Rib shattering house beats and delicate soundscapes collide on Teen Daze’s first full length album, All of Us, Together. Last year’s EP, A Silent Planet, left us filled with a sense of wonder and vitality. We thought that Jamison, AKA, Teen Daze, had pulled off a lo-fi electronic coup.
But, outside of the terrific production value, All of Us, Together isn’t really cinematic like the Alps or organic like Small Black. Everything feels flat. We zoned out completely during a few songs which would have been completely acceptable if we were concentrating on a difficult, mind crushing task requiring some background noise. But, we wanted to be immersed in Teen Daze’s dark imagination and musical versatility. For instance, “Erbstuck” and “The New Balearic” sound generic, almost predictable. With a rapid succession of beats giving way to slow-cooked crescendos, we were left with a metallic, unfulfilled feeling in our belly.
The Brits are good for a lot of things, but one of the best things about them (other than their tea) is their appreciation for the sounds of soul — even from their rock bands.
Enter The Red Lapels from South East London who, in an earlier incarnation, were called Soul Food Cafe, and that’s pretty damned appropriate considering the vintage tone that runs through their tunes and lead singer/guitarist Richard Maddy’s primary instrument — his voice. Along with Sean Spicer (drums), Harvey Lee (guitar), and Tom Barnes (bass), the sound is indie, and toe tapping, and rocking, and — in the case of the tune and video for “Wayaya” — extremely hip shimmying. And water gun shooting.
Take a mysterious ride through a dark road amidst the midnight sky with Zulu Winter and their latest single “Silver Tongue.” Infused with smooth new wave sounds and dream pop tendencies, this seemingly haunting yet seductive track will bring out the night owl in all of us.
With their debut Forever So, Melbourne’s Husky have crafted a solid indie-folk album laced with darling melodies, soothing harmonies and comforting riffs.
The album was mixed in LA by Noah Georgeson, who has previously worked on albums by Devendra Banhart and The Strokes. Indeed, the emphasis on acoustic guitar is similar to Banhart’s sound, as is the warm intimacy of the vocals. Comparisons may also be drawn with Fleet Foxes and Angus & Julia Stone.
Forever So is best listened to in its entirety – the transition between songs is seamless and intentional. Out of context, “Farewell (In 3 Parts)” may sound aimless. The 2nd half of the epic song is a soothing conclusion to the album, with brass instruments adding a rich nostalgic quality.
“Forever So” is a highlight and reminiscent of The Middle East, with its pretty piano riff and steady rhythm. At just 2 minutes, it’s over too soon. The stand-out is “History’s Door,” the song that garnered Husky national attention and won them Triple J’s Unearthed competition. With an acoustic riff and lush vocal harmonies that get underneath your skin and leave you with tingles, it is warm and melodic organic indie at its best.
Since the release of their first full-length album 20,000 Ghosts, The Rocketboys have halved. Lead singer Brandon Kinder, along with Josh Campbell and Justin Wiseman decided they weren’t ready to let the project lie, despite the departure of their three former bandmates.
The Austin band have been working on sophomore LP Build Anyway, set to be released on June 5th. The first cut of the album is a soaring cut of indie-pop bliss, which builds from a sparse organ opening to a sweeping percussive chorus. While “Bloodless” showcases the band’s rich pop sensibilities, The Rocketboys’ earlier work is much more subdued. Where “Sights and Sounds” is a piano-driven ballad, the emotive lyrical content of “Bloodless” is underpinned by uplifting brass.
The strum of guitar and indie rhythm sets the mood for the angels to vocally descend, to mesmerize and esoterically take us away. This gritty, yet enchanting 6-piece combo band are quirky, kinky, dreamy, and moody. The angelic-like harmonies of the two front sweet girls Lou and Phoebe, ascend you back up with them, backed by the progressive percussion, guitar, and keyboard. Alpine‘s gallant, dreamy, crisp sound is an exquisite, smooth collection of instruments, talent, and taste — somewhere around Metric, Massive Attack, and Air. No, they are not from the highland of Scandinavia, in fact they are from Melbourne, Australia. Prepare to be amazed and elevated.
Nootropics is achingly transformative. Once replete and stark, the Lower Dens sound is flush with exploration. They’ve added another guitarist/keyboardist since 2010’s reverb masterpiece, Twin-Hand Movement, and it has mostly paid off. Notably, keyboards and percussion have completely taken on a life of their own, leading Nootropics’ misty grandeur with sheepish devilry.
