Mysterious, ethereal and eerie, Keep Shelly In Athens create an all-encompassing sound in the whispery tune “Running Out Of You”. Filled with enormous dreamy synths, the song is dream pop for nearly two thirds of its four and a half minutes. The final third adds a heavier beat, turntable scratching, and an 80s hip hop sample in which a guy says Break It Down.

It’s a bit hard to comprehend these elements working together without actually hearing “Running Out Of You”. The uncanny, otherworldly dream pop that dominates the early moments, the dark Saint Etienne-like vocals sung softly, the inclusion of theremin, and the subsequent abrupt morphing into an 80s synth pop meets early hip hop track. But it all, quite astonishingly, fits together quite well.

Download: “Running Out Of You” by Keep Shelly In Athens

Easter Island is brothers Ethan and Asher Payne, who, along with drummer John Cable and bassist Andrew Terrell, create smooth, dreamy progressive pop in the vein of Stars or even Wye Oak. Better Things is filled with surreal pop songs, opening with the near shoegaze “Proud”. While the EP doesn’t embark completely into that space, it does flirt with it frequently.

“Better Things” diverts into more of a 90s style indie rock sound full with echoing guitars. But it’s always on the dreamy side. Tumultuous chord progressions meet pleasantly harmonic vocals; most songs on Better Things fit this so-called evolution. The music moves through space and time, from its 90s roots to modern, and slightly chaotic, ringing noise.

While it never breaks the noise barrier to be outlandish or abrasive, Easter Island puts forth a viable effort to damage your eardrums one moment only to pull back on songs like “Into Bedroom”, a stripped-down piano-and-vocals track hinting of Ben Folds.

Better Things is about as diverse as it comes, and in every iteration it succeeds in capturing the attention. Hopefully we won’t have to wait long for their follow-up!

Download: “Proud” by Easter Island

[CDEP, 2011]

1. Proud
2. Better Things
3. Kinkadia
4. Into Bedrooms
5. Second Handers

In the past, The Modern Skirts have proved themselves to be one of the finest piano-laced indie pop groups in the western hemisphere. But, to be so damn good really seems to come with a price. The dreaded pigeon-holing effect becomes a factor. And any real artist, or avid listener, knows that this could very well mean the death of wonderful musical acts. The Skirts blasted out of nowhere in 2005 with an album that everyone couldn’t stop loving. In 2008, they stepped their game up once again with one of the finest indie pop albums of last decade. They even managed to get one of their most popular tracks on the video game Rockband 2. So, is all this well earned respect a bad thing? One entire sitting with their latest album, Grammahawk, might very well proved the answer really is – Yes. And No!

Grammahawk, much like the Happy 81 EP these Athens based gentlemen released in early 2010, is a complete 360 degree turn, followed by another 90 degrees for good measure. The guys have taken their own route this time around. Using a lo-fi, obscurity based sound to override the pianos that used to carry their act, and although it may frighten fans of the bands original style, the real fans are going to flip their damn lids after hearing the artistic freedom these brooding avant garde rednecks have embraced.

“Bumper Cars” may be labeled and structured to be the single to be heard. And it is a beautiful experimental track. But, to say it stands out amongst the rest of the tracks would be an outright lie. Every track is a brand new experience to be had. In fact, the only tracks that slightly resemble the band’s former pop style are the once highlighted “Happy 81″ and the extremely mellow “Glass of Water”. But, don’t expect even these songs to really remind you of years passed. They won’t. Just embrace the new found beauty that is The Modern Skirts. And understand that had they not experienced so much as a fantastic pop act, we may have never gotten to hear these beautiful bedside tracks that we should be eternally grateful for!

If you find yourself able-bodied enough to draw your attention away from the band’s new artistic considerations, make your way back to Jay Gulley’s completely original brilliance. Listen to the shit this guy has to say – with such a sweet and disconcerting voice, it is amazing to hear him through lyrics that are darkly comical and downright intriguing. Sit back and enjoy tales of DUI’s, indecent exposure, mariachi’s, 80′s one hit wonders (specifically Jane Child on the track of the same name), and an overall discontent for human decency and our sometimes ridiculous sense of complacency.

