Waylon Thornton - Mystery Club

Waylon Thornton and the Heavy Hands just sent over their new collection of surf-rock, guitar-heavy jams. He's offering Mystery Club as a free download, and from what I've heard, this is an offer you simply can't refuse; it's short and sweet but full of retro-tinged hooks, similar to Wavves, Girls, or the Raveonettes.

Waylon Thornton & the Heavy Hands - "Look for Danger"

Sure, looking to the past is becoming a little passé itself, but at least Thornton's having fun with it. Download the complete album here.

Mickey Brown - Soul Glo

It seems like the majority of posts here at Things as They Are involve Miller Rodrigeuz's projects - and for good reason. Though he normally releases under the moniker Mickey Mickey Rourke, Rodrigeuz's side project, Mickey Brown, with Canada's Lester Brown, is gaining a considerable amount of attention for the new record Soul Glo.

Mickey Rourke - "Zordon"

Compared to their first release, Vision Quest, it's a more accessible and "fun" collection, but it still showcases their ambient, droning rhythms. Keep your eyes peeled and download Soul Glo as soon as humanly possible. Oh, and as usual, you'll need your headphones for this one.

Charles Du Cane - Port and Rail

Fred Showell is an Australian songwriter creating under the name Charles du Cain. He recently sent over some tracks off his 2011 release Port and Rail. Self described as a "straight up, cheeky electro pop vibe," Showell composes his tracks with funky, shake-up beats underneath playful and mischievous vocals. Stream his last album, Poets, here, and keep an eye out for Port and Rail in the near future.

Hear Hums - "Cerebellum/Woo"

I was stoked to hear from Mitch from Florida's Hear Hums this morning. It's been a while since they first wowed me with their psychedelic, ambient tunes, but they've clearly been hard at work creating more brilliant jams. In fact, their new album, Psyche Cycles, will be released on the new Crash Symbols label on December 21st. Save the date, yall. Also, check out a trippy video for two songs that will appear on the new record - "Cerebellum" and "Woo."

Cerebellum/Woo - Hear Hums from Hear Hums on Vimeo.

True Womanhood - "The Grey Man"

Noam from DC's True Womanhood just sent over their stunning new track "The Grey Man." Judging from this creepy little jam, the experimental group have been channeling their inner Thom Yorkes and are more comfortable than ever playing with sounds and challenging musical conventions (imagine a track from Kid A being hit with a heavy dose of the recent "witch house" aesthetic).

True Womanhood - "The Grey Man"

Noam even said that they ran the vocals through the malfunctioning tape delay and replaced the guitars with melotron strings and samples from an old tack piano - pretty funky, no? Expect more weirdness and new music from True Womanhood in the future, but for now just do your best to wrap your mind around "The Grey Man."

Hippo Campus - "Montelegro"

Orange County's Makan Negahban, aka Hippo Campus, is working on a full-length album called Nausea/Cherries. It's a strange album name, but what is perhaps even stranger is its first single, "Montelegro." It's a long, complicated track full of stylistic shifts and Young Prayer-era Panda Bear meditations; it's a grower, really, and requires an attentive ear. The pay-off is worth it, though, and I'm guessing the record will be worth the wait too.

Hippo Campus - "Montelegro"

Reading Rainbow - Prism Eyes

Prism Eyes is the sophomore full length from Philadelphia, PA pair Reading Rainbow. The duo made an effort to set aside the lo-fi sound that so defined their previous album in order to present a cleaner, more graduated aesthetic. Prism Eyes incorporates steady drum beats, longingly hazy vocals, and driving guitar patterns that suit the album perfectly for early morning holiday shifts - excellent company for a foggy mind. Stream album stand-out "Wasting Time" below and be sure to cop the album at Hozac.

Blackbird Blackbird - "Erasers"

Prolific chillwaver Mikey Sanders, aka Blackbird Blackbird, is busy once again with new material. He just sent over a new jam called "Erasers" - a preview of what's to follow on his sophomore full-length that has yet to be titled.

Blackbird Blackbird - "Erasers"

It's a busy but fun little number that highlights his vocals more so than previous tracks, and "Erasers" is, above all, further proof that Sanders can crank out quality tunes at a rate like no other. And who knows? By tomorrow our inbox might be filled with even more Blackbird Blackbird goodness.

Be sure to also check the video, directed by Drew King, for one of Sanders' older songs (and one of my personal favorites), "Pure".

Blackbird Blackbird "Pure" from drew king on Vimeo.

Emay - "Racist on Purpose"

Marking somewhat of a first for Things as They Are, I'm really excited to share a bit of rap with you all this AM. The track, "Racist on Purpose", comes from Emay, a Canadian rapper and producer who is making quite the name for himself (he's already in the process of lending his talents to a side project with Blackbird Blackbird and Star Slinger called Seeing Suge).



Emay says his latest track is a bit of an experiment, a means "to put [himself] in the shoes of a white supremacist in order to show how hateful humans can be based on insecurities alone"; it's a dope track for sure. Check it out for yourself - stream it and/or download, and enjoy the smooth rhythms and tight beats (btw, can you identify the Mount Eerie sample?). A full-length should follow shortly, and more work from Seeing Suge is in the works.