Last Week’s Jams (8.7 – 8.11)

Admittedly, we might have outdone ourselves last week; I’m fairly certain I’m the one to blame. Somehow, we tossed up 40 songs, though a few are unavailable in the streaming sites, so you’ve only got 38 tracks on this week’s playlist. There’s a ton of Austin stuff, with new music from Daiistar, Semihelix, Half Dream and more…obligatory A Giant Dog is in there and such. Plus, still continuously impressed by the magic that is Prewn. Oh, and Australia’s buzzing at the moment, and their music isn’t half-bad either, with new tracks from the Small Intestines and Soft Covers being considered as must listens. So, if you’ve got an hour or two to kill…go on and stream!

Another Teenage Fanclub Tune

Look, I don’t care how many posts I have, or how many other silly sites cover them, there’s never a bad time to cover Teenage Fanclub. This new single is a reminder of that, as they had me the instant that jangling strum hits you in the face. Operating with a steady circular stomp, the song twists into this stretched out melodic piece that reminds me a lot of sitting around my grandparents house listening to the oldies station. They’re creating pop music that’s just absolutely timeless, and I couldn’t be happier to know that Nothing Lasts Forever is closer on the horizon; it’s out on September 22nd via Merge Records.

Last Week’s Jams (5.22 – 5.26)

It was the last week of my school year, so I perhaps didn’t run as many tracks up the old flagpole as I otherwise might have liked, but we’ve still got a solid hour worth of hits below for those looking to peruse the jams. A new Life Strike tune kicks it off, dropping in some power-pop to your ears. We had some new stuff from both Sea Lemon and the Mary Onettes, all of which got me excited for the rest of the year to come. That new XDS is just out there enough for the weirdoes to come on home to roost with us. Happy Tuesday ya’ll!

Obligatory Teenage Fanclub Post

Yesterday there was news that Teenage Fanclub would be releasing a fresh record, and since I’m late to the party and you likely already heard the single, we’ll start our day here. Now, perhaps this is a bit of a stretch, but as someone who was raised by a hippie, this feels like this is the Grateful Dead season of the band. The melodies, which have always been brilliant, seem to take on this more almost pastoral sensation, with the whole group sort of riding on this locomotive rhythm guitar. Sure, there’s the lead guitar sliding in here and there in its own slithery manner, but I promise you, if you slid this track in a remastered version of Workingman’s Dead, it wouldn’t be out of place. Their new album, Nothing Lasts Forever, is out on 9.22 via Merge Records.

Smile Share What a Heart Is For

We’re going global today, having hit up Finland and jumping over to Italy with this brand new single from Smile. The group are brandishing a classic big guitar pop sound, flirting with the edges of jangle pop. At times, the tune hits at the later work of bands like Teenage Fanclub, hitting those heavy notes built around a nice little melodic moment. Other times, I can here an allegiance to REM at their poppiest, so suffice to say it’s a pretty classic rock sound here. For someone that spends a lot of time with the nostalgic sounds of the past, this just makes me, dare I say, smile.

The Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness Share Rose Tinted Glass

We’re only a few weeks away from the release of Songs from Another Life, so the Boys with the Perpetual Nervousness have tossed us one final single to entice your ears. If you haven’t already heard the crisp pop rock sounds the band have to offer, then please, indulge us by clicking play below. Just imagine Teenage Fanclub peeling off their masks Scooby Doo style to reveal an even poppier version of themselves; this is what you get back. The pacing and vocals are pretty spot on comparison, but there’s this lightness that comes with the Boys presentation, something in the riffs just feels a bit more airy. Plus, they’re dropping the new LP via Bobo Integral on February 5th, and you know we love the label, so its a win-win!

Top 50 Albums of 2016

top50You’ve all been waiting, anxiously. Waiting for our arbitrary list of the opinion of four folks who run this site, and what we think were the best albums of 2016. It’s really really important. We’re going to make our site great again with this list. We’re going to win, bigly. But really, it’s just a list of the stuff we loved the most that we covered throughout this year on our site. The comment section is open, so feel free to tell us where we’ve gone wrong or what we’ve got right or anything else fitting. Read more

Stream the New Single from DA Stern

daWhen I first pressed play on this track, I immediately thought of Joey Ramone’s voice, which took me to a happy place. Something in the opening with the guitar reminds me of “I Want You Around,” but then it turns into a more calming take on Teenage Fanclub. Take those two things into play, and you’ve got a really great pop tune that rings in your speakers loud enough to make you feel alive. DA Stern will release his new album, Aloha Hola, on January 20th of next year via Twosyllable Records, so be on the lookout for huge riffs and good melodies.

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Obligatory Teenage Fanclub Post

teenagefanclubWell, you had to know this was coming, and you had to know I was going to be the one to remind you about this new Teenage Fanclub tune. It just popped up yesterday, offering that classic TF sound, bringing heavy distorted guitars into a melodious zone while the vocals carry your heart home. I’ve listened to their new album Here quite a bit lately, and I think anyone remotely interested in the finer side of guitar pop will want to get their hands on it; it’s available via Merge on September 9th.

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Rejoice! New Teenage Fanclub

teenagefanclubSome bands never get old. Album after album, you devour the songs, put them on playlists and share with all your friends. For me, one of the bands I always go back to is Teenage Fanclub, and they’ve just announced their newest album in their long running career. It’s exactly what you’d expect, filled with careful power chords and great vocal melodies that carry warmth to listener’s ears. And of course, it’s a love song, but with lines like “there is pain in this world/I can see it in your eyes,” they show that their subject matter is as timeless as their songs. Look for the new effort, Here, on September 9th via Merge Records.

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