muso japan

Late last week German shoegaze trio Jaguwar released their debut four-track EP simply titled, I, and it is well worth a listen.  It’s ultra-noisy, packed to the brim with sludgy, fuzzed-out guitars.  The intro track “Breathe Bullets Which Taste Like Pure Fruit”, gets things started like a kick to the face with a grimy hook, before it switches gears into the swirling beauty you sort of expect form a shoegaze album.  The music never gets too pretty though, and the most enjoyable quality of Jaguwar’s sound is the harmonious contrast of the echoing, entrancing vocals and the sheer nastiness of the guitar tone.  If you like noise it’s definitely worth your while to pick this up, and you can do so at Bandcamp.

Aguascalientes-based psych/shoegaze outfit Bleak Boys are back with a brand new track titled “Bleak Mates”.  The 7-minute track follows up the band’s debut EP Corrosive, one of my favorite releases of the year so far.  “Bleak Mates” is a powerful down tempo effort, featuring the band’s tendency toward massive guitar noise and distant, echoing vocals before diving into a gorgeous finale of swirling guitars.  A bit more on the shoegaze side of things, it’s definitely worth picking up at Bleak Boys’ Bandcamp page.  Hopefully this is a sign that more new music is coming soon!

France-based art collective Nøthing recently released their second compilation album Songs from Nøthing #2, a followup to last year’s We Want Nøthing More Than Nøthing #1.  The album features tracks from the collective’s stacked lineup of bands including music by Venera 4, future, Maria False, Dead Horse One, and more.  It can be downloaded via Bandcamp for whatever you’re willing to pay.  It’s pretty cool to hear covers of Nøthing artists made by other Nøthing artists, including this nice little track:

 

Dutch noise-makers Wolvon, whose 2013 album folds. was one of my favorites of the year, released their new EP bother. last week.  The band picked up right where they left off, pounding out four more blurry, uptempo tracks for your enjoyment.  You can pick up the EP on Bandcamp.  Wolvon today announced the music video for sort-of-title-track “BTHR”.  Check it out here:

Norwegian noise quartet The Megaphonic Thrift have released the latest single from their upcoming album. “Bergen Revels”, named after the band’s hometown, isn’t quite as dark as the singles we’d been accustomed to, but it’s really good nonetheless. It’s a lighter song, primarily showcasing TMT’s female vocals over a melodic base, lacking the harshness of its predecessors, but equally addictive.

The Megaphonic Thrift’s third album is expected to be released in the fall. Over the last couple years they have been building up quite a reputation with some great music, some stunning videos (thanks to creative studio Blank Blank), and touring in support of the likes of Dinosaur Jr, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, and A Place to Bury Strangers.