14/01/17 WEEKLY ROUNDUP: London Grammar, KALEIDA, DJ DJ Booth, Ninetails

This week's the British edition, so grab your english tea, sit back, and start the weekend off right with London Grammar's powerful rendering of "Strong" at their American TV debut on Wednesday's Late Night. These UK babes will be flying into Dallas in early March for SXSW, the start of a month-long US tour promoting their debut album, If You Wait. (Five charted singles on that one, kids. Five.) Y'all had better get your tix now.

KALEIDA

We dug "Think", but this über-talented London-based power duo's latest, "Tropea" is game, set and match. Instrumentalist Cicely Goulder keeps it light and bubbly, while her counterpart, Christina Wood adds airy, but certain vocals: "Wait here, I see heaven". Released during November and December respectively, we're anxious for the debut EP Christina Wood and Cicely Goulder should be releasing any time now, as it was originally due at the end of last year. You can grab both tracks via their soundcloud.



Kaleida will be playing at the Notting Hill Arts Club in London on January 23rd.

NINETAILS

I've somehow managed to come this far without mentioning Capital Cities, of whom I've been an avid fan of since their 2011 EP. Anyways, I bring them up because whenever I hear a distinctive brass section, I like to inaccurately attribute the trend to Capital Cities. That's what the horn part (it starts around 1:30) in "Radiant Hex" by Liverpool's Ninetails makes us think of; perhaps if Yeasayer remixed some Capital Cities, which would be pretty cool.

"Radiant Hex" is certainly a progressive departure from Slept and Did Not Sleep (2012). Its presence is noticeably louder with a gradual crescendo to full volume, but the track maintains the same overall soft manner Ninetails likes to maintain. Their new disc, appropriately named Quiet Confidence, is scheduled for March 10th via Pond Life. We're not sure what they're up to on this one, but we trust in its brass section excellence.

DJ DJ BOOTH

So we're stealing this one from the guys over at YVYNYL, but Globodigital's Tom Burnz and Steve Smith have got us tripping happy. And of course, this work of art is made possible by DJ DJ Booth, who "likes Todd Edwards and The Neptunes". (And yes, it took us a minute to determine that he is calling himself "DJ Booth".) Can you go higher?

14/01/10 WEEKLY ROUNDUP: The Velvet Ants, The Foreign Films, and Headaches

THE VELVET ANTS

Virginia-based alternative-rock unit The Velvet Ants was always mostly Ian Margolycz, but this time around he insists it’s different. With new recruits in the form of drummer/producer Jordon Zadorozny and bassist Eric Sakmar, Margolycz has teamwork down pat. Stream SOLT OLIO, the product of co-operation and The Velvet Ants’s third album to date.

THE FOREIGN FILMS

“Fall of the Summer Heart” is a bit like the foreign film of this week’s offerings: familiar with folk, jazz, and psychedelic influences; structured unfamiliarly as an eight-part song cycle; refreshing in its musical fusioning; and ever so sophisticated for whatever reason. 9:30 to the oven ding at 10:05 is particularly endearing. Bill Majoros, aka The Foreign Films, has embedded a very good story in the 13-minute track, if you look for it—full plot and everything. It might even leave you wanting a sequel, in which case, you’re in luck: “Fall of the Summer Heart” is the lead single from much-anticipated The Record Collector, his first album since Distant Star (2007). The full-length will be available come April, but until then:

HEADACHES

Headaches is Brooklyn’s Landon Speers. Landon Speers is Headaches. Headaches isn’t bad like headaches, but Landon Speers is also a photographer. Actually, Speers is mostly a photographer. Namely, he photographs other musicians, like Purity Ring and Chrome Sparks and Stefaloo. “Snacks”, his latest casual music endeavour, is a percussive polyphonic symphony. I daresay it’s excellent.

MUSIC: Unconditional Arms on love and "fatherdom"

My father always used to tell me that it’s important to let songs breathe.

