Monthly Archives: February 2014
snowmine: “dialects” (mystery buildings)
Brooklyn quintet 2nd album. Spacious indie w/ vintage synths, electronics, 1960’s- cinema-inspired strings, woodwinds and choir. Dreamy & ambient w/reverb & tribal undertones. play: 2, 3, 5, 7 RIYL: GARDENS & VILLA, GRIZZLY BEAR
patten-ESTOILE NAIANT
ESTOILE NAIANT is the first full length album from artist patten. The music has a strong experimental quality to it with diverse beats, elements of Psychedelic Pop, Found-Sound and trippy synths. While these tracks have wandered off the beaten bath and into the wilderness of electronica they are oddly easy to listen to and are […]
George Sarah-Time Lapse
The latest release from George Sarah is titled Time Lapse. This is some seriously rough-edged and grinding music. It’s a mix of Industrial, Dark Ambient with some Experimental Art Rock, Goth Rock and Dubstep. As mentioned before the music is grinding and pounding with heavy bass guitar and even heavier drumbeats and guttural guitars smashing […]
Machinedrum-Fenris District
Fenris District is the latest from Machinedrum. The EP is a continuation of the Vapor City album that came out late last year and explores one the many parts of this dream world city Machinedrum has envisioned. This “district” is supposed to be in the seedier side of town and the music reflects that. The […]
Davidge-Slo Light
Slo Light is the debut album for artist Davige but this is far from his first foray into the music business. He was part of the UK group DNA (the group who famously remixed Suzanne Vega’s Tom’s Diner), co-produced several Massive Attack albums and composed the soundtrack to Halo 4 which became the highest charting […]
The Notwist – Close to the Glass
Close to the Glass is The Notwist’s first album since their 2008 release The Devil, You & I. For those unfamiliar with The Notwist, they are a German band who have been around since the early 90’s. They started out playing grunge/metal but slowly evolved into an indie/electronic band (a transition comparable to Radiohead). They […]
The Jungle Giants – She’s a Riot EP
The Jungle Giants are a band from Australia who have reissued their 2012 EP She’s a Riot for a wider audience. Their music sounds like a more pop oriented version of The Strokes or Arctic Monkeys, but with jangly guitars and a summery vibe. The songs on this EP are very radio friendly. The lead […]
Guided By Voices – Motivational Jumpsuit
UNSTOPPABLE ROCK STARS MAKE A NEW NEW ALBUM FOR 2014! There’s 20 small but very exciting tracks over about 40 mins (its too short if you ask me). A lot of repeating riffs and distorted power chords over a lo fi indie garagey sound. RIYL: Pavement, Pixies, Dinosaur Jr, Stephen Malkmus PLAY: 3, 12, 7, […]
Modern Baseball – You’re Gonna Miss It All
Philadelphia emo proteges Modern Baseball are back to appease you with a sequel to their first, critically acclaimed debut, Sports. While Sports made Modern Baseball an integral staple in the Philly emo scene, You’re Gonna Miss It All tries again to appease its dedicated throng of listeners. But in my opinion, it falls slightly short. […]
MISE EN SCENE // Desire’s Despair (Pipe & Hat)
A canadian duo, creating sweet surf pop ready for the summer. The music is clamorous and captivating, with hints of everything from 60’s pop and alt-country to early punk and garage rock. PLAY: 1, 3, 7, 5, 6 FCC: clean RIYL: Tennis, Best Coast
REAL ESTATE // Atlas (Domino Records)
Lazy, dreamy beach jams. Atlas builds upon the lush guitar warmth of Days, their previous release, while adding more powerful harmonies and keyboard flourishes. Wistful and heart-warming as always. PLAY: 3, 6, 9, 1, 5, all FCC: clean RIYL: Beach Fossils, Wild Nothing, DIIV, Ducktails
Arthur Levering–Parallel Universe
A selection of contemporary, avant-garde works showing the composer’s variety. Different instruments, ensemble sizes, styles ranging from minimalist with voice to robust, or meandering. Try trks 2-6.
Brian Noyes–Journeys After
Two long orchestral works for sampling–trk 1 dreamy, meandering, trk 2 busy.
