The Glasses‘ Story Problems was a favorite of mine from a few years back, so it’s with great anticipation and excitement we receive Love Is Queer. Their latest LP is filled with just as many lovable pop hooks as the last album, both vocal and instrumental. This is twee-ish indie pop at its greatest; plenty of jangle-guitar, packed with male/female vocals, and filled with lyrics that simply make you happy.

There’s good reason I enjoy bands like this. Their music is bouncy and fun, but it’s also smart and deals with nontraditional themes. Here, it’s obvious. And it’s hard to pull out a favorite, though opener “Everyday Beauty”, synth-pop track “Pride Parade”, and closer “Your Hate Is Adorable” all inch ahead slightly.

Even the softer, more melodramatic side of this band can put a smile on your face. With heavy synths, “Things Left Behind In Dreams” is a hint reminiscent of super early Of Montreal. Love Is Queer is divided fairly evenly between jangle pop and synth pop, often combining the two styles in their own lo-fi way.

To me, The Glasses have always been one of those pop bands that bring me back to the post-twee revival movement; the artists influenced directly or indirectly by Sarah Records and C86. It makes me want to pull out other records by The Glasses, and scour my collection for Math And Physics Club releases, maybe some Tullycraft, and, if I’m feeling real bold, The Field Mice.

Download: “Your Hate Is Adorable” by The Glasses

Download: “Pride Song” by The Glasses

I am a huge Carissa’s Wierd fan. If you are too, you know exactly what I’m talking about — the die-hard fan gets a little extra out of the music, hears a little bit more, and has a deeper, seemingly one-on-one experience with it. New music, for a band that parted ways several years past, is enough to bring tears to your eyes. “Tucson” b/w “Meredith & Iris” is such material and Hardly Art has made the latter from the single available for stream.

The same can be said for a performance. When Grand Archives (formed after the CW split and fronted by Mat Brooke) played their record release show for their debut LP, the event included an intimate performance by Brooke and Jenn Ghetto of “All Apologies & Smiles, Yours Truly, Ugly Valentine”. That performance did bring a tear to my eye. Carissa’s Wierd played a few reunion shows upon the reissuing of their catalog, and with the forthcoming release of a new single they’ll play Neumos in Seattle on September 24.

“Meredith & Iris” — the first new track we have heard by Seattle band Carissa’s Wierd in over seven years — is near perfect. For the long-time true fan, we’ve been waiting for this moment for nearly a decade. For you, no explanation is needed, no description, no further comment. Listen and enjoy.

Carissa’s Wierd – Meredith & Iris by hardlyartrecords

“The Secret Plume” is the latest video from Seattle artist Virgin Of The Birds and it features early video of some very unique dancers. In fact, we saw a similar dancer in The Robot Ate Me’s video for “On Vacation”, which was eerie and surreal. Here, however, it complements Jon Rooney’s melodies, which are often timeless.

“The Secret Plume” is off Virgin Of The Birds’ EP Dear Furies, one of a few free EPs from the band available on Abandoned Love Records. Check out the video below and grab “The Queen Of Sweden” off the band’s Fugitive Works EP.

Download: “The Queen Of Sweden” by Virgin Of The Birds

Virgin of the Birds – “The Serpent Plume” from Abandoned Love Records on Vimeo.

After a little hiatus, a little band from Seattle called Wonderful has returned. On their new song, “Rainbow Colors”, we are treated to a colorful style of pop somewhere along the lines of experimental pop outfit Le Loup. But Wonderful came a few years before that band, having released their debut in 2003. “Rainbow Colors” features plenty of chant-like vocalists, heavily thumping drums, and overall colorful vocal and instrumental harmonies.

You just don’t hear sounds like this that often, which is a shame as Wonderful’s “Rainbow Colors” is an absolutely astonishing song, one you won’t soon forget. It is, as the band’s name would suggest, quite wonderful.

