Cold Soda

Music News, Reviews, Interviews, Playlists, and more! Easy to digest, keeping music fresh and fizzy.

[acoldsoda]

WE’RE SO VERY SORRY!

Many of us here at Cold Soda had finals to wrap up and now that things are winding down, we will be back to our usually scheduled programming next week. Feel free to listen to playlists and read through our track reviews to find a new favorite tune!

[acoldsoda]

“Experimental Rock From Famed Producer”

Got an email today about a brand new experimental band from a FAMED PRODUCER!!!! Wow. Oh boy! Famed?! I’m honored. Let’s look this guy up and see what’s poppin’ on Google:

Huh. That’s weird. I guess Puzzle World must be a huge hit if it shows up before the FAMED PRODUCER JOHN RAUSCH.

Ok so a couple links more down (after a second Puzzle World link I might add) we finally get to his credits on Allmusic. I can’t deny he’s got some legit work - although I would say you’re cutting it close with that Taylor Swift Karaoke credit, John.

So we’ve explored John Rausch, now onto this experimental music. Anyone who knows me knows me and my tastes, and isn’t just sending out a widespread PR email to just anyone knows that I like my music nice and experimental, maybe even a little downright weird!!!!

The band calls themselves DreamVacation and already the imagery of that name is taking me into their crazy minds. I’d like a little of what they’re smokin’ if you know what I’m talking about! They were even nice enough to send me some info on the band:

The band members’ personal stories over the last three years have been equally up and down. They’ve endured breakups, living out of rehearsal spaces or cars, marriages falling apart, and family deaths.

I’m sorry to hear that DreamVacation, it sounds like your lives outside of music are a real nightmare! You forgot something though, let me revise it for ya:

The band members’ personal stories over the last three years have been downright awful. They’ve endured breakups, living out of rehearsal spaces or cars, marriages falling apart, family deaths, and bad reviews from amateur critics!

Their song, Letting in the Dead, is pretty mediocre. Experimental is obviously something only a PR company would say about these guys, unless you consider Bono impressions mashed with Kings of Leon to be an experiment in music.  Here’s a quick mockup of what I thought the lead singer looked like:

Letting in the Dead is far too long. At just over 5 minutes, DreamVacation is putting themselves in a strange place. The song is both repetitive both lyrically and musically, trying to pass off slightly ambient guitars as something new. To the pop fan it is boring, and to the alternative fan it is annoying. Either way you slice it, the song should be called Letting in the DUD.

There’s not much more to say about this one. I’m sure with time DreamVacation will continue up the ladder of opening act gigs and maybe one single on the radio. They’re an average band with wide appeal, and that should take them decently far. 

...And if their crummy music doesn’t take them to the top, their internet presence is sure to do the job

- Chris

[acoldsoda]

This is for all those that need to follow a bad week with a battle cry.  Featuring music from Frankie Cosmos, Palehound, Diet Cig, and Adult Mom. 

[acoldsoda]

“Eddy Ever” - Cucumber & The Suntans

Usually when we think of great garage rock, our heads immediately jump to huge cities. Places like New York, Detroit, and San Francisco have always been breeding grounds for the loudest and meanest garage/punk/psych music. The atmosphere of these cities lends itself to the exploration that is so necessary for truly great music. But there’s a lot to be said for the music that comes from less glamorous places, and Oklahoma is about the least glamorous place I can think of. 

Cucumber & The Suntans are a group that fully prove the power of midwest boredom. I can’t really explain why, but something about miles of flat farmland can end up making some of the best garage tunes I can think of. “Eddy Ever” comes off of their new record Proof Is In The Pudding and it is two minutes of wonderful lo-fi pop/psych bliss. Especially with the growing trend of long, expansive jam-psych songs, it’s wonderful to hear a concise, catchy burst of excellence. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love extremely long psychedelic jam music (see: my massive Oh Sees record collection), but it’s really refreshing to hear a nice, tight, quick pop song. It feels like a summer breeze, windows down, and a questionable level of inebriation. And that’s pretty much all I look for in a great summer song, so big ups to Cucumber & The Suntans for starting my summer off the right way. I got a sixer for these boys waiting next time they come through the east coast, provided they bring this song and their good vibes with em. If you’re like me and don’t want to wait for their new record to drop, head over to their bandcamp and just hit play, I promise you won’t be sorry.

