Top Albums for Nathan

Honestly, I thought about foregoing a year-end list this year. I mean, if you read our site, you know what we love. But, list making can be fun, especially if you really really love music. My criteria was simple, and not based on what I think is “best,” but rather looking at the stuff I listened to the most, and eventually bought (or was gifted). Popular locals for my Nathan Wrapped have me living on an island in between San Francisco and Australia; label of the year would be Trouble in Mind (congrats to Bill and family!); genre would be: most awesome. Again, this is one man’s personal tastes, take it for what its worth.

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Last Week’s Jams (10.23 – 10.27)

We had a busy week here at ATH, prepping for the festival by throwing some Levitation interviews your way, but there was still tons of music to get out there. We ran some conversations with Video Age, Pachyman, Civic and Shannon and the Clams…plus, I got a Rock n’ Recipe in from the good folks at Lower Plenty. So, lots of words to read from other folks on their music. We also had fresh tunes all over the place from ATH favorites like the Umbrellas, Steven van Betten and Glimmer. Pretty busy week with tons to talk about, so be sure to browse through the site too…as there’s more than just sweet jams from last week!

Friday Album Streams: Red Pants, Spllit and The Serfs

It’s Friday, and while I’m here trying to wake up for a late night of Levitation, I know there are three pretty near perfect records for you to soak up today, all with different sonic appeals, meaning you get a little bit of everything if you wanna win!

Red PantsNot Quite There Yet (Meritorio Records)

This is a record that lands somewhere in the land between Sonic Youth and Low, but if you had recorded that record in hopes of offering a solitary listening experience. The more time you give this LP, the more its secrets are revealed.

SpllitInfinite Hatch (Feel It Records)

The Louisiana band is crafting post-punk like no other; they fill their songs with quick turns and sonic changes, each song refreshing in its ability to shift gears in an instant. Oh, and with all the weirdness, it still comes off catchy in the right spots.

The SerfsHalf Eaten by Dogs (Trouble in Mind)

Honestly, its been a minute since I’ve had this much fun listening to a record. It pulls in psychedelic nods with this punk ethos that gets mixed up in electronic textures that continue to push the envelope of what is and isn’t “indie rock.”

Last Week’s Jams (10.9 – 10.13)

We’re getting to that point when everyone is scrambling to find their favorite tracks, find their favorite collection of songs to put into those fruitful lists that you’ll all look at, then claim to hate! We do it too! Still, covered a bunch of great new music last week. There were great new tunes from Red Pants and Teenage Tom Petties, plus we got to celebrate a really busy release week with stuff from Lightheaded and Upchuck, among others. Our friend Jared Leibowich had a new tune up, but it didn’t make it onto the DPSs yet, so be sure to circle back and check on that one. There’s a couple of long-burns too, from Native Cats, a Beacon School and the Uptights, all worthy of some deep listening. Stream on!

Red Pants Share On a Wire

I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to the new album from Red Pants; Not Quite There Yet seems like the perfect record to wrap up my year end list. For me, the record operates in between the lines of really incredible melody, with hints of fragility, like on this latest single’s vocals. And, while that closeness seeps through your speakers, there’s still a bit of a heavy edge to the playing, providing all you old punks with the ability to grasp the straws of cool. Plus, the DIY aesthetic from Lambeth and Nekola carries such sincerity in all aspects (music, videos, artwork) that it’s definitely refreshing in a time when we throw that word around too often (myself included!). Not Quite There Yet is out on October 27th via Meritorio, and it’s going to rule!

Last Week’s Jams (9.18 – 9.22)

Last week was kind of light on the tunes, at least from my end of things. That being said, it was a pretty heavy week in terms of tunes that made me swoon. We got to premiere new stuff from Citric Dummies and Red Pants, which rule, equally. Of course, it was nice to see our pals in Voxtrot take back up their crown as master of pop; Bubblegum Lemonade was another friend making a return with new music too! All that, and I haven’t even touched on the Lower Plenty track that nearly broke me listening to it. The Serfs and Dancer both had great new music out there; those hit from Alien Nosejob and the Exbats on Goner Records didn’t hurt either. Maybe light on coverage in lieu of our recent weeks, but so much great stuff to dig into here.

Red Pants Share Watch the Sky Video

For all those that thought lo-fi bedroom pop was meant to merely bring its charms to your headphone experience, Red Pants are here to prove you wrong; their magical songwriting has allowed for the world to move in reverse…at least if this video is to be believed. Fun and jokes aside, there’s nothing more gratifying than listening to this new track from the duo’s forthcoming LP. I was in love with the guitar tones instantly, hitting those slightly discordant notes that transform into melodies as they sneak inside your ear canal. But, going through on repeat again and again, those guitars notes didn’t do nearly as much for me as the vocals in their rising tones. Listen for the lines of “Do you want to/do you want to come home” and tell me your not transported to some otherworldly cocoon of warmth; that moment, for me, felt like I had come home, musically speaking. Then, you get an extra boost at 2:21, where the song ramps up the punch and drives you to the promised land. You won’t regret one minute with this song, or one minute you spend with Not Quite There Yet; it’s out on Ocotber 27th via Meritorio Records.

Red Pants Announce Not Quite There Yet

I love Red Pants so much that I had to send them a note to apologize for not getting the track up on Friday when they announced Not Quite There Yet. I spent a lot of time with their last LP, When We Were Dancing, but I’m super impressed with the immediacy of the first single here. Sure, you can definitely hear some Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo, but I’m going to throw out some late-ear Low nods here. You can feel the noise element playing into the songwriting, but there’s still that almost meditative notion that seeps through the speakers, entrancing you with this brooding blast of rock. Tons of flair coming through too in the end of this jam. Look for the new LP to drop courtesy of Meritorio Records on October 27th

Red Pants Announce New EP + Share Century Phaser

For starters, you should all put your playlists on pause and go spend a little bit of time with Red Pants last album, When We Were Dancing; it came out this past Winter, and I raved and raved, as I do about such things. But, we’re all lucky because the duo has announced the Gentle Centuries EP, which is coming out in just a bit. This tune’s super rad if you love electronic production being woven in to some rhythmic jam sessions, but it’s not all about that intoxicating mixture, as the vocals have this futuristic feel to them that guarantees us that this is the music of our future. If you’re looking to disappear into a song, I can’t imagine a better one, so crawl inside the depths of Red Pants. The new EP will be out via Painted Blonde Tapes.

Last Week’s Jams, Today (3.21-3.25)

Been a hot minute since we compiled all our weekly jams into one nice little playlist for you, but here we are again, wrapping up last week on a Monday. We’ve got tons of great jams in store, with some of the latest releases also featured. Austin gets some love, with singles/videos from Letting Up Despite Great Faults, Queen Serene and Blood (kind of/sort of). We also ran some new videos from the likes of Red Pants and Breakup Haircut, not to mention the newest jams from Jeanines and Say Sue Me…so you know, this playlist is going to be your jams.

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