I saw Washed Out two years ago to this day at the Mercury Lounge, and – although it was a relatively short set – I was impressed by the energy and tight presentation of the tracks. This was when Ernest Greene was just getting a feel for his live presence, so improvement upon the already-good is to be expected on his new tour, just announced today.

In support of last year’s excellent Within and Without (2011: #21) (review), Washed Out will tour the U.S. extensively. Memoryhouse will join them for most of the April shows, and one in Austin at The Mohawk in May.

03-16 Austin, TX – SXSW Rhapsody Rocks Austin
04-16 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle *
04-17 Richmond, VA – The National *
04-18 Washington, DC – Black Cat *
04-19 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer *
04-20 Boston, MA – Paradise *
04-22 New York, NY – Highline Ballroom *
04-26 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater *
04-27 Aspen, CO – Belly Up *
04-28 Salt Lake City, UT – The Urban Lounge
04-30 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
05-02 Seattle, WA – Neptune
05-04 San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine
05-05 Los Angeles, CA – The Music Box
05-07 San Diego, CA – Porters Pub
05-10 Austin, TX – The Mohawk *
05-11 New Orleans, LA – Parish @ House of Blues
05-13 Tampa, FL – Crowbar
05-14 Fort Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
05-15 Orlando, FL – The Social
05-17 Charleston, SC – Music Farm
05-18 Asheville, NC – Asheville Music Hall
05-19 Atlanta, GA – Terminal West Atlanta
06-10 Salisbury, England – Parque da Cidade
07-14 Louisville, KY – Forecastle Festival

* with Memoryhouse

MP3: Washed Out – Belong

MP3: Washed Out – Get Up

MP3: Washed Out – Eyes Be Closed

Sub Pop / MySpace / BUY

The post Washed Out Announce Tour appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

In the wide realm of ’90s TV shows for kids, with the limited acting skills and ridiculous plots, Goosebumps was one of the most memorable — more so for the awful acting than anything else. One of its episodes shares the same name as this next band, who make spines tingle in a completely different way.

Ghost Beach are seductively good, with endless factors shaping their sound. In parts it sounds like synth-laden ’80s pop, and on others resembles a punk-rock vibe with lengthy guitar solos, like on single “First Time”. Their confused adolescent genre is a result of influences from the likes of Depeche Mode, Daft Punk and The Police. The American pairing are reminiscent of an early Hot Hot Heat, with a semi-fem vocal, unashamedly bathing in a pop bath – and I don’t mean the bubbles. They produced something that’s a lot more grown up. Saying that, they have the fun factor, the nonchalant attitude, and a contagious “let’s not stop partying until we throw up” glitter factor — especially on tracks like “Empty Streets”. It’s the sort of a song for an all-nighter party.

Ghost Beach have not set sail for the UK as of ye,t but I’m hoping they’ll plonk their anchor down at some festivals next year. They sound perfect for a festival, in a forest with fireworks.

RIYL: Hot Hot Heat, The Drums, Erasure, White Rose Movement, Foals, She Wants Revenge, Robots in Disguise, Washed Out, Daft Punk, The Police, Sting

Ghost Beach – Bones

Ghost Beach – First Time

Ghost Beach – Empty Streets

Official Site / BUY

The post Ghost Beach appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

#50 to 41                   #40 to 31                   #30 to 21                   #20 to 11                   #10 to 01

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30. Russian Circles – Empros

Russian Circles’ fourth album, Empros, improves upon their past efforts’ renowned technical displays and daring mood shifts. 2009’s Geneva was the first indication of the group’s new-found emphasis on songwriting over performing, and Empros improves upon it in every form imaginable. Russian Circles’ first few albums offered incredible virtuosity on every instrumental front, but excess would drown out blossoming moments with potential to carry a song. The missteps involved one overly voracious instrument drowning interplay between the others. This caused any semblance of a transition to sound either too forceful or not audacious enough. Whereas those early albums occasionally resulted in a same-y sound and sounds that meshed too much, Empros is beautifully varied. Each track builds off the previous one, yet without resorting to a sound bearing a split image or incompatible opposite. For instance, “Mládek” is scorching with nostalgic fury, its dexterous metal-influenced monophonic solos combining with thrashing waves of chord-based destruction and distortion. Vicious guitar-led arpeggios provide many of the lead melodies and serve prominent roles as transitional tools. Ominous yet substantially thicker guitar tones accentuate the rhythm with every whole and half note. They assume quicker pace in the final three minutes. The thunderous “Batu” is arguably the most varied on the album, with roaring guitars and vigorous percussion eventually transforming into a solemn, organ-led interlude. A single drone wavers for about a minute before additional organ and synth layers provide subtle accompaniments. It’s an appropriate entry point to the beautiful finale, “Praise Be Man”. As one of few Russian Circles tracks featuring vocals, it progresses from an acoustic-laden tropical lullaby to a starry-eyed conclusion with gauzy waves of distortion. After the furiously brilliant forty or so minutes that preceded it, one thing is clear: Empros is one of those rare albums that could rock you to sleep gently with pounding streams of distortion.

MP3: Russian Circles – Mládek

Russian Circles – 309

Official Site / BUY

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29. Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972

A sinister drone akin to a jet engine on the verge of exploding is the first sound heard on Ravedeath, 1972, the six full-length from one of the geniuses in drone and ambient music. This album is easily one of Tim Hecker’s most impressive, a fascinating triumph that incorporates more melodic whimsy into his beautifully infused samples and concocted soundscapes. These are delicate constructions that evolve from barren compositions to those breathing and producing life. The opening track, “The Piano Drop”, is a microcosm of this. By the time the work evolves into a warm fluttering synth arp, the ominous beginnings of the jet engine drone are all but forgotten. A playful and spacey melody has taken its place, and from here one would expect the usual synth-pop toppings. But as the trilogy of “In the Fog” shows by entering with the sound of a stalling garbage truck, Ravedeath, 1972 revolves partly around the concept of beauty through an unconventional source. The album is constantly stunning, and it’s not like it takes much digging to witness this. Drone isn’t widely accessible by any means, but this is an ideal entry point for those interested in find the best from the genre. Some tracks, particularly those with multiple parts, feel like rugged and lost photographs. The brooding cathedral setting of “Hatred of Music II” arises from the lightly piercing woodwinds of its first part, a very delicate piano melody and low horn-like modulation being the only source of sound. These sharp contrasts in pitch and instrumental involvement are frequent throughout the two or three-parters, specifically the beautifully bouncy closer “In the Air”. The first act is pure airy build-up, the second full of scraggly distortion and excitable keys, and the last a gorgeous come-down. Overall, it’s the most stunning track on an album full of beautiful experiments. The rest of Hecker’s discography is exceptional as well, but Ravedeath, 1972 is one of his most memorable and meticulously crafted.

