Lace Curtains - High Fantasy
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“High Fantasy” by Lace Curtains // The Garden of Joy & The Well of Loneliness (TBD 2012, out on Female Fantasy)
Michael Coomer, of Harlem, sent a new track to GorillaVsBear under his new moniker, Lace Curtains, and it’s a great little blast of confessional lo-fi, power pop. Jangly guitars and killer melodies are all over this gem, which you can grab for free from GVB. Highly recommended for fans of Harlem, Cloud Nothings, and The Wrens.
(download) “High Fantasy” by Lace Curtains (via GVB)
The French Kicks - The Trial of the Century
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“The Trial of the Century” by French Kicks // The Trial of the Century (2004)
If I close my eyes hard and focus enough, with the breeze the way it is tonight I can almost imagine the way this used to feel. I fell in love hard with this song in the fall of 2004. Strange how some things just feel like home when there hasn’t been a “home” in ages. At least there’s still those beautiful, dream-like, autumnal sounds. That hazy, alarm-sound guitar shimmer and those toybox piano notes will never get old and never cease to remind me of another life.
It’s the weekend and I feel like posting some older tracks leading up to this weekend’s new mixtape/podcast, so I’m going to start things off with this excellent, underrated track from 2004.
The Plimsouls - A Million Miles away
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“A Million Miles Away” by The Plimsouls // Everything At Once (1983)
It’s spring time and I figured that I might want to blast something from the years gone by instead of whatever hotshit track is currently making the blogs. The Plimsouls are one of those great lost bands from the “post modern MTV” era that had that one sorta hit and never really popped after that. I don’t know why “A Million Miles Away” always reminds me the spring time, but it’s certainly soundtracked plenty of pre-summer day drunks and the occasional white hot karaoke session. I’m just going to leave this right here for a little spring time primer as I get back to work. I’ll have this chorus in my head for the next two and a half months.
The Shins -
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“Bait and Switch” by The Shins // Port of Morrow (2012)
Another delicious bit of earcandy from Port of Morrow, and the release of the full length can’t come soon enough. This weekend The Shins make their way to Saturday Night Live to promote the new release and “Bait and Switch” will probably be one of the songs they play (alongside, “Simple Song”), as it’s loaded with pitch perfect melodies and a killer hook - like most all of James Mercer’s fan favorites. I’m excited to hear the album and check out the forthcoming summer tour. Give “Bait and Switch” a listen to satiate that lust for the whole thing.
Real Estate - Exactly Nothing
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“Exactly Nothing” by Real Estate // Easy (Single) (2012)
Anytime new Real Estate drops, it’s a good reason to perk up your ears, and the single for “Easy” contains a perfect reason to pay attention in the form of b-side “Exactly Nothing”. Like all of their best work, the track evokes a feeling of dreamy autumnal vibes, complete with their wonderful harmonies and layered guitar work. It’s a fantastic jam. Highly recommended.
Now, Now: School Friends
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“School Friends” by Now, Now // Threads (2012)
In case you were looking for something that feels like an indie pop throwback to those wonderful years in the early 00’s when twee and power pop were crashing together and making ear candy that was just downright pleasant, here is a track from Now, Now’s new album, Threads. It’s a pretty little somber track that reminds me of Eisley, Rilo Kiley, Azure Ray, and the The Like, only slightly younger. It’s just a great little indie pop song. Hit play. The album is out on Tuesday.
Life Size Maps - Weird Luck
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“Weird Luck” by Life Size Maps // Weird Luck EP (2012)
Once again Bandcamp proves to be the most wonderful of online inventions. Discovering music that gives you that special feeling is always a welcome treat, but when something crosses that your path that stops you dead in your tracks and demands to be played on repeat - well, that’s the kind of sound that can make your whole week. Brooklyn’s Life Size Maps have provided my ears with one of those gems this week in the form of their absolutely infectious noise pop wonder, “Weird Luck” (available for free at Bandcamp with 2 other tracks). The magic of the track lies in the way that the cacophony of sound that greets you in the opening disseminates and forms into a killer pop melody and back into a noise pop rave up and back again. There’s a hint of melancholy in the vocals and delivery that really helps sell the track as well. The damnedest thing is that it feels entirely familiar but yet, i can’t place what i’m being reminded of when I play it for the umpteenth time. Something hits and I’m reminded of Joan of Arc’s flirtation with noice pop in the early 00’s, and then i’m reminded of mid 00’s indie / post punk bands like Tokyo Police Club and Stars, and then out of nowhere something reminds me of Cloud Nothings output as of late. Meanwhile, there’s no reason to search out comparisons when something feels so right, it’s just a band hitting all of the right notes and locking down my attention for any and all future releases. Highest possible recommendation.
(download) Weird Luck EP by Life Size Maps (via Bandcamp)
The Men - Ex-Dreams
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“Ex-Dreams” by The Men // Open Your Heart (2012)
What better way to start your Friday (weekend) than with a blast of noisy punk from Brooklyn’s The Men. This is another track from their forthcoming album on Sacred Bones. It’s fast, melodic, noisy and could easily soundtrack your weekend’s more exciting moments and still have plenty of energy to spare. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea, but a must listen for fans of The Replacements, Rocket From the Crypt, and The Wrens.
