Rythmatical is a beat producer from San Jose California. Rythmatical has a style that will sound pretty familiar. Smooth jams made of samples from classic jazz and pop meshed with modern drum patterns looped and cut to fade blissfully into your ears. I have yet to found an instrumental that doesn’t have a solid groove. Rythmatical has also collaborated with some low-profile rappers to add more method to the style. Coming at you in time for summer, check out his free releases on bandcamp.

I went to see Man Man on Monday at Minneapolis’ First Avenue with opener Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers. The show was incredible. Shilpa Ray blew away the crowd and set a lively tone for the night. Man Man came on and goofily growled through hits from all three of their albums including the recently released Life Fantastic. The new material was ace, and Shilpa Ray even came on for vocals during the encore. The energy on stage poured through the crowd and was felt until the very end. The two bands complimented each other perfectly, if you have the chance to see the rest of the tour I highly suggest it.

Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers - Heaven in Stereo

Man Man - Haute Tropique

…And we’re back. Lost track there for a while but we’re back in action now. Improvements will be made. Sound Spelunking will be in full swing in one week. Celebrate summer here.

Monster Rally - Color Sky

Nathan Williams’ Wavves took a sharp turn in style with the release of the summer hit King of the Beach. Instead of the lo-fi goth drones listeners had been introduced to in Wavves first few releases, King of the Beach was a 12-track catchy, sunburnt, punk-pop anthem. More accessible?  Yes. A sell-out album? Not even close. King of the Beach ruled the warm summer of 2010 with an addicting self-loathing bark. I’ve listened to the album over 200 times since its release date and cannot stop even in when temperatures are dipping below zero. This is because King of the Beach is a solid hit through and through. It’s fast paced, unapologetic, loud and completely gnarly. The album defines an age group and attitude. King of the Beach doesn’t care and that’s what makes it so unstoppably cool. Offbeat, roaring garage guitar backed by drums that trade off playing for noise level over pattern will course through your body once you click play. Waltzy reflections “When Will You Come” and “Green Eyes” interrupt the wonderful chaos with a paced intermission for recovery. “Post Acid” pops onto the speakers with a catchy chorus that will stun and stick with through the layers of surf-punk. “Linus Spacehead”, the diamond in an album of gems, is unleashed near the end of the LP, capturing the essence of the new Wavves sound while crossing all T’s and dotting all the I’s. The album ends with a last laugh and wave in “Baby Say Goodbye”. This album will make you want to smash a guitar and do the twist. Kiss a girl and leave home. Quit your job and drown in the ocean breeze. If anything at all, it gets you. It’s as fresh as they come. Pick King of the Beach up off Fat Possum and take on summer any time of year.

Linus Spacehead - Wavves

Mickey Mouse - Wavves