Tim Hecker – In the Air III

Tim Hecker – Hatred of Music I

Official Site / BUY

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28. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

Even with it sounding very similar to their first, Helplessness Blues manages to be a completely new experience due to a variety of sweeping epics and superficially pretty ballads. “Battery Kinzie” was the second single released for the album, and for good reason. It’s a display of what Fleet Foxes do best: combine folk music with sweeping baroque arrangements and choral instruments. Things slow down a bit with “The Plains / Bitter Dancer”, a track that builds up for the first three minutes before breaking down into a multi-vocal verse led by a marching snare and seductive flute. Still, “The Shrine / An Argument” takes prize as the longest and most sweeping track on Helplessness Blues. Unlike most of Fleet Foxes’ material, it highlights a slightly more unrestrained Robin Pecknold who allows his vocal range to be expressive beyond sultry folk whisperings. This song takes a turn for the better as it switches gears from “The Shrine” to “An Argument”, a movement introduced by Fleet Foxes taking more risks. That’s not to say familarity isn’t a strength as well. Old school Fleet Foxes again comes out in abundance on “Lorelai”, a song that feels it should be played by mystical creatures in a thicket deep within a magical forest. Lightning has indeed struck twice for Fleet Foxes, a band who has succeeded in creating two stellar achievements which are simultaneously similar and unique. Helplessness Blues presents Fleet Foxes at their creative best. Instead of churning out a dismal second album one year after the first (see jj no. 2 & no. 3), Fleet Foxes took their time to craft a marvelous follow-up and succeeded in so many ways. Review>>>

Fleet Foxes – The Shrine / An Argument

Fleet Foxes – Battery Kinzie

Official Site / MySpace / BUY

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27. Timber Timbre – Creep On Creepin’ On

Taylor Kirk’s voice would sound good enough on its own, even without his alluring tales of darkness and despair. Like a Nick Cave or Tom Waits, Kirk touts a deep bellow that reverberates with the soft thumping bass surrounding it. Bass and keys are the driving instrumental building blocks throughout Timber Timbre’s fourth album, Creep On Creepin’ On. The route to classic-rock nostalgia isn’t far as a result, especially on a catchy doo-wop throwback like “Woman”. Here, Kirk sits at a table in the late ’50s and plays poker with Elvis and The Everly Brothers, even packing a quivering delivery typical of the era. Other just as successful efforts seek a more contemporary appeal. The animalistic vocal yelps on the rollicking “Too Old to Die Young” recall the idiosyncratic exuberance of Jarvis Cocker, and what he did with “Acrylic Afternoons”. The forlorn string swipes solidify the comparison. It isn’t all doom and gloom though. The final two minutes contain one of Timber Timbre’s most beautiful pieces of songwriting, where Kirk proclaims “I’m givin’ it all up” over ethereal strings that both flutter and hold on one note. Between this, the similarly throwback “Woman”, and the trickly tremolo-based “Lonesome Hunter”, you’d expect Timber Timbre to follow The Walkmen in creating a tribute album to Harry Nilsson. Their sound isn’t too distant from his, even in reference to hits like “Without You”.  Timber Timbre’s hooks are as beautiful, fragile, and enjoyably forlorn as someone in the ilk of Nilsson or Emitt Rhodes. Some efforts don’t come close to either, opting for an instrumentally ambient route. The cinematic “Obelisk” sounds like a cut from Jonny Greenwood’s There Will Be Blood score, and the anxiously brilliant “Swamp Magic” recalls the ruminating complexities of Stravinsky, of all people. Timber Timbre has taken great strides since being featured three years ago, becoming a more atmospheric group in the process. I wouldn’t be surprised if they score a film in the near future. Although some tracks should leave more room for Kirk’s voice, there is not one piece of filler on Creep On Creepin’ On.

MP3: Timber Timbre – Too Old to Die Young

Timber Timbre – Woman

Official Site / BUY

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26. Grimes & d’Eon – Darkbloom

Claire Boucher recorded the first two Grimes albums, Geidi Primes and Halfaxa, with a cheap computer microphone. Her first song with an actual recording interface, “Crystal Ball”, was recorded just last year. It was her poppiest effort yet, especially in light of how the first two albums rode heavy on goth-industrial backgrounds and slick sampling. Her split EP with Chris d’Eon, Darkbloom, shows that “Crystal Ball” was an indication of Grimes’ future sound — more polish with brighter hooks and a generally more effervescent sound, though not without a few dark ambient works (see: “Urban Twilight”). It was just as some hoped. Stylistically, Grimes falls somewhere between originators of goth-pop stylings (post-punk) and exotic electro-pop in the vein of Björk and Kate Bush. She produces music not too distant from Animal Collective’s sample-laden psychedelia and The Knife’s icy electro-pop, but with the idiosyncratic presence of a singular songwriter. Even when her often placid songs pick up a notch in intensity, one of Boucher’s trademarks is her repressed vocal delivery. Much like Beach House’s Victoria Legrand, Boucher portrays an image of efficient suaveness as she shows no signs of rushing or underestimation. She recognizes this strength and often relies on little more than that; a one-measure bass line repeats itself only to allow Boucher to let herself go over bizarrely modified samples, ranging from lost ’60s soul cuts to stars of commercial pop. Her voice is high-pitched to the point of sounding like a child or – depending on the backing – a full-blown diva. She channels her inner Diana Ross on “Vanessa”, where she lets her vocals go wild over a stringy assortment of synths. Boucher’s delivery is never conventional, and always invigorating; she uses her voice as an instrument on the dank “Urban Twilight”, her array of high-pitched vocal backings being maneuvered like a synth pad. Technically EPs don’t qualify for this list, but split EPs can tiptoe in if they’re this good. d’Eon’s material is decent enough, but this ranking is admittedly for Boucher’s material.

