Telephone Exchange - Maschinelles Lernen on Ongakubaka Records!!!

Hi, how has your 2018 been? It's been over a year since our last post!

We've got a new record coming! The debut LP from Telephone Exchange out of Mexico City. Telephone Exchange didn’t just set out to create an impressive debut album. They’re a band looking to challenge this existing framework of post-punk and psychedelia to create something new. The band deftly mixes hypnotique, analog white noise and infectious Kraut-inspired grooves with a dark, almost otherworldly ambiance. This is the soundtrack to the nightmares of conventional pop music.

Stream the first single, "Machine Learning", below and head over to bandcamp to pre-order the LP on tan/beige vinyl with chipboard jacket at https://ongakubakarecords.bandcamp.com

RIYL: The Velvet Underground, CAN, Sonic Youth, NEU!, Blank Dogs

- Dan

Pansies - Cascade of Colors on Ongakubaka Records!!!

Holy shit, how has it been 4 months since I've posted anything??? Well, part of the reason is we've been working on getting this killer record into the world. It actually drops digitally TODAY, and vinyl will be shipping ASAP in December. Pansies are a 3-piece out of Salt Lake City that caught my eye when they dropped their first single "Feels Like Yesterday" last year, and was incredibly excited to receive an email from them interested in pressing their full-length with us a few months back. Pansies create organ-led, lysergic, and genuine psychedelia you'll get lost in instantly. Stream it over at our bandcamp and snag a vinyl copy! Limited to 250 copies.

Amazing artwork by Dawn Aquarius.

- Dan

Cathode Ray Eyes - How We Lost The 21st Century

Fresh tunes from Ryan DelGaudio of The Cult of Dom Keller. If the album title and cover art didn't give it away, this is some dark experimental/industrial/shoegaze/psych with an excellent variety of tracks within. Heavy on the mind, body, and soul. Headphones, fat one, lights off, space out.

- Dan

OUT NOW!! Marias - Peace Sign on Ongakubaka Records

If you've been stopping by wondering why things have slowed down so much on the blog, and also don't follow us on social media, the reason we've been so quiet is because we've been working on putting together our first vinyl release! 

Some of you might remember a band I've shared a couple times over the years by the name of Lou Breed. Well, Lou Breed is now known as Marias, and we're excited for the opportunity to work with a longtime friend of the blog in getting our first 12" into the world. Marias' debut record Peace Sign is officially out digitally, and vinyl will be shipping the moment I get them in the mail within the next week or 2. "Peace Sign" is similar to Lour Breed's previous output; solid all-American indie/rock n roll/folk:

"Peace Sign aesthetically pulls from the complete canon of rock & roll: from classic to indie to the obscure including bands like The Tall Dwarfs, Television, The Kinks, Karen Dalton, Wilco, The Baptist Generals, vashti bunyan, Arthur Russell, Gram Parsons etc. etc. The album avoids stylized production in favor of clearly transmitting the folks in the room knocking about on their instruments. 

The generally positive energy of the music doesn't exactly always betray the darkness of the lyrical content. The album ruminates upon failure and mistrust - the overwhelming kinetic energy produced by things gone wrong. The play between positivity and negativity may be a reflection of the view that one should be honest about failures and shortcomings - that this doesn't have to lead to sadness or self pity, but instead can steer one towards catharsis, clarity and possibly positive action."

Stream the whole record below and head over to our bandcamp to snag a copy on beack smoke vinyl w/ hand-numbered inserts. Limited to 150 copies. Also below is the gorgeous video for the second single "Little Bugs" (which has hit 200k views on Vimeo?!!). Animated by the amazing Ori Toor out of Tel Aviv. Hope you dig!

- Dan

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