The Band in Heaven – Demos

The Band is Heaven is a two piece band hailing from the beautiful West Palm Beach, Florida. On their Myspace they already have two incredibly accurate descriptions of their music, making this very difficult for me to do myself. I feel like any way I go about this is going to look like a cookie-cutter description of the band, and to be honest, I’m at a loss for words today. All I can think about is the Flyers game tonight. But when I downloaded the Demo file from the Band in Heavens Bandcamp page the other day, I immediately opened it up, and for whatever reason the first song I chose to play was “High Low”. This was a wonderful unintentional decision on my part.

“High Low” is a beautiful, murky mess of a dream pop song, dominated by fuzzy bass lines and gorgeous background organs. They put the extra icing on the cake right before the two minute mark as the guitar solo works it’s way into the mix. By that point you’ve probably already made the decision that you’re going to play this song again, because if you were ever desperately searching for a specific sound when it comes to gritty dream pop/shoegaze music, this is it right here. The moody, spaced out vocals drip through the song, and they’re enough to sing you to sleep while the guitars, drums, and bass twang, buzz, and crash their way right on through in this picture-perfect pop song. Ladies and gentlemen, this is textbook shoegaze right here. You can download it entirely for free at their Bandcamp page, too! Included in the file is a fantastic cover of the Cranberries song “Dreams”, along with a few other “rough” demos that when polished up should be just as buzzworthy as the song “High Low”. The demo track “A Tunnel into Your Dreams” has that extra layer of haze, along with more wonderful background organ that’s bound to bring you back for a second and third helping of The Band in Heaven. People, this is your chance to know about this band before everybody else does, because it’s bound to happen sooner or later. So please enjoy it!

High Low –

A Tunnel into Your Dreams –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/Tags: Dream Pop, Shoegaze, Pop
Demos: Tracklist
1.) Dreams (Cranberries cover)
2.) A Tunnel into Your Dreams (demo)
3.) Summer Bummer (rough)
4.) High Low
5.) Coal

the Band in Heaven on Myspace
the Band in Heaven on Bandcamp – You can download all the demos here.

Free Energy Live in Philadelphia (5/28/10)

Who?: Free Energy w/ Jukebox the Ghost and Miniature Tigers
Where?: First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
When?: May 28th, 2010

Last night, Philadelphia was the place to be. Free Energy made their Philadelphia debut, and it was quite magical. The show took place at the First Unitarian Church off of Chestnut Street, and three different bands played. Miniature Tigers were up first, although I didn’t make it in time to capture any of their set. Next up were Jukebox the Ghost, who were a bit too poppy and quirky for my liking. At this point during the show a bunch of young girls were all cheering and carrying on like crazy, so that was a bit unbearable. Fortunately, that seemed to die down a bit by the time Free Energy took the stage. Not a moment too soon either, because myself and some people around me were just short of losing our minds. So most of that cleared out, and then Free Energy took the stage. At the beginning of their set, lead man Paul Sprangers said it was their Philadelphia debut. Philadelphia is their current hometown, so you might guess that the show got pretty packed, and it did to everybody’s surprise; even Free Energy. Sprangers kept making comments on stage like “This is for real. This is happening,” before they would start playing a song. Just watch the “Something in Common” video to see what I’m talking about.

Free Energy – Free Energy started off the night quite appropriately with their opening track from “Stuck on Nothing”. This song basically encapsulates Free Energy as a band; it’s sprawling, relentless, and just plain awesome. Please watch.

All I Know – Listen to that opening guitar. That immediately signals a good time to everybody in the audience. This is a great song right here, and the guitarist to the right does a hell of a job melting our faces off, but that goes for the entire show, not just this song. He totally nails the solo towards the end of the song.

Something in Common – Next up, Free Energy played the B-side to their only 7″ record. Listen to Sprangers before the song gets started. Him and Free Energy were totally caught off guard by the turnout last night. I think everybody and myself would say that they totally deserve the turnout, too.

