Astralnaut – Back to the Bog [2012; self-released]

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Stoner doom with production evocative of garage rock, the four tracks of this EP find the Irish band of Astralnaut bringing blues flavoring out strong while wailing and grinding along through the songs.  Quick solos and strong drum backing add a little further distinction to the material, and though the touches of psychedelic indulgence are brief, they form some of the most stimulating moments on the release.  A bit too much of the riffing falls into standard fare for the style, but as this was the group’s first release, that’s not exactly unsurprising, and they do land a fair number of successful hooks amid the more disposable progressions.  Nothing spectacular, but there’s a nice sense of character to the tunes, and the sparing use of vocal samples adds to the fun.

Various Artists – Adult Swim Singles Program 2012 [2012; [adult swim]]

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This thirteen-track compilation brings together popular counter-culture acts of the time, including Com Truise, Wavves, Death Grips, and Flying Lotus, among others, for a collection which eagerly swerves through a broad range of styles and dispositions.  Electronic, garage rock, metal, dreampop, and more are served up without much rhyme or reason to the track ordering, and while the picks are almost unanimously enjoyable, or at least stylish, the jumbling doesn’t do the experience any favors beyond underlining the already-evident variety.  As a result, while it does offer an informative cross-cut of the year’s top alternative acts (as estimated by the cable cartoon channel), that’s about all it does.