Blog: Lower Frequencies

Winter is a Boston based dream-pop outfit made up of Infinity Girl 's Nolan Eley and singer songwriter Samira Winter. The product is a fantastic EP titled Daydreaming . The title track's glassy guitar and airy vocals are reminiscent of La Sera and early Dum Dum Girls. And I can't imagine La Sera or Dum Dum Girls starting any differently than Winter. After all, Winter began in college, when Samira Winter sent Nolan home recordings of her songs. What a natural and beautiful way to start something great. Watch out for Winter, as they storm through [...]

• Winter - Daydreaming

Small Black have kindly soundtracked your first morning in heaven with “Free At Dawn”, the first taste of their new album “Limits of Desire”. Here is a perfect song for wandering a beach on one of those pristine early mornings when a glacially-slow change in the tint of the sky from pale blue to fleecy rose seems as dramatic as a Fourth of July fireworks show. If that sounds cloyingly pretty, appreciate the way Small Black avoided a bombastic, arena-ready, Simple Minds-ish vocal. The music is all glory and transcendence, but the vapory vocals comfortably swirl behind, still down in [...]

Just like the single they released November of 2011, "The Possessed" is about seven minutes long, full of dreamy synth patterns, and spotlights singer Ida No's playfully carefree voice. Glass Candy have a real style and they are sticking too it. They create truly blissful music with ease. And no matter how many times the chorus repeats, or how many times No talks to the listener as if she was giving a commencement address, I don't get bored. That's how you know a style works is not becoming gimmicky in any respect. [...]

• G/L/A/S/S/C/A/N/D/Y - THE POSSESSED (Runway Edit)

Akron/Family's new LP, Sub Verses , is quietly creeping up on us and will hit the stores in less than two months. With " No-Room " and now "Until The Morning," we are getting more and more of an idea of what kind of steps Akron/Family will be taking with the evolution of their sound. In the recent past (after Set 'Em Wild Set 'Em Free ), they have chosen a more chaotic, bombastic route. Even the CD of S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT came with the message, "Flourish, [...]

Dada Trash Collage is the experimental electro pop project fronted by William Freed and Richard Bell. Self described as “avant-pop”, these two don’t seem to conform to any traditional genres or sounds. “Up and Down” is the first track off their awesome new album Cant Pause People and it’s fair to say this track is packed with some serious soul. That’s not to say the song isn’t completely bizarre at the same time, though. Filled with chopped piano melodies and Freed’s distinct yet encapsulating vocals, “Up and Down” is a refreshing sound that leaves us eager to hear more new [...]

Rhye's upcoming debut album, Woman , is beginning to be feel more and more like a concept album. With the fantastic singles, " Open " and " The Fall " centering around themes of intimacy, seduction and loyalty, it wasn't a surprise when titles such as "Hunger," "Woman," "Last Dance," and "Major Minor Love" showed up on the track list. Rhye is tackling the enigmatic nature of love with full force. But it's not really Rhye's lyrics that make their music so sincere. Lines like "You've got my heart beating triple time" are cheesy. But when sung with [...]

If you’ve ever wondered how a grasping, needy, desperate plea for love can sound jubilant and life-affirming, you need to hear “Play By Play”. Taken from Autre Ne Veut’s new record, “Anxiety”, Arthur Ashin’s glittering devotional is awash in love and the fear of being apart. The song seems occasioned by a one-sided phone call—the opening cascade of synths could be New Age-y ringtones—a missed connection that turns into an opportunity for a gorgeous voicemail confession. It’s a moment of disappointment we’ve all felt when our loved one doesn’t pick up, but Ashin expands it, dwelling in the separation as [...]

Back in october, Still Corners released " Fireflies ," which was full of "802s romance and star-like twinkles." In preparation for their second LP off Sub Pop, Still Corners has offered up "Berlin Lovers." The focus here is on Tessa Murray’s echoed vocals and the bouncy synth loop that backs her up. The elongated fade out is something not seen a lot in a music these days and although it leaves us wanting a more finished ending, its uniqueness gives it merit. Overall, "Berlin Lovers" is a fun pop single from what seems like to be a promising album. [...]

A few weeks ago we heard " Mute ", the wonderfully epic teaser from Youth Lagoon's sophomore LP, Wondrous Bughouse . It was a breath of fresh air, a totally different sound from Youth Lagoon and one of our favorite tracks of the year. "Rasberry Cane" only adds to the strength of this album. It begins hazy, with signature Youth Lagoon tones behind Powers' delicate, high voice. But just as in "Mute", the track does a 180 when the percussion comes in. It turns into a 7 minute synth epic that you just don't want to end. And finally [...]

Hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, Cæcilie Trier first emerged onto the indie pop scene with the lovely video for her single “ Jewel ”. She’s been associated with various acts such as Choir of Young Believer and Chimes & Bells, and has released her debut EP Variations under the alias CTM last week. The title track “Variations” revolves around strings, synths, and that lovely, distinct voice of hers reminiscent of Stevie Winwood. If she continues to produce tracks this good, CTM will be a household name by the end of the year. [...]

