Listen Up

St. Vincent – “Bad Believer”

January 21, 2015

In advance of the release of a deluxe edition of her eponymous 2014 album, St. Vincent aka Annie Clark, just dropped one of it’s four bonus tracks, “Bad Believer.” Soaring, accessible, and a tad victorious, “Bad Believer” makes for a fine coda to an incredibly successful 2014 for Annie, which included a critically acclaimed album and tour (including a memorable stop at Asbury Hall) and an excellent appearance on SNL. The deluxe edition of St. Vincent arrives in stores February 9, and Annie returns to Western New York March 5 for a show at Water Street Music Hall in Rochester.

Purity Ring – “Begin Again”

January 14, 2015

Montreal electronica duo Purity Ring made a fairly huge splash a few years back with the groove heavy and hypnotic Shrines, and blew local minds when they played the Town Ballroom in 2013. On March 3rd, they’ll be back with the much anticipated sophomore effort, Another Eternity, ideal for the coming spring, and for taking your mind off of the inevitable Garth Brooks in Buffalo mania we’ll all be suffering. Purity Ring have also released the album’s second single, “Begin Again, included for your enjoyment, along with a pleasant flashback to their 2013 show at the Town Ballroom. “Begin Again” “Lofticries,” April 23rd, 2013 at the Town Ballroom.  

Twin Shadow – “Turn Me Up”

December 10, 2014

When nobody was looking, Twin Shadow (aka George Lewis Jr.) dropped a new track “Turn Me Up” on his Soundcloud page, and whether it’s a prologue to or preview of his upcoming 2015 first major label release, either way it is sizzling. The smoldering, synth driven cut is all about restraint and release, and the sweet aching, yearning heart of Mr. Lewis himself. If it’s any indication, 2015 could be a big year for the recently signed Warner Brothers act. Keep an eye out for Twin Shadow’s third album in early 2015, and in the meantime, enjoy.

JOYWAVE – “Tongues” (Giorgio Moroder Remix)

December 2, 2014

JOYWAVE’s meteoric rise just keeps going, and now it’s getting kind of weird. Now the Rochester NY indie electronica outfit, fresh off their invasion of Brooklyn’s Rough Trade Records, is slated to appear on Giorgio Moroder’s 2015 comeback album 74 Is The New 24. The Italian producer, who is best known for his collaborations with Donna Summer and last seen on Daft Punk’s 2013 blockbuster Random Access Memories, has remixed JW’s runaway hit “Tongues” (featuring another Rochester favorite KOPPS, also back from storming Brooklyn) into something darker and old world gothic. 74 Is The New 24 hits stores in January. Joywave and Kopps meanwhile are everywhere…

Molitor – “lonelypeople_Music”

November 14, 2014

Niagara Falls, CAN (the nice side for those not from the area) bred artist, Molitor, is prepping the release of his new EP, #lonelypeople_Music, set to drop on November 25th. Now based out of Toronto, the 20-year-old musician is making a big synth/disco rock in the vein Walk the Moon, Owl City, or newer Passion Pit. For local fans, think a more driving version of the birD day. Check out the EP’s stand out title track, “lonelypeople_Music,” below.

Slight – “Run”

November 12, 2014

Rochester’s music scene has had an amazing 2014. From breakout national hits like Joywave’s “Tongues” to strong tracks by local staples like Mikaela Davis, Harmonica Lewinski, and Secret Pizza, to name a few. Some good things must come to an end, though, as the city took a hit with the early 2014 announcement that one of the most notable bands in the scene, Cottage Jefferson, would be splitting up, with lead singer/guitarist Jim Hill packing his bags and heading to New York City. When God closes a door, he opens a window though because this morning, Hill shared with the internet his new Brooklyn-spired two track demo, Run, under the project name Slight. Fans of CJ’s fuzzed out college rock can breath easy as Slight manages to conjure up visions of Yuck on the EP’s title track. Listen below.

CHVRCHES – “Dead Air”

November 6, 2014

Glasgow electronica wunderkinds, CHVRCHES, continue their rapid conquest of Planet Earth with the release of “Dead Air,” their contribution to the penultimate Hunger Games movie soundtrack. With the have-nots gearing up for war with the fascistic haves of our dystopian future, who better to give voice in song to revolutionary Joan of Arc figure Katniss Everdeen than Lauren Mayberry? The answer is nobody as Lauren Mayberry is clearly growing into the role of feminist icon, giving CHVRCHES a vital edge and value that is definitely on display on this potent single. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 soundtrack arrives in stores November 17th, while the movie hits theaters on November 21st.

