstream level and before you know it, the New York Times are reviewing shows thrown at some dude’s apartment.

Well, the night before said show, Wavves played an equally industry-adorned show at the Market Hotel. For those of you outside of NYC, there was a time when the “industry” wouldn’t dare set foot at a Todd P show, let alone one in Bushwick, but they were all there in full effect — only to leave right after Nathan’s set (also in true “industry” fashion). That set, along with all of the rude industry people talking over his quiet songs, has been made available by NYC Taper.

Like many both in and out of the industry, we like Wavves, we just hate the hype. To quote NYC Taper: Wavves (and Nathan) are indeed quite good, as last night’s set was a fine live garage-rock style presentation of Nathan’s excellent bedroom-lo-fi recordings. But really we would prefer to see them perform when not being bumped into by industry-types rushing to the front lines. Fortunately, Nathan seems like a good-natured and level-headed kid who should survive the inevitable backlash and the days when he is no longer the “next big thing”. We wish him luck.

Direct download of MP3 files here.

So on one of our regular searches around the world wide interweb looking for new music, we have a few regulars we like to scout from. Problem is, then you feel guilty taking the credit for it. Such is the case with the next teen sensation, Fungi Girls.

In case you missed the hint, we found these guys via Impose — who ironically is responsible for Brooklyn teen noisemakers Fiasco’s most recent record — because they are currently hosting a link to download Fungi Girls’ Psilo demo.

Maybe the fact that they are only 14 and 15 years old will help you want to dig out from under their lo-fi murky garage rock and the obvious Vivian Girls and Wavves comparisons. Or maybe it will make you realize how novice bands like those are at such “advanced” ages. Or because that at such a young age, Fungi Girls’ list of references ranging from Suicide and Pavement seem that much more impressive. Whatever the case, the beyond-their-years song writing of Fungi Girls has paid off in the way of two soon to be released split tapes. One with Natural Numbers on North Carolina’s Neon Aztec Records and one with Philadelphia’s Reading Rainbow on California’s Not Not Fun. Not bad for “three Texas teenagers who make noise pop.” The track below, “Crystal Roads”, is on their Psilo demo.

Fungi Girls – “Crystal Roads”

In this installment of The Singles Collection, we look back on two great 7″ that current industry darlings Wavves and, ahem, The Muslims, put out last year. The two slabs of wax we’ve got this week are as good as they get, and we urge you to get out and snatch ‘em up while they are still around. After all, we’d hate to say we told you so… but we will.

The first single we’ve got this week is from San Diego’s shit-hot The Muslims (they have since changed their name to The Soft Pack), on the upstart I Hate Rock ‘n’ Roll imprint. “Parasites” b/w “Walking with Jesus” is a cool brace of Flying Nun-style pop-rock delivered with such an impassioned-yet-relaxed verve that they damn well might have recorded the whole thing while still asleep. The A-Side rumbles along on a gnarled, muscular riff accentuated by taut drumming and a just on the right side of monotone vocal delivery that’s somewhere between (JAMC’s) Jim Reid and Little Richard. The B-Side, a cover of Spacemen 3’s “Walking with Jesus”, strips the interstellar flanging/phasing and impossible feedback squalls of the original, revealing the song’s furious, stripped-down skeleton and jangly ’60s pop undertones. That they can take a song that’s been covered extensively and make it their very own (and somewhat unrecognizable to whit) is a testament to their audacious versatility as a unit.

Our second single this week is from another California dreamer, beach-combing pop wonder Wavves. “Beach Demon” b/w “Weed Demon”, released on Tic Tac Totally was — across the board — one of the best singles released last year (it eked its way out in the last days of ‘08). Its packaging is beyond over the top, with a handmade sleeve made entirely out of grip tape and accompanied by two clear transfers that create the single’s front and rear covers, one of which features a brilliant re-conceptualization of the Natas’ classic Santa Cruz deck design. As if that weren’t enough, the songs here are absolutely fucking killer, the A-Side “Beach Demon” is a skuzzy, hook-filled ride down the PCH at 100mph. Its trashcan rhythms and dirt-encrusted guitar lines held together by barely discernable vocals and a bevy of sunburst melodies struggling to emerge from the murk. On the flip, “Weed Demon” is the perfect foil, a Quaalude-addled slice of pure Californian pop bliss, replete with four-part harmonies and a simple, delicate guitar tacet that, strangely reminds of Smashing Pumpkins‘ “Soma”, especially in its gorgeously fragile last moments.

That’s it for this week, short-but-sweet, but we are resting up, drinking lots of fluids and gearing up for a great year bringing you the finest seven-inch singles the world has to offer.

Because people are easy to confuse and apparently it’s good for a few laughs if you’ve just finished a record and you’re a little bored, WAVVES (Nathan Williams) is releasing WAVVVES on February 3, not to be confused with his self-titled debut album WAVVES. Please note the very important extra V.

WAVVVES comes out on the De Stijl label, and promises to be more of what you know and love from WAVVES, that noise-pop, beach punk, whatever you want to call it wholesome California goodness. Check out the tracklisting for WAVVVES below and have a listen to “So Bored” from the album.

WAVVES – “So Bored”

WAVVES – WAVVVES
01. Rainbow Everywhere
02. Sun Opens My Eyes
03. Get In The Sun
04. Jetplane (Staying On A)
05. No Hope Kids
06. More Fur
07. So Bored
08. Summer Goth
09. Surf Goth
10. Goth Girls
11. Ghost Ramp
12. Killr Punx
13. Scary Demons

WAVVES
MySpace