what does it mean to be american? do u feel pride in ur country? it is hard to feel anything when our iconography is continually twisted further and further into monetized corporate and fascist representations. and now the notions of country have deteriorated beyond any point of actual value and representation. but maybe that representation was never there in the first place. what does american primitive music look like in 2k18 when the phrase "american" alone is full of baggage? guitar chords splinter into synthesizers and strained voices. the first time I checked these masters I was driving through a once rugged part of texas that is now overrun with traffic and "development." eventually, I was far enough to be away from the sprawl but it still surrounded me on all sides.
Like winter branches lined with snow and ice, Sam Ray (Ricky Eat Acid, Teen Suicide)'s latest is delicate, spare, melancholy, and beautiful. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 3, 2018
The latest from indie rock outfit Activity has a charmingly sinister feel, blending in stark rhythms and washes of dark ambient. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 8, 2023
Krautrock collides with psych on this rip-roaring EP from El Universo, which pits jagged guitars against lockstep rhythms. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 11, 2021
Heartrending screamo with heart-on-sleeve lyrics from Bad Naps captures visceral emotions in razor-edged riffs & pained vocals. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 26, 2023
L.A.’s Giant Waste of Man turn out hammering, hooky rock songs with a vaguely psychedelic edge, anthemic and expansive. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 27, 2022
Bright and dazzling guitar pop radiates out from this irresistible LP from Mint Green, with choruses as big as summer sky. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 5, 2022