Bandcamp Blitz - September 22nd, 2019

I know I've taken a while to put out a new Blitz. I'm not trying to be a lazy ass, or stiff you out of a good time. I've been doing stuff. Just needed a little space away from the ol' rabbit hole. I promise to keep up in the future. I knew I was going to take a little mini vacation, I just had no idea how long I would while away the hours... Nerve Salad Records' only release so far, the Strippers In Love album, has been doing pretty well. Especially the cassettes. You collectors know a good thing when you see it. Beyond all of this, I apologize for the uninspired words as of late. A few other kinks to work out in real life, a couple more brainstorming sessions, a little bit o' gumption, and Bob's your uncle.

This Blitz is brought to you by:

Serial Hawk - Static Apnea
https://serialhawk.com/album/static-apnea
(An unstoppable force of melodic doom. Also a very impressive album overall for the band, showing much growth and maturity.)

Planet Of The 8s - Tourist Season
https://planetofthe8s.bandcamp.com/album/tourist-season 
(Good gosh... the "Holy Ballsnuts!" meter hasn't gone off like this in a while. Awesome, truly. Melodic stoner rock with all the right moves and grooves. This album will, without a doubt, be sticking with me for quite some time. Just what I needed. These riffy jams are weep-worthy, in my book. Man tears, friends.. every next track is a total banger.)

Young Guv - Guv I
https://youngguv.bandcamp.com/album/guv-i
(Groovy, sparkly power pop, pulling a few punky punches here and there. Guv II out soon-ly)

HARM LESS - Safe's Pace
https://harm-less.bandcamp.com/album/safes-pace
(Mathy post rock from Chicagoland. Album number 2 showing a huge step forward with added ideas, instrumentation, and twisty-turny rhythm. A one-man project in the same vein as the legendary Cloudkicker. Awesome!)

Anuseye - 3:33 333
https://anuseye30.bandcamp.com/album/3-33-333
(Screeching alt-stoner rock, some classy noise rock touches.Highly recommended from me, if that means anything. Probably going in the BOTY list... you just wait...)

The Pernice Brothers - Spread The Feeling 
https://pernicebrothers.bandcamp.com/album/spread-the-feeling 
(This album is an unbelievably adept celebration of power pop, 60s & 70s psych, jangly 80s pop, and Paisley Underground smatterings. Also my 1000th album in my collection on Bandcamp... this is a monumental occasion, and a little brag-worthy for all the above reasons. Splendid!)

Legba - Hell

https://legba.bandcamp.com/album/hell

(Blistering occult stoner rock. A tiny dash of Type O mixed with odds-and-ends doom/sludge. Really diverse, and a big surprise.)

Skyjoggers - Seasons Of Uiu
https://skyjoggers.bandcamp.com/album/seasons-of-uiu
(Whoa there! I got blindsided by this, for real. REALLY good heavy psych from Finland! One minute, I was just sitting there, and the next minute I'm getting slapped in the face by this ENTIRE album. Driving riffs, energetic scourge-of-the-earth tempos, tidy interludes, classy melodies, spacey space-outs... Holy Ballsnuts!!! Essential listening for groovy psych heads with a fondness for the heavier side of things. A+ for killer guitar tone.)

James Matthew VII - Stoned When I Pray 
https://jamesmatthewvii.bandcamp.com/album/stoned-when-i-pray 
(Heard this album a while back. Looked around for the vinyl. Never saw it. Thought it was a Soundcloud fluke. Lo and behold, this Psych/Americana gem appears! No need to sniff it out anymore.)

  - Andy B

Bandcamp Blitz - August 17th, 2019

The Blitz...
Less Stoner-ing and Doom-ing, more chilling this time around. 2019 has turned into a year that has been impossible to keep up with. Every single day, some awesome albums get released. I've got to calm down a little and learn to juggle some things around in life. Since 2019 refuses to let up, I'm keeping it down to the very nitty gritty of albums that are on the Nerve Salad radar. Of course there are tons more I could be ranting about, but let's keep this simple before I completely go mental...


