Last Week’s Jams (2.24 – 2.28)

Pretty solid wee of new music last week, and we got to as much as our time allowed. We even managed to start getting some of our SXSW coverage together, as the festival is somehow just over the horizon; RayRay got an interview up with Population II you should check out. We even got back on some album stream coverage, making sure to have the homies in Constant Follower and Daily Worker up there. We continue as the one-site hype machine for Sharp Pins Radio DDR reissue, but there some of my favorite acts also returned with their own new jams to grab us, like Dumb Things and Jetstream Pony. I even jumped on the Sports Team train with their latest single. Get into it below.

Jetstream Pony Share The Relativity of Wrong

When news first came our way of a new Jetstream Pony LP, the band promised a varied bit of exploration, all within the confines of the band’s sound. Through the first two singles, they’ve kept those cards close to their chest, but as you’ll see below, they’re now letting us all in. For me, this song is about the presentation; the bass lines growl at you, almost stomping on your soul, all of this being matched by a matter of fact vocal delivery. That dark indifference is pretty rad, and sets up the tune into this kind of industrial pop, but then the chorus hits and you’re completely spun around, as they pull on some nostalgic 90s alternative moves and create this dynamism that’s supremely rewarding. All this to say that Bowerbirds and Blue Things is indeed shaping up as promised…an exploration of pop from the confines of the Jetstream Pony sound. You can grab your copy from Shelflife/Spinout Nuggets on March 28th.

Last Week’s Jams (2.10 – 2.14)

It started off a little slow and strange, but those keeping their eye on the prize knew we’d be in for a crazy end to the week, as there were releases dropping left and right. We skipped the album cycle to mostly focus on fresh singles, though we gave nods to records that came our way by the likes of Frog, Horsegirl, JJ Sweetheart and a few more. They’ve all got some great individual tracks in this great playlist, but we’re starting you off with Lowmoon‘s new jam, which is the perfect nostalgic bit of dream pop, which then moves right into Club 8‘s most recent banger. Some longer tunes rom Echo Delay, Cross Record and Consumables are within, but we tried to balance that out with some little joys. Also, don’t forget to check out Michael Maly’s review of the recent MJ Lenderman set at Emos!

Jetstream Pony Announce Bowerbirds and Blue Things

I slacked off a little on Friday, but one of the jams that I absolutely had to cover to make up for it was the album announcement of Jetstream Pony. They announced Bowerbirds and Blue Things last Friday, and from the first single, it has absolutely everything you’d expect or want: the guitars have a distorted ring to them, on the cusp of jangling but with more bite; the vocals are sweet and melodic, with accented backing vocals building depth in all the right spots; there’s a breakdown to give you the slightest mid-tune left turn. Dropping a tune like this sets a statement that the entirety of the LP is going to be nothing short of pure pop bliss. You can get the new LP from Shelflife/Spinout Nuggets on March 28th.

Jetstream Pony Share Track from Under the Bridge Comp

It appears that it is day two in our support of Skep Wax, as we’ve got more new from the UK label now that they’ve upped a new Jetstream Pony track from the label’s forthcoming Under the Bridge 2 Compilation. If you look at the list of participating artists, it’s all heavy-hitters, with names such as The Orchids, St. Christopher, Boyracer and more. But, I’m here to talk about this new Jetstream Pony tune! I love the driving nature of the guitar work; it reminds me of a poppier version of the Wedding Present, mixing a blend between jangling guitars and distortion. That said, the band’s bread and butter is always the sweet melodic mixture that enters with the vocals, and this jam is no different. Dive into the bliss, and grab a copy before it’s April 6th release (there’s a US distributor to help with shipping costs!)

Skep Wax Announces Under the Bridge

I’ve made no secret of my affection for Sarah Records, so it’s great to see that our friends at Skep Wax (partners in our Swansea Sound release) are rekindling the Sarah flame with a new compilation, Under the Bridge. There’s 14 songs, many with original Sarah Records acts like Secret Shine and the Orchids, releasing exclusive content specifically for this compilation, with a few related acts like The Catenary Wires and Jetstream Pony also being thrown into the fray. I love that the collection points at what all these bands are doing now, rather than continuously praising them for all they’ve done before (but read that Bandcamp Guide HERE). Hopefully these new recordings give you a glimpse at what you may (though hopefully you didn’t!) have missed over the years…all leading up to the release of the LP on March 18th.

Things I Missed: Jetstream Pony’s Misplaced Words

I’m sure you’re all tired of hearing it, and honestly, I’m not complaining about the job, but teaching this year (my real job!), has been absolute whirlwind, holding on for dear life all the way. So, I’ve missed some things I new I’d love, and am just not getting to dive deep into them, like this Jetstream Pony mini-album, Misplaced Words. I saw it, I knew it would rule, but now I want to make sure you’ve got space in your world to spend some time here. The band has been winning me over since their first 7″ popped up, but the opening track here is just “stop you in your tracks” good; the band doesn’t live up, following it up with what I’ve found is my favorite tune, “Courses for Obstacles.” Every track hits here, don’t be a dummy and waste your time not indulging in this joy, stream it below, NOW!

 

Nathan’s Favorite Albums of 2020

It’s been a crazy year, and a depressing year, so perhaps we all retreated more into our record collections to seek out that fleeting joy. On my end, I spent a lot of time running/walking in the ‘burbs, so these are the records that played the most in my life…thus they are my Favorite Albums of 2020. The validity means little to anyone other than myself, but since you stop by, perhaps come by and check out my list!

And, just an FYI…there are 30 bands, and I linked back to Bandcamp pages so you can buy directly from the artists…except that one band because apparently they’re too cool…even though that album rips.

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Jetstream Pony Share Trapped in Amber

Amidst the Friday bandcamp fanaticism, music world still went on, so I wanted to be sure you didn’t skip over the latest single from Jetstream Pony and their forthcoming self-titled LP. To me, this is one of those classic guitar pop tracks; the guitars ring, with just the faintest jangling dangling out in the air; the drums are sharp and steady, keeping things on track with just the right punchiness. Of course, it only succeeds if the vocals wash over us, blowing cooly through the speakers like that feather in Forest Gump. The band will release their self-titled LP on May 22nd via Shelflife and KUS, but you better hurry, as there aren’t many copies left!

Jetstream Pony Announce Debut Album

Jetstream Pony announced themselves to the world with the incredible Like You Less/Had Enough 7″; they followed that up with the excellent Self Destruct Reality EP and a few more singles. But today is the day we’ve all been anxiously awaiting, as the band announce their self-titled debut LP! A slight angular guitar opens the scene before a wall of distortion comes crashing through your speakers, carefully balanced by Beth’s cooly delivered vocals; Shaun helps add further balance with his deeper vocal notes adding in a perfect foil. While it’s easy to get swept away in the perfection of guitar pop, what I love is how much space the band leave in between; they’re savvy vets, not rushing to fill every second of the song, allowing you to just get lost in the wash of dazzling pop noise. Their self-titled record will be out later this year via Shelflife Records and Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten.

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