New Song! – Is this song called “Come On?” Does anybody know? I thought I saw “Come On” written on the setlist, but I’m really not sure of the name. Either way, this was exciting that they were playing a new song for us. Definitely didn’t see that coming. If anybody knows the name of it, feel free to leave a comment or send an e-mail or something! Thanks!

Bad Stuff – Next up they played the epic middle track from “Stuck on Nothing”. Sprangers once again thanks the crowd for the amazing turn out and goes on to say that it totally blows his mind. I can totally see why. If there are any Free Energy songs bound to melt the skin right off your face, this is the one. The huge breakdown at the end features an immense guitar solo…that guy really knows how to play guitar.

Bang Pop – I was pretty sure this song was guaranteed last night, and sure enough, it was the final song of their encore. People screaming like crazy, people asking people out to proms; that’s how a Free Energy show goes I guess. These guys are having a ball up on stage together, just watch. Very similar to their brand new video for the song minus the school and all that other fun stuff. Listen to Sprangers once again at the end, “Seriously, thank you so much, this is fucking wild.” Their still trying to cope with the turnout by the end of the show.

Unfortunately, that’s all the video I have from the show. Now I wish I had taken more. Oh well, all good things come to an end at some point, right? That goes for me right now, because I have to go to work…gotta make that paper son. Alright well, thanks for coming by once again, please enjoy the Free Energy videos, and check out the Free Energy song I left for you below.

Free Energy –

Miniature Tigers on Myspace
Jukebox the Ghost on Myspace
Free Energy on Myspace
Free Energy’s Official Website
“Stuck on Nothing” review previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone
Watch all the videos again on our YouTube page! Why not subscribe while you’re there?!

Girls in the Eighties – Teenage Royalty

Hey. Last night I came across this album, although I wish I had a lot sooner. The name of the band is Girls in the Eighties, and they hail from Nashville, Tennessee. Their first official release, “Teenage Royalty”, was put out in Feburary, 2010, and it was recorded in late 2008 in Nashville at a place called the Red Room. It features Chase on guitar, bass, vocals and other stuff, Matt plays the keyboards, and Josh plays the drums. While I don’t know a damn thing about Nashville or the Red Room, I can tell you about Girls in the Eighties.

The first thing I learned is that they have a lot of technical difficulties when trying to release new stuff, but that’s besides the point. Girls in the Eighties play noisy punk rock gems infused with a tinge of electronic elements/sounds that’s balanced almost too perfectly. It’s neither entirely electronic, and neither is it entirely noisy punk rock – it falls somewhere right in the middle. At times when listening to Chase’s vocals, I can’t help but think of the Smith Westerns, but that doesn’t go for every aspect of the music, just the vocals really. While you may not agree with that statement, one thing that is certainly true is that yesterdays really don’t mean shit. Woo! Such a triumphant listen! Nothing else matters when you listen to this song! You can listen to the first four tracks from the album below, so why not give it a shot? “Teenage Royalty” is an enjoyable listen from end to start, and it won’t hurt one bit, I promise!

Vacation –

Yesterdays Don’t Mean Shit –

Teenage Royalty –

Too Cool for This Crowd –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Noise Rock, Pop, Punk, Shoegaze
Teenage Royalty: Tracklist
1.) Vacation
2.) Yesterdays Don’t Mean Shit
3.) Teenage Royalty
4.) Too Cool for This Crowd
5.) Burn Your Riches
6.) Slow Motion
7.) Glory Fades
8.) The Duke Boys Anthem
9.) The Seconds After an Explosion
10.) No More Last Goodbyes
11.) Youth Experiment
12.) Future Years
13.) Strange Lights

Girls in the Eighties on Myspace!
BUY a copy of the “Teenage Royalty” CD right here!
Download “Teenage Royalty” right here! (This link was on their Myspace blog)

