Family Portrait / Wait

For the last few years, I’ve been sucking the life out of my limited collection of Family Portrait tracks stripped away from compilations and singles. Those few tracks in themselves were enough to credit the band with, but nothing feels as perfect as their debut record. I’ve been anticipating this explosion of sound of my entire life. I was born into this beautiful world searching for this LP and I’ve finally found it. The final result, the gift we’ve all been searching for, is finally here and it’s fucking incredible. Warm sounds bloom into crystal psychedelic melodies that melt and swell and bleed into each other like puddles. Puddles of rainbow liquid. It’s like Alex Mac took acid and went for a puddle-adventure from Munckin Land to the land of Oz, referencing decades of music along the way. Aside from the brilliant song writing, the production is fucking fantastic. It consumes the world around you and sweeps through every crevice of your body, the fullest, most wonderful sound you could possibly imagine. Everything about the record is perfect and it was totally 100% worth the life-long wait. The brilliance manifests itself in every second, every sound, every melodic swell, every munchkin you pass along the way. One of the most mind-blowing records I’ve ever experienced in my long reign as music director. How can you expect anything less from the royal court of the Underwater Peoples Kingdom? YOU CAN’T. It’s the incestuous family affair that Jerry Springer never showed you. Get it via Underwater Peoples here.

Dungeon Dots

Dungeon Dots is the new adventure of Brooklyn song writer Nicole Schneit, who runs the game as Air Waves. Schneit writes pretty excellent pop numbers with her acoustic guitar strung with warm harmonies that are the best to sing along to. Waters is without a doubt my favorite jam on the new LP and it will probably become an Achmed favorite, just like the perfect jams on their 2009 EP. Although the guitar melody is fun with a bass line that's almost Viennese Waltz-esque , I think it's really the sweetness of the lyrics and the harmony of Schneit's crisp defined vocals against the sweet raspy-ness in the background vocals that makes me love this jam. So fucking catchy. Oh boy. Karaoking like a Celine Dion jam right now.

Crazy Moving Images and Pill Wonder's "Family Vacation".

You may not have realized it yet, but Underwater Peoples is probably your favorite thing in existence. Sometime in the near future, you will have a moment of self actualization and then become obsessed with everything released on this amazing music label. You will realize how awesome every artist on their roster is and how you have the potential to attend the best music showcases of all time. I'm telling you kids, Underwater Peoples is pretty much the future.

Anyway, enough of my rambling about mermaids who release music, let's talk about this awesome new Pill Wonder record (again?). Remember the Long Blondes, "that was just nostalgic?" Well, that's how Jungle/Surf makes me feel inside. When I listen to all of the sweet cuts on this album, I feel like it's my childhood being washed up on a beach somewhere in Virginia. Now, I've never really been to Virginia but maybe I just think that because things like the sampling of the ocean and track titles like "family vacation" and "looking back." Or maybe I just do too much heroin. MADD DEEP / MOBB DEEP.

Anyway watch this awesome / dope / sick nasty video with the awesome jam, "Family Vacation" off of Jungle/Surf:



Disclaimer: I'm in a partnership for a drug free America.

Jam of The Day: Pill Wonder - Gone to the Market

Pill Wonder is a west coast band on my favorite label ever that makes wonderful pop jamz. Today's jam of the day is an example of one of these pop gems. Listen to it and listen to them and forever be influenced by the sounds of Pill Wonder. Gone To The Market is like eating dinner with Oprah P Winfrey; but ultimately far more wonderful of an experience.

Moving Images: Pill Wonder - Wishing Wale

Pill Wonder is one of the many beautiful juicy bands of Underwater Peoples Records, the best music label on the face of this planet. If you don't like Pill Wonder or you think you don't like Pill Wonder, well, you are seriously wrong. I think many of you wonderful people love Animal Collective and if you do, you'd love Pill Wonder. I hate comparing them to eachother, but Pill Wonder sounds like Animal Collective, but obviously less produced. I don't mean the whole lo-fi V. hi-fi war, but in fact Pill Wonder uses the sounds of instruments V. sampling. No beef with sampling, but Pill Wonder are much greater than their comparible counterparts. You should watch this video and enjoy their wonderful delicious sounds!