MP3: Grimes – Crystal Ball

MP3: Grimes – Vanessa

Arbutus Records / BUY

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25. Bonnie “Prince” Billy – Wolfroy Goes to Town

This feature just referenced Timber Timbre and their narrative comparisons to Nick Cave and Tom Waits, namely their penchant for dark tales about ordinary people. Will Oldham has been doing much of the same for over two decades, releasing haunting folk narratives about hidden American treasures — some fictional, others not — under a variety of monikers since the early ’90s. You almost get the sense that, like many great songwriters, Oldham wishes to assume the role of many of his characters, and at several points already has (both in music and film). Whether under a Palace alias or simply Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Oldham has played around with plenty of different arsenals; these include dark brooders with escalating strings, minimalist folk, and direct variants of Americana and country. Sometimes a cut-and-paste approach is applied, as successfully on The Letting Go or Lie Down in the Light. Listeners are weary of his prolific discography for a reason. They just don’t know what to expect. To the delight of the intimidated, Wolfroy Goes to Town is one of Oldham’s more straightforward releases, sounding quaintly folk-western but without the emotive darkness that entraps many Oldham albums. Part of this is because he relies so much on guest vocalists, who add vibrancy to Oldham’s creaky voice, which even when singing optimistic lines contains a tinge of despair. It also helps that two instruments — guitar and bass — are responsible for a large bulk of the album’s arrangements. The intimacy and overall brightness of Wolfroy Goes to Town is impossible to overlook. Fans of 2009’s grandiose Beware may be disappointed in the lack of intricacy, but this is a solid if understated album that captures why Oldham will forever maintain a cult following that hangs onto every one of his words. He crafts his own storybook with each release. It’s best described with a line from the standout “New Whaling”: “Years have come on, and I live like a king / Like a monarch who rules over all that he sings.”

Bonnie “Prince” Billy – Quail And Dumplings

Bonnie “Prince” Billy – New Whaling

Official Site / BUY

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24. The Black Keys – El Camino

The Black Keys return to form with El Camino. This album presents everything Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have built as The Black Keys, just exemplified more; the blues are bluesier, the guitar solos are more energetic, the minimalism is more precise, and the lyrics are more carefully chosen. El Camino is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s an album that feels like the next step in the Black Keys’ growth as a band, while still paying homage to their already diverse discography. This is most apparent on “Little Black Submarines”, a song nearly as double-sided as the entire album. The first half saunters about with a simple acoustic/tambourine melody; it would be a fantastic song if stretched to a full four minutes. As it stands, the two-minute mark sends the band into a powerful and heavy riffs typical of their more accessible material. “Dead and Gone” and “Gold on the Ceiling” evoke a Magic Potion-era sound, heavier on the distortion and murky guitar work overlaid with multi-track vocals. The latter could be the spiritual successor to “Your Touch”, a song that the Keys have lent out to a plethora of worthy other media. Another highlight, “Nova Baby”, recalls the Keys’ love of Buddy Holly, as evidenced by their cover of “Dearest” for Rave On Buddy Holly!, with a jaunty melody that’s smoothed over to emulate the feeling of a late-‘50s recording. The album closes with “Mind Eraser”, a fine track that finds the Keys exploring their soulful side. While soul has always been one of their influences, “Mind Eraser” sounds more akin to a Sharon Jones track than anything from Brothers or Attack & Release. If anything on El Camino is clear, it’s that Auerbach and Carney have found a formula (and producer in Danger Mouse) that works for them. The continuous fruits of that formula are evident with each new release. El Camino is the best Black Keys album in the past five years, and possibly their best to date. Review>>>

The Black Keys – Run Right Back

The Black Keys – Lonely Boy

Official Site / BUY

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23. NewVillager – New Villager

As a video, “Lighthouse” is perhaps best served as a dessert rather than an appetizer. The production features ten characters, each representing a song on New Villager. The concept proves especially interesting after becoming familiar with the album. Yet alone as a song, there are no prerequisites for enjoying “Lighthouse” – even as the album’s lengthiest track. After it begins with perky string staccatos, upbeat squiggly synths, and an assertively low-pitched chant, the first verse surprises by revealing itself as a lush ballad-like entry, somewhat comparable to the lush post-punk of Twin Shadow or Wild Beasts. Well, it begins that way. Rapid snares and xylophone-range key tremolos then kick off the chorus, which is as bouncily brilliant as any on the album. The vocals during this section are one of many theatrical impersonations; the variation of vocal pitch and delivery is abundant throughout the album, making the cast of colorful characters in the video that much more apt. About the underrated NewVillager? They’re a Brooklyn-based duo comprising Ross Simonini and Ben Bromley, as adept in the visual arts as they are in the audible spectrum. Their ability to seamlessly incorporate various vocal stylings into their song structures brings us to the album’s production, which is generally faultless for the group’s energetic style of pop. Their rhythmic and vocal patterns are frequently inspired by Afro-pop in a form that recalls Paul Simon rather than recent emulators like Vampire Weekend, who don’t quite emphasize as much the style’s percussive dexterity and structural flexibility. Evidence of the duo’s strong songwriting is evident throughout “Say the Code”, one of the year’s catchiest tracks. New Villager touts obvious standouts like “Say the Code” and “Cocoon House”, the latter sounding like TV on the Radio jamming with Man Man and The Knife. NewVillager’s debut is a fantastic and compellingly fun release that should propel the duo to dizzying heights, along with the many characters they possess. Review>>>

MP3: NewVillager – Say the Code

MP3: NewVillager – Lighthouse

Official Site / MySpace / BUY

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22. Cass McCombs – Wit’s End

