Sugar Mountain

Oakland band plays moody earnest rock n roll rooted in throwbacks to the Velvet Underground, often with blues/folk/twee flourishes. Male and female vocals are often in conversation with each other, and the male vocals sound like a mix of Nick Cave and Lou Reed. Pretty guitars, cute storytelling lyrics, bass holds it all together. Support local music!

RIYL The Velvet Underground, Giorgio Murderer, Girls, Nick Cave
Recommended: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9
FCC: 7

1. (5:10) ** Ruins—Slow. Clear soulful female vocals. Minimal instruments besides bass and a plodding drum beat, and brief synth fills. “I should have let you be / And you were beautiful and clean.”
2. (3:29) Wolves & Eyes—Bluesy. Male and female vocals in conversation. Piano riffs, chaotic, playful, fun.
3. (4:08) ** Wires—Drowsy, languid folk. Harmonica, bass groove, slide guitar. Tired dreamy female vox.
4. (3:50) *** Sugar Mountain—Fast, twee, idyllic chiming guitars. Male vocals. Prototypically folk lyrics.
5. (3:32) * Worndrobe—Slow, melancholy. Tears and cigarette smoke weaving into a hazy sunset over some lake in the Midwest. “He’s had what I had, and I’ve had what he’s had.”
6. (5:36) **** Two Artists—Stand out bass. Fast, anthemic. Male sorta spoken word vocals. Late nineties feel but also very Velvet Underground. Wild pretty jammy guitars in last minute and a half.
7. (3:19) Me, the Narcissist—FCC: f***. Playful, fast, punky.
8. (4:55) Walk the Dog (Backwards)—Sort of post-punk, but brighter. Melancholy passages and insistent keys/vocals/guitars alternate.
9. (7:20) *** Young Lover—Mellotron and acoustic guitar, deep Nick Cave-like vocals. Song keeps building and building and adding guitar and percussion textures until its hushed resolution.