photograph by Chris Strong

Friday, October 23, 2009

Kurran & the Wolfnotes

Thanks to a great tip from a from a friend, I was able to catch London's Kurran & the Wolfnotes at the Borderline last night. After seeing them live, it's safe to say that their demos don't even do the band a modicum of justice. The band's debut single, "Whatabitch", will be released Nov. 2nd via indie label Chess Club. Check out a fantastic live in-studio version of the track below.



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posted by Lizzy at 10/23/2009 | 0 comments

Friday, October 02, 2009

Stagecoach

"I'm fine, you're fine. Stop wasting my time."

England now has an answer to America's infatuation with the music of Rivers Cuomo - Stagecoach. Angular, smart, and ultimately far more enjoyable than I even care to admit, the band's new EP entitled We Got Tazers! is a five track collection (an additional remix makes it six) of infectious pop/rock. The groups self-ascribed myspace motto - "We like to party, we like to party, we like to party," holds remarkably true. The disc's title track, which is anchored by a sugary made-for-radio chorus, is followed in full force by four others with similar pop instrumentation. Included for sampling below is one of the disc's more decidedly alt-rock tracks - "Break". Alcopop! will launch the new EP next Saturday at Notting Hill Arts Club.


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posted by Lizzy at 10/02/2009 | 1 comments

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Early States

"Get me as far away as you can, maybe across this whole country."

Your reputation precedes you, Early States. Prior to actually giving the band a go and listening to the group's Powerlines EP, I had heard whispers about 19 year old frontman Zack Gray's indie brilliance. Since forming under two years ago, the band has already built up an impressive resume. After amassing a nice little collection of alt-rock gems, inking a deal with Wind-Up Records, and jumping on board this summer's Warped Tour - the young Norcal four-piece likely has a big few years ahead of them.


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posted by Lizzy at 9/26/2009 | 4 comments

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

the Rocketboys; 20,000 Ghosts

"Are you a stranger passing through here?"

I thought that last month's mini-obsession was two years too late. Turns out I'm right on time. The six-track Sing, Bird, Sing EP was all I had and knew of Austin's Rocketboys until word of the band's debut full length fell into my lap sometime last week. I was thrilled, certainly, to find that the new disc isn't much different in form or style than its predecessor. 20,000 Ghosts will hit the racks on September 29th, and comes courtesy of Paperthin Media. Fellow Texas natives Dignan will tour with the band throughout the month of October in support of the new album.

posted by Lizzy at 9/08/2009 | 0 comments

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Milktooth

"Your arrows are in me."

Belmont grad David Condos teams with other young Nashville songwriters to form new group Milktooth. With a solo full length and sophomore EP already under his belt, Condos employs the talents of Michael Ford Jr. (who also dabbles in solo work), Ian Leach, and Noah Denney. Although David's bouts with his new band are decidedly more rock and roll, he doesn't stray too far from the foundations of his solo work. The band just wrapped up a short Southeast tour in support of their self-titled EP - available at a myriad of online retailers.


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posted by Lizzy at 9/02/2009 | 1 comments

Thursday, August 27, 2009

The Swell Season

"You were restless, I was somewhere less secure."

Everybody who is anybody knows and appreciates the earnest brilliance and labour-of-love intensity of Frames frontman Glen Hansard. The brilliance is only amplified when you add long time musical collaborator, Once costar, and former Czech girlfriend Marketa Irglova. Together they are the Swell Season. Glen still totes his barely-there guitar, and Marketa adds her signature airy vocal and piano accompaniment. The new album, Strict Joy, hits shelves on October 27th. Until then, you're advised to pick up the duo's self titled debut and the ever incredible Once soundtrack.


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posted by Lizzy at 8/27/2009 | 0 comments

Sunday, August 23, 2009

The Wooden Sky

"I keep on repeating all the last things you said."

