New Jersey psych rockers The Ugly Club (who placed 4th in our recent Psych Rock submissions to our Best of 2012 poll) stand out from the pack of guitar drone peers by placing sonic emphasis on keyboards (and – at times – horns). Their sound is less noisy, at times even borderline folky, with clearly understood vocals and lyrics delivered more emotionally than many of this genre’s counterparts. “Loosen Up” maintains ‘psych’ elements within a more structured pop format, allowing the aforementioned keyboard textures to provide improvisational patterns. “Under The Great Wave” (streaming) pulses with a heart-tugging pathos, adding trumpets and falsetto vocals to the mix, further contributing to the tracks sentimentally grandiose feeling. The band this week will be at the Railhouse in Rahway, NJ on the 19th, and then at The Studio at Webster on January 25th. – Dave Cromwell
