April 26, 2010

Today's Hotness: Tre Orsi, The Boo Jays

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>> You'll be excused for mistaking Tre Orsi's exceptional new rocker for a new, more aggressive track from California-based indie concern CoCo B's. Or even an old track from the late, lamented Lefty's Deceiver. But no, in fact Tre Orsi is Tre Orsi, and you will likely start hearing the name more and more with the release of the Denton, Texas-based indie rock act's debut full length. The collection is titled Devices + Emblems, and it will be released digitally by the rock-solid Comedy Minus One label June 8; the LP version of the record has been available from the band since late March. Devices + Emblems was produced by Bubba Kadane of Bedhead/The New Year fame, which may account for the transcendent guitar tone in the wonderful preview track "The Engineer" that we have posted below. Or maybe it does not account for that, perhaps the Tre Orsi chaps know from transcendent guitar tone, we don't want to short change them. "The Engineer" featured on the recent Matador scene comp Casual Victim Pile, and the band previously released a single "No. 7." The single is appended to the digital release of Devices + Emblems as bonus tracks. Pre-order the record right here.

Tre Orsi's "The Engineer"

>> In addition to being a holiday and a time of year, Halloween is also a state of mind. We know this because Mrs. Clicky Clicky is all about Halloween no matter what the calendar says. She would seem to have a kindred spirit in Naveed Mir, the sole proprietor of the Portland, Ore.-based spooky surf-psych band The Boo Jays. Mr. Mir's own Astrodorque Records will issue June 24 The Boo Jays' four-song single Happy Halloween on cassette and 7" glow in the dark vinyl. It's a little B-52s, a little Bauhaus, and more than a little awesome. Reverbed, bending guitar chords, eerie vintage synth and quietly growled vocals are the pleasantly recognizable psych signifiers for "Creepy Crawlin'." But the song we like best is "We Drank Your Blood With The Owls," which leads off side B of the planned release. The uptempo track rides breakneck drumming while Mir offers some of his hookier vocal and organ melodies. All the while a lead guitar line ripples under the weight of something like overdriven Small Stone under a canopy of crash cymbal. It's a hot track. Mir has graciously consented to let us give the track away here. Check it out, and if you dig it, order the vinyl here.

The Boo Jays' "We Drank Your Blood With The Owls"

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