It’s never too early to fall in love with a band. When the brand new band Cults put out their first release ever – a 7″ record on Forest Family Records – that’s exactly what happened. Ever since their mentioning on websites like Gorilla vs. Bear and Pitchfork, this band has been making some serious waves all throughout the blogosphere. In the beginning, background information on the band was severely inadequate and practically impossible to find anywhere on the web, but that’s not a problem anymore (Now the biggest problem would be when their next release is due out). Cults is a two-piece band fronted by the couple Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin, and they’re both 21. Currently they both study film in New York, and they both originally came from San Diego…which of course in German means a whale’s vagina. Right? Am I right?
The 7″ starts off beautifully, with the already-much-talked-about opening song “Go Outside”, which is simply about going outside and not being a lazy, bedridden scum bag all day. Singer Madeline Follin tells us she knows “What’s good”, because she’s been there before, and I’d have to take her word for it on this one. Whatever it is, it’s got to be better than spending the entire day in bed. Similar to laying in bed, “Go Outside” never quite takes any unexpected turns, and that’s part of the plan. They take a sort of minimalistic approach to the music; never over complicating anything or letting anything get too unorganized – it’s all there all the time. If you haven’t heard these totally blissed-out songs yet, be sure to check them out below. If you’re still interested, follow the link below over to their Bandcamp page, where you can download the entire 7″ completely for FREE! And Happy Mothers Day to the moms of the world!
Go Outside –
Most Wanted –
The Curse –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Pop, Lo-Fi Go Outside 7″: Tracklist
1.) Go Outside
2.) Most Wanted
3.) The Curse
Hailing from the ever-populated Austin, Texas comes the band Pure Ecstasy, led by 27-year-old singer-songwriter Nate Grace. His band makes warm and fuzzy pop songs drowned in seemingly endless layers of reverb, and they’re all instantly catchy and bound to crawl into your head and be stuck there for days. The songs evoke a sense that you’re stuck on a endless beach somewhere, and there is nothing around but you and the hot, hazy, blistering sun. Although you may think the same thing, chances are you’ll come up with you’re own explanation for the music, but either way, get your repeat buttons ready for this band.
Just like every 7″ out there, we know there’s not going to be a whole lot of material to listen to. Most of the time after listening to a 7″, you’re going to want to spin it again because it was so short. That’s exactly what happens with this record, and even after spinning it countless times, it still doesn’t loosen it’s grasp. The record starts off with the poppy song “Easy”, and right at the beginning singer Nate Grace is there to welcome you. It doesn’t take long for you to realize how hazy and drowned out these songs actually are either. The distant hum of the bass guitar seems like it’s buried somewhere miles away, and you’ll notice that the music has an increasingly longing feeling to it. The track “Easy” ends somewhere around the 2 and a half minute mark, and then comes another “mini track”. The last minute of the song is another hazy-buzz jam with some calming guitar licks, and shortly after the song fades out and it’s time for the B-side. Flip that shit.
Now we’re on the B-side. Pretty intuitive right? Yeah, you guys are smart! Just kidding though. The B-side, in my opinion, is the highlight on this 7″. The song is called “Baby”, and it’s 3 and a half minutes of straight up mellowed out dream pop. Undeniably tranquillizing, this song is bound to bring thoughts to your mind like “Relaaaaax” and “Take it easyyyyy”. With that being said, it’s probably a good point to say this is a fantastic song to put on while trying to fall asleep at night. The song is held together by the constant shake of the maracas, all while Nate Grace’s spaced out guitar solos are sure to hypnotize any listener into spinning this gem of a 7″ again and again. Please do yourself a HUGE favor and listen to this band, and then do the band a HUGE favor and buy their records! Thanks for reading, and be sure to listen to the song “Baby” below! If you want to hear the A-side song “Easy”, just go to their Myspace.
Pure Ecstasy on Tumblr
Pure Ecstasy on Myspace
Buy the “Easy” 7″ directly from LIGHT LODGE before it sells out!
Buy their latest 7″ directly from Acéphale Records before that sells out too!
Not too long ago it was announced on the interweb that the band Twin Sister would be touring with Bear in Heaven this summer. It’s really too bad that they’re not going to make it to Philadelphia, because that would kick ass. Unfortunately the closest they’ll be to Philadelphia is when they play in Ohio, and that’s just a bit too far. Oh well. Instead why not just listen to their mesmerizing most recent effort “Color Your Life”, which is due out on May 25th by Infinite Best Recordings?
