This is fine.
You know we love the Drums, so why not start off today’s interviews catching up with Johnny Aries, who will be releasing a solo record later this year via Park the Van. It’s short and sweet, just the right teaser to hopefully get you thinking that Johnny should be on your list of acts to catch while you’re in town…if you’re in town. Also, since its early, hats off to Beck. IYKYK.
Rock n’ roll was meant to be fun, and if you ask me, no one seems to be having as much fun as Automatic are in their brand new single. Toying with the listener, it comes in with this sort of dream pop montage, but then immediately drops in this stomping beats and thudding bass. Once that gets going, the vocals get a little more energetic, like they’ve been called to arms, called to have an all out blast with you, the listener. And those heavy stabbing synth notes, before the snare claps, well, they make this a ripper. You’ll find this ditty on Excess, the band’s new record out this June via Stones Throw.
Have you picked up your copy of Fortunato Durutti Marinetti‘s Memory’s Fool LP yet? I ordered mine, and hopefully will get it early, as I have a sneaking suspicion that the record’s going to be cherished by those paying close attention. As far as this latest single goes, it seems more stripped back at first, radiating like a solemn Lou Reed. Once you get to that one-minute mark, the song begins to spring to life, building various textures into the song, layering some horns and various pieces of percussive notes together. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll spend a little of your money on grabbing this from Bobo Integral today on Bandcamp…with the LP dropping worldwide next Friday.
Friday, Eades will drop their much anticipated Delusion Spree LP, and to be honest, there aren’t a whole lot of folks just bringing energetic pop rock this good. From the get go, the drums roll you down the river, pounding while notes jangle their way through your speakers. The chorus celebrates euphorically, sounding as if they got the whole gang together to sing along joyously in one big old barroom. I’d take a million jams as fun and strong as what Eades are kicking out, and luckily I’ll get a solid 12 to turn up nice and loud when the album drops on Friday courtesy of Heist or Hit.
The ATH team has this ever growing level of excitement building inside of us that seems to build as each week goes by and SXSW draws ever near. We are making our lists, starting to map things out a bit, and making plans on seeing many old friends from back in the “normal times”. As per usual, we are trying to get you as excited as we are so we hope these pre-interviews are helping expose you to some new bands coming into town. Today I am excited to share my latest interview with Brooklyn based trio Colatura. You can check out their interview and some music after the jump.
A friend of ours sent over the latest album from Nick Griffith, and seeing as he’s an artist working out of Australia, I reckoned there’s probably not a lot of coverage for him on our side of the pond…so let’s fix that. He’s tossed out several tracks from the album, and the two below are my favorite jams to get under your skin. They’re building on the coastal pop vibes you often get from Aussie outfits, throwing in strong guitar work and sunny melodies. It’s not a stretch to see Nick fitting in with the rest of the Melbourne scene, as his songs are relaxed and charming, particularly the chorus of “Porto Song.” Something I Once Heard will be out via Dinosaur City Records on March 4th.
I wonder how one of the bands that sprang out of the early Elephant 6 era could completely miss my radar when they dropped a new release! I aim to rectify that by sharing the Minders newest release in streaming form below. As the title alludes, there’s tons of psychedelic nods throughout, though I’ll be frank, as the album feels a lot sunnier and poppy than you might be led to believe. For example, listen to “Let’s Go Driving!,” which feels like a reimagined Dead tune, spun with sunshine and hooks. Of course, there’s also the more sullen vibes you get on “Astoria,” though I’m a sucker for the buoyant hooks of “Magic Anorak.” If you’re looking for classic indie pop sounds, then dive into Psychedelic Backdrop.
This is the best Wednesday news I never expected! New Jeanines! The band today announce Don’t Wait for a Sign, doing so with a spritely pop ditty to hum in your head all day. There’s this timelessness in Alicia’s performance here, her voice rising and falling, always hitting the perfect pop notes. Those looking for the perfect piece of indiepop won’t find a better tune nodding to the past and living in the present of the genre. The brevity is perfect too, as you can circle back and fall even further in love with each repeated listen, as I’ve been doing the last hour or so. Don’t Wait for a Sign is the fifth release from Slumberland Records this year, and the fifth that’s certainly going to end up on my shelf; the hits just keep on coming.
Tim Kasher is one of those songwriters who I take for granted; I’ve been a fan of Cursive and his solo work (Good Life + TK), but he’s been so prolific, that I sometimes overlook an album, coming to it later. I won’t be skipping over his new LP, Middling Age, perhaps because I have a sneaking feeling the tunes will hit home lyrically as I’m nearing the same age as Tim. His first single from the new LP is strikingly stark, with perfect accents made by the backing vocals of Megan Siebe. Listening through, its like meeting up with an old friend after an absence, only to find you don’t skip a beat, as close as ever, grateful for that companionship. If you find Tim Kasher as a life-companion, like me, look for Middling Age on April 15 via Passenger Records.
Finding out that Steven Lambke had a new album on the way ended up sending me spiraling down a good old fashioned Constantines kick. Pretty sure I played “You’re a Conductor” over and over again for a good 30 minutes. But, just because he played guitar in the aforementioned act, doesn’t mean we can expect his newest solo effort, Volcano Volcano, to sound anything like his old work. There’s definitely some slight nods, particularly when he strains his voice a bit, giving the song some old school bite to it. But, in between, he fills the song with these soft melodies and backing harmonies, arranging a ditty that falls somewhere between stomping indie rock and classic pop sounds. It’ll be interesting to see how this evolves, but we’ll find out when it drops on April 29th via You’ve Changed Records.
