I think one of my least favorite descriptive terms for music is “retro” – I mean could you be more vague and non committal? So as a rule I rarely describe anything as “retro,” but, you know the thing about rules is they are made to be broken, so here we go. In an act of sustained and dedicated TOTALLY RETRO worship of 60′s garage pop, northern soul and other yummy styles of that precious musical era, The Midwest Beat is a wonderful band on a retro mission. Here’s one from them I posted earlier called “Get It Started” is a gr8 rave up, and this single “Color Radio” shows these Madison, Wisconsin disciples of 60′s pop luv in a more philosophical mood. Recorded on analog tape and released on vinyl 45′s, of course. Collect ‘em all!

The Midwest Beat
“Color Radio” (mp3)
from “At the Gates”
(Dusty Medical Records)

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Outdoor Miners from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada are on a small indie label called Pop Echo. “Disgust” is the title track from their album. It sounds like the Replacements and Hüsker Dü and Nirvana but from an even colder, more northern place. Careening existential indie rock. I digs it.

Outdoor Miners
“Disgust” (mp3)
from “Disgust”
(Pop Echo Records)

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Neurosis’ The Eye of Every Storm, showed a combination of folk, metal, ambience and naturalism in one vast experimental record. A band that came from a very American hardcore beginning, its astonishing what musical exploration Neurosis has achieved over the course of a few decades, all with some obscurity. Whether you’re a “heady” music listener or a knucklehead thrasher.

Visit Neurosis’ official website, and their label, Neurot Recordings.

Best song evar. Well definitely best Cake song evar. And Cake is the best band evar. Well they’re the best band called Cake evar. Here from “Motorcade of Generosity,” their best record evar, is the best Rock and Roll Lifestyle satire evar since Spinal Tap. This is my best post evar. Evar!

Cake
“Rock ‘n’ Roll Lifestyle” (mp3)
from “Motorcade of Generosity”
(Upbeat Records)
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This must have been written by my long lost sister!!! I love it. Straight outta.. Treviso, Italy?? Why yes, Dorothy. Treviso’s Vermillion Sands rocks a sort of Americana death trip power pop. The guitar work is blistering, and the vocal is some bad kitteh business so mind your paws. I like how some of the best “American” music these days is coming from overseas. From their “Miss My Gun EP” on Sacred Bones Records, here is “Miss My Gun.” Hot.

Vermillion Sands
“Miss My Gun” (mp3)
from “Miss My Gun – EP”
(Sacred Bones Records)

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Beloved Broken Social Scene. Post modern angst would not be the same without you. Here we find our heroes deep in the throes of what the Germans call Weltschmerz – world-ache, or world sickness. Musically somewhere between Godspeed You Black Emperor’s patient apocalyptic swelling, and something like goth rock on a sunny beach, this is a group whose sound is not easily pinned down. And that’s good. Let it fly, be free. “Forgiveness Rock Record” is their latest brave salvo of empathy and understanding thrown headlong into the prevailing maelstrom of cynicism and pessimism. I’m grateful for that.

Broken Social Scene
“World Sick” (mp3)
from “Forgiveness Rock Record”
(Arts & Crafts)

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Prepare thyself, musical adventurer, for a trip down this swirling psychedelic rabbit hole from Toronto’s lovely VOWLS. Treading softly on the mossy cool rocks of Beatles “Dear Prudence” and “Tomorrow Never Knows” territory, swinging deftly from the vines of Brian Eno’s ambient jungle wonderland, this is, my dears, music for tripping balls. A magnificent blend of old school instruments and effects, seamlessly combine with modern electronic production techniques to form a consciousness-altering potion of the most pleasant variety. Bye now.

VOWLS
“Waking” (mp3)
from “In Consonance, Pt. 1″
(VOWLS)

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My unabashed love affair with Matt & Kim began last year. Today they win my heart again with this scrumptious bit of angsty lust-addled ennui. Note, I said “angsty,” “addled,” and “ennui” in the same sentence. So new wave are we, my dears Matt & Kim, that we have no need for a bass guitar, do we? No. Just square wave analog-y synths and pounding acoustic drums accompany the glorious vocal descent into disillusionment. Why does it make me so happy?

Matt & Kim
“No More Long Years” (mp3)
from “Self Titled”
(iheartcomix)

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What is “pushing the envelope” other than an overused term to describe music that is “over the top” or “edgy” or gag me leaping with a fork, so many other criminally flogged phrases? But I can’t restrain myself, The Cassettes are edgy, over the top and they really push the envelope. Sorry! But it’s true. This band is fearlessly and playfully creative. “Lady Faire” is a rockin’ and original number from their “‘Neath The Pale Moon” CD. There’s some kind of electric singing saw or theremin solo that is a right crack up, and the lyrics are perfectly adorable and silly. From the wonderful Buddyhead Records.

The Cassettes
“Lady Faire” (mp3)
from “‘Neath The Pale Moon”
(Buddyhead Records)

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Los Angeles art rockers Dios offer some convincing reasons for fans to buy their music directly from them so “some suit that doesn’t give a f!ck about music or art doesn’t get to take his cut.” And if not satisfied with their value-packed audio and artwork bundles, you can, for a mere $5,000, hire the whole band to hang out with you in Vegas, Disneyland, their local bars and sleep over at their mom’s house for a weekend! Now, I’d never bother to tell you any of this, except their record just happens to be seriously brilliant. The single they are generously sharing for free, “Stare At Wheel,” sounds like the Cramps had an acid trip with the Beatles and both Brians – Jones and Wilson! – at Wolfmother’s house and recorded the event. A gorgeous and mysterious song, expertly and lovingly realized. Check it out.

Dios
“Stare At Wheel” (mp3)
from “We Are Dios”
(Buddyhead Records)

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