“Color Your Life” certainly does just as it says. It doesn’t take long for you to realize that either. Right off the bat they’re going for the gold, and if that means we get to listen to more “dream sequence” music like this, then keep it coming! The album starts off on the track “The Other Side of Your Face”, which sort of leaves you on a dreamy, mysterious path right at the beginning of the album. Not long into listening you will notice that the music is drowned in an increasingly atmospheric environment, almost as if you can reach out and grasp the sounds themselves (hence the “dream sequence” comment above). The last minute and a half brings out some entrancing sound effects, and suddenly the song takes a random turn into a land of ridiculously spaced out guitar and an unexpected, almost dancey drum beat. Then it all stops and you’re listening to the next song, “Lady Daydream”, which is probably the most accessible on the album. The twangy guitars that dominate the song do a great job of holding everything together, while the bass guitar does a great job of guiding us through the song. Not only does it act as a guide, but it’s guaranteed to keep your feet tapping along to the beat. Make sure you listen to this one below, you’ll be happy you did.
Next up on the album is “Milk & Honey”. This track starts off slow with the organ until that twangy, metallic sounding lead guitar comes back in to kick off the song. Shortly after the one minute mark the song suddenly takes an unexpected turn in a direction that you probably didn’t see coming at first. The repeating bass line takes charge and pulsates through the rest of the song until it’s suddenly cut short by the intro to the next track, “All Around and Away We Go”. Definitely one of the more accessible songs on the album again right here. Once again, the bass line in this one is sure to keep you moving. Right before the three minute mark everything stops except for some heavenly sound effects, and shortly after the bass line and drums start up again. Now you probably have this unexpected urge to dance, and you’re not really even too sure how it happened. This song sounds like it could have been straight out of the 1980’s.
Next up is the instrumental track “Galaxy Plateau”, but it doesn’t quite serve as an instrumental track – it’s more of a soundscape, or a “dreamscape” if you will. This song sort of came out of nowhere; I wasn’t expecting anything like this, but it’s a hell of an experience. The first minute or so is incredibly creepy, as you can hear a bell ringing far away in the distance. It sounds pretty gruesome, almost as if this were the foreshadowing music to somebody’s death in a movie. This first part really leaves you wondering what direction this song is going to take, but suddenly, right before the two minute mark, it changes directions significantly. You’re greeted by an organ and shimmering, icy sound effects, which almost gives you the feeling that you’re somehow in a wintry atmosphere now. The shimmering sounds you hear remind me of those days when you would trek through the Ice Cavern as adult Link in the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Just listen to the song in this video, you’ll catch my drift. Along with the shimmers you can hear harsh winds, and footsteps trudging through what sounds like snow, with the crunching sound of the snow being mashed up under your feet. It’s almost like you’re in an abandoned snow-town in the dead of winter with nobody else around but the menacing sound of a distant bell calling your name, slowly but surely driving you mad. The way they paint the picture here is bound to leave you speechless, and possibly even begging for more. The last 30 seconds of the song reveals a transition which leads you into the final track of the album, “Phenomenons”. Unlike the previous track, the good vibes really come through on this one. Everything sounds like it’s going to be okay now, almost as if you made it out of that wintry wasteland you were just trapped in. They way the end the album here should leave any listener with high hopes for the next release from Twin Sister. Thanks for reading and check out the mp3’s below.
Lady Daydream –
All Around and Away We Go –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Dream Pop, Experimental, Pop Color Your Life: Tracklist
1.) The Other Side of Your Face
2.) Lady Daydream
3.) Milk & Honey
4.) All Around and Away We Go
5.) Galaxy Plateau
6.) Phenomenons
The Babies are a band from Brooklyn, New York. It’s probably not a surprise that their from Brooklyn either, because what band isn’t these days? The Babies formed somewhat recently, and thus far into their short existence they have released two equally awesome 7″ singles. The first one, “All Things Come to Pass”, was put out on Wild World Records, but it is currently sold out at Wild World. If you’re looking to buy that 7″, you can still get it at Midheaven Mailorder, just follow that link. Probably better to do that sooner than later. Their second 7″, “Meet Me in the City”, came out not long after the first, and you can still grab it for a very fair price from Make a Mess Records. Kevin Morby takes care of the singing on “Meet Me in the City” while Cassie Ramone adopts the backup vocals. For the earlier single they switched positions and Ramone dominated the singing on “All Things Come to Pass”. With that being said, it’s almost like two entirely different bands when switching from one single to the other.