La Sera - Break My Heart
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“Break My Heart” by La Sera // Sees the Light (2012)
Katy Goodman is back with another song that somehow manages to rival the catchiness of “Please Be My Third Eye”. This is another taste of La Sera’s forthcoming full length Sees the Light and it’s every bit as good as the last. Upbeat sunny garage pop with killer melodies and crunchy lo-fi guitars. I’m all over it.
(download) “Break My Heart” by La Sera (via Pitchfork)
The Men - Open Your Heart
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“Open Your Heart” by The Men // Open Your Heart (2012)
Here’s a blast of that noisy, post punk infused power pop that keeps the blood flowing. The Men are back on Sacred Bones with a new album that’s less dark, foreboding, and more (as Pitchfork put it) Westerberg-ian. Fine be me! It’s been my desire lately to hear more of this - straight forward, well played throwback indie rock sounds, and The Men have pegged me dead bang. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea, but a must listen for fans of The Replacements, The Fresh & Onlys, and The Wrens (and maybe even a little Rocket from the Crypt).
p|m|w’s Favorite Songs of the Week /// January 6th, 2012
Instead of limiting myself to the usual six songs for a weekly pick, I’ve decided to broaden it out a bit from here on out when the time calls for it. This week was actually pretty well stacked with great new tracks, but I’ve limited myself to eight that I feel are worth a second listen. I’m sure that I’ve missed some picks here and there, but so be it - this, the first week back into the new year, was dominating my ears with the help of these eight selections. Hopefully something in here excites your ears as much as they do mine.
As always, click on the title and artist to hear the songs and if something happens to tickle your fancy, please do what you can to support the artists. Happy listening and have a wonderful weekend!
PLAYLIST (in no particular order)
And of course, as usual, there’s a podcast that I hope that you found your way to hearing. This week’s podcast was a special all-Shoegaze edition which featured some of my favorite shoegaze and dream pop tracks from the past year.
Please give any or all of those things a listen and spread the word for good music. Thank you for all of the support, kind words, reblogs, and follows. They are very much appreciated. Don’t forget to support the bands that you enjoy in whatever way that you can (blog, tweet, share). Stay warm, listen loudly, be safe, and have a wonderful weekend!
La Sera - Please Be My Third Eye
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“Please Be My Third Eye” by La Sera // Sees the Light (2012)
It’s been a good week for fans of the members of Vivian Girls. First, former member Frankie Rose released her excellent lo-fi, synth pop track “Know Me” to much excitement and now Katy Goodman’s other project, La Sera, has dropped the first single from their forthcoming full length, Sees the Light, and it’s a killer upbeat blast of lo-fi power pop. Highly recommended for fans of Vivian Girls, Brilliant Colors, and That Dog.
(download) “Please Be My Third Eye” by La Sera (via p4k)
California X - Mummy (Demo)
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“Mummy (Demo)” by California X // TBD - The Sounds of Sweet Nothing Records (2012)
It’s refreshing to hear something so stripped back and raw as this demo from Amherst, MA band, California X. They’ve recently signed with excellent up and coming label The Sounds of Sweet Nothing (Au Palais, Tashaki Miyaki) to release they’re debut single. In the meantime, you can check out their demo set at Bandcamp, which includes this indie rock throwback gem. Think of the years when the term “indie rock” meant something, and you’ll be getting close to what this sounds like. Definitely for fans of early Guided By Voices, early Built to Spill, and The Replacements.
(stream) The Demos of California X (via Bandcamp)
Imperial Teen - Runaway
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“Runaway” by Imperial Teen // Feel the Sound (2012)
Sometimes you need shake lose the ambient, drone, shoegaze, noise and just embrace some power pop to be lifted out of a funk. Imperial Teen have been away for a while, but their return (to Merge Records) brings those bouncy, indie pop jams with the unbeatable hooks. True story, but one of my favorite live performances (of my teen years) that I’ve ever seen was Imperial Teen opening for Fountains of Wayne in Detroit’s The Shelter in 1999 (the IT part of the show, not the FOW). They played a cover of Belinda Carlisle’s “Mad About You” that I would punch a kitten to hear again.
Surfer Blood - Miranda
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“Miranda” by Surfer Blood // Tarot Classics EP (2011)
It’s been a while since Surfer Blood has been around with a new album, but they’re coming back on October 25th with a new EP entitled Tarot Classics and “Miranda” is your first listen. It’s a bouncing, driving indie pop gem that fits perfectly in their already solid catalog. Can’t wait to hear what else awaits on Tarot Classics, hopefully they scale it back and aren’t afraid to branch out a bit because they’ve got a peg on this sound and do it as good as anyone. Time will tell. In the meantime, give “Miranda” a listen because it’s a damn good one.
