Author: August W. Zander

Author, artist, musician and eco-travel guide manager. Born in Akron, Ohio (The Black Keys!) and raised in locations worldwide as a military brat. Landed out west. Life is short; live it big.

Radar Love – Ursa Major

Posted on by August W. Zander

Nineteen-year-old Toronto musician and producer Joseph Chusid, who records as Ursa Major, has made quite a name for himself on Soundcloud in a relatively short time, thanks to a series of single releases that feature his meticulously produced grooves that range in genres and include mixtures of R&B, soul and psychedelic rock. His terrific debut EP, Lo-Fi Sky, is out now, and building steam online.

“Lo-Fi Sky is a project that looks at the mundane and stagnant aspects of life and chooses to delve into the natural world, even though it is constantly in flux and unstable,” Chusid explains.

In just two weeks, a newly released track about insomnia, “5am,” has already racked up nearly 200 Likes on SC; earlier this year, his track, “Dusk,” garnered over 45,000 plays and nearly 1,000 Likes. And, in four short months, Ursa Major has accumulated 100,000+ plays and more than 2,600 Likes! We do not see that often in that short of a time span.

MP3: “5am”

Ursa Major on Soundcloud

Ursa Major on Facebook

Band of the Week – Late Cambrian

Posted on by August W. Zander

When we first heard a few songs from the Brooklyn band Late Cambrian, we knew that we were listening to one of the great new under-the-radar indie bands of the year. Beginning with the latest songs from their newest release, we eagerly listened to the band’s back catalog of enjoyable singles, brimming with glorious power pop hooks, driving rhythms and harmony-lush choruses.

It’s the music that ultimately matters, and Late Cambrian have proven themselves, after four years of hard work and a growing discography, as a band to watch in 2015. Their latest album, Golden Time, released in January, is busting at the seams with amazingly melodic, uptempo songs. The title track is a great example thanks to a collision of blazing guitars and rhythms, soaring synths and perfectly delivered vocals.

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Since its release last fall, the “Golden Time” single has received over 10,000 plays and more than 120 hearts on Soundcloud alone and scored a No. 1 spot on OurStage. The video for “Golden Time” was also the featured video of the month. Those are pretty good indications of the band’s trajectory as they win one fan at a time.

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Late Cambrian’s frontman, songwriter and vocalist, John N. Wlaysewski, says the title track of their new album is really starting to catch on not just for how terrific it sounds, but also because of the lyrics. “It’s a song about a teenager’s perspective on clubs, looking from the outside in,” he said.

“Golden Time“ – Late Cambrian from Golden Time

Another track, “Throwing Shade,” leaps right out of the speakers and demands attention. It’s fantastic guitar riff is one that Wlaysewski had been working on for some time, and waiting for just the right song to pair it to. “I’ve been wanting to make a slower groove-oriented song for a while,” he said, “and this is the first one.” “Throwing Shade,” he said, tells the story about “the weird mind games couples play with each other as a relationship is ending,” adding, “sometimes people see they have mental and emotional control over the other partner, and then use it to screw with their emotions.”

“Throwing Shade“ – Late Cambrian from Golden Time

Golden Time marked a huge leap forward for the band sonically, Wlaysweski said. “The album was a big sonic departure for us. I really wanted to incorporate more modern sounds, synths and samples. I wanted the band to experiment more with structure. I’d been listening to a lot of Phoenix’s Bankrupt while we recorded this.” He said that the band members are all big fans of Weezer, Pinkerton, The Strokes and other acclaimed bands.

A quote on their Bandcamp page describes their sound more exactly. “If The Strokes and Phoenix adopted Elliott Smith and The Arctic Monkeys the baby’s name would be Late Cambrian.” All of these influences are evident in the songs on Golden Time.

Following the release of the debut LP, The Last Concert, in 2011, subsequent albums like PEACH and Golden Time demonstrate the band’s ever evolving improvement in every aspect of their music, and that reflects as well in their growing popularity. Tower Records and HMV just released Golden Time in Japan, and it’s selling more there than it is in the U.S. “We have a big following in Japan and I’m hoping we can tour the country at the end of this summer,” Wlaysewski said.

“Eastern Stone” – Late Cambrian from The Last Concert

Last year they joined the bands Wheatus and McFront A Lot for a successful 30 show tour in the U.K. Late Cambrian has also shared the stage with bands like Dr. Dog and LIGHTS.

The band’s well-honed power pop energy, interesting and existential lyrics and soaring melodies accompanied by sweet vocal harmonies and fuzzy guitar riffs became more apparent on their sophomore release, PEACH, with songs like “Lovers Point” and “Ryan Gosling.”

