Magic User, USA
The elusive Los Angeles-based Miller Rodriguez never intended for Mickey Mickey Rourke to be anything beyond a personal art project. He says that he “wanted [the] project to seem like a myth where people were hearing the music but never knew about who it was coming from.” So far, he’s been successful in maintaining that air of mystery, always appearing as a cryptic, shrouded figure (like in the video for “GLO”) and letting the music speak for itself. And it speaks volumes. Just this year, Rodriguez has released three albums as Mickey Mickey Rourke and another album as part of Mickey Brown.
Rodriguez’s blend of glo-fi atmospheric psych pop in lush textures creates beautiful soundscapes that you’ll love getting lost in. This is the kind of music that’s best listened to in full-album form, allowing the narrative to unfold, the landscape to be formed, and yourself to become fully immersed. “SATANIC YOUTH BRIGADE” is one of Rodriguez’s more accessible, poppier songs, with the tinny echo of the vocals and the steady anchor of the guitar working together to soften the screeching and distortion. The track will be on the upcoming album Magic User, set to be released in January.