Hidden Gems

HIDDEN GEMS
Dan Melchior’s Broke Revue | Heavy Dirt
Billy Childish is known for his millions of side-projects almost as much as his work influencing garage punk as we know it. But what about the people HE works with? Holly Golightly’s had her White Stripes fun (“It’s True That We Love One Another”), but what of Dan Melchior, longtime collaborator with both? He’s had his Stripe-y touch too, with Dan Melchior’s Broke Revue opening for the band, but this is about Heavy Dirt, released on garage mainstays In the Red Records, during the now excellently vintage year of 2001. With the right dash of blues, and Melchior’s ever-so-slightly British touch, this is a strong album that offers a familiar The Headcoats-esque sound.
by allison levin

Various Artists | Skulls Without Borders
I was listening to Dan Melchior when allison sent me her writeup of Heavy Dirt, so I decided it was fate and that I had to tell you about Skulls Without Borders, Siltbreeze’s new limited-edition compilation that features a menacing, aloof track from Melchior, along with other gnarlies from Kurt Vile, Sic Alps and more. All in all, this little comp is the auditory version of something you find growing under a dumpster – grimy, fuzzy, and fascinating. Siltbreeze has sold out of their 10”, but digital copies abound in the blog world, and if you prefer not to freeload from awesome artists and labels (insert finger-wag here), Siltbreeze should have a digital edition available to buy soon. Listen here.
by Erin Sheehy

A.C. Newman | Get Guilty
Released almost a year ago (January 20th, 2009!) this album quietly slipped into the year and quietly slipped into my heart. Although many may prefer the 2009 solo work of another New Pornographers member, Neko Case’s Middle Cyclone, Get Guilty possesses an earnest charm that will grow on you. From the beeping in “Submarines of Stockholm” that make you feel like you’re really underwater, and “Like A Hitman, Like A Dancer” offers what seems like a crazy comparison, but the answer is simple. (“All muscle.”) But my all-time favorite track on the album is “The Palace at 4 AM”, with joyful “bah bah bah bah”s allows you to “kick through the diamond dust.” And I wish you would.
by allison levin

Various Artists | Thai Pop Spectacular (1960s - 1980s)
Who’s up for some more Thai pop? I feel like a lot of people know Sublime Frequencies by now, but I still like to give this label, devoted to collecting obscure music from around the world, its props. Thai Pop Spectacular Volume 1 isn’t as quality as Vol. 2, a funkier compilation which I’ve praised highly before – Vol. 1 is sillier, verging on a “look how weird this foreign stuff is!” vibe – but there are some really gorgeous songs in here, including my favorite, which I assume to be about heartbreak, “Mai Na Lork Gun” by Kampee Sangthong. (Listen here.) Vol. 1 is also more rock ’n’ roll than Vol. 2, and it feels less surprising. (But maybe more fun?) Well worth checking out.
by Erin Sheehy