The first and more superior of McCombs’ two albums this year, Wit’s End is a natural progression. His early material showcased an infatuation for intricately produced psych-rock, never becoming indulgent enough to be fetishized because they were presented in a distinctive singer/songwriter format. His songs have always sounded alarmingly personal, even if the degree of distortion and pounding hooks prevented his lyrical content from becoming the dominant focus. With Wit’s End, he is echoing the trademarks of idiosyncratic one-man shows like Robert Wyatt and Elliott Smith. The somber efforts on the troubled yet talented Dennis Wilson’s classic debut Pacific Ocean Blue also come to mind here; delicate pianos in a minor-key sway with gentle anticipation over his half-gravelly, half-youthful vocals. The emotions would almost come across as ambivalent if you weren’t paying attention. When it gets down to the root of depression, when someone simply doesn’t care, these type of songs can be particularly meaningful. Moving onto dual strengths of beautiful musical accompaniment and heartrending lyrics, “Buried Alive” and “Memory’s Stain” serve as the album’s strongest. The latter is one of McCombs’ best tracks, period. His voice here resembles both George Harrison’s nasally psych-pop zeal and Elliott Smith’s hushed melancholy, with the beautifully haunting chorus re-affirming this. After a barren piano, subdued bass, and subtle crash cymbals establish the opening, the chorus appears with invigorated life. What sounds like a harpsichord envelopes over McCombs’ ghostly voice, with an accordion lamenting in the distance with a magical subtlety already inherent in the restrained percussion. The track continues the theme of lost love’s imprints, much like “The Lonely Doll” and the bleakly soul-inspired “Saturday Song”, a rain-drenched cross between Tindersticks, Tom Waits, and Mark Kozelek.  Wit’s End values consistency on all fronts, but not without the dose of artistic variation that makes McCombs one of the most promising singer/songwriters today. He seems to keep building toward a masterpiece of some sort, and in many regards Wit’s End is an excellent beginning to fulfilling such deserved expectations. Review>>>

Cass McCombs – County Line

Official Site / MySpace / BUY

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21. Washed Out – Within and Without

Ernest Greene’s early material showed plenty of promise, but it certainly wasn’t the epitome of consistent stylistic direction. Some tracks, like the highly memorable “Belong”, recalled shimmering key-led elements of Afro-pop and Adult-Contemporary lite-pop, while others like “Get Up” were more adventurous practices in sampling. His voice is rarely the dominant factor, often placed masterfully under the rich electronic mix similarly to Noah Lennox. Greene’s compositional skills and production tendencies – from starry ballads to clinics in choppy sampling – were certainly unique; it often resulted in some of the most caressing and intricately layered sounds one would hear from any artist within the “chillwave” categorization. Within and Without is a continuation of aspects touched upon throughout Greene’s early EPs, but with a steadily rising emphasis on infusions of trip-hop – hence more use of percussion that isn’t nearly as stiff or automated as the loops present before. Sampling is also severely minimized, with the exception of small snippets like the female vocal clip in “Before”, which adds a Jet Set Radio/blurring neon lights in Tokyo sort of feel. Cibo Matto on (more) drugs, perhaps. The sampling is rarely an essential factor in the songs, making Within and Without the clearest example of Greene’s songwriting to date. That’s not to say it’s a no-frills release; the production reaches several moments of utter grandiosity, like the stirring strings throughout “Far Away”, the devastating synth build-up in “You and I”, and the twinkling anthem-like appeal of the highly accessible “Far Away”. They are simply accomplished with more naturally instinctive pop smarts.

Standout “Echoes” is led by a bass line with plenty of swagger and appeal, approaching hip-hop schematics in its structural repetition but also dance in its actual simplified melody. This bass hybrid is better perfected on “Before”, a gorgeously crafted gem with chirping and arp-led samples that best define Greene’s recent fascination with trip-hop. While the mid-section of the album boasts a wide array of infectious appeal, the first two tracks – “Eyes Be Closed” and “Echoes” – tend to focus more on atmospheric introductions. It wouldn’t be unnecessary to compare the fragile bursts on “Eyes Be Closed” to resemble the New Age sounds of Enigma and ERA. This style presents plenty of easy-listening and atmospheric preparation, but its idleness begins to poke at the listener by mid-point. Even as the fade-out and fade-in occurs after the three-minute mark to introduce an explosive verse of sorts, the effect is not nearly as effective as when done toward the end of “You and I”, an effort more indicative of Greene’s multiple stylistic strengths – particularly the infusion of Afro-pop into areas of dubstep, lo-fi rock, and synth-pop. Within and Without is a very strong album led by efforts like these. The mid-section of the album is near-flawless. Review>>>

MP3: Washed Out – Far Away

Washed Out – Before

Sub Pop / MySpace / BUY

The post Best Albums of 2011: #30 to #21 appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

What makes a piece of art good? What makes a piece of art useful? I would maintain that the major component is in the art’s making some tendency of the imagination tangible, to give it heft and definition. Marshall McLuhan, making this same point in essence, but with more of an alarmist slant, said in Understanding Media, “Art at its most significant is a distant early warning system that can always be relied on to tell the old culture what is beginning to happen.”

McLuhan seems like a good point of entry into the endlessly processed and reprocessed world of TV Girl. I have listened to this less than 10 minute ep more than ten times in the past day, and it seems to have crystallized my simultaneous feelings of unease and near narcotic attraction to the so-called “chill wave” genre. On the one hand, once the initial aesthetic hurdle of sampling is overcome, the tight economical structuring of each song on the ep becomes readily apparent. These are pop songs, just composed of samples, with choruses and bridges; the standard trimmings, but there is an agreement between the form of the music and the lyrical content rare for a pop record.

What one singles out in a sentimental reminiscence is very telling-some might reach out for a person’s peculiar inflection, a place they lived. TV Girl meanwhile defines its memory of a forgotten amour by the fact she listened to “Benny and the Jets”. On later track “Lizzy Come Back to Life”, a tribute to Lizzy Mercier Descloux, they pine after her with more conviction than anything one assumed they had direct experience with. With the lush and warm bed of samples “Lizzy” lies on, its sense of false nostalgia becomes all encompassing. The object of admiration is someone TV Girl never knew, the notes around which it frames its expression not their own. It is the best track present, a bracing step forward into the great looking backwards.

On the EP’s single “Baby You Were There”, the chorus “Baby you were there /Ohhh baby you were there” is repeated over and over, seeming less in the context to be an assertion of the song’s intended message, that simply the presence of a lover is enough, as much as a sardonic groping for presence of any sort. The use of the past tense weds it to the other tracks; nothing is ever just ‘here’ here.