Marty Regan–Scattering Light, Scattering Flowers
Contemporary works for traditional Japanese instruments, using them in ways different from the traditional use. Exceptionally beautiful! Trk 5 begins strongly, then quiets down, trk 7 robust. Play most!
THE REBEL SET // How to Make a Monster
Frontman Joe Zimmerman was highly influenced by the lo-fi garage rock craze of the 1990’s and decided to put together a band that would encompass the sounds he had grown up with. The influence is shown and How to Make a Monster is a vintage throwback that feels like a soundtrack to a trip to […]
POW! // High Tech Boom
Pow!’s first album, High Tech Boom is a messy, heavy, turbulent collection of tracks that is perfectly defined by the genre of garage rock. This band originating from San Francisco is inspired by post-punk revival and has a very lo-fi underground feel. Most noticeable is their heavy use of synth to create a static, […]
TOY // Join the Dots
Join the Dots is the second album from this psychedelic London quintet, an ambient, ethereal experience meant to calm and hypnotize. The album begins with a 7-minute gradual introduction called “Conductor.” Beginning slow and quiet, it slowly slips the listener into the rest of the album, where the band experiments with effects and […]
TACOCAT // NVM (Hardly Art)
Garagey, 90’s revivalism, basement-show-bred power-pop with feminist tendencies. A grrrl band, if you don’t count the one dude on guitar. It’s quirky and cute, with wistful female vocals occasionally backed by the two other girls and, oh yeah, that one guy that plays guitar. PLAY: 3, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9 RIYL: Bikini Kill, Beat […]
ETERNAL SUMMERS // The Drop Beneath (Kanine Records)
Sweet, 90’s influenced jangle pop. Breathy female vocals, backed by fuzzy guitars and a somewhat lo-fi aesthetic. Can go from borderline noise pop at one moment, to mellow dance ballad the next. PLAY: 5, 7, 3, 9, 2 RIYL: Bleeding Rainbow, Seapony
YELLOW OSTRICH // COSMOS (Barsuk Records)
Alex Schaaf, mastermind behind Yellow Ostrich, is no longer recording songs alone in his bedroom. The group now consists of four members, abandoning the DIY style to give off a much more mature sound. This is simply charming, feel-good rock with better production than his previous records. PLAY: 8, 7, 4, 9, 1 FCC: 2, […]
TAPES & TUBES // 27 (Self-Released)
Hazy, dreamy, lo-fi pop that occasionally reminds you of an older Yo La Tengo. Warm and comfortable instrumentation, lazy and droning vocals. The track “Orion” sticks out like a sore thumb, as it’s the only song incorporating spoken-word; it’s complemented by the sound of falling rain and an acoustic guitar slowly creeping into the background. PLAY: […]
Carsick Cars- 3
Carsick Cars comes from China! This indie-pop band has a fairly standard sound: high pitched, melodic guitars, standard drums, etc… but they are super exciting because they are the first indie-pop band I have heard from China. Overall a solid, fun indie album. Give it a try! RIYL: Los Campensinos!, Nous Non Plus Play: 1, […]
Glow Mechanics- Schmo Mechanics
The Glow Mechanics’s new album Schmo Mechanics is a solid hip hop release. Clever lyrics and melodic, analog beats combine to make a cool sounding, easy listening album. Give it a spin… FCC: 2, 8 RIYL: Danny Brown, The Cool Kids, Pharcyde Play: 4, 7
WRUV Rock Singles March 2014
WRUV Rock Singles March 2014 1. Sam Smith – Latch (Acoustic) [capitol] 2. Sam Smith – Money On My Mind [capitol] 3. Chalk And Numbers – Pretty Colors [self-release] 4. Mr. Little Jeans – The Suburbs (Arcade Fire Cover) (sony) 5. Arc Iris – Singing So Sweetly [self-release] 6. Chet Faker – Talk Is Cheap (downtown) 7. Stone Cold Fox – January (self) 8. Moon Boots – C.Y.S. [nurvous records] 9. Disclosure […]
The Souljazz Orchestra – Inner Fire (Strut)
This is the 7th CD in nine years from this 6-member band from Ottawa. Always growing as a band, each CD has blended jazz, funk, soul, Latin, & Afro-beat in new ways. If they were “finding themselves” on their last release & an earlier incarnation as “Slim Moore & the Mar-Kays,” they seem to have […]
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