Exclusive Album Stream: The Smallgoods – Lost in the Woods
It’s been almost 15 years since The Smallgoods dropped their last album, but with Lost in the Woods scheduled to hit Friday, we were fortunate enough to snag an early listen to the record for you. When we first brought you news of the band’s forthcoming LP, we said that the band aimed to drop bold pop rock, railing against a stale musical climate! While I love the record’s opener, I think a great way to sample the goods from this album is to jump to track two, “Where’ve You Been All This Time;” I’ll go out on a limb here and say this sounds like Dear Catastrophe Waitress era Belle and Sebastian, swelling with arranged sounds and striking power. But, things aren’t always full of bombast; I’m totally in love with “Satellite;” it feels like the perfect pop song and thus I dare you to find a better one to have on repeat today. Shit, now I can’t stop pressing play on “A Month of Sundays;” this record is filled with twists and turns, each equally rewarding. Just imagine yourself on a scavenger hunt of every great pop sound in the last 30 years, but instead of tripping over 30 years of songs, you’ve got the only 10 tunes you’ll need today! Lost in the Woods drops Friday via Lost and Lonesome.

Having returned with the excellent Cul-de-sac of Love,
We’re working towards the weekend, yea? Well, I love to maybe sort of slink my way into with a sultry bit of pop, like this charming number from German band
As of right now, the new LP from
The Chairman Dances
Friday I was a little lazy, so I didn’t get this new EP up from Kansas City’s
It’s always great to have friends reach out to you and point you in the proper direction, so I’m glad that I heard about this new Geddy Laurance/Michael O split tape before it was too late! We’ve covered Michael O many times (as Mantles and solo), and Geddy played drums in everyone’s favorite, Boyracer, so now we get them both together! With the GL tune, you get a little more pacing, primarily with a faster strum and thicker drum beat; the Laurance vocals do have a touch of a fading daylight feel to them, sort of wilting as they hit your ears. You’ll also find a contrasting guitar line working against the strum, sort of like the counter-punch to the jangle, which was a really nice recording touch. Michael’s tune has some bop to it, so don’t think its totally gone, but his voice sounds a touch fragile in the tune below (which I adore); there’s also this backing vocal popping in that sort of reminds me of Television Personalities somehow. And, this probably sounds like a slight, but there’s just a certain feel to Mr. O’s tune that almost feels like its still in the works, like things aren’t finished or polished; its pop honest at its finest. If, like me, you’re in love, then grab the split from
Fridays are great to catch a little spirit and ride off into the weekend with a bounce in your step, which is perfect for you because I’ve got this great new track from Sweden’s