Sometimes we paint our walls the wrong colour, but it’s pretty hard to botch a baby. Enter Kinship. “Everything on the album is a direct representation of the fears, joys, and miracles that come with creating another human,” The American Scene guitarist Jeffrey Wright expresses. On his own, Wright is Unconditional Arms. Unconditional Arms is a regular at The Night Light, a bar/stage in Oakland, CA, where part of Kinship was recorded. Enter those vulnerable nights during his wife Cambria’s pregnancy. Wright is a regular in his living room, where the other part of Kinship was recorded. Enter those sunlit days, perfect for an afternoon stroll and “Television on the Weekends”.

Enter Baby Owen on August 8th, 2013. He had kinship from the start, but at two months, the child was presented with Kinship, a six-track instrumental album which marks a promising start to the father-son relationship. Unconditional Arms is reminiscent of fellow Warped Tour alum Riley Breckenridge's post-rock side project. I don’t think the Thrice drummer’s personal work results from the event of a child, though.

Wright himself attests that the sounds on Kinship are those “previously transcribed by bands like Explosions in The Sky and Godspeed! You Black Emperor”, but in this instance, context is everything. Kinship's six movements end soothing, at “Rest”. Check it out here. He’s continued the project with a single, released late last year, titled “No Nerves” and written for two close friends. The track explodes at the 2:20 mark, a stunning auditory depiction of “finding the courage to love”.



Unconditional Arms will be at the Night Light in Oakland on February 1st, 2014.

Introducing Clockwork Noise, wizards of ill

In addition to his aptitude for taking group selfies, Clockwork Noise vocalist Robert Maguire is the grandmaster of "hi okay bye". (On their site, the band has mentions in Missouri, Calgary, Montreal, and California; impressive for a group with just north of 500 likes on Facebook.) Not so fast, boy. Toronto wants a word with you.

With an excellent play on words, the Irish five-piece released their debut, Whethermachines, a surging, nine-track storm of angst and independence this past May. The band zeroes in on its juxtapositions: grungy vocals, frantic drum fills, and punk guitars on Whethermachines redeemed by intricate string arrangements and percussion. It's most obvious in the album's finale, "The Tourists", where a voice-isolating accompaniment is suddenly interrupted by a blasting riff. Here's a video for the second single, shot entirely with a GoPro camera.



"Wizard of Ill", the black sheep middle child of the album begins the second half of Whethermachines with a classic church-organ synth progression and enters into a sweet melody nobody saw coming after the first four songs on the album. The sixth track is another showstopper, with power riffs and moody vocals; "inaction is our addiction; responsibility lies somewhere else," Maguire sings matter-of-factly on "Windows". The final three tracks create a calm, folk-oriented bubble in the midst of a rock album, a noticeable departure from spastic earlier tracks like "Advocate", which possesses its own charm.

All in all, Whethermachines is a pretty darn cool and versatile debut. It's raw in that "our producer's no Steve Lilywhite" way, but there are moments throughout the album that blend so naturally, like on "A Wake Up Serenade", they'd probably sound incredible with that sort of production. (Ivan Jackman, you've done wonderfully yourself, but um, Lillywhite does Phillips commercials.) Download Whethermachines off their bandcamp below, free of charge.


The band thinks they're like "Nine Inch Nails playing Buddy Holly songs, with a string section". Egoeccentric, much? They're pretty "ill", I guess. (So. Many. Puns.) Is there such thing as "baroque punk"? Like, what if we hybridized Fleet Foxes and Middle Class Rut? Eureka, it's Clockwork Noise!

Escape velocity and cosmic rays: Sun Stone Revolvers, Delta Will, and Dave Rave

SUN STONE REVOLVERS

Our name used to be Revolvers. Now it’s Sun Stone Revolvers.

