HITS – Cielo Nublado (Paisley Shirt)

All this talk of SF lately but over in Oakland we have HITS who play pop music too but with more of an art-punk undercurrent. The debut cassette last year was one of the first certified classics on Paisley Shirt, and finally HITS are back with an accomplished follow-up. This is definitely Messthetics-worthy (remember those CD-R comps?). Singer/guitarist Jen has her own special spin on songwriting, surreal yet sincere, hard to pin down but fun as hell. The rhythm section really has a party underneath Jen’s simple strumming. The bassist, in particular, brings the fire, at times Peter Hook melodic, other times disjointed No Wave. A fantastic trio, I’m buzzing just thinking about a wild gallery show with them wailing away.

Motorists – Surrounded (Bobo Integral)

Toronto rockers Motorists have got to own some Only Ones and Soft Boys LPs or at least have them on a playlist somewhere. It has a late ‘70s early ‘80s feel for sure, like they dig Stiff Records and the dB’s too perhaps? They have some clever chord changes and interesting angles, but it stays very poppy throughout. These guys can play their instruments, have catchy pulse beats and lovely guitar melodies, and the singing is charmingly arch. Cool looking collage sleeve too…I need to buy this one.

Warmer Milks – Soft Walks (Sophomore Lounge)

Sophomore Lounge is a consistently great label, often releasing oddball takes on Americana, stuff too idiosyncratic to be embraced by more wholesome listeners. This album fits perfectly into that. It’s some kinda lost album from 2008 by Mikey Turner’s Warmer Milks. I can’t say I know all about Turner’s long and winding discography which varies in style, but here he embraced some warm and warbled low-key country rock with great results. Immediately, Mayo Thompson’s masterpiece Corky’s Debt to His Father springs to mind. Soft Walks strolls into melted boogie jams, folk ballads, drones and ramble-tamble Dead influences can be detected, though this is long before that influence became as pervasive and annoying as it has become. This was recorded by Paul Oldham, and that last name might be another clue as to what’s going on here. It also features a lovely contemporary psychedelic sleeve by the master Robert Beatty.

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