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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.
I’m going to make a bet that I was one of the earliest fans of the Drums. And, years down the road I’m still out here appreciating all the fun the band bring to the table, including encouraging me to get my dance shoes on my feet. On this track, I love the guitar stabs that seem to provide the listener with some energetic pulse; it’s juxtaposed with the electronica behind the vocals, allowing for a dreamier side of things to seep into. Perhaps a bit kitsch on the lyrics, but that’s just a reminder that you can have fun and not take life so seriously. Look for Brutalism on April 5th via Anti.
Lists are arbitrary and burdensome, but why not join the fun everyone else is having? We gathered our lists, separate lists for all of us, then combined them into one that had 50 albums. What you get here are the four writers/contributors of ATH, giving you their meaningless opinions on what we thought was the jam in 2017. It’s alphabetical, and we put the initials next to it so you could track down your enemy!
I’m going out on a limb to say I was one of the first followers of the Drums…really really way back. They had this undeniable catchy deliver that you use couldn’t ignore; you wanted to play it all day long. Since then, the band has faded a little bit, though I still find the early hits sneaking back into my life. Now, as we near the delivery of Abysmal Thoughts it seems that Johnny Pierce has the group right back on track; you’ll tap you toes as Pierce delivers his airy pop. Sometimes you find a band and you just can’t pull away…I fully expect this album to be as such; it hits on June 16th via Anti.
It only took a matter of seconds for me to get hooked on this song from Vansire; it was the hanging jangle hook of the guitars sitting atop a carefully picked additional guitar. When the vocals entered, it took a slightly warmer turn, though the bubbling groove and steadying drums left me with a sense of longing. I hear bits of the sunny dream pop that The Drums kicked out, though this song has a more calming feel to it, which I think anyone will find appealing whilst sipping on a cold drink during the summer. As of yet, no word on a full album or EP, but you can enjoy this song as many times as you like.
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Talk about an explosion! It’s been a banner year for Day Wave who burst onto the scene earlier this year with his Headcase EP. And, without even taking a breath, he’s back with a new track for your pop ears. This one has a little bit of a hook that reminds me of early stuff from the Drums; it’s got a jangling surfy guitar sound with a driving beat…pretty infectious. Honestly, I should have posted this yesterday, but I wanted to save it for Friday, as it’s a pure Friday pop hit for you. I’m sure he’ll flood us with more new tunes in the near future as he readies a full length.
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Some artists get all the love, which seems to be the case for Day Wave, the project of Jackson Phillips. We posted on him earlier this year, probably way before anyone else because we’re that cool, so we’re delighted his new song is doing so well. It has all the bright moments we loved from his first single, with deep toned ringing guitars and precision programmed percussive moments; it reminds me of the frivolous joy we all got when we first started listening to the Drums. We’re still waiting to hear news of a full-length album, but for now, this project is hitting all the right notes for us.
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Apparently I’m big on the California sound this week, as Day Wave is a DIY artist from Oakland who has me dreaming of summer days with this track, “Total Zombie.” As soon as you hit play on the track below, you’ll note the Drums-esque vibe that Jackson Phillips, the man behind Day Wave has picked up on and made his own through this track. There’s a certain amount of surfy goodness that just makes you want to be strutting around on a boardwalk somewhere near the ocean without a care in the world. Hopefully we’ll have more smooth jams from Day Wave on his debut EP to be released in the near future. Expect big things.
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This weekend in Austin lived up to its title of “live music capital of the world” to the extreme; each night we were given not just a taste of sweet jams, but whole menus to choose from. Sunday night at The Parish had New York’s The Drums on their last U.S tour stop, providing us with a night filled with dancing and singing along to the band’s hits, new and old. Brooklyn’s Beverly served as the openers for the evening, offering up their jangly no-nonsense rock to amp up the crowd. Read more about how the night unfolded after the jump.
As I said yesterday, there’s tons of places you can find yourself this weekend for a good old fashioned music concert. But, maybe you need a suggestion or two as to where you wanna go? Well, I’m here to point you in the right direction, based on my extremely biased opinion. Feel free to ignore these options, or play everyone’s favorite game of Where’s Norman Wanklord? Here’s the list. Read more
