Tom Vek - Nothing But Green Lights (video)
“We Have Sound” / Startime Records
Most of Tom Vek’s influences are at least fifteen years old and easily triangulated. But he’s unencumbered by nostalgia. We Have Sound is so difficult to isolate from Vek’s ass-backwards charisma, I wonder if the man might be a visionary. - Dusted Magazine

10/27: San Francisco, CA @ Popscene at 330 Rich Street
Co-Headlining w/ GoGoGo Airheart
10/30: Austin, TX @ Emo’s
10/31: Dallas, TX @ Gypsy Tea Room

Test Icicles - Circle Square Triangle
“Boa vs. Python” / Domino records

Debut singles don’t come much better than this. Like a bastard meeting of Lightning Bolt, The Longcut and Death From Above 1979, London’s splendidly named art-metallers Test Icicles drop their debut single for the reputable Domino Records.

Not too dissimilar to Bloc Party in parts, Test Icicles music is a dancey take on indie-punk, with angular guitars and pounding kick drums, but with the added incentive of metal undertones. Shared shouty vocals touch upon the agressive mic battles of Beastie Boys, whilst the music itself is a lethal brew of brute-force riffs and canyon sized melodies.

For once, this is a band who seem to have created their own sub-genre, combinging hardcore, metal and hip-hop into some sort of fresh unique hybrid. This limited release may not leave the band riding on a huge wave of success just yet but don’t hang about, one day soon these kids are going to be huge. - Angry Ape

Giant Drag - Kevin is Gay (video)
“hearts and Unicorns” / Kickball Records
“Kevin is Gay”, a chunky pop tune that declares Giant Drag’s intentions to rock simply and steadily. “Kevin is Gay” has a two sentence verse, repeated over and over between spouts of uncut guitar wailings, ending in a coda of “meow” repeated to the fadeout. Like the work of any two-piece band so firmly rooted in Veruca Salt-style post-grunge rock, the song is fun and self aware, but most importantly, it rocks.
Giant Drag’s songs are as large as any nineties guitar supergroup, with nods to The Breeders, My Bloody Valentine, Smashing Pumpkins and Liz Phair (you know, before she sucked) along the way.