Closer “Your Own Religion” is a hooky and incredibly mellow detailing of a growing apart, and lines like “I guess I do things different/but I guess I can’t complain” will be paired with “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb”‘s “Life can be so fair” couplet in the eventual sweepstakes to encapsulate the attitudes of the era through the funhouse mirror of pop culture.

McLuhan again, this time in conversation with Norman Mailer: ““Every age creates as an Utopian image a nostalgic rear-view mirror image of itself, which puts it thoroughly out of touch with the present. The present is the enemy.” As nostalgic rear-view mirror images go, you could do a whole lot worse than Benny and the Jetts.

RIYL: Cults, Washed Out, Neon Indian, Panda Bear

TV Girl – Benny and the Jetts

TV Girl – Lizzy Come Back to Life

TV Girl – Baby You Were There

TV Girl – On Land

Bandcamp / Facebook

The post TV Girl – Benny and the Jetts (2011) appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

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The Belle Brigade – Shirt (MP3)

The Belle Brigade

Seemingly innocent, “Shirt” starts out mellow and simply melodic. The lyrical brilliance in this song doesn’t become obvious until the end of the first verse. This is when your brain finally catches up with how all the words actually worked together, as opposed to simply parroting them as individual sentences. “Shirt” is indeed a song sung from the perspective of a shirt, and what a song it is! One wouldn’t expect a song about a piece of apparel to so intensely burn from beginning to end and yet still feel natural to the narrative. Like the literal passage of time in the lyrics, this track evokes some of the best elements of folk, rock, country, Americana, and indie music all rolled up into a song about a shirt. BUY

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Korean Is Asian – The Book (MP3)

Daytrotter Session (1/1/2011)

“The Book” is an interesting song, both in its place in music’s current pantheon of genres and also in its subject matter. Religion is no stranger to popular music, but not often does it get blatantly featured as the focus in a contemporary secular song. Regardless, “The Book” is a simple, piano-driven ballad about religion personified, and how that affects all of us. Jordan Caress’ enjoyable vocals hold the song up while her partner in crime, Brian Ritchey, emerges during the chorus to add an extra harmony that pulls the song together and makes it complete, both sonically and emotionally. MySpace

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My Morning Jacket – Holdin’ on to Black Metal

Circuital

I was only somewhat impressed with MMJ’s most recent outing, Circuital, but was seriously impressed by a few select tracks, “Holdin’ on to Black Metal” being one of them. Like they emerged from the swamps of Florida or Louisiana, the murky guitar riff and Jim James’ haunting vocals create some surreal world in which this song exists. Contrary to the popular southern-rock aesthetic, MMJ creates their own sound. Even though it’s wildly different than the status quo, they somehow manage to access a whole gamut of fans across various diversities. BUY

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Woods – Out of the Eye

Sun & Shade

More rock than folk and more musical and lyrical, “Out of the Eye” is an exceptional song from Woods. It’s not only due to its high quality of production, but also since it’s an exception to how Jeremy Earl usually writes his songs. Instead of gripping, spooky folk buried under fuzz and some distortion, “Out of the Eye” is a rhythm-heavy epic that, whilst not being the longest track on the album, continuously spirals further and further into a 7+ minute legitimate psychedelic-rock anthem. BUY

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The Haret – Going to Germany

The Haret

A traditional American folk song about the travelin’ life as sung and played by a Canadian multi-instrumentalist. The Haret represent what folk music needs now more than ever: deeper, more extensive roots. Ryan Baer gets that. He created The Haret and plays traditional folk music along with his own tracks that rival many big-name country acts currently sitting high and mighty on the Billboard charts. “Going to Germany” might not be Baer’s own words yet he makes it his song, not only in his warbly vocal delivery but also in the overall tempo and emotion he exudes with every breathe he takes. It’s quite prodigious to hear. MySpace / Feature

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The Stepkids – Shadows on Behalf

Shadows on Behalf

Mike wrote about The Stepkids a while back, and I listened. Though they’ve just come onto the scene, this outfit is poised to take the underground scene by storm in coming months, at least, if it sounds as good as “Shadows on Behalf.” This woozy, hazy, yellow-tinted track invokes the ‘70s through sweeping chords and sifting vocal stylings that mesmerize while the instrumentation supports the feelings of euphoria. You should definitely listen to this one whilst lying out on a pool chair, sunbathing and drinking a glass of lemonade or an ice cold beer. BUY

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Washed Out – Amor Fati

Within and Without

Hailing from South Carolina, Ernest Greene must have felt the need to make chillwave music enduring enough to get him out of South Carolina. He succeeded by becoming Washed Out and crafting some of the most hypnotic and genuinely enjoyable beats in years. The Life of Leisure EP was a great set up to this summer’s breathtaking Within and Without. “Amor Fati”, the second official single, is beautiful. Like most of Greene’s music, the song manages to grab hold of the audience’s attention and never let go, which is how a song of this classification should be. OS Review / BUY

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Girls – Vomit

Father, Son, Holy Ghost

While arguably not a southern or summer song, Girls’ new single was released as little as three weeks ago, and it’s incredible. It needs to be on this list because I have been listening to it all summer. “Vomit” is the searing return of LA’s Girls. Their debut album, Album, was as straightforward as its title. This new single feels more in-depth and fleshed out, possibly to reflect the album title, or in spite of it. Either way, “Vomit” has, at time, a grandiose sound, something Christopher Owens steered away from on Album. I love how this song sounds, including a chorus and organs that really drive those religious overtones home, but in a good way. Where others might mock theological infusions, Girls is embracing it with full-force. OS Review of Broken Dreams Club / BUY

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July provided us with a massive compilation, boasting 18 tracks that span over an hour. As expected with a compilation of that length, there are plenty of interesting stylistic pursuits inside. The Stepkids nod to the ’70s by tackling a genius fusion of soul and psych-rock, while the ’80s make an appearance with several artists – Memory Tapes, Autre Ne Veut, and Ceremony – producing excellent interpretations of nostalgic new wave and alternative. As they are inspired by the likes of The Cure and New Order, several other artists featured take influences from a period arriving later in the ’80s and early ’90s. The Fantasies and Anna Bradley show DIY alt-rock smarts that bring to mind Pavement and Sebadoh, a sound that Cymbals Eat Guitars also showed on their excellent debut a few years back. Their new epic, “Rifle Eyesight”, shows just as much promise. Throw in a few highly accessible pop/rock efforts – courtesy of Emma-Louise, Jethro Fox, and Burning Hearts – and you have a solid roster of artists this past month. Enjoy!

