Tue
23 Apr
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City Society

Published by Doug under Chilltastic.

City Society, a memorable mix of indie electronic dreampop and danceable beats, was founded in 2013 by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Richard Cupolo. Recording in his own studio and in various studios around New York City, he embraces retro keyboards and guitars and melds them with compelling, personal and existential lyrics. Coined by a friend during a post-show hangout, he chose the name as a reflection of his experiences growing up and living in the unyielding yet charming international city. Cupolo is classically trained in piano starting at age seven and taught himself guitar during his teenage years. Realizing the potential and freedom of controlling his own recordings’ sound, he learned mixing and production around the same time, refining each artistry within subsequent projects like theambient post-rock outfit The American Dollar. City Society is his first effort to include polished and keen vocals mixed with modern beat delivery such as monome-based sampling.

City Society – Riot Bloom

Tue
23 Apr
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Georgian Waters

Published by Doug under Indie Pop, Indie Rock.

Georgian Waters is an indie pop band from Sweden.  What Is In Your Heart is the first single in a single series concept.  They will be releasing more soon.  Until then, we’ll have two songs to enjoy.

Tue
23 Apr
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Messrs

Published by Doug under Indie Rock.

Australia’s Messrs create a synth-laden sound that encapsulates nearly three decades of indie-pop. Using the industrial beats of new wave-era Depeche Mode as a launch pad, Messrs touch on early 90s Pulp-inspired house, all the way up to their modern take on all that has come before. Their debut EP Welcome To Nowhere, with it’s silky sax and pulsing beat, will put a smile on the face of anyone who has ever set foot on the dance floor in the last thirty years, but will also resonate as something startling fresh and original.

Messrs’ story officially begins in 2011, but their heritage goes way back. Having played together in various musical incarnations for years, the band’s five members – Josh Moore (Vox), Justin Walker (Guitar), Chad Hooper (Drums) and brothers Craig and Shane Lock on bass and synth respectively – took a long time to find their sound.

Eschewing the skittish, scatty indie punk stylings of their early days, Messrs re-emerged a much more honed and focused unit in 2011. Their new sound rekindled the effortless grooves of Cut Copy, the washed out vocals of ’80s new wave and the punchy, retro-tinged disco beats of the 21st Century.

Having toured extensively, playing festivals such as The Great Escape (UK), The Big Day Out (AUS) and Parklife (AUS) and supporting the likes of Phoenix, Neon Indian and Kele, Messrs released their debut EP in late 2012. Welcome To Nowhere dropped last November to immediate acclaim, reaching the Top 40 in the Australian iTunes Albums Chart. The single “Desert” also made a massive impact, racking up nearly 60,000 Vimeo views to date.

With ripples slowly growing into waves back home, Messrs have world domination in their sights. Welcome To Nowhere is currently on rotation on more than 100 radio stations in the US and is shooting up the CMJ charts. It’s an exciting time for a band that just a few years ago didn’t have an identity.

Messrs – Desert

Sun
14 Apr
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Funk LeBlanc

Published by Doug under EDM, Nu Disco.

There hasn’t been much in the EDM scene that has grabbed my attention this year.  For me, I worry it has pretty much run it’s course.  I haven’t heard anything original this year.  But one sound that has grabbed my attention some this year has been the nu-wave and nu-disco sound.  Here’s a pretty new guy in that scene that goes by Funk LeBlanc.  He’s a producer based out of San Francisco, with some DJ experience in Los Angeles.  He’s been putting out some fresh and funky nu-disco tunes you need to hear.

 

Thu
11 Apr
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J A W S

Published by Doug under Indie Pop, Indie Rock.

J A W S is a new UK band with a thirst for the ocean. Named after the notorious Bond villain, rather than Spielberg’s fish-out-of-water, the four Birmingham lads make heavily dilated slacker-pop that makes everyday feel like a beach weekend. Our A-side, “Surround You” dives headfirst into the future and causes ripples in time, while our B-side “Toucan Surf” wades into warmer territory and basks in the deeper end of paradise. A bit like Friendly Fires meets Swim Deep in a hazy British fantasy that whips between black-and-white and color.

Wed
10 Apr
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Western Lows

Published by Doug under Indie Rock.

Western Lows didn’t form. Not all at once, anyway. The project came into being slowly, in fits and starts, over the course of 2011– a year that found Jack Burnside at loose ends, gradually assembling the material that would make up Western Lows’ debut album. 2012 saw Burnside travel from Los Angeles to Athens, GA to record with Andy LeMaster (Now It’s Overhead, REM, Azure Ray) at Chase Park Transduction.