Good, because besides the increased searchability, the band’s new moniker is just more suitable. Spaceship X, released last month on Optical Sounds takes listeners on a round trip, away from gravity ("On the Run"), to the edge ("Horizon"), into the blue ("Ocean"), and as per their excellent customer service, home ("America").

The Toronto trio blends psychedelic, folk, and garage styles; think Local Natives cross-multiplied with Flaming Lips and Fleetwood Mac.

Download "On the Run" and "Liberation" and watch the video for "America" below!

DELTA WILL

Since landing on Earth and inhibiting Charles Tilden’s body, Delta Will’s a changed man. Turns out, he’s been around as long as floppy disks have been around. No wonder government officials were quick to cover up the Roswell incident. Is Will a space fugitive or Plutonian refugee? We’ll never know, but his sounds developed nicely into a twangy, folk and blues-infused rock.


Listen and download "It All Glows" from Delta Will’s bandcamp; the full EP drops October 22nd. If you’re in Toronto on the 24th, drop by The Piston for the release party!

DAVE RAVE

photo from CHRW Radio

Dave Rave’s also a veteran, and an artist who’s also escaped conformity. The former punk rocker released Memphis Midnight earlier on in the year, a jazz rock album with guitarist Mark McCarron. Kick your feet up and check out "Fortunate Boy (Where No One Knows)"—like what you hear? Try "On the Memphis Midnight Ride" and "For All Time".

Happy Canadian thanksgiving, everyone!

Morgan Doctor fixes up a little Minor over Major

Morgan Doctor's no newbie. She's been around the world and quite possibly outer space (where else would you procure one of these things?), having released three solo albums since signing with Aporia Records in 2006, and she's currently on tour with Andy Kim.

Minor Over Major, released this May, is both conventional, unconventional, explorative, and certain. "It's definitely my most personal album to date," she admits. Unlike her previous work, the album's eight tracks are purely instrumental. "Some tunes come from rhythms (like "West Coast" and "When It's Right") [...] others come from melody or most often textures"; there's a captivating blend of familiar instruments and dreamier sounds on tracks like "The Seafarer".

I didn't inquire about the meaning of "Minor over Major", but it's as if the album is celebrating and drawing attention to the small things in life, the beautiful parts that make up the whole. The rhythms, the melodies, the harmonies, and the textures we often overlook while focusing on lyrics and vocals. Though likely unintended, the tracks are also absolutely breathtaking when layered over one another.

That aforementioned unearthly instrument, I learned, is "called a Hang. It's Swiss, looks like a flying saucer. You can hear it on "Between Living and Dying" track," Morgan says. "It is a very beautiful instrument that is very trance like when played. Very other worldly. The instrument is very hard to get a hold of because it is only made by a couple in Bern, Switzerland in their cabin." Take a listen!



What has she been listening to lately?

"I'm a big fan of The Album Leaf and Hammock and am always listening to them. I have been listening to a lot of friend's bands like So Young, Julie Doiron and Bell Orchestre."

She expects to be touring with Kevin Drew next year, upon the release of a joint album between the Broken Social Scene musician and Andy Kim. Morgan Doctor's also currently working with Kat Lucas (P!nk's guitarist/keyboardist) on an original project called Belle Ayre."

"West Coast" (mp3)

MP3: "With Haste" by Future History

Reeling from a series of brutally honest confessions in the form of Loss://self (2012), Toronto natives Future History are expected to release their follow up album, Lungs towards the end of this month. Their poorly written and out-of-date biography page does little to suggest such, but the band is alive and well, ten months removed from civilization, and stealing your kids to star in the music video for their new lead single, “With Haste”.

The four-minute track starts in the same mellow, acoustic, roots-inspired strain as its predecessors on Loss://self, before seguing into a darker, grittier chorus. It’s certainly more urgent than Loss://self and less naïve than their self-titled debut. At a glance, Future History, would certainly satisfy those fans who aren’t enthralled by change; that’s not to say they have not progressed, it’s just been subtle. But we’ll have to re-evaluate this upon hearing the entirety of Lungs, or course.

