SARGENT HOUSE

Marriages, a new group that features three members from Red Sparowes, recently recorded a six-song debut entitled Kitsune. The dark, moody effort, recorded with Toshi Kasai, is hypnotic and occasionally experimental, employing vocals against heavy backdrops in a way that’s a big left-hand turn from their other band. “Ride In My Place,” an early listen from the album, which will be released May 1 via Sargent House, is gloomy number that pairs psychedelic and hard rock to create a melodic soundscape. -  by Emily Zemler
Marriages -Download “Ride In My Place”

Philadelphia rock band Good Old War, started by former members of Days Away in 2008, will release its third album Come Back As Rain on March 6 via Sargent House. “Calling Me Names,” a catchy indie rock tune, is a precursor to the tone the band has set for the effort. The earnest track is good-natured and folky – its amiable chorus leaving lingering good vibes. Catch them on tour this spring. - by Emily Zemler

Big Sir, the longtime collaboration between singer/composer Lisa Papineau (Air, M83 collaborator) and The Mars Volta’s bassist Juan Alderete, will release a new effort on February 7 via Rodriguez Lopez Productions /Sargent House. The album, Before Gardens After Gardens, is a collection ethereal prog-rock numbers, as evident on this premiere of “Our Pleasant Home.” The track features The Mars Volta singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala on drums, and is buoyant and eclectic – a marriage of noises that somehow creates something beautifully cohesive. - Emily Zemler

Stream or DL : Big Sir - Our Pleasant Home

Matthew Embree and Lisa Papineau, two musicians with quite the pedigree between them (Rx Bandits and Big Sir, plus contributions to Air and M83, respectively), have joined forces in the shape of ME & LP. An unexpected pairing with backgrounds that could have landed them anywhere on the map, the surprising result is all the more satisfying. “Bonnie Says (No Shitty Ride)” has a dance groove at its core, maracas and some well-placed plucking creating a nice foil to Embree’s seasoned crooning. Papineau’s part does much the same, offering an airy, playful flair with parallels to Thao & Mirah’s latest at times. And just as with that dream team, ME & LP showcase the mark of a worthy match-up, pushing each other successfully into new terrain. The LP, Chez Raymond, is out August 9 on Sargent House.

CLICK HERE TO STREAM OR DOWNLOAD VIA RCRD LBL

There is a God, and her name is Teri Gender Bender. Storming the states with dress, apron, duster, meat and blood capsules in tow, Ms. Bender is the frontwoman of Le Butcherettes. The Mexico native is also miles more badass than every review that begins by asserting her sex appeal (duh, guys—let’s move on). Along with a powerhouse duo behind her—Jonathan Hischke of Hella/Broken Bells and the fabulous Gabe Serbian (The Locust) on drums—the band’s recordings are as solid as their live act, garage-infused punk that’s giving every other Spring release a run for its money. “I’m Getting Sick Of You” sees Teri’s voice as bold and hypnotic as ever, like a Karen O Patti Smith battle cry sent from above. Check out the rest on Sin Sin Sin, dropping May 10 on Rodriguez Lopez Productions / Sargent House.  CLICK HERE FOR DL

Adebisi Shank is the bastard son of Stephen Hawking and Andrew W.K. That’s honestly the closest I’m going to get to capturing a sound that is so awesomely and chaotically this band’s own. The Irish trio melds seamlessly math, experimental rock, some serious rhythmic concoctions and tasteful electronics, all on display in would-be theme song (battle cry) “Genki Shank”. The aptly named This Is The Second Album Of A Band Called Adebisi Shank is released in the US tomorrow on Sargent House and has been making the rounds abroad on Ireland’s quickly up and coming Richter Collective. Catch the energy that is surely equaled live later this week at SXSW. I always was a sucker for a man in uniform.

