This is fine.
Photo by Keeyahtay Lewis
I am here to report that the angsty teenager inside of me is alive and well. The part of me that I thought was long-gone jumped back out with a vengeance when I saw that Taking Back Sunday would be performing their 2002 debut album in full on a worldwide 20th anniversary tour with a stop in Austin, TX for two nights at Emos. Read more
I’ve been a huge huge fan of Zebra Hunt since their debut, but what’s more impressive is the growth the group have made throughout those years. What was once a catchy indiepop gem is now this swelling collection of pop music that seems to have been birthed in Australia. Broad sweeping guitar licks and distant indifferent vocals create this natural sway that leads you tapping your toes and letting that grin creep across your face. The song really gets successful and nostalgic when the backing vocals join in to add that extra punch in the song’s latter half. Trade Desire will pop up really soon via Tenorio Cotobade.
Somehow, I’m still catching up on all the great music that came out in March, like the new EP that Human Girlfriend dropped a week or so ago. Standout track “Opposite People” immediately opens with these guitar chords that sound like the track’s going to ring out, but it pulls back and the guitars start to jangle lightly in the forefront. Warm vocals wash over things from there, giving the track a real casual pop vibe…not too intrusive, but definitely worthy of a few minutes of toe-tapping joy. If you dig it, then go stream the rest of Lookin’ Up Your Old Address, the band’s latest EP.
Perhaps my favorite thing to do on a Friday, aside from listening to music, is staring out the window, mapping out the joys of the weekend in my mind. Now, this new track from Psychic Lines feels a bit more downtrodden, so maybe it’s more fitting for a Sunday, but I can’t escape its sense of longing. It’s brevity makes it wash its emotional appeal over you quickly, like you’re getting advice from a dear friend as they rush out the door. See the photo up in the corner of songwriter Philip Jacob? He’s doing the same thing I’m doing, looking out into the world; he’s one of us. Go and listen to this track a bunch.
By now you’re aware of my infatuation with Sweden’s Red Sleeping Beauty, who’ve been kicking around for decades with delightful pop music. Today, they announce their new album, Stockholm, with a bright pulsing number that’s sure to start off your Friday in the right fashion. Kristina Borg gets the start here, and the chorus allows the rest of the band to join, briefly; I’m a big fan of the “ooh ooh” that follow the chorus. Lyrically, the song calls out Winter in Sweden, which seems to create an emotional darkness, atop the natural onset of long nights…but don’t worry, they see the promise in Swedish Summer. Stockholm will be available on April 12th via Matinee Recordings.
When I think of Lost and Lonesome, I think of the finest purveyors of pop music in Australia (well, one of). But, like ourselves, they have broad stretching tastes, and today they share a new track from folk songwriter Lucy Roleff. Upon my first few listens, I marveled at her voice; it has this ability to rise and almost quiver as it reaches higher notes, yet always controlled and personable. Great voices, however, need a little extra something sometimes, like the glorious arrangements that give this almost a woodsy feel. Left Open in a Room will be out on May 15th for all to enjoy.
When I think back to my listening last year, it definitely involved a great bit of Olden Yolk; it was a special favorite when we first had our daughter and needed something light to listen to in her presence. Today Shane and Caity announce their return with Living Theatre, a new effort for Trouble in Mind Records. Once the opening strum of the guitars fades away here, you can tell that there are grander goals in the songwriting with this new album; I love the little notes underneath the surface like the way the keys build gradually or the little hint of a shaker that draws your ear nearer. Somehow, they’ve crafted a sound that still has the intimacy of their first release, yet offers up broader sounds that pervade your listening surroundings. Look for Living Theatre on May 17th.
It’s weird when you listen to a new artists and you immediately start to draw comparisons to other artists, which as a jerk like myself, I inevitably do…and have done with Prudence. On the surface, it’s a club number for those with inclinations towards the rehash of yacht rock extravagance from the 80s…just listen to those guitar notes. But, as the song continues to unfold and my ears get sucked deep into things…I sort of here the heart-on-the-sleeve openness that Tim Kasher shared on his early outings with The Good Life. There’s this natural fragility like someone baring their soul to you for the first time…it’s an earnestness but captivating. His debut Major Tom EP will be out on Forged Artifacts May 10th.
I love listening to Freak Genes, the hottest UK act you might not have heard about before; it’s made up of equal parts Red Cords/Proto Idiot members, with final mastering touches done by everyone’s hero, Mikey Young. III is the group’s third outing, and they’ve got plans to keep things interesting, throwing in heavy synth focus this round to switch the mood. Every song definitely has its own vibe, from starting off sounding like Jay Reatard to walking down the line of experimental synth pop a la Liars; it’s scattered but interestingly so, encouraging you to revisit time and time again. If you’re into it, III is available via Drunken Sailor Records.
Jonathan Something has been dropping bonus tracks to last year’s Outlandish Poetica, and I think those hanging on the highs of indie rock will surely fine something to enjoy. At times, Jon sends his voice through your speakers much like Hamilton of Walkmen fame, though he pulls it back to more intimate delivery that perhaps lends it to a Tallest Man on Earth vibe. Musically, it’s hard to pinpoint, bouncing sort of all over the place, but that organ/keyboard in the distance definitely felt like it was drawing me into the track. If you like what you hear, OP is still available via Solitaire Recordings.
