Brooding Pop From Ganser

Chicago based quartet Ganser has been slowly releasing some new singles from their upcoming sophomore album entitled Just Look at That Sky. We’ve slept on the previously dropped track, but I’d be failing you if I didn’t get this new one, “Emergency Equipment & Exits” into your ear holes. It is a stunning, epic piece of brooding pop music which screams post-punk at the height of the genre, but also features this extended, dramatic build out for over 2 minutes. This should definitely be on your list as a banger for 2020.

Ganser will release Just Look at That Sky on July 31st via Felte.

SXSW Interview: Deserta

SXSW is here! Well not literally here, but it is getting ever closer as the days go by. I know it’s hard to believe, as many of us feel like we just recovered from the week long fest yesterday. Well it’s here people and it seems like a perfect time to start preparing. As usual, your friendly ATH staff will be providing previews, playlists and our much anticipated SXSW interviews/questionnaires. Now we send these out to a lot of bands in the hopes you can pick up some varying perspectives on the vast amount of bands coming to town and how they approach the week. Our very first interview this year comes by way of Los Angeles based Matthew Doty and his project known as Deserta. Hit the jump for questions and responses from Doty.

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New To Me: Public Memory

I make no mystery of my love for the synthy goodness, especially when it can carry a heavy tone. Public Memory is one such project led by Robert Toher.

Landing here on the pending release of the second LP, titled Demolition, the song embedded below is called “The Line”. Tension builds as the open of the track takes a stranglehold, running longer and longer, creating tension with the addition of a rising and falling sawtooth only to have haunting by high octave tones add to that stress. The release lands willfully under a flood of harmonies followed by the initial vocals only to quiet again to give lyrics space.

Demolition is due 11/9 on Felte.

Numb.er Gives Us Another Tune

I’ve been pretty anxiously awaiting Numb.er’s new LP, which is still a few weeks away from showing up in shops. Today the band shares another driving number, rushing through your speakers from the minute you press play. The vocal delivery has this sort of post-punk indifference to it; its as if Jeff is forced into antagonizing an invisible audience. Maybe it’s like IceAge a little bit, but spun through some industrial noise manufacturer. Goodbye is the title of their new LP, and its hitting stores on May 25th via Felte.

Nu.mber Back On My Radar

Nu.mberwere one of the group’s high on my list of anticipated acts this past SXSW, and I was able to catch them on several occasions. Those performances were solid, albeit a bit noisy, and in that, we turn to the recorded material where you can hear just a slight bit more of the band’s nuance. For instance, on this new single, you can hear little textured layering of keyboards working behind the drum, almost crafting an atmospheric wash while the song pushes forward. It’s a brooding bit, definitely giving care to the melodic structure, and the backing vocal is perfectly placed to enhance the listening. The band will drop Goodbye on May 25th via Felte.

Soft Tune from Exitmusic

Exitmusic are crafting elegant escape music; songs that border on the realm of dream pop, yet have the ability to take you somewhere else entirely. On their latest single there’s a patient flow, predominantly focused on the voice of Aleksa Palladino. Softly, a buzz begins to formulate beneath the surface of the tune, just behind Palladino’s voice. Pulses begin to burst, guitar lines shimmer and the song ecstatically erupts in your ears, swelling to the maximum musical relief. Then you’re back where you started, quiet and alone with your speakers. The duo will release their new album The Recognitions on April 20th via Felte.

Rocker from Nu.mber

You’ve got start Friday off the right way, and I can’t think of a better way to being than with this new tune from Nu.mber. The work is the brainchild of artist Jeff Fribourg, and his love of synthesizers is clearly at play on this tune. The guitars angrily drive the song down the tunnel of your speakers, with a propulsive rhythm section pounding away. But, the layered synths and distorted vocals actually provide a catchy element to the tune. It’s fast, furious and then its over, leaving you to wait until Goodbye, the debut LP, drops via Felte on May 25th.

Dark Pop From AUTOBAHN

After quite a bit of rock n roll last week, I’m rejoining the game this week with some dark pop music from Leeds based group AUTOBAHN. Playing on the likes of genre innovators Joy Division, AUTOBAHN throw in some electronic sounds to come across as a bit more Cold Cave like than the 80s pioneers. Repetitive guitars, synths, and keyboards all blend together nicely to produce a solid single effort out of the UK.

AUTOBAHN will release The Moral Crossing LP on November 3rd via felte (pre-order).

New Electronic Doom from Odonis Odonis

Sometimes when you strip down to the most minimal bits of your work, you come out with the best product. This might just be the case for Odonis Odonis, who are reported to have stripped down the instrumentation on their latest effort to synthesizers and electronic drums. I love how these guys make music that sounds like impending doom, but almost makes you beg for it; it sounds beautiful. There’s a moment on the latter half of the tune where they build the tension with tons of negative space, only to drop the vocals and beat back in one more time. Felte will be releasing the No Pop on October 20th.

Au.Ra Gives One More Fuzzed Pop Number

The release of Cultivations is just a few short weeks away, so this might be your last chance to sample some new Au.Ra before the record drops. This track employs a dreamy vibe, tossing out the vocals in an almost distant manner while the electronic wash plods carefully through your speakers. In the song’s middle the band brings in a nice little atmospheric respite, only to push back with a melodic fade out to end the song. Felte will be releasing Cultivations on June 30th in stores worldwide.

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