Wlaysewski said that “Ryan Gosling,” named after the famous actor, is one of the band’s most well-known tracks, which is not surprising since it has a catchy, infectious melody and “woah-oh-oh” chorus, making it a perfect sing-along track. The song “details the struggle to make a meaningful connection with another human being in a fleeting New York City night life,” Wlaysweski said, while “Lover’s Point,” his personal favorite from PEACH, is “an incredibly romantic song for me…it’s about young love and having that feeling again when you’re older.”

“Ryan Gosling” – Late Cambrian from PEACH

The band’s discography offers one musical highlight after another. Taken all together, it’s easy to see why they were voted the best new artist of 2014 in a listeners’ poll. Late Cambrian has all of the makings of a breakout band that should kick up another notch in 2015 as more indie rock listeners in the U.S. hear their tracks.

Late Cambrian on Facebook

Late Cambrian official website

Artist of the Week – S. Walcott

Posted on by August W. Zander
Five experienced, teenage musicians and friends in Providence, Rhode Island, decided to start up a band last year after hearing their friend sing at an open mic night. After that night, the five youngsters officially launched as S. Walcott. From there on, things have gone well for the young band.

We’re not exactly sure what that name means or where it comes from, but we had an immediate thought that they were fans of Vampire Weekend because of that band’s popular song, “Walcott.” But, we found the answer – the band’s name comes from the character, Susan Walcott, from The Crucible by Arthur Miller.

We were impressed with their musicianship, style and the overall energy and fun of their sounds. The guys have backgrounds in hip-hop, jazz and rock.
“We’re five teenagers from Rhode Island who have been playing music together for forever,” vocalist/guitarist, Johnny Donnelly wrote. “We started S. Walcott last year…since then we’ve played shows all around Rhode Island and parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts, and also have released two EP’s. We’ve got backgrounds in jazz, hip-hop, and of course rock, and we believe all these elements are what help us write our music.”

He also gave one of the best answers we’ve heard to a question we ask all musicians – “What is indie rock?” Donnelly replied: “The term indie rock has been so mixed up and used in so many different situations that the genre can really mean anything. What it means to us is just fun, that’s all. It’s all about strong hooks and melodies that result in just this youthful, spirited genre of music that is what it makes it great.”

The band definitely has a great teenage indie pop and rock sound with spirit, melodic hooks, upbeat rhythms and great beats. It’s no surprise that among their top musical influences include Young The Giant and The Strokes.

Other S. Walcott members are Paul Sayour (lead guitar), Luke Graham (drums and guitar), Rory Maynard-Dean (bassist) and Willie Grear (trumpet and synth).

Listen to the band’s new single, “Ghost” on S. Walcott Bandcamp page, and visit their Facebook page.

Best New Indie Rock Songs 2013 – Typhoon, Bent Shapes, Tim Kasher, Cumulus, Criminal Hygiene, Ski Lodge, Surf City

Posted on by August W. Zander

While 2013 may be mostly behind us, there are still fantastic songs we’re still spinning that we either never got the chance to feature on Indie Rock Cafe or that we may have sent out on Twitter or Facebook, and which for all intent and purposes, did not gain the amount of recognition we think they deserved, including singles from 2013 releases by artists and bands such as Typhoon, Bent Shapes, His Clancyness, Brass Bed, Tim Kasher, Ski Lodge, Surf City, Cumulus, Criminal Hygiene and Oneohtrix Point Never.

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“Dreams of Cannibalism” – Typhoon from White Lighter on Roll Call Records

“Behead Yrself, Pt. 2″ – Bent Shapes from Feels Weird on Father/Daughter Records

“Zenith Diamond” – His Clancyness from Vicious on Fat Cat Records

I’ll Be There With Bells On” – Brass Bed from The Secret Will Keep You on Crossbill Records

“Where’s Your Heart Lie” – Tim Kasher from Adult Film on Saddle Creek

“Boy” – Ski Lodge from Big Heart on Dovecote Records

“It’s a Common Life” – Surf City from We Knew It Was Not Going To Be Like This on Fire Records

“Middle” – Cumulus from I Never Meant It To Be Like This on Trans- Records

“Rearrange Me” – Criminal Hygiene from CRMNL HYGNE on Small Smile Records

“Zebra” – Oneohtrix Point Never from R Plus Seven on Warp Records

Austin Band Royal Forest Creates New Music Video With Vine Clips

Posted on by August W. Zander
Austin band Royal Forest’s new music video was created with 1,000 Vine clipsThe Austin indie rock band, Royal Forest, who we featured as a Breakout Band of 2013 on IRC’s main site, have just released a new music video that features a collection of six-second clips taken with the popular video app Vine.

