Mercy! My cup runneth over! There are so many bands that deserve posts here, but I can’t do a full review of all of them, or I’d be posting three times a day. Hence, today’s gangbang. These are all artists worth a sample listen and, if you like what you hear, maybe you can support them by buying their records, going to their shows, etc. Times are hard, but music is always worth spending cash on.

YESMISTERBLOODVESSEL-”Racing the Relapse”

YesMisterBloodVessel is a strangely named band that sometimes makes well-played, conventional rock (“Skeleton Czar”, “Relativity”)) but at other times is slightly offbeat (“You Will Never Know”) and at still others makes music that belongs on the soundtrack to The Lost Boys (the very cool instrumental, “Reflection on the Rocks”), which is to say, it’s slow, slightly creepy, but has a beat and an atmospheric sense of The Cure. In fact, the graphic at right pretty much sums ‘em up!

Reflections on the Rocks

You Will Never Know

JASON PAUL JOHNSTON-”Willows Motel”

From the slightly offbeat to the traditional, another submission I’m enjoying is the rootsy, folksy release from Jason Paul Johnston, on Rarebird Records. It’s very simple music–excellent, clear and sweet vocals accompanied by piano, banjo, guitar . . . I’m pretty sure it’s his debut, but his bio on his website, where you can also buy this little gem, is a little too cute to tell for sure.

MELLONCOLLIES

If you’re from Brooklyn, you’re from my native land and you’ll probably get a mention here as long as you don’t suck.  Quintet The Melloncollies fit that bill.  The production on their debut, Goodbye Cruel World (Somme Music), is top notch.

Simple Naive Someone

DISCOVERY-”LP”

Last but not least, I’m throwing a minor shout to Discovery‘s LP, if only because they had the prescience to cover the Jackson 5. I’m not a huge fan of electronica, but these is less electropop than electrosoul, which makes it pretty interesting. Plus it’s got Vampire Weekend keyboardist/producer Rostam Batmanglij and Ra Ra Riot singer Wes Miles. On the XL label.

I Want You Back (J5 cover)