Download: “Bumper Car” by Modern Skirts

[CD, 2011]

1. Jane Child
2. Happy 81
3. Bridges & Overpasses
4. Bumper Car
5. DUI
6. Tape Deck
7. Glass Of Water
8. American Gothic
9. Ship Shape
10. Hitler On Wheels
11. To Be A Branch Davidian

It’s difficult to describe the encapsulating power behind Ham1. The Athens-based band’s latest album, Let’s Go On And On And On With Ham 1, is perhaps most engrossing release in their half-decade career. “It’s Only A Dream Unto Itself” is one of the album’s top tracks, molding together a unique array of rock, folk, country and psychedelic for a sound that hints of wide influences from local friends Dark Meat, to the grunge master J. Mascis himself, to the epic genius John Cale.

“It’s Only A Dream Unto Itself” is a gritty rock song with a hint of the south with an almost southern drawl, a hint of psychedelic experimentation thanks to minor forays into oblivion on guitar (remnant, in my opinion in the too-short-lived Royal City), and full-on great songwriting.

Let’s Go On And On And On With Ham1 is available now from Orange Twin Records.

Download: “It’s Only A Dream Unto Itself” by Ham1

Odd that this, Pyramid Of The Sun, is my first experience of the epic Maserati. It’s not with ignorance, too; their name has been uttered in my direction from many an enthusiast. Thus I do not feel competent in doing an album review, as I have no basis of comparison – and that is precisely what a long-time fan would want. So a brief feature, then. Pyramid Of The Sun is a masterful blend of wild guitar riffs, borderline electronica, and the intoxicating hint of psychedelia. And “Oaxaca” is the perfect example of all three.

With a sound like this, it’s hard to think some of their earliest releases were on Kindercore Records before ultimately finding their way to Temporary Residence. In a way, it reminds me quite a bit of new Dead Oceans band Suuns, but Suuns takes this sound and adds lyrics. The good news is that it works very well both ways. Again, “Oaxaca” is a perfect example.

Download: “Oaxaca” by Maserati

They call it transcendental dance pop, which sounds pretty good to me. I’d add in hints of punk and plenty of noise to that description, though. Tunabunny is the latest great thing to come out of Athens, Georgia, a place that needs no introduction when it comes to great independent music. And their new self-titled LP is on Happy Happy Birthday To Me, a label that should also need no introduction.

Tunabunny is a little different for the HHBTM folks, but I can easily see what drew their attention. Tunabunny’s music is raw and quirky, but it’s fun and totally dance-worthy. I hear hints of similarity to noise outfits like PRE and Aids Wolf, but without the distancing, all-encompassing noise elements. It’s certainly loud, but there’s cohesive melody that, above all, is fun and has a bounce to it.

Their video for “I Miss You (You Miss Me Yes)” finds the band rocking out in black-and-white with strobe lights, and generally having a good time. These ladies and gent certainly know how to enjoy life; you can see it on this video and you can hear it in every song they create.

Tunabunny is available now from HHBTM Records. Pick it up on vinyl before it’s gone — only 300 pressings people!

Download: “I Miss You (You Miss Me Yes)” by Tunabunny

Elf Power is one of the great leftovers from the epic Elephant 6 collective — you know, bands like Of Montreal, Neutral Milk Hotel, Essex Green, Beulah, and Apples In Stereo to drop a few names. On their tenth — yes, tenth! — studio album, they go the self-titled route. But don’t think that safe move has lessened any of their creativity as it absolutely has not. Elf Power begins strong with “The Taking Under” and it refuses to quit impressing through the last song.

Contrary to some, I found Back To The Web to be one of the band’s greatest works. I’ve spent many hours obsessing over “Come Lie Down With Me”, “King Of The Earth” and “Somewhere Down The River”. They have remained favorites and have been mainstays on my playlist since the album’s release.

The purpose for this side banter is that I can see many songs off Elf Power following suit. The opener, of course, and the first single “Stranger In The Window”. “Ghost Of John” has a unique time signature and a clever melody while “The Concrete And The Walls” has a wicked guitar riff that repeats behind the vocals.

Elf Power is a band you should know. Period. They’ve worked with some of the most cherished artists of today and yesterday, from E6 alums Kevin Barnes (Of Montreal) and Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel), to the ever amazing (and recently deceased) Vic Chesnutt. Elf Power comes out September 14 on Orange Twin Records.

Download: “Stranger In The Window” by Elf Power

Orange Twin Records [CD, 2010]

1. The Taking Under
2. Wander Through
3. Stranger In The Window
4. Like A Cannonball
5. Boots Of Lead
6. Spidereggs
7. Ghost Of John
8. The Concrete And The Walls
9. Goldmine In The Sun
10. Tiny Insects
11. Little Black Holes
12. Little Hand
13. Spiral Stairs

Hypnotic is not a term one often associates with punk, but Athens-based trio Bambara fit both molds. At times ethereal and dreamy, at others ferocious and noisy, Bambara mixes elements of the post-punk revival with modern shoegaze and psychedelic noise. Dog Ear Days is a bit of a mystery as its mere existence possesses something strangely magical.

