Shout Out Louds – Work

March 11th, 2010  |  by Jess Alatorre  |  published in indie rock

The new album, Work, starts off promising with “1999.” With this song there’s a Mates of State-esque undertone that peaks my curiosity. From here, it’s hit or miss. Songs on Work vary from surf rock, to dream pop, with the occasional pure indie rock song, and yet, the overall sound is all a little fuzzy. Gone are the days with full bands, and great catchy rock tunes. These guys used to be one of my favorite bands to run to, the music would keep me going.

Aloha – Home Acres

March 7th, 2010  |  by jason grishkoff  |  published in indie pop, progressive rock  |  1 comment

While the album cover for Home Acres may be a bit gloomy, Aloha’s four members (now scattered throughout the East Coast) have no problem creating a quick-tempo, reverb-filled and smiley album. One key to this happy formula (beside the heavy presence of drum-line style percussion) is the use of marimbas and vibrant synthesizer, elements that have abounded throughout their former releases.

Foxes in Fiction – Swung From The Branches

March 6th, 2010  |  by jason grishkoff  |  published in experimental, folktronica, indie pop

Warren Hildebrand, the man behind Foxes in Fiction, is another in a line of them this year that have been flooding my inbox with their admirable work. Foxes in Fiction have released a 19 song album for free. The album is filled with dreamy songs that barely coalesce enough to call them songs.

Mesita – Living/Breathing

March 2nd, 2010  |  by jason grishkoff  |  published in experimental, indie pop  |  3 comments

Technically, Mesita didn’t even send me a full album. He sent me a single. That single is pretty darn good, and I think it’s worth sharing with the world. Not to mention that the additional tracks on his Myspace tend to indicate that this isn’t a fluke. I highly encourage you to visit it by clicking the link in this post.

She & Him – Thieves

March 1st, 2010  |  by jason grishkoff  |  published in alternative, folk, indie rock  |  10 comments

I am pretty ambivalent about She and Him. I like them; I dislike them. From day to day, I never know how I feel about them. I have legitimate complaints about the band (they are far too cute for their own good), but I also hold grudges against them that are patently unfair (they are fronted by a movie star). And although I liked their debut album enough, I wasn’t clamoring for another outing from the duo. But goddam if “Thieves,” the newest song to leak from the album, doesn’t confuse the situation a bit. The song is 4 minutes of perfect pop.

April Smith and The Great Picture Show – Songs for a Sinking Ship

February 27th, 2010  |  by b aiken  |  published in female vocalists, indie pop, rock  |  2 comments

“Wow”. That’s all I could say after taking a listen to this album, “Songs for a Sinking Ship”. It is a downright enjoyable music experience that uses the time-tested formula of great vocals, catchy hooks, and well orchestrated instrumentals to give the listener a true gem of an album.

The Radio Dept. – Clinging to a Scheme

February 24th, 2010  |  by jason grishkoff  |  published in indie pop, shoegaze  |  7 comments

What makes this slightly different, though, is that unlike most of today’s pop-loving indie rockers, The Radio Dept. goes as far back as 1995, when Swedish classmates Elin Almered and Johan Duncanson began playing music together. Since then, players have come and gone, with the most-recent lineup adding Martin Larsson, Lisa Carlberg and Per Blomgren. Which leads me to a confession: I wasn’t being completely straightforward earlier. These guys aren’t pure indie pop; they’re shoegaze, too.

Butterfly Bones / Man/Miracle – <3/Other People Split 7″

February 23rd, 2010  |  by taylor fife  |  published in electronic  |  2 comments

Bay Area artists Butterflybones and Man/Miracle are teaming up with Third Culture Records to combine a spectular sampling of sound with the most tortuous title I’ve ever had to type. Man/Miracle’s use of a foreslash has rendered the traditional way of listing groups participating in split releases immensely confusing, and Butterfly Bones have chosen to stick it to the Windows file name protocols by using that pesky “less than” symbol.