Playful Pop from Jared Mees

Feeling good on a Friday, and figured we should start off our day with a little bit of bouncing pop. Jared Mees brings in another great single, working his voice over electronic beats, crooning atop of spirited backing tracks. It’s reminiscent of early Dent May tunes, offering careful poetry that energetically rides the internal melody of the tune. It’s all in good fun, so why not ride this track into the afternoon? Look for Jared’s new LP, Life is Long, which comes out on Tender Loving Empire next Friday!

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Latin Love from Y La Bamba

ylabambaIf you find you’re struggling to make it to the end of the week, then perhaps you should take a listen to this new track from Y La Bamba; I promise that you’ll find it uplifting. This track seems to combine elements of beach sound with traditional Spanish guitar working just beneath the mix. Even if you don’t speak Spanish, you’ll find that the core of the song has this vibrancy that’s undeniable; I don’t know, I’m in love with this track. Look for the new album, Ojos del Sol, to come your way on September 9th via Tender Loving Empire.

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Willis Earl Beal is a Gem

willisSometimes you come across an artist that garners hype all over the place, but you really want to stay away from all that nonsense. That being said, I can no longer ignore Willis Earl Beal and I apologize for waiting so long. He’s just upped a new single from his forthcoming Through the Dark EP, and it’s pretty magnificent. It’s one of those rare songs that comes across with a focus on the power of voice, and a remarkable one at that. The instrumentation is pretty light, though it crafts a beautifully haunting playground for Willis and his accompanying vocalist to soar. Look for the digital EP on April 1st via Tender Loving Empire.

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Loch Lomond Channel Indie Greats

lochlomondOkay, so perhaps the indie rock explosion bubble burst long ago, but the remnants of that still remain with lasting influence of Arcade Fire and the Decembrists. That’s exactly where Loch Lomond picks up, with a combination of those two, only slightly less orchestrated. There’s still a poetic note in the lyrical content, and symphonic touches that flourish in all the right places, so the Portland act isn’t too far removed from everyone’s heroes. This song was released via Tender Loving Empire to kick off the band’s tour through the West, and it’s a great way to start off your week…so says I.

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King Friday Spin Some Old School Pop

kingEveryone loves a good pop song, and it turns out that King Friday aren’t any different than the rest of us. They’re a songwriting powerhouse, already on their tenth album, which comes out later this week.  It’s titled the Big Strange, and on listening to the first few singles, it looks to be filled with the paisley side of psychedelia, honoring the tradition of incredible harmonies. As of right now, they’re releasing an album every three months, and a video every few weeks.  Take a listen and see if this is up your alley.

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Have You Met the Domestics

domeThere’s something to be said about a good pop song. It moves beyond genres and typical blogger tropes, moving into the territory where we find this new single from Portland’s The Domestics.  Opening slowly with a piano backbone and picked guitar chords, the song prepares you for the burst of sensational pop songwriting. That burst of melody and energy uplifts listeners immediately, begging you to start over again, just so you can get that feeling one more time. It’s a pop addicts dream, and one that should build your anticipation for the group’s forthcoming self-titled album on Tender Loving Empire come July 17th.

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Lush New Music from Musee Mecanique

museeOrchestral rock music is my jam! Okay, not all of it, obviously, but I’m really enjoying this track from Musee Mecanique; it reminds me an awful lot of the sort of music being created by current Portland residents, Other Lives.  The opening to this tune trickles in carefully, with intricately picked guitar strings and a floating vocal. However, the tune gradually progresses, with a rolling drum bit and increased volume, as well as instrumentation.  It’s quite a startling piece of work, which makes the announcement of their new album, From Shores of Sleep, even better; it’ll be out on Tender Loving Empire come August 26th.

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Interesting Pop From Radiation City

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Radiation City is a band that I’ve always found intriguing with a unique take on pop music mixing in elements of jazz and synths into their sounds.  For those new to the band, below is a sample of what I’m getting at with new song “So Long”.  The driving beat throughout plays as a nice backbone to the chanting vocals and swirling keys/synths.  Stick around towards the end as the guitars finally kick in and provide a nice rocking bridge to finish out this beautiful pop tune.

New album Animals in the Median is due out May 21st on Tender Loving Empire.

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Smooth Folk Hit from Y La Bamba

For as much as I go on about rock n’ roll’s return and punk rock, I still enjoy well-crafted folk music, especially if it comes off a bit quirky.  This was precisely the case when I listened to the new track from Y La Bamba, who will be putting out their latest, Court the Storm, on February 28th via Tender Loving Empire.  As you follow along the track, there’s trickling moments of regular folk, but then there’s intricate moments started off each time with a nie set of handclaps.  Suffice to say, this isn’t your run of the mill folk, which is precisely why it caught my ear.

[audio:https://austintownhall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/01-Squawk-1.mp3]

Download:Y La Bamba – Squawk [MP3]

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