This Weeks Short Burts :: Robert Pollard's Teenage Guitar, Ovlov, + Future Carnivores

Hot on the heels of the recently issued and might I add exceptional, English Little League from Guided By Voices and just a week after the announcement of the impending Robert Pollard solo release, Honey Locust Honkey Town comes Teenage Guitar a Pollard solo project that features appearances from GBV's Greg Demos and Joe Patterson. Teenage Guitar's Force Fields At Home features 18 tracks recorded at Pollards home studio using a historic mid-90s Tascam 488 cassette recorder. He wrote the lyrics while the music was composed spontaneously while the tape ran. According to the press release we can expect, "Experiments in spontaneity and lo-fi witchiness and wizardry, exploring multiple moods and styles". Teenage Guitar and Honey Locust Honkey Town will both be released on July 9th. Atlantic Cod finds Pollard in his natural habitat, recording a fuzzed up pop gem in the confines of his home. Teenage Guitar welcome to  my wheel house.
Teenage Guitar - Atlantic Cod via Stereogum

I seem to have developed a small problem in that I can't seem to stop playing the new Ovlov track, Blue Baby that the band recently posted to their bandcamp. It's not so much a problem than it is an obsession and one I probably won't be able to shake anytime soon. That track finds the brothers Hartlett delivering on the promise on their grunge infused 2011 EP, WASGATC? Blue Baby starts with a slow building chord progression before the Connecticut trio blast headlong into discordant guitar fuzz, head pounding rhythms, and subtle yet engaging hooks throughout the bands sprawling and flat out stunning new single. Ovlov will release their debut long player, am on July 2nd via Exploding In Sound Records, in the meantime they're currently in the middle of a tour of the northeast with Boston's Grass Is Green, not to be missed.


On Tuesday June 4th 6th Boston pop deconstructing sextet, Future Carnivores will release Come Inside the bands second full length and if the tracks they've been sharing over on their Soundcloud page are the slightest indication Future Carnivores have have just kicked the sophomore slump squarely in the teeth. With tracks like Blame Time and The Drugs She Fed You Last Night the song writing duo of Ruben Bettstak (Guillermo Sexo) and Bo Barringer (MEandJoanCollins) continue to expertly marry post-rock/post punk and shoegaze while pushing the bands sounds to new and captivating directions. Future Carnivores will celebrate the release of Come Inside on Thursday June 6th with a Record Release show at T.T.'s.

Transmissions :: Guerilla Toss - Drip Decay

Boston's rising noise purveyors , Guerilla Toss are about to issue Kicked To The Crib, a split with New York's Sediment Club on Feeding Tube Records. In advance of that release, they've posted their first ever video for track Drip Decay. Hopefully none of you suffer from nightmares or are easily freaked out, because these visuals could send Wayne Coyne to cower in the corner. However the bizarre and disturbing imagery compliments the spazzed out cacophonous track perfectly.

Guerilla Toss play The Middle East with Retox, Neptune, and Doomsday Student on May 15th

Short Bursts :: Hallelujah The Hills | English Singles | & Propeller

After over four months of inactivity I'm pleased to back at the helm of this blog I started in May 2006 and look I forward to regular updates as well a few changes around here which will include some new contributors, features, events, and a few design changes. As always thanks for readership, not to mention your patience. [Ed.]

Today see's one of The AGP favorites, Hallelujah The Hills issuing Portraits Of An Artist As Young Trash Can, which collects singles, B-sides, and unreleased tracks. The 21 track LP can be purchased at the bands Bandcamp site. 5 of the tracks found on Portraits Of An Artist .. were recorded in 2013 including the exceptional and anthemic, Confessions of An Ex- Ghost. This release showcases the bands evoultion as well as showcasing Ryan Walsh's gift for writing intelligent and addictive material that only gets better and better with each subsequesnt listen.


Following two superb singles, Sacramento, CA's crash pop outift English Singles are back with a new three song EP via Slumberland Records. The EP's opening and title track, Ordinary Girls features fronter, Scott Miller leading the singles through the earnest and boyant track while provinding 12 string leads and engaging pop hooks. Like thier previous singles that have the knack of sticking in your head all day, Ordinary Girls is no different, in fact it's even more adictive than it's predocessors.


San Francisco power pop heroes, Propeller have issued there sophomore set, Don't Be Sorry Again it's choc full mid 90's power pop that brings to mind early Teenage Fanclub and The Replacements , but Propeller manage to put their own stamp on it, balancing guitar cruch with a strong batch of songs. I'm hoping a Boston show is in the future, perhaps with our friends Varsity Drag on the bill?  I'm not above begging.