REVIEW // Halloween Summer by Neil Jarvis

Happy Tuesday everyone! Are you just the bees knees about today? If not then let me try and turn that around with a new album review. 

Today we got Halloween Summer, a new album from Greater Manchester based band, Neil Jarvis, which is now a full-fledged band! Hooray for having all your bells and whistles and stuff! Halloween Summer is the follow up to the Jarvis' 2012 release, Weekends. 

Weekends was a good album but it wasn’t great. Now, don’t take that the wrong way, you should definitely still listen to Weekends (and read my review!), as it was both the debut release of Neil Jarvis and also just a good album. But as stated on the On the Grind Records page, Weekends was an experiment in sun-drenched pop and hypnagogic rock, a dreamy and hypnotic (hence the name) sub-genre of rock. As with most normal experiments there are good and bad results which is no different here.

Fast-forward to the present and now Jarvis is back with his sophomore release, Halloween Summer. This album really shows the band progressing in the right direction and learning from some of the mistakes of the previous record (or cassette tape in this case). But not all of these mistakes are corrected as there are still a couple tracks that I had a lot of trouble with. One of these tracks is definitely "Young As Me". Although it is definitely one of the more carefree sounding songs on this album it seems to not care a little too much as the vocalising and distortion of guitars seem to hinder to songs quality. This distortion was present in a couple tracks from Weekends too but luckily only really makes a reappearance in this track. 

On the flip-side Halloween Summer really shines on it's fast-paced rock tracks and its more instrumentally driven tracks. "Help", "Shred Met", "Good Years", "Shootin' the Breeze" along with many others help to make a very good album all in all. If you are at all a fan of Kurt Vile, Hibou, or even if you just like jam bands or surf rock, then you'll really love this album. Right now you can purchase Halloween Summer by Neil Jarvis on On the Grind Records for £3.00. Purchase comes with a cassette tape and digital download of the album. Below you can listen to a couple of songs off the album.

Videos

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LISTEN // Hear a teaser of Neil Jarvis' new album

Well, we may still have a ways to go before the warm rays and relaxing days of summer arrive, but with Neil Jarvis' new teaser for his forthcoming album, we can at least pretend it's here already. "Halloween Summer" is the newest track out from Manchester England based band, Neil Jarvis, and is the title track off their upcoming album by the same name, out this May via On the Grind. 

This will be the band's second album, who draw influences from bands such as Real Estate, Pavement, Silver Jews and others. I briefly talked with Jarvis about the album, and the band in general, and you can read his response below. Don't forget to look for Halloween Summer this May, and while you're at it listen/purchase the band's last album Weekends here!

Neil Jarvis on influences, Halloween Summer, and the band:
"My main inspiration is bands like Neil Young, Pavement, The Feelies, Real Estate, Sun Araw. We played a gig last year with Bob Nastanovich from Pavement who joined us on stage for a song - (we asked him if he would), and that was highlight, i'm a big fan of Pavement and Silver Jews, and they are big influences... 

...This album is much more the sound of a band playing together, unlike the first album 'Weekends' which was myself getting my friends in to play on songs. I got a permanent band together last year and it's definitely added something extra to it. There's more conventional pop songs on this album and less of the ambient experimental stuff, but it still has some [experimentation] in the sound."

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NEWS // The Drums to release new album.

"celebrating the only way we know how. Album 3 is finished" 

That was the word (and photo) from surf-rock group The Drums this afternoon on Facebook. Their new album finished and hopefully on the way relatively soon for us listeners and fans.

It's been a good 3 years since their last release (if you don't count a single they released in 2012 where only the B Side was a new song) and I'm definitely ready for some new drums. It is a long time to wait though, so if you need a refresher on The Drums, below you can listen to my top 5 favorite songs from them. Happy Sunday! (or whatever day it is that you're reading this!)

The Top 5 Best Songs from the Drums

5.  Saddest Summer Ever (from their 2009 release, Summertime!)
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4.  Best Friend (from their 2010 release, The Drums)

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3.  Me and the Moon (from their 2010 release, The Drums)

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2.  In the Cold (from their 2011 release, Portamento)
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1.  How It Ended (from their 2011 release, Portamento)

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LISTEN // Colours: A Compilation by On the Grind.

This past September On the Grind records released their first compilation, Colours. It features a plethora of great talent from around Manchester and Sheffield England. Some of these artists include Ratfangs, glocks, Cactus Knife, Neil Jarvis, and others. A full band list can be viewed below along with a couple previews of the compilation!

Buy Colours on On the Grind's website!

