April 2, 2012 by Steph
Yes, I now that I’m late on this. But I’m sharing anyway. This sextet indie-folk band from Garðabær, Iceland is extremely talented. As are most bands that are able to make it onto the international scene out of the oblivion that is the icy north. Love it!
Category Features, Tracks | Tags: iceland,indie folk,of monsers and men | Comments Off on HEAR THIS: Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”
March 7, 2012 by Steph
LOVE this band and their full album is streaming on Soundcloud. Listen below.
Category Albums | Tags: Canada,Hidden Pony,indie rock,Said the Whale | Comments Off on HEAR THIS: Said the Whale – Little Mountain
February 26, 2012 by Steph
I loved Rugrats, so with a name like “Reptar,” you’re bound to get my attention. And it’s not just me– this Georgia-based band has been collecting quite a following since 2008. Their debut album Body Faucet was produced by Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Gnarls Barkley, Washed Out) and will be released on Vagrant Records on May 1st (review coming soon).
They’ll be playing at SXSW and supporting buzzed-about band Grouplove on tour this Spring. If you’re like me and want to catch them early, come see them at The Echo this Wednesday with Quiet Hooves and Lucius.
Follow @reptarathens
AT THE ECHO
Wednesday, Feb 29
8:30pm / $8adv; $10dos / 18+
LISTING / TICKETS
REPTAR LIVE DATES
2/23 – Fitzgerald’s (Downstairs) – Houston, TX
2/24 – The Prophet Bar – Dallas, TX
2/25 – Stubbs BBQ – Austin, TX
2/27 – Solar Culture – Tucson, AZ
2/28 – Soda Bar – San Diego, CA
2/29 – The Echo – Los Angeles, CA (more…)
Category Live | Tags: Athens,indie rock,Reptar,The Echo | Comments Off on Reptar in LA
February 8, 2012 by Steph
It’s funny how you can hear the name of a band or artist so much that you feel like you know their M.O. I felt this way about Alcoholic Faith Mission–that I knew their schtick and that they weren’t my thing. Then comes a press release with their new video to prove me wrong. Not only are they nothing like I imagined, but their visceral and Aboriginal-inspired video for their single “Into Pieces” shocked me into listening.
The single, from their upcoming LP Ask Me This is as if The Polyphonic Spree joined Bon Iver on an Active Child remix. Falsetto-laden and littered with harmonious choruses over a scaling piano, synth beats, and an arpeggio of vocals, “Into Pieces” is striking in both beauty and strangeness. And yes, Brooklyn Vegan loves them too.
Ask Me This will be out on Old Flame Records on March 27th.
Category Music Videos | Tags: Alcoholic Faith Mission,Denmark | Comments Off on WATCH THIS: Alcoholic Faith Mission – “Into Pieces”
February 7, 2012 by Steph
My obsession with St. Vincent is possibly unhealthy. I am absolutely infatuated and this new video, premiered today by Google Music and Youtube, is no exception. The feelings it provokes in such a hyperbolic and artistic way are magical…evoking sadness and desperation. It brings the song “Cheerleader” (from St. Vincent’s completely fantastic Strange Mercy) forward in, not a new light, but in a brighter, more tangible one. Sensational.
Category Music Videos | Tags: female,Female Vocals,indie pop,Saint Vincent,songwriter | Comments Off on WATCH THIS: St. Vincent – “Cheerleader”
February 6, 2012 by Steph
It’s practically impossible for me to stop dancing in my seat as I write this. Anna, a soulful alto, has written a deliciously-saccharine pop song. Think Hall & Oats “You Make My Dreams Come True,” but with a female vocalist, more handclaps, and set in something more adorable and teen like Freaky Friday or A Cinderella Story. Ok…. maybe it’s my 15-year-old self that loves this.
Her album Canary In A Coal Mine will be released on February 28th via Paper Anchor Music.
Category Features, Tracks | Tags: Anna Vogelzang,pop | Comments Off on Anna Vogelzang
February 4, 2012 by Steph
Choir of Young Believers from Denmark is sci-fi pop with 80s/Joy Division undertones. The beats are muted and the synth is prominent on “Patricia’s Thirst.” “Nye Nummer Et” takes a wholer, more cinematic tone, swelling with a violin and minor-key falsetto, bordering on Active-Child indie-opratic.
Their sophomore album Rhine Gold will be released March 20 on Ghostly International and they’ll be on a U.S. tour this Spring. See them in L.A. at The Echo on March 9th.
From Stereogum – “Patricia’s Thirst”
From Paste premiere – “Nye Nummer Et”
03.09 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
03.12 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03.13 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03.14 – Austin, TX @ Club Deville (Ghostly International Showcase)
03.15 – Austin, TX @ Mellow Johnny’s (KEXP Session)
03.16 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03.21 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
Category Features, Tracks | Tags: 80s pop,Choir of Young Believers,Denmark,synth pop | Comments Off on Choir of Young Believers
January 20, 2012 by Steph
Brand new video from one of the catchiest singles of 2011.
Category Music Videos | Tags: Active Child,Avant Pop | Comments Off on WATCH THIS: Active Child – “Hanging On”
December 16, 2011 by Steph
1. 
Strange Mercy – St. Vincent (4AD)
2. 
Civilian – Wye Oak (Merge)
3. 
Nightlife – Phantogram (Indica Records/Fontana North)
4. 
Codes and Keys – Death Cab for Cutie (Atlantic)
5. 
This is Where We Are – Seryn (Velvet Blue Music / Spune)
6. 
BBDLP1 – Big Black Delta (Coming Home Records)
7. 
Paradise – Slow Club (Moshi Moshi)
8. 
Dig Up the Dead – Mansions (Burning House)
9. 
Blue Suicide – Coma Cinema (Wonder Beard Tapes / Fork and Spoon)
10. 
Tamer Animals – Other Lives (TBD Records)
Category Albums | Tags: | Comments Off on Favorite Albums of 2011
