New York‘s Tee Pee Records, not to be outdone, has just put out info on three showcases they’re doing in October, one in Brooklyn for CMJ, one in Montreal and one in Los Angeles. Good to keep busy, I guess. Here’s the PR wire info:

Tee Pee Records has announced a trio of label showcases set to take place this Fall. The independent record company will grandstand its diverse family of artists this autumn at special events on both sides of the US and also in Canada.

Pop Montreal 2010 presents the Tee Pee Records Showcase
Saturday, October 2
Katacombes (1635 St-Laurent, Montréal, QC H2X 2S9)

Featuring: Priestess, Naam, Mirror Queen, The Main Street Gospel
Tee Pee Records and CMJ present:
The 2010 Tee Pee Records CMJ Showcase
Friday, October 22
Union Pool (484 Union Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11211)
Featuring: Priestess, Naam, Quest for Fire, Mirror Queen, The Atomic Bitchwax, Hopewell, Weird Owl, The Main Street Gospel

Tee Pee Records proudly presents All Hallows Eve
Thursday, October 28 & Friday, October 29
Spaceland (1717 Silver Lake Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026)
Featuring:
Night one: Black Cobra, Ancestors, Black Math Horseman, Imaad Wasif
Night two: Big Business, The Fucking Wrath & two more TBA
*Special kick off performance by Jason Simon on October 27 @ Vacation Vinyl

Los Angeles-based double-guitar five-piece Night Horse treat classic rock like it’s a pretty lady. They take it out do a nice dinner, they hold the door, they pick up the tab, maybe they go to a show afterwards, and all the while they’re perfectly charming. Of course, sweet love is later made, and the end result is the band’s second album for Tee Pee Records, Perdition Hymns, which is 11 tracks of high-grade rock and roll genetics that, listening through, I’m honestly surprised didn’t come out on Small Stone. Where Tee Pee has mostly diverted into the heavy psych realm — bands like Quest for Fire, Naam, Earthless, etc. – Night Horse seem more suited to accompany the likes of Sasquatch, the recently-reviewed Red Giant, Gozu and perhaps most of all Sun Gods in Exile, whose 2009 album Black Light, White Lines, was equally shy about showing off its riff and solo prowess. And by that I mean not at all.

But there’s a Tee Pee connection in that Night Horse guitarist Justin Maranga also plays in Ancestors, so there you go, mystery solved. And honestly, after hearing the kind of blues-driven ‘70s jams Night Horse traffic in, I can’t imagine not wanting to put out a record like Perdition Hymns, no matter what sound you’re trying to associate your label with. Songs like the powerful opening trio of “Confess to Me,” “Angel Eyes” and “Rollin’ On” provide the kind of rock wallop you’d usually expect from an older bunch of dudes, but Night Horse’s love for what they do is evident. You can hear it in the playing of Maranga and fellow six-stringer Greg Buensuceso, in the straight-ahead rhythms of bassist Nick D’Itri and drummer Jamie Miller, and in the vocals of Sam James Velde, whose performance was also a highlight on Night Horse’s debut, The Dark Won’t Hide You, but is perhaps even stronger on Perdition Hymns, standing up with no trouble to the considerable instrumental competition provided by the band behind him.

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Just last week, I posted Night Horse tour dates and made my complaint known that the band wasn’t going to be coming out to the East Coast. Lo and behold, last night I check the PR wire and what’s there but a new batch of shows for guitarist Justin Maranga‘s other band, the heavy-psych awesomeness known as Ancestors, and they’re not coming east either! What is it, man? Do I smell?

The answer to that question, inevitably, is yes. While I go track down some deodorant to reapply, check out these Ancestors dates with new Tee Pee labelmates, The Fucking Wrath:

Ancestors and The Fucking Wrath will embark on a string of West Coast tour dates in late October. The Fucking Wrath recently signed with Tee Pee Records and will be releasing the EP Terra Fire on October 19. Ancestors are supporting their 2009 critically acclaimed sophomore album Of Sound Mind.

Ancestors/The Fucking Wrath tour dates:
10/20 Zahn Zillas, Ventura, CA
10/21 Hemlock Tavern, San Francisco, CA
10/22 East End, Portland, OR
10/23 Comet Tavern, Seattle, WA
10/25 Jambalaya, Arcata, CA
10/26 Nick’s Night Club, Chico, CA
10/27 Jose’s Mexican Bar & Grill, Monterey, CA

I still haven’t listened to Night Horse‘s second album, Perdition Hymns. I’ll get there. It’ll be reviewed soon enough. Not like I need to worry though, because the band’s upcoming tour is headed nowhere near Jersey, so even if I was to immerse myself in their ultra-bluesy ’70s rock, I wouldn’t get the chance to complement that experience with a live show. Crazy California gets everything. Fuckin’ hoverboards.