“With Haste” is available here as an mp3 download, courtesy of the band!

EastScene: HAPPY TRENDY release party for "Die Young"

Porto, Portugal 11/30/11 (via Facebook)

Very rarely, we see hear new releases his time of year. It's a chicken-or-the-egg thing: arts & culture media are busy compiling year-end "best of" lists, and record labels push to get the year's releases out before this occurs. Not to mention the holiday cheer, and the holiday food that ultimately gets the best of us for a lazy until we make that New Year's resolution to lose the extra pounds.

The exception is Edmonton's Dylan Khotin-Foote, melting hearts under his HAPPY TRENDY moniker. Khotin-Foote lessens the somewhat post-punk, monotonous tone of his vocals with happy (couldn't help it) tambourines, whistles, and handclaps. Imagine a less eerie Chris Greenspan (oOoOO)... underwater. Bubbly, distant, bliss.

After returning from a couple weeks in Europe with Foxes In Fiction, the touring duo trudge on. (The latter will be teaming up with Ricky Eat Acid in 2012). Digital copies of HAPPY TRENDY's Die Young EP became available over a month ago, and can be streamed, downloaded, and/or purchased via bandcamp.



ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR AND POSTED ON EASTSCENE MAGAZINE

Exitmusic releases "From Silence" EP

photo by Lauren Dukoff

A few months ago, the world was blessed with new material from Exitmusic in the form of "The Sea". Aside from being the perfect love story, husband-and-wife duo Devon Church (NYC via Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Aleksa Palladino are the polar opposite of fellow New York couple, Matt & Kim's "Daylight". If the film begins at an upbeat pop tempo, the exitmusic is serene, eerie Exitmusic playing during the credits, all puns intended.

While Church paints a twilight sky, Palladino's voice is a timeless lullaby aboard her counterpart's shipwrecked raft of art supplies- vibrato opening tones, falling objects, and striking metallic paints. The latter of the group can be accredited to delightfully well-utilized mallet percussion. Their sound simultaneously encompasses the feeling of floating, stargazing, and washed-up mornings.

Strong, airy parallels between the instrumentals and vocals make for a hollow landscape, but one that is enviously beautiful. The source of this unnecessary envy, however, is completely unknown, seeing as we're in no rush or place to challenge their industry-favourited spot for most chill pop noir duo... it's probably something to do with their ridiculous, all-around attractiveness. (Gorgeous; oh, and here's an album stream.) An official video for "The Hours" below:

Track listing
01 "The Sea" (mp3)
02 "The Modern Age"
03 "The Hours"
04 "The Silence"

Preorder the four-track extended play (set for an October 4th release) via Secretly Canadian.

Exitmusic is Aleksa Palladino (vocals), Devon Church (everything else); live: Dru Prentiss (drums) and Nicholas Shelestak (programming).

ORIGINAL POST written by theVibeGirl for EastScene magazine.

Ghetto Dreamers' "Heavy Love" video

download via Shaking Through
Signed to Temporary Residence, Indiana's Dreamers of the Ghetto are set to release their debut record, Enemy/Lover, before the year is up. In this vastly conventional, ambient affair, Martin Sprowles from EDM joins the Jones' family- Jonathan, Lauren, and Luke. Visit their Tumblr.

"We're only young and naive still"

photo by Shelly; paisley swimsuit from LVER Aqua

Having braved the hottest day of the year thus far with some wonderful friends and an afternoon in the pool, I don't have much to write about (in depth, NPI). So instead, I'll share my summer playlist- the chills that kept us cool; the beats that kept kept us lively; the bubbles that kept us floating.

1. "I Know Deep Down" by Architecture In Helsinki
The highlight of their latest LP, Moment Bends, and also the song containing the lyric that inspired the album name. It's got a laid back funk, an easy and steady bass, delving into a Cascada-style bridge delivered by Ms. Isobel Knowles. They can't lose.

