I don’t know when the last time vinyl was played on KSVR, but by the state of the record players it may have been quite a while. I dropped by the studio mid day on Friday to make sure the turntables worked properly, then came home and put together a split show. The first half, Halloween-ish songs (even if only in name, some only by their haunting sound) followed by half a show of more dance-y, electronic and remix tracks. (more…)

The Bimmer is back! Yep, that’s my beater baby, sitting pretty and lonely at around sunset on Friday night in the Skagit Valley College parking lot, where KSVR is located. A few vacuum leaks fixed and she’s running much better. I’m now awaiting a new vacuum advance unit, on its way from Germany. Once in, it should be tip top. (more…)

What’s this!? A brand new video by Austin band Belaire! It’s for their tune “Resonating Symphony”, off their new full-length LP of the same name. The video was shot live by Dustin Eastes at the band’s release party for Resonating Symphony at the 29th Street Ballroom on April 21st, 2012. (more…)

This was supposed to be a productive week, those hours after work. But I ended up doing what any solid music nerd would: procrastinate by going through my records and singles, rediscovering old favorites and discovering new treasures hidden within my collection. We listened to The Smiths on repeat for a few days. I dug out an old single by The Rondelles. (more…)

This is exciting! It’s been quite a while since we’ve heard anything whatsoever from Austin-based pop group Belaire. The crew is back with a new LP called Resonating Symphony and, if you ask me, it sounds pretty solid. “This Could Take All Night” is the first track to be released off the album and it bypasses much of what we heard off their debut full-length, reaching the epic levels of their self-titled debut EP (which, prior to this, was my personal favorite).

“This Could Take All Night” is packed with pop hooks, great vocals, excellent musicianship; all of it cohesive and tightly constructed into a brilliant track. It would seem the time Belaire took off after 2007′s Exploding Impacting has paid off, and done so brilliantly. “This Could Take All Night” is, quite easily, the best thing I’ve heard yet from Belaire.

As for the rest, I’ve had a fairly exclusive sneak peek and here’s what I have to say: it’s a bit different. A lot less upbeat, more bossa-nova, dreamy synth lines, but still super poppy. You should be right to get excited.

Indierect Records is behind this release as well, having given us both the band’s debut LP and a nice little Halloween-ish 7-inch from the band. The new album hits April 21 on both CD and vinyl formats.

Download: “This Could Take All Night” by Belaire

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Austin, Texas can almost be considered the center of the indie music scene and is home of the largest annual independent music festival in the nation: South By Southwest (SXSW). With my pending transition from student to post-graduate employee, I have often thought of relocating to the obscure-for-Texas town. Belaire‘s hometown is Austin and it is no wonder, then, that their music is optimistic, has a carefree bounce, and is catchy and lovable and creative. The CD-R itself is in an artsy home-decorated jewel case with a Jackson Pollock-style drip and splatter paint job. (more…)