Alright. Here’s tour dates from the PR wire:

Night Horse returned with their highly-anticipated sophomore effort Perdition Hymns on Aug. 3, produced and mixed by Matt Bayles (Pearl Jam, Mastodon, The Sword). Perdition Hymns is a patent demonstration of a group that has quickly become a well-refined songwriting machine. The band has chiseled the six-minute jam style songwriting of their debut The Dark Won’t Hide You into the hook-laden gems that comprise Perdition Hymns; with riff driven catchiness and soaring melodies that stick.

Perdition Hymns is a rock and roll classic for current times; a statement of what’s to come within today’s musical landscape; a missing link to years gone by; and a glimpse into what is about to become.

Night Horse tour dates:
Aug. 20 Los Angeles, CA Vacation Vinyl (Free in-store)
Aug. 28 San Diego, CA Soda Bar
Sept. 10 San Diego, CA The Casbah (w/Olivelawn)
Sept. 14 Long Beach, CA The Prospector (w/Radio Moscow)
Sept. 15 Ventura, CA Zan Zillas (w/Radio Moscow)
Sept. 16 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland (w/ Radio Moscow)
Oct. 7 San Francisco, CA The Hemlock
Oct. 8 Portland, OR East End
Oct. 9 Seattle, WA The Comet

Some context: I was in Connecticut with The Patient Mrs. for some familial-type obligations and a couple days of the madness known as relaxation, but that wasn’t going to keep me from seeing the Melvins and Totimoshi at Webster Hall in NYC, so I hopped in I-95 South last Friday after posting the Frydee video and sat for about three hours to make an hour and a half trip.

It was only stressful because I didn’t see Totimoshi at Roadburn, and so wanted to catch their set. The show was early because Webster Hall knows what pays the bills, and that’s dance parties for yuppie assholes. 10:30 or so, and they come in and the Melvins crowd is out. Fine. Totimoshi were on stage as I paid my $30 to get in at 7PM. I barely made it.

Isis headlined. It was their last tour, and no, I didn’t stay. I’m sorry. I wasn’t interested enough to even listen to the free promo download I got of their last album, so I would have felt disingenuous staying for their set just because it’s allegedly the last time I’ll get to see them. I already have my good memories of killer Isis shows. I don’t need any more. Plus I had three more hours of traffic to sit in to get back to The Patient Mrs., and I didn’t want to miss out on that.

I like Totimoshi. I’ve liked Totimoshi for a long time now and I still like them. I think that was probably the biggest stage I’d ever seen them on, and even with drummer Chris Fugitt using half of the Dale Crover/Coady Willis combined megakit, they sounded good. But really, I’m just pulling for Totimoshi because I think they should be headlining tours instead of this perennial “always the bridesmaid” thing they seem to have going on. They could very well have sucked and I’d be blinded by my affection for them. Doesn’t mean I enjoyed the set any less.

Although, one thing about this show: it was fucking packed. And hot. And after three hours of 95, I was, well, a grumpy little bitch. About everything. I was grumpy shelling out $30 for a show I knew I wasn’t going to see all of, I was grumpy they were sold out of Melvins box sets (though the new album was just $10, which I happily paid), and I was grumpy smashed in with a douchetastic NYC crowd in the sweltering Webster Hall main room. Normally, beer is the solution to this, but the last thing I wanted was a dooey (I think that’s how it’s spelled, though I’ve seen it as D-U-I too), so I just stewed in it.

And then came the Melvins. They kicked ass. That’s all there is to it. They were really tight, the material sounded really good — highlights being the call and response of “The Water Glass” and “Electric Flower” from The Bride Screamed Murder and a couple nods to the Lysol record in the form of the Flipper cover “Sacrifice,” “Hung Bunny” and “Roman Bird Dog” — bassist Jarred Warren was dressed as a super hero, Crover and Willis‘ two-man drumset looked and sounded killer, and Buzz Osborne led the charge as only he could. Leaving when they were done, I didn’t feel like I was missing the highlight of the evening.