“Rainbow Colors” is off the band’s new album, Wake Up In Dreamland, which came out earlier this week. Wake Up In Dreamland is the culmination of five years of recording (2005-2010), recorded in between putting together other albums with their dance-pop band U.S.E., as well as touring with U.S.E. Recording took place in various Northwest havens, including Mount Rainier, Cannon Beach, and my very own neck of the woods, Skagit River.

Check out “Rainbow Colors” below and grab Wake Up In Dreamland as soon as you can get your hands on it.

Download: “Rainbow Colors” by Wonderful

Seapony is fronted by Jen Weidl on vocals with songs written by guitarist Danny Rowland and rhythm split between bassist Ian Brewer and an Alesis HR-16 vintage synth for the drum beat. Together, they have created Go With Me, featuring highly lovable songs, most under three minutes.

Backed by a fuzzed-out guitar and a jangly high-pitched bass, Seapony’s debut LP is stark in its simplicity, wonderful in its lo-fi heritage, and as moody as you’d expect from a modern indie pop trio.

Unlike many fuzzed-out pop bands, Seapony’s music is subtle and has a clarity to it that counters the very nature of fuzz. This makes it unique, and it can be attributed to the jangle-centric bass being at the forefront of the instrumentation while the distorted guitar takes a back seat. Jen’s vocals complement this sound. Playful and dreamy, they too feature a little fuzz.

Like their music, the result, too, is simple: Seapony has done a mighty fine job creating Go With Me.

Go With Me is released May 31 courtesy Hardly Art Records.

Download: “Dreaming” by Seapony

Download: “Blue Star” by Seapony

Hardly Art [CD, 2011]

1. Dreaming
2. I Never Would
3. Blue Star
4. Into The Sea
5. I Really Do
6. Go Away
7. Always
8. So Low
9. What You See
10. Nobody Knows
11. Where We Go
12. With You

For fans of The Thermals’ early stuff and Unnatural Helpers, fellow Pacific Northwesters Virgin Islands are sure to appease. The band recently debuted a video for “No Doctor” off their debut LP. It features singer/guitarist Michael Jaworski (The Cops) on a gurney rolling through the streets of Seattle. In it he screams Don’t call the doctor / Don’t call an ambulance, which fits the song nicely. Ironically, then, he was injured in the last shot of the film and the lyrics became moot as he took a trip to the ER.

Check out the video below and grab the song while you’re at it!

Download: “No Doctor” by Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands “No Doctor” official video from The Control Group on Vimeo.

Coulter’s last LP had a few similarities to The Smiths, and those traits can also be found on his new one, Grip Fast. However, the similarities aren’t as plentiful, and Coulter Leslie is starting to create his own sound. Again, he worked with Seattle producer and mixer Erik Blood (whose work includes the same for The Moondoggies, The Lights, and The Tea Cozies to name a few).

You can hear all of this in “At The End Of The Day”, the first track off Grip Fast, with an opening riff that hints of Morrissey but vocals that distance themselves quite nicely. The song has a little more Seattle in it than Coulter’s last one, a little more grit and a little more emphasis on creating a full band. It has a solid beat with plenty of guitar hooks, and an excellent vocal melody.

Grip Fast is packed with nine more songs just as good as this one, and you can pick it up now over at Coulter’s website.

Listen: “At The End Of The Day” by Coulter

In the fall of 2009, Seattle punk band Virgin Islands gave us their debut EP after only a short time of existence. That EP, despite only containing four tracks, demonstrated the type of skill and songwriting prowess one could expect from a seasoned band with years under their belt. So it’s with great anticipation that we receive “No Doctor”, a track off Virgin Islands’ new album Ernie Chambers Vs. God.

And sure enough, we’re instantly treated with those same heavy guitar riffs laid out in a catchy melody and rough punk vocals. It’s loud and the lyrics will stick with you. It has plenty of that Pacific Northwest punk sound, heard in artists like Thermals (well, maybe early Thermals) and The Cops (the two share members) and The Intelligence and The Lights. Yes, “No Doctor” competes easily with songs from all of these local veteran bands.

Ernie Chambers Vs. God comes out May 10 via The Control Group.

