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Wild Flag

Wild Flag is a super group, consisting of Carrie Brownstein, Rebecca Cole, Mary Timony, and Janet Weiss. The members of Wild Flag have played in notable bands including Sleater-Kinney, The Minders, Quasi, Helium, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, and others. Their sound is similar to Sleater-Kinney, this is obviously because of Brownstein’s distinctive voice. “Romance” and “Future Crimes” come from their self-titled debut. They are two of the more upbeat tracks on the album. On “Romance” they don’t pull any punches as the opening keyboard and drum beat lure you into a full on vocal assault by Brownstein. “Future Crimes” is a little more subtle yet the song has the same in your face feel to it. Here’s hoping that Wild Flag is here to stay.

Wild Flag – Romance

Wild Flag – Future Crimes

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Soft Science

I’ve been trying since June to find time to post this. Meanwhile, if MP3s were tapes, I’d have already worn out my copy of Soft Science’s debut Highs and Lows. Their sound is a checklist of my vulnerabilities: melancholy lyrics, soaring harmonies, confident percussion, fuzzy guitars. Plus, singer Katie Haley’s delivery evokes at moments St. Etienne’s Sarah Cracknell or The Raveonettes’s Sune Rose Wagner. So I was smitten from the start. Love is the recurring theme, in all its many flavors. There are healthy doses of power pop and dream pop treatments here, but the most memorable songs are the nuanced and restrained ones. “Better Be Good” draws its strength from the smoldering embers of a broken relationship with an startling honesty that recalls “Voices Carry” (before you heard it a million times on ’80s rewind radio). “Put Your Arms Around Me” holds back in all the right ways – all that is left is Ms. Haley whispering sweet somethings in your ears, leaving you wanting more. Speaking of wanting more, this is only the second LP from Sacramento’s Test Pattern Records. Here’s to more where that came from…

Better Be Good from Highs and Lows (2011)

Put Your Arms Around Me from Highs and Lows (2011)

testpatternrecords.com

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Icebird

The title to the album’s opener is antithetical to what’s happening around us economically. Not many people feel as if they’re living a charmed life these days. But the song’s about holding it together despite the mayhem that circles around us. “‘Charmed Life’ is about struggling to maintain sanity when it seems like the world around you is falling apart,” says Aaron Livingston, the vocal half of Icebird. Add RJD2’s production skills and beat-making abilities and you’ve got the makings of a musical opiate that’ll soothe the soul no matter what ails you.

The album, The Abandoned Lullaby, dropped last week and you can get a taste of another track via video below. And if you’re looking to add some charm to your life, RJD2 has offered up individual tracks to “The Charmed Life” for your remixing pleasure. If Icebird likes your remix best, they’ll set you up with some goodies. Details here.

Charmed Life

Going and Going and Going – RJD2 Remix

rjselectricalconnections.com

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Mikal Cronin

I’ll be the first to admit that I judge the book by it’s cover. When I saw the album cover for Mikal Cronin’s self-titled debut, I knew I was going to like what I was about to hear. After listening to the two songs available on his bandcamp page, my judgement was correct, I was blown away. After some research i found that Mikal is a frequent collaborator with Ty Segall, they released an album together called Reverse Shark Attack back in 2009. Ty also guests on Mikal’s new album along with John Dwyer from Thee Oh Sees. The tracks included are an indie/garage/psych rock fans dream. Full of Beach Boys harmonies, start and stop melodies, scuzzy guitar tones, fuzzy vocals and a smoking flute solo, yes a flute solo. Do you need any other reasons to give these songs a try? Did you see the part about the flute solo?

Mikal Cronin – Is It Alright

Mikal Cronin – Apathy

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Cuckoo Chaos

There isn’t much out there about Cuckoo Chaos other than they’re a five piece band from San Diego. They have posted a list of all the things they are, too many to name here, on their band page on Lefse Records’ site. What I can tell you from listening to the song “Just Ride It”, from their just released debut album Woman, they play super-tight pop/rock music. The song, and album as a whole, reminds me of Vampire Weekend, minus the Paul Simon influences. I hope I don’t get killed for that comparison. The song is full of muted and jangly guitars, combined with a nice bass groove and just enough keys, the song really takes you for a ride, and when it ends your ready to get back on and ride it again. Give this track a go, you will like it I promise.