With LeMaster on board as bassist, producer and co-conspirator, half-solid ideas gradually began to assume a concrete shape. Glacial’s ten songs burn, flicker, and fade in their own light, cutting a path that flows and eddies, marrying hushed vocals with barbed-wire guitars and widescreen washes of sound.

From the stark opening guitar line of “Grapevine,” Glacial unfolds gradually, revealing itself inch by inch. In its quieter moments, the record travels the same highway that led bands like Mazzy Star to their most arresting work. Stormers like “Last Known Rivers” and “Gave Away” are carried by whorls of beautiful noise, echoing Mission of Burma or Guided by Voices, bands that knew how to let a bent-backward guitar part tell its own story. The haze clears on “Icicles”, a track that recalls the kind of anxious-but-hopeful crystal-clear pop that put The Cure on the radio. “Lazy” starts up with a blast of MBV-esque tremolo-arm growl draped over the steady rumble of Jeremy Wheatley’s drum kit. Wheatley (Crooked Fingers) and Clay Leverett (Bright Eyes) trade off on drums over the course of the record. Orenda Fink (Azure Ray) contributes vocals on “I Will”.

 Now featuring a lineup rounded out by Julien Bellin and Michael Orendy, Western Lows will release Glacial via JAXART Records on June 4th.”

 

Wed
10 Apr
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Gypsy & The Cat

Published by Doug under Electro Pop, nu wave.

Gypsy & the Cat will release their second album ‘The Late Blue’ in the UK on 6th May which is preceded by new single ‘Only In December’ which is out now, both released via Alsatian Music.

‘Only In December’ is a psychedelic electro track with a huge chorus, which has a strong drum beat backed by melodic synths and gorgeous, mesmerising vocals. Album ‘The Late Blue’ is the perfect summer album; mixing the bands signature ‘dream pop’ sound with washed out melodies, indie-fuelled guitars, dance-floor highs and smart lyrics, it is addictively good. Recorded and produced by the band at home in Australia, the album was mixed by David Fridman (MGMT, The Flaming Lips).

Gypsy & the Cat are 24-year-old Xavier Bacash and 26-year-old Lionel Towers Influenced by a mixture of musical legends ranging from Spacemen 3 to Fleetwood Mac to Jeff Buckley and modern DJs from Justice to Daft Punk,Gypsy & the Cat make the perfect summer sunshine music.

The band have spent much of the last two years on the road riding the wave of the success of their first album and will be over in the UK for shows in early summer.

 

Fri
05 Apr
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Satellite Stories

Published by Doug under Indie Pop, Indie Rock.

Here’s the latest single from Satellite Stories.  They are working on their next album but it won’t be out until later this year.  Until then, enjoy the video and the single Scandinavian Girls.

 

Fri
05 Apr
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Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Published by Doug under Indie Folk.

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros recently recorded this John Denver cover for the forthcoming compilation The Music Is You: A Tribute to John Denver.  The compilation is out now, so be sure to grab it.  The band is currently working on their next album and hope to have it out later this year.  Until then, enjoy this cover.

Tue
02 Apr
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Big Orange Fluff

Published by Doug under Indie Pop.

Formed in 2012, San Francisco-area natives Big Orange Fluff draw on a wide variety of influences for their debut EP, including The Beatles, Wilco, Jeff Buckley, Smashing Pumpkins, and Eric Johnson. The result, Thirty Years Disinterred, a catchy medley of warm melodies and pretty vocals written, recorded and mixed at Jeremy Gekov’s home studio over a six-month period.

“It has been a labor of love, to co-exist with each song from concept, through maturing versions, and finally finished piece,” Jeremy described the song-writing process.

“I would start each song thinking, this is going to be a simple song, just guitar and vocals, maybe some drums, but after recording the first layers I would go back and add other textures like cello, keyboards or vocal harmonies, while still trying to leave space in the song,” Jeremy said.

Jeremy’s sister, Vera Gekov, also shares vocal duties on two songs. “I remember when we were kids, and I couldn’t stand her singing all the time, but either she got better, or my taste improved, because we work well together now.”

San Francisco Bay area talent is  prominently featured on the EP. Rebecca Roudman plays cello on two songs, bringing a cozy warmth to the music, and longtime friend, Justin Huff plays drums. Muralist Max Ehrman did the cover art for the album.

Big Orange Fluff has also produced a music video for the track “I Want My Life Back.” Featuring bright animation at its start, the video effectively illustrates the bittersweet melodies and catchy vocals.

Thirty Years Disinterred is available now on iTunes, Amazon and other major retailers.

Big Orange Fluff – I Want My Life Back

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