Pure Ecstasy – Voices 7″

Just the other day I got a brand new 7″ record in the mail from Acéphale Records, which I believe it based out of somewhere in New York. The 7″ features just under 8 minutes of brand new material from the hazed out beach rockers in Pure Ecstasy. Pure Ecstasy hail from Austin, Texas, and their music always finds a way to crawl under your skin. Going by their last 7″ we covered, they didn’t change too much for this 7″, but that’s totally okay with me. As far as I’m concerned, we haven’t gotten enough material from this band yet, which is why it’s 100% okay that they keep putting out these quick little 7″ gems. On their Myspace it says “LP coming soon”, so hopefully they won’t keep us waiting too long for that. Until then, maybe we can continue to see new singles released here and there.

This new 7″ features two brand new songs – one on the A-side and one on the B-side. The A-side is a track called “Voices”, and Nate Grace is there right away to greet us with “I know, I know, I know.” At times in these Pure Ecstasy songs, instead of an intense guitar solo, it seems like the guitar is being used to create a sort of texture before anything else. A bit past the 1 minute mark of this song and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Instead of coming off as a solo, it comes off more as a hazy wall of sound that gives the song a bit more depth. Flipping over to the B-side now, this track is called “Alexandria”. Right away you’re face to face with a ground shaking bass line, and it continues on this way for the entire song. It’s songs like these that are responsible for being stuck in your head for days at a time. Graces guitar is once again swirling away in the mix, creating textures and evoking hot summer days. Grace howls away towards the middle, giving this track that sense of longing that can be heard in most of these Pure Ecstasy songs.

While the music on this single is one thing, the vinyl itself is a completely different story. Acéphale puts the utmost care into their vinyl, and it shows with this release. The single is limited to 500 copies with no repress; the first 150 come pressed on a swirled maroon/beige vinyl with the remainder being maroon/black; and to top it all off they give the record sleeve a matté finish, which certainly gives it professional look and feel. Just take a look at this picture.
Be sure to listen to “Alexandria” below, and you can listen to the A-side “Voices” over on the Pure Ecstasy Myspace. Enjoy!

Alexandria –

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Dream Pop, Lo-Fi, Psychedelic
Voices 7″: Tracklist
1.) Voices
2.) Alexandria

You can buy it at insound!
Easy 7″ previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone
Pure Ecstasy on Myspace
Pure Ecstasy on Tumblr

Islet – Celebrate This Place

The world islet refers to a very small island with minimal vegetation and no wildlife. The band Islet is certainly none of these things, being as far away from the word small as you could possibly imagine. Their sound is huge, and it challenges you with something new around every corner, but the only problem is there isn’t much you can say to actually describe Islet’s sound. Many of the Islet descriptions around the web all seem to go to a similar place, saying things like “Islet shuns the web” and “They don’t even have a Myspace” and that “They evade all description possible”. While all of these things may or may not be true, it doesn’t necessarily seem to be hurting Islet much at all. Islet hails from Cardiff in the UK, and chances are their music is going to catch you so off guard you won’t know what the hell hit you.

The six track “mini-album” clocks in at just under a half-hour long, and it’s bursting with energy from end to end. The opening track “We Shall Visit” starts off sounding like you’re in the middle of a jungle somewhere participating in a ritualistic ceremony, being huddled around the fire while summoning the gods above you. In other words, it sounds like the music you would hear in a tribal gathering. The use of the tom toms and the click-clack of the rim hits work wonders for that primitive sound, not to mention all the subtle little chants and yelps you can hear in the background. There are even some crazy whistling sound effects that bring the song to an end. Immediately you’re throw into the next track, the ground shaking “Iris”. I don’t know the names of the members in this band, but there is a girl in this band, and she sings in this track. The only reason I know that is because of the pictures I’ve seen. This track features some noisy guitar work, and strangely enough, they actually manage to work a sort of “solo” into the madness. I’m not sure if that’s what you’d want to call it, but the bass and guitar go at it together and bring the noise full force, all on top of the relentless crash of the cymbal. Apparently they have two drum sets going at the same time in this band, which when watching live must blow any listener away. With that being said, this band better make a trip across the pond very soon to play their “tribe-rock” for us.

