June 23rd, 2010 | by Taylor Fife | published in 80s, indie pop, post-punk, psychedelic | 4 comments
Magic Bullets’ newest album is jangly pop masterpiece with a decent chance of getting you to sit up in your chair and ask ‘How have I not listened to this before?’ As a newer band on a smaller label, Magic Bullets hasn’t had much of a chance to develop a following, but with such an earnest and pleasant sound they’re sure to be more than a few people’s favorite band by the end of the year.
Spring Offensive – Pull Us Apart
June 10th, 2010 | by Taylor Fife | published in indie rock, post-punk | 1 comment
This British 5-piece is flying well below the radar at the moment, but with a new album coming out this summer and a tour planned to promote it, I’d be surprised if more people aren’t talking about them soon. Their seven track mini-album features strong vocals and intricate guitar work.
June 5th, 2010 | by Taylor Fife | published in indie rock, post-punk | 2 comments
To celebrate Jason’s return to the City by the Bay, last night we trekked out to the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco to catch the final live performance of Bay Area trio Tempo No Tempo. For their last act they put on an energetic show in support of Born Ruffians (who were themselves phenomenal, but this post isn’t about them). After five years, two EPs, and, most recently, a full-length, vinyl-only release, the boys have decided to call it quits and move on.
May 26th, 2010 | by Jason Grishkoff | published in math-rock, post-punk, post-rock | 3 comments
The beauty is that on “Total Life Forever”, the majority of these build-ups explode into the math-rock evinced in their first album, fulfilling the expectations of those fans of “Antidotes”. The song above, “After Glow”, perfectly exemplifies this tactic. The result is at once unique and rewarding (though you would be right to point out that it takes a certain amount of patience to get through it).
Live in DC: Two Door Cinema Club
April 27th, 2010 | by Jason Grishkoff | published in dance, indie pop, live shows, post-punk | 4 comments
I can’t help but feel half bad for Two Door Cinema Club. Last night, they played an excellent opening set for Phoenix at DAR | Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. The only problem was that 95% of the audience was there for Phoenix. The result meant that the performance felt somewhat like a zoo exhibit: no one was getting groovy. Instead, folks were mingling and paying half-attention, occasionally walking right up to take their $50 photo and walk away. On the flip side, however, I heard a number of individuals saying, “WHO WERE THOSE GUYS? SO AWESOME!”
Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History
February 3rd, 2010 | by b aiken | published in dance, indie pop, post-punk | 5 comments
What do you get when you cross three Irish dudes, some guitars, and some heavy electronic influence? Well, you can get a ton of things, one of which is the sound produced by Two Door Cinema Club, a modern contemporary trio bringing us some seriously catchy tunes on their debut, Tourist History. While we wrote about them back in April of 2009, this album illustrates the band’s range while simultaneously keeping to a central theme of guitar-driven electro-pop and lyrics that cling to your brain like… brain glue?
Little Comets – One Night in October
January 5th, 2010 | by Jess Alatorre | published in alternative, indie rock, post-punk | 1 comment
Ah! Finally a band to put a bit of step into these cold gray winter days.; I bring you Little Comets, straight out of Newcastle. With their glorious yelps, full band, and indie rock sound, I feel myself washing away the days of sad quiet folk and dancing my way into new love for England’s answer to Vampire Weekend. However, unlike Vampire’s hit-or-miss singles, I’m finding myself amused by all of Little Comet’s songs. There is range in style, but fluidity to their sound. At times, through the northern accents, I even hear a little Kings of Leon twang.
Tubelord – Our First American Friend
November 20th, 2009 | by Jason Grishkoff | published in math-rock, post-punk | 1 comment
Emocore! Okay, it isn’t. But some of you might claim it to be borderline. I, however, would maintain that these guys bring a raw and exciting sound to an already well-travelled genre. And because that isn’t the easiest thing to do, I feel as if this English post-punk/alternative trio, Tubelord, deserve to be featured on Indie Shuffle.
November 9th, 2009 | by Jason Grishkoff | published in dance, indie pop, math-rock, post-punk | 1 comment
One could easily draw the comparison to Bloc Party while listening to the album Antidotes, the Foals’ first major release. And not the new Bloc Party that has driven themselves into the ground. Nope, this is like the good old stuff. And what’s more, they’ve done it all themselves.
October 21st, 2009 | by Jess Alatorre | published in indie pop, post-punk | 2 comments
The Drums’ website sums up their sound as, “We only write about two feelings: one is the first day of summer when you and all of your friends are standing on the edge of a cliff watching the sun set and being overcome with all of your hopes and dreams at once. The other is when you’re walking alone in the rain and realize you will be alone forever.”
