Five Albums You Should Be Listening to Right Now: Ongakubaka

Hot garage rock for those cool summer nights.

by Dan from Ongakubaka

Every now and again, Hooksexup asks the titans of the blogsphere for their music recommendations. Specializing primarily in garage and psychedelic music, Ongakubaka is a music blog that serves as a platform for new artists and labels to share their releases and get the word out about the life-saving power of rock and roll.

1. Broken Water, Tempest (2012)
Olympia, WA's Broken Water has been gaining quite a bit of momentum over the last few years, and their sophomore full-length could be the record that will earn them the attention they've always deserved. Tempest straps you into some kind of rocket car and sends you down a tunnel of reverb-drenched strings into a head-on collision with a twelve-foot wall of sound. Only then do the buried, haunting vocals come to the fore, just before you take your first steps into the afterlife.
Listen: "Underground"

 

2. The Sufis, The Sufis (2012)
The Sufis make great throwback psychedelic tunes out of Nashville. Their beachside harmonies and ever-present tambourine will transport you back to the days of love beads, surfing, and LSD. Their use of tape manipulation and other weird sound-effects and trickery will, on the other hand, transport you far beyond the limitations of space and time.
Listen: "Sri Sai Flora"

 

3. Christian Bland and the Revelators, Pig Boat Blues (2012)
As if being guitarist of The Black Angels, co-founder of The Reverb Appreciation Society record label, and co-curator of the Austin Psych Fest wasn't enough of an undertaking, Christian Bland's side project seems to have developed into a full-time gig recently — they've been playing a ton of shows, many of which have been free to the public. Pig Boat Blues is an album meant for the turntable, but you'll need the MP3s to serve as soundtrack for your next drive into the desert sunset.
Listen: "Black Crayon"

 

4. Ty Segall & White Fence, Hair (2012)
California garage-rock tycoon Ty Segall has managed to churn out more releases over the last four years than some bands have made over decades. Hair is the first of three full-lengths slated for release this year alone. This time, with help from Tim Presley of White Fence, Segall has created one of his most well-produced and accessible records to date.
Listen: "I Am Not A Game"

 

5. J.C. Satan, Hell Death Samba (2011)
Half-French, half-Italian, and wholly awesome, J.C. Satan specializes in hazy, heavy jams. The infectious guy/girl vocals and relentless rhythms will burrow deep into your hippocampus and set up permanent residency. I recommend that you play this one as loud as humanly possible.
Listen: "Heil Mary"