Spectre Folk - Please Come Home | Video Feature

Over the years Spectre Folk has mutated and matured into one of the finest dare I say "all star" groups in recent memory. Pete Nolan and company, usually ranging from Pete Meehan, Steve Shelley, Aaron Mullen, & Mark Ibold among others inhabit some sacred space left behind from the glory days of classic slacker / stoner rock. The group has become a smoke covered beast compared to it's earlier days as the more hermetic solo venture of Nolan (though it was equally shrouded in a cloud of herbal smoke). 
The video for "Please Come Home", taken from Spectre Folk's latest full-length The Ancient Storm, show the band in their element so to speak. It combines a mixture of live video from the band and shots from the open road. Spectre Folk are in fine form in the recording which tightens up their loose folk-rock aesthetic. I must also note that the video was recorded at one of my favorite DIY venues in Brooklyn, NY Big Snow. It all plays out like some whacked out home movie that fits the vibe perfectly. 
Spectre Folk's album The Ancient Storm is available now via Vampire Blues Records. 

Unicycle Loves You | Featured Band

There has been talk, in the Web-O-Sphere as of late, of a so-called “90's revivalism” trend amongst newer, up-and-coming bands. Names like Sebadoh, Guided By Voices, Pavement, and Dinosaur Jr. are popping up within writings on music like weeds in an unkempt yard, and the term “slacker” has never been so overused. I myself have been guilty of said offense. Is the issue simply chronological? The music-making core of those aged 20-30 now would have grown up smack in the middle of the decade or at least remember it enough to be able to nostalgically channel it. Does it matter?

Unicycle Loves You doesn't seem to care much either way. They just seem to be having a damn good time doing what they're doing, which, while not being revolutionary, is certainly refreshing in today's deadly serious musical climate. The Chicago trio play a noisy brand of indie pop sure to please fans of the above bands, and countless others too. In other words, the band wears its “classic indie rock” tag proudly, yet their influences are surprisingly tough to pin down. And that's a good good thing.

On “Garbage Dump,” the opening track of their most recent album, Failure, the band wastes little time showcasing their sound. As delay warping and noise loops subside, out of the ether emerges their classic indie-rock attack; a catchy bassline bounces, fuzzed out guitars rip, and crisp, tambourine heavy drums seal it all together. The songs that fill out the rest of this collection, their third, are wonderful exercises in the arts of balance and moderation. The songs are noisy, but never go into the red. They're sugary, but never saccharine. They're well produced, yet never feel too slick.

Lead single “Sun Comes Out (And I Don't Care)” is a stellar example of this balance. The bass is fuzzy and loping, yet clear and rhythmic. The vocals are drenched in reverb and overdrive, yet cut through the mix and manage to be melodious. The guitar lines are simple and repetitive, yet never become boring or tiresome. This thought could be applied to Unicycle Loves You, and Failure in particular, as a whole. What they do may be pretty familiar, but I dare you not to have fun while listening. Go ahead. I triple-dog-dare ya.

Unicycle Loves You's Failure is out now. You can stream/purchase the album via the group's Bandcamp.