by: Martim Galvão
Royal Bangs - Brass - Modern Art
The Knoxville, TN natives are back with their fourth album - a Patrick Carney (Black Keys)-produced dodecatet of indie pop jams ripe for the listening. An organic yet organized sound permeates the album - well-produced, not overproduced.
Man Man - On Oni Pond - Anti
Horns, strings, a driving backbeat, and a lead singer that sounds like he just gargled a bowl of marbles - what more could you ask for? Besides their usual assortment of delightfully odd instruments, Man Man manages to incorporate a more uplifting feel to this album as compared to previous releases.
Rathborne - SOFT - True Believer
Something of a return to his teenage punk days, Rathborne's latest LP Soft is a driving but not ear-smashing sample of DIY music. Sounds good, feels good, is good.
Hookworms - Pearl Mystic - Weird World
The neo-psych-kraut rockers from England unleash their first full-length dose of mysterious droning sounds unto our ears. Sometimes falling into the experimental camp yet alway rolling back into tonal/beat-held jams, this is one you'll just have to listen to for yourself.
Forest Fire - Screens - FatCat
Inspired by 70's groups such as Joy Division and Laurie Anderson, Forest Fire's third album is a warm embrace of both the contemporary synth-pop style as well as the NY folk/indie sound we all know and love.
The Starfolk - s/t - Korda
Interesting song structures and harmonic progressions are evident throughout this atypical pop record. Definitely still ear candy but also gives you some nice unexpected twists and turns when compared to the the all the cookie-cutter stuff out there.
Chelsea Wolfe - Pain is Beauty - Sargent House
A haunting and wonderful example of what all this drone-metal-art-folk stuff is about. Chelsea Wolfe kills it with Pain is Beauty, surely one of the more enjoyable examples of morose music to come out this summer.
The Obits - Bed & Bugs - Sub Pop
This is some of that movement-inducing indie rock your parents warned you about. Put it on and let the garage-surf-gnarly sounds of these Brooklynites enter your brain via ear canals.
Jonathan Rado - Law And Order - Woodist
The first solo album from Foxygen guitarist Jonathan Rado is a tour de force in catchy pop - complete with male/female vocal duets, honky tonk piano, and string arrangements, all of which make for an irresistibly inviting listening experience.
Emiliana Torrini - Tookah - Rough Trade
The Icelandic singer/songwriter with the Italian name delivers an aesthetically diverse album layered in folk, trip-hop, indie pop, and plenty more I'm sure. Her whisper-thin vocals bob above and below the electroacoustic instrumentation with organic flow.
Coastgaard - s/t - s/r
Sun-soaked indie rock from the Brooklyn-based quartet. That nostalgic reverb-laden summer thing is in full swing with these guys. Definitely a good one to throw on before the summer is really out.
The Pirate Flags - Songs Of The Seas - s/r
Put this on, grab a bottle of rum, and go commandeer something. The band name and album title pretty much says it all - this is some proper high seas music for the jolly roger crowd.
Grooms - Infinity Caller - Western Vinyl
Inifinity Called is the third album from Brooklyn-based trio Grooms. The indie rock group falls somewhere between the aesthetics of Sonic Youth and Pavement with an injection of that Brooklyn DIY charm.
Joanna Gruesome - Weird Sister - Slumberland
This is the first album from the indie noise poppers collectively known Joanna Gruesome. A 10-track collection of thrashing cymbals, guitars about to break strings, and distorted vocals pounding melodies into your domepiece. Enjoy.
Various Artists - Marshmallow Pavement - A&R
This is an all Australian compilation from the A&R label featuring 22 indie artists. The like of which include Battleships, The Occupants, The Money Go Round, Jakarta Criers, Harts, and more. There's probably something in here for everyone.
Graph Rabbit - Snowblind - Butterscotch
Soft, introspective, acoustic, and not at all dull! A rare combination indeed. Graph Rabbit's debut album follows the story of an unnamed character wandering through a surreal minimalist landscape while continuously falling in and out of sleep. Definitely worth a listen.
