Shake Appeal is a column that highlights new garage and garage-adjacent releases. This time, Evan Minsker shares a new video from Human Eye, plus releases from Oakland's Warm Soda, Orlando's Golden Pelicans, Melbourne's King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Malmö's Bäddat För Trubbel, Boston's Feral Jenny, and more.
Human Eye: "Into Unknown" [Goner]
First up is an epic new video from Human Eye, for the title track off their 2013 LP 4: Into Unknown. Directed by Timmy Vulgar, the visuals are intergalactic, microbiological, and psychedelic. Put another way: It's a video that goes into the unknown.
Warm Soda: Young Reckless Hearts [Castle Face]
Matthew Melton and his Oakland band Warm Soda have just put out their second album in two years, and it's their strongest collection of music yet. Young Reckless Hearts has both muscle and moon eyes. They've written sunny earworm hooks, and when they're matched with Melton's tempered, breathy vocals, everything feels dreamy. The album's full of these quietly anthemic power-pop odes to young love, like the title track, "When Your Eyes Meet Mine", and "Save This Dance for Me". Heads up to the swooners out there: This one's destined to soundtrack your summer.
Golden Pelicans: "Burn Everything" [Pelican Pow Wow]
Pelican Pow Wow keep churning out ragged, Southern rock'n'roll. This time, it's a 7" from Orlando's Golden Pelicans, and "Burn Everything" is an absolute shredder. Go ahead and skip to the 1:10 mark and listen to that guitar solo... actually, nah, start at the beginning, otherwise you'll miss the build-up and the part where they talk about watching you burn everything you own because you've got to move on past the depressing stuff. (I think. It's hard to distinguish what they're saying through the hoarse and gurgling vocals.) Growling aggression, a point-perfect guitar churn, and angry catharsis: "BURN IT, BABY."
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: Oddments [Flightless]
There's no easy way to describe Melbourne's King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. It's easy to call them "psychedelic" since their sound is often collaged and erratic, but on Oddments, they're so many things. They're a warped soul outfit with MGs-style Hammond organ lines ("Alluda Mujaka") and smooth Quiet Storm textures ("Stressin'"). They're a tambourine-shaking 1960s pop band ("Sleepwalker"). They implement those deep, lizard-man vocals that you hear on some Oh Sees tracks ("Hot Wax"). They're consistently adventurous and take several unexpected left turns, which make Oddments a mandatory listening experience.
Bäddat För Trubbel: "Inte Varit Sü Tuff" [Total Punk]
Total Punk might not have an elegant aesthetic like Sacred Bones or Blue Note, but each release is a guarantee: a plain white 7" sleeve with covers that are monochromatic and mass-produced. And inside each one, there's biting, kick-ass rock'n'roll. That's what they offer on their two brand new singles (at the bottom of this column), and it's what's at play on their recently-repressed single from the Swedish outfit Bäddat För Trubbel. Look beyond the language barrier, because the hook on "Inte Varit Sü Tuff" is catchy and kinetic.
Feral Jenny: Bedrooms EP [self-released]
Boston's Jenny Mudarri, aka Feral Jenny, starts her Bedrooms EP ripping through a guitar solo. Soon, she's harmonizing with herself on a series of garage pop that she recorded in her childhood bedroom. Things get quiet later on in the EP, especially on the dreamy closer "Gone Away", but it's no less scrappy. It's a relatively new project, having released her first EP Bowie, Too last year, but for a home-recorded and relatively subdued sophomore record, her harmonies and song structures are well-crafted and perfectly executed.
Also Worth Hearing: The new album from Ottawa's Average Times (via Hosehead); new Total Punk singles from Lumpy & the Dumpers and Manateees.