Tuesday Test Drive

Bachelorette My Electric Family
Bachelorette - "I Want to Be Your Girlfriend"
from Ventvox..."On Annabel Alpers’ Myspace page, it mentions that she took too many mushrooms and fell in love with a computer thereby enabling the New Zealand native to craft music as Bachelorette. On My Electric Family Ms. Alpers explores densely layered psychedelic soundscapes drowned in a drone of extensive electronics."


Bike for Three! More Heart Than Brains
Bike for Three! - "All There Is To Say About Love"
from Pitchfork..."There's something almost voyeuristic in listening to such an intimate musical relationship built on exchanging confidential messages to one another, but it's this warmth that gives the record its spirit."


Black Moth Super Rainbow Eating Us
Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Twin Of Myself"
from Potholes In My Blog..."Eating Us by Black Moth Super Rainbow is all about fluidity. You’ve got your style, and your substance. There are the sweet bits, and then the sour patches. It’s left, right, up, down, but it’s everywhere it wants to be. Tobacco & Co. guide you through sharp turns, but never truly shake you up."


James Blackshaw Glass Bead Game
James Blackshaw - "Cross"
from Brainwashed..."After I heard it for the first time, I found myself with my jaw agape and my breath left short. Something very magical happened when these musicians came together. I can only hope it won't be the last time we see Blackshaw collaborating in such a fashion."


The Lava Children Four Spells
The Lava Children - "The Green Word"
from The Buddha Den..."As if yr entire world was dissolving into the most lucid and demented dream of yr life, The Lava Children weave exotic microtonal melodies into an hypnotic tapestry so inviting yet so foreign."


Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas II
Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas - "Cisco"
from Resident Advisor..."Whilst Lindstrøm has always been one for using live instrumentation in the studio, Thomas' gradual shift into using more and more live elements in his solo work has meant that their second collaborative album, entitled II, has a much looser, organic feel than the first record. The original intent stands, however, as they merge their italo, Krautrock and disco influences into a lush singular whole, imbuing them with their characteristically warm production sheen.


The Paper Chase Someday All This Could Be Yours Vol. 1
The Paper Chase - "What Should We Do With Your Body (The Lightning)"
from The Line of Best Fit..."This should be the album that propels The Paper Chase towards a larger audience. It’s the greatest thing they’ve done yet in terms of melody and concept. Let’s just hope that God doesn’t bring the world crashing down before we get to hear Volume 2. For now, The Paper Chase have the whole world in their hands."


Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Phoenix - "Lisztomania"
from Quick Before It Melts..."Giant leap forward it is not, but Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix very much embodies the spirit of its namesake; classic tunes, mad genius musicianship, and a singular vision that makes it distinctly Phoenix."


Sharon Van Etten Because I Was in Love
Sharon Van Etten - "For You"
from Dusted Magazine..."This is a remarkable album, quietly riveting, translucently pure, and infused with eccentric intelligence. Add Sharon Van Etten to the list of women who are often pegged as simply “beautiful voices”, but who are, in fact, much more than that."


Sir Richard Bishop The Freak of Araby
Sir Richard Bishop - "Barbary"
from Junkmedia..."Though you may not be familiar with Bishop's influences, The Freak of Araby is very approachable, even for the most casual listener. As the title suggests, the guitarist's sense of playfulness and fun are ever present, and there are plenty of damn catchy melodies. The Sun City Girls may be no more, but Sir Richard's solo career just keeps getting better."


Sunn O))) Monoliths & Dimensions
Sunn O))) - "Alice"
from Drowned In Sound..."If you ever, genuinely, wanted to be drowned in sound a SunnO))) gig would do it. You could feel your lungs fill with waves. Feel the aqueous humor form into ripples. Feel the blood ripple. Feel your body liquefy."


Viva Voce Rose City
Viva Voce - "Devotion"
from The Decibel Tolls..."However, it’s the sound the group cultivates on songs like the western-tinged, ornate, classic 4AD vibin’ “Flora” that separates Viva Voce from the general NPR-friendly hipster garbage - placing them along the best in contemporary jangle and dream pop, or as I call it, C86v2.0. Trippy and accessible, Rose City gets a 9 on form, 8 on mind-meltingness, and is 100% worthy of your attention."