The following track “One of These Worlds” is dominated by a pulsating bass line throughout, and it all transforms into this huge, otherworldly jam session at the end, as everybody in the band would probably be going ape-shit on their instruments at this point in the song. The next track “Jasmine” could arguably be one of the more accessible songs on the album. They challenge you to get up out of your seat on this one and dance along to the beat. The singers howl over the mix like a frantic wolf in heat, as they never quite sing in this one. It’s mostly just howls and yelps. Towards the end the tom-toms get a nice beating, making that primal element of their sound come through once again. The next track “Holly” is definitely an intense one, but then again, they all are. A short bit past the halfway mark and you’ll hear some quick tom-toms rolls filled in with the rim shots again. Then the lead singer starts singing “Holly’s in your head, head, Holly’s in your mind,” all why the drumming goes seemingly perfect over the vocals. This is sure to keep you head swaying along with the beat. Be sure to listen to this one below. Last but not least would be the final track “Rowan”, in which they actually take a step back on the madness. This one is a bit more laid back and easy going as they finally give you a chance to catch your breath. That’s all for today, but be sure to listen to the songs below. They’re all great in their own way, so definitely check each one out.

Iris –

One of These Worlds –

Jasmine –

Holly –

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Experimental, Experimental Rock, Tribe Rock
Celebrate This Place: Tracklist
1.) We Shall Visit
2.) Iris
3.) One of These Worlds
4.) Jasmine
5.) Holly
6.) Rowan

Islet – Official Website!
An Islet Fansite – This is Islet
BUY “Celebrate This Place” directly from Shape Records
Turnstile Music Website

Friendo – Cold Toads

Friendo is a 3-piece band who hail from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. If you already know about Friendo, chances are it’s because Michael Wallace, drummer of the band Women, plays guitar and takes singer/songwriter duties in Friendo. This is his first time ever coming out from behind the drum set to take the necessary duties to be the frontman. He is backed up by band mates Nicole – who I am assuming takes the bass guitar – and then Henry, who holds down the drumming. It also happens to be Henry’s first time playing behind the drum set in any band, so most of these guys seem to be going into uncharted territory when it comes to making music. After listening to the record, you probably never would have guessed these kinds of things either.

They used whatever recording equipment they could find around the house for the recording process of this oddly named “Cold Toads” record, such as tape decks, four-tracks, and just about anything else you can imagine. The result? This wonderful new record that comes from the St. Ives imprint – a division of Secretly Canadian – in which each record goes through a very specific process, just read their Manifesto. With that being said, it’s absolutely appropriate that “Cold Toads” was released by St. Ives.

As for the music, “Their songs range anywhere from breezy, effortless jams, to pulse-pounding post-punk outbursts. The multi-instrumentalist members love to mix harmony with noise, creating their own seasonal landscape,” said in the artist description on their Last.fm page. One perfect example of Friendo mixing harmony with noise would be on the gem “Oversees” or the closer “Young Fellows”, while the song “Callers” definitely fits into the “breezy, effortless jams” category – although they’re not effortless in the literal meaning of the word. The track “New Sibley” is arguably a “pulse-pounding post-punk outburst”, so whoever wrote that short description did a hell of a job. Do yourself a favor and check out the songs below, because I think you’re going to like them.

