Bad Hoo - Two Tin Cans and a Lollipop

Solid garage tunes out of Victoria, BC. Crack open a tall boy and destroy your lungs to these surf hooks and unhinged vocals. Good tunes for good times. Snag a tape or a name-your-price download via bandcamp.

- Dan

The Lasso - s/t

Super digging these drugged-out beats from Tuscon's The Lasso. A mix of glitch/trip hop/new weird America? Yeah, I know, it doesn't make any damn sense but it works so damn good. Imagine a mash-up of Tobacco/old Animal Collective/Flying Lotus. All over the map in the good way. Stream below and name your price via bandcamp.

- Dan

Soma - Golden Flower Blossoms

Some nice meditative eastern folk vibes out of Maine. A nice surprise to find in the 'ol inbox. Plus, it's a name-your-price download via bandcamp. I highly suggest putting in some headphones and giving yourself a little break from news/social media/pretty much everything in the world right now.

- Dan

Lamagaia - s/t

Cosmic feedback-friendly jams from Sweden's Lamagaia. Absolutely no filler to be found within the two tracks that occupy each side of the LP. Roll one up, turn it up, and lose yourself for the next 30 minutes. Co-released by the always reliable Cardinal Fuzz and Sunrise Ocean Bender. Stream side A below and head over to bandcamp to pre-order a vinyl copy. Album drops 2/13. 

- Dan

Nuvem Leopardo - Quintessência

A killer debut LP from a Brazilian band we may have introduced you to with their EP back in 2015. This is some textbook modern psych for fans of Temples/Boogarins/Tame Impala/and the like, with a few tracks that sound like they would fit right in on a Love, Peace & Poetry compilation. Stream the rest of the album front-to-back below.

- Dan

Best Albums of 2016

Welcome to the 10th (and hopefully not the last) Ongakubaka Top 10 albums of the year list. Before we jump right in to our picks, we’ll explain the guidelines for the selection process. 

 1. These records are in no particular order. 

 2. No live records, “Best of” collections, box sets, or re-issues. The albums chosen had to be material released in 2016. 

 3. This is a collaborative effort between the two of us, and if we didn’t agree that an album deserved to make the cut, it didn’t make the list. 

 4. There are plenty of full-lengths we never got a chance to listen to, forgot about, or never had time to fully digest, so don't freak out if you don't see your personal favorite in our list.

With that said, here are our honorable mentions for 2016:

Cheena - Spend the Night With...
Quilt - Plaza
Kikagaku Moyo - House in the Tall Grass
Thee Oh Sees - A Wierd Exits
Ty Segall - Manipulator
Dreamtime - Strange Pleasures
Charles Bradley - Changes
Tobacco - Ultima II Massage
Holy Wave - Freaks of Nurture

And now, without further ado, our top 10 records of 2016:

1. 75 Dollar Bill - WOOD​/​METAL​/​PLASTIC​/​PATTERN​/​RHYTHM​/​ROCK

2. Heron Oblivion - s/t

3. Angel Olsen - My Woman

4. Night Beats - Who Sold My Generation

5. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Nonagon Infinity

6. The Avalanches - Wildflower

7. Tyvek - Origin of What

8. Psychic Ills - Inner Journey Out

9. Parquet Courts - Human Performances

10. A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service

Juliana LaChance - Thunder Dragon

One of the best and completely out-of-nowhere submissions I've gotten in a while. Juliana is a solo act out of Hamilton, Ontario that conjures absolutely gorgeous folk tunes with the help of her Ukrainian string instrument called a "bandura" and her hypnotic vocals. Nico and Joanna Newsom came to mind on my first spin through, but she's probably going to get sick of hearing those comparisons real soon. Stream the whole record over at her bandcamp and then give her your money and/or find her a label!

- Dan

Gloria - Gloria In Excelsis Stereo

Sometimes some albums can just be judged by their cover. 60s French all girl pop/psych excellence. CD and vinyl out now on Howlin' Banana Records.

- Dan

Glintshake - Oesch Magziu

Female-led Russian avant-garde/no wave/punk/every damn genre. Limited to 100 cassettes on Hamburg's La Pochette Surprise Records.

- Dan

The Staches - Total Commitment 7"

Another killer release from The Staches and Six Tonnes De Chair Records. High energy lo-fi female-led garage/punk from Geneva. One of many amazing 7"s coming from STDC. Stream it below and head over to bandcamp to pick up a copy of the 7"(limited to 300 copies).   

- Dan