Bands featured in Colours: A Compilation by On the Grind
The Bell Peppers
Ratfangs
Toucans
Hitodama
Neil Jarvis
Cactus Knife
Glocks
Death Masks

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NEWS // Listen to Wavves' new album Afraid of Heights now on NPR.

Notice anything different about the website? Yeah, me neither, looks pretty much the same. There definitely wasn't a complete overhaul of ALL the things over the weekend. I am really happy with the way it's turning out right now. I still have some things to do to make it perfect but it's pretty stellar for now.

Do you know what's also stellar? You can listen right now to Wavves' new album Afraid of Heights in full below thanks to NPR! I'm about a third through it as I type this and so far it's sound pretty damn awesome. A full review will come soon but for now listen to the entire album for free below.

As a sort of post-script: I have that exact same varsity jacket.....just saying...

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LISTEN // Wavves - Demon to Lean On

Forgot to show you guys this when it originally came out. This is a new song from beach punk band Wavves and will be on their upcoming LP Afraid of Heights out March 26. For the most part I liked their last album King of the Beach but I wished at times that it wasn't so rough around the edges. This new track from them sounds really refined and put-together and I am excited to hear what Afraid of Heights will sound like! What about you?

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Single Review // I Can't Look After You by Temple Songs

Happy end of the world readers! Are you dead yet? If you're not, awesome! I'm not dead yet either, which is why I'm typing this right now.

So yesterday afternoon, the band Temple Songs released new music to their bandcamp page. Their newest release is a single called I Can't Look After You. It features two new songs from the psychedelic group called I Can't Look After You and I Just Saw Sonny.

The Good

Today's review will be a very simple and very short one mainly due to the fact that it is a review of a single rather than a long LP or EP. Temple Songs continue to have a slightly different sound in each release they put out. I Can't Look After You is a more abrasive and jumpy surf-pop single than their last full-length album, 15 Bygones was. It's opening track, the one the single is named after, is a great track with a classic very lo-fi surf-pop feel to it. It also it very similar in style to their EP Luxury Lice. Their track Sunspot Dandyline, in style and in it's general atmosphere, is a less lo-fi and abrasive version of I Can't Look After You. These two songs, I Can't Look After You and I Just Saw Sonny, give the listener a feel of being live at a concert held somewhere local and relaxed like a bar or a pub. A great find for any rock lover.

The Bad

I Can't Look After You is not without flaws though. At first listen the track I Just Saw Sonny is an interesting find, and it is debatable whether the good kind. While the music accompanying the vocals is nice and well played through-out the track, the vocals sheer harshness and intensity is surprising and possibly unwanted to unsuspecting ears. After a few listens both songs grew on my deeply and while I still am I little unsure about the second track off this new single, it is definitely worth the download and the addition to one's personal library. 

I Can't Look After You can be downloaded for free on Temple Songs's Bandcamp page. Below you can listen to the first track off the single and download the full single to your computer. Hope you enjoy it and thank's for reading. 

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Toro y Moi - Best Around

Guys, it's so close! Toro y Moi's newest album drops on January 22nd! We just have just a little bit more waiting to do before it's here. Make sure to check back here after the album comes out to see my review of it.

Enjoy your Friday!

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The Drums - Best Friend

I have posted this song before but I just recently saw the music video and...well...when you see it you'll know why I had to post it. My favorite dance of his starts at 1:08. "Best Friend" is definitely one of my all-time favorites of The Drums with it's up-beat and happy sound coupled with it's morbid and sad lyrics. 

As a bit of an update I want to tell you guys that Final Exam Week is starting at my university so please know and understand that this stressful time might have an impact on the quantity of posts I make. Unless I'm REALLY exhausted it shouldn't have an effect on the quality of posts though. 

Also, don't forget that my first mixtape will be released this Saturday. Songs for the End of the World is a "best of 2012" mix that will feature music from Millionyoung, Wild Nothing, Animal Collective, Passion Pit, Grizzly Bear, Matt & Kim, and much more!

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Apache Kid - Goodbye GOTE

Happy Thursday everyone! For those of you in America, how are those Thanksgiving plans coming along? Me? I'm just staying home with my family for it. My break from school started on Tuesday so I've been relaxing/working/blogging. So pretty much the daily routine but at home...

Anyway, do you all know that amazing feeling you get when you find an old band you once listened to randomly while web-surfing? Well I experienced it again today when I was looking into a band that was recommended to me a couple weeks ago. The band isn't this one but it kind of is. This is Apache Kid, not to be confused with Apache Beat which is what I almost type every time I type their name. Apache Kid is a lo-fi indie rock band from Connecticut that recently changed their name to Peace Museum, the band that I was checking out.

