Varvara Prep New Album

varvaraI’m always on the cusp of breaking the big bands in Finland, and I’m hoping to help out the lads in Varvara as they prep the release of their latest album in early 2016. The band’s sound walks the line between Muse and Queens of the Stone Age, working with heavy riffs and energy that propel their new single forward. You’ll hear a nice sonic kick in the production, aided by Sweden’s Pelle Gunnerfeldt, who has worked with the Hives and others, focusing on the band’s driving rhythms fused with melody to bring some well-styled ear candy to listeners across the globe. Check them out and look for Death Defying Tricks in the new year.

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Did Someone Say New Jeffrey Lewis?

JeffreyLewisPMVH280711I’m really surprised that Jeffrey Lewis hasn’t gotten more acclaim throughout the world. He’s been writing some of the best lyrics for some time, with musicality to match, so I expected more people to be on board now that Jeffrey Lewis and Los Bolts have a new record to their name. Still, it’s been quiet out there, which is a shame as this song below illustrates just how much fun we’ll all have if we delve into Mr. Lewis’ catalog a little bit. From what I can gather out there, the new record is titled Manhattan and is set for a worldwide debut this Friday via Rough Trade.

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Catchy Club 8 Hit

club8It seems to me that Club 8 have their sites set on one direction, crafting danceable indiepop that’s going to hit hard in the clubs (are there still clubs?). The group have dwelled in similar territory, but this latest single seems to really go straight for the dancing jugular, pulsating rhythm and all. Still, the softness of the vocals makes it difficult for anyone to pull themselves away from what’s going on, even if you’re slow grooving with some random stranger. They’ve got a new album, Pleasure, slated for release on November 20th via Labrador, and I’m definitely intrigued, if not rather interested to see where these danceable singles fall in line with the rest of the record.

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Rodents Join Hand Cut 7″ Series

hcutIf you’ve been paying close attention, the Art is Hard Records crew have been doing some pretty great work with their Hand Cut 7″ Club…this new tune from Rodents isn’t any different. It’s a bit of disaffected post punk, warranting some comparisons to Parquet Courts; the vocals are pretty relaxed, however, giving you a more hypnotic vibe than you might find otherwise. Unfortunately, these are extremely limited runs the table is putting out, so in case you missed it, you can still stream the enjoyable number below.

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Got Turned Onto Positive No

positive noI reached out to the Interwebs yesterday because I can’t do it all, can I? A friend turned us on to Positive No, and those of you in love with the purity of 90s guitar rock will surely find that nostalgia finds you settling into this number. Tracy Wilson has a voice that doesn’t seem jaded or attempting to be someone else, she’s just belting out the voice she was given, and I’m more than happy with that. Still, listening to it all, there’s nothing in the group’s sound that makes them sound dated, and if anything, it’s refreshing to see the band just doing it right…like few acts do. They’ve just released Glossa on a limited cassette via Negative Fun Records

Wolf Girl Sign Up with Oddbox Records

wolfgirlWhy not close out the week with a little bit of noisy indiepop? Wolf Girl registered on my radar last year with their Mama’s Boy EP, but it looks like they’re ready to move on with a new album for Oddbox Records. This week they tossed out a brand new track from the forthcoming release, and it’s nothing short of spectacular. I love the sultry sound of the vocals working against those chugging guitar riffs and simple percussive beats. Seems as good a way as any to wrap up a week; I hope this one gives you the feels.

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ATX Spotlight: The Cortez Bus (ft. members of East Cameron Folklore)

cortezInterestingly, I was just talking about how bands and projects needed to try interesting things to really grab fans into their work…and then I got a note about the Cortez Bus project featuring Denis and Jesse of Austin’s East Cameron Folkcore. The two set off to record on a bus parked in Terlingua, the small ghost town just outside of Big Bend National Park. For my two cents, the music is far more interesting than Terlingua, but you can definitely hear how the aura of West Texas has seeped into these songs. While the songs employ a traditional Western country vibe, I think some of the atmospheric touches that seep in remind me greatly of being out in that part of the country….bushes rustling, wind whipping across empty lands and just the general solitude. Stream it all, then donate some funds so they can head out again and find a new locale to influence their writing.

Wray Rhymes with Friday, Perfect

wrayI really struggled to find stuff that grabbed my ear this week, until this track from Wray trickled into the old inbox. It’s the second time I’ve been struck by such a track this week. The group will easily get lumped into the gaze category, but I like that the recording shows some restraint, pulling more out of the song’s emotive quality than it’s punishing sonic wash. Tracks like this have me excited to hear what the group has as they prep the release of their new album, Hypatia, which is slated for an early 2015 release.

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New Music from JR Green

witchI feel that the burst of folk-influenced indie rock led to the bastardization of the genre, watering it down with meaningless drivel. But, every once in awhile I stumble upon something that’s fascinating for some reason or another, which is where I found the brothers that make up JR Green of Scotland. They’ve discarded the oft-used fiddle/violin and replaced it with accordion, adding something that creates a melodic buzz behind the lead vocal; I like the occasional shouted vocal for backing that jumps out from time to time too. You’ll find this song on the band’s new Bring the Witch Doctor EP, being released at the end of the month by Hits the Fan Records.

I Missed Junior Boys

atm-junior-boys1While I admit that I have a sparing interest in most electronic music, I’ve always had a fondness for Junior Boys. They’ve somehow managed to consistently create pop hooks within their songs that otherwise seem like dark cavernous tracks. It’s not an easy juxtaposition to pull off, but I feel like they’ve been able to continue their approach by dragging out songs beyond their expected time stamps; it allows for turns and folds, much like we find in this new jam. Finally we’ll get an entire new album from the duo; it’s titled Big Black Coat and is slated for a February release via City Slang.

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