Yes, I am a Tornado Chaser

Yes, I am a Tornado Chaser

Five Records from the Last Five Years that no one Cared About.



Charlottefield – How Long are you Staying?

If this record is any sort of indication of what is about to go down with the British punk scene, then I’m marrying the next British girl I find. Blending equal elements of Drive Like Jehu, Mogwai, Animal from The Muppets, and the pile of gear from the cover of that JR Ewing record, Charlottefield rock the most restrained, tasteful math punk I think I’ve ever heard. Seriously, ever second of this record is fucking gold.



Tom Vek – We Have Sound

I’m sure this record spawned a zillion good times across the pond, but for some reason We Have Sound was overlooked by dance-savvy scenesters state-side. Their loss, ‘cause this album is 10 tracks of crazy bedroom-produced good times. Like if Gary Numan was some 22-year-old computer genius with a head full of mushrooms and the entire Yaz catalogue.



Noxagt – The Iron Point

Sharing the same label as Lightning Bolt and USAISAMONSTER, Noxagt are every bit as heavy and chaotic as their Load noise brethren. Using drums, bass, and a violin (!?!), these nine instrumental tracks shift from ethereal white squall to full-on doom-sludge stomp and will blister your ass like Zeus’ thundering middle finger.



Kilowatthours – The Bright Side

Following in the footsteps of other slow-core greats like Low and Codine, Kilowatthours craft the perfect sort of beautiful, slow, brooding rock that makes you want to lay in bed all day and contemplate life with a bottle of scotch. These songs sound just as good at 3 in the morning as they do on the moon (what does that even mean?)



Single Frame – Wetheads Come Running

This record was part of a triple-play I was witness to about 3 ½ years ago. In the same trip to Amoeba, myself and a few friends picked up this little gem, Broken Social Scene’s Feel Good Lost, and The Unicorns’ Who Will Cut Our Hair when We’re Gone? Talk about a sensory overload. It’s a shame that this record got buried in a year of watershed indie releases, because it is just as solid anything BSS or The Unicorns put out. Think Tim Harrington singing for Lonesome Crowded West-era Modest Mouse playing on second-hand musical equipment and employing an arsenal of field recordings and crazy children’s workshop samples. Sounds awesome is right.