Terry Malts - Something About You 7.7/10

Terry Malts is an indie garage rock band from San Francisco, California. This track is taken from their album Killing Time which was released by Slumberland Records in 2012. At times the band sound like The Ramones fronted by Morrissey, at other moments like the Beach Boys running on high octane jet fuel. This track rocks around the clock with a cheery retro vibe and crooner vocals played at high speed with ultra fuzzy guitars. Singer Phil Benson doesn't tackle the big subjects here, this is a straight ahead love song with fairly repetitive lyrics ("I just wanna be with you") but there's just too much raw energy racing along in this track for that to be considered a drawback. These guys are at their best when they keep the chords and words stripped back to the minimum and let the heavily distorted guitars do the talking. All hail the fuzz.

Seapony - Outside 8.1/10

Seapony is an indie twee pop band from Seattle, Washington. This track is taken from their album Falling which was released by Hardly Art Records in 2012. The wistful, dreamy vocals and reverb-heavy guitars featured here put Seapony firmly in the traditional twee pop mold, though at times the jangly edge of the guitars suggest the influence of The Smiths, while some elements of the west coast Surf Pop scene creep in as well. Singer Jenny Weidl's lyrics suggest a yearning for a simpler, less complicated time in the past, though it's more about the atmosphere of quiet longing she creates than the words themselves. This is introverted music for a late-night session while an autumn chill develops outside the windowpane.

Ty Segall - The Drag 8.3/10

Ty Segall is a lo-fi garage rock performer based in San Francisco, California. This track is taken from his self-titled album which was released by Castle Face Records in 2008. The track takes a 1960's surfer vibe and then smothers it in heavy distortion and layers of feedback. Segall's from-the-bottom-of-a-well vocals coax listeners to get up and hit the dance floor to do 'The Drag'; you could almost dance to it but you would probably hurt yourself trying. The song has undeniable drive and energy, suggesting Segall is enjoying performing it in the studio as much as he does during his stellar live performances. For those who love heavy guitar distortion (I count myself as a member) this comes highly recommended, and is best played loud once the party is really getting underway.