- Mack

[acoldsoda]

“Hanging From The Ceiling” by The Velveteins

The newest release from The Velveteins is something like viewing the world through a kaleidoscope lens. Dreamy, strange, and direct in its name and lyrics, "Hanging From The Ceiling” is quite literally about the sensation of things going a bit topsy-turvy, as if, you guessed it, hanging from a ceiling. More visceral than disarming, the song spends most of its time sending the listener floating.

Although, there's a moment when the song comes to a standstill and even though you expect it, a clang of guitars come to a crescendo that brings the song up another level as it enters a fuzzy, distorted sort of feel. It's as if we've lost our footing from the ceiling and we're finally coming down. 

The group expects to have their debut album come out late this year. Check out their tour and make sure to keep an eye out for new music.  

- Caitlin

[acoldsoda]

“You Really Got Me Now” by Original Shitmakers: EP Review

In the 1960s, there was no punk. Dewey Cox strung-out on cocaine during rehearsal was as close as we got, and even though that was cinema I still like to think that John C. Rilley single handedly shaped all of popular music. It’s a fun thing to think about, like what a band from Russia named the Original Shitmakers would sound like. I only think of one picture when I think of Russia… not one in which a kid, passed out in a corner with his head bloodied and gaping, is wearing a Ty Segall shirt. 

This is when my view of Russia changed, no longer do I think of communism and vile accents, instead, now I think of Stuart Dooley from King of the Hill about to chop a fucking desk in half with an old-timey axe. Sure, it makes no sense, but until today the Original Shitmakers didn’t exist to the world, and neither did the possibility of 60s punk music, so just let me be weird and happy.

Take a closer look at the Original Shitmakers’ artwork for You Really Got Me Now, done by Daria Chertanova, and you’ll begin to understand what I’m saying. It all visually represents their strange and obscure garage rock tunes, songs that only a Russian band called the Shitmakers with only one (now two) Facebook likes could create.

The Original Shitmakers bring a sloppy sound to the table, one that’s as Californian as Surf Curse and as high as The Growlers. When listening to You Really Got Me Now, the always weird Doctor Nod comes to mind in terms of instrumentation, as do The Pukes when comparing raspy-vocal delivery. The EP contains elements of surf punk, psychedelia, but also modern garage rock, it’s a clone of everything post-Black Lips excitement (which isn’t bad whatsoever considering that hype created much of what I listen to today). Original tunes from these original makers of shit “Don’t Try” and “Now You’re Mine” are anything but shit, which makes the Original Shitmakers pretty bad at their jobs.

Across the three tracks on You Really Got Me Now, the Original Shitmakers end up sounding like a hippie that, for some reason, the punk kids are cool with. Buy the record on Bandcamp today, and be the third human to like them on Facebook before shit hits the fan.

[acoldsoda]

“Bullshit” by Dune Rats

When I met the Dunies outside a show during their tour with FIDLAR, they were the most Australian people I’ve ever talked with. I’m pretty sure that I’ve already said this before, but seriously they’re all wild. Have you seen their tour diaries on YouTube? They’re all high as hell playing stupid games with each other and doing shoeies for 10-minutes. Which is basically what “Bullshit” is about coincidentally.

This new Dune Rats single is their first since announcing their new record in 2015, an album that was recorded by Zac from FIDLAR. So far, the album is sounding like what I’ve been saying forever… Dune Rats are the Australian FIDLAR essentially. “Bullshit” is about getting fucked up and having fun, which I’m pretty sure is a FIDLAR lyric verbatim (its close). This new single is an anthem for being fucked and weird, or what every single song written by groups of dudes in their 20′s is about.

As described in the single’s press release, “Dune Rats’ new single ‘Bullshit’ is an ode to all things they hold high – music, good times, touring, parties, fun people (no nukes), shows, and most of all their mates.” Get “Bullshit” on iTunes or stream it on Spotify today, and you’ll probably have a hangover tomorrow.

- Austin

[acoldsoda]

“Glow In The Dark” by Death Valley Girls

The first time that the Death Valley Girls so graciously crossed my path was in 2014 with their debut LP Street Venom. Girl-fronted garage rock always rips, there’s no question. From punk even with The Gits, for example, girl-fronted bands are consistently fantastic and Death Valley Girls are setting the fucking bar. Their sound is Deap Vally basically, but the evil twin that carries a bitchin’ switch blade and parties too much.

The Death Valley Girls track “Arrow” is quintessentially their sound in three and a half minutes. It’s rough as hell, distorted and broken, like the soundtrack to a badass fight in a biker bar or something. “Glow In The Dark” doesn’t lighten up one bit from that 2014-reputation, and it’s cool. Seriously, the vinyl is even glow in the dark. Everything about this new release is so cool, I’m fully confident that once Glow In The Dark gets released I’m wearing nothing but leather jackets and at least one black eye at all times. “Glow In The Dark” is a loose, probably drunk and wants to fight kind of garage rock music, and it’s refreshing.