Known for their experimentation with web-based technologies and apps, and how they can be applied in new and exciting ways to feature their music, Royal Forest used over 1,000 six-second clips of Vine app videos shot with an iPhone in different locations and settings to create their latest music video for their latest single, “Keeping Time.”

The band has experimented previously with recording and shooting videos on planes, across deserts and even underwater in submarines. The band calls their “Keeping Time” video a “beautifully kaleidoscopic ode to social media.” It’s also an ode to their infectious style of music as the song and video, premiered on their official YouTube channel, so wonderfully illustrate. As far as we know, no other artist or band has created a music video made up entirely of short Vine videos.

Best New Releases from Gospel Claws, Midway in Wake, Naomi Punks, Goldenboy, Elbow, Bad Brains, Naomi Punks, MmMmMm

Posted on by August W. Zander

A rather thin week for new releases due to the Thanksgiving holidays, but there’s still some worthwhile drops to check out, including albums, EPs and singles from Goldenboy, Gospel Claws, Elbow, Sambassadeur, Bad Brains, Naomi Punks, to name a few. Tomorrow, we’ll feature Daylight Fireworks, MmMmMm, Remember Your Dead, Morning Harvey, and Adam George. Also, keep an eye out for the Album of the Week from one of IRC’s most popular DIY artists of 2012 who we think is a new Artist to Watch for 2013.

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More than a decade ago, singer-songwriter and guitarist Shon Sullivan started a musical project, Goldenboy, while he was a member of the legendary Elliott Smith’s band. Over the years, Goldenboy has released four albums full of songs about love and loss, heartache and joy. While Smith was still alive, and the two were on tour, Sullivan wrote the song, “Summertime,” that features Smith’s vocals. This will be a nice touch for fans of Sullivan and Smith. The new album is brimming with orchestrated songs that tug at the heart strings and may remind people of the Eels, and features the lead single, “Starlight Town.” The New Familiar drops only one month after the 10th-anniversary vinyl reissue of Goldenboy’s widely acclaimed debut LP, Blue Swan Orchestra, completely remastered and featuring bonus tracks.

“Starlight Town” – Goldenboy from The New Familiar

Bonus Track: “Summertime” (featuring Elliott Smith) – Goldenboy from Blue Swan Orchestra

GospelClaws-PutYourSunshineAway

Gospel Claws Drop New LP, Put Your Sunshine Away

The new album from Arizona indie band Gospel Claws is, as the blogger of Violent Success wrote “a mellow sock hop sound track.” That’s a good way of putting it. The album contains a largely enjoyable collection of sweet, doo wop songs, including the opening track, “Pale Horse Dry Cleaning,” that serves as “a toe-tapping vow of epic destruction in the name of love,” as well as the summery track, “I Move Around,” that channels an impressive Beach Boys-style vibe. Also, we like the the fun and spirited song, “Hambone,” clearly one of the stand-out tracks on the album, and the one that the band choose as the LP’s lead single.

“Pale Horse Dry Cleaning” – Gospel Claws from Put Your Sunshine Away

Double-shot: “Hambone” – Gospel Claws from Put Your Sunshine Away

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Austin Arist to Watch Greg Reynauld, aka Midway in Wake, Drops Self-Released Debut Album

The track “Urban Vermin” by Austin artist Greg Reynauld‘s, otherwise known as Midway in Wake, is much more pleasant than the title may suggest; the song is dreamy, lo-fi  indie folk consisting of an uplifting vibe, terrific acoustic melodies, pleasant, even a little quirky, synthesized sound effects and a near consistent drone, with well integrated vocal harmonies, and an all around fuzzy, warm feeling. What comes to mind when listening to this song is a golden fall afternoon outdoors where the air and sunshine are perfect – that awesome place in between summer and winter that you wish you could just make last forever. 

Reynauld’s is no newbie to the music scene however. In fact, while still in high school, he formed a band with two friends called Short Hate Temper. After a few regional tours, the band was booked to tour in Europe and had a number of record deals sitting on the table. Some years later, Reynauld moved to Austin and started the electro band, Lovetron, with At The Drive-In guitarist Adam Amparan. Shortly after, the band broke up, but Reynaulds kept recording, even living in South Korea for a while to work on his music. By 2006, he formed Midway in Wake and returned to Austin to resume work on his newest project.