Adebisi Shank - Genki Shank

Thank you, Gypsyblood. Thank you for taking the tired terrain of indie and turning it on its head, for doing something innovative with your lo-fi vocals, for proving that surf isn’t just a cover for technical inability. Here’s to the three minutes of “Take Your Picture” that take fuzz to infinity and beyond. And here’s to Sargent House, who release Cold In The Guestway on April 12.

Gypsyblood - Take Your Picture 

PREMIERE: Tera Melos - Manar The Magic (feat. Mike Watt)

It’s hard to describe Minutemen without sounding trite: groundbreaking, unparalleled, the best of the best. They were punk in its prime and arbiters of the mixed method approach to sound, combining elements of jazz, acid rock and other styles with their hardcore roots and innovative take on song structure. So who better than bassist Mike Watt to cameo on “Manar The Magic,” the latest track from fellow Californians Tera Melos, who share this penchant for melding mediums. The electronics, channeling a toddler repeatedly rolling up and down a keyboard, provide a nice groundwork for the band’s signature start stop sound, and it’s no surprise they’ll be heading out on tour this winter with fellow frenetic songstress Marnie Stern. “Manar The Magic” is from the forthcoming EP Zoo Weather,the d-side to last year’s Patagonian Rats out Februray 22 on Sargent House.

Tera Melos - Manar The Magic (feat. Mike Watt)
Find More Free Music From Tera Melos Here

“Sometimes a band is so solid when you see them at SXSW the year prior that you have to post that same material in the hopes that new songs will soon follow. Native was my band to see in Texas last year, and the post-hardcore slow build of “Five Year Payoff” is rather symbolic of the wait for round two. While calmer and more drawn out in its multi-layering, it contains the technicality that keeps the Wrestling Moves LP (Sargent House) relevant in the space since its debut. The Indiana foursome kicked off a tour last week, and you can catch them again in Austin come March.”

Download Native - Five Year Payoff

While Sacramento’s Tera Melos seems hesitant to succumb to the label of pop—quickly offsetting hooks with punk and jazz notes before they can reach fruition—their efforts are in vein. Tracks like “Frozen Zoo” are as catchy as they are melodically complex, combining vocals that echo MGMT with an edgier start-stop guitar that sets the trio apart from the indie herd. The remix comes courtesy of Nick Reinhart, guitarist, programmer and vocalist for the group and apparent dance floor aficionado, as his reworking adds some lovably 80s effects to smooth out the harder breakdowns of the original. Patagonia Rats is out on Sargent House, and don’t miss the fantastic video wholly in keeping with Tera’s inventive approach.

Tera Melos - Frozen Zoo (Nick Reinhart Remix)

This is the song I want playing during the movie montage of all my happiest moments, or as the band perfectly self-describes its own sound, “everyone high-fiving everyone.” Brooklyn’s Fang Island lays down a cover of a Joe Buzzell track that is light without losing complexity and all things joyously raucous. Is that Andrew W.K.’s operatic falsetto leading a last surge of guitar-fueled adrenaline? Of course it is, and who better to cap off a tune that gets you thinking about life without getting down. The group’s self-titled full length is out now on Sargent House and definitely your go-to for toe-tapping prog and beyond.

Free Download Fang Island - Patterns On The Wall (feat. Andrew W.K. And Joe Buzzell)

Drummer solo albums are rarely good–this much Ringo taught us. But when the drummer in question plays like virtually no one else alive (our only reference point being Keith Moon, if he’d been into prog) and is known as a consummate collaborator (see: Hella, Marnie Stern, Boredoms, Wavves, etc.), those reservations can be comfortably cast aside. Such is the case with Zach Hill’s new solo album, Face Tat, which is out through Sargent House on October 19. Precedent MP3 “Memo To The Man”–a collaboration with Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier that bangs, zig-zags, and dropkicks with expected vigor–is roughly a thousand times more awesome than your local neighborhood drum circle.

CLICK TO GO TO RCRD LBL and download Memo To The Man