The Thermals - Personal Life MMM 1/2 The Thermals have always been known for their angst and punk energy, with singer/guitarist Hutch Harris’ earnest, intelligent lyrics delivered passionately and honestly. After four albums, the band has certainly crafted a sonic niche of their own, wrapping infectious hooks and melodies around power chord/barre chord fury. The magnetism of the band’s uplifting energy and Harris’ vocal charisma have produced a string of albums fully fueled [...]
By Arthur Grover Rider Mountain Man - "Soft Skin" Mountain Man - "Animal Tracks" In a kitchen, located somewhere off the road in Vermont, three women conjure up timeless harmonies as big as the mountains that surround the house in which they are set. One of the women takes a finger, presses firmly down on the record button and carefully makes her way back to the other two. [...]
School of Seven Bells recently released a terrific new album entitled Disconnect From Desire . From that album comes the new single "Heart Is Strange" which is being released with a few other rarities as the Heart Is Strange EP on September 14th through Vagrant. One of the extra tracks is Phantogram 's remix of Disconnect From Desire 's gorgeous shoegaze/dream pop tune "I L U". Check it out below. School of Seven Bells - "I L U" (Phantogram Remix) [...]
California's noise pop/garage rock/post-punk revivalists Crocodiles release a new album on September 14th entitled Sleep Forever . We've already heard the title track and first single "Sleep Forever" which provides a good idea of what the new album sounds like. I've had the opportunity to hear the record, and I can tell you that it's a damn good record. It was produced by Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford and has a lot more of a neo-psychedelia, shoegaze sound running through it. The band have moved from making fuzzed-out jams in the garage to crafting songs that sound [...]
On record, the music of Delicate Steve might be the brainchild of guitarist Steve Marion, but live it's an entirely different animal, something that comes to life with help from a few close friends and bandmates. I had the opportunity to catch Delicate Steve live back in July of this year and to say it was exciting and inspiring would be a bit of an understatement. The room started off full of strangers, but then the band took the stage and people were bobbing their heads, tapping their feet, and dancing all around, brimming with cheer in agreement over Delicate [...]
Back in June, I wrote about Fences releasing their debut album. The self-titled, Sara Quin-produced effort will be released through Onto Entertainment/ADA on September 28th. Fences is lead by Seattle transplant Christopher Mansfield, a "self-proclaimed fuck-up" who crafts folky pop tunes. Mansfield's acoustically-driven songs are achingly sincere and heartfelt; it's the sound of a man baring his soul. You can check out two songs from the new 10-track album below. [...]
Last week, we reported about Ben Sollee kicking off his Ditch the Van tour. Ben and his bandmates are riding bikes from show to show, with videographer Marty Benson filming the journey. Below are the next two chapters documenting the tour. Chapter 2 finds the band and crew riding through southern CA and explains a little about exactly what this tour is all about. "It's not about being green, just a little more human about the pace of touring," says Ben Sollee. Jordon Ellis and Ben provide some [...]
Gayngs - Relayted MMM 1/2 Gayngs began when Ryan Olson (Building Better Bombs, Digitata) decided to make an album with Solid Gold members Zack Coulter and Adam Hurlburt built on drugged-up keyboards and inspiration taken from 10cc's synth-fueled ballad "I'm Not In Love." It eventually snowballed into a collaborative project between 25+ musicians, including Justin Vernon and Mike Noyce of Bon Iver, P.O.S. of Rhymesayers, and Joe Westerlund, Brad Cook, and Phil Cook of Megafaun. [...]
On September 28th, Dirty Projectors will release a 2xCD/digital expanded edition of their critically-acclaimed album Bitte Orca . The new, limited-edition Bitte Orca set comes with premium packaging and a bonus disc featuring unreleased live material and b-sides. Included on the bonus disc is an EP-length live acoustic performance recorded at New York’s Other Music in June of 2009. You can download a live version of Bitte Orca 's "Temecula Sunrise" from that Other Music performance right here . And below, you can get yourself a free digital 7" of "Ascending Melody" b/w [...]
London/Berlin-based experimental electro poppers The Chap released a new album this year entitled Well Done Europe , their fourth overall full-length. We've already learned how catchy of a song album standout "We Work In Bars" is, and now we finally have visual accompaniment for the track. Check out the song's stop-motion video below, which sees the band well-animated inside a bar. You can download "We Work In Bars" right here . The band is also releasing Teengirl Fantasy' remix of Well Done Europe 's "Even [...]
