Six Records CMM Wants You To Know

The Breeders "Nervous Mary" Single (4 Ad)

Loving this new track from the upcoming Breeders album "All Nerve". "Nervous Mary" is full of all the amazing things that make this band so good. From the infectious vocal harmonies, to the driving beat and hypnotic guitar melodies this track is pure gold and I think it's safe to say they have never sounded better. I can't wait to take in the full album which will be released on March 2nd courtesy of 4AD.

Daniel Ruiz "Meet the Crimson Woman at the Dawn Café" Single (danielruiz.bandcamp.com)

Daniel Ruiz has accomplished quite a bit over the last few years both as Weinf and now under his own name. His latest track "Meet the Crimson Woman at the Dawn Café" is highly dynamic and highly intricate as the level of musicianship he displays is off the charts. It's a mysterious number that has a bit of a sinister element to it that recalls the likes of Morphine, The Birthday Party and classic Jazz. Can't get enough of this one.

High Climbers Presents..."Maine - Air Traffic" (highclimbers.bandcamp.com)

"Maine - Air Traffic" is the first solo effort from High Climbers member Mike Robertson which he recorded to celebrate his temporary departure from Bristol. The albums nine songs are gentle yet haunting, simple yet complex and overall pretty intense at times. The intricate yet laid back guitar sounds fill out most of the music while Robertson's voice does a tremendous job at telling his stories. "Can You See It" comes off like post Barrett era Pink Floyd if it were produced by GBV's Robert Pollard while "Good Go Up" and "Preoccupations" are two of my other favorite songs from the record as their heartfelt presence and cathartic stance really get me with each and every listen. A remarkable effort overall that I hope is the first of many.

Katie Caulfield "Wedding" Single (katiecaulfield.bandcamp.com)

The slow dirge driven feel of this track draws you into a musical black hole that's fueled with relentless passion and menace while still keeping a sense of structure around all the chaos. Katie Caulfield are actually a 3 piece band from Poland made up of Michał Piech [Okide]on Drums, Katie Hurdles on Guitar and Vocals and Paweł Tasak on Bass and together the group put a mean spin on the noise rock genre with intricate rhythms and pounding percussion. The track is taken from their latest album "Mutual Dreaming" which is an amazing seven track release that's sure to delight fans of bands like The Dazzling Killman, Zeni Geva and Glazed Baby to name a few. Do yourself a favor and blast this one loudly.

Lucius “Eventually” (Tame Impala Cover)

Lucius are one of my favorite bands and this cover of Tame Impala's "Eventually" is astonishingly good. Taken from their latest acoustic E.P. "Nudes", Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig's dynamic voices sound as stellar as always while the music is soothing, atmospheric and warm. "Nudes" will be available March first from Mom + Pop Records.

Sick Shit "Demonstration" Cassette (sickshit.bandcamp.com)

New Jersey based hardcore/punk unit Sick Shit are the best hardcore band I've heard in years. The tracks on this cassette clock in at less than 2 minutes but they get a lot done in that little bit of time as the crushing spastic beats, bulldozer guitar riffs and manic sounding vocals never let up. They bring a refreshing take on the hardcore punk genre and hold absolutely nothing back in the process. Get into it.

Dinosaur Jr. - Peoples Blues Of Richmond -The National - 7/22/15

Dinosaur Jr. blasted through a no frills 18 track set at The National in Richmond Virginia with songs spanning from all eras of their 30 year career. It's been 10 years since the reformation of the bands original lineup consisting of vocalist/guitarist J Mascis, bassist/vocalist Lou Barlow and drummer Murph. Opening number "Bulbs Of Passion" from their self titled debut was certainly a nice surprise and rousing renditions of early barn burners "In A Jar", "Tarpit", "Budge" and "Raisans" followed to much delight of the capacity crowd. The very animated Barlow took over on vocals for the passionate yet pounding sounds of "Back To Your Heart" followed by the primal power of "Little Fury Things". The set then shifted into newer territory with high energy versions of "Watch The Corners" and "Pierce The Morning Rain" from 2012's "I Bet On Sky" and "Pieces" from 2009's "Farm".

The crowd screamed out in delight during the signature riffs of alt-rock anthems "Out There", "Feel The Pain" and "Start Choppin". Mascis was on fire as he ran through his brand of ear bleeding fuzzed out leads. Barlow then led the band through a crushing version of "Training Ground", a cover of a song originally done by he and Mascis high school hardcore band Deep Wound, while the audience blissfully sang along to the college radio classic "Freak Scene" and underlying menace of "Forget The Swan". The set culminated with a chaotic cover of The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" and the distorted mayhem of "Sludgefeast" that surely served as the most intense track of the night. It was a steamroller of a set and one that shows exactly why Dinosaur Jr. are hands down one of the best rock n roll bands on the planet.

On a side note opening band The Peoples Blues of Richmond offered up a brief batch of songs to start off the evenings festivities. Although it seemed odd to many that PBR where on the bill they got an enthusiastic response from their home town fans. Drawing heavy influence from the likes of The Black Keys, The White Stripes, Zeppelin and Sabbath the band brought a soulful presence and colorful energy to their performance that was backed with impressive musicianship and remarkable tone. The power trio’s new single “Gone Gone Gone” b/w “Outta My Mind” was produced & engineered by the highly sought-after Mark Neill, the man behind The Black Key’s platinum-selling, Grammy-winning Brothers record.