Pond - "Dig Brother"

Side projects have been coming out of the woodwork of late with members from the likes of Craft Spells, Beach Fossils, and Braids releasing solo work and collaborative projects into the interweb under various umbrellas. The most striking of late though has been Western Australian psych-rock group Pond, a project started by two members of one of 2010's more acclaimed acts, Tame Impala. Pond is a bit looser, more playful, and even poppier in tone than Tame Impala's driving hypnotic psychedelia. Take our current favorite track from Beard, Wives, Denim: a track that lights up in its chorus with shimmering harmony over goofy late 60s and early 70s-era lyrics like "dig brother, dig" and "it's cool brother, it's cool." The lyrics may be silly, but the instrumentals swing and groove channeling at points a swampy heated Creedence and later in the fuzzy outro jam, like a dark heavy hit of Jefferson Airplane. Pond may not be reinventing rock 'n' roll on tracks like "Dig Brother," but they're having a hell of a good time and that makes it all the more enjoyable to listen along.

Pre-order the vinyl from Modular.

Pond - "Dig Brother" (from Beard, Wives, Denim)

Tame Impala - "Vital Signs" (Midnight Juggernaut cover)

I've had the Tame Impala album and EPs for a while now, but it wasn't until taking an 8-hour train ride from Portland to Vancouver with the Aussie gents blasting through my giant headphones that I really became hooked. Riding alongside the water and through the mountains, it was the perfect soundtrack: wild, flanger-effected guitars, wavy tremolo vocals, a deep pounding bass, and most importantly, where most psychadelic music veers off into drug-induced oblivion, Tame Impala drive and propel obsessively forward with uptempo and focused drumming. I've been especially digging this acid-washed Midnight Juggernauts cover—the simple, repeatable and quick to please "Vital Signs."

Tame Impala - "Vital Signs" (Midnight Juggernauts cover)