The Paiges are another new Pacific Northwest group. Blending a lo-fi pop sound with folk-rock in the vein of Woodsist artists or a much softer side of Slumberland Records, The Paiges’ track “You’ll Never Know” sparks the sort of curiosity I found so intriguing with that Salmon Thrasher demo, “In A Balloon”. Read More »The Paiges [Demo Reel]
The deep, mystical vocals of Bourgeois Heroes would fit in very well next to a band like The Church or Echo & The Bunnymen or another similar melodramatic 80s group. While the Heroes hint occasionally at that sound on their release Musical Postcards, it also possesses the instrumentation of modern pop bands like Belle & Sebastian. And you can hear select other influences, as wide-ranging as The Pastels and The Zombies. Read More »Bourgeois Heroes [Feature]
Sometimes a band needs a shake-up, and sometimes a name change is the perfect catalyst. Royal Forest wasn’t always this band’s name; no, they were once called Loxsly. With the new name, Royal Forest sheds the past and reinvents themselves with a slightly updated sound that hints of a little math-rock and a curious Texas-inspired blend of folk and pop that’s a bit further away from their hometown heroes Spoon than their previous work, though the “syncopated snares” remain. Read More »Royal Forest [Feature]
After two phenomenal albums, Apologies To The Queen Mary and At Mount Zoomer respectively, many of us have been looking forward to Wolf Parade‘s third. That day is near, meaning Sub Pop has now given us a taste of what to expect. And our expectations have been fulfilled — “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)” and “Ghost Pressure” take on the sort of progression we heard between Apologies and Mount Zoomer while maintaining those core elements that make Wolf Parade such a powerful band. Read More »Wolf Parade [Feature]
Picking up their Home(here) EP, one gets the impression that Big Tree is somewhat of an organic band. The smooth screen-printed cardboard cover is minimal but effective, and the music contained within follows suit. Placed somewhere between folk and jazz and blues, Big Tree is a mesh of many genres. “The Concurrence Of All Things” is the EP’s opening track and it hits the band’s highlight traits. Read More »Big Tree: The Concurrence Of All Things [mp3]
They say, Oh, don’t call this group a supergroup! But I disagree, and there’s a distinct reason why. It’s because each member in The New Pornographers is, well, super. A.C. Newman adds his unique songwriting and vocal styling and he backs it with the phenomenal song-craft and vocals of Neko Case and Dan Bejar (Destroyer). Blaine Thurier is a film producer and lends keyboard expertise to the band, while John Collins, Todd Fancey, Kurt Dahle and Kathryn Calder round the songs out on various instruments, many of whom also lend backup vocals. This entourage of greatness is at it again with Together, their fifth proper full-length. Read More »The New Pornographers: Your Hands (Together) [mp3]
On their latest LP, Stereo Total does a good job satiating fans with a full 17 tracks, though label Kill Rock Stars notes that the band wrote 40 for the album. Now, I’m not much of a Stereo Total expert, but Baby Ouh! feels a bit more experimental than what I’ve heard from the band. From the get-go, they drop in sounds that remind me of not only Stereo Total, but artists like Deerhoof and The Fiery Furnaces. And it works. Read More »Stereo Total: Baby Ouh! [mp3]
Oh C86, how I long to bask in your greatness. And I soon will, thanks to Slumberland Records. The label that dominated my 2009 list (including my #2 record from Pains Of Being Pure At Heart), will be giving us a retrospective taste of the C86-era by reissuing Chin Chin‘s Sound Of The Westway. Read More »Chin Chin: Dark Days [mp3]
The Wagner Logic‘s second single from their self-titled sophomore LP is the sort of song that makes you want to move to the mountains and write songs about the outside world that you don’t have to see. “Yesterday Evening” is the sort of track that leaves you enlightened and disturbed at the same time. The delicate acoustic strumming and finely-tuned keyboard instrumentals set the mood as a story of a small gathering and the terrible outcome of something so simple. It’s strange to think that these Alaskan natives are, in comparative standards, stranded in the middle of a land that few can even comprehend, yet they have a wonderful grasp on reality and its ever cumbersome and illiterate translations of happiness. This is a band that should be watched continuously and heard with unfiltered ears. Read More »The Wagner Logic: Yesterday Evening [mp3]
Ólafur Arnalds is a Icelandic neo-classical artist whose work is at the forefront of the clash between classical and indie music. After debuting in 2007 with Eulogy for Evolution, the Arnalds is now set to release its follow-up LP, …And They Have Escaped The Weight Of Darkness. The first single is “Þú ert sólin” and it translates roughly to “You Are The Sun”. Stacked up next to Eulogy for Evolution, Arnalds continues his to impress with a song both emotive and uplifting. “You Are The Sun” is an ample title, conveying the warmth of sun rays on a cool spring morning. It doesn’t have the power he packed into the frantic closers of Evolution, “3326” and “3704/3837” respectively, but it matches them in creativity, brilliance and sheer genius. Read More »Ã“lafur Arnalds: Þú ert sólin [mp3]
