Pink Mexico – ‘Pnik Mxeico’ CS
Pink Mexico is the moniker of singer/multi-instrumentalist Robert Preston Collum (now a trio with Johnny Chambers on guitar/bass and Tony Tornay on drums) who decided to break free from his various music collaborations to individually capture the sound he’s wanted to achieve since the beginning. His debut album, Pnik Mxeico, was recorded in a booze-soaked Brooklyn basement where all of the instruments and songs were performed by Collum and engineered/mixed by producer/musician Jon Granoff. Eventually grabbing hold of the evasive sound he searched for half his life, Pnik Mxeico sports a warm, confident, melodic, and fuzz-laden vibe reminiscent of The Dandy Warhols meeting Ty Segall, and Nirvana’s quieter moments.
Slippertails – ‘There’s A Disturbing Trend’ CS
Slippertails are an irreverent rock duo from New Jersey that formed while rooming together in Bloomington, Indiana. Upon returning to New Jersey, frontman Nick Casertano began recording demos alone in his basement that would eventually become their album, There’s A Disturbing Trend. Nick put up his self-proclaimed “junky demos” online merely to book some shows in and around NYC; however, the release garnered some attention and became one of FYR’s favorite releases of 2013. Front man Nick Casertano not only shares similar physical characteristics with Frank Black of the Pixies, but a similar audio aesthetic: “distinctly dark with face-melting feedback…a powerfully raw and meaty sound,” best heard on tracks like “Walk” and “Hip New Jerk.” The powerful, sludgy guitar tones are one of the album’s best assets, but Casertano’s apathetic drawl– whether it’s in-your-face or heavily sedated– is borderline hypnotizing, luring you back for more every time the album fades.
Passenger Peru – ‘Passenger Peru’ CS
Passenger Peru is the brain child of Justin Stivers (bassist on The Antlers album “Hospice”, Pet Ghost Project) who combines his talents with virtuoso multi-instrumentalist Justin Gonzales to bring you a raw mix of cosmic shape-shifting tunes teetering on the brink of danceability. Their debut self-titled album was written and recorded over the course of a year in Brooklyn basements and tranquil locations in the foothills of the Alaskan wilderness. The album finds the Brooklyn duo blending the tender and vulnerable song writing of Yo La Tengo with the aural colorings and production of Brian Wilson and the tribal noise freak-outs of early Animal Collective.