Pre-order that super sweet glow in the dark LP from Burger Records, it’s “FEM-FRONTED ROCK N ROLL GLAM JAMS OUTTA LA!!!” or music that’s basically that one girl we all knew in high school who had a drug problem and an older boyfriend.

- Austin

[acoldsoda]

“Heart of a Dog” by The Kills 

A guy and girl duo playing a minimalist take on blues-punk is a difficult thing to pull off without gaining comparisons to the White Stripes, and it doesn’t help that both members of The Kills also have black hair and a penchant for old guitars. Myself being an obsessive White Stripes fan in high school, my discovery of The Kills was sort of like discovering smoking cigarettes when you’re drunk. The Kills were the Angel to The White Stripes’ Buffy The Vampire Slayer. However, what set The Kills apart from The White Stripes was their reliance on a drum machine, generally an ‘un-cool’ move in the world of garage punk. Yet their lo-fi recording methods and aesthetically minded songwriting gave them an edge that made the very ‘square’ drum machine into a decidedly hip sound. Yet they never really broke into the mainstream the way Jack White has and The Kills stopped recording in 2011, coinciding with my graduation, so I generally stopped listening to them.

Now it’s 2016, and The Kills are back with a new album, Ash & Ice. “Heart of a Dog” is the second single released off of the album, and to be quite honest it’s boring. It checks all the boxes for a good Kills song: spacey drum machine, detuned guitars, brooding and sultry vocals from Alison Mosshart. And yet I found myself restarting the song over and over again, not because it was so great that I wanted to hear it again, but because I couldn’t even pay attention to it. Maybe it’s the fact that The Kills have been together since the year 2000, or maybe it’s the fact that their formula for music hasn’t changed since its inception, but after sixteen years of being in the same band something has got to change or else your material gets stale. And that’s exactly the problem I have with this song, it’s just more of the same.

- Mack

[acoldsoda]

Outer Heaven by Greys

Long story short, Greys has gone soft with this one. That’s the big deal here. If you hopped into a time machine from 2012 and totally wasted it by coming to 2016, you should read this, listen to “No Star” off this record, and then study Tasty’s format so you can go back and invent it yourself. Trust me, these videos are all over Facebook now.

The new sound isn’t all bad though. Greys is just making the shift over from being a METZ-esque noise band to something cut from their own cloth. The softer, more approachable sound has led to a lot of much needed experimentation that really makes this album shine. This can be found on the guitar work, which is more versatile - mainly taking influence from shoegaze and more ambient, large sounds. In this way you get the same aggression that Greys has dished out in the past, but in a way that is more interesting and melodic. The songwriting reflects this, and Greys does stray away from being a constant, in your face noise, which in this case is good.

The downside of this album is that a good chunk of it is fairly boring. What is meant to be sensitive and quiet is more repetitive and uninteresting, and I would even go as far as to say that some of this is bland filler. This affects the pacing of the album greatly - at some points it feels as though Greys is stomping on the breaks and making you jerk forward in the front seat. Take the song “Strange World”; a 5 minute song of mumble-core vocals and slow strumming on an ambient guitar. No one likes this guys, trust me.

Towards the end of the record, Greys sort of pulls the trigger on some heavier stuff. Namely the three consecutive songs: “Erosion”, “Complaint Rock”, and In “For a Penny”. These songs are certainly calling back to their heavier days, but are also the most annoying on the album. Every single one of these, back to back, are strong, fun punk songs with dull easy listening breaks smack dab in the middle. It feels sadistic. Like telling your dog that it's going to the park and then taking to the vet. I don’t mind the vet Greys. The vet is important. This writing style just doesn’t work for me, and the disjointed feeling you get in THREE consecutive songs is pretty off putting.

Greys are still strong songwriters who just maybe missed the mark on some of this new material. I would still recommend listening to this album for yourself and if you’re in an area that they’re going to be touring in, I would even more strongly suggest that you make it out. These are guys are one of the best around, and again, No Star is sick.

- Chris

[acoldsoda]

“Basset Case” by Mars and The Massacre: Album Review

“This upcoming psychedelic LP is an album of sick dogs, sleepwalkers, sinners, spelunkers, and little green ghouls.”