If my days were spent galavanting back and forth between the great Northern cities of Toronto and Montreal, I'm sure I'd have some great stories to tell. Canada's The Wooden Sky, who release their first full length on August 25th, are some such storytellers. "The 13-track LP sweeps through countless rock and roll subgenres," reads the band's promo e-mail. Essentially, it has all the makings of a classic rock and roll record and comes complete with a heaping helping of alt-country and folk undertones. The band will be touring, starting in late September, through most of October in support of If I Don't Come Home, You'll Know I'm Gone.


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posted by Lizzy at 8/23/2009 | 1 comments

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Jocasta Sleeps

"The last thing you want in the world is to leave without saying goodbye."

Without having ever been, it seems that Glasgow and I have some sort of strangely cosmic metaphysical connection. There's an acute difference between simply enjoying a song and wanting to fall off your chair every time you hear it - which is what a number of Glaswegian groups have done to me in the past few years. Jocasta Sleeps, whether they've adopted their name from Greek mythology or the world of Marvel comics I'm still unsure, is the latest young Scottish band to render me inarticulate. Their debut single, "Crayfish Cocktail", is now at most digital retailers. I've opted to post the single's b-side instead, as I find it a bit more evocative.


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posted by Lizzy at 8/19/2009 | 1 comments

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Wolf Am I

"We're all so perfect from afar..."

Alcopop! is nothing if not ultra consistent. I find myself enjoying each and every single artist they have thus far chosen to work with. Berkshire's Wolf Am I, formerly Kill the Arcade, is certainly no exception. The band's fiery new take on their tried and true alt-rock formula sets them, and their excellent new full-length Lead the Way, far above the rest of the muck and the mire originating from today's teenage neo-punk scene.


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posted by Lizzy at 8/16/2009 | 0 comments

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

SH Davidson

"Good luck is not my friend, it never sends me anything."

When Stephen isn't busy writing, playing, touring, and simply being extraordinary with his band Tellison (written about long ago, but loved very much still to this day), he moonlights as a noticeably more temperate version of his musical self. SH Davidson's collection of lo-fi folk tracks, the longest of which tops out at just over two and a half minutes, are worlds apart from his band's frenzied brand of fight-pop. He dabbles simultaneously in the best of both worlds. In all its simplicity, "Bookshelf" is one of my absolute favorite tracks and comes with the very highest of recommendations. It's too hard not to be effusive.


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posted by Lizzy at 8/11/2009 | 1 comments

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Survive Atlantica

"I've seen you float in and out for days."

The young London four-piece, Survive Atlantica, seem to have mastered the art of slow crawling melodies and gradual build-ups to a decidedly more epic chorus. The understated atmospherics and the obvious attention to instrumentation suggests that the band is developed far beyond their apparent years. "Circuits & the Sea", the first single from the group's debut album entitled I Woke The Devil is available for preview below. The album just dropped early this week but is, unfortunately, a bit hard to track down for those who reside outside of the UK.


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posted by Lizzy at 8/06/2009 | 0 comments

Monday, August 03, 2009

Nathanael Mehrens

"Does anybody ever listen to the things they're told?"

After falling in love with his short and certainly understated Here/There EP years back, I spent the many months that followed with the music of Nashville's Nathanael Mehrens always somewhere in the back of my mind. I was thrilled, no doubt, when he contacted me a few backs about the upcoming release of his new 6 track EP - For the Conscious. The disc's title track, which also happens to be my favorite, is included for preview below. You can find For the Conscious at a few major online retailers - take your pick.


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posted by Lizzy at 8/03/2009 | 0 comments

Friday, July 31, 2009

There Will Be Fireworks

"All the songs you hate are the songs I always play."

I've been in the habit of looking to London to find my favorite UK music. As of late, however, the sounds of Scotland and the seemingly endless pool of talent from Glasgow, Edinburgh, and beyond never cease to surprise me. Throw There Will Be Fireworks into the mix with other native bands like the Twilight Sad, Frightened Rabbit, and Copy Haho - and you've got at least 3 or 4 of my favorite albums. The band's newly released self-titled disc is great from stem to stern...even the less than 2 minute interludes are anything but filler tracks.


