San Francisco garage pop outfit The Mantles return with their sophomore LP, Long Enough to Leave. The band has given us a sneak peek from the new album with the psychedelic-leaning, garage pop track “Hello”. For fans of their 2009 self-titled debut LP, this track is sure to please. Read More »The Mantles: Hello
Echo Lake was originally formed by Thom Hill and Linda Jarvis, then expanded to include a full, five-piece band. The group just released their debut LP, Wild Peace, via Slumberland Records on June 26. On it, classic dreamy indie pop clashes with reverb-filled, synth-based shoegaze. Read More »Echo Lake: Feature
I love it when music videos come with a warning. Be it the infamous (and slightly coveted) NSFW label, or, in the case of “All Night Low” by Violens, the Epileptic-inducing, flashing lights, strobe-effect warning. Whatever the warning may say, this is what I read: we’ve got something a little different for you, we’re taking things to a whole new level, and get ready for awesomeness. Read More »Violens: All Night Low
San Francisco’s Weekend takes your favorite post punk fuzz pop sound and infuses it with a deep, dreamy shoegaze on their track “Coma Summer”. Now, I’m not sure if all of Weekend is like this, as I have yet to hear anything else from their LP Sports, but the epic distortion that fills this song is more than enough to spark immense curiosity. It’s based around experimentation and packed with dark, heavy vocals. This is precisely the type of track and style of band you’d expect to get turned onto by a label like Slumberland Records. Read More »Weekend: Coma Summer [mp3]
One of last year’s top bands is at it again with a new single out next month on Slumberland Records for their new song “Say No To Love”. To mark the occasion, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart also given us a video of the recent dream pop single “Higher Than The Stars”. The video starts out in black and white, with the sole addition of the color orange, but switches to full color in the middle. From Dylan Mulick, the video gives TPOBPAH a playful side to their typically moody music. Read More »The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart: Higher Than The Stars [Video]
Oh C86, how I long to bask in your greatness. And I soon will, thanks to Slumberland Records. The label that dominated my 2009 list (including my #2 record from Pains Of Being Pure At Heart), will be giving us a retrospective taste of the C86-era by reissuing Chin Chin‘s Sound Of The Westway. Read More »Chin Chin: Dark Days [mp3]
In their new single “The Back Of My Mind” off the forthcoming Flashbacks LP out later this month, The Lodger takes a slightly different approach to the sunny pop they’ve released over their past two albums. The song is less bouncy and vocals echo across a backdrop of a consistent drone of jangle guitar. In comparison to highlight tracks like “Many Thanks For Your Honest Opinion” off Grown-Ups and “The Good Old Days” off Life Is Sweet, the song can almost be called mopey and emotive. In that respect, it opposes the insanely upbeat tracks The Lodger has been pumping out for years with great results. Read More »The Lodger: The Back Of My Mind [mp3]
With select bands, especially in the arena of indie pop, you always know what you’re going to get. And with these bands, you know that what you get will be good. They’re trustworthy in that manner – you see it with artists that have longevity on their side; ten, possibly even fifteen years. The Bats beat them all out, spanning close to three decades. Read More »The Bats: Face Inside The Sun [mp3]
Mixing the psychedelic pop of the 60s with a more orchestrated baroque sound, The Soft Skin is four sunny tracks by Philadelphia’s most promising pop band in quite a while. Brown Recluse began as duo Timothy Meskers and Mark Saddlemire, and ultimately grew to six individuals. Within The Soft Skin, you’ll hear the plush instrumentation, from a focus on keys and jangle guitars in opener “Rotten Tangerines” to the trumpet feature in closer “Contour And Context”. Read More »Brown Recluse: The Soft Skin [Album Review]
Downbeat pop is often a dangerous realm in which to work. Yet Pants Yell! begins their latest album, Received Pronunciation, in this area with the catchy tune “Frank And Sandy”, and they continue it off and on throughout the album. It actually works very well. These songs are simple and, despite being recorded/performed using electric guitars, they often have the subtle traits common in acoustic pop. Even a hard-hitting song like “Rue de la Paix” has that open, personal sound. And despite three members, the music of Pants Yell! gives the impression of singularity. Read More »Pants Yell!: Received Pronunciation [Album Review]
