Month: December 2017

Have Another Tune from Jesse Marchant

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While I’ve been a fan of JBM, or Jesse Marchant nowadays, this brand new single from his latest LP shows such promise that I’m penciling in repeated listens in 2018. There’s a forlorn tone, both in the emotional pull created by the trickling guitar line and the lyrical content. A slight fuzz builds an added layer about midway through the track, giving just the slightest emphasis before settling right back into the natural joy of the song. Whatever he’s writing, Marchant has charmed us a great deal…leaving us looking forward to Illusion of Love (released on January 26th).

Never a Bad Day for a Spook School Tune

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While we anxiously await the release of The Spook School‘s Could It Be Different (coming early next year), they’ve helped us out by sharing a delightful Christmas tune. Interestingly, and perhaps for the holidays, the band have pulled back on some of their distortion pop, offering a shimmering little indiepop vibe on this number. The single is released this Friday, but the band will also be selling a festive calendar featuring candid photos of drummer Niall…always a good gift idea; you can grab that HERE. Hope this can tide you over until the new LP hits!

Loma Share Another Track from Forthcoming Album

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It should come as no surprise that members of Cross Record and Shearwater will garner a lot of attention, but the depth of song’s like the one below clearly hint at how great this new Loma album is going to be. There’s a wonky, unsettling groove that opens the track, but Emily quickly comes into the picture to calm the storm with her voice. This track was built for her, with layered atmospherics withering in and out of the tune, leaving plenty of negative space for her to carry us with her voice. A different vibe than the first tune, but one we adore over here; look for the self-titled album to hit on February 16th via Sub Pop.

Show Review: Poptone @ The Mohawk (12/7)

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Bauhaus was a genre defining band. BUT, it was Love and Rockets, Bauhaus minus one Peter Murphy, that I really fanned out about. And then, Tone On Tail, Love and Rockets minus one David J., that created and whole new thing to one-up friends. The curious case where a group minus a member could improve or be a complete thing unto itself was on full display last Thursday night at The Mohawk when Poptone, Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins with Haskins’s daughter Diva Dompe, brought songs to life that I never thought I would get to see live. The fuzzed out basslines, the distant nearly monotone vocal, the ringing twelve-string or echoed out saxophone – this was as important a show to me as Belle and Sebastian would be to Nathan.

Click through for the rest of my thoughts and so many pics of not just Poptone, but the opener Geneva Jacuzzi and her girl in the bubble performance. …and holy crap it was cold.

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Club 8 Share Single from Golden Island

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While we’ve covered Club 8 quite a bit during our tenure, I feel like we’ve really taken the Swedish outfit for granted; they’ve recently announced Golden Island, which will be their 10th LP. Perhaps even more impressive than their long career is this new tune; it’s a very purposeful piece of pop music. The first 40 seconds or so are pretty sparse, dominated by what can only be described as a deep pulse. In the vocals, you almost have them used as an instrument, despite their polished beauty…especially when the sampled vocal enters the picture. It’s hard not to appreciate a band that continues to involve, and in such an emphatic fashion; look for the new LP on January 26th via Labrador Records.

Tape Deck Mountain Announce Echo Chamber Blues

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I’ve been writing about Tape Deck Mountain since I stumbled upon their album, Sway, way back in 2013. I’m really stoked to hear that the group has a brand new album, Echo Chamber Blues, coming our way in February of next year. The tune below definitely rides on the tails of shoegaze, though the guitars aren’t as loud in the front of the mix, creating more of a resonating squall that sits right behind the vocals. This group always manages to craft what I can only describe as a beautiful darkness, with careful melodies taking on heavy tones and a noisy sterility that lurks throughout. If you’re into the gaze, then gaze here.

Premiere: Unlikely Friends Announce Crooked Numbers

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Unlikely Friends are a pop group; they first came to my attention because of Charles Bert’s participation (he also plays in Math and Physics Club…D Crane from BOAT is the other core member). Today we’re excited to bring you this fresh single from the group’s forthcoming LP, Crooked Numbers. It opens with this distorted guitar, moving into a slight static vocal before pulling back the effects to reveal the song’s pop underbelly. You’re intoxicated, sure, but you’re not fully hooked until the falling melodies of the chorus are dropped on you; it’s like a sugar cube for pop aficionados. You’ll come back time and time again, and as you do, you’ll hear more vocal melodies surfing through the song, taking you on one hell of a pop rollercoaster. Crooked Numbers will be released on January 12th via Swoon Records.

Go On and Listen to Robby

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Robby is a brand new act ready to make waves in Austin, but members of the group have a pedigree all their own…featuring members of Magia Negra and Ringo Deathstarr. They’ve just put up two songs for your listening pleasure, and both illustrate a group that has the knack to handle various styles. “Shade” has a slight Spoon sound, especially with the way the vocals are delivered, but you can hear the slight psychedelic undercurrent as the song evolves. That leads us right to “Om,” which takes on a frolic through the landscape of the previously mentioned psychedelia; it moves slowly, allowing for a more emotional pull. Give a listen and get acquainted, as I’m sure we’re all be hearing more from Robby soon.

New Music from Pale Lights

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There’a an abundance of great tunes coming from Pale Lights, one of my favorite acts that features members of Comet Gain and Crystal Stilts. Just Friday the band dropped the brand new Jean, Bring the Flowers EP, highlighted by the delightful lead track, which features the video below. But, even better news is that we’ll be treated to a new LP titled The Stars Seem Brighter, which comes out on December 15th via Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten. I’ve attached a single from that tune below as well, as you can never have too much of Pale Lights in your life. Looks like the year isn’t quite done with brilliant new music.

Will Johnson Has a New Band

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Surely you’re aware of my undying love for all things Will Johnson, be it his solo work or Centro-Matic, but now he’s founded Marie/Lepanto with Justin Peter Kinkel-Schuster of Water Liars. Johnson’s voice is clearly a standout on the band’s first single, quivering slightly with his distinctive tones. This tune’s also a bit heavier than the work we’ve heard from Johnson of late, which could be due to Kinkel-Schuster, but regardless, the melodic elements unfurl beneath the crunchy guitar work. The duo will release Tenkiller on January 26th via Fat Possum imprint, Big Legal Mess.

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