2. "Young Blood" by The Naked And Famous
(This post title borrowed from its opening lyric.) With chorus-style "yeah-iy-yeah-iy-yeah-iy-yeah"s, it's difficult not to join in the cheerfulness. Even on the first listen. And the hook is ridiculously catchy. For something a little different, try the Thieves of Aon remix.

3. "Go Oblivion!" by Living Days
A New-Wave, goth pop fivesome from Brooklyn. Definite traces of The Cure. I don't think Neon Gold has ever posted a song I didn't like.

4. "Miami 2 Ibiza" by Swedish House Mafia
Okay, so this was last year's song. But I strongly believe they released it at the wrong time of year. Not to mention Tinie Tempah's clever verses (which took me a few plays to get used to at first):

She says she likes my watch, but she wants Steve’s AP
And she stay up all hours watching QVC
She said she loves my songs, she bought my mp3
And so I put her number in my Bold BB
I got a black BM, She got a white TT
She wanna see what’s hiding in my CK briefs
I tell her wear suspenders and some PVC
And then I’ll film it all up on my JVC

Enough quoted.

5. "Blue Cassette" by Friendly Fires
A love serenade of sorts- "as I hear your voice, it sets my heart on fire" is the stand-out lyric in the chorus. I've watched several live performances, trying to establish the percussive instruments used. Turns out, it's just a kit. (Live, anyways.) I could've sworn there were bongos, or congas, or something... I fully attribute the tropical jungle atmosphere to drummer Jack Savidge.

6. "Sex U" by The Hundred Days
With their debut album Really? due on August 16th, and a kickass single far more impressive than Hot Chelle Rae's "Tonight Tonight" (I'm still not fully aware of what caused this initial comparison), their recent attention is appropriate. No revolutionary sound in general, but revolutionary in the crowd of radio-orientated dance-pop guitar bands.

7. "Old Joy" by Noah and the Whale
You can't party to this song and it's too pretty to sleep to. But I can lie in the grass with "Old Joy" on repeat. There's a slight gospel feel to the chorus, and beautiful piano harmonies. One of the rare times when I've fallen in love with a song from a 15-second preview.

8. "I Don't Want Love" by The Antlers
Sue me; I wasn't sold on this album at first. If I hadn't thought they were Canadian, I still probably wouldn't have listened to Burst Apart. But thank goodness I was mistaken. Such a sincere, downtempo, backbeat way of denying passion. Mellow and dreamy.

PS. The trio's from Brooklyn, and this is their fourth album.

9. "Elongo" by Bedouin Soundclash
Another jangly-jungle-y pop tune, with amazing depth.

And last, but not least (though I have plenty more summer tracks that you simply don't have the time to read about), the woman we've all loved since her 2007 breakthrough. In a leader-studded getup, and my favourite hair yet. A difficult event turned into a soaring anthem.

10. "The Edge of Glory" by Lady GaGa

What's your subconscious dozing and party guests dancing?

Brooklyn, NY: Grooms sophomore release

photo by Angela Hodgkinson

From the depths of New York City spawns yet another exceptional, dreamy production- Prom by experimental pop trio Grooms. Given the care put into arranging every slightly dissonant chord and percussive obtrusion in the studio, they've become fairly prolific, writing, recording, and producing the 11-track album in two years. By contrast, their debut Rejoicer took five years after the band's initial formation; a quiet crawl. A start proven the most successful in the long run.

Music, fashion, and culture are evolving at an acute pace, noticeably in commercial, media-friendly branches. But I believe it's genuine acts, those which start as bedroom jam sessions and build an audience from local venues that will prevail (see U2). Needless to say, we cannot call the former pop crap and be done with it. Because then what happens when you hear the more innovative, more subterranean side of the genre?

