Shake Appeal is a column that highlights new garage and garage-adjacent releases. This week, Evan Minsker points out records from Allah-Las and BRONCHO, plus reissues from Michael Psycho and Deaf Wish and a pair of videos from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and PyPy.
Allah-Las: Worship the Sun [Innovative Leisure]
The music of L.A.'s Allah-Las pointedly references the 1960s, which is a potential minefield for a young band. When you're delivering a Nuggets-like record, you have to remember that your audience could just as easily throw on Nuggets. But with Worship the Sun, Allah-Las make it difficult to look away. They consistently deliver impressive performances; their harmonies, guitars, and percussion are all point-perfect. If the production here isn't dirty enough for your ears, you're listening to the wrong band. Very few of Allah-Las' peers can make a record that's produced or performed quite this well.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard: "Cellophane" [dir. Jason Galea]
The word "prolific" is risking oversaturation in this column, but it's got to be said when you talk about Australian psych lords King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. It's been an incredible year to be a fan of that band. They put out their new album Oddments, which then got a double LP reissue along Float Along - Fill Your Lungs. Their new one I'm in Your Mind Fuzz is out November 11 via Castle Face, and today, the lead single "Cellophane" gets an appropriately trippy 3D video by Jason Galea.
Michael Psycho: Think [S-S]
It'd be pretty fair if you hadn't heard of Michael Psycho's album Think. Only about 100 copies were pressed and released in 1990. But if you were previously unfamiliar and are reading this right now (presumably, instead of just looking at the artwork and clicking on the play buttons), do yourself a favor and check this one out. Think is a truly great collection of bedroom punk. His songs aren't flashy, but the riffs and lyrics are awesome. "Armageddon's just around the corner," he portents on "June Monsters Complaint". He's got this way of barking like John Lydon, and when you add that to biting lyrics and the chugging melody of "Decent Setups", you've got a killer record.
PyPy: "New York" [dir. David Leclerc]
It's winter in PyPy's "New York" video. Snow is on the ground, and it's dark outside. Conditions are perfect for the Montreal band to get into some hijinx. They steal chips from a convenience store. They slather various pieces of artwork around the city (including the cover of their great album Pagan Day). They hitch a ride, and later, bust out of recycling bins wearing an Oscar the Grouch mask. There are also trippy animated sequences.
BRONCHO: Just Enough Hip to Be Woman [Dine Alone]
There are a handful of moments on BRONCHO's Just Enough Hip to Be Woman that are unspeakably catchy. The rapidfire-but-saccharine melody at the start of "Class Historian" is a big one. The way they stutter the word "what" on "What" is another. This is a band that are excellent at writing hooks, and as an added bonus, they're excellent at playing their instruments. Throughout the album, the Oklahoma band shift styles and tones, never coasting in the same lane. They try on a variety of looks, all of which look good on this band.
Deaf Wish: Deaf Wish/St. Vincent's EP [Homeless/Sub Pop]
It's a big season for Melbourne's Deaf Wish. In addition to touring across North America, their 2007 self-titled ripper is getting reissued by the almighty Melbourne imprint Homeless Records. That album is an essential listen—a record where the band screamed, pummeled, and established themselves as a force to watch. (Listen to "Make It Hurt" below—dude seriously sounds like Lemmy.)
In October, Sub Pop are putting out their EP St. Vincent's, which is a more subtle work from the band. But while the vocals may have gotten less aggressive and their sound got cleaned up somewhat, their attack is still foreboding and powerful.