Divide your Bandcamp page up into the two sections “Our Fucking Music” and “Our Fucking Merch” and you’re sure to grab my attention. Also, record a record with a Basset Hound on the cover and make a sweet pun with your title track and I’m all-in because, let’s face it, hound dogs rule. They’re loyal, extremely lazy but also very fun-loving, three traits that hold true to the band behind this clever marketing, Mars and The Massacre.

Mars and The Massacre were, until today, a group that I had never heard of. “Basset Case," the title track to MATM’s debut LP with the same name, captures the essence of the entire record perfectly. Early psychedelia popularized by The Beatles emanates from behind a matured psychedelic sound comparable to alternative rock acts such as Yuck, but tended to with a bit more care. More accurately however, think of MATM like The Blank Tapes or Mountain Bike, two very somber and peaceful garage rock bands that if sexually active would create a baby and name in Mars and The Massacre.

The now Los Angeles-based three-piece originally began as band in Indianapolis, but some things never change as California remains the “place to be” for bands wanting to grow. Take my recent discovery of the jolly, pop-polluted rock ‘n roll magic act as a prime example of this, it took an album released on 4/20 for my cliche-Denver self to discover the band. Have yet to find out about Mars and The Massacre too? Or are you just looking to find yourself? Either way, Basset Case is the record with answers to all of your problems.

Smoke a joint, become $10 poorer (hint: buy the damn record), think Tijuana Panthers meet The Velvet Underground and chill the fuck out to Mars and The Massacre today.

- Austin

[acoldsoda]

Bethany Cosentino on Chris Brown and Rape Culture

“Sex You Back to Sleep” is Chris Brown’s latest reminder to the rest of the sane world that he’s still a gigantic piece of shit. Seriously, he’s such a worthless scum-fuck that GG got word of it, came back to life, and clocked him in the mouth like Rihanna. At least then he’d understand what a legitimate crazy person acts like, not some idiot taking advantage of real mental disorders like PTSD. If he’s got PTSD, it’s because of the many war-like fights he’s gotten into with women who rejected him, so all of them basically. Bethany Cosentino, the heaven-sent lead singer of Best Coast, probably understands this ordeal better than anyone, and in a recent twitter rant the real feminist role model went fucking off on Chris Brown.

“Ain't sorry that I woke ya/ I ain't sorry 'bout ya job/ Call sick in the morning so I can get a little bit more of your love”.

Above are actual lyrics to that aforementioned **** ***** song. Careful, say his real name and he might sneak under your covers at night and fuck you in the mouth without consent! Now, somewhere between Chris waking up in the morning, looking into his mirror that I can only imagine is shaped like his own huge fucking head and/or ego, writing a song that perpetuates rape culture, and last Sunday morning, Bethany got wind of “Sex You Back to Sleep” and what followed was an absolutely brutal Twitter rant.

This shouldn’t be eye-opening to any of you. Popular music has been littered with disgusting, inexcusable references to rape since Grease, for starters. Yeah, that Grease, that famous piece-of-shit musical everyone your dad’s age loves for some reason. Listen to “Summer Nights” one more time and see if you still feel like slicking your hair back and sipping milkshakes at the soda bar with your girl, because the line “Tell me more, tell me more, did she put up a fight?” should make you remember that everyone in that era was a misogynistic piece of shit, and quite frankly so is Chris.

“Baby-making songs”? What the fuck @billboard. And yes, I’ll @ you guys because it’s ridiculous that any major music publication in 2016 dares publish a positive review on a song that centralizes around raping women while they sleep, let alone think a fucking baby is going to be made during this song. What Chris excels at is writing songs that people can relate to, and by people I mean himself because let’s be honest who the fuck actively listens to his music? It has to be only him right? I guess that’s why it’s so relatable.

Bethany’s closing words on the issue were without a doubt the largest “PREACH!!!” moment of this year however...

Still cant get enough of Chris Brown? Probably because you aren’t aware he’s fucking you while you’re sleeping. That, and he wouldn’t ever let a girl he’s hunting get away, at least not without a fight.

- Austin

[acoldsoda]

ChrisT's Quarterly Report

Step into my office, music. We've got the past three months to talk about.

Your first quarter numbers are looking mighty fine, music. You’ve had some flubs, and I’ll admit I’m not a fan of a lot of the people that listen to some of your rap metal stuff, but hey, this is shaping up to be a great year for us. I’ve taken the liberty of compiling some of my favorite work you’ve done from January to the end of March, and all in all I’m very pleased with your progress.

