Home Blitz - “Two Steps” from O.ut O.f P.hase (Richie, 2009)

STUFF I BUY FROM AQUARIUS RECORDS #2

an outlier amidst the current proliferation of lo-fi bands, it’s hard to figure out how intentional the sound of this record is.  the thing about home blitz is that “low” isn’t really the problem, the recording is actually ridiculously hot and present.  makes the 50-buck guitars and the fact that the drummer fucks up a lot all the more obvious.  but the songs are there—supercharged pop sung by a dude who sounds like he’s 12 and has drank a lot of soda recently.  could they do any better than this and keep the charm?

True Widow - “Duelist” from True Widow (End Sounds, 2008)

STUFF I BUY FROM AQUARIUS RECORDS #1

aquarius, in san franciso, is the best record store in the country.  every few months, when i have the time and money, i browse through their voluminous, labor-intensive new release lists, read the descriptions, listen to the minute-long samples, and buy 4 or 5 things i’ve never ever heard of.  i’ve gotten some of my favorite albums this way, and the aQ folks are pretty much the only people i’m aware of who provide this much exposure to this many obscure artists.  so in this occasional series i’ll highlight as many aQ purchases as i can.

true widow write songs that sit pretty comfortably in a sort of familiar, 90s, heroin-y, dreampop/slowcore tradition that on its own would be enough to make me like them, since this kind of music isn’t done very much these days.  but what they really are is a case study in how a minor band can differentiate itself with its sound.  this record has an incredible sound: super grungey downtuned guitars, tons of low end, fuzz bass, even a little hazy pedal steel here and there.  try to listen to “duelist” loud on decent speakers, it’s probably the only way you’ll notice that this is just a really heavy record that marries my 90s indie and stoner metal sensibilities together into something i could listen to for days on end.

again, NEVER WOULD HAVE HEARD without aquarius.  and already feels like a classic to me.