01. The Stepkids – Shadows on Behalf (post)
02. Washed Out – You and I (post)
03. Emma-Louise – Jungle (post)
04. Jethro Fox – Blinding Light (post)
05. Memory Tapes – Wait in the Dark (post)
06. The Haret – Take A Drink On Me (post)
07. Autre Ne Veut – Sweetheart (post)
08. The Fantasies – Stuck In My World (post)
09. The Rozzes – Leave Without Me (post)
10. Anna Bradley – Perfume (post)
11. Mister Heavenly – Bronx Sniper (post)
12. Cymbals Eat Guitars – Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name) (post)
13. The Carpels – Sand (post)
14. Burning Hearts – Into the Wilderness (post)
15. Ceremony – Not Tonight (post)
16. The Vliets – Beneath the Paisley Sky (post)
17. Real Estate – It’s Real (post)
18. Giles Corey – Empty Churches (post)

DOWNLOAD ENTIRE COMPILATION>>> (126.7 MB, .RAR)

The post Obscure Sound: Best of July 2011 appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

The stripped-down sound of Warm Speakers provides an excellent example of modern-day bedroom pop. Long Island native Patrick Berlinquette follows in the footsteps of names like Washed Out, Neon Indian, and Toro y Moi in crafting a sound full of nostalgia, with ‘80s electro-pop meshing with several electronic fusions from the ‘90s onward. For Warm Speakers specifically, Berlinquette touches on the trip-hop/dance infusion perfected by Massive Attack and Portishead. This is especially the case on more subdued efforts, like the hypnotically aquatic and slightly Hail to the Thief-inspired “Where the Comma Lands”. A pulsing drum beat is led by a mellow bass as he interweaves several whispery vocal lines, not too far from the dubstep of Thom York/Flying Lotus collaborations. The percussion is not nearly as involved, but the strong vibrating lead is there. It’s not a surefire single like the effervescent “The World Around You”, but “Where the Comma Lands” is arguably the finest example of Berlinquette’s burgeoning production skills.

Berlinquette’s potential is on full display for Mezcal Noon, his debut 5-song EP. In addition to the beautifully ambitious scope of “Where the Comma Lands”, he offers  a few slightly more accessible efforts that cater to recent trends in electronica. The angelic vocal harmonies and suavely incorporated arpeggio-led hooks of efforts like “The World Around You” and “Waves” fit within the “chillwave” scope of Berlinquette’s most recent influences. The appropriately titled “Waves” mixes Berlinquette’s vocals as if he were entrenched in an underwater cave, a wonderful contrast to the gleeful whistling and booming brass-synth that fills the nook’s surroundings. “Verda” is on the more experimental side purely due to Berlinquette’s vocal dominance. He takes on a colorful electro-pop croon reminiscent of Erasure’s Andy Bell for the track’s majority; it would sound linear if not accompanied by chilling backing vocal accompaniments, a vital accomplishments for many surging artists from How to Dress Well to Wild Beasts. Berlinquette’s smooth vocals are one thing. But it’s his ability to interweave layers of them with such cohesion and beauty into his mesmerizing compositions that make Warm Speakers so memorable.

You can purchase Warm Speakers’ EP, Mezcal Noon, on GroopEase for ONLY $2 over the next 24 hours… I’d get on that. You can also preview the album below:

RIYL: Washed Out, Toro y Moi, Neon Indian, Memory Tapes, Massive Attack, Portishead, Thom Yorke, Radiohead, Flying Lotus, How to Dress Well, Wild Beasts, Erasure,

Warm Speakers – Where the Comma Lands

Warm Speakers – The World Around You

MEZCAL NOON EP by Warm Speakers

Bandcamp / Facebook / BUY (ONLY $2!)

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by Mike Mineo

Like many groups propelled by a string of excellent EPs to open their careers, Ernest Greene experienced a boatload of hype leading up to his debut full-length. Under the alias of Washed Out, he has been at the forefront of the chillwave movement since 2009. However, unlike the fervent presence of many other stylistic contemporaries, Greene remained fairly low-key. Never a frequent interviewee or live performer, he has become entrenched in an enigma that is reflective of his music; its presence is initially subtle and low-key, but later unveils itself as something intricate, unique, and worthy of attention. As of late, signing to Sub Pop and appearing at a number of festivals has somewhat relinquished his mysterious enigma, but Greene’s full-length debut Within and Without shows no signs of conforming to a recent trend – even if the movement he specializes in is considered just that by many people.

As impressive as Greene’s early string of releases was, they didn’t exactly present themselves as the epitome of consistent stylistic direction. Some tracks, like the highly memorable “Belong”, recalled shimmering key-led elements of Afro-pop and Adult-Contemporary lite-pop, while others like “Get Up” were more adventurous practices in sampling. His voice was rarely the dominant factor, often placed masterfully under the rich electronic mix similarly to Noah Lennox. Greene’s compositional skills and production tendencies – from the odes to recent stylistic revivals to clinics in choppy sampling – were certainly unique; it often resulted in some of the most caressing and intricately layered sounds you are bound to hear from any artist within the “chillwave” classification. Such feats make it easy to recognize why Within and Without was so anticipated.

Without getting overly complicated, Within and Without is a continuation of aspects touched upon throughout Greene’s early EPs, but with a steadily rising emphasis on infusions of trip-hop – hence more use of percussion that isn’t nearly as stiff or automated as the loops present in his early material. Sampling is also severely minimized, with the exception of small snippets like the female vocal clip in “Before” which adds a Jet Set Radio/blurring neon lights in Tokyo sort of feel. Cibo Matto on (more) drugs, perhaps. Unlike before, the sampling is rarely an essential factor in the songs, making Within and Without the clearest example of Greene’s songwriting to date. That’s not to say it’s a no-frills release though; the production reaches several moments of utter grandiosity, like the stirring strings throughout “Far Away”, the devastating synth build-up in “You and I”, and the twinkling anthem-like appeal of the highly accessible “Far Away”. They are simply accomplished with more naturally instinctive pop smarts.