If you like this and their other songs and wish they had more than 2 demos out then make sure you check out their new thing at Peace Museum. They've definitely returned to a special place in my heart! Links below

Get this album here: http://apachekid.bandcamp.com/album/apache-kid-demos
Like them on Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Apache-Kid/

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Gauntlet Hair - Mop It Up

Well it's Monday again and that sucks but just because you're back to working doesn't mean you can't enjoy some great tunes! Well....I mean if you work somewhere where you're not allowed to listen to music while you work then I guess actually it does mean you can't....so...

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Album Review // Weekends by Neil Jarvis

Today I'm going to show you something new. This new thing is Neil Jarvis. To be more specific, this new thing is this Greater Manchester based musician's new album Weekends. 

Weekends was released on November 12th to On the Grind Records. If you want to buy this album Click Here to be taken to Neil Jarvis' On the Grind page. Below I will be doing a new assessment where I talk about the good and bad parts of the album. Enjoy!

The Good

Neil Jarvis' new album is a great escape from all the electronic music I've been listening to. Especially now after I just finished my review for Crystal Castles' newest album. You guys have no idea how long these review take. Weekends is an album about summertime and relaxation. It oozes happiness! Jarvis' sound is really interesting too. It's a mix between really chill surf-rock and groovy psychedelic rock. 

I wasn't able to find the song "Figure It Out" online but if you buy the album make sure you listen to that track. It is probably my favorite song in the entire album. If you have ever listened to Temple Songs and like them, especially in their Luxury Lice EP, then you will instantly fall in love with this song too. 

Even though "Figure It Out" is one of the few sad songs with it's lyrics like "I know you are going to hate me, but we'll figure it out" it masks that sadness and uncertainty perfectly in the groovy chords that all surf-rock is known for. Jarvis' skills in song composition are quite similar to that of Jack Tatum of Wild Nothing and Kevin Parker of Tame Impala in this regard. At the bottom of this review you can listen to a couple of my favorite songs off Weekends except of course for "Figure It Out". Make sure to buy the album to hear that gem!

The Bad

There are really only two things I did not like in Weekends, and to be honest, they aren't that bad. The first is the occasional distortion on guitar. A prime example of this is in the song "Every Night". It starts out pretty good but then it just sounds as if someone pulled the needle away from a vinyl that was playing and it freaked out for a second or two. Like I stated earlier this interruption doesn't stay for long. In fact if it didn't happen at all I'd like "Every Night" because it's a good track despite the distortion. 

Lastly, like I've said in the past before if you don't mix up your songs the listener might get bored. This doesn't just happen in Neil Jarvis' album but also in albums by The Drums. After about 5 or 6 songs you just want to listen to something else. But Jarvis does a pretty good job keeping this from happening in the beginning. 

In the end I would say buy this album if you like lo-fi surf rock and psychedelic music. It's a good album despite it's tiny issues and honestly those just boil down to personal preference. Neil Jarvis has a lot of potential and I will always be a fan of any surf rock artist out there. Right now Weekends is being sold for a mere £3.00 which is just under $5 for the Americans reading (like me!).

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FIDLAR - I Just Wanna Die

Happy Friday everyone! Lets start the weekend off great with some groovy surf-rock. FIDLAR, which stands for Fuck it dog, life's a risk, is a surf rock/garage rock band from Los Angeles, CA. They're pretty swell and they always make really awesome music videos like this one. Usually though, someone isn't getting rescued from a building engulfed in flames. Hope they're OK! Have a great weekend readers.

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DUDES - TEENAGE REBELS

Howdy everyone! Hope your weekend was awesome! Here to start this new week off right is some groovy surf-rock from San Diego based band, DUDES.

Earlier this year, like in July, DUDES released Summer Vacation to Bandcamp. It is their second EP and fourth release to Bandcamp. Get it for free along with the rest of their music here: http://duudes.bandcamp.com/

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The Drums - I Don't Know How To Love

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Temple Songs - Someone Get Her Outta Here

How has everyone's week been? My week has been really great. The first week back in college is always great because you're back with friends and the work-load is very low.

Anyway I was thinking last night what I would put on the blog today and I just couldn't find anything. I mean yeah I guess I didn't look super hard but it's ok! Because Temple Songs is a great band! This song especially is great with the droned out singers voice and the psychedelic/surf rock cords in the background. Definitely check these guys out!

http://templesongs.bandcamp.com

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