New Gregory Pepper Project: Common Grackle

Mr. Pepper has been a favourite of this blog since we started, back then with an amazing release fronting The Dymaxions, later on with Gregory Pepper & His Problems. His new project Common Grackle finds Pepper teaming with hip hop producer Factor, and the results are staggeringly good from what I've heard so far. The Great Depression also features hip hop legend and bonafide crazy man Kool Keith on the opening track, which warrants a purchase simply to hear what kind of madness they came up with. This will appeal to fans of Islands and Why? as well as Peppers' previous output. Check out the video for the title track, featuring emcee Cecshi:



Only $7.00 for the download, $9.00 for the CD, here.

Common Grackle feat. Ceschi - The Great Depression

a.m.p.m.'s Rest of 2009

As with the aftermath of a traditional festive feast, 2009 yielded an impressive share of delicious leftovers. Here are some of the choice cuts that didn't make the main serving:

Gregory Pepper and His Problems - Drop The Plot
Maps - I Dream of Crystal
Lovvers - OCD Go Go Girls
Andrew Bird - Tenuousness
Beach House - Norway
YACHT - Psychic City (Voodoo City)
Elvis Perkins - Shampoo
Mumford & Sons - I Gave You All
Camera Obscura - French Navy
The Dutchess and the Duke - Hands
Akron/Family - Set 'em Free
Free Energy - Something in Common
Metric - Help I'm Alive
Kurt Vile - Hunchback
Vitalic - See the Sea (Red)
The Lovely Feathers - Long Walks
Dan Deacon - Paddling Ghost
Say Hi - November Was White, December Was Grey
Megafaun - The Longest Day
Baltic Fleet - 3 Dollar Dress
Arctic Monkeys - Cornerstone
Memory Tapes - Plain Material
Bill Callahan - Too Many Birds
Small Black - Despicable Dogs
Think About Life - Havin' My Baby
Lonely, Dear - Under a Silent Sea
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll

Drop the Plot

A while back BTA bestowed praise on Canadian indie pop/rock superhero Gregory Pepper and promised y'all a few of his new tracks as they became available, and it's high time we followed through with some mp3s. So here they are. Hooktastic 'Drop The Plot' has been bouncing around inside my head almost non-stop for weeks now and '7ths & 3rds' also refuses to vacate my cerebellum. Remember when Weezer used to be good? Well, '7ths & 3rds' is like that, but better. And hey, these tracks aren't even album cuts.

Mr. Pepper's 2006/2007 albums Gregory Pepper & His Problems and Gregory Pepper Spends an Evening at Home can be streamed in their entirety on his myspace page as well as through his new neat-o website.

- a.m.p.m.

Gregory Pepper - Drop the Plot
Gregory Pepper - 7ths & 3rds

Hot Pepper

Yet another group hailing from the dynamic Montreal scene (although originally from Guelph, Ontario), The Dymaxions' debut album How The Sick May Help Themselves clocks in at just under 23 minutes. But don't let the short track lengths deter you - each of the 10 tracks is a sweet and succinct little gem. 'Hard Rock In Shallow Waters' is insanely catchy and the massive guitar hook that closes out 'Birdwatching (I Was A Teenage Zombie)' will leave you yearning for more. Alas, the group called it quits in late 2006. However, the album can still be purchased directly from their website or through CD BABY. Better news yet, former Dymaxions bandmaster Gregory Pepper has just released a new album titled Gregory Pepper & His Problems. Word on the street is that this album is just as engaging as any of the output from Pepper's Dymaxions days, and I'll try and post a few tracks ASAP. For now, try these:

Dymaxions - Birdwatching (I Was A Teenage Zombie)
Dymaxions - Hard Rock In Shallow Waters

Gregory Pepper - Baron Blood (sorry for the .wma format, I'm living in the past minus itunes - Brad)

- Andrew M