If you’ve read about the Babies elsewhere on the web, then you probably already know the story. Kevin Morby, bassist of the band Woods, plays guitar in the Babies. Cassie Ramone of the Vivian Girls also plays guitar in the band, along with drummer Justin Sullivan who once played in the NYC band Bossy. Last but not least is bassist Nate Stark, who also plays in the band Stupid Party. In other words, you could say these guys are a bunch of hometown hero’s coming together and breeding the latest Brooklyn pop sensation. Hear for yourself and check out the mp3 below. This post is also a great excuse to re-post videos from the Babies/ Titus Andronicus show that recently went down in Philly. Enjoy.
PS – Oh yeah, and Happy Cinqo de Mayo to all! Except that Mike Hunt asshole guy…
Somebody Else –
All Things Come to Pass
Caroline
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Pop, Lo-Fi Meet Me in the City 7″: Tracklist
1.) Meet Me in the City
2.) Somebody Else
Some of you may already be familiar with Long Legged Woman. If so, then you already know the deal. If not, then it may come as a surprise to you that they’re no longer a band anymore.
After three years of playing together, the band finally decided to call it quits. The lifespan of Long Legged Woman yielded many releases, one being this LP I have here today, along with multiple CD-R’s, endless touring, tapes, and some 7″ records. Now although the band called it quits, that doesn’t mean the members involved have given up on music entirely. Instead, they just moved on to other projects. As said on their Myspace by band member Justin, “We’ve decided to not go separate ways but do some different shit. Get my drift? We’re not quitting music, in fact, we’re making more shit now than ever.” He’s not lying either. You can check out his latest band right here on Myspace, and their called CCR Headcleaner. Hooray for extensive touring!
As for the Long Legged Woman outfit, it’s too bad their not going to be playing shows anymore. The heavy guitars that produce a wall of sound and practically dominate every song on the LP can’t quite be experienced the same way now. CCR Headcleaner may be capable of pulling it off, but they just don’t quite hit that mark that Long Legged Woman did. Granted there are only two songs on the CCR Myspace, so there is always room to be proven wrong, but right now I’m still leaning towards LLW.
Listening to songs on their “Nobody Knows This is Nowhere” LP could potentially send you straight to the floor. Tracks like “Vinegar”, “You Found Out”, “Something is Pressing Against it From the Inside”, “When I Was Asleep”, and “Yours is Mine” are sure to leave you speechless, and quite possibly without much of an opinion at all, but by any chance begging for more of the face pounding action. Their relentless approach to the music may scare off a good amount of listeners, but it’s the ones that stick around to hear what’s next that really matter. One highlight from the album that is certainly worth all 7 minutes and 30 seconds of your time is the track “Psych Jam”. I say this now because it’s definitely a song with a “relentless approach”. It’s just nonstop, constantly in-yr-face howling guitars, crashing cymbals, and squealing guitar solos. It’s enough to completely disorient any listener, and just enough to make your head spin in all possible directions. As I read somewhere on the web, “it’s enough to make your brain explode”. Although this does not sound safe, I highly recommend you give it a shot. Listen to Long Legged Woman. I have mp3’s for you below!
Something is Pressing Against it from the Inside –
Vinegar –
My Rating: 7/10 Genre/ Tags: Noise Rock, Psychedelic, Punk Nobody Knows This is Nowhere: Tracklist
1.) Vinegar
2.) You Found Out
3.) Something is Pressing Against it From the Inside
4.) Bath House
5.) Psych Jam
6.) When I Was Asleep
7.) Racoon in a Coon Skin Cap
8.) The Horse Holds it’s Own Reins
9.) Yours is Mine
10.) He Was a Narc but We Loved Him Anyway
11.) I Have a Scheme…
12.) But There’s Something Going On
So we have been covering a lot from Italy’s own Vermillion Sands over the past few months. It all started with the Mary 7″ that totally caught me off guard, and ever since then we’ve been following the Vermillion Sands and whatever they put out next. As of lately, the Vermillion Sands released their first full length, and almost at the same time they put out yet another 7″ record. This most recent 7″ was put out by Hell, Yes! Records, located in Venezia, Italy.