“Repeat After Me” opens the EP with a wild, looped noise riff ripe with feedback that continues even as the aggressive drum beat begins to echo by its side. The band then follows that power opening with the brooding, soft “Drag Hesitation” before again launching into the noise for which they’ve become known.

The noise continues until “Swim With The Trees” where the band again takes it down a notch, but they refuse to give up their penchant for experimentation and atmospheric, swirling guitars. Closing the album, “Chiromancy” is packed with eerie loops and carnal drums. One part psychotic, one part calm, it blends their soft side with their loud side.

Certainly, this is not for everyone. But there are plenty out there who dug Japandroids last year and No Age the year before who might fancy Bambara, and this band’s ability to crank up the volume and get a bit crazy with noise may just top those aforementioned artists in terms of decibel levels. In a way, they’re reminiscent of HEALTH minus the tribal math-y elements.

To call these guys loud would be an understatement, but intense noise does not deaden their ability to be dreamy. They are, truly, their own beast. And like any wild animal, there is something immensely beautiful about it that simply cannot be ignored. True to the predator, this wild animal is best taken in from a distance for fear that it will otherwise consume you.

Download: “Stay Gray” by Bambara

Emerald Weapon Records [CDEP, 2010]

1. Repeat After Me
2. Drag Hesitation
3. Stay Gray
4. Feed The Pigs
5. Swim With The Trees
6. Chiromancy

After turning so many heads with their 2008 sophomore release, All Of Us In Our Night, as well as appearing on the video game Rock Band 2, some may wonder how the Athens pop/rock group Modern Skirts would return when that time eventually came. Could anything they do top the local and sub-sequential SXSW successes they have achieved? With the release of Happy 81 EP, the prequel to their upcoming full length album due this fall, some listeners might be a bit upset. But, the real fans are going to have their minds blown.

Recorded entirely by the band in singer Jay Gulley’s bedroom, what you will hear throughout Happy 81 EP is the raw emotion of a pop/rock band that found themselves trapped in an overproduced line of work. Sure, having a catchy and well received album (which featured production from the bass man for R.E.M.) can be nice. But, it’s not unlikely that you could lose a sense of sentimental attachment to the music you create. And Modern Skirts must have seen the storm clouds coming because they took a step back and realized that tracks like “Rebecca St. Claire” and “Thomas Wolfe” from this EP were what they would really love to do. These songs they were creating simply for the joy of creating. And though the lo-fi acoustics of the album may appear similar to many artists developing music on a budget these days, this is pure artistic ingenuity at its finest.

Modern Skirts are a pop band that never really seemed to conform. So how odd is it really to see why Jay and the boys would decide to take all matters into their own hands and create something they consider to be pure at heart and exactly what they want to make as artists. Even looking past all the controversy and ill conceived confusion, Happy 81 is a spectacular display of lo-fi pop with a real raw power to entertain. These are the facts. Whether the Skirts want to hear that or not!

Download: “Rebecca St. Claire” by Modern Skirts

[CDEP, 2010]

1. On The Ride When We Go Out There
2. Happy 81
3. Rebecca St. Claire
4. DUI
5. Blip
6. Thomas Wolfe

The release date of Elf Power‘s tenth album, Elf Power, may be a few months out, but hype is growing thanks to the release of the first single from the album. “Stranger In The Window” is just as soft and mysterious as anything off Back To The Web, and hints at their early Elephant 6 and Kindercore sensibilities. It, of course, can be likened more to their recent works, the aforementioned Web and 2008′s In A Cave. With a shuffled percussion, a romantic slide guitar, and lyrical poetry as only Andrew Rieger can write. The album is dedicated to the memory of close friend of the band Vic Chesnutt, who passed late last year.

Download: “Stranger In The Window” by Elf Power

Take a little travel across the country from the evergreen-clad, rainy Northwest to the Southeastern United States. You may have seen these guys atop our Top 50 Albums of 2009, or caught one of the many features or reviews we’ve passed their way over the past year and a half. Today FensePost phoned up Venice Is Sinking for a rare interview; rare for us. We were pretty excited about it as, after all, we don’t do many of these. But questions were easy to conjure up for last year’s favorite.

