Greetings, readers! You still there? This is the second singles column we do this week. Why? Because we are 3 years old this week (officially!). So from all the fictional characters in this shithole of a website, I thank y’all.

This week’s singles come courtesy of Pearl Jam, because they wuuuz awesome, yo!

Ah, singles, right:

Tall Ships – Gallop

Has it really been 2 years since we saw these dudes almost (ALMOST) steal the show from the sexy beasts that are Minus The Bear? Time sure flies but they don’t slack and the rumor mill says that their new album is a kick in the eggplants at Uncle Joe‘s farm (forgive the Gringoism). ‘Gallop’ is as upbeat-ey and vivacious-ey as the title could suggest and although the voice is subdued, the centripetal force this song forces on your emotions dispels any doubts you’d get in yer hand. The fact that Tall Ships let’s you catch your breath before making you run uphill again is a touch of brilliance (or a homage to crosswalkers and their cardio training, fuck those machines). – Orestes “P is for running uP that hill” Xistos.

Funeral Suits – Hands Down

I sometimes think the editor of this shithole of a website (TM) hates me. He sends me superbly fun stuff like the new Tall Ships track, then sends me something morose and journal-entry like, like this Funeral Suits track. Idjit. Anyways, the fall has arrived in our calendars and we need to slow down from all those brewskis and bbqs and prepare for Thanksgiving. ‘Hands down’ reflects the slowness of the fall season (I refuse to call it “autumn”…) It’s a never a gothic moment, but it is very solemn, with all that repetition (love the arpeggio) building towards an climax. Think of it as those times when you had to sweep the dead brown leaves, you thought about the ups and downs of life and saw that pile and yelled “ah, fuck this” and jumped into it. That’s this song. You will probably have to sweep again, but, hey, it is fun. And introspective. The end drumming is a real “fuck yeah” moment, dudes.  – Orestes “P is for Phalsely American” Xistos.

The Fervor – Yellowwood

This band has always seemed like a sneaky bunch. Sure, on a first listen, it might seem like a band playing old country songs in a waterin’ hole in b. But when you pay attention to them, you realise these rustlers give the expansiveness of post rock to their alt-country ditties. ‘Yellowwood’ is Americana meeting Post Rock in the crossroads. There was a deal done with The Devil. The Devil lost and The Fervor drove away in a brand new red Cadillac. Destination? No one knew, they faded away like a mirage. Bloody love this song, so slow and groovy, so expansive. – Sam Valdés.

Marcus Foster – I won’t let love get in the way

Aw, this hurts. Not that it is bad, but lyrics are a bit too close to home right now. Anyways, September is the month of heartbreaks (allegedly) and this Marcus Foster track is full of introspection and regret. The sorrowful ‘I won’t let love get in the way’ is a bit folk, but as acidic as the best of alt-country. Look at the sunset while listening to this. She’s gone. –Sam Valdés. 

Lavender Diamond – Everybody’s heart breaking now

An 80’s ballad lost in time, reflecting back from space, quantised, digitalised and irradiated. That’s ‘Everybody’s heart breaking now’, the new single by Lavender Diamond. Not 80’s cheesy (although one man’s roquefort is another man’s port salut), though, as some of the instrumentation might seem staple 80s but the voice is so soothing and refreshing, full of emotion and that dream/chill out feel that makes it bombastic (on an emotional level) and reassuring (on a perceptive level). Hug someone, unless you’re my Forever Alone of a co-editor, Sam. -Orestes “P. is for Trolling other editors” Xistos. 

Silver Arm – Hippies / A Tethered Jacket

Goddamned hippies! The real ones, not the ones in this post punk single called, well, ‘Hippies’. Silver Arm deliver a straightforward track with no punches being pulled and a very steady drumbeat that makes me want to drive angrily (not too far, I’m low on gas). The quiet moment is a bit freaky and maybe slightly psychedelic (all about that bass). ‘A tethered jacket’ is a complete different beast, with the electronic intro making me go and do a double take. Silver Arm obviously want to do a bit of proper Industrial metal (think Stabbing Westward, Gravity Kills, Machines of Loving Grace) and I for one thank them. They’ve got the range and the chops, let’s see what else they deliver this year.- Orestes “P. Coltrane” Xistos. 

Fantasy Rainbow – O, Weirdo / Para Parakeet

“and that’s when Wendell Gee”…no, wait, this is not R.E.M., it’s Fantasy Rainbow. Got me fooled for a couple of chords, but outside of the jangly guitar, that’s where all the similarities with the extinct beast from Athens end. ‘O, Weirdo’ is not twee nor dream pop, but somewhere in the middle, with the easy going pace of Sunday breakfast and the levity of an episode of Black Books. ‘Para Parakeet’ is…okay, Fantasy Rainbow is composed of people that turn into werewolves. This is a darker, scarier side of them, fully reverbered and slowly enveloping the atmosphere with guitar slides and some fuzzy guitar work. Is it a school dance in hell? Probably, but first round is on me. – Orestes “P. is for Phenomenal” Xistos. 

Carajo, I miss Tacos al Pastor…  Until next time, I’m Orestes Xistos and I AM THE LORD. No, wait, I’m just fat and full of lard.  See ya and kisses and (((sholay))) (((hugs))).

Links: 

Marcus Foster Bandcamp. Website. Twitter. Facebook.

Lavender Diamond Website. Soundcloud. Facebook. Twitter.

Tall Ships Website. Myspace. Twitter. Last.fm. Facebook.

The Fervor Website. Facebook. Last.fm. Myspace. Twitter.

Funeral Suits Website. Facebook. Myspace. Soundcloud. Last.fm. Twitter.

Silver Arm Website. Twitter. Facebook.

Fantasy Rainbow Tumblr. Facebook. Twitter. Bandcamp.