“Urban Vermin” – Midway in Wake from We Will Remain Sedate

“They Couldn’t Fill A Book” – Midway in Wake from We Will Remain Sedate

Naomi Punks’ New Single and Bad Brains Disagreeable New Album

The stop and go punk pop of Naomi Punk’s new single, “Burned Body,” is strangely appealing, with grinding guitars and the metered banging of drums. The latest album from Bad Brains is not getting the kind of praise that the band’s early albums enjoyed, with many, including long-time fans, disappointed. The blog, AudioCred, wrote: “Bad Brains’ new album is boring and stupid. Into the Future is a rehash of every tired rock, metal, and punk cliche of the last twenty years, performed drearily and mixed like a combination of Korn and Municipal Waste.” We couldn’t agree more – we didn’t even bother listening to it a second time. One highlight of the album is the song, “We Belong Together.”

“Burned Body” – Naomi Punk from The Feeling

“We Belong Together” – Bad Brains from Into The Future on Megaforce

New Sambassadeur 7″, Plus Elbow B-sides, Takka Takka’s New Album and Live LP from Dinosaur Jr.

Swedish pop band, Sambassadeur, released a new 7″ single this week, “Memories,” a cheerful song with a touch of Caribbean music infusion. Plus, Elbow released a set of B-sides on Tuesday that includes the excellent track, “Buffalo Ghosts.” As other 90’s bands like Mudhoney and Sonic Youth did last week, another 90’s alt rock super band, Dinosaur Jr., who’ve made a phenomenal comeback in recent years with a series of brilliant albums, dropped a new live album from 1978 this week. Seattle band The Pharmacy dropped their fourth album this week, Stoned and Alone, highlighting a great collection of lo-fi garage-punk, power pop and raw psych-pop songs.

“Memories” – Sambassadeur from Memories/Hours Away 7″ on Labrador Records

“These Broken Chairs” – Takka Takka from A.M. Landscapes on Ernest Jenning Record Co.

“Buffalo Ghosts” – Elbow from Dead in the Boot on Fiction/Cooperative Music

“Make Me Remember” – The Pharmacy from Stoned and Alone on Old Flame Records

“The Lung” – Dinosaur Jr. from Chocomel Daze (Live 1987) on Merge Records

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Faunts New EP and Peter Broderick’s New Solo Album

For a total change of style from the two previous tracks, Faunts released a new EP this week, from which the sparse, dreamcore track, “What I’d Love To Hear You Say,” originates. The single is carried by mellow electric guitar riffs that are balanced by the overlay of an almost Spanish-style acoustic guitar playing at a lower volume, creating altogether the optics of a hazy, red and orange sunset on an August skyline.

“What I’d Love To Hear You Say” – Faunts from Left Here Alone

Peter Broderick, who is a member of the band Horse Feathers and was formerly a member of Efterklang, released a new solo album this week, These Walls of Mine, from which the kind of cheesy song “I’ve Tried” is taken; however, we think fans of both of those bands and his solo work, may find it interesting to listen to. How would the song even be classified? It’s closer to gospel than anything else. It’s not really a standout track of the week by any means, but fans of Efterklang may appreciate it more. Plus, Garrett Price’s new single, “Everybody Breaks.”

“I’ve Tried” – Peter Broderick from These Walls of Mine

“Tucumcari, NM” – Billy Wallace and The Virginia Blues from Tucumcari, NM and Other Songs

New Paris Girl Garage Punk Pop Band Drop Debut EP

This week, Paris girl punk pop band MmMmMm released their debut EP, Wir Sind MmMmMm, featuring the punk pop/garage rock single, “Get Ya!” and the follow-up track, “Un, Dos, Tres (Outro).” The two-year old band wrote in their submission to IRC: “Fresh and destroy, aerobic and metronomic, brutal and mechanical, our quest for automatic enjoyment is just beginning. And it’s now or never cause this is MmMmM debut EP. Let the fun happen.” Even though they sound like a garage punk pop band, they list their genre as “Hip Rock” and “Minimalistic Electro.” MmMmMm have previously opened for Jupiter, and list their major musical influences as Black Sabbath, Pavement, Kraftwerk, De La Soul, and Cameo. They are signed to the label, Boomboomtchak Records.

“Get Ya!” – MmMmMm from Wir Sind MmMmM

“Un, Dos, Tres (Outro)” – MmMmMm from Wir Sind MmMmM

MmMmMm Official Website

In Dee Mail, Vol. XII – Pekoe Cat, Max and the Moon, Kittentank, Wait What?, Dinosaur On Mars, No TV Tonight, Love Crystals

Posted on by August W. Zander

From the Great Lakes city of Toronto, Ontario, Kyle Woolven , a DIY electro-pop multi-instrumentalist and college student, self-released his first recording as Pekoe Cat on August 23rd, and sent us in a couple of his tracks. While this entry, from what we were able to find out, is the first time his music has been featured on a music blog, and his debut as a recording artist, we don’t really know very much about him because he didn’t provide very much information about himself.