Fense: Along with AZAR being my #1 album of 2009, one of my favorite videos was that for “OKAY”. I thought the concept was brilliant. Was this an idea concocted by director Jason Miller and assistant director Ethan Payne, or did you have an idea about what you wanted to create for the song? Does this follow the path you’ve traveled on other Venice is Sinking videos, like “Ryan’s Song”?

Thanks for that #1 album, Andy! It really meant a lot to us. We worked so hard on that album, and it was nice to see it validated. As for the “Okay” video, I’m not sure who came up with the concept, but I’m pretty sure it was Jason, with input from us and Ethan. Wait…let me backtrack. The first step in our video-making process is to see what Yo La Tengo did a decade ago and then rip it off. I’m kidding here, but I realized after we made both videos we did for AZAR were somewhat similar (mostly in theme or tone) to some past YLT works. The “Ryan’s Song” video bears a slight resemblance to Hal Hartley’s “From A Motel 6″ video, and “Okay” is in the same wheelhouse as Yo La Tengo’s rock school, Mr. Show-created “Sugarcube” video (which might be my favorite video of all time, truth be told). But, seriously, we weren’t really ripping them off. We do that with our music. Haha!

Anyway, we had another concept for the “Okay” video, one that was going to be a lot dreamier and perhaps a little more dour. We were gonna take on of those Flip HD cameras and float it around the greater Athens, GA area on balloons, something that one of Jason’s pals had done over Central Park. We spent a day roasting in the sun working on this video, trying to get this camera to float with a bazillion balloons, even getting it very, very stuck on the top of the State Botanical Gardens. And we ended up with maybe 15 seconds of footage. It was a crushing blow, and Jason and Ethan were really excited about it and worked really hard on it. When the idea came to do a montage about montages we didn’t want to get too Wet Hot American Summer with it, so we hit upon the idea that we would have some sort of “life coach” following us around. Jason (Miller) showed us a picture of Jason (Martin), and we were floored. He was perfect. And he was waaaaay into it. When he showed up in costume at the gun range we knew we were onto something special. I really wish you could hear the audio of what he was saying because it was hard not to crack up the entire time. His favorite phrase was “Accelerate your dreams,” and I have no idea why it’s so hilarious to me, but it is. He spent half the shoot touching James in a…special manner and making comments that could mildly be called homoerotic. Not much of this ended up in the video, though you do get to see them silhouetted by a sunset, sharing a pelvic thrust together. That was a fun but challenging shoot for us, given that we were in those infernal (literally) sauna suits in 90 degree weather for much of it. I sweated out ten pounds, which all told wasn’t a bad thing. And the Ryan’s Song video was no slouch, either. Karolyn was in a box–taped up–for, like, two hours or something!

The “Ryan’s Song” video concept? Actually, I can’t remember who came up with that one. I’m going to go ahead and say it was me.

Fense: I have to say, Jason Martin was outstanding as the band coach. So now you have a new album out on One Percent Press. Any plans to create videos for any songs on Sand & Lines?

That’s a tricky proposition because the songs were recorded live onstage at the Georgia Theatre. Doing a video for something that has a bit of a “live feel” seems rather odd because almost immediately any video idea you might have goes to recreating the creation of the album. And because the Georgia Theatre burned down, we also have to worry about veering into bathos and sentimentality. I’d love to do something that references the Theatre and Athens, but I wouldn’t want it to be mawkish. I guess time will tell. Also, making videos means having money, and, in case you haven’t heard, it DOESN’T grow on trees. I know, right?

Maybe we should go the animated route? I have a great idea for a video about the star-crossed love between a vacuum cleaner and a chicken.

Fense: Now that’s something I would definitely watch, especially now that I am the proud owner of a vacuum cleaner and not one, but four chickens.

The recording process for Sand & Lines was a bit different. Tell me a bit more about how the album was put together and what makes it different from prior Venice is Sinking releases.

We’re definitely a studio band. I don’t think that we’re a crappy live band or anything like that, but we certainly aren’t renowned for barn-burning, bat-eating live shows. We spend a lot of time working out our live show and balancing between making it congruent with our album sound and having it be a compelling dynamic experience. I think we’re pretty good at that, but I’m sure it’s not for everybody because overall we’re fairly slow and dreamy and whatnot. So we’ve always worked pretty hard in the studio to make our music grow out of that environment. We are layering and overdubbing addicts. No track can be put to bed without first being embellished by a pan-African drum run through an octave pedal. Sand & Lines was completely different than this. It focused on us, as performers, in a live setting. We recorded with only two mics onstage at the Georgia Theatre. We recorded it totally analog (although it should be noted that we have recorded all of our albums on tape!), using only 1/4″ mixdown tape. Two track! Basically, when a take was done, it was done, besides some mastering at the end. It was Georgia Theatre owner Wilmot Greene’s idea, based loosely on the Cowboy Junkies’ Trinity Session stuff, but ours is a lot louder and more rocking than theirs…dare I say more dynamic? Take that, Cowboy Junkies! Beef!