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posted by Lizzy at 7/31/2009 | 1 comments

Monday, July 06, 2009

the Rocketboys

"I would sell you out in a heartbeat, because you can defend yourself."

Although music released back in 2007 can hardly be considered new, at least it's still fresh to this here set of ears. The Rocketboys, who have only recently shortened their name from their former Homer Hiccolm & the Rocketboys moniker, are a groyp of semi-shoegazing indie kids from the musical hotbed of Austin, Texas. The band's Sing, Bird, Sing EP is a collection of six slow-riding pop tracks. It's certainly familiar, but with enough cheek (on "Heartbeat" in particular) to set the band far enough apart from the rest of the pop/rock fray. Catch the band on tour with Dear Future throughout the month of July.


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posted by Lizzy at 7/06/2009 | 1 comments

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Arrows of Love

"My hands are burning."

Thanks to a tip from one of my favorite English imprints, Alcopop!, London's Arrows of Love just won over a new set of ears. Without breaking the bank, you can download the band's new EP for the mere price of an e-mail address. They're not looking to make as much as even a penny, they simply want you to listen. As an English indie super-group of sorts, the band is composed of members from Hush The Many (Heed The Few), Kid Harpoon, and even Jamie T. You have plenty of chances to catch the group play throughout the summer if you live in town.


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posted by Lizzy at 6/30/2009 | 0 comments

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Frankie and His Fingers

"Just flip that 'charming' switch on."

It's a pseudo-discovery.  It was years ago when I first stumbled upon Frankie and His Fingers - when they themselves were only about 18 years old and I even younger.  The tracks that would later become the band's One Hell of a Skeleton EP were played in my house ad-nauseam. Only days ago did I revisit band's page to discover the addition of four new tracks, two of which are included below.  I like Frankie and His Fingers for everything they're not. They're not polished, the recordings are a bit rough, and most would think the whole musical package in general could use a little tightening up.  They'd be wrong, though, because these are the very qualities that make the band inexplicably great.


more info...
Purevolume (to download 2 additional free tracks)

posted by Lizzy at 6/25/2009 | 2 comments

Sunday, June 21, 2009

the Drums

"Wake up, there's a new kid in the town."

If New Order wrote less about doom and gloom and cared as much about surfing and summer beach-frolicking as do Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham, I'd have a helluva time telling you which band I prefer more.  The two Brooklyn transplants, who call themselves the Drums, have no problem genre bending, blending, and mixing the music of decades long past.  Their "fascination with 50s surf culture" coupled with the inspiration drawn from bands like the Smiths and Joy Division allows for an interesting catalogue of tracks that will live on long after the summer season.  The aptly titled Summertime EP hits the digital shelves on August 4th and is already available for pre-order.


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posted by Lizzy at 6/21/2009 | 0 comments

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Still Life Still

"We really need to be friends."

With unflinching regularity, I am somehow able to overlook the endless pools of talent from Canada.  Off the top of my head, though I'm sure there's more, I could list my Canadian favorites on one hand.  It's starting to become a very serious character flaw.  Thus, the following band entered the fray a good time.  Still Life Still, from Ontario, just released their new Pastel EP by way of indie super-label Arts & Crafts.  The EP's title track, posted below, as well as of yet unreleased "Neon Blue" seem to be monopolizing my time lately...


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posted by Lizzy at 6/18/2009 | 1 comments

Monday, June 15, 2009

You Animals


You Animals - "Halfway To Heartbreak"

Song of the summer contender...nevermind that the track isn't even released yet.  Too bad you'll have to log on and watch the video everyday for a month - which is exactly what you'll find yourself doing after hearing the track  - until you can buy it, download it, and carry it with you wherever you go.  The UK's You Animals will release "Halfway To Heartbreak" via Fear and Records on July 13th. The track is miles beyond infectious, but without the campy overkill that characterizes most of today's pop radio fare. The single's b-side is attached below and it too comes highly (highly, highly...) recommended.  Catch the band next month as they spend most of July rolling through England with a quick pit stop in Glasgow.  Check back with Fear and Records in the coming weeks to get your hands on a copy!