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However, if enough people stream, download, comment, Like and Retweet this post, referencing Pekoe Cat, we will run another post as a follow-up to in an attempt to obtain more information about him, and more songs as well.

As of the time this post was published, Pekoe Cat doesn’t even have any type of website – a blog, Facebook page, Tumblr or Bandcamp. We have a feeling as his songs are spread around more that that’ll change pretty fast.

Artists Previously Opened For: None
Major Musical Influences: The Beatles, Radiohead, The Mars Volta, Michael Jackson, Kanye West, Toro Y Moi, Tame Impala, The Most Serene Republic
Year Formed: 2012

maxkala

Max and the Moon – Chino Hills, California

In Chino Hills, California, an affluent suburb of Los Angeles, the band Max and the Moon have received some fairly good coverage in the past month for their video “Out of My Head,” the first single from the band’s newly released EP, The Way I See.

When we first heard “Out of My Head,” it struck us as not indie, but much more of a mainstream radio rock sound. Still, the band is DIY and pure orchestra indie pop sound coupled with driving beats and excited choruses got our attention right away. The more we listened to it, and the other single the band sent in, “Lighthouse,” the more sense it made that Max and the Moon belonged in our list of  DIY Breakout Bands of 2012.

“Out of My Head” – Max and the Moon from The Way I See

Official Band Website: Max and the Moon
Artists Previously Opened For: So Many Wizards, Kiev, The Gospels, Old Canes
Major Musical Influences: Ella Fitzgerald, Otis Redding, Coldplay, Local Natives, Radiohead, Phoenix, Fleet Foxes
Year Formed: 2009

Kittentank – Wellington, New Zealand

Kittentank is DIY post pop band from New Zealand that formed in 2006. In June, the band released a new single “Take You There” from the album, Troubles on the Table Again. Kittentank have previously opened for artists like Wow, Bonaparte, Street Chant, Naked and the Famous.

“Take You There” – Kittentank from Troubles on the Table Again – June 6th

Official Band Website: Kittentank on Facebook
Previously Opened For: Wow, Bonaparte, Street Chant, Naked and the Famous
Major Musical Influences: PJ Harvey, the Oh Sees, Ween, New Order, Pulp, Elastica, the Chills and the Clean.
Year Formed: 2006

Wait, What? – Chicago, Illinois

Wait, What is an indie pop band of Chicago music students from DePaul University who began collaborating while in school during the 2010-2011 school year. They released their debut EP, No Yeah, in July 2012. The EP features combining songwriting elements of Max Evrard and Matt Script showcasing the band’s indie pop sound.

Official Band Website:: Wait, What? on Bandcamp
Artists Previously Opened For: Anti-Crew, The Sometimes Family, Kitty Devine, Spencer McGillicutty
Major Musical Influences: Radiohead, The Beatles, The White Stripes, Fleet Foxes,
Year Formed: 2010

dinosaursonmars

Dinosaurs on Mars! – Upland, California

The two founding members of Dinosaurs on Mars! (Steven Mucci and Nathan Casas) met in high school in Upland, California, and have been experimenting with writing and recording indie electro pop music ever since. Now, they are both high school math teachers. When DOM was formed in 2010, the two decided they needed a second guitarist (Tom Morris) for recording and performing needs.

Official Band Website: Dinosaurs on Mars
Artists Previously Opened For: None
Major Musical Influences: Cut Copy, The Killers, M83, Hercules and Love Affair
Year Formed: 2010

No TV Tonight – New York

No TV Tonight is a new DIY punk rock band from New York City formed by singer/guitarist Jaime Marcelo and drummer Matt Storm. The band knocks out raw, energetic punk rock in the style of 1990’s punk bands. No TV Tonight’s first release, the EP, American Excess, was released on July 4th. One small tip for other bands: don’t release your debut, or any album, on a holiday. Why? Because people are so busy with the holiday, they are not thinking of new music releases.

In fact, that’s why labels don’t release very many albums the week of the Fourth of July, as well as other holidays. This is evidenced by the thin number of releases for the Best New Music Releases for the week of July 4th.

Official Artist Website: No TV Tonight on Bandcamp
Artists Previously Opened For: None
Major Musical Influences: Green Day, Propagandhi, Against Me!, Lagwagon, Bad Religion
Year Formed: 2012

Introducing Denmark’s Alternative Rock Band Love Crystals

Love Crystals is an alternative rock band from Denmark, in a town called Elsinore. They formed in 2007 and are signed with the SKB Records label. In May, they released their self-titled, debut album featuring the lead single, “Gallows Of The Wine” comes from.