Cloudkicker - Unending
https://cloudkicker.bandcamp.com/album/unending
(Insta-buy! Man oh man... we've waited a long time for this one. Incidentally, Cloudkicker was the reason I joined Bandcamp in the first place, so I could buy the LPs and have them show up in my collection. All new post rock from the mind of Ben Sharp.. brilliant! Just what the doctor ordered! Heavy and beautiful, bright and grimy...)

The Revenants - Dreamland
https://therevenants1.bandcamp.com/album/dreamland
(Such impressive music from what is, to me, a total enigma... Eliot Wilder, a person with Robert Pollard Syndrome in the absolute most incredible way possible. Shine on, man.. shine on...)

Reader - Engrams 
https://readerseattle.bandcamp.com/album/engrams
(I'm afraid I didn't give this a proper introduction before. A Nerve Salad first. I'm RE-doing a Blitz from before. This album... how can I begin to describe it? Mathy, nasty, noisy, melodic, twisted-up, tied-up, bound-up, spastic bombastic flakes of watery, crunchy sounds. I must say, this is likely one of the most compelling albums I've heard in a while. Lots of twists and turns, gravitational pulls, stark robotic landscapes filled with tributaries of shimmering metallic lines and jagged edges, but a bunch of birds and butterflies and bees all hang out in a paisley pasture, doting on purple blooms... Noisy melodic math rock.. maybe like Meat Puppets and Yes get together and form a band. Super super!)

RF Shannon - Rain On Dust
https://keeledscales.bandcamp.com/album/rain-on-dust
(Gorgeous. Eight fantastic tracks of spacey Psych/Americana, complete with a layer of "yacht rock"-esque sensibilities. Shows the band in fine form, a little tighter, a little peppier. This band has grown on me immensely in a short couple of years.)

Owel - Paris
https://owel.bandcamp.com/album/paris-2 
(Owel's music ebbs and flows through emotions. Since their debut, they've been quite a captivating band. Having seen them live a few times, it turns out they have quite the knack for recreating the sound of the album on the stage. They've been around for a while, making dreamy pop/alt-rock with very bright arrangements and a melancholy vibe. A hard-working bunch, this latest album, released in March of this year, shows the band in their element once again.)

The Dusty Pockets - DP EP Vol. 1
https://thedustypockets.bandcamp.com/album/dp-ep-vol-1
(Montana's Dusty Pockets return with another fantastic album! Country/soul/r&b/rock. A really good time wrapped up in a little package of 5 killer tunes.)

- Andy B.

Bandcamp Blitz - July 31st, 2019

I know, I know. I'm taking FOREVER to get the next Blitz out. Many other projects going on all at once. I was supposed to be taking a short break. It will be easier to get things done faster after I chip away at some stuff at Nerve Salad HQ. I'm working on a little thing with a band I'm in, Woodcreeper. I've been experimenting with different kinds of music throughout my whole life, playing in all kinds of bands, singing all kinds of styles. Woodcreeper is one of those strange experiments that turned into an actual working machine. Some alt-stoner rock or heavy rock.. I don't know what to call it. We just turned up our stuff and went off. Stay tuned for some real self-indulgent bullshit about that, I guess. We're almost done with our "Demo/EP". Might suck, might be awesome. Who knows? Meanwhile, grab yourself a Strippers In Love CD or tape.
https://nervesaladrecords.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-what-im-becoming


The Blitz awaits:


Arctic Sleep - Kindred Spirits
https://arcticsleep.bandcamp.com/album/kindred-spirits 
(Keith D. & company return with another gorgeous doom epic.  Arctic Sleep's last album was a real stunner. Kindred Spirits picks up where Passage Of Gaia leaves off and surges forth with huge hooks, lovely melodies. Heavy guitars, lush vocals. There's a lighthouse in the distance, but with all of this rain, we can't tell just how far away it is, so we just keep going. Is this a good album? Totally.)

Reader - Engrams
https://readerseattle.bandcamp.com/album/engrams
(Meat Puppets-y, twisted heavy alt-rock with fine vocals and barbed hooks. Layered vox equals interesting listen. Borderline proggy... has a real "beachy" feel at times. Really looking forward to the whole thing.)

Makeunder - Pale Cicada
https://music.wearemakeunder.com/album/pale-cicada
(Easily some of the best experimental R&B you're likely to hear this side of Saturn. A real gem in among the rubble. Get your socks knocked off.)

