The ESPS, Melted Sunglasses, Estrogen Highs

By Jason Jackowiak » After bumming you out with some harsh vibes the past few weeks we figured we'd bring some melody back to The Singles Collection.

After bumming you out with some harsh vibes the past few weeks we figured we'd bring some melody back to The Singles Collection. While nothing here is going to rival ABBA or The Bee Gees, there's plenty of happy-clappy thrills to be had by this lot and their skewed take on the modern pop idiom.

Our first bolt of sunshine this week comes from The Esps "Dream of the Rarebit Fiend" b/w "(Standing in the) Teller's Line" self-released by the band on their Storms of the Heart imprint. Not too sure how they've managed to stay largely under the radar for this long, but this L.A. quintet (that features Bobb Bruno) specializes in a tasty brand of power-pop that's heavy on glitter-splattered glam moves and ace tunes. A-Side "Dream of the Rarebit Fiend" rides a crest of wailing guitars that come swathed in blankets of crunchy tremolo--it's enamel-damaging to be certain, but like that lollipop you drop in the dirt but stick right back into your mouth, it's just too good to put down. Inexplicably, flipside "(Standing in the) Teller's Line" is better still, recalling the tuneful mayhem of Flamin' Groovies at their most T. Rex-tastic, its spindly guitar lines are augmented by a buoyant-yet-restrained rhythm and gorgeous flourishes of multi-tracked sunburst harmonies that makes it the perfect soundtrack for sunset in the age of Armageddon. Still available from the band's Myspace and perhaps at M'Lady's Records.

Following up that dollop of UV pleasure we've got the first release from Miami's new mutant-pop heroes Melted Sunglasses, "Sparks" b/w "Melted Sunglasses" on the increasingly essential Weird Hug Records. A somewhat mysterious crew that counts members of Jacuzzi Boys and Teepee among its ranks, their brand of good time party pop-punk is utterly infectious and completely devoid of pretentiousness; perfect for slamming brews and arguing whether K.K. or Glenn was the better string-shredder in Judas Priest. A-Side "Sparks" is an ode to that most delicious of electric orange malt beverages, with its rambling rhythm, gurgling sci-fi synths bubbling up under the surface and the head-smashing refrain of "it's party tiimmmmeeee ahhhhh" it's not unfathomable to think it might actually soundtrack one of their commercials someday. The eponymous song on the flipside is a bit more of a slow-burner, but it's no less immediate, with a gas-huffing chorus and flailing guitars, it's like a clutch of meth addicts trying to play the Hendrix songbook into a broken answering machine. Still available from the label direct as well as at your favorite distros of note.

Our final dose of trebly goodness this week comes from Connecticut refuseniks Estrogen Highs' Luxury is God 7" on Never Heard of It. A no-frills unit, this two song platter is heavy on the hits, well, if there were any justice in this world, that is. A-Side "Echo" is built upon a wobbly foundation of juicy organ stabs, buckshot melodies and the kind of deviously simple guitar rave-ups/shout-a-longs John Dwyer used to crank out in his sleep. On the flip, "They Told Me I Was Everything" is slightly more restrained, lacking the go-for-broke style of the A-Side, yet packing just as many sucker punch hooks into its three-minutes of subtly droning melodiousness. These should still be available from the label directly, otherwise take a gander at Goner or Florida's Dying.

That's all the pops we've got in us this week, but make sure to check us out again next week for some tunes to cure (or deepen as the case may be) your fall blues.

Posted on October 09, 2009

More on: the esps, melted sunglasses, estrogen highs, never heard of it records, weird hug records, storms of the heart, the singles collection

Read more Features in The Singles Collection | Browse all Features