Sorry about that article that my colleague Rolling Stone wrote about you, some people just don’t get it. 

- Chris

[acoldsoda]

No Parents to Release Daily Videos for Upcoming “Hey Grandma and the Greatest Hits” LP

Remember that one scene from the Jimmy Neutron movie? Wasn’t that one hell of a reference? Answers for both should be yes, as when someone asks you if you’re ready for new No Parents tracks. Just to remind you, this is a band who decided on the title May the Thirst Be With You for their debut record, and has songs called “Take Your Pants Off and Fart” and “Looking for Lizards,” they’re basically the strange little saviors of punk.

No Parents and Ring the Alarm “will be releasing 31 videos over 31 days, starting on April 4,” which is earnestly the coolest news I’ve heard all week. These five Californian degenerates are for rock what shit-posting is for the internet, it’s genuinely great content but not to be taken seriously at all. Take this video they made, for example, of Kid Rock’s legendary tune “Bawitdaba” looped for 20-minutes. It’s ridiculous, much like what we heard first from No Parents two years ago with “Hey Grandma.”

Pre-order the 12″ from Ring the Alarm today, if you’ve got any common sense at all. Out of every short, spastic punk record that’s been released from D.R.I.’s Dealing With It to the Descendents’ Milo Goes to College, No Parents plan to DIY their way into punk history with their weird, sarcastic, and shitty new record Hey Grandma and the Greatest Hits.

Keep updated with each track as it’s released here, and watch their latest video for “The Valley” below:

- Austin

[acoldsoda]

Every Thursday we step away from our usual programming to review personal favourite tracks

In honor of The Walters playing at Double Door tonight in my hometown, I wanted to look back at my personal sad girl favorite, "I Love You So", the first track of The Walters' 2014 release, Songs for Dads. Fittingly, I am also a dad at heart and had no trouble finding that these songs jived well with my own life. I mean, we've all been there when love (or something like it) has made us miserable. And what a better way to press harder on our heart than hear dreamy voices sing about the love-struggle?

Featured on our Valentine's Day playlist, "I Love You So" fits snugly with the other stomach-tickling tunes we associate with the heart clad holiday. The song's harmonies, paired down beat, and straight-forward hook make for a catchy, likable pop tune. Defined as "cardigan rock", The Walters bring a sort of old school twang to a music world over-saturated with bravado and climaxes. This is music for a lazy summer morning and with the season around the corner, putting Songs for Dads on seems to be the move. 

Catch them tonight in Chicago at Double Door and if you're not so lucky, buy their EP and pretend. 

- Caitlin  

[acoldsoda]

“People-Vultures” by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

2014′s I’m In Your Mind Fuzz took most people by surprise, not only because the Australian psych-rock band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard had little-to-no notoriety in the United States, it also quickly dominated the garage rock landscape. For about five straight months, it was all anyone I knew was listening to. They quickly followed this album with a jam-oriented record Quarters, and a folk-pop exploration Paper Mache Dream Balloon. Now it’s not that these were bad records, it’s just that following the explosive power of I’m In Your Mind Fuzz with two decidedly less energetic records sort of left me craving that intensity.

Well I guess they heard my silent prayers, because their new record Nonagon Infinity sounds (if possible) more intense, more dense, and more ready to kick my ass (sonically). Today’s track comes from the same album and is titled “People-Vultures”. The song starts with a spooky, creeping-organ riff before bursting into a breakneck kraut-psych-garage-punk barrage that barely gives you room to breathe. This song managed to do exactly what I had hoped from a follow up to I’m In Your Mind Fuzz, they’ve kept the steady motorik and fuzzed out guitars, while evolving their riffs and vocals to expand on the psychedelic work they produced on Quarters and Paper Mache. 

I have yet to hear the full record, but if “People-Vultures” is any indication of the quality of this record, you might not hear from me for the next few months, because I’m going to superglue my headphones to my ears. Nonagon Infinity comes out April 29th, and you can pre-order it from their band camp

- Mack

[acoldsoda]

Clique Releases Music Video for New Single "Top Field"

Top Shelf Records, home of Philly quartet Clique, has released a new music video to promote the band’s upcoming sophomore album Burden Piece. The single, entitled Top Field, shows great promise for the new album, exhibiting the same strong songwriting and arrangement that fans have come to expect from the band’s self titled from 2014. The video itself is your typical behind the scenes studio filming, but hey, it’s still exciting. You can watch the video below:

Burden Piece will be out on Top Shelf Records May 27th. It can be preordered by visiting Clique’s bandcamp.

- Chris