The Local Radar is getting a little revamp. Each week, we’ll focus on a single new release that we feel deserves a spotlight.

[image]

In what is probably their most straight-forward song yet (besides the great “Top Down” from last year’s Tamper, Disable, Destroy – sidenote, that song could have been a major hit), Marijuana Deathsquads have returned with a gift to us all. In celebration of the end of their Icehouse residency, they’ve released Music Rocks I & II.

Presented as two separate EPs, they show a major progression in sound for the collective with a unique ordering system in tow. Music Rocks I gives us the first five tracks recorded and mixed in a bedroom during a 48-hour period at the end of May. Music Rocks II was recorded live back in March. It’s an interesting juxtaposition, indicating a weird period in time during the band’s career when songs like “Wade” easily snuck through the abrasive fuzz to become one of the most rocking and simplest jams in their catalogue.

Perhaps I like this song so much because it hearkens back to one of the best electronic albums made during the first decade of the aughts, that of Holy F***’s LP back in 2007. It merges the energy, driving drums and live recording of a song like “Super Inuit” with the ultra-cathartic screeching of F*** Button’s 2008 debut Street Horrrsing. Yet it all stays wrapped in the typical Marijuana Deathsquads aesthetic. It’s a cool, cryptic and surprising combination that continually begs the question, “When are more people going to hear this and tell others?”

Likely sooner rather than later. Music Rocks I & II is available for free download on the relaunched local label Totally Gross National Product. They’re currently on tour through June 18 – check out the remaining dates below.

Jun 14 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn

Jun 16 - St. Louis, MO @ Firebird

Jun 17 - Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop

Jun 18 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean

* with Solid Gold