This is fine.
As we all recover from the Texas blizzard and move into a beautiful day, I hope you will help me in welcoming new Ann Arbor band Stop Watch to our pages. For an introduction to the 4 piece, here is the single called “Stop.” which is what originally turned my attention towards the band. It’s a sludge rock number with some lovely bits of slowness mixed in with loud, distorted guitars. Basically, multiple layers of things I love.
Oh, just another day and another great track coming out of Melbourne, Australia. Today we’ve got this brand new tune from Pting, along with the announcement that they’ll soon be releasing the Boo EP. This one’s exactly as charming as you’d expect, with the appropriate amount of bounce mixed with super crisp guitar noodling. Once Elsie comes into the party with her voice, you can’t help but to feel swept up in the exuberant energy they’re pushing through your speakers. There’s an emphatic closing that finishes your listening off on a high note; you’re going to want to grab this EP when it hits on February 21 via Osborne Again.
Looks like we’re spending a lot of time up in the Scandinavian part of the world today, which popped up earlier, and now brings us Remington Super 60. We’ve covered the band before, showing our appreciation for their beautiful pop sound. Here they return with this subtle, almost lounge-ready, gem; the pacing definitely lends itself to a moment of early morning reflection. Nice gentle bubble of bass beneath the feathery vocals; this is the sort of number that’s going to make your day infinitely better just be soaking in its natural warmth. The band release their aptly titled, New EP, today, so if you enjoy, go hear the rest.
A couple of months ago Nicole shared the new single from Tel Aviv based Monad, and I’m pleased to be sharing this new one from the band today. On “September” we are once again treated to a beauty of psych rock, dreamy pop music fit to stand beside the very best of the genre. Though he may be living on the other side of the world, Eshchar Nachmany, and his project know as Monad, is sure to be making waves in the online music world.
This track appears on a new EP entitled Dissolution due out on January 31st.
Feel like I’m spending a great deal of my space on writing about Aussie acts today, and I’m quite okay with that fact; I particularly am fond of this new Poppongene tune. At first, it sort of slithers its way into your listening; it seems unassuming, just catchy vocals over some quick percussion. But, as the song picks up, Sophie begins to add more energy to her performance, just as the guitars begin to jump off more emphatically to boot. All of a sudden, the track has its hooks in you, letting the vocals sort of drift into the slightest realm of dreaminess during the chorus; it’s a nice pop moment totally stuck in my head. This tune will appear on a forthcoming EP.
I’m always scouring the Melbourne scene hoping to stumble upon something really incredible, which seems to happen more often than not. That’s sort of how I stumbled onto Annual Leaf who have a handful of releases to their name, with Stay Fresh coming in as their 4th EP of the last few years. The geographical region probably forces you to look right at the guitar pop, but while I adore that, I really loved the way that singers Matt and Mel play off of each other. To me, they seem the perfect fit for the sound, sort of like all those great Comet Gain albums I’ve been hoarding for years. These are songs of warmth with a definite Aussie flare that’s immediately recognizable. Take a chance on this EP right away!
Sometimes we get so caught up in expectations and hype that we often forget what great catharsis can come from just having fun with rock n’ roll…and that’s why I’m encouraging you to listen to Dylan Ewen. Here you’ve got Dylan with this energetic pop rock tune that’s easily the most infectious thing you’re going to hear today, or this week. There’s these little guitarmonies in there, matched by Ewen’s playful lyricisms; you’ll find yourself tapping your toes and bobbing your head, and all will seem right in the world. This tune appears on I’ve Made So Many Mistakes EP, which is being released by Solidarity Club Records on November 1st.
We’ve got our toes dipping into the Fall season down here in Austin, so musical changes happen as walks grow longer and days grow shorter. One of the first songs that’s set me in the right mood is this new track from Kevin Scoma, the second single from his forthcoming Into the Weeping Sea EP. From the get-go, the song is pulling at your heartstrings, with Scoma’s softened voice really starring over the lightly strummed guitar/banjo lines. There’s tinkering electronics that provide that dreamy element to the song, giving into that magical feel of changing colors in the world. If you’re willing to get lost in a nice gentle ballad, look no further, and keep your ears back for that EP next Friday.
The Lost Ships are following up their Best Laid Plans EP with the brand new All of the Pieces EP. They brandish the sort of indiepop that walks that fine line with power-pop, infusing their jangling guitar chords this round with a little bit more volume up front. The first two tracks off this EP are just that, swelling with warm melody wrapped around the slightest jangling notes. But, “How Can I Face the World” has a little bit more punch than one might have initially have expected; it’s almost a full-fledged rock song…albeit one spun in the vein of pop fans like myself. Of course, they back that up with the gentle ballad “Sheila Believe Me” to close things out, which is this striking ballad atop a thick piano background. Their new EP is being handled by the taste makers at Subjangle.
Remember when all I did was rave about the Memory Fades, well, I’m back to ramp that up again now that the band have the new Space Pilot EP out there in the world. I feel like listening to the first two tracks seems like a fitting match, as one sounds like Jesus and the Mary Chain, while the other cops to jamming to JAMC, though its admittedly stylistically different than the preceding tune. Me? My favorite is “Run Away;” it reminds me a lot of our friends in Harlem, at least in the structure of the song, but you do have to strip away the garage rock tendencies and replace them with an adoration for pop music. Another pop ballad with a special story is thrown into the EPs back end, just to make sure your addiction to sweetness is sated.
