New Track from Low Culture

ironsheikThere’s no hiding my affinity for all things Marked Men related, but I was really surprised by how undervalued Low Culture were (relative to all other MM spin-offs/relationships).  If you’re smart, you’ll go give a listen to their debut Screens, which is phenomenal.  But, they’ve been hard at work recently, and they’re doing a split EP with friends Iron Chic.  We got a peak at one of their tunes, and it’s exactly what you want from the band…there’s just enough pop and just enough punk to make it into the perfect ear candy. Get your hands on a copy HERE.

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More New Music From Forest Fire

forestfireBack in July, I shared an enchanting new single with you called “Waiting in the Night” from up and coming indie pop band Forest Fire.  Today the band has been kind enough to offer up another new single entitled “Alone With the Wires” which can be streamed below.  Similar to the previously shared track, this one is also a bit of a slower/melodic type pop song that will pay off with each and every listen.  Hope you enjoy.

New album Screens will be out on September 10th via Fat Cat Records.

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Enchanting Pop From Forest Fire

forestfireForest Fire is a band that seemingly blew up over night a few years ago with the release of Survival, but have since cooled off quite a bit while quietly releasing new album Staring at the X in 2011.  Well the band are returning in 2013 with a planned new album entitled Screens coming our way on September 10th via Fat Cat Records.  Below you can find the first single “Waiting in the Night” made available a few days ago.  It’s a bit of a slow bunner pop style song with beats and guitars that remind me of earlier style Yeasayer.  I have no problem with that.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/1-Waiting-in-the-Night.mp3]

Download: Forest Fire – Waiting in the Night [MP3]

Low Culture – Screens

Rating: ★★★☆☆

If there’s one thing I’ve been able to count on for some time, it’s been the delivery of solid punk rock records from Dirtnap Records.  They’re at it again in 2013 with their first release, Screens by Low Culture.  Hailing from New Mexico, the band pumps out a grittier version of your modern power-pop, using furious pacing and jagged guitar chords to add an extra dose of energy.

“Screens” kicks off the entire affair, almost blasting off immediately with a punk rock anthem that blurs the lines between traditional punk rock and modern garage-pop.  A quickened beat, encouraged by the pounding rhythm of the drums, makes this one of the albums stand-out tracks.  Seamlessly, Screens moves along into “I Feel Your Ghost.”  It’s here that you first begin to notice a little bit more of a guttural influence on the vocals; this is one of the minor effects that carries the group away from the majority of their peers, at least in sonic comparisons.

While a great deal of Low Cultures latest effort has a tendency to stand in the territory of their punk/power-pop fusion, there are a few songs lurking here and there that allow listeners to absorb something a touch different. For me, you can tell by the opening guitar line of “Touchy Feely” that you’re in for something that varies from the group’s standard fare.  It jumps into a forceful vocal delivery, almost barked in your ear, though they do create a bit more classic alternative melody that enters towards the latter half of the song.  A few songs later you find yourself at “Nightmare,” providing that pummeling sound that one can only assume entices those in a live setting to circle about.  While I appreciate the variation in songwriting, these two examples are also probably the hardest for my ears to connect with during an average listening experience.

My favorite piece of Screens has to be “Trying to Quit.”  It’s sort of a sloppy garage ditty, which has me bobbing my head and tapping my toes as I write these very words.  It also features a softer vocal, though you can still hear a hint of strain; its presence makes the song immediately accessible and memorable, regardless of your personal tastes.  The group comes close to repeating this feat on the following track, “California,” although it takes a second or two longer to fully grasp the apparent pop sensibility in the songwriting.  Like the opening two tracks, this is a good 1-2 punch.

For my two cents, I’ve had a blast listening to Screens, blaring it on the home stereo time and time again.  Sure, there are some weaker spots, but even those I don’t mind playing all the way through.  While Low Culture waivers slightly in monotony, the record’s brevity allows them to avoid such traps, leaving music fans with an album you’ll spin on the table repetitively.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/01-Screens.mp3]

Download:Low Culture – Screens [MP3]

Rock N’ Roll from Low Culture

I know I’m struggling here on Friday, so I definitely needed an energetic pick up, which is lucky for me since I just got this great Low Culture tune.  There’s no pretense here, it’s just fast paced rock, in the vein of what I’ve deemed power punk.  It’s filled with hooks, especially in the chorus, yet there’s just a hint of gritty anger that blows your hair back.  They’ll be releasing their album, Screens, on my favorite Dirtnap Records on January 9th of next year.  You need energy and fun? You get Low Culture.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/01-Screens.mp3]

Download:Low Culture – Screens [MP3]

New Music From Screens

Ah yes Brooklyn, the home of what seems like countless bands that are what I like to call “a little left of center”.  The NY based outfit Screens are no different with sounds that range from Crystal Antlers to some strange form of spastic rock n roll.  Their a little bit weird, definitely unique in their own way, and I can’t seem to get enough of it.  This little number “Pop Logic” has some pretty catchy beats behind it and many parts of that craziness I find interesting.  Check it out for yourself and pick up the group’s debut LP Dead House on May 17th via What Delicate Recordings.

[audio: https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/04-Pop-Logic.mp3]

Download: Screens – Pop Logic [MP3]