And Grooms are chill about it. Travis Johnston's cautiously punk vocals supported by bassist Emily's Ambruso meld nicely into the aloof, glazed backdrop. While the title track, "Expression Of", "Aisha", and "Don't Worry" are of a garden variety (guitar/percussion-driven), standout moments can be found in the bridge of "Imagining the Bodies", a folk/roots influenced "3D Voices", and "Sharing" led by Ms. Ambruso for a change. I feel like half of Prom is what I already know, and the other half is the wondrous surprise of a special ingredient.

The album paints the image of a sticky, summer day in the city. Boutique ice cream in hand, strawberry pink veins dripping down the side of the waffle cone, rainbow sprinkles trickling towards the ground. Sticky fingers. Sticky air. Fast-melting, cold dessert that doesn't give you brain freeze, but makes you feel ill and distant afterwards. All because of the sticky heat. But you still want more of it, don't you?

Well, you're in luck- free sampling: stream Prom in its entirety on AOL; and complimentary cone: download "3D Voices".

I've been to Brooklyn on a couple occasions and I continue to have difficulty picturing it as it is. In my mind, the city is engaged in an eternal rave, pretty with photogenic lights (blame this shoot of Savoir Adore's). It is, without a doubt, the fuzzy feel-good mecca of dream pop, noise pop and all other obscurely accommodating indie pop tangents.

01 Tiger Trees
02 Prom
03 Expression Of
04 Imagining the Bodies
05 Skating with Girl
06 Psychics
07 Aisha
08 Into the Arms
09 Sharing
10 Don't Worry, You're Prettier
11 3D Voices (mp3)

Release date: July 12th, 2011
Purchase this album digitally on iTunes or via Kanine Records.

If you're in New York on July 21st, drop by Summer in the Square at Union Square Park. There'll be outdoor yoga classes, kids' activities, and a lovely young trio playing the 6PM slot to open a night of musical performances. Details here.

Soundcheck at McCarren Park by ajent j loves agent a

Grooms is Travis Johnson (vox, guitar), Emily Ambruso (bass, vox), Jim Sykes (drums). Visit their official blog.

Endless Routine's White Noise

Meet Alex Webb, one half of British-electronic duo Endless Routine. Along with Tim Wil, Webb combines urban hip hop beats and cold, taut strings with fastpaced Cleveland-style industrial. Self-released four months ago, White Noise In Your Heart is a good start. I think better mixing and production could take them quite a ways. "Shatter" is my personal favourite track, but "Nthing Left To Sey" is a noteworthy surprise to finish the 6-song set. Take a listen below, and if you like what you hear, spread the word!

VIDEO: "What About Us"

download via Sub Pop
Handsome Furs is a synth-pop-verging-on-New Wave duo from Montreal, QC. No, Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade) and wife Alexei Perry are not just dance-punk. "What About Us" is the latest single from Sound Kapital, released a couple weeks ago.

PS. If you genuinely enjoy reading The Drop, might I ask you to vote for my blog on this list of "Top 25 Kid Bloggers"?

The Cape Race's mini-album Now, Voyager

download via official site

Release date: July 4th, 2011
Genre: rock, alternative punk, post-hardcore, indie

Listening to this album, after sifting through an unkempt inbox of newsletters, was a surprising morning treat. Its melodies are agreeable, the guitar parts are sound, and the drummer (Jonny Davys) is well on his way to brilliance. Amongst many emerging artists of their genre, I daresay The Cape Race sit right at the top of the "likely to be most successful" list.

Four parts The Honeymoon Suite, new guitarist Matt Sayward and producer Peter Miles proofed the recipe for their outstanding Now, Voyager. They are a refined rarity in the crowd of lacklustre punks, but more pop-oriented than fellow English five-piece We Are The Ocean. For anyone into alternative rock (why are you reading this blog if you aren't?), they're both well worth checking out.

