Bassline WIN

Wanna get that 'rock ur sox' off feeling like back when u still listened to punk/metal but now u only really listen to electro/house/dubstep? well i have a solution--->comic strips' bassline

Congorock-Babylon (Comic Strips Remix) by Comic Strips
Download link (mediafire)

what makes it so amazing is that the original had a killer bassline that i thought couldn't be 'beat.' Young Tom put on his gloves (named "heavy" and "distortion") and whipped the living daylights outta the original mix (no offense, congorock, ur fucking amazing). Check the original song's video (directed by pomp&clout<<--they make amazing video art.)

More later on STRYKER MATTHEWS' SUBVADER REMIX and dj labam's whammalammer

ANNOUNCING///Mellows-It's In The Stones/Ghostriding 7"

Here at Tweaking Trays, we're quite supremely pleased to officially announce our next release===>==>=> Mellows- It's In The Stones/Ghostriding 7"

(front)

The debut from the second coming of Mellows is being co-released by our pals at Royal Rhino Flying Records (who also do stuff w/ da fabulous GOBBLE GOBBLE) and ourselves-Tweaking Trays.  We're doing a limited 500 copy run of the 7" on August 21st and can be pre-ordered from Royal Rhino Flying here! 

(back)

Mellows is the 8-bit/folk punk/psychedelic pop golden child of the Tweaking Trays family, shamelessly including several of our contributors (coughMyselfcough), Kohwi (of Kohwi) playing the drums/doing the production, and Peter (Subvader) playing the Gameboy Classic/synths. It's 3 originals with artwork by James Green (our own Padre Zippo) and mastered by Zeljko McMullen (Wish). After a mild amount of deliberation, I'm quite pleased to say-

===DOWNLOAD IT HERE FO FREE===

===    PRE-ORDER THE 7" HERE    ===

...or on our releases page...

Also, Mellows has a string of east coast dates allllmost ready to announce, so keep your eyes peeled on our facetwitspaceblr lest we repost them on our blog like some self-indulgent pigs who like to masturbate in front of the mirror. Before brushing their teeth. Every night. Likewise, we've got a tumblr to show us what we eat for lunch every day on the road and perhaps something even more arbitrary. 

Sunlight Burns

I'd love to be spending all my time in front of an LED screen with dancing letters, shapes, and colors, but it's just too fucking nice outside.

As I evaporate (you'll see the pun in about a minute) away from between the steadfast fingers of my addiction to the internet, there are but a few things that I'd like to take with me. In fact, I'd suggest that you do the same and take them, too.

They're tracks from Swimsuit (incl. Fred Thomas of City Center, Dina of Secret Twins, Shelley ex-Tyvek) off their first demo tape, which you can scoop for free here. I can't believe that I hadn't already taken this little slice of Ann Arbor/Ypsi, in form of reverberated/lo-fi/indie/pop punk sweetness, with me to Chicago this summer. Super stoked to hear such catchy jams from Ann Arbor/Ypsi locals, I can't wait to catch them playing around town this fall!

Swimsuit---- Evaporation
Swimsuit---- Sunlight

Nightlands- Forget the Mantra

Yeah. It actually DOES sound like the cover looks. Forget the Mantra  is the debut record from Nightlands (Dave Hartley from The War on Drugs) and I've been spinning it on my metaphorical record player for weeks. And it's kept me completely ecstatic. Beautiful textures are created with a myriad of instruments that harken to a particular time and place---memories held suspended to a particular emotion. Enormous soundscapes and lush instrumentation carry you across great plains and across the endless sky to the gentle coo of bright harmonies.  Forget the Mantra feels more akin entering a new universe than it does putting on a set of headphones.

Dave recently wrapped up a tour with none other than Philly's Constant Hitmaker---- Kurt Vile (also once in The War On Drugs) but hopefully we'll see some more Nightlands action soon! For now, pick up Forget the Mantra from the Nightlands' bandcamp!

As hard as it was to narrow, check some of the tracks below----

Nightlands---300 Clouds
Nightlands---God What Have I

Guerre

Heard about the bedroom woo-haze of Guerre via one of my favorite blogs No Fear of Pop, and proceeded to find that they've more than made their way around the proverbial blogck (blog block, hehe) with expressed love on a handful of other of my favorite blizzogs (Delicious Scopitone, Life Aquatic, Friends With Both Arms).

If you'd always wanted to hear the stylings of How to Dress Well with more of hip-hop tint, then "Tomorrow, Sundogs" just may be your jam....

Also check out a new tune that they just dropped today, 'Dress You Down' (another uber-soothing slow jammer) via their own blogz, Spiritif Records.  Yeah that's right, all the cool bands have blogs now too :)  -- and these guys are giving away all their music for free there. so snag it before they get rich and famous like Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers and try to eat ur soul through People Magazines in the checkout line of ur fav. shopping store. (just kidding....you and i both know that Guerre will eat Miley's face off with their woo-haze bliss)

Guerre - Tomorrow, Sundogs
Guerre - Dress You Down

Take a Cruise to------>>>>Guards

So today I'm about to shuttle my ass back from Chicago to Michigan (again after seeing a particular Detroit reunion to appease my inner youth a couple nights back) to enjoy life in the UP for a few days with some choice compadres.

And Guards are going to take our car off the road. We'll speed about 10 over across the sky, steadily trailing smoke. Guards will be a part of the ink to commit such fleeting moments to an eternal mental canvas. Listening to their new EP (free on their bandcamp) I feel as if I've already heard it in a hundred different places. Pure psychedelic bliss.

Guards- I See It Coming
Guards- Crystal Truth

Taped-out French Funk Master 'Onra'

Somewhere in between the shadows cast by the groove-gods of the past (Dilla, Dre) and the poolside parties of today's chillwave-kids (Toro y Moi) we find the instant-classic beats of Onra. Speakers or headphones, it shouldn't matter--blast this shit (I should note that subs improve the experience tremendously--the slippery basses will cover you in wetness).

Send Me Your Love
High Hopes (feat. Reggie B)

I'm really intrigued by his heavy use of funk/r'n'b. It's like, before hearing this, I thought R'n'B was tasteless and boring, but Onra's dreamy pads and sequenced-out leads create an atmosphere that is not only mind-blowing, but also completely fresh. Fresh like summer, fresh like cool cucumber on a hot day, fresh like a handfull of 'chill bros' drinking oberon w u at 5pm after a day of boating.

GO BUY THE ALBUM