Gyasi - Androgyne
https://gyasimusic.bandcamp.com/album/androgyne
(Psych/glam/glitter rock with Bowie/Hoople-esque glitz. Shimmery lipstick morphed into a living snail, smearing itself over a guitar, invading the dreams of Roberto Cavalli while stumbling through a field of rose petals.. in high heels.. on Mars. Ultra-recommended.)

 

Salvadore Ross - The Transfiguration Of Salvadore Ross
https://salvadoreross.bandcamp.com/album/the-transfiguration-of-salvadore-ross
(Wow... perfect psych rock with '60s psych/pop influences. I mean.. how can this be terrible after hearing the first 45 seconds of the album? Strap in for another ride through the stratosphere.)

Hymnambulae - Nausikaa
https://hymnambulae.bandcamp.com/album/nausikaa
(Experimental psych? Prog? Spoken word? Dark ritual ambient? In any case, it's quite fascinating stuff from Sweden.)

Jordan Jones - s/t
https://belugarecords.bandcamp.com/album/jordan-jones-s-t
(Power pop, psych punk, classic rock. Infectious, really. One listen, and these tunes will affix themselves into your head.)

A little blitz for everybody. August will be here before we know it, and then its back to the grind as usual. Thanks for checking in!

- Andy Benson

Strippers In Love CDs and Cassettes

Manchester, UK and Balearic Islands, and Spain's Strippers In Love made a wonderful thing. The Psych/Stoner masterpiece is finally available in physical form!

Get It Here

Bandcamp Blitz - June 27th, 2019

Summer is officially here. The weather is hot and muggy. Just the way I like it. Another Blitz, right to the point.

Fat White Family - Serf's Up
https://fatwhitefamily.bandcamp.com/album/serfs-up
(Nasty electro-pop with emphasis on the nasty. Go ahead. Shine a black light on this album.There's going to be more stains that you can count. Classy.)

Shifting Sands - Crystal Cuts
https://shiftingsandsau.bandcamp.com/album/crystal-cuts 
(Psychy alt-country from Australia. At this point, I'm sure NOBODY will be surprised that I post something psychy alt-country from Australia. Seems to be the place to make that happen. A real sleepy feel to the whole thing, but keeps the pace well enough to keep you awake. Diggin' it.)

The Crawling Eye - No Short Stays 
https://thecrawlingeye.bandcamp.com/album/no-short-stays
(Alt rock with a touch of Americana and psych pop. NO mind-blowing proggy riffs, no cosmos-bending sweeps... just four good tunes.)

Camionero - Confianza en ti solo
https://camionero.bandcamp.com/album/confianza-en-ti-solo
(Argentina's best-kept secret rolls forth with another selection of killer Southern/Stoner Rock-styled tunes. Every album they make is a total gem. These guys need to be known the world over. Ready? And... go!)

Children Of The Sün - Flowers

https://childrenofthesunofficial.bandcamp.com/album/flowers 
(Wowee! Fine 60s/70s classic rock, straight from the tap. One tune here on Bandcamp, but trust me: This is album is gold. Plenty of hard licks and tasty tricks, lots of good times and unwinds, tons of heavy rocks, lovely locks, and tasty vox. Ya dig?)

The Hong Kong Sleepover - Butcher & Bolt
https://thehongkongsleepover.bandcamp.com/album/butcher-bolt
(I heard that some people, when they receive some kind of head trauma, come out of a coma or shock with new areas of their brains awakened... like, now they know how to play the piano or see the world in geometric patterns. Maybe if I listen to this album enough, I could actually be good at math.. but it seems like I would likely wind up knowing exact details of the history of samurai swords and nail bats. Does this band rule? You betcha. Get a snootful of this shit and you'll be clear as day, ready to throw down.)

Strippers In Love CDs & Cassettes Are Coming!