Guppy is a side project of Zula 's Nate Terepka and Ava Luna ’s Felicia Douglass. Nate states (according to yvynyl ), "one thing that’s exciting and refreshing about this project is that there are no plans attached… For now, it’s just this one song that we like, and would like people to hear.” What a natural collaboration. It really feels like these guys simply both appreciated each others work and wanted to make something together. There is no business involved and no expectations that need to be met. Guppy is just a fun little experiment. And [...]

Bennio Qwerty offer the latest proof of rock and roll’s weirdest paradox: three-piece bands just rock harder. Even the best of the Brooklyn trio’s more established peers will sound like stoned barbershop quartets next to “Crutch”, one of those bobbing and weaving jams only the very lean and the very mean can pull off. The incendiary, lesser-rock-god vocals, studded with nonsense proclamations, burn with punk’s predatory sincerity. But whenever “Crutch” threatens to push the plunger on that tired old dynamite, the song slows to a defiant crawl before brightening again into spare, coasting melodies. Actually, the fluctuations are what make [...]

When an artist releases a self titled album mid-career, it usually means that the artist believes they are hitting their prime or climax of self expression. Jamie Lidell's new self-titled LP is a return to his electronic beginning and swing influences. This is the sound that first brought him attention as a great artist. Maybe Lidell is simply reminding the world that this is what he is all about. "Big Love" swings like an old Michael Jackson or Madonna song. It's fun and epic. It's the kind of music Jamie Lidell was meant to make. [...]

Lovelier Other is a fairly secretive band. Their Twitter bio simply reads "A Band" and their Facebook page tells us that the band's two members are named "MW" and "LV." "Hidden Shelters" is the second track they have released since their debut and fortunately it gives us a little more info about their musical identity and influences. The song begins with a soothing keyboard pattern that immediately brings to mind Beach House's " Lovelier Girl ". And if you haven't guessed from the name, it seems as though Lovelier Other were directly influenced by [...]

Brother is a bit of a mystery to us. We don’t know much about who they are or where they’re from, but we are certainly grateful to have stumbled upon their debut album Call last week. What we do know is they dabble in experimental electronic pop and the singer has a voice quite reminiscent of Thom Yorke. You could even go as far as saying they sound like Radiohead too, especially after marveling at a track like “Coma”. “Coma” has got all the right qualities to appeal to the indie pop enthusiasts along with those more involved in the [...]

Redefining yourself is a daunting task, and no one knows that better than Providence's Magic Man. It has been three years since the band released Real Life Color , an album that we at LF simply adored . This debut LP brought a whole mix of emotions. Parts were quiet, warm, and reflective, but others were loud, chaotic, and euphoric. Maybe Magic Man didn't quite know who they were, or who wanted to be at the time. But if a three year rest is good for anything, it's clearing up that identity crisis. It's for gathering all the [...]

• magicmansounds - Paris

MANS, a four-piece from London, have come up with an instantly endearing jam with “Mellow Magic Marker”. This slice of steamy, slow-cooked funk sports a magical, Prince-like ability to screen a whole movie in your head, condensing a sultry love affair into a completely captivating three minutes. It’s layered and lush, and wryly funny, too. Lines like “We had such a special time/But your brother put up quite the fight”, sung in creamy falsetto, make the track sound as if it might have been created for an unaired episode of “Flight of the Conchords”. (That’s a compliment.) This one’s not [...]

Little Spoon is another experimental dance project from Cameron Potter of Cry Guy . "I See" sets you in a trance from the very beginning. The slow driven synths with repeating (french?) sample will make you simultaneous want to sleep and dance. It's not just the sample that is repetitive though. The melody that comes in around the minute mark loops and loops while slowly growing strong. "I See" is a delight to listen to, soothing yet bouncy. Definitely check out their band camp below for some more gems. [...]

With " Dropla " and now "Mute," it is clear that Trevor Powers is trying to create an album distinct from The Year of Hibernation . That album was beautifully mellow and made you want to go out into the world and appreciate every bit of it. However, the first second of "Mute" would not fit anywhere on The Year of Hibernation . It's more substantial, epic, and chaotic. The melodies are still there and still powerful, but everything else has changed drastically. Powers is making it clear he is not a one trick [...]

On the surface Vic Miranda and Vicky Glass are just another guy/girl dreampop duo trying to establish themselves amongst a vast array of talent. But these two stand out. I first knew after hearing their rendition of The Cure’s “ The Lovecats ”. To say Love Echo makes this track their own is an understatement. It’s essentially a different song, linked only by the lyrics. But all that only adds to “Lovecats” unique appeal. The piano melody haunts while Glass’ vocals are passionately sedating. “Lovecats” is a song with substance, a track you need to hear more than once to [...]