One of my favorite elements of shoegaze is its tendency to combine monumental, spacey guitar riffs with dreamy, oft wispy vocals. Conduits excel at this pairing on their new track “Top of the Hill”. Likewise, the typical shoegaze darkness persists, all encompassing but not entirely overwhelming. There’s energy here, but it’s not the torment so often found in post-rock.

Oddly enough, the voice is that of Jenna Morrison (Son, Ambulance), paired with the guitar meanderings of JJ Idt and Nate Mickish, the bass of Mike Overfield, keys by Patrick Newbery, and percussion form Roger Lewis to round out the band.

Conduits will release their self-titled debut on March 21 courtesy Team Love.

Download: “Top of the Hill” by Conduits

Portland bedroom pop group A Weather is back with their second full-length album and follow-up to Cove, Everyday Balloons. Though the album came out last week on Team Love Records, we’re just now getting a taste of what it has in store for us through “Third Of Life” and “Giant Stairs”. With these songs, A Weather shakes some of the bedroom softness for a sound slightly louder. The increase isn’t substantial — say, from a 2 to a 3 — but on the volume scale, it’s noteworthy.

These progressions are most apparent in “Third Of Life”, which breaks into electric guitar strums on occasion. Front-man Aaron Gerber is again joined heavily by female co-vocalist Sarah Winchester, adding a most-loved harmony as the song builds from the quiet to the concluding electric guitar feedback. Likewise, “Giant Stairs” capitalizes on the male/female vocal harmonies, and like “Third Of Life” the song expands with and dabbles in spacey drones emphasized by feedback.

Cove was impressive; not in a long while had a bedroom pop album made such an impact thanks to phenomenal songs like “Spiders” and “Oh My Stars”. With “Third Of Life” and “Giant Stairs”, one gets the impression that Everyday Balloons may very well top their last one in power and awe.

Download: “Third Of Life” by A Weather

Download: “Giant Stairs” by A Weather

Capgun Coup‘s pure pop sensibilities are thwarted by a distorted fuzz in every element of “Bad Bands”, the first single off their new LP, Maudlin. Yet without it the song wouldn’t have the energy in the crazy jangly guitars and pointed percussion. This energy is channeled through the raucous vocal shouts of Bad bands are my favorite bands and the wild California surf guitar solo that bows out the song. Fitting the noise-pop sub-genre, Capgun Coup returns to the era of garage so inherent in the greats of today. And with “Bad Bands” they demonstrate an excellence in a genre favored by an extraordinary number of hype bands this year.

The song, along with the entire Maudlin album, was recorded live in a room as a group and produced by AJ Mogis. They’re calling it a “homage to Capgun Coup’s renowned energetic performances at house parties and Hotel Frank.” Maudlin arrives tomorrow via Team Love Records.

Capgun Coup: Bad Bands [mp3]

I may get railed on for making a Dylan comparison here, but Simon Joyner and the master himself share a few points. There’s the minimal acoustic guitar and equally minimal accompaniment in songs like “The Drunken Boat” and “Sunday Morning Song For Sara”. There’s the traditional folk element rampant throughout each of his songs. And there’s a slight vocal similarity as well. Sure, Joyner may not be the songwriter Bob is, as that feat would truly be amazing, but his songs have that same timeless folk quality that dabbles in Americana.

Out Into The Snow is a cohesive album packed with odes to forgotten eras and the romanticism of the wanderer. Songs like “Out Into The Snow” and “Roll On” bring rock into the mix, and even go so far as to flirt with country, but they’re inherently folk. If you can expect anything from Simon Joyner, it’s superior quality songwriting (yes, not quite on par with Dylan, but it’s far from bad). And with twelve albums under his belt, Out Into The Snow is packed with Joyner’s best stuff yet.

Simon Joyner: Out Into The Snow [mp3]

Simon Joyner: Roll On [mp3]

Team Love [CD, 2009]

1. The Drunken Boat
2. The Arsonist
3. Ambulances
4. Sunday Morning Song For Sara
5. Last Evening On Earth
6. Peace In My Time
7. Out In The Snow
8. Roll On

Written by Ben Meyercord.

Okay the let me get the two things that are always written about A Weather out of the way. Their record, Cove, was released by Conor Oberst’s (Bright Eyes) imprint of Saddle Creek Records, Team Love. They have hushed vocals. I am here to tell you there is more to this band.

Just like most of the stuff on Team Love, A Weather sound nothing like Bright Eyes. And just because lead singer and main songwriter, Aaron Gerber, never raises his voice above a whisper, it doesn’t mean that the band writes boring music. In fact, if you listen to the album all the way through, you will notice the subtle details and interlocking melodies of all of the instruments.

Aaron Gerber switches between an acoustic guitar and a Rhodes. There are two other guitarists, Aaron Krenkel and Zach Boyle, and a bassist, Louis Thomas. Drummer Sarah Winchester plays on a minimal kit consisting of a floor tom, a snare and a cymbal.

The songs often have several parts and change time signatures in a way that flows very naturally. Sarah adds many layers of her sometimes smokey and always lovely vocals that match perfectly with whispers of the Aaron’s vocals. The tunes often reside between the slow burner and pretty poppy territory. They also manage to be very catchy—I have been humming various tunes from this album ever since I first listened to it. And the actual sound of the album is superb thanks to uber-producer Adam Selzer (Norfolk & Western, Loch Lomond, Laura Gibson, etc…).

With all of this musicality happening, some bands tend to settle on terrible and or nonsensical lyrics. A Weather do not. They often lean towards the sadder parts of life, but more accurately they tend to emote a feeling of longing oft with a clever turn of phrase: I can’t believe you said, ‘I can’t love you anymore’. Did you mean to no greater extent, or is it over now for sure from “Small Potatoes” sticks out in my mind. It is well worth it to pull out the liner notes to read the words while listening.

Overall, Cove is a very impressive debut by a band that seems to have a promising career ahead of them.

This review was originally published April 29, 2008 on the old version of FensePost.

A Weather: Spiders, Snakes [mp3]

A Weather: Oh My Stars [mp3]

Team Love [CD, 2008]

1. Spiders, Snakes
2. Shirley Road Shirley
3. Screw Up Your Courage
4. Small Potatoes
5. Hanging Towers of Baltimore
6. Pilot’s Arrow
7. Oh My Stars
8. Pinky Toe
9. It’s Good To Know

I want to say that, at some time in the past three to five months, I picked up Joker’s Daughter‘s 7″ single for their song “Worm’s Head” as the cover art looks mighty familiar. Thanks to my recent move away from Seattle and into a small-ish country town between the capital of grunge and Vancouver, BC, and my subsequent attempt to get the house I purchased in order, I cannot quite recall. One thing is for sure: the lovely female-fronted folk that pours out in their video for “Lucid” is completely new to me (a fact that could simply mean that I purchased the single but did not listen to it after).

“Lucid” is a beautifully crafted video that fits the orchestral folk-pop Joker’s Daughter creates. The title “Lucid” also fits, though counter what you might envision; rather more a lucid dream. It all makes sense: this video features excellent stop-motion provided by director Hayley Morris, who has, in the past, worked closely with famed director Michel Gondry (the main man behind one of my all-time favorite films, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

“Lucid” can be found on The Last Laugh, released this past April by Joker’s Daughter (aka Helena Costas) on Team Love.

Joker’s Daughter: Worm’s Head [mp3]

Joker’s Daughter: The Bull Bites Back [mp3]