Get ready to dub Hardly Art label of the year. They’ve already given us plenty to enjoy, and the second half of 2011 promises to be just as stunning. Take their latest signing as an example. The band is Shimmering Stars, originally out of Vancouver B.C.

Filled with a dark, thick reverb and super catchy dream pop, Shimmering Stars’ first single “I’m Gonna Try” hints of the pop music of the early 60s, thrust forward to clash with the lo-fi pop of today. The song is a haunting one about love, which makes it even better.

Check out the video and grab the track below. Their debut LP, Violent Hearts, hits September 13, but it looks like Hardly Art will be giving this song 7″ treatment sometime before then. Keep an eye out for it!

Download: “I’m Gonna Try” by Shimmering Stars

Shimmering Stars – I’m Gonna Try from Salazar on Vimeo.

Oh this chill, lo-fi style of pop never seems to get old. It’s good in the summertime, when days are hot and nothing seems better than to sit in the shade with a cold beer or hide in a dark room with the air conditioning full blast. And it’s good in the winter, when you long for those summer moments while cozily wrapped in warm blankets. Beach Dreams by Teen Daze captures these feelings and puts them to song with an overall fuzzy haze of goodness.

The album title is perfect; Teen Daze has created a beachy sound with jangly guitars, lovable lo-fi harmonies and harmonic banter on being young, enjoying the beach, and love. It’s a bit different from some of the other work by Teen Daze, which is more like the chill-wave of Washed Out (see the Teen Daze song “Shine On, You Crazy White Cap”) than a mix between Real Estate and Beach Fossils.

“Let’s Fall Asleep Together” may be among the top two or three beach-pop tunes to surface this year, opening with Beach Boys-like harmonies and diving into a rapid guitar strum and consistent loud snare and cymbal-heavy percussion that’s impossible not to love.

The remaining three songs, too, are pretty great. In “Water” he sings about sunny California and a love: I wanna be with you in the sun / I wanna be with you tonight. In “Cliff Jump Love Song”, you can picture grabbing a picnic with great friends on a rock above the water, jumping in on occasion while others sunbathe. It’s enough to make these cold winter days feel a tad bit warmer.

Then there’s the title track, “Beach Dreams”, which is a beach ballad. It’s a sleepy bedroom-like track, lulling you to sleep. Beach Dreams is, in many ways, a near perfect EP, starting off strong and wrapping with a wonderful, pleasant ballad. Four songs, all superb.

Download: “Let’s Fall Asleep Together” by Teen Daze

[Digital EP, 2010]

1. Let’s Fall Asleep Together
2. Water
3. Cliff Jump Love Song
4. Beach Dreams

For those of you familiar with Dan Bejar and his work in both Destroyer and The New Pornographers, this song may come as a bit of a shock. It’s damn near electronic! This isn’t the Dan Bejar we know and love… or is it? Leave it to JC/DC to spend a solid year-and-a-half production time reinventing Bejar as an off-beat, near contemporary artist. Bejar has never been one to create normality, but “Chinatown” is about as strange as it gets because it lacks consistency with the man’s prior work.

Even his voice sounds leveled out and smooth. I mean, just listen to that saxophone! It’s flat out of a late 80s/early 90s cool jazz mix. But you know, I kinda like it. The key word in the above paragraph is cool, and that’s where you’ll find the consistency — Bejar always has been, and always will be, cool. And there’s all kinds of cool up in “Chinatown”.

Look forward to Destroyer’s new album, out in late January 2011 on Merge. It’s called Kaputt, and if you spring for it on vinyl (as I most certainly will), you’ll be treated with a 20-minute vinyl only bonus track called “The Laziest River”.

Download: “Chinatown” by Destroyer

They say, Oh, don’t call this group a supergroup! But I disagree, and there’s a distinct reason why. It’s because each member in The New Pornographers is, well, super. A.C. Newman adds his unique songwriting and vocal styling and he backs it with the phenomenal song-craft and vocals of Neko Case and Dan Bejar (Destroyer). Blaine Thurier is a film producer and lends keyboard expertise to the band, while John Collins, Todd Fancey, Kurt Dahle and Kathryn Calder round the songs out on various instruments, many of whom also lend backup vocals. This entourage of greatness is at it again with Together, their fifth proper full-length.

“Your Hands (Together)”, the somewhat title track off Together, picks up where Challengers left off. And it takes the band to the next level. The New Pornographers have always been a band with the immense ability to create a full, cohesive, and all-around outstanding album; with each new release, the excitement begins again. It’s not necessarily relevant whether this song tops the last favorite or comes short, because you can almost liken the group to Radiohead — you know you’re going to like it, no matter what changes.

Together comes out tomorrow on Matador Records Above photo by Jason Creps.

Download: “Your Hands (Together)” by The New Pornographers

If you’ve been following the doings of Vancouver, BC’s Nick Krgovich, you know he’s been a busy fellow. Maintenant by Gigi has garnered substantial hype this year and the band’s debut LP certainly warrants the attention. Krgovich is back under the guise of No Kids, whose last release joined together sounds not typically associated with pop music. Despite recording a 60s do-wop pop record under Gigi and performing under the P:ano moniker since the band’s last release, Come Into My House, No Kids picks up pretty much where they left off in 2008. Judy At The Grove has a similar cool pop meets funky R&B.

“At The Grove” opens the EP with the smooth sound of synths and muted trumpet. Krgovich’s voice melts the air with its chill, smooth surface. A clean guitar riff maintains that funky sound fans of “The Beaches Are Closed” have longed for since No Kids’ LP. “The Jazz Singer” even adds a Budos Band-like Afro-beat horn section, which is most excellent. Overall, Judy At The Grove is more laid back than Come Into My House. The tenor on the EP has a back-beat, head-nodding that wouldn’t be out of place in a swanky, dated lounge. With exception to “In Dreamland”, the songs are relaxed and nonchalant.