I took some pictures, but they sucked. I took some video, but the batteries died (hence the Bonnaroo clip below). And finally, I took myself back to Connecticut, where I watched the Black Sabbath Classic Albums: Paranoid DVD again (thanks, Pete), and called it a night. I don’t know whether to mark it a win or not — I think the math works out in the red, though I haven’t drawn up any charts — but fuck it, two killer sets is a big help when it comes to focusing on the positive, and I’m going to try to do just that.

Few and far between are the albums I’ll hear these days and have to listen to on repeat over and over again the way small children watch Disney movies. Not that I don’t like what I’m hearing, it just doesn’t happen that often. You get older, your tastes change and the way you listen to music changes.

Fatso Jetson‘s long awaited Archaic Volumes, however, is a record I just can’t enough of. I don’t doubt that it would be higher on this list had it come out earlier in the year, but even so, for the sheer amount of times I’ve been back and forth from “Jet Black Boogie” to “Monoxide Dreams,” I feel like my feet have worn in the path.

I’ve already reviewed Archaic Volumes and posted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Mario Lalli, but I think if there’s anything left to be said about the album, it’s in the area of the tightness between players, especially drummer Tony Tornay and bassist Larry Lalli, who comprise one of the sickest rock rhythm sections I’ve ever heard. Not only are they in lockstep as regards the songs, but each player presents a unique personality in what they do that just pushes Archaic Volumes head and shoulders above other records that have come along in 2010.

If you haven’t heard it yet, consider this yet another recommendation to do so (that’s pretty much the point of this list anyway, right?), because Fatso Jetson‘s Archaic Volumes is one of those right-idea-right-time albums that you just won’t be able to leave alone. Definitely one of this year’s best releases, and well worth the seven years it took to get it out.

It’s nearly midnight Saturday night on the East Coast when Mario Lalli calls from the land-line at Cafe 322, the restaurant he co-owns with cousin and Fatso Jetson bandmate, Larry Lalli (bass). Mario talks quickly and says much, which is a relief. After trying to make the interview happen for a couple days, I’m glad he’s a talker, though from what I understand, you have to be in his line of work.

Eight years have passed since the 2002 release of Fatso Jetson‘s last studio album, Cruel and Delicious, but their newest work, Archaic Volumes (review here), is perhaps their most vital, balancing their love of Southern Californian hardcore punk with the staple rock of the desert in which they formed and bringing to it all a sense of maturity that can be heard in more than just the saxophone playing of Vince Meghrouni.

As we speak , I can hear the hustle, sundry crashes, conversations and millings about at Cafe 322. Just past the halfway point in our conversation, a live band starts up. But if this is the chaos out of which came Archaic Volumes, the rampant go-go-go of which is ceaseless from front to back, it’s well matched.

In the interview that follows, Mario Lalli opens up about owning the restaurant and how it has changed his life both practically and creatively, in Fatso Jetson (rounded out by Tony Tornay on drums) and in the trio Yawning Man, in which he joins guitarist/vocalist Gary Arce and drummer Alfredo Hernandez, playing bass. Yawning Man also has a new record up for release — more on that to come, hopefully — and we get to the heart of making it all happen while also charged with keeping a life together.

Q&A is after the jump. Please enjoy.

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I think maybe because they didn’t have the same grandiose scope as Ancestors, with whom they share guitarist and occasional Obelisk checker-inner Justin Maranga, Los Angeles‘ Night Horse didn’t get the attention they really deserved on their first record. As we all know, there’s no fix for that except releasing another, and that seems to be the plan for Night Horse, whose sophomore Tee Pee Records full-length of classically styled rock is due the first week of August.

The band has uploaded the track “Good Bye Gone” to their MySpace now and will have a new EP for free download on their website come June 15. I’m sure there will be more on that later. Till then, here’s what the PR wire has to say about the new album, Perdition Hymns:

Celebrated Los Angeles, CA, rock ‘n roll band Night Horse has completed work on its sophomore album. Titled Perdition Hymns, the record will see an August 3, 2010 release date via NYC’s Tee Pee Records.

Recorded in East L.A. at Infrasonic Sound (Beck, The Mars Volta, No Age), Night Horse’s Perdition Hymns is an album made by fans of rock, for fans of rock! Produced and mixed by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, PearlJam, Isis), the record is a classic for current times, made up of all the peaks and valleys, textures and nuances that timeless records yield over repeated listens. Songs like “Choose Your Side” and “Shake Your Blues” demonstrate guitarists Justin Maranga (Ancestors) and Greg Buensuceso’s flair for intricately weaving guitar leads and rhythmic patterns, much like their classic predecessors Thin Lizzy or The MC5 did, while vocalist Sam James Velde (ex-Bluebird) invokes the ghosts of every classic rock singer you’ve ever loved by flat-out refusing to hold anything back; the singer teeters on the edge of total abandon while the band pushes him closer to the brink.

