Cocktails - "Hey Winnie"

The older I get, the more raucous guitar-driven punk and rock 'n' roll I seem to be listening to. This blog used to be evenly populated by folk, funk and afro-pop, electro-pop, and even old Studio One reggae gems. But over the past year, the songs that have been most consistently lighting the fire of inspiration under this music nerd's ass are the ripped, gnarled, fuzz-soaked six-stringed output of bands like King Tuff, The Tough Shits, Eternal Summers, White Wires, and Natural Child. The latest addition to this near-constant rotation is San Francisco's promising Cocktails: the first great discovery of 2013. The group's 4-track 7" EP—out in February on Father/Daughter Records—was recorded last summer in Oakland's glam-punk outpost, Fuzz City—run by the folks behind Warm Soda. That collaboration is evident from the first glam-smacked punch of drumming on EP opener, "No Blondes (In California)." But today I'm sharing the barely two-minute-long first single "Hey Winnie"—an explosive and unabashedly fun jump-kick to the gut filled with dueling guitar riffage and fiercely sharp power-pop melodies.

Pre-order the 7" vinyl from Father/Daughter.

Cocktails - "Hey Winnie"

Teen Mom 12" EP Giveaway

The latest release on our label Analog Edition came out this week: the six-song debut EP from DC fuzz-pop purveyors Teen Mom. We love this record and are excited as hell about releasing it to the rest of the world. To celebrate, we're giving away a copy of the nearly sold-out clear and a copy of the black 12" vinyl, along with a few other extra LPs we have lying around, like Chromatics Kill For Love 2XLP and Desire's II. To enter, simply "like" our brand spanking new Analog Edition Facebook page . We'll do two giveaways: one when we hit 50 likes and another at 100. Incentivize yourself below with a stream of the entire Mean Tom EP.

As always, if you dig what we're doing, any support you can muster is deeply appreciated. You can buy the vinyl here or get the album digitally from iTunes.

Record Store Day Giveaway

In honor of every music nerd's favorite holiday, Record Store Day, we're giving away two complete sets of Analog Edition vinyl. To get a shot at the goods, all you need to do is head to your favorite record store tomorrow and purchase a piece of holiday wax. Send proof of your purchase via a photograph on your mobile device, a receipt, or a detailed textual description to matt@analogedition.com with "RSD Giveaway" in the subject line, and we'll pick two winners from there.

Here's what you're getting: Lands & Peoples' freshly pressed debut Pop Guilt (limited to 300 hand-numbered copies), 7"s from Blake Mills and Stone Darling, a 10" EP from Breakfast In Fur, and one of the last four copies of our inaugural Analog Edition Zine. Find your participating neighborhood record stores here.

Lands & Peoples - "Ghosts" (from Pop Guilt)
Lands & Peoples - "I Tried" (from Pop Guilt)

AE004: Lands & Peoples :: Pop Guilt

I first wrote about Baltimore band Lands & Peoples back in 2009 when I was living in Portland, Oregon. I immediately asked for an interview, because I was so mesmerized and enamored with the vast and transportive sonic landscapes the group seemingly conjured out of everyday instruments.

Lands & Peoples have now been one of my favorite bands for years, and I couldn't be more excited to be releasing their debut LP, Pop Guilt, on Everybody Taste's own imprint, Analog Edition. Pop Guilt's 11 tracks are the group's strongest and most fully realized to date, weaving honeyed pop hooks through intricately designed and immersive instrumentals as the group blurs the lines between infectious pop and experimental music.

The cover art, designed by Christopher Muccioli of fellow Baltimore band Secret Mountains, is a photograph of a melted vinyl record and it's meant to embody that dichotomy between pop and experimentation: a vehicle for straightforward recorded music that's been warped and turned upside down.

Recorded with Chris and Mickey Freeland (Lower Dens, Wye Oak) at Beat Babies in Baltimore, mixed by Mat Leffler-Schulman (Future Islands) at Mobtown Studios, and mastered by Paul Gold (Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective) at Salt Mastering, Pop Guilt's arsenal of expertly delivered sonic goodies includes everything from violin and a quietly plucked acoustic to growling swells of electric guitar and room-shaking crashes of synthesizer. The band’s defining element though is the soaring and dynamic pipes of members Beauregard Cole and Caleb Moore (the two dudes with the butt cuts). While the two Oxford, Mississippi transplants and best friends since the 11th grade play drums, guitar, and a handful of other instruments on the record, it’s their distinctive voices and head-turning harmonies that cut through every song’s heady tapestry of sound to lend Pop Guilt its brightest and most indelible pop color.

Pop Guilt will be released digitally and on a limited run of 12” white vinyl March 27th. The vinyl, pressed in an edition of 300 hand-numbered copies, features inserts with original art by Baltimore's Stephen Matthew Booth and free digital download codes. All pre-orders will receive immediate access to a digital download of the album.

Pre-order Pop Guilt from Analog Edition.

Lands & Peoples - "Ghosts" (from Pop Guilt)

If you live in DC or Baltimore, the record release show is tonight at Soft House. Details here.

