Countdown to ATP: 16 days

Jackie-O Motherfucker
Don't know a lot about Jackie-O, somehow they've slipped below my radar completely. I tried some of their stuff about two or three years ago but it didn't really tickle my balls the way Sunburned Hand Of The Man once did for instance. I think of Jackie-O as a mix between Sunburned and Tower Recordings, please tell me if I'm wrong, so potentially they could be instant winners. Last year's Flags of the Sacred Harp was kinda nice, a fluent mixture between pretty songs and improv jams if I remember right. Recommendations are very welcome.
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Charalambides
Listen to: 'Power Carry Me' on Emerald Message
I discovered Charalambides rather late in comparison to other freefolk pioneers. At first put off by the spacious folk skeletons of Our Bed Is Green and Unknown Spin but once I got a hold of Joy Shapes I was sold, mesmerized, transfixed, blown away, intoxicated etcetera etcetera. Joy Shapes still is my favourite Charalambides album but I've come to appreciate the desert heart of Unknown Spin and earlier recordings as well as the recent, rough edged reissues of Emerald Message and Glowing Raw on Wholly Other. Christina Carter (or Madonia, still not sure what she prefers nowadays) has one of the most swoon inducing voices in music, it's seducing but on a untouchable level. When she sings I want to hug my speakers, a mermaid in a strange musical paradise.
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My Cat Is An Alien
Another band I haven't heard much from. Saw them at the K-raa-K festival last year and that didn't impress me to be honest. I do dig their From Earth to Spheres album with Christina Carter and Andrew MacGregor though. Recommendations welcome.
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The Skaters
Listen to: 'Untitled 1' on Raising Spheres of Crossing Angel Minds
Yah, Skaters score bigtime on my drones-of-filth-o-meter. Their cd-r releases are typically smudged with lo-fi mud and graveyard eeriness. They keep things on an extreme downlow as well, often performing very short sets and keeping it cd-r(eal) consistently. I haven't heard it all but I've enjoyed this year's Raising Spheres of Crossing Angel Minds a lot and still I discover new, hidden passages and obscene harmonies covered in greasy dust.
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Melvins
Another band that hasn't really crossed my path, the Melvins. I pretty much adore all their grandchildren so recommend away if you like.
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