New Madrid landed splat in the middle of Athens’ musical consciousness with their 2012 debut, “Yardboat”, and proceeded to dominate the local music award ceremony that year, which is no small feat in a town where the branches of the music scene are virtually sagging with ripe fruit. Now with New West Records, New Madrid have grown “Yardboat’s” jammy Southern rock into a psych-tinged sophomore album,“Sunswimmer”, with the help of producer David Barbe (Deerhunter, Animal Collective) at Chase Park Transduction studios. There’s something about “Sunswimmer” that feels instantly comfortable, like a pair of shoes from the thrift store that someone already wore in for you. Opener “All Around the Locust” reveals singer Phil McGill, drawling with a lazy-tongued twang amid washes of reverb and effects-laden guitar.
The Fat Angel Sings 