The 7″ features two brand new, never before heard songs from our friends the Vermillion Sands. On the A-side we have the song “Something Wrong”, that has quite a familiar sound to it. There is that galloping bass line that comes out in many of the Vermillion Sands songs, as well as Anna Barattin nasally singing voice. Many times throughout the song we’re face to face with a squealing guitar riff and the quick roll of the snare drum. Within the last minute of the song the lead guitar joins the rest of the gang, playing a rusty guitar hook along with the squeal of the guitarist who is credited as “Krano”.
Flipping over to the B-side, things change pretty quickly. The A-side was faster, more upbeat, and almost at a walking pace. On the B-side they slow things down a bit, almost as if they’re playing outside on an extremely humid summer day. The song is dominated by slow, lazy sounding lead guitars that are sliding up and down all over the place. Once you reach the middle of the song (and at the end) there is a jangly, ear piercing guitar noise that’s not entirely obvious on how it’s being played. Definitely a mysterious sound there. It works wonders for the song, because as a whole it’s in sort of a dazed state. The fade-out at the end also adds a nice touch, because the song never quite reaches a conclusion, which adds to that mysterious vibe throughout the track. Check out the mp3’s below! Thanks for reading once again!
Something Wrong –
Mother of Earth –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Folk Rock, Italian Something Wrong 7″: Tracklist
1.) Something Wrong
2.) Mother of Earth
Believe it or not, (The Sounds of) Kaleidoscope may have been around for longer than you once thought. The band originally formed in Washington D.C. back in the winter of 2000, when they put out some of their earlier releases, like their first few EPs. The band remained in Washington D.C. until the summer of 2007 when they decided to move to Philadelphia, which from here on out they considered Philadelphia to be their home. As of currently the band still resides in Philadelphia, and they’re most recent release was put out in 2008 on Turnstile Records, and it’s called “All This Heaven”. As far as I know, this is the most recent release from the band.
The album starts off with quite a racket. The first track “Which Witch is Which” begins on a terrifying note, with the song being nothing more than some screeching and scratching. This is bound to leave any listener questioning what they are about to get themselves into. Things don’t stay this way for very long though, and that’s probably a good thing. The following track “Get the Joke” kicks off with a much more inviting sound, and shortly into it you’re probably thinking “Why the hell wasn’t this the opening track?” Right around the 2 and a half minute mark, the song begins to build up into much more, with the lead guitar bringing us along for the ride and moving the song forward.
The next track “Lines” is certainly a highlight from the album. The song starts off with just some guitar, but slowly picks up one instrument at a time. First the fuzzy bass guitar slides on in, which is then followed by the splash of a few cymbals. Then the drummer gives us a steady beat, and this is when the song begins to take form. Right after the 2 minute mark the lead guitar and vocals come in, and that’s when the song continues to grow. A lot of the music on this record builds up in the same fashion, almost producing a soundscape in which you can immerse yourself in. The next track is “The Complete Lights”, and this one kicks off much differently than the prior tracks. They don’t waste any time starting this one, and about halfway through you’re met with a huge, thunderous guitar solo that sounds as if the god’s up in the sky have become angered. The tom-toms and the rhythm guitar help give the solo that destructive feeling before the track closes out with some familiar drum rolls. Moving onto the next track “The Story About the Knives”, this one starts off a bit slower and laid back. The guitars that introduce almost hint at something bigger and better to come, all over top of that groovy bass line. Sure enough, right around the 4 minute mark, the song changes pace and you’re once again immersed in the middle of another “Kaleidoscope” soundscape. Be sure to listen to this song below.
Skipping ahead to the track “Dead Room”, this just happens to be the longest track on the album, clocking in at over 7 minutes. Perhaps they call this one dead room because of the 3 and half minute intro. For 3 minutes it just sounds like all the members were told to screw around with their instruments, and this intro was the result. Complete with screeching door sound effects, this is definitely what it would sound like to be in a “Dead Room”, but remember, this is just the intro. Right at the 3 and half minute mark the song kicks off, and almost immediately the bass line comes in. This is when the song becomes dangerously catchy, and the bass line is sure to keep your foot tapping. The ghastly lead guitars do a nice job of guiding you through the track yet again, right into the vocals of lead singer Damien C. Taylor. Along with “Lines”, “The Complete Lights”, “The Story About the Knives”, and “This is False Telegraph”, this song fits right into the highlight category for this album. Be sure to listen to the mp3’s below.