Jana Hunter’s voice is still enthralling. She has built a perfect accompaniment around crackling guitar explorations, gentle background vocals, and the group’s deliberate, moody percussion. “Lamb” showcases Hunter’s surreal ambitions and the group’s acquired taste for new wave and goth. However, “Stem” might be the most balanced track out of the bunch; celebrating those signature guitar swells with a labyrinth of organ dressing.
For someone who worshipped Twin-Hand Movement as much as this owl, we can’t say with honesty that we “got it” after the first listen. Then, we realized that they’re almost completely different artistic motives, and everything else fell in line after that.
Light Asylum’s self-titled debut combines so many devastating elements of electronic, punk, soul, and new wave that the effect is like standing in a barren field during a beautiful lightning storm. It’s hard to seek safety when everything around you makes you feel so alive.
“At Will” and “IPC” share a blunt, punk-inspired axis with lead singer Shannon Funchess practically spitting and writhing around multi-instrumentalist Bruno Coviello’s electronic weaponry. But, there are also tracks like “Angel Tongue” which take on a more sensitive approach (for Light Asylum anyway), blending in slow slung beats and even a trickle of chimes.
Leading up to the album’s release, Funchess and Coviello attracted a saturated amount of attention from the underground community. Together, their anxious electroclash style hypnotized a wide swath of the music industry/community. Although we thought that it was a good thing that the album’s focus wasn’t on the lyrical content, Funchess’ incredible range and authoritative delivery elevated Light Asylum’s bleak post new wave sensibility.
Patrick Watson Adventures In Your Own Backyard
[Domino Record Company]
Patrick Watson‘s Adventures In Your Own Backyard is an ambitious album that unfortunately falls short of its lofty aims. The album is marked by orchestral instrumentation delicately arranged to create an ethereal, atmospheric quality. Joyously catchy “Into Giants” features female harmonies, and is more folky than others, which often border on drowsily sombre. Theatrical opener “Lighthouse” starts off sparse, until a trumpet signals a change in scenery, evoking imagery of a stylized Western confrontation.
Watson’s falsetto has brought comparisons with Jeff Buckley, whom he counts among his inspirations. However, where Buckley’s voiced soared from whispered depths to an electrifying other-worldly cry, Watson’s hums a consistently subdued tone. The mid-tempo waltz of “Morning Sheets” is not dissimilar to Buckley’s “Everybody Here Wants You,” but lacks the latter’s sexy hook. “Blackwind” has a solid acoustic backbone, and strings and upbeat percussion build a comforting space for Watson’s haunting voice to dance in. The aimless meandering instrumental “The Things You Do” serves no purpose but to prompts a perplexed “WTF” from the listener.
Patrick Watson’s experimental journey is intriguing and at times beguiling, but you may find yourself often disoriented with a distinct lack of direction, never arriving at your destination.
Admit it, we’re all looking for songs that we can relate to and identify with. We thirst for songs with meaning and a catchy tune. Luckily, Beat Radio provides listeners with all of the above. This New York group, the project of Brian Sendrowitz, is a classic indie experience, choosing not to fall into the trap of mass marketed music. A strong point for Beat Radio is that the vocals and instruments are in perfect balance; neither overpowers the other. Alternative rock meets soft vocals and piano melodies to produce songs with unique names, such as “Stars Collided In Our Hearts” and “He Brought a Gun To a Knife Fight.” Beat Radio‘s songs are the perfect soundtrack for this summer; their tunes are completely meant to be played at summer music festivals.
With the amount of duos that are currently out, it’s hard to say what two people can’t do musically when they don’t limit themselves. Many artists out there say screw having a four or five-piece band and continue to raise the bar for what a solo artist or duo can create. Go back to early 2009 and out of nowhere Swedish duo jj began to make a name for themselves. Combining ambient electronics and soft female vocals with pieces from genres such as dream pop, indie pop, and DJ dance music — they’ve made something that’s truly authentic. It’s been two years since their last release and this time around they’re back sounding better than ever before. Hear their lush new single “Beautiful Life” below.