“Writing and recording Perdition Hymns was an amazing experience,” says Velde in a statement. “The collaborative effort and the productivity we all showed were intense, but fun. Everyone was so focused and enthusiastic. The songs just came to us so quickly. We’d start with a riff, then POW it was on! Same went for writing the lyrics. I’d get a few words or ideas stuck in my head and then the melody was just there. It was magical, really.”

Perdition Hymns track listing:
1. Confess to Me
2. Angel Eyes
3. Rollin’ On
4. Good Bye Gone
5. Black Clouds
6. Come Down Halo
7. Blizzard of Oblivion
8. Hard to Bear
9. Shake Your Blues
10. Choose Your Side
11. Same Old Blues

Thinking about Church of Misery‘s Early Works Compilation the other day got me in a reissue state of mind, so I thought I’d take a look at some other recent re-releases. Rest assured, there’s never a shortage. Dig it:

Goatsnake: This came up in my interview with Greg Anderson, but it’s worth mentioning here as well that Goatsnake‘s 2000 sophomore outing, Flower of Disease (originally on Man’s Ruin), has been reissued on Southern Lord. Unlike when they did I/Dog Days a couple years back, there’s no new artwork or bonus material, but Flower of Disease has been out of print for probably about eight years now, and if you never managed to get a copy of it, it should go without saying that doing so is a worthwhile endeavor. It’s not the classic the first album is, but it stands the test of time nonetheless, with “Easy Greasy” and “A Truckload of Momma’s Muffins” set to kick your ass with doomed out goodness.

16: In 2009, Relapse put out 16‘s underrated Bridges to Burn reunion album and sent them off on the road like they’d never left it in the first place. Now the label has repressed the Los Angeles noise metal band’s blazing first two albums, Curves that Kick (1993) and Drop Out (1996), which for my money are right up there with Buzzov*en‘s terminally fucked up sludge and anything Unsane were doing at the time.

16 has always been one of those acts that never quite got the mass attention they deserved, and it doesn’t look like that’s about to change, but for the few who will check them out (new artwork and all), Curves that Kick and Drop Out both prove to be ahead of their time. No word on reissues of 16‘s other two albums, 1997′s Blaze of Incompetence and 2003′s Zoloft Smile.

Jameson Raid: The obscure pre-NWOBHM act formed in 1976 and barely made it past 1982, but the ever-vigilant Shadow Kingdom Records has seen to it their work will garner new appreciation (such as mine) with the discography collection, Just as the Dust Had Settled. Vocalist Terry Dark has a little Phil Lynott inflection to his voice, but it fits well over the music, which is culled from 1979′s debut Seven Days of Splendour single, 1980′s End of Part One EP and the Electric Sun demo from 1982. The songs vary in quality (and lineup), but the essential elements of the band come across even with dated production, the early Priest-isms of shining through without hindrance. Like a lot of Shadow Kingdom‘s reissues, Just as the Dust Had Settled is going to find itself a small but passionate market appeal, but NWOBHM fanatics and other curious parties should be thrilled to get their hands on it.

In a pathetic bid to live vicariously through anyone who was lucky enough to see it, the next day found me asking nearly everyone I talked to at this year’s Roadburn in Tilburg, Netherlands, how Goatsnake‘s set had been the night before. The response was universally positive. About the only person I didn’t ask was Goatsnake guitarist Greg Anderson, who also played the fest with Thorr’s Hammer — he’s also in dronely lords SunnO))) and founded Southern Lord Recordings, in case it wasn’t clear yet of whom I was speaking — though I had more than one opportunity to do so. If there’s anything more horrific than the sounds SunnO))) crafts on their latest album, Monoliths and Dimensions, though, it’s the thought of human interaction with someone I don’t already know, so you can pretty much figure that was out.

Goatsnake never actually broke up. There was no press statement, no talking of shit between former band members (at least not in public), no tour dates canceled. They just kind of petered out, first after 2000′s Flower of Disease full-length — just reissued on Southern Lord — and then again after 2004′s Trampled Under Hoof EP, and with Anderson, who was the principle songwriter, head-first involved in SunnO))), fans were more or less left to assume the days of Goatsnake‘s Crisco-thickened grooves were through. Vocalist Pete Stahl continued his work with earthlings? and bassist Guy Pinhas, who had been replaced by Scott Reeder (Kyuss, The Obsessed) and who had also played in The Obsessed with drummer Greg Rogers, part-time filled a vacant slot in Acid King. That was that.

