Ancient Sky – Castle/Allegory 7″

Hopefully you remember Ancient Sky. Since they released T.R.I.P.S. in 2011 (one of my favorite albums of that year) they’ve gone through a bit of a lineup change, but have managed to improve upon their take on swirling psychedelic rock.

“Castle” starts the record off with bouncing vocals and slow-building guitar parts that slowly meld into a psych-bender that would make fans of Cream drool. The end of the song showcases what Ancient Sky does best; balancing their psych weirdness with intensity that few bands in this genre could match.

The b-side, “Allegory,” makes me extremely interested to see where these guys go next. The fuzzy guitars bring to mind Real Estate initially, but once again are overtaken by tremolos and crashing drums. There’s a dichotomy in this song. This balance of crushing and beautiful is only delicately stitched together by a second and a half pause in the song, but the tension it creates perfectly sets the stage for the impending crescendo that Ancient Sky has mastered.

Pick this 7″ from Wharf Cat and support a great band and label.

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(Also, check back tomorrow for a review of another new Wharf Cat release, Dads’ Brown on Brown) (Not the NJ Dads)

Teen Demon – A Bunch of 7″s

While killing time on the internet today, I stumbled on this great punk band from Brooklyn. They play a type of fuzzy, melodic punk. Equal parts Dinosaur Jr. and Black Flag, sprinkled with more contemporary peers such as Fucked Up, Hoax, and Titus Andronicus. A few moments on their Clean Dreamin’ 7″ even remind me of some old Level Plane bands. Anyway, they seem to be churning out 7″s faster than the seasons can change; with 4 released in the past year, they appear to be coming out strong from the proverbial gate. Check a few of these 7″s out on their bandcamp and support ’em if they ever roll through your town.

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