“Gallows Of The Wine” – Love Crystals from Love Crystals – May 7th

Official Band Website: Love Crystals
Artists Previously Opened For: The Storm, Rock Hard Power Spray, Vomit Supreme
Major Musical Influences: Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Queens Of The Stone Age, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.
Year Formed: 2007

Browse past editions of In Dee Mail, featuring over one hundred bands you probably never heard before

In Dee Mail, Vol. XI – Cloud Lantern, The Jaded, Diamonds Under Fire, Nights & Weekends, The Jesus Rehab, Space Command

Posted on by August W. Zander

It’s been a while since we’ve published Vol. X of the on-going In Dee Mail playlist series. The main reason for this is that we’ve been incorporating bands that would otherwise go into the In Dee Mail series with other posts – especially the Best New Releases series. But some people have asked about the series, and based on the raw numbers we have reviewed for past editions, it only made sense to put together another edition. There is certainly no shortage of submissions.

For those of you not familiar with In Dee Mail, it’s a long-running profile and playlist series which is specifically focused on bands – usually, but not always, DIY – that send us their music via the submission form. During its three years in running, the In Dee Mail series has exposed dozens and dozens of talented, often under rated, artists and bands to music lovers around the world.

We don’t presuppose that everyone is going to like the bands featured for this particular series, but, among the bands that submitted music to us, these are just a few of the ones we think have potential to gain a larger following.

Albuquerque’s Genre Non-Specific Band, Cloud Lantern

 

From the magical desert southwest area of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Cloud Lantern blipped on our radar with their self-produced DIY release of the EP, Songs for Eluard. The band integrates post-punk, surf pop, garage rock, shoegaze and math-rock, and have become well-known within Albuquerque DIY indie rock scene. The new EP is a tribute to the poet Paul Eluard, whose contributions to the surrealist art movement are well-noted.

Cloud Latern’s sound is risque, enthralling and accessible to a wild audience. The first single, “Backgammon,” is a bright, sunny summer day, lo-fi surf pop track, featuring a driving drum beat, crashing cymbals, and lo-fi, surf rock guitars jamming away. The second single sent in, “Pushkin Around,” is yet another surf pop mixed with post-punk track that comes off very much like a noise pop or power pop style. a drummer who’s really going at it, and a clear post-punk guitars stand out more

“Backgammon” – Cloud Lantern from Songs for Eluard EP – July 12th

“Pushkin Around” – Cloud Lantern from Songs for Eluard EP

Website: Cloud Lantern’s Official Website

Opened For: Jenny Invert, Pineapple Explode, Fielded, Slow Animal, Fertile Crescent, Reignbeau, and others.

Musical Influences: The Microphones, Harlem, Gang of Four, My Bloody Valentine, Tera Melos, Real Estate, Slowdive, Bauhaus, Grouper, Wire

Arena Ballad Rock Still Kicks in San Francisco

The age of the 70’s and early 80’s arena rock ballad sound, with it’s sentimental vocals intertwined with glorious moments of sharp, high pitched guitar solos and riffs stays alive with The Jaded, a rock band from San Francisco. In March, the band released a new album, Juke, from which the band sent the lead single, “Without You.” A completely different song, “Honeybear,” reminds us a lot of the Red Hot Chill Peppers crossed with Sly and the Family Stone. The band is signed to the label Interscope Digital.

Website: The Jaded on Facebook

Opened For: None

Musical Influences: Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Guns N’ Roses, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Motley Crue, The Who

New York Musical Duo Space Command Go Electropop

 

Space Command is the unsigned New York musical duo of Craig Campbell and Will Nichols. After almost a decade of making music together, the pair decided to give a shot at making an electronic pop album. Following months of work, the band released an album titled Machines Make Music this past April. The band sent along two pretty inspiring songs.

“Insult to Injury” – Space Command from Machines Make Music – April 8th

“Graveyard Shift” – Space Command from Machines Make Music

Website: Space Command Official Website

Opened For: Wazu, Young Heel, Miko & The Musket,

Musical Influences: Miike Snow, Lykke Li, Robyn, Sufjan Stevens, David Bowie, Bon Iver, The Antlers, Daft Punk, Elliott Smith, Bruce Springsteen

nightsandweekendsband

Toronto DIY Trio Nights & Weekends

 

Toronto three piece rock, pop, hip-hop unsigned band, Nights & Weekends released the EP, Old Creel Revival,, on April 2nd.  The band members did everything from the writing and recording to mixing and distribution – the DIY spirit.