My Rating: 8/10
Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Post-Punk, Noise Rock
Cold Toads: Tracklist
1.) Counter/Time
2.) Liner
3.) Callers
4.) Oversees
5.) Hailey Omen
6.) New Sibley
7.) Young Fellows

Friendo on Myspace
St. Ives Official Website
St. Ives Mailorder
Secretly Canadian Mailorder
BUY “Cold Toads” on cassette tape directly from Bart Records

Florida – Icarus 7″

Not long ago we covered the latest Haunted House 7″ from the band Florida. Now were going to take a closer look at their debut 7″ entitled “Icarus”, which was put out by the one and only SHDWPLY Records. Although the record is now sold out, you can still find it if you search hard enough, like right here. It’s pretty cool – the 7″ comes with a pair of 3D glasses unlike any other record I’ve ever bought. So if you’re wondering if you should buy that, 3D glasses are a pretty good incentive.

Like the previous 7″, this one has just two tracks, one on each side, and they’re just about as creepy and shiny as the last batch of Florida songs. Creepy mostly fits in with the opening track “Icarus” as lead singer Daniel Rineer’s voice is towering over everything as he sings “You can fly but you’ll put out an eye or two before you come down.” About halfway through the track they change things up a bit and Rineer can be heard howling into the mix. Flipping over to the b-side “Once Yr In It”, this track is glistening with a chiming sound effect in the background for just about the entire length of the song. Rineer’s voice sails smoothly over the mix as things build up more and more in the song until about the final minute and a half. Suddenly the guitar solo comes through almost simultaneously with the roll of the drums. They draw out this sweet jam session for a short bit until the song comes to an end. That’s all for this 7″, but you can check out more music from Florida right over on their Myspace.

Icarus –

Once Yr In It –

My Rating: 7/10
Genre/ Tags: Psychedelic, Lo-Fi
Icarus 7″: Tracklist
1.) Icarus
2.) Once Yr In It

Florida on Myspace
BUY the Haunted House 7″ and a bunch of other gems from SHDWPLY Records
BUY the Icarus 7″ directly from Goner-Records.com

Twin Sister w/ Reading Rainbow, Sharon van Etten Live in Philadelphia (5/22/10)

Who?: Twin Sister, Sharon van Etten, and Reading Rainbow
Where?: AKA Music, Philadelphia, PA
When?: May 22nd, 2010 at 5pm

Yesterday was a great day to be in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Flyers won yet again to take a commanding lead over the Montreal Canadiens, making their series 3-1. Not only did the Flyers play, but a very special event hosted by the Weathervane Music Organization took place at AKA Music on 2nd Street. A handful of great bands played, such as Philadelphia’s own Reading Rainbow, Long Island dream poppers Twin Sister, and last but not least, solo artist Sharon van Etten.

Up first was the boy-girl duo of Reading Rainbow, and they played for a good chunk of time. Robbie plays the guitar and Sarah plays the drums. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not too sure about this band. She plays a simple drum beat, he plays some guitar chords. They both keep it going without much of a twist until the song ends. There’s really not much going on at all. They certainly have the heart and soul when they’re up on stage (as you can see by the video), but as for the music, I think they need to spice things up a bit. They were wondering why people weren’t moshing. Was that a joke?

Reading Rainbow – Well, here it is. Constant snare drum pounding action. I don’t know if they’re going for a minimal approach to the music or anything, but this stuff is boring. I’d be lying if I said I was entertained at this point of the show. I don’t know the name of these Reading Rainbow songs, so if anybody can help me out with that, that would be great.

Reading Rainbow – Here’s another! This time she hits the cymbal! Robbie shreds away on the guitar! Watch!

Twin Sister – All Around and Away We Go – Okay, here we go. This is why I went to the show that day. This is the 4th track from their most recent effort, Color Your Life, and it’s quite a funky one. It almost sounds like it could be the Bee Gees or something.

Twin Sister – Lady Daydream – Another song from their most recent release. Listen to that guitar twang! It’s almost a creepy sound.

Twin Sister – Saturday Sunday – This song doesn’t come off any of their releases, but it’s quite a good one. You can download it from their website if you like what you hear.