“In Dreamland” concludes the EP with power. The song is plush and full, much like “Halloween”, a favorite from the LP. Thus the make-up of the two releases is quite similar. What you get with Judy At The Grove is progression. There’s more going on here, a slight moving forward in maturity and skill, and a hint of greater production. Don’t get me wrong — No Kids remains very indie, but there exists here a greater presence that wasn’t quite realized in Come Into My House. The best news of all is that the music remains entirely fresh. To be cliche: No Kids is truly one-of-a-kind.

Download: “The Jazz Singer” by No Kids

Tomlab [12" EP, 2010]

1. At The Grove
2. I Want To Be Around
3. The Jazz Singer
4. In Dreamland

I love this: We Found A Lovebird is named after an announcement they found posted somewhere on a waterfront promenade. That alone should spark some interest. The music itself fits the somewhat contemporary folk-pop genre. The sound is mature, but it’s also fun. “0 Avenue Park” kicks off their debut EP, which was recorded live at The Hive.

Right away, it’s apparent this band would be a fun one to catch at the local dive. Their sound has a slightly larger bite than, say, Seattle’s Math And Physics Club, but songs like “Concertina” still maintain a hint of that lounge-pop sound. The band quickly establishes itself as chill with a cool, muted trumpet, sultry female vocals (they hit their peak in “The Lament”), and an insistent tambourine.

As a debut, 5 Song EP is pretty much what you’d expect. It’s a band learning to find its way and beginning to define its sound. We Found A Lovebird has several shining qualities, and there’s definitely a place for this style of soft, mature pop. If they keep pumping out excellent tunes like “I Need A Good Drunk” and “Makes You Great”, don’t be surprised if We Found A Lovebird generates a little buzz.

The good news is that hey have. The band just released their debut 7″ single and it follows a similar path but with better production and more intrigue. “Hand It To Hollywood” blends male and female vocals for superb harmony that hints of a clash between Carissa’s Wierd and Rainer Maria. After listening to 5 Song EP, this is exactly what I was hoping to hear next from these folks. So much so that it sent a chill down my spine.

Download: “I Need A Good Drunk” by We Found A Lovebird

Download: “Hand It To Hollywood” by We Found A Lovebird

After the stunning success of Fleet Foxes’ debut self-titled LP in 2008, it became apparent that there would inevitably be artists that steal away portions of their so very classic sound. To be honest, I haven’t really seen them. That is, until Yukon Blonde. Now, don’t immediately label these folks as mere spinoffs. “Wind Blows” does have those echoing harmony vocals with that drawl-ish tone, but there’s more of a singular vocal presence around the front-man; you can hear it in the verse.

Rather than tried and true folk-rock, “Wind Blows” has a substantial portion of pop which FF tends to lack. I love the melody and that electric guitar mixed down to dominate the background. And the percussion is heavy and dominant. There’s a lot here that makes this band unique; its influences may stem back to 60s folk-pop and folk-rock, but that only means there’s more to look forward to.

“Wind Blows” is off Yukon Blonde’s self-titled LP, out this week on Nevado Records.

Yukon Blonde: Wind Blows [mp3]

Nick Krgovich gave an intimate solo performance last weekend in Anacortes not as Gigi, his latest project with producer Colin Stewart and a slew of who’s-whos in underground pop, but as P:ano. It seems only fitting to talk about this new project on the same day I post that P:ano live review. Even more so being that Gigi’s debut album, Maintenant, hits next week via Tomlab.

Gigi’s sounds blend modern underground pop with a Specter-influenced early 60s pop influence. Krgovich has demonstrated a unique versatility in his previous groups P:ano and No Kids; his appetite for bringing forth eras of another time into the modern world while simultaneously toying with them for truly amazing affects is insatiable. And it shows in everything he touches.

With Gigi, Krgovich and Stewart invite a few friends along for the ride, from some fellow No Kids and P:ano members to Joey Cook of Pomegranates, the infamous Rose Melberg, and Mirah. The list continues… Karl Blau, Zac Pennington, Katy Davidson, Owen Pallett, Duffy Driediger and Ryan Peters… and more.

Gigi: No, My Heart Will Go On [mp3]

Gigi: Strolling Past The Old Graveyard [mp3]

In the new age of digital downloading and iTunes supremacy, many artists are turning to giving tracks away as a way to get their name out and about. Maybe it’s effort to get you to come out to your local pub, farmer’s market, or Tully’s to watch them give you the magic live and in person. Vancouver B.C.’s Bend Sinister has graciously joined the hopefuls by giving away 10 free tracks as downloads on their website. And by now we should know that just because it’s free, doesn’t mean it lacks quality.

Bend Sinister wants, and deserves, a following. Their “go funk yourself” rock-n-roll style is very impressive. They are a perfect band for fans of real socially unacceptable rock with a twist of gentleness from the soft heart embedded in all of us. In the spirit of Benjamin Bear, piano drenched and wholesome sounds can be yours with a few clicks of a mouse and a mailing list.

Amongst the 10 free tracks you will receive 9 rightfully chosen cuts from all 3 Bend Sinister albums available. And the extra cut is a stunning cover of The Beatles’ “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”. These guys have made a good move here. Simply because 10 tracks is just not enough. You will undoubtedly click your happy ass to the house that Steve Jobs built and get some more Bend’s tracks. Well played sirs. Well played.

Download your 10 free tracks at their website.

Bend Sinister: Happiness Is A Warm Gun [mp3]

Bend Sinister: 4 Jimmy Brown [mp3]