Cuckoo Chaos – Just Ride It from Woman (2011)

Lefse Records

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Mariachi El Bronx

Mariachi El Bronx is the alter ego of punk band The Bronx. It all started when they were asked to play an acoustic set. Instead of stripping down their music, they decided to take it in a new direction, by exploring and adding Latin sounds.

I would normally try and describe the music to you, but I will be the first to admit, I don’t know anything about mariachi music. And rather than faking it, I will let the music speak for itself. Please enjoy.

Mariachi El Bronx – 48 Roses

 

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Bad Sports

I love punk rock. I love everything about it. I enjoy it in almost all of it’s forms. No matter how broad my musical tastes have become with old age, when I hear good punk rock I get really excited. Bad Sports is good punk rock. Hailing from Denton, Texas, they do everything good punk bands do, including tight guitars, snotty vocals, and songs about girls. Bad Sports play with serious energy, their songs are very catchy and have an old school vibe to them, drawing comparisons to bands such as the Buzzcocks. “Can’t Just Be Friends”, the track below, reminds me a lot of the Ramones with a little Hard-Ons mixed in. Yes, I just wrote that. Their 2nd LP Kings of The Weekend just came out and it’s really good, you should go buy it.

Bad Sports – Cant Just Be Friends from Kings of The Weekend (2011)

www.dirtnaprecs.com

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Ganglians

Ganglians are a band that I stumbled upon tonight while searching the www’s for new music. They are a four member band out of Sacramento,CA. They take their name from a mixture of the words “gang” and “aliens”. I am brand new to these guys and I don’t know anything more about them.

I was pleasantly surprised by the track “Jungle” that is being shared below. It’s equal parts psychedelic and noise pop, with all the fuzz you can handle, all things that get this listener’s ears to perk up, and when this song came on for the first time, they perked. Their new album Still Living comes out on August 23. You should buy it.

Ganglians – Jungle from Still Living (2011)

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Floating Action

I love having people in my life who are just as obsessed with finding new music as I am. This find comes from my cousin Ben, and It’s a pretty darn good find.

Floating Action is from North Carolina, the band consists mostly of one person, Seth Kauffman, who sings and plays everything except the pedal steel on this, his third release Desert Etiquette. The album was written and recorded in a matter of about 4 days, and it shows, but not in a bad way. The songs are loose, but not sloppy, as a whole the album have a very casual feel to it. Both songs included below, “Eye of A Needle” and “Well Hidden” are both chilled out, and laid-back. So get out your chaise lounge, and put your feet up, grab your favorite beverage, and relax to some smooth indie rock.

Floating Action – Eye of A Needle from Desert Etiquette (2011)

Floating Action – Well Hidden from Desert Etiquette (2011)

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Tomorrows Tulips

When I was young and didn’t know better, I thought I could do anything I wanted to do. I wanted to be a cartoonist. Draw funny pictures for a living. All my favorite comic strips were created by accidental artists: “I didn’t set out to draw a comic strip, but now I’m in thousands of newspapers. Go figure.” I hated reading stories like that.

If I were a musician, I’d hate Tomorrows Tulips’ story. It goes something like this…Alex Knost started this band called The Japanese Motors with some friends when he was 17. They didn’t know how to play instruments, but they practiced a lot, then got signed to Vice Records and toured the world with bands like Modest Mouse. Then he thought it’d be better to play and tour with his girlfriend (wise choice) and so he wrote some songs, she played the drums, and now they have a record out on this cool boutique label.

Tomorrows Tulips are all reverby and lo-fi. The guitars give off a hazy shimmer, the sunset’s rose reflection off the rippling sea. Simple melodies and hooky bits that get stuck in your head like the ocean does in your sinuses after you’ve been out surfing all morning.

Oh yeah, and Knost rips at surfing and skateboarding.

Some guys have all the luck. And skill.

The rest of us blog.

Eternally Teenage

Casual Hopelessness

Tomorrows Tulips – “Casual Hopelessness” from jack Coleman on Vimeo.

Tomorrows Tulips – “Eternally Teenage” from jack Coleman on Vimeo.

www.galaxiarecords.com
www.tomorrowstulipstoday.com