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The Just Joans: Stuart Had A Dirty Book [mp3]

just-joans

The Just Joans came to my attention via WeePOP! Records, who have released a few mini EPs by the group: Virgin Lips, Hey Boy…You’re Oh So Sensitive and Love And Other Hideous Accidents. Their latest is titled Your Pain Is A Joke Next To Mines, and it is now available, again, via WeePOP! “Stuart Had A Dirty Book” is from the 7-song EP, and it blends thick Scottish accents with playful but mopey pop. It’s a typical song by The Just Joans, catchy and fun but with a sad tone that’s impossible to overlook. Read More »The Just Joans: Stuart Had A Dirty Book [mp3]

King Charles [Feature]

  • Cyndi 

king-charles

It’s so refreshing to hear songs that sound like nothing we’ve ever heard before. Songs that melt together so many different elements in rhythm and progression we don’t even know how to classify them, the closest description being something akin to classic English psychedelic folk pop. Read More »King Charles [Feature]

The Rest: John Huston [mp3]

rest

It might feel like ages since we last heard from The Rest (way back in March). But, they actually haven’t slowed down a bit. These Toronto-based soundscape masochists have been hard at work on their forthcoming album, SEESAW, due out in early 2011. And with their sophomore release only now hitting a year old, and their brilliant Cried Wolf Book/EP being one of the biggest highlights of 2010, it’s hard to imagine what kind of beautiful madness this tremendous group has to offer us in the coming months. Read More »The Rest: John Huston [mp3]

Laguna [Feature]

laguna

There are some really great underground pop labels that span the world, many specializing in an obscure spin-off of some form of indie pop, be it lo-fi to electronic. Laguna’s music reminds me these labels exist. And, oddly enough, their music reminds me of Siete Records. I’ve got a few LPs from the label and their music ranges from lo-fi to jangle to electronic. But, however you look at, the label releases off-beat, blatantly European sounding indie pop. Laguna creates that style of music, with ridiculous, playful pop hooks and electro-indie-pop accompaniment to dance-y female vocals courtesy Lydia Nor that mix electronic with ambient, art-pop, and hints of jazz. Read More »Laguna [Feature]

La Sera: Never Come Around [mp3]

la-sera

Earlier this week I received some Hardly Art love. Yes, the 3 LP reissues by Carissa’s Wierd finally arrived via the USPS. So when they dropped me a note about one of their latest bands, La Sera, I jumped at the chance to show them some love back. La Sera, the new project of Katy Goodman (Vivian Girls, All Saints Day), creates dreamy pop in the vein of Katy’s other groups. That means it’s dreamy, but full of a garage/basement pop marriage. The heavy, brooding guitar riffs are also playful and at times even joyous. The nondescript vocals are light and filled with an the swirl of cloudy thoughts. Music, to me, has always been a drug, and La Sera is the among sweetest of highs. Read More »La Sera: Never Come Around [mp3]

Carissa’s Wierd Reissues Update

carissas-wierd

If you spent any extended period alone in personal confinement during the early days of the century, and you had a predilection toward mopey, soft pop, you may have let the hours wane away dwelling on the heartbreaking bedroom-ish pop of Carissa’s Wierd. If you didn’t, you should have as it is some of the best music created both during and post 90s. Little known, and with even littler quantities of albums produced, many long-time fans cheered quietly when Hardly Art announced a cherished set of reissues. Read More »Carissa’s Wierd Reissues Update

J. Tillman: Three Sisters [mp3]

j-tillman

J. Tillman has always created a very minimalist style of folk, and this sound once again dominates his new track “Three Sisters”, from his upcoming Singing Ax release. With minimalism, there’s a fine balance between the risk of being bland and sans any melody, and creating something astonishingly brilliant. Tillman knows this line well, and flirts with it frequently. No surprise: his skilled footwork keeps him on the side of brilliance. Read More »J. Tillman: Three Sisters [mp3]

Film School: Heart Full Of Pentagons [mp3]

  • Cyndi 

film-school

There’s a lot going on inside a Film School song, and thankfully it all works. From leering, pulsing guitar to brooding lyrics, the San Francisco based band have captured a shimmering, seething, and triumphant sound. With a style many say is rooted in the tradition of 80’s new wave Brit rock, Film School’s latest album Fission is more energetically lucid and accessible than their prior work spawning likeable dance beats and sweetly melancholy harmonies. At times perhaps we feel a bit lost in the cacophony, but we don’t necessarily want to be found. Rather we’re content to ramble amidst their river rapid sounds unsure of, yet serenely excited for, where they’ll take us next. Read More »Film School: Heart Full Of Pentagons [mp3]

Jared Mees & The Grown Children: Cockleburrs and Hay [mp3 review]

jared-mees

It’s almost been two years since Jared Mees & The Grown Children released their brilliant album Caffeine, Alcohol, Sunshine, Money. But with every live show they play in their hometown of Portland, or throughout the Northwest and California for that matter, their singularly identifiable brand of messy folk continues to seem fresh and frenzied in nature. Read More »Jared Mees & The Grown Children: Cockleburrs and Hay [mp3 review]

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