Category: Radar Love

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

Radar Love – Tucson’s Prolific Teen Musician Christopher Tom

Posted on by indierocker

It’s not a stretch to say that the Arizona teen Christopher Tom isn’t exactly your average 15-year-old. He’s actually a prolific singer, songwriter and musician.

Since the age of 13, Tom has been on a mission to perfect his songwriting craft. But he didn’t want just quality. He set out on quantity as well – writing upwards of 200 songs. And in stark contrast, Tom released his debut, self-titled EP last August, featuring only six of those songs. For the EP, he not only wrote the songs, but performed and recorded all of the instruments, and then mixed and mastered every last note, resulting in 15 minutes of frenzied and exuberant indie rock and synth pop.

On one of his newest tracks, “Every Friday (Dance),” the young muthusiast pulls out the dance beats with shimmering synth arrangements, pop rock guitar chords and his signature adolescent male vocals. Borrowing from many different influences, including The Beatles, The Strokes, Weezer, Gorillaz and Beach House, Tom places a huge emphasis on melody and hooks. We urge folks to take a little time to check out some of the other tracks from his self-titled EP on his Bandcamp page.

The uptempo pop rock song, “The Ballad of Joey Domino,” is yet another example of Tom’s amazingly diverse musical palette and sensibilities in collaboration with his friend ‘Mark E’. Another song, “That’s Not How It Works,” is totally a Strokes-influenced song from top to bottom. Next, the silly pop rock track “Don’t Call On Me,” (in which his adolescent boy’s vocal range is tested successfully), is immediately reminiscent of They Might Be Giants, and “Candle Boy,” with its twinkly pop melodies and softer vocals.

The standout track from his debut EP is “The Coast,” a song that probably has a wider audience with its simplistic melodic hooks, regular rhythm changes, programmed beats, layered vocals and flowing keyboards. Tom isn’t going to take over the world – just yet (there are a lot of Kinks to work out), but for a 15-year-old, he definitely shows a tremendous musical progression and penchant for variety; he appears to deliberately make it so that each of the songs is completely individual, whereas we have all heard EPs/LPs where all of the songs sound pretty much the same.

Are you a teenager making music at this level? Tell us your story and send us some of your songs. Submit to IRC.

Don’t Call On Me – Christopher Tom from Christopher Tom EP

The Coast – Christopher Tom from Christopher Tom EP

As we were putting this post together, Tom ranks #1 among Tucson musicians on Reverbnation.

Radar Love – Boulder Mood Rock Trio The Ineloquent

Posted on by flytrap

Admittedly nomadic, yet hailing primarily from Boulder, Colorado, The Ineloquent delivers contemplative and meaningful piano-driven ‘mood’ pop/rock with sweet melancholy, layered vocal harmonies and honest lyrics of love, sadness and hope.

The trio’s melodic and cinematic style musical style draws comparisons to artists like Coldplay, The Fray, Keane, and One Republic, while the band’s frontwoman, Georgiana Eakins, has previously been compared to vocalists like Leigh Nash (Sixpence None The Richer), Ellie Goulding, and Regina Spektor.

theineloquent-band

Her husband, guitarist Daniel Eakins, and bassist and drummer Pablo Calderon, add their talents to The Ineloquent’s release, E Is for Emergency, which weaves through themes of love, despair, fear, hope, and restoration. “These are songs that are meant to do more than just spill sound into silence,” Eakins says. “They are meant to challenge and inspire while bringing something musically fresh to the table.”

Lay back with your headphones on, and glide into the warm bath of the dreamy keys and vocals on “Emergency.”

A second standout track on the album, “Verge of a Breakthrough,” is a synth dance pop track that is also somewhat laid back and sensual – great bedroom chill song. Eakins vocals are wonderful.

“Emergency“ – The Ineloquent from E Is for Emergency

“Verge of a Breakthrough“ – The Ineloquent from E Is for Emergency

The Ineloquent on Facebook

“Indie rock is music unaltered by conventional structures and melodies which are often the norms on public radio. It is the freedom to create the sounds that make up your feelings without the pressure to conform to the musical clones of what sells. It is remaining true to yourself whether your music sells or not in hopes that someone out there will get it.” – Georgiana Eakins

Radar Love – Icelandic Synth Pop Duo Jane Telephonda

Posted on by flytrap

We are always down for listening to new bands from Iceland. Do we need to say – Sigur Ros, Bjork, Olafur Arnalds – that there is something so moving, poignant and joyous in the music of so many artists from the enchanting and mystical northernmost Atlantic isle.

