YAIRMS “Hope’s Stable” (Related Records)

 

Delightful and quirky indie rock from Brooklyn, Yairms delivers the skittery and jittery charm as he weaves an album-length tale about a horsey and its barn. At least that’s what the j-card will have us believe! At any rate, don’t you want to know what said horsey, named Hope, wants to do with her life as she canters out under the stars? I know that I do. Meeting at the halfway point between the Figurines and of Montreal, Yairms and band wrap their arms around the night and dream delicate melodies supported by lo-fi lattices. The allure of the tunes’ unearthly sweetness is overpowering to the point where it’s all but irresistible. Hop on that horsey and ride!

 

https://yairms.bandcamp.com/

 

https://relatedrecords.bandcamp.com/

 

--Ryan

DINOSAUR LOVE “Dinosaurs Have Feelings Too" (Related Records)

“I know you threw a fuss
When I ate your best friend
But I didn’t think it would cause
Our relationship to end”

And so goes this February 2019 release from those zany folks at Related Records. That lyric is drawn from “Triceratops I Think I Love You” which leads off thid collection. Song titles will give you a hint at the direction here. “Godzilla Flick,” “I Wanna Be Fossilized,” “Dream Of Dinosaurs” and maybe the most revealing one, “Human Wife.”

This creation BC is the tiny brainchild of Peter Kulikowski, who apparently resides in a crater somewhere in the vicinity of Phoenix. These are simple songs but Mr. K. gets good mileage from the concept which extends beyond this release to at least one other tape and possibly more.

All said, it’s a novel idea though by the end of side two, I’m maxed out on the schtick. If you like unusual, prehistoric pop music, by all means get onboard with Dinosaur Love.

https://i-love-dinosaurs.bandcamp.com/album/dinosaurs-have-feelings-too

www.relatedrecords.com

-- Robert Richmond

MIA LOUCKS “Old” (Related Records)

Released on a self-described “oddball/weirdo/specialty label” based in Phoenix, I must say Mis Loucks is a proverbial breath of fresh air. Composed of eleven tracks which feature Mia’s soft spoken talk-sing and straightforward backings, this tape nevertheless is mesmerizing from start to finish.

While the collection is primarily folk guitar driven, there is some use of keys which helps to break up any sameness that could possibly derive from the simplicity of the structure of the songs. While I have it on no authority, I suspect this album was recorded on cassette, which adds an additional homespun touch to the proceedings. The songs themselves are hook-laden and in some cases, feature multiple track vocals by Ms. Loucks.

The cassette is nicely packaged with an extended full color j-card in the traditional jewel case.
There is little information on the packaging or the website beyond song titles other than the notation that everything was written, recorded and performed by the artist.

I find myself curious about some of the other releases on this label and hopefully some of them will filter through for reviews. Be that as it may, this is a highly enjoyable, if not a tad, uh…unique offering. If you’re inclined toward outsider music, this is a sure bet.

https://relatedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/old

-- Robert Richmond

TURQOUIZ NOIZ “Pray for Rain” (Related Records)

The weirdo Phoenix label Related Records confused the hell out of me with “Hi My Name Is Ryan” because my name is Ryan and I thought they were trolling me. I’m still not convinced they weren’t, but the cheekily spelt Turqouiz Noiz goes a little further as a way of apology, making me think that the label was at least lurking in bedroom around 1994 when I was listening to Dead Milkmen offshoot bands or Violent Femmes or Sebadoh. Those were primo formative years.

Turqouiz Noiz is four kooks called Brendan, Patrick, Rachel, and Rocky, and they speak the lo-fi rock jargon I was once so familiar with. Fun noisy experiments collide with fun fuzzy guitar jams for the freaked-out spazz we all once were. Would I have been surprised hearing Turqouiz Noiz busting out of my tiny clock radio speaker I hovered over to catch the latest Heavy Vegetable or Silkworm tune on the barely-in-range college radio station back in my high school years? No. no I would not.

https://www.facebook.com/turqouiznoiz/

https://relatedrecords.bandcamp.com/

--Ryan

MARY OCHER "Faust Studio Sessions and Other Recordings" C27 (Related Records)

The vocals on “Faust Studio Sessions…” are masterfully bewitching and truly over-the-top-to-the-point-of-other-worldliness, the depth and richness of her contralto croonery matched and amplified by a vibrato so aggressive, it harkens back to the golden years of SPARKS. Mary Ocher then takes this energy and fleshes it out with relatively minimal (yet powerful) accompaniment of acoustic chords galloping, strings plucked, tubas touted, marching snares percussing, lapsteels whistling, and or tympani a-thunderings. &to sweeten the pot, there’s also a cover of Robbie Basho’s “Blue Crystal Fire” on here, and, if ANYone can cover him and do his songs justice, it’s Mary fucking Ocher!

A slight departure from the more heady compositions found on her earlier works, FSS isn’t just some collection of wild b-sides but a truly stand-alone testament to MO’s creativity and ability to make MORE with less. Not only are the creative melodies catchy as hell, but so is the actual voicing of the words. Truly powerful!

https://relatedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/faust-studio-sessions-and-other-recordings
and/or
http://www.maryocher.com/

-- Jacob An Kittenplan

HI MY NAME IS RYAN “Honestly” (Related Records)

Hey, MY name is Ryan too! What are the odds? Not to be weird or anything, but this sort of looks like my high school yearbook photo… Erm, no, we’re not the same Ryan. I had to think about it for a second.

Ryan Avery has a great time riffing a capella to appreciative audiences, sometimes in spoken word. These are funny, short songs/tracks/etc., and Avery’s wit and wisdom (he’s released a lot of stuff, check out his Bandcamp below) seems to translate well to a live setting. Have fun with this one.

Hi My Name Is Ryan

Related Records

--Ryan Masteller 

My apologies for the brief lapse in posting. We have now returned with our regularly scheduled programming - Ed.