Beaching Jellyfish

Electric Jellyfish features Michael Beach, whose Mountains & Valleys tape on Twin Lakes Records last year was a delightful, underrated gem. Electric Jellyfish is a different kettle of...er...fish though. The Melbourne 3 piece bark up David Yow's rancid tree, yet there is more space lurking in the shadows that focuses less on the abuse and more on the tension. They are a rad little band, and whilst its taken almost forever for me to post about, they have released a little number that is bound to melt that stupid grin off your face. Available through Twin Lakes Records as a limited edition cassette, Trouble Coming Down is well worth the pennies - grab it here. Get back over here, stat!

Electric Jellyfish - Trouble Coming Down

In Between Mountains & Valleys Lies The Beach

Displaced Aussie Michael Beach had a nice little 7" out at the dawn of the year, A Horse (have a read and listen here). I really liked it. Well, he is releasing a mini-album to coincide with his forthcoming US tour, and it's the best thing he's done yet. Mountains + Valleys (through Spectacular Commodity and Twin Lakes) is a ballsy and accomplished collection of rustic rust, and it sounds amazing. This could do with the people he has roped in to help out - drummer Utrillo Kushner (Comets On Fire), Raymond Raposa (Castanets) on guitar and vocals, and Trans Am’s Phil Manley on the desk (Wooden Shjips and Barn Owl have enlisted his services in the past), Mountains + Valleys traverses darker terrain with more bluster than before, and is all the better because of it.


There are only 100 copies of these suckers (possibly much, much less), so try grab one here. Otherwise head here to get the digital. Its fantastic stuff. Reminds me of Jim Ward's or Jason Molina's solo stuff, but with Sonic Youth tracks occasionally coming across the radio wavelength. Really great stuff.

Michael Beach - Straight Spines
Michael Beach - Mountains + Valleys