Twin Sister – I Want a House – This song is the last track from their first EP, “Vampires with Dreaming Kids”. This song builds up into quite a heavenly ending, with the hit from the keyboard and the shake of Estella’s tambourine. These guys all play their instruments so carefully.

Twin Sister – The Other Side of Your Face – This is the opening track from their latest effort “Color Your Life“. Aside from the version on the record, they draw this one out to be quite long. They start off by building the song up for about the first 4 minutes, and then continue to put us through a dream land of sounds and textures. The final minutes are phenomenal as they all just rock out without another care in the world. Fantastic!

Twin Sister – This was their last song of the set, and I don’t exactly know the name of it. It somebody wants to help that would be great. Guitarist Eric Cardona helps with vocal efforts on this one as they speed things up and then slow them down.

Sharon van Etten – I Wish I Knew – This was the first song of her set, and it was the only song I could stick around for. This woman has a beautiful voice! I want her to sing me to sleep. ~~If anybody knows the name of this song, please share it!~~

Twin Sister – Phenomenons

That marks the last video I have from the show, but there are still a couple more I didn’t put up here that you can find on my YouTube Channel. Why not subscribe while you’re over there? It won’t hurt, I promise. This way you’ll know whenever we have more videos up here on the Styrofoam Drone. Either way, whatever you end up doing, thanks for coming by, and as always check back again for some more tomorrow!

Reading Rainbow on Myspace
Twin Sister on Myspace
Twin Sister – Official Website
“Color Your Life” review previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone
Sharon van Etten on Myspace
Sharon van Etten – Official Website
Weathervane Music Organization!
More videos from the show here

Moonbeams – In Transit EP

Going by the Moonbeams Myspace page, the main member of this band would be Ryan Lescure, considering he is the only band member listed as “always”. Of course these songs can’t be played live by Lescure alone, so he has some friends to come in a fill the open spots. Moonbeams play music drowned in an increasingly atmospheric environment, with guitars swirling above your head and buzzing basslines that hum through the music, almost as if it’s got to puncture a thick layer of haze before it actually reaches your ears. At this point in time, Moonbeams have put out two EPs, and we’re covering the later of the two. The In Transit EP was released on CD by Hop Skip Jump Records, and it’s a 5 track EP clocking in at just over 18 minutes long. These 5 songs were recorded in the Spring of 2010, and it didn’t take long for them to see a proper release.

The Hop Jump Skip Records description of the album reads like this: “Inspired more by C86 indie pop and jangly, chorus-laden guitars, In Transit is meant to be viewed as a bridge between the Moonbeams debut and their first LP, the Daisy Chain, to be released in the future on Hop Skip Jump Records.” With that being said, I guess “In Transit” was an absolutely perfect name for this EP. Everything they say here is true, although one song doesn’t quite fit into that description. The second track “I Am Forgotten” is certainly heavier than anything else on this EP, and they addressed that on the HSJ page as well. The song starts off with a thunderously distorted guitar, and it’s quite a haunting track. The constant hit of the ride cymbal holds everything together while Lescures vocals are enough to “sing” you to sleep. At times he sounds very bland, and not much like he’s singing at all, maybe more like talking. If you want a different flavor of Moonbeams song, then check out the blissful “Adorable” below. Still not enough? Head on over to the Moonbeams Myspace to check out a few more.

I Am Forgotten –

Adorable –

My Rating: 6/10
Genre/ Tags: Shoegaze, Dream Pop, Pop
In Transit EP: Tracklist
1.) Elise
2.) I Am Forgotten
3.) Adorable
4.) Portland
5.) Tulip

Moonbeams on Myspace
Moonbeams on Facebook
BUY the In Transit EP directly from Hop Skip Jump Records

You Can Be a Wesley – Heard Like Us

Alright, so I’m pretty sure I know what you’re thinking right now. You Can Be a Wesley?? Yes actually, You Can Be a Wesley. That is the name of this band. And you better get used to it, because chances are You Can Be a Wesley are going finagle their way into your brain, and once that happens, it’s going to be too late. The damage has already been done.