And of course, owing to what Anderson refers to in our interview as “The Kyuss Syndrome,” once Goatsnake was no longer active, the band’s legend began to grow, eventually getting to such a fervency that not only were they asked by Roadburn to play, but also to headline on the main stage the first night of the festival. Pretty fucking impressive. In our discussion, Greg Anderson talks about the process of putting Goatsnake back together after nearly a decade of not playing with this lineup, his nervousness about the performance, and updates on SunnO))) and his Ascend project with Gentry Densley of Iceburn and Eagle Twin fame.

As always, Q&A is after the jump. Please enjoy.

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No doubt it’s with a characteristic tongue in his cheek that Fatso Jetson guitarist/vocalist Mario Lalli sings “These archaic volumes won’t ever really be heard” on the title track of the band’s sixth full-length, Archaic Volumes (Cobraside Distribution), but there’s something about the use of the word “really” that sets the line up for multiple levels of interpretation. The “volume” pun is one thing, but the line also seems to be saying those of us hearing the album aren’t really hearing it. There’s more behind the music and words than a surface listen can reveal. This is, as repeat visits to Archaic Volumes reveal, the complete and utter truth.

Fatso Jetson’s first studio album in eight years’ time since the release of Cruel & Delicious — there was the vinyl-only Fatso Jetson Live in 2007 – is rife with complexity, whether it comes in the tight, careful riffing of the infectiously catchy, harmonica-laden opener “Jet Black Boogie” or the casual surf influence topped off by Vince Meghrouni’s saxophone on “Back Road Tar.” Fatso Jetson has always been a complex band, meshing the members’ love of early ‘80s SoCal hardcore punk (read: Black Flag) with the more open tones consistent with the desert they call home, but the maturity on display with Archaic Volumes goes beyond genre meshing into individual expression, as the lyric-heavy near-psychedelia the band manages to fit into closer “Monoxide Dreams” would confirm.

And then there’s a completely different level on which to experience the album. The alliterative rhythm section of drummer Tony Tornay and bassist Larry Lalli are flat out astounding on “Golden Age of Cell Block Slang,” working the kind of swing into the song that Chris Goss’ Masters of Reality was reaching for on Pine/Cross Dover and fell comparatively short of. They work equally well in the straight desert push of second track “Play Dead” and the cover of The Cramps’ “Garbage Man,” which Mario’s vocals turn into an anthem and mission statement for the band at this stage in their career. While I’m pointing out highlight tracks, the pulsating crunch of instrumental “Here Lies Boomer’s Panic” finds all of Fatso Jetson firing on all cylinders, Meghrouni belting out jabbing sax notes in line with both Lallis and Tornay and still managing somehow to stand out in the mix.

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According to an in-depth Obelisk investigative report (and by that I mean a comment on the band’s MySpace page), Eddie Glass of lauded Californian heavy psychedelic rockers Nebula has allegedly said that although the band canceled several weeks’ worth of tour dates last month, including several shows at South by Southwest in Austin, TX, they’re not actually done, just on break. Of course, it could have just been someone screwing with the Nebula MySpace account, and not Glass at all (why a comment and not a blog post?). You never know, but more likely Nebula will be reforming shortly with a revamped lineup.

Wouldn’t it be nice to see Glass get together with Mark Abshire and Ruben Romano for a record? I think it would be. I keep a list of things that would be nice, and that’s on it. Unfortunately, it’s under the subheading “Don’t Count on It,” so there you go. Here’s what Glass had to say on the subject:

Hey everyone. This is Eddie Glass. Sorry for missing that last tour. We were really psyched about it. Well, we as Nebula have been touring straight without missing shows since 1999. All over the world. Thanks for all who came and helped in the experience. As of late things started getting a bit rough with the touring and I got sick of it. The last cancellation had nothing to do with us as a band. Our transportation and things outside our control got out of hand. Well, I am starting a new band. I am on drums in one band and playing guitar and vocals in another. Still putting it together. Anyone out there into jamming respond. Hey Jim Jones. Ok. Nebula is taking a break for a while. We will probably play in the future, again, as I enjoy the playing guitar. I enjoy touring. Only problem is I am human and so are the other guys. We need a break. We are all working on new stuff. I am stoked on my new songs. You will be hearing them soon. Eddie Nebula

Nearly as rare as in-focus footage of their namesake are rock bands of Sasquatch‘s quality in Hollywood. The trio’s third album for Small Stone Records, III, is perhaps their most potent yet, meshing Grand Funk and Soundgarden and Sabbath in an environment where it’s less about how you play than who you are and what cellphone commercial your song has been in. As much as they don’t fit their surroundings, though, they’re just as necessary where they are: a voice of reason in a land where reason has no place. A rallying cry for the bullshit-free.

