The Messer Chups don't quit! The Russian trio have been moving at a steady pace of one album every two years (or better). This one's got plenty of the semi-trad off-kilter instrumentals they've been at for a while, but with a small helping of rockabilly and a little more saxophone than we've been accustomed to from them!

Still weird. And the album art plays well to my Louisiana tastes.

This is a live set by Kingargoolas on the Brazillian radio show Rádio Cadillacs. It definitely doesn't have the studio polish you can get from their great 2013 self-titled LP but you've got a lot more songs than you'll find there! That includes a number of covers such as Eddie & The Showmen's "Squad Car" fit to their signature off-kilter syncopation. 

They have it pay-as-you-want. Give it a listen and if you like it, I'd really recommend their studio stuff too.

Alabama is a hotspot for instro music. Louisiana is... well, it has some. Mississippi, to my knowledge, has Buddy & the Squids. This is the second release by the lone Mississippi group, and it's more ambitious than their last, with a progressive Mermen-ish sound to it. Unfortunately shortly after the release of this record the band has geographically split up, with their drummer Daniel Guaqueta heading up to California (where he tells me he's been hanging with The Mermen's guitarist Jim Thomas), and the bassist is in Kansas.

I have played a TON of Los Tiki Phantoms on my radio show. They don't necessarily bring anything new to the table, but damn if it isn't ROCK SOLID. "Y El Misterio Del Talisman" looks like it's going to be a mainstay as well, with more upbeat sun-soaked skate-punk surf rock just dripping with fun the whole way through. Check out the video, you'll get it.

Are The Phantom Operators starting to settle on a Western sound? We've had an album called Metal Mariachi Music and now a total of 4 consecutive songs going for a lonely, desolate, spaghetti Western angle. I think it works! These two are on bandcamp for free/pay-as-you-want, and they've said they have an LP on the way.

The Metallica reference on the album art isn't just a gag; this is a cover record and Baleia Mutante's tends to go a little outside the normal surf favorites. On this one we've got instro covers of Nirvana, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, The Dead Kennedys, and the Live and Let Die Theme. Though you can buy the album on CDBaby, they've also got a number of full-length tracks on Soundcloud.

A while ago Satan's Pilgrims held a kickstarter to fund a trip to Europe and their compilation of singles, live cuts, and unreleased tracks titled "Frankenstomp". That album has found its way into a number of hands since the kickstarter, but for those of us that didn't go that route, we can now buy it too! I've heard great things about it, which is unsurprising because everything they've done has been quality.

Every Trabants release has stuck out to me so far, and this is no exception. Or rather, this is also exceptional. You know what I mean. I'm not sure if I can pinpoint exactly what it is, they just seem to be one of those bands where everything lands in the right place. The drums aren't necessarily showy, but keep things moving in the right way, and really know how to add some punch when they need to. They've always got a good helping of variety and fresh ideas on every album, and the tunes stick with you.

Early this morning my car was parked in North Carolina, where I drank many interesting sodas and hiked some beautiful mountains for a weekend. After a long day driving back here, I found that North Carolinans the Monterreys had made their new album available to those of us that didn't get to catch them at the Instro Summit. One of these years.

Gee Whiz! The Mighty Swells have been dripping songs onto Soundcloud and Reverbnation for years, but finally went ahead and made a long-player. They've got a well polished very trad sound where the fun finds its way through. This LP is predominantly covers, but originals like "Lone Rhino" and "Mr Infiltrator" really hold their own amidst the time-tested classics. Apparently they've got another LP of originals on the way!