Download: “No Doctor” by Virgin Islands

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Seattle’s Charles Leo Gebhardt IV. Well, that’s not entirely true, as last year we got a debut full length from Unnatural Helpers. But his solo project under his own name has been quiet since the release of Unfaithful, the delightfully raw and fun EP from 2008. Begin Again is the new release and it maintains much of what we heard from that previous EP, albeit with a tiny bit more production.

Listening to Begin Again, I tried to pinpoint exactly what it is I dig about Gebhardt’s music. It’s a tough task, not because I’m stretching to find the answer, but because I don’t want the answer to discredit his music’s greatness. It’s playful and catchy, filled with traits common to pop, folk and maybe even a hint of old-school, early country. It has a nice twang, is a little lo-fi, and has plenty of grit. And there’s more, but I’ll let you discover that yourself.

In Begin Again, we hear Gebhardt’s first take at quieting it down. There are plenty of tracks that match his previous work’s volume and pace, like “Chapel Of Roses” and “Lonely You”, but there are also a few ballad-esque tracks like “Stand By You” and “Tell Her That You Love Her”. Gebhardt also seems to add more back-up vocals, which are quite welcome.

I guess my main point is that Begin Again encompasses all the things I loved about Gebhardt’s first EP, and that makes it a major success in my eyes. I loved that EP and was a bit sad that it was so short, because it was just so damn good. We now have eight more tracks to add to the collection, and there are a few on Begin Again that top the best from Unfaithful. Just listen to “She Won’t Be Far” and “Chardonnay”.

Begin Again just arrived via ggnzla records.

Download: “Chapel Of Roses” by Charles Leo Gebhardt IV

ggnzla records [2011]

1. Chapel Of Roses
2. She Won’t Be Far
3. Teach My Heart
4. Stand Behind You
5. Good Things
6. Chardonnay
7. Lonely You
8. Tell Her That You Love Her

Fleet Foxes new one is a bit different from their debut. The production is vastly different. Robin Pecknold’s vocals sound extremely different (not to mention the lyrics, which a friend equated to being similar to those found in his high school journal), having been honed and crafted whereas before they sounded a bit raw at times. But what remains the same is Fleet Foxes ability to create a great sounding song.

“Grown Ocean” is a prime example, with a catchy melody and the wonderful folk instrumentation we all loved so much from their debut. The incorporation of flute is, oddly enough, quite welcoming. The video for “Grown Ocean” is an array of footage from retro video cameras blending beautiful landscapes with footage of the band doing various thing (although not really performing for the most part, which is refreshing). It’s a good watch.

Outside some simple and seemingly obvious rhymes, I don’t mind the lyrics. As another friend put it (paraphrased): I like the lyrics when put to the music. I agree – for me, it’s always been the full picture. The music, the vocals, the lyrics, all joined together as one. That’s what Fleet Foxes did best on their self-titled debut, and they once again master it here on “Grown Ocean”.

I, for one, am really looking forward to listening to the rest of Helplessness Blues. Check out the video for “Grown Ocean” below, and snag the album’s title track for your listening enjoyment while you’re at it.

Download: “Helplessness Blues” by Fleet Foxes

Seattle garage rock outfit Tea Cozies boasted production by Erik Blood on their 2009 release Hot Probs. They’re back with a sound that’s really, really good. Listening to their new single, “Dead Man’s Sister”, I can’t help but think of current hot bands like Best Coast, La Sera, and Dum Dum Girls. These ladies and gents fit the mold, with light fuzz meets heavy reverb, dreamy vocal melodies meet punchy guitar riffs. What’s stunning, however, is that “Dead Man’s Sister” holds in it an originality that Tea Cozies can call their own. It’s catchy as all hell, highly dance-worthy, yet not overdone.

And then there’s the video. Green alien eyes, crazy ray guns, wild dance moves. This one has it all. Listen to the song and watch the video below, and if you want to grab a copy, go here. “Dead Man’s Sister” was engineered and mixed by Andy Meyer at Seesaw Studio.

Listen: “Dead Man’s Sister” by Tea Cozies

Dead Man’s Sister from Tea Cozies on Vimeo.

