RecommNeds | The Blank Tapes & Kingsley Flood
By Aaron Stein Jan 22, 2015 • 1:00 pm PST
Two for one.
This week I feature two bands that had releases both in 2014 AND already in 2015, all of which are worth checking out.
The Blank Tapes: Geodesic Dome Piece & Way Too Stoned in Europe ‘14
Matt Adams is one of those guys. His band is The Blank Tapes, which is an apt name, as he seems to be a recording machine. Since discovering his music a couple years ago, he’s put out over half a dozen releases of some sort. Most of these seem to be works-in-progress that finally ripened enough for him to put it out for consumption. So it is with these two. The recently released Geodesic Dome Piece is stoner rock to the core. Quite literally, actually: pretty much every song on here is either written about smoking weed or, most likely, written and performed under the influence… actually, probably both. Yes, there are songs called “4:20” and “So High” and “Magic Leaves” but don’t let that influence you one way or the other. This still leaves a lot of musical ground to cover, and Adams hits almost every sticky, pungent note from dark paranoid funked-rock to sunny day gigglers to psychedelic twist-ties. His late 2014 EP Way Too Stoned in Europe (sensing a trend here?) is more of the same excellent California-grown kind. Dig it.
Rdio: http://w ww.rdio.com/artist/The_Blank_Tapes/album/Geodesic_Dome_Piece/
http://www.rdio.com/artist/The_Blank_Tapes/album/Way_Too_Stoned_In_Europe _%2714_EP/
Spotify: The Blank Tapes – Geodesic Dome Piece
The Blank Tapes – Way Too Stoned In Europe ’14 EP
Bandcamp: http://theblanktapes.bandcamp.com/album/geodesic-dome-piece
http://theblanktapes.bandcamp.com/album/way-too-stoned-in-europe-14-ep
Kingsley Flood: To the Fire & Live at the Armory
Over here on the East coast, we have Kingsley Flood, an excellent, high-energy roots-rock band with a growing reputation and following. Led by Naseem Khuri who matches terrific songwriting with the voice to pull it off, this is another band who keeps restlessly putting out new music. After the previously RecommNed’d Battles in 2013, they put out a live album, Live at the Armory last year which does a good job capturing the stomp-clap-and-sing-along spirit and energy of a Kingsley Flood concert. They followed that up this January with a new EP, To the Fire, filled with 4 great new originals and one nice cover. If you’re looking for something to raise your spirits, this might just do the trick. Check ‘em out.
Rdio: http://www.rdio.com/ artist/Kingsley_Flood/album/To_the_Fire/
http://www.rd io.com/artist/Kingsley_Flood/album/Live_At_the_Armory/
Spotify: Kingsley Flood – To the Fire
Kingsley Flood – Live At the Armory
Bandcamp: http://kingsleyflood.bandcamp.com/album/to-the-fire
http://kingsleyflood.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-the-armory
Rhapsody: http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/kingsley-flood/album/to-the-fire
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/kingsley-flood/album/live-at-the-armory
Written By: Aaron Stein