“Echoes” is led by a bass line with plenty of swagger and appeal, approaching hip-hop schematics in its structural repetition but also dance in its actual simplified melody. This bass hybrid is better perfected on “Before”, a gorgeously crafted gem with chirping and arp-led samples that best define Greene’s recent fascination with trip-hop. With this track, he Perry, Georgia native has crafted one of his best. The beginning touts brass-like synths with the exuberance of a dance party, until the slowly ascending bass line coincides with his soft-spoken voice. The low-key elements eventually pick themselves up during the chorus, enhanced by only a slight key twinkle over the same bass line. Moments like these, regardless of how subtly incorporated they are, provide enormous hooks that rank tracks like “Before”, “Far Away”, and “Amor Fati” among Greene’s best.

While the mid-section of the album boasts a wide array of infectious appeal, the first two tracks – “Eyes Be Closed” and “Echoes” – tend to focus more on atmospheric introductions. It wouldn’t be unnecessary to compare the fragile bursts on “Eyes Be Closed” to resemble the New Age sounds of Enigma and ERA. This style presents plenty of easy-listening and atmospheric preparation, but its idleness begins to poke at the listener by mid-point. Even as the fade-out and fade-in occurs after the three-minute mark to introduce an explosive verse of sorts, the effect is not nearly as effective as when done toward the end of “You and I”, an effort more indicative of Greene’s multiple stylistic strengths – particularly the infusion of Afro-pop into areas of dubstep, lo-fi rock, and synth-pop. Both these tracks rely on a sweeping of tribal drums to bring back a suppressed verse, but only one – “You and I” – does so with enough vigor to create a memorable aura. “Echoes”, while bursting with more energy than “Eyes Be Closed”, is just as overly lengthy; it tends to rely on amateur additions like sudden arp inclusions and hypnotic key repetitions, which sound exotic and initially alluring, but tends to abandon Greene’s wildly impressive pop instincts. These are instincts which come out fully on the majority for the album, so the first two tracks are somewhat puzzling in both their sequencing and overall production.

One of the album’s biggest strengths, the illustriously lush “Soft”, sounds like what “Eyes Be Closed” attempted to achieve. The production is boasted by heavy reverb almost reminiscent of shoegaze, but with the caressing elements of chillwave – like chirpy keys and the sound of disco-pop entrenched in lovable ‘80s stereotypes – it is hardly a departure from what Greene does best. The track is not an in-your-face explosion of varying layers, but its memory will leave an imprint on any listener because of its frail beauty and beautifully naturalized structure. It is easily one of Greene’s best, and finds a perfect place on the album between energetic pop hybrids like “Amor Fati” and “Far Away”. Despite one or two missteps, Within and Without is a very strong album led by efforts like these. The mid-section of the album is relatively flawless. For fans of Washed Out it is hard to imagine being unsatisfied. After a few short releases that left listeners wanting more, Within and Without should satiate them to the fullest extent with fully-packed gems like “Soft”, “You and I”, and “Before”.

Washed Out – Soft

Washed Out – You and I

Washed Out – Amor Fati

Washed Out – Before

Washed Out – Far Away

Washed Out – Echoes

Sub Pop / MySpace / BUY

The post Washed Out – Within and Without (2011) appeared first on Obscure Sound: Indie Music Blog.

The completely unknown Canopies will not remain elusive for long. That much is easy to predict when listening to “Rebels”, a track that is bound to explode in the music blogosphere.  On their name-your-price EP (download it here), the Milwaukee-based trio have incorporated their love for ’80s synth-pop with recent indie-rock innovations, resulting in an infectious and danceable tour-de-force that should consummately satisfy electronic-minded audiences. The demographic needs something worthwhile to catch their attention, as the surplus of great ’80s throwback dance-pop albums is abundant this year and expectations are high for approval. Recent albums like Ford & Lopatin’s Channel Pressure, Cut Copy’s Zonoscope, and Toro Y Moi’s Underneath the Pine blend nostalgic components differently, but all triumph in crafting a style that borrows retrospective bliss rather than relying on it. These are not glamorized rip-offs of the past. Instead, they apply the past’s best within an modern revised formula; rather than relying entire on an imitation, these artists present a theme consistent with innovation and influence on equal pacing. Canopies are simply the latest, greatest, and most obscure (currently) to accomplish it.

Nolan Treolo, John Marston, and Craig Leren have an astute grasp of how hooks work in electronic pop. Many artists could say the same, but their results are often one-trick ponies with little dramatic flair. Canopies are much different, and it makes them stand up. “Rebels” has a plethora of moments that can send chills up your spine… or down to feet. Bass warbles and a fuzzy synth pad graciously open up it, as the words “raise your fist in the air, isn’t a scare?” are spoken. The slippery bass line alternates between two notes before a quickly intricate swipe concludes each verse, which is resoundingly effective when the icy key tremolo emerges (“Danny load your gun”). The chorus is then pushed forward with natural cohesion, anthemic to the point of fist-raising righteousness but not stuffy in the overly tributary way many electro-pop artists are, primarily in struggling toward their next hook. This format continues enjoyably for another minute, before the track’s triumphant conclusion. A bustling synth arpeggio gives the go-ahead for Marielle Allschwang’s vocals, full of both operatic and sensual range, à la Shara Nelson’s empowering performance on Massive Attack’s “Unfinished Sympathy“.

While “Rebels” is a track destined for popularity, that is not to say the EP’s other tracks are in any way inferior. Actually, they tend to showcase the band’s ambition and range in a broader scope. “Warrior” packs a strong punch as well, being even more of a throwback than “Rebels”. While the synth stabs during the chorus begins to resemble recent psych-pop acts like MGMT, the verses are pure ’80s bliss. The gauzy stretch of synths brings to mind names like Devo and Gary Numan. Yet, as mentioned earlier, the throwbacks are neither excessive nor daunting. The gradually added guitar licks help solidify this point, as does the percussion-led finale. “Strangers Glare” is polished and elegant, filled with stadium-sized hooks that steadily unveil themselves. An immediate comparison is to Talk Talk’s earlier synth-pop work, from the warmly sonorous synth pads to the key-led twinkle at the chorus’ end. The EP’s other two tracks, “Born to Your Device” and “Summer Amnesia”, are just as good; the latter’s energy is reminiscent of post-punk, especially if it was somehow infused into Takashi Tateishi’s Mega Man soundtrack. To close it off, The bouncy Tough Alliance-like pop “Summer Amnesia” is a perfect end to an outstanding debut.