Now there is a new band starting to make headway on and beyond the ancient Nordic land; and we can see why. Jane Telephonda of Kópavogur City.

We love the reverb-oozing vocals, the hard-driving snare and bass drum beats, the soaring synths and the infectious melodies and harmonies from the verses through the uplifting choruses on the new single, “Transmuted Saltness.” It has that put-it-on-repeat quality about it.

Jane Telephonda are the husband and wife duo Ívar Páll Jónsson and Ásdís Rósa Þórðardóttir. Their unique blend of influences are inspired by the sounds of the classics to the contemporaries, including David Bowie, Sufjan Stevens, Wilco, Grizzly Bear, Of Montreal, and Queen.

The couple are not, however, new to the world of music.

Jónsson began playing guitar and recording his own music on a four-track at the age of 16. Fast-forward to 2011: he begins writing for his 2014 concept album, Revolution in the Elbow of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter, which ultimately earns Jónsson a nomination for the 2014 Icelandic Music Awards. The album received rave reviews in the U.S. coinciding with its theatrical stage adaption at the Minetta Lane Theater in NYC in the summer of 2014.

Along with the undeniably gifts of his wife, who also performed on ‘Revolution’ the duo of Jane Telephonda are bound to make waves of their own with their newest venture.

You’re probably wondering what’s up with the name?

It’s kind of a crazy thing. Þórðardóttir loves Jane Fonda as an actress. So, when the couple’s fourth child came along, they combined the Jane Fonda fixation with Jónsson’s love of phones – and wah-lah – the name Jane Telephonda. But it wouldn’t just be the band name; they named the child Jane Telephonda too.

I know, right?…

It just makes the music all that more inviting to us because it’s so punk. JT: Stay crazy and keep pumping out those melodic, hook-friendly synth pop anti-folk-ish beats.

Jane Telephonda on Facebook
Jane Telephonda official website

Radar Love – Houston’s Silver Blueberry Straddles The Line Between Punk and Post Punk

Posted on by indierocker
[zbplayer]

No matter what anyone says, a catchy band name makes a difference in the type of attention a band attracts. But, ultimately, it’s the music that matters. Based in Houston, Texas, the DIY rock band Silver Blueberry have both of those checkboxes clicked.

The four member band creates garage rock music that reminds us of a killer mash of punk and post-punk from the 70’s and 80’s, as heard on the fiercely rhythmic, hand-clapping track like “Walk With Me,” one of the best songs from the band’s debut, Twin Reverberation.

Founded in the summer of 2013, Silver Blueberry was formed by twin brothers Tyson Rinker and Shaun Rinker, both of whom sing and play guitar. The duo started out writing and performing rough cut songs in their garage. Shortly afterwards they met a German diplomat, Philipp Kleiner, who loved their songs and decided to join as the band’s drummer.

The brothers then met Jasmine Martinez at a Thermals’ concert and discovered a common love for raw rock music. Martinez didn’t need a lot of convincing to join Silver Blueberry as bassist after he heard some of the trio’s songs. His inception into the band completed the quartet’s percussive sound and they were off and running, performing gigs throughout Texas and attracting attention from rock fans and the press. They also got the notice of a number of labels, soon signing with the small Austin label BooBo Records.

silverblueberrycover

The lineup has undergone some changes in the past few months, acquiring a new bassist, Chris Casas, and drummer, Nick Little. It’ll be interesting to see with the new lineup whether the Rinker brothers continue to edge the line between punk and post punk. There is no question that there are also influences of garage, alternative and psychedelic rock; at times, the band’s songs remind us of a hybrid between Dinosaur Jr., Tame Impala, The Beatles and The Clash, like on the irresistible track, “I Land in the Desert.” Interestingly, part of the main guitar riff in the song reminded us automatically of the riff in The Clash’s “Spanish Bombs,” from the epic album, London Calling.

“Walk with Me“ Silver Blueberry from Twin Reverberation

“I Land in the Desert“ – Silver Blueberry from Twin Reverberation

Silver Blueberry has opened for Quilt, Sic Pop, and Little Joe Washington. Some of their biggest musical influences include Black Lips, The Thermals, Tame Impala, Ty Segall, and The Beatles.

Silver Blueberry on Facebook