But, yeah, the process was this strange mixture of live and studio, and you were really out there, really vulnerable, in this kind of setup. If one person really goofs, you had to rewind and start over. If someone was too loud, You had to move their amp and their instrument away from the mic. We mixed things by moving people around onstage. It was stressful, and we had to practice at the Theatre for a few months to get our chops up for it. It was very nearly the opposite of the AZAR recording process, wherein one musician went in isolated to work on stuff. This is the sound of Venice is Sinking as a unit playing together (with help from pals, of course).

Fense: Was the ideation and inspiration processes behind these songs different than that on your last two records?

I don’t want to call these songs orphans or suggest that they weren’t good, but a number of them had been lurking around for a few years. I’d like to think that we’ve made cohesive, thematically consistent albums thus far, and some of the songs–like “Sidelights” and “Lucky Lad”–had been in our live shows for years, but never really felt at home on either Sorry About the Flowers or AZAR. Same goes for the cover versions of “Jolene” and “Tugboat”. Other songs were very new, and we had to scramble to get them up to snuff for the recording process. Remember that we were just finishing AZAR. All of a sudden, we had to have a whole new record…and fast. It was fish or cut bait time for a lot of these, which had only existed as tiny puffs of ideas beforehand. Daniel, Karolyn, and I worked pretty hard to get the, and then the whole band arranged a lot of these on the Georgia Theatre stage in the rehearsals leading up to the record. It was perhaps the most collaborative and democratic record we’ve done, and that aspect of it really invested everybody in the record, I think. With the first album, Daniel brought in songs, we learned them, and then added our on individual spins on them where we could. With AZAR, things got a lot more collaborative, and Sand & Lines is even more so. AZAR had pretty specific song themes, like transportation and moving and human events played out against geography (I think…haha). Sand & Lines picks up a lot of these, for sure, and continues along these lines. I guess it’s just what we like writing about. There are songs on there about failures of urban planning and Augusta, Georgia, though I won’t tell you which ones!

Fense: On top of dire economic woes, Athens seemed to have a rough year in 2009 which I am sure affected each of you personally. Was it an immediate collective response to decide to donate all funds acquired from Sand & Lines to the Georgia Theater after the fire or was it more a gradual decision to do something to benefit your hometown?

We started raising money to put out Sand & Lines the week before the Theatre burned down, so we had to reconfigure the project and make it about raising money for the Theatre. It was something someone proposed to everybody else, and everyone said “yes” pretty quickly. Honestly, we probably won’t make enough money off this record to affect much change, but we felt like the Theatre had given us this record, so we needed to give back to its rebuilding. Athens had a terrible 2009, what with Randy Bewley, Jerry Fuchs, Jon Guthrie, and Vic Chesnutt dying, not to mention the tragic Zinkhan murders and the fire at the Georgia Theatre…just awful. It felt like a series of gut punches. Even if you didn’t know these people personally (I really only knew Randy), you knew someone who knew them very well, and we take our music scene in Athens very seriously. Music is the central beating cultural heart of this town, and the Georgia Theatre was right in the middle of it.

Fense: I’ll attest to Sand & Lines being a great album. That proceeds go toward rebuilding Georgia Theater merely solidifies the fact that the album should be added to any listener’s collection. Being all the way on the other side of the country, I’m curious to hear if there’s been much movement in the rebuilding of the theater?

You know, I’d have to refer you to Wil Greene on this one, but I know that there are some great plans drawn up and rebuilding should start by next year. And thanks for saying the album’s great! Glad you like it.

Fense: I’m always interested to hear what musicians do outside of their respective bands. The typical answers seem to lean toward teaching and working at record stores. What do you do outside of Venice is Sinking?