“The Old Creek Revival” – Nights & Weekends from  Old Creek Revival EP  – April 2nd

“Just A Little Too Much” – Nights & Weekends from  Old Creek Revival EP

Website: Nights and Weekends Facebook Page

Opened For: None

Musical Influences: The Black Keys, Sam & Dave, Kid Cudi

The Brothers of The Jesus Rehab Release New Album

 

The Jesus Rehab is a Seattle DIY indie rock band that has its roots in southwest Michigan, where lead singer Jared Cortese and his brother, Dominic Cortese, began to write and record the songs that would later become the band’s first EP, Scatterbrained in 2007. The EP was well-received, and the band extensively toured the Pacific Northwest, and also appeared at South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2010. The band’s sound is marked by powerful vocals and driving rhythms which have led to comparisons to bands like OK Go, The Flaming Lips and Weezer. In April, they dropped their new album, Drunken Hillbilly Fight Bar, and sent us in these two singles.

“Long Way To Fall” – The Jesus Rehad from Drunken Hillbilly Fight Bar

“Carry You” – The Jesus Rehad from Drunken Hillbilly Fight Bar

Website: The Jesus Rehab Official website

Opened For: Julia Massey and The Five Finger Discount, The Great Um, Bandolier, Red Heart Alarm, Gashcat, and To The Sea. Sallie Ford and The Sound Outside

Musical Influences: Duke Ellington, Julia Massey and The Five Finger Discount, The Great Um, The Head and The Heart, The Beatles, The Flaming Lips, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Weezer

diamondsunderfire

LA’s Alternative Rock Revival and Diamonds Under Fire

 

With Los Angeles as their home base, the alternative rockers Diamonds Under Fire take their influences from 80’s new wave, 60’s & 70’s classic rock & modern pop radio. Diamonds Under Fire leads the way from where the few female fronted rock groups left off, drawing comparisons to a younger Liz Phair, the confidence & spirit of Chrissie Hynde (of The Pretenders), the rawness of PJ Harvey, the bare bones rock ‘n roll of Nirvana and the pop production sensibilities of Pink. Diamonds Under Fire were featured on the cover of Guitar Player Magazine in 2007. However, they didn’t release their self-titled, debut album until this past April.

“Wide Awake” – Diamonds Under Fire from Diamond Under Fire – April 12th

“The One” – Diamonds Under Fire from Diamond Under Fire

Website: Official Diamonds Under Fire Website

Opened For: Uh Huh Her, Nations Afire (members of Rise Against), Elle Macho (feat. Butterfly Boucher), Amusement Parks On Fire, Jessie Payo, Scissors For Lefty, Bobby Long, Philip Sayce, Brian Glaze (Brian Jonestown Massacre), Radio Vago (Buddyhead) & many others.

Musical Influences: Nirvana, The Pixies, Depeche Mode, Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, Lil Wayne, The Game.

5 in 1 – Vote for Best Song Out of 5 Random Tracks from the Mailbag

Posted on by August W. Zander

As we face a growing queue of hundreds and hundreds of music submissions, we’re experimenting with new ways to get through the enormous backlog. So, we decided to start a 5 to 1 poll. We present five tracks, and each of you choose the track of the five that you like the most.

Listen to the five tracks below and then pick your favorite at the end of the post. Please use the Comments section to let everyone know which track you picked and why. Whichever track receives the most votes, we’ll follow up with a post about the artist or band with the most votes and include a profile of the band, plus another track (when applicable). We are purposely not revealing the band names, although you can probably figure some of them out.

So, here you go. Enjoy.

  • Song #1
  • Song #2
  • Song #3
  • Song #4
  • Song #5


Artist Alert: Botany Harvests Organic Mechanicalism from Experimental ‘Hillwave’ Pop on Debut EP

Posted on by August W. Zander

cut_off_your_handsBotany is the one man-band endeavor of Spencer Stephenson. Referring to his style of music as ‘hillwave,’ Stephenson produces his homemade experimental, synth-heavy compositions from atop a hill in rural Texas – mixing uplifting melodies, heavenly vocal dubs, twinkling sound effects and notes, and modern rhythms with such mastery and skill as to be admired by other so-called ‘chillwave’ artists; the same group of cats that have garnered a huge following in recent years, and a fair to ridiculous amount of blogger buzz to go with it.

Actually, Botany did not really go it alone on the production of Feeling Today. In fact, he had help from co-producer, multi-instrumentalist and engineer Jason Quever (Papercuts), as well as Ben McConnell, Thao Ngyuen, Amy Blaschke, and members of the Moondoggies each contributed in some way to the making of this album.