Jackson and His Computerband – Glow – Warp
Cool beats mixed in with glitchy moments, distorted vocals, and Halloween-esque key changes. Interesting experimentation with genre, some tracks being more pop-oriented and some darker. Has a creepy, lost-in-space feel with glimpses of hope in dancier tracks.
John Wizards – John Wizards – Warp
South African tribal glitchpop mixed with beachy ocean funk. The album sends you on a journey through a deserted island guided by Wizards’ light, droning voice. Lots of electronic elements combined with hip hop backbeats and reggae influences.
Ginkgo – Manopause – Redeye Records
Rainy day musings built around knocking drum beats and flowing, grainy vocals. Vibes of restlessness conflicting with contentment. Music for days you don’t want to stay inside but don’t want to get out of bed.
The Lower 48 – The Lower 48 – Stereo
Fun, sixties-style pop songs with an updated new school vibe. The female/male harmony vocals blend well, aiding the surfer basslines in painting a scene of West Coast high school blissfulness. Nostalgic without crossing into cliché.
Volcano Choir – Repave – Jagjaguwar
Foresty, sad lumberjack tracks sung by Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. Songs start out soft and lonely but take you through the motions, building tension gradually to grand conclusions. Guitars and pianos drone on repetitively, struggling with feelings of loss, anxiety, and enlightenment.
Little Scout – Are You Life – Little Scout Music
Melodies challenge the pop authorities with dark tones under the echoes of sweet, feminine vocals emerging through the distorted sounds like a single flower in barren soil. Drums take control on most tracks pounding the way through the dreamlike state.
Holograms – Forever – Captured Track Records
Rumbling drum loops and nonstop guitars drive songs with shouting vocals accenting the madness. Classic sound reminiscent of early ‘00s glam rock resurgence.
Okkervil River – It Was My Season – ATO Records
Emotional vocals guide songs through lyrical storytime with folksy guitars creating a toe-tapping flow. Relaxed, friendly, and campfire ready, tracks evoke a sense of outdoorsy nostalgia. --
King Khan and the Shrines - Idle No More - Merge Records
This Montreal based band didn't let down with the release of their new album Idle No More since their previous album The Supreme Genius of King Khan and the Shrines. Still delightfully drenched with pysched-out songs filled with Soul, Funk, 60's Mod-pop and traditional Rhythm & Blues influenced by King Khan's punk inspired style both on and off stage. Dressed in an attire of an adolescent, punk version of an old 60's Bollywood film, King Khan's sound is classic; with a heavy funk and soul backing band: trumpets, trombone, and organ. The whole shebang. If a mellow Black Lips met Charles Bradley, then you would come up with something like this.
Coachwhips - Hands On The Controls - Black Apple Records
This rerelease of Hands On The Controls has brought great joy to fans of the heavy fuzz saturated garage rocker, John Dwyer, the frontman of Thee Oh Sees and the drummer that led the Coachwhips along through their golden years 2001-2005. 6 never-before released tracks fill this album making a total of 26 songs, resembling that to the Minutemen where each track is short, sweet, and straight to the point in their heavily distorted, trashy and fast punk rock riffs that lead from a minute to two minutes. If you remotely enjoy Thee Oh Sees, Jay Reatard and early White Stripes then this album is a no brainer, your ears will thank you.
King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath the Moon - True Panther Sounds
August 24th was a very significant day for young Archy Marshall (AKA King Krule); his first debut album, 6 Feet Beneath the Moon finally released, and his 19th birthday. Coming from an art school background in London where he specialized in music, of course, this scrawny red-head's sound and talent is so fresh and perfected with those smooth, and dreamy jazz guitar chords and with the gentle swooning of vocal melody and yet at times harsh lyrics that entrances this album. This is only the beginning of his career as this kid's compelling tone of this album differentiates so much to where it just hits all the right places in the spectrum.
Iska Dhaaf - Single - Brick Lane
Heavy rhythms and melodic hooks wash over this dream pop, folk, post -punk and at times a pinch of Fleet Foxes is added into the mixture. Influenced deeply on existentialist thought with lyrical and compositional depth, Iska Dhaaf's easy vocal melodies entrance over the dark themes conveyed in the tracks.
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