Honestly, it’s fun for me to update Twitter and Facebook and Tumblr, but it can be a bit of a challenge, keeping track of everything. And just when you think you’re really “with it,” along comes some new thing that you’ve gotta create a login for and a new password and add your bio information, etc. etc. etc. Sure, we’ve got a greater connection with out with our fans, but sometimes I feel like I’m preaching to a 1000 person choir and just annoying other potential fans with my constant haranguing. Christopher Weingarten said, in a recent speech, that bands now have to be digital hustlers these days, and that’s just so, so true. I feel like I’m a guy in a stereotypical Middle Eastern bazaar yelling about how great my product is while tons of other equally loud vendors are selling the same thing around me.

Fense: So I have to ask — what’s next on the horizon for Venice Is Sinking?

We’re jamming a lot, writing new songs, working to get back up to snuff on the Sand & Lines stuff (we had to tour behind AZAR, so we lost all of our “chops”), playing Black-Eyed Peas songs. You know, the usual. I really, really, really hope we can get on an album a year schedule. We’ve got a lot of ideas right now, and we’ve gotta sit down and make them happen. We really wanted to try to make a reggaeton-inspired album, without all of the homophobia stuff. That hasn’t gone as planned.

Fense: We’ll that would certainly be an interesting concept if it does come to fruition. Well, that’s all I got. Thanks for sitting down and taking the time to “chat” with the ‘Post.

For more things Venice Is Sinking, head over to One Percent Press or check out more coverage right here at FensePost.

Dark and dreamy, “Falls City” is the first track available from the new Venice Is Sinking album, Sand & Lines. The song is a testament to this band’s versatility and ability to create a diverse set of music. Recorded using only two microphones in Athens’ Georgia Theatre, which burned down a few months after it was recorded, the album is set for a June 2010 release — one year after a fire destroyed the building. All proceeds from the album will go to the theater.

“Falls City” is a beautiful, captivating song that, thanks to the minimal recording elements is taken over by the echoing sound of a large, open space. The music reverberates, washing over the listener with immense power. It’s not as clear or heavy as last year’s gem AZAR, which earned the top honor on my best of 2009 list. Still, it fits the music Venice Is Sinking creates; intricate but a singular, well-constructed unit. Brilliant are the subtle, soft harmony vocals. Excellent are the deep organ chords and epic electric guitar. I can’t wait to hear more!

Like AZAR, Sand & Lines will be released by One Percent Press.

Venice Is Sinking: Falls City [mp3]

Supercluster may have that famed super group make-up, but it lacks in the pretentious ego-driven in-fighting to which such groups are prone. The artists behind Supercluster are responsible for some of today’s best groups, from Of Montreal and Casper & The Cookies to Deerhunter and The New Sound Of Numbers. Despite the who’s-who of indie pop, Waves is a portal into lo-fi psych pop famed to regions like Athens, GA.

Also unlike the typical super group, Supercluster lacks overproduction thanks to the hand of Jason NeSmith (Casper & The Cookies). Tracks like “Peace Disco Song” and “Sunflower Clock” will instantly grip the listener; the latter even has subtle references to modern psychedelic pop master Dan Snaith (Caribou, Manitoba). It is during these moments, where Supercluster dabbles in the avant garde, that the band stands out most.

True to both the psychedelic and pop genres, Supercluster has a fair share of orchestration. And they’re not afraid to alter realities with a little colorful and off-kilter intonation, making Waves about as unique a super group album as you’ll ever hear. While the occasionally awkward — the slightly out-of-tune moments are certainly not for all — it’s still easy to want more. Supercluster has truly created an album unlike any other!

Supercluster: I Got The Answer [mp3]

Cloud Recordings [CD, 2009]

1. Peace Disco Song
2. Brave Tree
3. Sunflower Clock
4. River
5. I Got The Answer
6. Mermaid’s Tale
7. Copper Palo
8. The Night I Died
9. Too Many Eights
10. Anyone
11. Time To End The War
12. 316

“Okay” by Venice Is Sinking is easily one of my favorite tracks of 2009 and the album on which it can be found, AZAR, will be a tough contender to beat for the best album of the year. In support of their new maxi-single for “Okay”, they’ve now given us a most excellent video to accompany its promotion. The video itself is a joyous montage dubbed “How to Achieve Musical Greatness.” It’s a testament to how great this band truly is; “Okay” as a song is absolutely brilliant, but combined with the video… well, I just can’t think of many things that can top this.

This video was put together by Eikon Productions.

Both AZAR and the OKAY maxi-single are out now on One Percent Press. I’ve included “Okay” below, along with a cover of the band Okay’s “Compass” as found on Okay. Seriously, buy their records… okay?

Venice Is Sinking: Okay [mp3]

Venice Is Sinking: Compass [mp3]