Gillian – “Out & Out”

November 4, 2014

Over the weekend, we received an e-mail from Brooklyn-based indie-pop quintet, Gillian. Fronted by former Rochester resident, Geoff Bennington, Gillian is almost the total package, a polished sound with incredibly catchy, developed melodies that fans of Broken Social Scene, Sheer Mags, Los Campesinos!, or The Cast of Cheers would love. The band has two shows in Rochester this winter, with the first being Sunday, December 7th at the Bug Jar. The second is January 23rd with two bands we’ve been talking about this week, Bryan Johnson & Family and Talking Under Water. Don’t just listen to “Out & Out.” The whole EP, The Eyes In My Head, is phenomenal.

Slap Bracelets – “The Wendigo”

October 30, 2014

New York City based shoegaze duo, Slap Bracelets, is comprised of Debbie Chou (vocals/bass/ keys) and Chris Gersbeck (vocals/guitars/bass/programming). The band has the ability to be both sweet and dreamy (listen to “The Wendigo”), but can also put on the edge to a more raucous classic punk sound. Expect a mix of Depeche Mode, Lower Dens, and Haim, and you are good to go. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/114147567″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Psychic Teens – “Face”

October 28, 2014

We all should thank Andy Czuba and Sugar City for bringing Psychic Teens to Buffalo many moons ago. The Philly outfit have been on the Queen City’s inhabitants radar since its deafening performance at buffaBLOG’s Herd Fest this past summer. Some ears are still ringing. The trio of brotherly love has just released its new single “Face,” accompanied by B-Side “All.” The former is a heavenly juggernaut of bliss born into the realm of post punk, layered with shooting gallery echoes, distortion, and compounded percussion. Here is hoping that “Face” is just the precursor for the follow up to 2013’s Come.  [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/172353634″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Los Waves – “Your World”

October 15, 2014

Upbeat Portugese twosome, Los Waves, have been on repeat this morning in the office. Comprised of multi-instrumentalists Jose Tornada and Jorge Da Fonseca, the duo’s sound picks up after Phoenix’s It’s Never Been Like That with the Strokes’ indie-pop accessibility. Check out their single “Your World” below [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/168058621″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

SHEER MAG – “WHAT YOU WANT”

October 10, 2014

While perusing the calendar for upcoming events in the next couple of weeks this morning, we finally gave South Philly’s SHEER MAG a listen, and are ecstatic we did. It’s been the soundtrack of the office all morning. SHEER MAG is a relatively young band, starting just in February but already creating some interstate buzz. The band’s sound is power-pop all the way, think The Nerves meets King Khan and the Shrines and a dab of Chastity Belt. Mark your calendar for next Saturday (10/18), as the band will be playing an early show at Black Dots in support of NANCY along with local indie-rockers, Softlines.

Kendrick Lamar – “i”

September 24, 2014

Yesterday morning, rap’s current co-president (along with Drake) debuted the first single off of his upcoming album. Titled “i,” the track was pretty much all about good-vibes. Centered around a chorus of “I love myself,” Kendrick fires out short verses with a rapid flow, essentially declaring that in order for him to give love to anything (the hood..music..his city) he first has to give love to himself. Content-wise, it’s probably most similar to his song “Real” off of good kid, m.A.A.d city. It’s note-worthy because “Real” was looked at by many as one of the weakest tracks on the album. With “i,” Kendrick departed from his ghetto commentary (well, it’s an underlying theme) in favor of a feel-good track, and there’s plenty of backlash about this track because of that. As far as production goes, Pharrell brought back to relevance the quick-pluck disco-guitar with Daft Punk on “Get Lucky,” and it[...]

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “Poison Touch”

September 18, 2014

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart have reached that “can’t do wrong” status with me. Their fuzzy and sometimes reverb heavy take at indie pop is near perfection in my eyes, and it may not be better exemplified than on their latest track, the shimmering and peppy, “Poison Touch.” Set to be included in the expanded edition of 2014’s Days of Abandon, the song once again features Jen Goma of A Sunny Day in Glasgow on lead vocals. “Poison Touch” stands up well next to Days of Abandon‘s best track, “Kelly,” also featuring Goma after former member Peggy Wang moved on from the band. The expanded edition of Days of Abandon will be released next week on September 23rd. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/168036509″ params=”color=ff5500″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Maurice – “Wxcked Girls”

August 27, 2014

RnB’s newest face comes from Ottawa, Canada. Emerging onto the music scene with a popular YouTube channel of covers, Maurice has the talent to be considered contemporaries with the likes of Frank Ocean, James Fauntleroy, and the rest of the biggest names in the genre. “Wxcked Girls” is one of three new tracks released by the 17 year old in conjunction with a feature on Noisey. On the track, Maurice alternates between pure singing and a hybrid rap with veteran skill, evidence of the artist’s original dream of becoming a rapper. It’s also revealed in the article that Maurice is a high school football player that fits his basement-studio recordings in between practice, school, and homework.  Without the music even being Maurices’s sole venture, the product is already there. Take this as an introduction to a young artist already ahead of the curve.