Oozy, woozy pop just gushes out of this EP’s six lush tracks, a decidedly more aggressive sound that’s spiked with some My Bloody Valentine guitar-playing and maybe just a hint of acid. Perhaps that’s why Wayne Coyne checked them out at The Loft in Dallas a while back and also why they opened a hometown […]
indie
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Collections of Colonies of Bees — GIVING
How’s that, you figure? Well, COCOB’s taken instrumental post-rock where it needs to go by completely eliminating all the typical boring moments from their formula. “Giving” is a short album that’s constantly barreling forward and never stalled out by a single breakdown or pause, ethereal jam session, or instrumental solo. Even when the guitars, so […]
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Small Sur — Tones
Small Sur sounds nothing like any of these bands. Literally, nothing. They’ll probably never achieve the same level of notoriety, which is very sad. They’ve recorded the most beautiful, lovely slowcore folk music these ears have ever heard, but unfortunately, that particular sub-genre isn’t in high demand among audiences much larger than what could fill […]
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Jackie-O Motherf***er — Earth Sound System
They’re kindred spirits to Waka Flocka Flame in that sense. And that sense only. But enough teasing about Jackie-O’s name. Let’s tease them for recording a patience-trying album. “Earth Sound System” contains a pair of tracks — one exactly seven minutes and eight seconds in length, and one sitting right at nine and a half […]
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Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks — Mirror Traffic
If you answered with “an improvement on Malkmus’ last effort flashing some of his funniest, snarkiest songwriting to date,” then you’re correct. Beck effectively tossed out the Jicks’ 2008 LP, “Real Emotional Trash,” replacing an album constituted of skilled, but too-far-extended guitar jams with one that paces more like Pavement’s “Wowee Zowee,” and draws influence […]
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Graham Wright — Shirts vs. Skins
Then some research revealed that Graham Wright is not actually the lead singer or guitarist of the Toronto foursome. He’s the keyboardist. Oh. “Shirts Vs. Skins,” while bearing a passing resemblance to its hyperkinetic indie-rock forebears, is primarily a power-pop album in the vein of The Cars, Fountains of Wayne and other mildly aggressive but […]
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Matt the Electrician — Accidental Thief
His entirely unironic songwriting would fit in neatly next to The Avett Brothers on a tour bill or a playlist. Artifice isn’t in his bag of tricks, which means that “Accidental Thief ” positively bursts with immediate hooks. Opener “All I Know” is a jaunty, charming tune that sways and skips along easily. It borders […]
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James and Evander — Constellating EP + 2
In its stead, I’ve sought out other gentle electronica projects in hopes of filling my Gibbard/Tamborello-shaped hole. Most acts fall short by appropriating the sound, but not writing great pop songs to match. Enter James and Evander. On the surface, it seems to be everything I want in a Postal Service replacement: two dudes churning […]
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The Ladybug Transistor — Clutching Stems
They adhere closely to what the band’s press dubs “formalist” structures, which is to say that the verse/chorus/verse format isn’t just used, but praised. The songs aren’t gimmicky, nor are they hip. They’re just really solid, enjoyable tunes. In that way, they’re pretty much the quintessential Merge band at the moment: Been around since the […]
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Piñataland — Hymns for the Dreadful Night
The chamber pop of Piñataland’s “Hymns for the Dreadful Night” caught my attention immediately, as it is immaculately captured. “Island of Godless Men” is the best example of this. It’s a great song made better by the details of the engineering. Opening the piece is remarkably clear sound of the ocean, which gives way to […]