You Can Be a Wesley hail from the wonderful city of Boston, and the band is made up of 4 members. Saara Untracht-Oakner takes vocal duties, and she is certainly a force to be reckoned with in this band. Her voice is that of a goddess – so clear and it stands out so well in the recordings that you may not even believe your ears at first listen. She is backed up by her immensely talented band mates – Winston, Nick and Dan – who all create Earth-shattering songs dominated by epic guitar licks and relentless, crashing drums. You Can Be a Wesley totally caught me off guard (I bought their LP on a whim, it was affordable I had no idea what I was getting into), and I hope they do the same for you.

“Heard Like Us” is a little over a half hour long, and it’s equally powerful and ambitious at the same time. The album kicks off on the instrumental track “6/8 Tengo”. Although it’s instrumental and you’re not getting the full YCBAW treatment just yet, this track still sets the tone for the rest of the album. It kind of hints at what’s in store for you later into the album, and they do a pretty good job with it. There’s a mysterious feeling mixed in somewhere in there between the ground-shaking bass lines. Next up would be the song “Stuck in a Battle”, and this is when full-throttle YCBAW begins.

The song starts off with a quick burst of happiness as everybody yells “Hey hey!” and there’s no looking back from there. You’re going to be a YCBAW fan shortly after. At least I think so. Saara’s voice hangs over our heads as she howls through the song, on top of hi-hat rolls and nasty guitar licks. For the last 30 seconds of the song it’s them straight up rocking out before the song comes to a close. Coming up next is the track “Kiddie Pool”, which they start out with a laid back intro as Saara continues to grace us with her wonderful voice. They kick it up right around the 1 minute mark as Saara sings “I remember it all”. This is one of the songs on the record that gives this band a sort of folk tinge, mainly due to the guitars. A bit past the midway mark and Saara is singing “Kiddie pool with a popsicle”, evoking summery childhood feelings of when you used to hang out in your backyard with your cousins without a single worry or care in the world. They continue on as Saara sings “And it stuck in my head”, possibly referring to one of her earlier childhood memories that she could never quite shake off, good or bad memories alike.

Skipping ahead to the song “Creatures”. The rhythm section kicks off this song, and shortly after they’re joined by the rest of the band. Saara then lets us know that she’s “been dreaming about creatures, coming from dunes on foggy beaches.” She claims that she’s trying to avoid them, but they just keep creeping on back. The song continues on like this for awhile until they change it up right around the 3 minute mark and they begin to pick up some momentum. They ride this momentum out until it can’t be contained anymore as Saara shrieks and the guitars and everything else comes at us full-throttle. Once that’s over they let us catch our breath again and take a step back on the intensity as the song comes to an end. Next up would be the folky goodness of the track “Make Up Your God”, which Saara urges us to do time and time again throughout the song. Her voice sways back and forth during the song – almost as if it’s riding a wave – and it’s enough to make you want to share this band with the world, hence why I’m writing this post. There are still two more songs on the album, but I’m running out of time. Be sure to listen to the songs I have for you below, this way you can decide if you feel the same way about You Can Be a Wesley. One thing we still don’t know – even after listening to the album countless times – is who the hell is Wesley? I guess that’s up for interpretation? Either way, fabulous stuff right here. Check it out below.

My Rating: 9/10
Genre/ Tags: Pop, Folk Rock, Indie Rock
Heard Like Us: Tracklist
1.) 6/8 Tengo
2.) Stuck in a Battle
3.) Kiddie Pool
4.) Wildlife
5.) Creatures
6.) Make Up Your God
7.) Fourth Walls
8.) Rearrange the Sea

You Can Be a Wesley – Official Website!
You Can Be a Wesley on Myspace
Download the album here!