“Water Parker” – Botany from Feeling Today

“Feeling Today” – Botany from Feeling Today

“The Ornament” – Botany from Feeling Today

The Hush Now To Release New Album, Memos, On Sept. 27th

Posted on by August W. Zander
Boston, MA – July 26, 2011 – Boston’s indie rock quintet, known as The Hush Now, are at it again. They will be releasing their brand new album,Memos, on September 27th. Similar to some of their previous works,Memos was produced and recorded by Benny Grotto (Dresden Dolls, Ben Folds) at Mad Oak Studio’s and mastered by Jeff Lipton (Arcade Fire, Magnetic Fields, Spoon). The Memos sessions yielded twelve new impressive tracks including ten album tracks, another Halloween single and New Year’s single. For more information, please visit:www.facebook.com/TheHushNow.
 
Consisting of Noel Kelly (vocals/guitar), Adam Quane (lead guitar), Barry Marino (drums), and Pat MacDonald (bass), Memos showcases an inspiring display of intricate instrumentation and insightful lyricism. “The album is a collection of diverse songs. Each has it’s own personality but there is definitely a cohesiveness as the band introduces two new lead vocalists to join Kelly, as Quane steps out on ‘Cameraphone’ and Marino closes out the album on ‘Things Fall Down’.  The album as a whole is a moving piece of artwork that will take you into a dreamy state of mind you don’t want to break away from.
The Hush Now’s self-titled debut (2008) and sophomore release, Constellations (2010), both quickly climbed independent radio top 100 charts and drew comparisons to Guided By Voices, The Cure, and Kitchens of Distinction, among others. Blog buzz and radio play by influential BBC 6 DJ Steve Lamacqand KROQ’s Rodney Bingenheimer further fueled interest in the band.
In addition, after the success of last Fall’s EP, Shiver Me Starships, a successful national tour, and powerful performances at CMJ 2009/2010 and SXSW 2009, The Hush Now are ready to keep the momentum going. A hard working band, having just re-released Constellations, they already have their minds and hearts set on Memos.
The Hush Now will release Memos on September 27th. Please go to www.facebook.com/TheHushNow for more updates.
Track Listing:
  1. Arkansas
  2. Clouds
  3. Memos
  4. Cameraphone
  5. The Glow
  6. Sitting on a Slow Clock
  7. Rooftops
  8. A Mother’s Lament
  9. Pete’s Best
  10. Things Fall Down

Video Preview of Japan Benefit Album with Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Chairlift, Kurt Vile, Acrylics, Violens, Erika Spring Drops Aug. 4th

Posted on by August W. Zander

Recorded for Japan is a compilation album containing songs recorded between April and June 2011 to help raise funds and awareness to aid the victims of the earthquake, resulting tsunami, and nuclear emergency that followed in Japan.

All of the proceeds from the sale of this compilation will go directly towards the continuing recovery and reconstruction effort, specifically the Japanese Red Cross.

The album features the contributions of Acrylics, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Beige, Chairlift, Erika Spring, Ice Choir, Kurt Vile, K. Heasley, Kuroma, Pablo Picasso, Patrick Cleandenim, Regal Degal, R. Stevie Moore (feat. Members of MGMT), and Violens. The digital-only compilation will be available on Aug. 4, 2011 worldwide. (Note to self: A band named Pablo Picasso is wrong on so many levels)

The majority of the songs on Recorded for Japan were recorded and mastered at Vacation Island Recording studio, Brooklyn, NY, and otherwise recorded by the artists themselves. This album has been a genuine group effort, made possible by the generosity of the artists, recording studio and labels involved. Japan continues to need our help and your purchase is greatly appreciated.

Track Listing
Artwork by Max Hooper Schneider

01. Beige – Focus*
02. R. Stevie Moore (feat. Members of MGMT) – You Are Too Far From Me*
03. K. Heasley – Belief Match
04. Ice Choir – Two Rings (Hard Mix)
05. Chairlift – The Chase (Propaganda cover)
06. Pablo Picasso – Whip*
07. Kurt Vile – Been Searchin’
08. Kuroma – Running People
09. Acrylics – Sparrow Song*
10. Violens – When To Let Go*
11. Erika Spring – 6 More Weeks (Vacation Version)*
12. Patrick Cleandenim – In My Baby’s Eyes (After Dark Version)*
13. Regal Degal – Excuse Me Who Am I Talking To?*
14. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Thespian City (Live)

*in-studio performance

 

BUY IT HERE – $7.99