Fufanu – Your Collection

This dark and electrifying piece of grunge rock from Icelandic duo Fufanu is a relatively bright spot on their nightmarish debut album Few More Days To Go. Blistering guitars collide with haunting synths and enigmatic vocals on this rousing number with accompanying fractured and disorientating video. Read the full album review on Drunken Werewolf.

Soldiers of Fortune – Campus Swagger (feat. Stephen Malkmus)

Soldiers of Fortune are not so much a band as an occasional jam session featuring members of Oneida, Chavez, and Interpol with other indie stars dropping by. Stephen Malkmus is among those appearing on Early Risers, the follow-up to 2010 album Ball Strenth.
Like much of the album Campus Swagger is tight, upbeat and rough around the edges. The Pavement front man's deadpan style gets an energy kick as he whoops and rants his way through this raucous session of spur-of-the-moment rock n roll.

Headsound: Half Japanese - In Its Pull

Half Japanese are strong contenders for the best new old band of the year. Brothers David and Jad Fair started making music in 1974 and have been influencing the great and the good in alternative music ever since as seen in the mini documentary below. Contributors include Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo, R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, the Velvet Underground's Moe Tucker, Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner and more.
They are returning after a 13 year break with album 'Overjoyed'. The first song to be shared 'In It's Pull' is a snappy manifesto.  Jad calls on you to 'Refresh the life you have and be the best that you can possibly be,' over a mutilated bed of rock and roll. It's uplifting, visceral punk rock with a distinctive twist. 

The album is out in September giving a couple of months to catch up on their back catalogue. 

  

Headsound: Korean Drama - Jimmy

 Toronto band Korean Drama deliver a rousing 1 minute punk song full of passion and energy that some how comes from a simple arrangement of drum, guitars and vocals. According to the band: "It imagines a world where Drake takes revenge on a world who won't stop confusing him with his character from Degrassi: The Next Generation." It's a great tune whether you get that reference or not. It has the same vitality as the Girl Band track featured a couple of weeks ago.

The band is led by Justin Kinch with a rotating live line-up and that's about as much as I know. I look forward to hearing more.

Headsound: Girl Band - Lawman

The four lads in Dublin's Girl Band confound expectation with their distortion drenched lo-fi rock. The Pixies, Sonic Youth, Jesus and Mary Chain and many more can be heard on their debut release Lawman. The band can deliver hardcore mayhem as well as a sharp lyric to a steady beat. They never go into overdrive just for the sake of it.
The summer is already looking busy with tour dates and festivals including a gig at The Portland on June 10th.
A limited edition 7" of Lawman has already sold out but the single is available as a free download from Bandcamp. Your new favourite girl band comes with added testosterone.

Headsound: Guillermo Sexo - Fall Lens

Boston four-piece Guillermo Sexo play psychedelia and indie pop with a rough swagger. A scintillating blend of dirty guitar and clean vocals sifts in mood and texture, "like Sonic Youth on shuffle with the Jesus and Mary Chain," according to the The Boston Globe. 

Fall Lens comes from their latest album Dark Spring which you can listen to here.



Guillermo Sexo- "Fall Lens" from Reuben Bettsak on Vimeo.