Guitarist/vocalist Keith Gibbs, bassist Jason Casanova (ex-Tummler) and drummer Rick Ferrante took part in this year’s SXSW festival and are among the bigger names at the upcoming Doom in June fest, but when I chatted with Gibbs (who is — you read it here first — a good dude) via telephonular apparatus, that had yet to be announced. A good portion of our conversation wound up being off the record, but Gibbs nonetheless spoke openly (and often hilariously) about the band’s excising of former bassist Clayton Charles, about making III and life in the post-apocalyptic hellscape they call home.

From their 2004 self-titled debut onward, I have always regarded Sasquatch as the great American hope for genuine stoner rock, and though, as Gibbs informs, they’ve moved somewhat beyond that classification, I am no less solid in my position today than I was six years ago. One still gets the feeling their best is yet to come.

My Q&A with Keith Gibbs is after the jump. Please enjoy.

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Desert rock luminary Brant Bjork has been embroiled in a prolific solo career for over a decade now, and with his latest album, Gods and Goddesses (released through his own Low Desert Punk imprint; the reincarnated version of what was once Duna Records), the former Kyuss and Fu Manchu drummer and successful multi-instrumentalist has changed his approach somewhat, focusing on higher production value and a tighter range of execution. In short, he’s gone back to his straightforward rock roots and blended the aesthetics of early ’70s hard rock (Deep Purple, Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, etc.) vinyl releases with his trademark desert approach, incorporating elements of surf, funk, soul and jazz for good measure.

My review of the album is here, so I won’t go on about it, but as someone who’s followed Brant Bjork‘s progression over the course of his solo works, it’s hard not to be excited about the material and dynamics Gods and Goddesses presents. Joining Bjork on the album are bassist and longtime friend Billy Cordell (Yawning Man), guitarist Brandon Henderson and drummer Giampaolo Farnedi, and the unit sound both crisp and organic thanks to the production of Ethan Allen (The 88s, Luscious Jackson), with whom Bjork has, as he explains in the interview, been waiting to work with for years.

He and the band are currently embarked on a European tour that includes a stop at the Roadburn festival in Tilburg, The Netherlands, but before he left, Brant Bjork took some time to discuss over the phone the change in his approach to making records that preceded Gods and Goddesses, founding Low Desert Punk, his time spent living in Spain and much more. Q&A is after the jump. Please enjoy.

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On the opening track of his ninth solo album, Gods and Goddesses, Brant Bjork sings, “What you’re hearing is exactly what was heard, yeah.” The former Kyuss and Fu Manchu drummer and songwriting force behind the short-lived Ché project isn’t wrong either; like each of his records since 1999’s debut, Jalamanta, Gods and Goddesses has a righteously natural feel. As ever, the songs sound like solo material, as in, they feel written by one person — which I never saw as a problem — but Brant (and here I’ll veer from my usual last-name-only method to save anyone being confused as to of whom we’re speaking) has adopted a methodology for coping with that. He’s put a new band together.

For those who’ve followed Brant Bjork’s career as an independent solo artist (and if you haven’t, you’ve missed some very exciting records; Jalamanta, Keep Your Cool, Local Angel, Tres Dias and its companion piece Somera Sol among them), the immediate difference you’re going to notice with Gods and Goddesses is the upswing in production value. Like most of his records, he’s releasing this one himself — through the still relatively new incarnation of Duna Records called Low Desert Punk — but he’s chosen to work with producer Ethan Allen (The 88, Luscious Jackson), and in so doing has added an air not necessarily of professionalism to his sound since if you’re not professional-sounding nine albums in, you shouldn’t be doing this, but definitely one of fulfillment. Tracks like the dune-ready “The Future Rock (We Got It),” the elaborately constructed “Radio Mecca” — on which Brant seems to be doing a vocal call and response with himself — and the later, more ethereal “Porto” sound complete and fully realized.

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