Chocolate Milk - Chocolate Milk (1976)

The second album of hard funky soul by this great New Orleans band – and it's one of their best! The record's got great production by Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn, and a nice rolling funk groove that never lets up.

Loads of great deep funky cuts, including "Never Ever Do Without You", "Running Away", "Pluck It", and the slowjam 'How About Love'. One of their two truly great LPs!



Enjoy it!

Greg



Link in comments...



West Coast Revival - West Coast Revival (1973)

Let me make up for that (too) long absence with a rare gem of an album, the self-titled effort from Cali-based 'West Coast Revival'. Not much is known about this great vocal trio apart from the musical legacy they carved on this LP, a blend of fantastic vocal harmonies and raw, sunshine-drenched soul, sometimes not unlike their Chicago contemporaries Rasputin's Stash.

The arrangements are especially worth a close listen with a very strong interplay between the singers themselves, and the band. Includes the indie soul masterpiece 'My Mind Is At Ease', plus 'Feelin' Alright' and 'Familiar Places'. A killer!



As usual, the link is in the comments...



Enjoy it!

Greg



William Bowers - Soundtrack #2

Another one from Already Dead Tapes, a bit different than anything else I've ever had on here; this one is an ambient album. The songs leave you in an almost brain-dead state, clearing the mind of all but subconscious thought. Your breathing slows; you float. It's like a soundtrack to cloudwatching; but hey, the label describes it better than I ever could:

William Bowers works primarily in synthesizer, tape, piano, and musique concrete to form a very desolate, cold ambiance. Drawing heavy influence from composers such as Basinski, David Lynch, Philip Glass, and Silas CiarĂ¡n, Bowers focuses on mood and atmosphere versus technical composition.

Already Dead Tapes, from their catalog that I've heard so far, has been squeezing out awesome experimental noise/rock/whathaveyou, but being relatively new, I'm getting excited to see what else they'll have to offer in the future. You can listen and download it from here:

Streets of Rage - EDQ

It's been a long time since I really enjoyed a new hardcore/punk band playing an old-school style, the last one coming to mind is maybe Surf Nazis Must Die. Maybe.... Streets of Rage are fitting into that category of long-lost raw energy, ladies n' gents. Sounding like a sort of cross between old Descendents and Flag of Democracy, they bring back nostalgic memories of hanging out in front of Cumberland Farms getting slushies and Hot Pockets and just plain not giving a fuck.

All the songs are real short and energetic, with subject matter ranging from blowing a chance with a cute girl to looking to the future, and other Milo-esque rants. When I hear music like this, I just can't help thinking back to a time of my life where every weekend was an adventure, a road trip, and an excuse to abuse our freedom as minors (cuz we're all 18 eventually).

trickettyTRACKS:
1. No Ablo
2. I'm Gone
3. EDQ
4. AOEII
5. Dunno Yet, Maybe
6. Smmer
7. Nu Jazz

All there is left to say about it is fucking think back to high school, and get it hear, ya here?