"Enough About Me" is one of those songs that just jumps right in and doesn't mess around -- just a straightforward rocker. It's the kind of song that you throw on and instantly has you energized. With vocals that recall They Might Be Giants, Archie Powell weaves fun, witty lyrics over excited guitar riffs, distorted bass, and drums that call for a pair of air drumsticks. It's a delicious slice of garage rock-meets-powerpop that sounds like The Replacements, Elvis Costello, and They Might Be Giants decided to form a band. [...]
Francois Peglau - "One minute to midnight dream (So sad)" One minute to midnight dream [So sad] by Francois Peglau Time disappears with a quick snap of the fingers -- just like a magic trick. With your head in the clouds, you tend to miss a lot of what happens down in reality. You can't let yourself get carried away by what you think, neglecting that which you already know. The trouble often lies in looking for something rather than at something, failing to [...]
I recently interviewed The Sparta Philharmonic and posted the massive interview this week. These guys are friends and are really good dudes. They are completely dedicated to what they do and have kept at it for 10+ years, personally designing and hand-pressing their albums and booking all their own shows and tours. Up until a year or two ago, they were touring in a mid-sized Subaru station wagon. Now, they tour in one of those Honda Elements, managing to fit a bunch of guitars, a half-stack, drums, merch, luggage, and themselves inside. If you've read the interview, you know that [...]
"Magnificent Ruin" "The Kill" "Five Feet of Road" "No Solid State" At night, what is there? The sky has the moon, but what do we have here on the ground? At night, there's a certain mystery that permeates the air. There are always more questions in the dead of night than there are in the bright comfort of the daytime. White Dress is [...]
Freedom or Death - "Sober" (Pink cover) Less about strings than the original, and more about organ, post-rock style guitar, vocal harmonies, and layered percussion. With smooth, layered vocals, Freedom or Death turn the original's raw anguish into more of a cool detachment. It's a relaxed chill against the burn of the song's subject matter. While Pink's version relies on her powerhouse vocals, Freedom or Death put the emphasis on their production; the mix of massive drums, melancholic guitar, and the undertow of sinister synth embodying the sentiment originally expressed in the vocals. [...]
(NASA/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images) Calm Palm Vapor - "Run the Tables" Calm Palm Vapor - "Hate To See You Smile" Calm Palm Vapor label themselves "Space Motown" which seems rather fitting seeing as how it sounds as though they craft their songs inside a spacecraft hovering high above the Earth. They look out the window, down at the big blue marble below and gain a better [...]
Greg and Alex Bortnichak are two New Jersey natives who have developed their own unique brand of experimental rock 'n' roll. The brothers have been performing together as The Sparta Philharmonic for over a decade now and have toured the country a few times on their own dime, booking their way from coast to coast and packing all their equipment into one medium-sized SUV (at one point it was a mid-sized station wagon). It's hard not to admire the dedication these two brothers have for their craft. They have done things DIY since they first formed, driven not by any [...]
MP3: Ra Ra Riot - "Boy" There's no denying the cheerful bounce of energy pulsing through "Boy." Whether it's the skipping synth line of the verse or the palm-muted bass and guitar riffs running together, the mood here is uplifting and rather optimistic. It's an enjoyably well-arranged track, with cello and violin adding a warm texture that lends itself to making the song feel more timeless than it is in reality -- and there's nothing wrong with that. Cozy up with "Boy" and fend off the winter months that will soon bear down upon [...]
Portland's subtly-named Starfucker have signed with Polyvinyl and are scheduled to hit the road next month with Austin-based band The Octopus Project . The band will also release an alternate single version of their track "Julius" b/w the B-side "Helium Muffin." The 7" is out October 12th and the first 500 will be limited edition blue vinyl. It will be out digitally on September 14th. Right now though, you can check out "Julius" below. MP3: Starfucker - "Julius" Here's one blissed-out synth pop jam. It's a lush array of [...]
Louisville, Kentucky singer-songwriter/cellist Ben Sollee just kicked off his Ditch the Van Tour. What makes the tour so special and noteworthy is that Ben, along with friends/bandmates, is touring via bicycle instead of a van. Although the tour is all about traveling on two wheels, riding with no support vehicles, Ben admits that there are times when other modes of transportation are necessary to make the tour possible. "With the train we can keep a show that next day," he says. "If we didn’t do this we’d be treading water, and, like I said, we can’t afford to do that [...]
Mixtape Muse
Top 10 MP3s of the Week (5/24)
Disclosure – When A Fire Starts to Burn
Daft Punk: When anonymity goes wrong
Quadron – Better Off (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)
Daithi – Chameleon Life (feat. Raye)
