PICASTRO – You

Picastro YOUPicastro have slowly been marking a place for themselves in the world of alternative music with their wandering soundscapes since the late 90s.  Prior to this fifth release, they’ve toured with alt-folk/anti-folk acts Broken Social Scene, Scout Niblett and Devandra Banhart, their sound slowly evolving all the while.  If you didn’t “get” the band previously, 2014’s ‘You’ is intent on making sure you still won’t. In fact, ‘You’ is far more experimental than most of their prior works (certainly true if measured solely against 2007’s ‘Red Your Blues’).  Sure, they could channel their talents into something dreamy and in turn attract a larger audience of devotees, but then again, that would also destroy most of what makes the band so striking.

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MUTINY MUTINY – Don’t Quit Your Day Job

Mutiny MutinyIn 2011, Seattle post-punk/noise rock trio Mutiny Mutiny self-released their debut album ‘Constellation’.  Between the angular noises and bass heavy groove there lied a collection of surprisingly accessible numbers, cut from various classic influences including Sonic Youth, Slint and Fugazi.  Although using a similar blueprint for their second release ‘Don’t Quit Your Day Job’, it’s immediately clear the band have grown in the intervening couple of years.  There are a couple of moments where the band obviously falters – a natural phenomenon with regards to making a second record – but, thankfully, the missteps are few.

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