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posted by Lizzy at 6/15/2009 | 0 comments

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Thomas J Speight

"There ain't no use in lying to you."

In the States, the long lost (but not forgotten!) CD single kicked the bucket years ago.  I remember the days when browsing the singles rack at Target and (R.I.P) Sam Goody was, at the very least, a regular weekly activity when I was really just a child at 9 and 10 years old.  The UK, however, has kept the much loved tradition alive.  London's Thomas J Speight, the most recent young songwriter to knock me off my feet and land me in a spot miles away, will release his first single late summer/early fall. Speight's obviously introspective demeanor on "This House" calls to mind the wistful, yet somehow still free and easy, tenor of Pneumonia-era Whiskeytown.  It's just one of the those tracks the world really ought to know about.  Nothing is available to purchase at the present...but you'll know as soon as I do.  A small smattering of London shows carries Thomas through the months of June and July until he rounds out the summer with a set of weekend gigs at Gloucestershire's Bloom Festival in mid-August.


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posted by Lizzy at 6/11/2009 | 0 comments

Sunday, June 07, 2009

All Get Out

"I do everything the hard way."

Loud as All Get Out, as they like to say.  The young group from Charleston, SC, rather than cruising on the coattails of label owner Andy Hull of Manchester Orchestra, who himself is currently making the transition from indie-fame to mainstream, are instead riding the waves they've created for themselves.  With two popular EPs under their belt and, if I remember hearing correctly, a debut full length in the works and on the way, the band has made good use of Hull's creative guardianship at Favorite Gentlemen Recordings.  The boys are booked solid through the end of July as they travel through the deep South and hit parts of the Midwest.


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posted by Lizzy at 6/07/2009 | 0 comments

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Super Tennis


Gimmickry aside, North's London Super Tennis is a pretty great band.  The 3 piece's math-rock, fight-pop (I don't come up with this stuff on my own, trust me) stylings are undoubtedly an acquired taste.  Fans of countrymen This Town Needs Guns or Hot Club de Paris will find the band's instrumentation both familiar and appealing.  After releasing a free 5-song EP, on which the following two tracks were included, the band released their "Theme Song" single in April via Faux Discx/Banquet Records.  Not shows on the agenda as of the present, but check back regularly for some London dates.


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posted by Lizzy at 6/06/2009 | 0 comments

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

The Seal Cub Clubbing Club

"He'd measure rainfall, wouldn't he?"

Dare: try to say it five times fast. The Seal Cub Clubbing Club, who reside in Wirral, England just outside of Liverpool, are probably the most eccentric bunch of non-eccentrics I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. The ultra kitschy moniker, which I've slowly grown to both love and appreciate, and the wonderfully bizarre cover art, though not entirely reflective of the music contained therein, are somehow inexplicably befitting. The band's newly released Super Science Fiction disc intermixes strangely operatic and epic flights of fancy with familiar pop/rock instrumentation.


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posted by Lizzy at 6/02/2009 | 1 comments

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Cherbourg; Into the Dark

"A whole made up of better halves."

I am absolutely positive that I haven't loved any band nearly as much as this upon first listen. London's Cherbourg has been my exclusive favorite for the past few months (see March's Cherbourg post for an equally amazing track from the band's previous EP) and, I can only imagine, will continue to be so long into the future.  The songs are pretty epic and timeless - all without trying too hard to be so.  The single from next week's release of Into The Dark is posted below.  Though only 4 tracks, every song is phenomenal. The band hits a good bit of England and Scotland through June and July, and I can only hope their show schedule is as a hefty when I return to London late in the summer.


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posted by Lizzy at 5/31/2009 | 4 comments

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Tigers That Talked


"Another fear with every year."