Hey all. Strippers In Love CDs and cassettes are almost here. It won't be long now, as we're getting word to prepare for arrival. I put up some pre-orders, all quiet-like. Jump on over to the Nerve Salad Records Bandcamp page and claim one before they get here, or you can wait until these are in our mitts.
When Nerve Salad decided to take this on, it was just an idea. The idea has turned into an adventure. Nerve Salad Records sprung from nothing, literally. Just a trickle... the trickle has turned into a flow.
Strippers In Love are not exactly a band anymore. The members each have their own things happening. The whole notion of releasing an album from a band that is on hiatus-until-further-notice is risky. I stand behind this band, and the members. What they created was something special.
I listen to A LOT of music. I do this so you don't have to. Nerve Salad is work.. a lot of it. I listen to hundreds of albums a year (countless), and when something comes around that really gets its claws in me, it's natural that I pursue it in any way that I can.
Strippers In Love - I Am What I'm Becoming is a special album. Production, writing, arrangement, playing, and overall feel... everything is unusual, creative, notably distinct and unique. Not stoner rock, not psych rock, not doom... But yeah.. all of that, too. The fact that the band never had a physical release just made my stomach churn. I wanted to release this on vinyl.. a fancy 2xLP. But, in the end, I'm still just Nerve Salad, and if I'm going to do this, I guess I have to start somewhere. CDs and cassettes, it is! Each one will be SUPER limited (tapes, especially). Digipak CDs will have ALL NEW artwork, liner notes, and an awesome 12-page booklet.
Cassettes will be ULTRA limited Truck Stop versions, very purple, very tape-y.
Many of you have shown interest in this whole thing, so I thank you for that. A brief moment in Nerve Salad life shared with the rest of you. This is pretty cool, friends.
Stay tuned... or hop on over to the Nerve Salad Bandcamp page and pre-order a tape or a CD. Or just hang out!
https://nervesaladrecords.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-what-im-becoming

Thanks, all!
We'll hopefully do more stuff in the future!

- Andy & Tracy
(Nerve Salad Records)

Bandcamp Blitz - June 15th, 2019

Many things happening all at once at Nerve Salad HQ. Almost too busy to think. Resting an injury, messing with CD production work. Strippers In Love CDs and cassettes ARE being manufactured and are on the way. I had no idea it would be so much work. Straight to the Blitz! Other news to follow soon!


THE BLITZ:

Frank Hurricane and Hurricanes Of Love - Life Is Spiritual
https://crashsymbols.bandcamp.com/album/life-is-spiritual
(A classy release. Backwaters, back roads, back woods, back doors, and backtalk. The joke is on you, America... laugh and cry, celebrate and pule. Swampy biographies, when all's said and done, makes for moments of enlightened astonishment. Americana/blues as told from a mud puddle in a truck stop parking lot.)

Groovy Movies - Psychedelic Barbershop
https://groovymovies.bandcamp.com/album/psychedelic-barbershop
(CA's Groovy Movies return with full force. '60s psych, nostalgic smacks. You just have to listen to this whole album in order to appreciate what's going on here. Literally pokes at every psych-y, California-soundy, beachcomby, oldies feels... very far out, man...)

Ian Blurton - Signals Through The Flames
https://ianblurton.bandcamp.com/album/signals-through-the-flames
(Let's not joke around here... this is really good. Public Animal's Ian Blurton fucking RULES. RULES!!! Heavy metal riffs never made me feel so awesome. Summertime metal that will meet ALL of your hard rocking, thrashing, threshing, road tripping, rock climbing, woods meandering, fish catching needs. Well, MY needs anyway. Don't even fuck around... just get this. Vinyl options soon & I'm on it.)

Flesh Of The Stars - Mercy
https://fleshofthestars.bandcamp.com/album/mercy
(I've raved about this band in the past, so it's only fair that I jump in for their newest stuff. Once they get their doomy hooks into you, you're done for. Chicago brings the fine atmospheric stoner doom in the form of Flesh Of The Stars. Behold.)

Weyes Blood - Titanic Rising
https://weyesblood.bandcamp.com/album/titanic-rising
(A weird one, this. Sub Pop brings yet another band I can't describe. Folky, soundtrack-y, wistful/playful/grandiose. Chamber folk music with a layer of very colorful, sparkly mold on top.)

Shrug - Easy Is The New Hard
https://shrug.com/album/easy-is-the-new-hard
(Awesome Americana with a dibbly dabbly of glammy slammy. Your C-minus students mosey around the city and, smelling like cigs and Pabst, re-create their lives in song. Trucker caps and sleeveless flannels are not included. This album will likely be around me for a while. Good stuff, Maynard.)