In Case You Don't Know // Now You Know

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Charlie Megira & The Modern Dance Club // Beach Bums Must Die

As we discovered last last year all truly great garage rock sounds, for the most part anyway, largely indistinguishable in when and/or where it was made. If we had been told that the 60s Japanese group sound bands we wore out in December were current we'd never have been the wiser, and had it not been for thick Asian accents we'd have been clueless on those bands' origins.

Recently upstart Oakland label Guitars and Bongos issued their first release in Charlie Megira & The Modern Dance Club's double LP Love Police. The immediate standout track is the surf-tinged "Beach Bums Must Die," while the rest of the disc could just as easily have been b-sides from various Goner Records releases or many a Tic Tac Totally 7" in that case.



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Mdou Moctar // Music From Saharan Cellphones

Perhaps it might have something to do with my own history of playing in a band that historically relied almost entirely on acoustic instruments that first endeared me to the band BRAINSTORM. There's something about the rogue nature of being able to set up anywhere at any time and perform an impromptu set that seems so spontaneous and pure. My absolute favorite moment from last year's 35(fill-in-the-blank) festival in Denton was BRAINSTORM's set in the middle of the street that delayed Big Boi's start time.

I'm not sure if it was the sheer amount of noise those two scamps could make being just a two-piece with but one extension cord, the fact that the small-time duo could so effectively fuck with the set of someone like a Big Boi, or just how furious the whole ordeal it made a certain festival co-organizer who shall remain nameless, but I've been hooked ever since. The way doors were slammed, pizza parlor employees were screamed at, cords violently yanked out of walls was in and of itself entertaining enough to watch, but the fact that even without their power source the pair carried on for one more song was sheer joy-inducing.

Recently the band discovered contemporary Nigerien musician Mdou Moctar via the Sahel Sounds label who took it upon themselves to release a compilation of some of his works. Per the label:

Mdou Moctar (pronounced “M”-”Doh”) is from Abalak, Niger. A few years back, he traveled to Sokoto, Nigeria to record an album. A curious feature was addition of Autotune, something the studio engineer suggested. The resulting eight songs, all spaced out Autotuned Tamashek guitar (quite possibly the first time ever) were never official released but disseminated throughout West Africa through that subtle network of cellphone SIM cards.

BRAINSTORM have subsequently covered a pair of Mdou Moctar tracks which are available via their BandCamp page. The original versions of these tunes can be found at Sahel Sounds.



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The Zoltars // The Perfect Girl

Austin lo-fi outfit The Zoltars may have doubled in size since they first came onto our radar, but as previews of their upcoming debut full-length Should I Try Once More? reveal they haven't strayed far from their earlier no-frills offerings. The official drop date is April 10th via Sundae Records, but a few of the tracks are already up for grabs at the Zoltars' BandCamp page.

Per the band: The 10 song album will be available on vinyl, digitally on Itunes and Bandcamp, as well as a small run of CD's (a first for Sundae). Should I Try Once More? tells the story of someone falling in love again, with each song acting as a scene in the story. Main Zoltar, Jared Leibowich has made a music video for each song with Super 8mm footage. We'll be releasing these videos once a week as the release date grows closer.

MP3: The Zoltars - The Perfect Girl

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