After happening upon Tigers That Talked only a few months ago, my days have since been spent in waiting as the release of the band's upcoming Black Heart, Blue Eyes EP creeps closer. It's not that haven't had enough to hold me over - the band's previous "23 Fears" single, which is itself pretty brilliant, has been played ad nauseum (though I could actually never tire of the track) in the interim. The day is nearly here, however, as Bad Sneaker Records will put the disc out come June 8th.  Front Jamie Williams anchors the 4 piece from Leeds, England with his near-perfect yet never overwrought vocals. TTT is busy the next few weeks with a few shows in London, as well as some gigs in Manchester York, and hometown Leeds. 


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posted by Lizzy at 5/27/2009 | 4 comments

Sunday, May 24, 2009

William

"Surely, that's the first step."

I like a good bit of irony every once in awhile, and so I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that London 3-piece William find their tracks listed on eMusic, without much differentiation, under hip hop's Will.I.Am. Interesting company, I suppose.  After hearing the new six song collection Slightly Delighted, with the band's genuinely scrappy indie-pop instrumentation and frontman Gavin Housley's ultra-earnest delivery to match, I think I'd love to pass a night at the pub with these three.  Not that I wasn't expecting it, Tough Love Records usually knows exactly how to pick them.


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posted by Lizzy at 5/24/2009 | 1 comments

Sunday, May 17, 2009

The Working Title; Bone Island

"Maybe there was nobody else, but I felt followed..."

I still listen to the band's major label debut, About Face, pretty regularly. Even after writing about the band at length for the past few years, I've yet to grow tired of the Working Title. Frontman Joel Hamilton has been playing and recording since his mid-teens, and watching someone grow up via a series of songs, albums, and EPs is a pretty interesting thing to do. Granted, I've been busy growing up myself, but following a band for 5+ years is a feat for someone like myself.   It could have been 10 if I was still spinning my self-titled Backstreet Boys disc from elementary school (the world should know: I'm not).  TWT's new disc Bone Island just came out last week.  It follows the band's unplugged EP Heart - which I highly recommend.


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posted by Lizzy at 5/17/2009 | 0 comments

Thursday, May 14, 2009

never enough Tom Williams...

"At twenty-two I was unprepared..."

Talking about him again? Already? So soon? I can't help myself. I'm still spinning the latest Tom Williams & the Boat EP like it's the only music that matters. For being a young guy, Tom is pretty damn prolific.  Although he's fresh off the release of the much-loved Doing My Best EP, he's already got a new single in the pipeline.  The band is very generous with free tracks and such, so venture on over to their official site - you'll make a killing. "90 MPH" and the accompanying track "Too Slow" with be released on June 15th.  And as always, head out to see the band play if you're in London...!


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posted by Lizzy at 5/14/2009 | 3 comments

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Situationists

"What will we do when our luck runs out on us?"

It's a shame that this post had to be done posthumously. Semi-posthumously, at least. Lost but not yet forgotten. It's never too late to share a great band, anyway. Sheffield, England's Situationists will play their last show this week on May 14th. The band released a couple of great EPs that I suggest you get your hands on. Included below is my favorite cut (as well as the title track) from the band's Onwards & Upwards release. In anticipation of the upcoming 2009 release (which might never see the light of day in light of recent events), Tough Love Record's sent out a few promo tracks...a cover of Daft Punk's "Digital Love" is included below.


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posted by Lizzy at 5/12/2009 | 0 comments

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Thom Stone; Hearts & Bones

"I wish you'd try to make up your mind."

Regardless of where he comes from or where he's been since - whether it's London, Manchester, or anywhere in between - young songwriter Thom Stone seems pretty unaffected by the run-around of big city life. In fact, if music is indeed an accurate reflection of one's surroundings, Thom steers well clear of the expected hustle and bustle. After spending some time experimenting with a backing band, it appears he's gone back to square one on his new yet to be released 2 part EP. Hearts & Bones will be available on May 25th via iTunes.  The EP release show will be on the same date at London's Soho Arts Club. 


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posted by Lizzy at 5/10/2009 | 2 comments