The late entry, opening band from Berkeley, Waterstrider, could not have been juxtaposed with a better band if the indie rock gods had laid their hands upon Tuesday night’s show at Slim’s themselves. Waterstrider came out on stage and lit the place up with their enthusiasm and musical talent. To say that they an array of instruments would be an understatement. The high-pitched voice of lead singer and ukulele shredder, Nate Salman, rang out through the sparse crowd but still fit perfectly with the flute, guitar, synthesizer, and numerous forms of percussion (mostly being played by the ever-so-talented Brijean Murphy). It’s always fun to see an up-and-coming, local band with a true appreciation for the opportunity to open for a band like Fanfarlo.
Waterstrider
Speaking of eclectic instrumentation, Fanfarlo delighted the audience with not only their music, but also their playful humor. From Swedish musician Simon Balthazar talking about breaking his shoe and not knowing a better place than San Francisco to be barefoot to bassist Justin Finch shaming some girls for “playing Angry Birds” during the show, Fanfarlo was obviously having a good time as well as wowing the audience with their musicianship. Coming to San Francisco from their first weekend at Coachella and also coming to the end of their extensive US tour, it only seemed proper for the band to be a bit rambunctious and wired on stage.
Starting their show off with “Replicate” from their new album, Rooms Filled With Light, aroused the audience into wanting more and filled the venue with anxious wonderment. As the concert continued, Fanfarlo did not disappoint. It was impossible to not move in some way to the music, whether dancing drunkenly or tapping a foot.
Fitting into the evening’s banterous nature, Simon Balthazar desired a whiskey prior to playing an encore, and one was quickly delivered to the stage. Due to the speedy delivery of the whiskey, Fanfarlo never even left the stage and instead just continued to play more songs. They ended the evening with an inspiring rendition of “The Walls Are Coming Down.” What an appropriate way to end a night filled with music made by talented musicians with instruments originating from all over the world.
Click here for more photos of Fanfarlo with Waterstrider at Slim’s.
San Francisco’s Passenger & Pilot had a packed stage at Cafe du Nord Thursday night and it was a beautiful show — the lush, full sounds of cellist Lara Cushing, violinist Chikin on strings, Jonathan Hirsch and China Langford on vocals were not to be missed. Il Gato played an energetic set of new material. The San Francisco band also played songs from their previous release, All these Slippery Things (July 2010). Red Weather and Drew Victor opened.
Passenger & Pilot
Passenger & Pilot
Passenger & Pilot
Passenger & Pilot
Il Gato
Il Gato
Il Gato
Redweather
Redweather
Click here for more amazing photos of Passenger & Pilot and Il Gato at Cafe Du Nord.
Civil Twilight‘s latest release Holy Weather is a unique work to behold. Each of the tracks on the album are unique in their own special way.
For example: “Every Walk That I’ve Ever Taken Has Been In Your Direction” is a surreal emotional trip with rampant melodies. The whole track feels grand and sweet. “Fire Escape” is a bit more dance-y, sounding a little bit like Locksley, and it just feels bound for a car commercial. Don’t let that detract you — that’s just to say that the track keeps moving on with excitement. “River” is a bit more of a calming indie rock track. You can dance around to the various “woo’s” at the start. Even better is “Doorway,” which is perhaps the quietest on the album and clearly a take at an “acoustic” track. The attention to vocals just makes it sweet and focused on the words coming out of McKeller’s mouth.
The band will surely make you think of U2 when you pick the album up, but in this case, that’s a good thing.
This mellow rock album is unlike anything you’ve ever heard. One part smooth lullaby, another part jazz-inspired funky drumming, and another part sunshine — this album is a great experience to listen to.
Each song on this album sounds unlike any of the other songs on the album. “A Country’s Kind of Dreams” features loud drums. You can hear every drum stick hit, every tap and roll in the song. The sing-song lyrics play over the album in an atmospheric way. This is the perfect track to hear while laying in the sun on a Sunday afternoon. “Easy Water” is smooth and moves along like a lullaby. Listening to the track makes you fall in love with it over and over. You can’t pull yourself away from it at all. “Decide” is another strong track featuring a more indie-dance kind of vibe and sweet lyrics delivered with power. The song even sounds like earlier Shins tracks. The lofty melodies on this album are just plain out of this world.
You’ll love this album if you like folks-y underground music, sweet indie jams, or otherwise stunning vibes.
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