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Reading Rainbow [Feature]

reading-rainbow

Fuzzy, dreamy guitars and harmonic female vocals may lead you to think of some pretty notable bands of late, specifically Best Coast, Vivian Girls, and Dum Dum Girls. Others too. Add another one to the list, with Reading Rainbow‘s chill, fuzzed-out pop song “Wasting Time”. Take a gander at “Always On My Mind” and you still get the chill and dreamy nature of the previous song, but things are a bit slower and feature a monotonous, surreal drone that flirts with both instrumentation and vocals. Read More »Reading Rainbow [Feature]

Summer Camp: Round The Moon [Video]

summer-camp-band

Not too long ago, I posted a list of great videos and on that list was one for “Shyness” by Thieves Like Us. This is notable not only because Summer Camp‘s “Round The Moon” fits nicely beside that band’s critically acclaimed tune, but also because they sampled the same video footage in the creation of these videos. Summer Camp released their Young EP a few months back on Moshi Moshi and it hints of moody European music from the early 80s with plenty of synth and electronics and depressed vocals. Read More »Summer Camp: Round The Moon [Video]

Silver Swans: Secrets [mp3]

silver-swans

The nerd in me has been getting into comics of late, namely Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, so it’s fitting that the first thing I latched onto in Silver Swans‘ bio is that they pulled their name from the group of super villians in Wonder Woman. Like the evil-doers, “Secrets” by Silver Swans will haunt your nights. And they do it with slow, dreamy pop, swirling with synths and beats by DJ producer Jon Waters, and the vocals of Ann Yu. “Secrets” possesses the ability to tailspin you into a hypnotic trance; the song has an eerie calm, perfect for pitch-black nights broken by colorful lights and warm bodies. Read More »Silver Swans: Secrets [mp3]

The Silent Boys: Princess By The Sea [Album Review]

the-silent-boys

Taking inspiration from the remnants of Sarah Records is The Silent Boys, a band that embodies the term indie-pop. Their music, as heard throughout Princess By The Sea is lovable and twee. Odd, then, that this album would just now be getting a release — it is the band’s oldest work, shelved and tweaked for more than two decades. Thus it should be no surprise that Princess By The Sea strives to be the perfect pop album. Read More »The Silent Boys: Princess By The Sea [Album Review]

Morrow [Feature]

morrow

There’s an odd calm in the song “Who Will Be King Over All The Dead” by Morrow, which is a bit strange as it’s a full-fledged rock song. It possesses a hypnotic, mesmerizing presence that will sweep you away. And it’s apocalyptic in its emotive nature. Starting soft, almost minimal, the song adds a heavy percussion about 30 seconds in. It’s the dark guitars, the epic percussion (in the heavier moments), and the dreamily morose lyrics and calming vocals that hint of Black Heart Procession. Read More »Morrow [Feature]

New Mexico: Have You Met My Friend? [Album Review]

new-mexico

I’ve seen New Mexico be slated as garage, but I don’t quite hear it. It’s a little too clean for me to slap on that label. It has plenty of rawness and grit, but not quite enough to cross the line into the garage. It doesn’t matter; their new album, Have You Seen My Friend?, does throw a mighty rock tantrum. These guys are loud, but not too loud. They put emphasis in all the right places, in the riffs they play, the songs they write, and the production that brings it all together. Read More »New Mexico: Have You Met My Friend? [Album Review]

Ham1: It’s Only A Dream Unto Itself [mp3]

ham1

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. Read More »Ham1: It’s Only A Dream Unto Itself [mp3]

Hurricane Lanters: Hymns For The Misguided [Album Review]

hurricane-lanterns

Moody rock is nothing new to the northwest. I think it has something to do with the less-than favorable weather; it’s always raining and when it’s not there’s a fair chance it’s gray and overcast. Hurricane Lanterns fit right in, creating a heavy-yet-bouncy style of rock easy to dig. The project is that of Patrick Dodd, with Jack Lightfoot on drums and Aaron Mannino on bass and backup vocals. Their latest release is called Hymns for the Misguided, and they make acoustic-based tunes seem heavier and louder than normal. Read More »Hurricane Lanters: Hymns For The Misguided [Album Review]

Crushed Stars: Black Umbrella [mp3]

crushed-stars

Convalescing In Braille is the latest by Todd Gautreau, who often goes by the moniker Crushed Stars. Oft descriptive words associated with Gautreau and his Crushed Stars may relate to the night hours, overcast days, or infinite soundscapes. These words fit — there’s something oddly spacial about the dreamy pop of Crushed Stars, and that’s what makes the band, and an album like Convalescing In Braille work so well. Read More »Crushed Stars: Black Umbrella [mp3]

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