"Little Whites" is impressive from the start with very clean guitar, while David Maloney's vocals and driven kick bass bring an additional raw edge to the game. Thin out the anthemic "hands are dry" chorus, and you'd have the perfect Keane-style backdrop, I'll bet. The next track and its sunburst video, were lyrically disappointing for a moment,

When we're in your purple Cadillac,
There'll be no use in looking back
There'll be no use in looking back

Just cause it's tremendously common to have a purple Cadillac, eh? Moving on, "The Reprieve" is probably the most mellow despite mid-track "whoa-oa"s of wailing post-grunge nature. The end of the song is curiously soft and far too brief of a phrase. "Bets" and "Barcelona" sort of blend into one for me, either because the inter-album transitions are that seamless or they honestly are of quite similar attitude.

Competing with "The Reprieve" is the title and final track. Its acoustic guitar and subdued opening make "Now, Voyager" a valid second contender, but percussion layers in the second verse starting a gradual dynamic increase. However, the former is only momentarily loud and reverts to quiet longing. Maloney ought to make better use of that head voice.

Track list
01 Little Whites
02 They're Young, They're In Love
03 The Reprieve
04 Bets
05 Barcelona
06 Now, Voyager

(image from Tumblr; six videos and an acoustic b-sides disc? Ambitious bunch.)

Now's a matter of seeing if this musically sweet spot between The Script and A Day To Remember is well-received by the public. And which major consumer group they'll appeal... teenie-Paraffins or a Britpop/soft-rock audience. For a change in The Cape Race's style to directly suit one or the other would be destructive tragedy.

The Cape Raceis David Maloney (vox), Matt Sayward and Scott Perkins (guitars), Adam Lewis (bass), Jonny Davys (drums).

Wolf Gang releases video; Suego Faults LP

Londonboy Max McElligott premiered this country potrait of a music video, "The King And All His Men", earlier today. It's an anthem, and the LSE dropout's third single under the Wolf Gang moniker, a brand of infectious rock-infused pop. His debut Suego Faults is due July 11th on Atlantic Records.

pre-order from Amazon

Track list
01 Lions In Cages
02 Something Unusual
03 Stay And Defend
04 Suego Faults
05 The King And All Of His Men
06 Back To Back (download)
07 Midnight Dancers
08 Dancing With The Devil
09 Where Are You Now
10 Planets

Wolf Gang is currently in the midst of a summer UK tour.

Young Galaxy's Austra remix (limited MP3)

EDIT - Check out this fabulous Diamond Rings remix as well.

Chicago's A Lull release "Confetti"

buy the debut album

Release date: April 12th, 2011
Genre: alternative rock, experimental, indie

Seeing as I'm to embark shortly on a 9-hour bus ride to the Windy City, it's only appropriate to make listeners aware of A Lull, a stylistically distinctive three-piece band... I'll call it a subtle gothic tang, if you will. The vocals possess a sad, emotional quality, while persistent percussive sound is nearly overbearing. Nonetheless, it is successful.

First love? The distortion and ambiguous opening lyric ("it's growing, it's growing") on "Water & Beasts" are irresistible.

As well, a gem via Altered Zones:

download Tjutjuna's "Songer Dance" here

Actor-Caster from Generationals

buy the album

Release date: March 29th, 2011
Genre: alternative rock, dance-punk, indie

I mean, you can't say the iTunes sidebar is "piz wat"- good for nothing. After all, it showed me this little gem that I wish I'd uncovered earlier. Check out their newest single, "Ten-Twenty-Ten". I fell in love at 0:10, let alone 20; that first sparkly-tanged guitar hook is positively ridiculous.

Pet Lions announce full-length debut

May 14th release party in Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall

Release date: May 10th, 2011
Genre: alternative rock, pop, indie

To show our appreciation, we'd like to offer you this free download of the single from the new record, "When I Grow Old". To download the MP3, just click below!

Brilliant; here's the link to download and here's the link to stream the entire thing on bandcamp.