Download: Crystal Antlers “Dust”

(from Tentacles out now on Touch and Go)

Crystal Antlers claim a creation myth so perfect it seems almost pre-ordained: a dedicated band of psychedelic chimney sweeps soon to be on their way to SXSW when their van and all the select vintage equipment within were swiped from the streets of Long Beach. But in what had to be one of the most clearly deserved acts of karmic compensation, the LBPD recovered their magic Econoline just in time for Crystal Antlers to mess with Texas. Then, the band only had two 45s to its name, including a first 7” that started strong with the Guru Guru guitars of “Parting Song for the Torn Sky” and finished stronger with a nearly Blue Cheer-besting cover of Mose Allison’s “Parchman Farm.” Now Tentacles, the Antlers’ debut full-length as well as the gum-studded end of Touch and Go, falls into familiar grooves—songs that fly by on Comets on Fire-like orbits between heavy breaths from the band’s bottom-end. When a song occasionally drops back to solid ground, it’s fired back up again by a burst of propulsive drums or some well-timed keyboards, bumped up on the likes of synth-stuttering opener “Painless Sleep,” “Glacier” and others. But it’s the burners—”Dust,” “Andrew” and “Tentacles”—that provide the real power, sending the album off onto a crucial course.

—Miles Clements

Fourteen songs of shirtless sleaze rock by a bunch of swaggering ’70s guitar degenerates. We will probably DJ about half of this tonight. Note: podcast does not include the actual Pylon song “Feast On My Heart,” but we did add that separately at the bottom of this post!

Download direct here!

SWEET “SOMEONE ELSE WILL”
B-side of the “Turn It Down” single from Desolation Boulevard. No one ever believes this is the “Ballroom Blitz” Sweet but it surely is.

HIGHWAY ROBBERY “LAZY WOMAN”
Midwest hard-rock from a band that disappeared after one hard-ass LP on RCA, which is yet to be re-issued on vinyl as far as we know. Except for one soft track the label supposedly made them include, For Love Or Money is a must-have for heavyists.

EUCLID “GIMME SOME LOVIN””
Spencer Davis Group cover from the Heavy Equipment LP, another heavy rock album with little filler. One of the guys from psych-pop trainspotter band Lazy Smoke is playing on this with the same producer as the Shaggs!

SIR LORD BALTIMORE “MASTER HEARTACHE”
This song is for Short Shorts because she has this record. No band ever said the word ‘woman’ better.

DUST “LOVE ME HARD”
Marky Ramone in his teen drum-prodigy years. Their first and best LP.

BANG “THE QUEEN”
From these Florida Sabbath fans’ first LP, which features equally endearing cover art of a gun shooting rainbows into some wizards or maybe policemen. (Album is buried in pile; will go look at it later.)

PENTAGRAM “FOREVER MY QUEEN”
True brutality from the band that lived so hard they almost had to amputate singer Bobby’s arms. Many quality reissues available.

SOUND MACHINE “WOMAN”
Competitive delivery of the word ‘woman’ from the very raw Psychedelic Minds Vol. 1 comp, which is full of bug-out stuff like this.

RANDY HOLDEN “SCARLET ROSE”
Solo track from ex-Blue Cheer/Other Half/Population II guitarist. Think this is a ’90s recording of a song he saved since the 60s, and has original Blue Cheer drummer Paul Whaley on it.

CLEAR BLUE SKY “VEIL OF THE VIXEN”
By far the most cheerful song on the Downer Rock Genocide compilation. Pretty long but they try about four kinds of downer moods so we put it in.

SIMPLY SAUCER “INSTANT PLEASURE”
Canadian Stooge-rock band that recorded live on top of a shopping mall. This track recorded by Daniel Lanois!

CACTUS “LET ME SWIM”
…in a sea of sleaze!

BLUE CHEER “THE HUNTER”
The most famous Blue Cheer love song.

BLACK SABBATH “EVIL WOMAN”
Seems like it was really hard to meet nice people during the ’70s. Even Jonathan Richman had the same problem.

BONUS TRACK: PYLON “FEAST ON MY HEART”
Not in the podcast and not scum rock but will still get your blood rushing.