Last Week’s Jams (10.23 – 10.27)

We had a busy week here at ATH, prepping for the festival by throwing some Levitation interviews your way, but there was still tons of music to get out there. We ran some conversations with Video Age, Pachyman, Civic and Shannon and the Clams…plus, I got a Rock n’ Recipe in from the good folks at Lower Plenty. So, lots of words to read from other folks on their music. We also had fresh tunes all over the place from ATH favorites like the Umbrellas, Steven van Betten and Glimmer. Pretty busy week with tons to talk about, so be sure to browse through the site too…as there’s more than just sweet jams from last week!

Levitation Interview: Civic

As you can see, we are frantically try to hit with you as much Levitation coverage as we can before things kick off on Thursday. We’re rolling into our second interview of the day, this time by way of Melbourne based outfit Civic. Now we’ve long been fans of these guys and are super excited for them to travel all this way. If they aren’t on your bands to see list, well what are you even doing. Hit the jump for all them deets.

Read more

Kluster Tease Us with One Last Single

This Friday you’ll all finally get to hear the new LP from Sweden’s Kluster; I’ve been doing my best to hype up the band for the entirety of this album cycle. Today the band have given us one final tiny morsel before Civic drops. This track jumps in with the band dropping some angular post-punk vibes, though they also carry a sort of arty side in the guitar sound, akin to early Field Music. Linnea’s steady voice helps keep the jittering ship stable throughout, all the while offering a slight bit of pop sensibility to keep listeners coming back. Their debut album is being released by Rama Lama Records; grab it HERE.

Playful Pop Number from Kluster

One of my favorite Swedish labels at the moment is Rama Lama Records, and they’ve really gotten a winner by picking up Kluster. For a moment, I thought I had this song figured out completely, pulling in a vibe akin to Beach House by crafting layered pop. But, there’s this sharp turn of jagged guitars that toss the track in another direction, then they settle back in, albeit momentarily. The band jump right back into boisterous pop explosion to close out the tune; it’s a strong finish to an already stellar song. The group will release Civic on June 15th.

New Tune from Kluster

Make no mistake, this new track from Kluster is definitely a pop song. But, the band does it’s best to hide that from you, structuring the track so that only Linnea’s vocals come across as the pure pop attribute. The percussion seemingly uses a mix of drums and wood blocks, while the guitar shatters the melody at the most opportune time, again and again. Then, the song opens for a drifting atmospheric moment where Hall’s voice reigns supreme. Wood blocks carefully pop up, guitar chords trickle back in, then close it all with a brief bit of discord. This isn’t your average pop band, and they’ll be releasing their debut LP, Civic, on June 15th via Rama Lama Records.