It’s truly a demonstration of character when an unknown band offers their material for free. Especially when it’s a band this good. If you have some cash to spare and enjoy the EP, do these guys a favor and toss a few dollars their way. Regardless of what you do though, download the EP. It left me extremely impressed, and I feel it will do the same to most listeners.

RIYL: Cut Copy, Talk Talk, MGMT, The Tough Alliance, CEO, Washed Out, Gary Numan, Ford & Lopatin (Games), Devo, Massive Attack, Toro Y Moi, Crystal Castles, Neon Indian

Canopies – Rebels

Canopies – Strangers Glare

Canopies – Warrior

Canopies [EP]

Bandcamp

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How to Dress Well? The name sounds like some early 19th century etiquette pamphlet. Things like that tend to lose relevance after a decade. But like all remnants, they maintain historical value. Music, like all forms of art, provides timeless durability in the sheer experience of it, even if historical relevance provides varying outlooks on the theme or style. At heart though, the timeless characteristics of art resound consistently; the point in time of one’s experience inspires variables of reception and accessibility, dependent on social and technological standards of the time. But when it comes down to it, the witnessing of art presents feelings conceived no differently than they were hundreds of years ago.

The brains behind How to Dress Well, Tom Krell, provides a twist on the whole experience. His music is instantly familiar, injected with doses of R&B, soul, and pop that actually reach radio-friendly points of accessibility. Of course, when soaked in reverb, adorned with an echoed falsetto, and featuring a modernistic synth-laden sound, the clashing of both varying degrees of accessibility and time periods leaves room for plenty of great ideas. For Krell, comparisons to chillwave trademarks like Washed Out and Neon Indian are imminent based on his production alone. But How to Dress Well fall more in the vein of Ariel Pink, who uses his adoration for ’60s/’70s frontman art-rock to create a sound that is both hauntingly sad and infectiously vibrant. Of course, Neon Indian’s “Deadbeat Summer” just barely shows the extent of frontman Alan Palomo’s undying love for Todd Rundgren. But even the “Izzat Love” sample aside, the song sounded distinctively modern.

Unlike past motivators of the “chillwave” movement, Krell creates a sort of timeless whimsy within his beautifully fragile sound. Their music resounds with no particular decade, instead offering a meshing of both nostalgic and futuristic styles that bring out a variety of guesses from “some ’80s post-punk variant” to “Michael Jackson if he just chilled on blunts instead of pills”. The latter shows some indication of Krell’s obvious rhythmic ability, but more so in his vibrating falsetto that brings comparisons to MJ, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, and even at times Antony Hegarty. Krell’s approach is, for the most part, what brings him such individual success though. His high pitch is not supposed to sound this great under a caressing assortment of synth pads and distorted bass. It does though. You really need to have your vocal rhythm down for that. And in that sense, Krell shows some outstanding talent in both his songwriting and vocal work, showcasing an ambiguous enigma that – for once – does not reek of pretension or greed. Just a genuine love for music of the past, present, and future. That is one aspect of this “chillwave” thing anyone could get behind.

Krell’s innovation is evident throughout the bulk of Love Remains, his debut full-length. His song are all treated with such delicate care, but the differences in ferocity are certainly evident. A track like “My Body” is solemn from the get-go, incorporating a series of layered falsetto that sound like a haunted choir. This in particular is reminiscent of Sigur Rós’ Jónsi. “We were known for the choice that we do, I was hoping for the rain, I was hoping for you,” Krell sings after percussion – which is used sparingly throughout Love Remains – enters the fold. The rhythm here is particularly important because the song’s R&B influence is extremely pronounced, with Krell even incorporating the post-verse falsetto yelps that artists like The-Dream show mastery of.

“Suicide Dream 2” is one of the more unclassifiable songs on the album, meaning that comparisons to R&B and pop take a backseat to serene electronica that sits somewhere between ambiance and soundtrack. If anything, the vein of dubstep that Burial specializes in is the focus here. The twinkling synths emit a melancholy feel that steadily repeats, its tempo and volume never shifting. Instead, Krell’s voice is what exhibits the emotional transitions; he is able to craft stellar hooks on his own with rare preciseness. His unconventional pitch is often the culprit of emotionally-charged mastery. Songs like “Escape Before the Rain” rely on little more than a simplistic piano progression, as echoey click-clacking and whirs of synth in the background provide a deeper audible experience. But Krell’s voice is almost always the emphasis, even around the 01:45 mark when he gives way to the piano loop. His return is imminent of course, and as soulful as ever. I can nearly guarantee that he is going to give chills to any attentive listener (and by attentive, I mean this is the type of artist that you must use good headphones or a stereo to listen to).

A flurry of funk is present in the vibrant rhythm section of “Endless Rain”, which incorporates a DJ Shadow-like loop clip for gradual accentuation. It would be really great to hear a studio version of “Walking This Dumb”, but the live version presented on Love Remains is more than adequate quality. The little crackle in the live bass just adds to the allure. This is certainly one of Krell’s more dance-heavy songs, riding on a distorted chorus that sounds more Girls Aloud than Burial. The intensity of the following song, “Date of Birth”, brings us back to an intenser Krell though. His panting during the progression of string-like synths flows into a distant echoed croon, the song fading out as it progresses. Like most of Krell’s songs, it would fit perfectly as a soundtrack to a dream. Whether the dream is a haunting nightmare, sex-charged romp, or adventure on a night bus is up to you.

RIYL: Burial, Washed Out, Neon Indian, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Gauntlet Hair, Memoryhouse, Toro y Moi, Wild Nothing, Active Child, Best Coast, Beach Fossils, Pure Ecstasy, Big Spider’s Back, Cults, Tanlines, DOM, Memory Cassette, Kisses, Eternal Summers, Golden Ages, Nite Jewel

Official Site

MySpace

BUY

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