Mikal Cronin & King Khan split 7"

Mikal Cronin's a busy guy. Last year, the young west coast marvel released one of ET's favorite albums of the year via his sharply melodic self-titled debut. In 2012, Cronin has already released one 7" via Goner Records with a second on the way next month: a split with King Khan & The Shrines for Bruise Cruise. Apparently the yearly debauchery-laden garage-rock fueled cruise down to the Bahamas also includes perks like limited edition vinyl. Check out both tracks from the split below.

Mikal Cronin - "Am I Wrong" (from Bruise Cruise 7")
King Khan & The Shrines - "Bite My Tongue" (from Bruise Cruise 7")

Best of 2011: Analog Edition Records

We couldn't really recap 2011 without mentioning Everybody Taste's venture into the world of vinyl pressing with our very own imprint, Analog Edition Records. Analog Edition started out of a desire to press what we still consider to be the best record of 2010 onto vinyl: Los Angeles guitarist Blake Mills' spectacular Break Mirrors. Thanks to the folks at Blake's label Record Collection, we ended up with a double A-side 7" featuring two of Break Mirrors' best tracks, the two-chord foot-stomper "Hey Lover" and the Fleetwood Mac-tinged "Winter Song." From there, Analog Edition teamed up with promising New Paltz, New York band Breakfast In Fur to release its warm and dreamy debut EP—a collection of songs colored with washes of psychedelia and a sense of child-like wonder—onto 10" vinyl. The third release of the year came again from Los Angeles, this time with Stone Darling's "I Stopped Missing You Today" 7": while the A-side pop-informed break-up single hammers away with deep fuzzy guitars and sledgehammer drums, the flip side "Angeline" is a wash of wide-open harmonies, tumbleweed rolling drums, and vintage heartache-riddled country storytelling. Analog Edition also released its first music zine with contributions from some of our favorite bloggers, labels, and artists, including Infinity Cat, Mississippi Records, Rollo Grady, Aquarium Drunkard, Sonny Smith, Lord Huron, and Levek.

Analog Edition Giveaway

In honor of Analog Edition's third release—Stone Darling's white vinyl pressed I Stopped Missing You Today 7"—we will be giving away two complete sets of our catalogue to loyal readers of Everybody Taste. This includes our Blake Mills 7", Breakfast In Fur 10", a copy of the Analog Edition Zine, and the new Stone Darling 7" (plus a kickass sticker of our logo). To enter, please use the buttons below to either 'Tweet' or 'Like' this post and then send an email to matt@analogedition.com with 'giveaway' in the subject line.

Update: Winners have been chosen. Thanks for participating and helping spread the word!

New Release Day :: Go Buy Vinyl

A handful of the strongest records of 2011 were all released simultaneously this morning, including Neon Indian's staggering synth opus Era Extraña, St. Vincent's dark masterpiece Strange Mercy, and Girls' highly touted and ambitious Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Along with that holy Trinity, we've got promising new LPs by The Drums, Blitzen Trapper, Mates of State, Holiday Shores, Wild Flag, and an EP by Toro Y Moi. If you collect vinyl, please head out to and support your local record shop today (our favorite DC stores: Crooked Beat, Red Onion Records, and Som Records). If you aren't in the vinyl game, digital retailers like iTunes and Amazon have you covered, the latter of which has Strange Mercy for only $3.99.

After the jump, watch the two best music videos of the year courtesy of the wildly creative minds of Neon Indian and St. Vincent.

AE003: Stone Darling - "I Stopped Missing You Today" 7"

I've been raving about Los Angeles band Stone Darling since I first heard "All I Wanna Do" back in March. Now, I'm ecstatic to announce this burgeoning rock and roll troupe is releasing its first 7" on our very own imprint, Analog Edition. Pressed on white vinyl in a limited edition of 500, this single is comprised of the hard-hitting, straight-for-the-pop-jugular A Side "I Stopped Missing You Today" and the expansive and harmony-washed slow-burner "Angeline" on the flip side. The front cover photograph is by the amazingly talented Lauren Ward.

You can pre-order the 7" now at Analog Edition. Orders will ship out in late August.

Stone Darling - "I Stopped Missing You Today" (from "I Stopped Missing You Today" 7")

Los Angeles folks: Stone Darling plays the Satellite every Monday in August and the shows are all FREE. The residency kicks off August 1st with help from the Fleet Foxes' J. Tillman.

Announcing Analog Edition Records

Dearest Readers,

It is with great pleasure that I announce the launch of Analog Edition Records. Our goal is to help elevate great music we've encountered on the internet by giving it a personalized analog home on the music world's most timeless format: vinyl records. The idea arose out of a simple comment I made here on Everybody Taste. I was responding to a commenter about the artist I had reviewed, Blake Mills, when I enthusiastically wrote that I hoped someone would re-release his music on vinyl. After I’d finished typing, I thought, can I do that? And thanks to Mills and the good folks at his label, Record Collection, I am. Analog Edition currently has two releases—a 7” and 10”—making their way through the pressing plant with hopefully many more to come.