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Fense’s Radio Show: May 10, 2013

Lookout Mountain by Bike

I’ve been getting into several new albums of late, and when that happens, I often want to play several songs from the same band on my radio show. I restrained myself, narrowing it down to a pair each; that’s the theme of tonight’s show – doubles. I’ll be playing back-to-back tracks from each artist I play tonight, including new stuff by The Besnard Lakes, Wolf People, King Tuff, and Arrington de Dionyso’s Malaikat dan Singa. We begin, however, with a band I originally covered way back in 2010: Young Hunting.

Regarding the above photo: I rode to the top of Little Mountain four times over the past week. Each ride included an intense 950 foot climb, most of it taking place in about 1.5 miles. This photo was shot at the North Lookout. However, on May 10 my pedals took me elsewhere, riding from Mount Venron to Conway, through La Conner and out toward Anacortes before making my way home in a 40 mile trip.

Young Hunting

Way back in 2010, I covered Young Hunting and their first single, relating the band to Swedish artist Moto Boy and dropping The Beach Boys’ name as well. That was for “Into Your Mind”, which is the opening track off Young Hunting’s debut LP Hazel on Gold Robot Records.

1. “Sweet Bird” off Hazel
2. “Baby’s First Steps” off Hazel

Dennis Callaci & Simon Joyner

Simon Joyner is a pretty familiar name; if he isn’t, he should be. Joyner has compiled quite the library of work, with thirteen LPs to his name to date. He has once again joined with Refrigerator member Dennis Callaci for New Secrets, the duo’s second together.

3. “Old Man in the Rain” off New Secrets
4. “The Frayed End of the Rope” off New Secrets

The Besnard Lakes

When I think of The Besnard Lakes, I will always think of the band’s 2007 release, The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse. That album was defining — featuring 60s pop-style harmonies backed by dreamy, aural, near-shoegaze instrumentation, the sound they built was unique. The band has had a few releases since then, their most recent just released via their long-time label Jagjaguwar.

5. “People of the Sticks” off Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO
6. “The Spectre” off Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO

Wolf People

Wolf People are back with their sophomore LP, Fain. Hints of psychedelic guitar flirt with driving indie rock sounds on tracks like “Empty Vessels” and “All Returns”, all of it fronted by well-crafted lyrics that weave intricate stories inspired (per Jack Sharp) by “George Ewart Evans, an oral historian from Suffolk”.

7. “Empty Vessels” off Fain
8. “All Returns” off Fain

Alex Bleeker and the Freaks

Earlier this week, I covered “Don’t Look Down” off How Far Away by Alex Bleeker and the Freaks. I noted that the band is like a Woodsist supergroup influenced (at least vocally) by Little Wings.

9. “Don’t Look Down” off How Far Away
10. “Who Are You Seeing?” off How Far Away

Rose Windows

Early this week, I also covered The Sun Dogs by Rose Windows. In the piece, I noted that “after spending a few glorious hours with it today in the sun, I am excited to say I have a fourth contender for best album of 2013.” I’ve listened to the album close to a dozen times now, and it still excites me. I couldn’t pass up a chance to play two more tracks off the new LP.

11. “Walkin’ With a Woman” off The Sun Dogs
12. “Wartime Lovers” off The Sun Dogs

MMOSS

MMOSS has a sound imbedded in late 60s, early 70s psychedelic pop. Multiple vocalists produce mystic harmonies atop music that could easily have been from a similar era Nuggets release. But here we are in 2013 and this album, i, is only a year old.

13. “Woolgathering” off i
14. “Hedge Creeper” off i

King Tuff

Last year, King Tuff’s self-titled LP made it fairly high on my list of the best albums of the year. First impression of Was Dead is that Tuff is due for a repeat. The new LP is called Was Dead and it’s out May 28 on Burger Records.

15. “Dancing on You” off Was Dead
16. “Connection” off Was Dead

The Fresh & Onlys

One of my favorite artists over the past few years has been The Fresh & Onlys. Last year’s Long Slow Dance came pretty close to cracking my top 5 albums of the year. I grabbed “Do What I Came To Do” off Stash Rituals this morning and simply had to play it. It features the same catchy garage rock I’ve come to expect from this band.

17. “Foolish Person” off Long Slow Dance
18. “Do What I Came To Do” off Stash Rituals

Arrington de Dionyso’s Malaikat dan Singa

I was a bit surprised upon first listening to “I Feel the Quickening” off Arrington de Dionyso’s Malaikat dan Singa’s new LP Open the Crown. First, it features Arrington spitting out vocals in English rather than his signature Indonesian guttural chanting. I’m also not hearing that wild free-jazz bass clarinet that he’s so partial to. Still, the incessant, consistent garage rock patterns remain. Both missing elements return in “There Will be No Survivors”, but to a lesser extent than before.

19. “I Feel the Quickening” off Open the Crown
20. “There Will be No Survivors” off Open the Crown

Tullycraft

After a bit of a hiatus, Tullycraft is back with a new album called Lost in Light Rotation on their forever home Magic Marker Records. Every Scene Needs A Center was released way back in 2007. The closing track even gives a nod to Skagit County with “Anacortes”.

21. “Lost in Light Rotation” off Lost in Light Rotation
22. “Anacortes” off Lost in Light Rotation

Saturday Looks Good to Me

SLGTM returns with One Kiss Ends it All. Like Tullycraft, the band’s last album came out in 2007, so it’s good to see Saturday Looks Good to Me return. The new album is out soon on Polyvinyl.

23. “Invisible Friend” off One Kiss Ends it All

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