LET HIM ROLL: Americana/country artist John McDonald released a 13-track album of cover songs recently that’s pretty faithful to the original versions. The record is named Fools For Each Other, and contains McDonald’s take on multiple songs by Guy Clark and John Prine, and one-offs from Jimmy Buffett, Glen Frey and others. Specific highlights are McDonald’s version of Clark’s “Anyhow I Love You,” the George Jones and Lawton Williams song “Color Of The Blues,” and the Blaze Foley-composed “If I Could Only Fly,” which has been performed by several artists, most notably Merle Haggard. Find this at johnmcdonald.bandcamp.com.
FIVE FOR FIGHTING: It’s been over five years since Nihilist Cheerleader blessed us with any new recorded music, but a couple of tracks have just eked out. The two-song Lo Fi Princess is aptly named, and opens with the meditatively psychedelic “Seriously Likewise {demo}” before shifting into a slightly higher gear for the lo-fi post-punk of “Minima Moralia,” which has a cool sense of pacing and a nice arrangement. Find this at nihilistcheerleader.bandcamp.com and keep up with the group, which has been playing live at an increased clip lately, over at facebook.com/NihilistCheerleader.
’TIS THE SEASON: Preorders are open now for the upcoming Christmas album reissue by Fred Schneider & the Superions. You may recognize Fred from his other band, too, which has enjoyed some success. This reissue, Destination Christmas, comes courtesy of HHBTM Records and is slated for release Nov. 17. As you might imagine, this album is dance party-ready or even sit down party-ready. There are a few oddities here, too, relatively speaking, like the spooky “Under The Tree,” the deconstructed burlesque vibe of “Jungle Those Bells” and the Grinch-approved “Crummy Christmas Tree.” Drop your bucks over at hhbtm.com and have a great holiday.
BLINK AND YOU’LL MISS IT: The newly released split cassette between LeeAnn Peppers and Motion Sickness of Time Travel is already sold out, but don’t worry, buddy, you can still get on the digital tip with this. The physical tape was released by Louisville, KY label Humanhood Recordings, which is also hosting the digital files. Peppers takes side one with a 20-minute piece awash in digital wave sounds underscored by a persistent drone that opens up for a couple of minutes around the 13-minute mark before going back down. Motion Sickness of Time Travel also contributes 20 minutes of music here, albeit with a more hopeful sense of being. While it, too, is largely drone-based, it features several oscillating patterns. Find this at humanhoodrecordings.bandcamp.com.
TRICK OR TREAT: Composer Andrew Steck, via his Arfus Records label, has a new single out named “Drinking With the Devil.” It’s based on a spoken word/poem piece by longtime Athenian Ripley Keller, but performed by Jeremy Dyson (Count Zapula, etc.) on this recording. The music is very Steck-ish in that this could easily slot into both an indie-film soundtrack and a collection of lost 20th century treasures with equal ease. He’s also put some pop music Easter eggs in here, too, and it’s been fun identifying them. Klon Waldrip, who also occasionally illustrates for Flagpole, made the cover art. Find this at andrewsteck.bandcamp.com and keep up with all things Arfus over at arfusrecords.com.
SONGS FROM THE DOOM ROOM: Psych-stoner rockers Hypersleep have a new three-song, self-titled EP out as we speak. Each of these three tracks is a wonderful showcase of the band’s flexible interpretation of its genre while still embodying the best of all its worlds. Simply put, if you’re expecting another rote regurgitation of the low-n-slow talking points of most doom-stoner bands, you won’t find it here. Hypersleep positively rocks through all three of these songs. While opening track “Sunnburnn” is closest to what folks might expect (and a hat tip should be given for its inside-baseball title) the next two (“Space Jockey” and “Dying Mars”) are each a solid lesson in how to add some thrash into the mix. This is a really cool little record and should be enjoyed again and again. Find it at hypersleep.bandcamp.com.
NONE MORE BLACK: Rat Babies is easily in the running for Athens’ most determined band. Not coincidentally, it’s also easily among the groups that have honed and refined its sound over several years. Simply put, Rat Babies, whatever it’s up to at any given moment, is always one to watch. Most recently, it released Live From Ellijay, which documents the group’s performance at the Gilmer Arts Playhouse this past July. And, as mentioned in the album notes, it covered Ellijay in sludgy doom, indeed. Opening with “Medicine,” the group drives even further from that track’s darkness into the positively menacing “Bury A Friend” after plowing through the direct chest thumps of “Drunk On Dreams.” There’s some other stuff here, too, but I’m going to let you figure those out on your own. Find this at ratbabies.bandcamp.com.
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