#20 on the 2015 Bacon Top 31

Viet Cong by Viet Cong

The album that ushers us into the Top 20 came out way back in January, so it feels almost like it’s been around too long to be on this year’s countdown. It could also be that this album, the self-titled debut from Calgary, Alberta, Canada’s Viet Cong, sounds a bit like a couple other albums I’ve loved over the past few years — namely, the psych-rock sounds of Cloud Control and Foxygen that featured on the 2013 Bacon Top 31.

But there are other sounds, too: Animal Collective. Dungen. Jangly, dissonant guitar. Excellent use of both left and right channels (this is perfect for the headphone generation we’re currently living through), It’s a short album, only 37 minutes long. I mentioned when I linked to their NSFW video for the song “Continental Shelf” back in February that Matt Flegel’s vocals reminded me of Spencer Krug (from Moonface, Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, and others), but listening lately, I’ve been hearing more Peter Murphy. Listen to “Silhouettes” in the video above, and you’ll hear echoes of Joy Division, Interpol, and Editors.

The references for this album are plenty (clearly), and that’s a good thing. You will recognize and love this sound when you put it on. Then let it wash over you, and realize just how good it really is.

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21. The Magic Whip by Blur
22. Savage Hills Ballroom by Youth Lagoon
23. Not Real by Stealing Sheep
24. Beat the Champ by The Mountain Goats
25. Gliss Riffer by Dan Deacon
26. Dark Bird is Home by The Tallest Man on Earth
27. Gunnera by Pfarmers
28. Swimmer to a Liquid Armchair by Ricked Wickey
29. To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar
30. Live in Seattle by Moufang / Czamanski
31. High by Royal Headache

What is the Bacon Top 31?
Past years’ Top 31s

Cloud Control — Moon Rabbit

After hitting the 2014 Bacon Calendar at #20, Cloud Control continue to be in constant rotation over here at The Bacon Emporium. Here’s a new video from last year’s Dream Cave. These guys are one of many awesome bands playing Sasquatch this year. They’ll be performing during the first 3-day set, on May 24, 2014.

#18 on the 2013 Musical Bacon Calendar

Howlin’ by Jagwar Ma

I wonder what’s driving the new explosion in great music coming out of Australia and New Zealand. Here we are at #18 with our third band from the area (see #20 and #28 for the other two), Jagwar Ma, a trio from Sydney whose debut album Howlin’ is one of the most danceable albums on The Calendar.

The band does seem to fit a theme similar to that of Cloud Control, who’s sophomore album Dream Cave was featured here two days ago. But where Cloud Control had just a little bit of Animal Collective in their psychedelic rock and roll, Jagwar Ma have a lot of psychedelic rock and roll in their Animal-Collective-esque dance music. The video above, for “Save Me” is a very good representation of the rest of the album. They have at least two other videos for other songs from the album, “Man I Need” and “The Throw,” if you need more of a taste.

Bottom line: if you like Animal Collective, old Primal Scream, or even if you just like to move your hips every once and a while, then you should check out Jagwar Ma. Unfortunately they just came through town just this past Tuesday (I missed them, too), so we’ll have to catch them together next time they’re in town, ok?

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19. Impersonator by Majical Cloudz
20. Dream Cave by Cloud Control
21. Mole City by Quasi
22. Phantogram by Phantogram
23. Julia With Blue Jeans On by Moonface
24. Uncanney Valley by The Dismemberment Plan
25. Event II by Deltron 3030
26. Wise Up Ghost by Elvis Costello and The Roots
27. Us Alone by Hayden
28. Pure Heroine by Lorde
29. Shaking the Habitual by The Knife
30. False Idols by Tricky
31. Let’s Be Still by The Head and the Heart

2012 Musical Bacon Calendar
2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
2009 Musical Bacon Calendar

#20 on the 2013 Musical Bacon Calendar

Dream Cave by Cloud Control

This is not the first band from south of the equator to appear on the 2013 Musical Bacon Calendar, (see Lorde at #28), and it won’t be the last. But this is the first appearance of Cloud Control, a band from outside of Sydney, Australia, whose second album Dream Cave is just gorgeous.

Falling somewhere between the Beach Boys and Grouplove, the band creates psychadelic pop soundscapes. Lots of reverb and echo, harmonies and happiness, like Animal Collective if they actually wrote pop songs with any kind of obvious structure. Cloud Control don’t sound like they’re from Australia (what would that sound like?), but before learning about the band, I’d assumed they were English, as they have that London rock ’n’ roll appeal.

The video above, for their song “Scar,” is the second video they’ve released from the album, which came out back in August. (The first video, for “Dojo Rising,” was featured on The Bacon Review back in October.) I’m not sure what to make of the video, which has the lead singer of the band walking across the (assumed) Australian countryside, near the Blue Mountains where the band is from, dirty and getting dirtier (and even a little bloody) as the video goes on. The song is called “Scar,” I get it, but isn’t that taking it a bit far?

Cloud Control come through town on January 15th, at Barboza. That venue is TINY and it will no doubt sell out, so get on that ASAP.

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21. Mole City by Quasi
22. Phantogram by Phantogram
23. Julia With Blue Jeans On by Moonface
24. Uncanney Valley by The Dismemberment Plan
25. Event II by Deltron 3030
26. Wise Up Ghost by Elvis Costello and The Roots
27. Us Alone by Hayden
28. Pure Heroine by Lorde
29. Shaking the Habitual by The Knife
30. False Idols by Tricky
31. Let’s Be Still by The Head and the Heart

2012 Musical Bacon Calendar
2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
2009 Musical Bacon Calendar

Another day, another awesome Australian band. This time it‘s a band called Cloud Control, and just like Jagwar Ma, they’re also from Sydney.

I love this video. It was filmed on location in Bolivia. The creepy clowns, a 13 year old girl who lip synchs with major conviction, and confetti. And the song is every bit as great as the video. Haven’t listened to the rest of their album yet, (Dream Cave, which came out back in August) but I now have high hopes it will be totally awesome.