Helvetia return with On The Lam, pumping out several new psychedelic tracks blending pop and rock very much in the style of the Pacific Northwest. The title track is among the more notable tunes on the album, beginning with a simple pop guitar melody, handclaps, and a consistent beat. Like the melody, the vocals are soft and borderline playful, albeit with a hint of emotion. By the end, the song tailspins into a hazy psychedelic swirl, launching straight into the similarly vibrant “Arise Pt. 1″. The latter, however, is dreamier and more experimental.

Both songs are a good sample of what one can expect from Helvetia in On The Lam, and you can grab both for sampling purposes below. The album comes out the middle of next month via The Static Cult Label. Consume it digitally, on CD, or on vinyl.

Download: “On The Lam” by Helvetia

Download: “Arise Pt. 1″ by Helvetia

The Cave Singers are back with their third LP, No Witch, an album that promises great things on the tail of two already widely renowned releases. While only two songs have graced my ears thus far, it’s clear that the Seattle band continues its steady pace of creating phenomenal tunes.

“Black Leaf” is the standout of the two thanks, to a quick beat and rockin’ melody. It could very well be the “Dancing On Our Graves” of No Witch, though it’s been reported that No Witch, overall, has a heavier rock feel. “Swim Club” is pretty solid too, albeit finding more company with The Cave Singers’ softer, more melodramatic of songs. Where the former dominates in sheer presence, the latter makes up for in brilliant harmonies, unique folk sound-scapes, and creative expertise.

There’s no questioning the power and skill behind The Cave Singers; their music is a stronghold in the Northwest and it just keeps getting stronger. Be it the widely-heralded catalog of the band members’ former lives, including (but not limited to) notables Pretty Girls Make Graves and Murder City Devils, there is a technical prowess to this music that is unparalleled.

Head over to Jagjaguwar and grab a copy of No Witch by The Cave Singers. Get it on vinyl — it’ll be worth it.

Download: “Black Leaf” by The Cave Singers

Download: “Swim Club” by The Cave Singers

One of the first lines you will hear on Lindsay Fuller’s beautiful, lyrically-based album The Last Light I See is: but every tale needs a villain so I signed myself up. And it pretty much gets even more awesomely depressing (yet also enlightening) from this point on. This Seattle artist has a style that is somewhere mixed in with the anger of Ani Difranco and the sad storytelling soulfulness of Traci Chapman. But, her stories are way cooler. Though riddled with beautiful piano solos and wonderful strumming, the tales of heartache, dead birds of life, penniless gypsies, and a fear of love that is so strong it leads you to suicide is what really makes this album very captivating.

The Last Light I See can really only be described as a strange and beautiful journey that anyone who still has their soul intact can appreciate. If you are one of the fool’s who sold yourself and your entire embodiment to something or someone with alternate intentions, “Trigger Happy” will not make sense to you. If you have known love for all that it is worth, and all that it isn’t, “Ball and Chain” will touch your heart in the harshest bite of reality that you ever thought possible.

It should not be surprising to learn that this breathtaking singer/songwriter should originally hail from a place like Alabama. Her music blends a bit of Mussel Sholes like bluesy folk with an amped-up attitude; it resembles much of what has come out of the Seattle scene over the last 30 years. And Seattle happens to be her current residence. Coincidence? No.

Much like many of the characters in her storytelling, Fuller seems to become a product of her environment by embracing everything that is special about anywhere she may land — including the darkening horrific sights and sounds of which we are forced to expose ourselves. But she also acknowledges the bright rainbow-lit atmospheres that keep us humble and hoping. No matter what spirit we find Lindsay embracing, we can be confident that she will write a damn good song about it.

Download: “No Shame” by Lindsay Fuller

Download: “Ball And Chain” by Lindsay Fuller

[CD, 2010]

1. No Shame
2. Big White Lie
3. Of A Town Full Of Dust
4. Trigger Happy
5. Ball and Chain
6. My Sweet One
7. East Grand Exit
8. Beautiful Living
9. If You But Knew