Dead Room –
The Story About the Knives –
This is False Telegraph –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Post-Rock, Psychedelic, Shoegaze All This Heaven: Tracklist
1.) Which Witch is Which
2.) Get the Joke
3.) Lines
4.) The Complete Lights
5.) The Story About the Knives
6.) 13 Days
7.) Cicada Song
8.) Dead Room
9.) Learn To Forget
10.) Asa Nisi Masa
11.) This Is False Telegraph
12.) You Know Who
(The Sounds of) Kaleidoscope on Myspace
Listen to the album in its entirety right here > Apollo Audio
Hey all, how’s it going? So today was kind of an unusual day in terms of going to concerts. But just because it was unusual doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good time! I say it was unusual because the show started at noon, and that’s definitely not the time I’m used to going to shows. But the good news is that because this show was at noon, I had a great excuse to skip one of my final classes of my sophomore year. I certainly wasn’t about to miss the Hold Steady perform live because of a lame statistics class. I don’t think anybody in the right mind would! The even greater news is that I was able to get into the show and shoot a few videos of the Hold Steady, who were visiting WXPN to play a show for their “Free at Noon” concert series. The Hold Steady? For free? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
The Weekenders – The Hold Steady’s latest album is about to drop on May 4th from Vagrant, so you can probably guess that the show was dominated by brand new songs from the forthcoming album. This song is called “The Weekenders”, and it’s the third track from “Heaven is Whenever”. They played the song “The Sweet Part of the City” before this, so this was their second song of the show.
Hurricane J – This was the first of any songs to appear on the blogosphere from their latest album, and it was the third song of their setlist. This song originally premiered on Pitchfork back on March 22nd, and since then the Hold Steady have toured all over the east coast. Luckily for us in Philly they finally decided to drop by on the 30th! They’ve had a break from touring since their last show in Harrisburg, PA on April 16th.
Barely Breathing – Now I haven’t really given the new album “Heaven is Whenever” an in-depth listen just yet, but this song sounds like it could easily be one of the highlights. It has a shady feel to it, mainly due to that intimidating guitar riff that opens up the song. And just look at how much fun Craig Finn has on stage! His arms are constantly sprawled out all over the place, using his hands and whatever else to kind of “narrate” the story. At this point Finn has nothing else on his mind but to have a damn good time, and I think it’s pretty obvious.
Rock Problems – This was another one of the earlier songs to be unveiled from “Heaven is Whenever”. While Finn sings about all the possible problems involved with a rock and roll lifestyle (drugs, girls, etc.), guitarist Tab Kubler totally melts our faces off with an (almost) flawless guitar solo.
Our Whole Lives – This song features some great guitar work by the one and only Tad Kubler once again. He makes the guitar squeal quite well in this one, and yet, he makes it look so damn easy! Why can’t I do that? This song reminds me of the good old days when Franz Nicolay was still around. If you listen to this song from the album, the intro screams early Hold Steady…or “old Steady”.
We Can Get Together – Before leaving the stage to come back for an encore, the Hold Steady play the slower, more laid back song “We Can Get Together”, which, according to Mr. Finn, is about getting together with a girl and just listening to music. Check out the ridiculous solo a bit after the 3 minute mark by Tad Kubler again. This guy seriously knows how to shred. Wow.
Southtown Girls – Well, here it is. The moment everybody was waiting for. After they left the stage they came back for a short but good spirited encore, in which they played two old songs. Yes! These are the songs everybody came out to hear! They started the encore with “Southtown Girls”, the closing track to their legendary 2006 album “Boys and Girls in America”. Do I even need to comment on the guitar playing in this one?
Your Little Hoodrat Friend – Awwwww the Hold Steady!! It’s songs like these that everybody loves you so much! This song was truly a surprise, as I definitely didn’t think we’d hear anything from “Separation Sunday”. They draw this one out for quite awhile with some spacey guitar effects – and my arm was really starting to hurt by this point from holding the camera up for so long.
Well, that brings us to the end of the show. They left the stage shortly after the song to go do an interview for the WXPN Radio Station. I hope this post was a surprise for you guys, because I never listed it in the ‘shows’ section. So thanks for viewing, listen to this mp3 of “Barely Breathing” below, and be sure to check back very soon!
Styrofoam Drone 