Pattern Is Movement Moves Me

A band with little fear, similar to the mentality of Deerhoof (greatest band ever) minus the punk aspect, but filling in that void with complex orchestral arrangements. The reason why I enjoy Philly's Pattern Is Movement so much is the spontaneity of every beat and note. Rhythms change constantly, instruments drop in and out, yet it all coagulates into a rich landscape of music. How's it done? Talent? Smarts? The "knack"? Andrew Thiboldeaux and Chris Ward probably have all of that. They also have a full length release, All Together (fitting), out on Home Tapes on May 6th. Check them out on May 16th at Metro Gallery in Baltimore with Wye Oak (holy crap that's a good show). Their myspace has more dates.

mp3: Pattern Is Movement - Bird --> website --> buy
mp3: Pattern Is Movement - Right Away

Islands Oasis

Islands seem to have a knack for creating feature length cinematic albums. While their debut might have had a bit more art noir feel to it, their upcoming release (due out May 20th on Anti-) The Arm has crystal clear production that heightens the diverse array of genres and tempos that Islands throws at you on every song. This album definitely signifies that Islands is a creative force...not a bad track on The Arm.

mp3: Islands - Creeper --> website --> buy
mp3: Islands - Abominable Snow

Posting on Post War Years

So it's not often I post something about a band without really listening to more than two tracks, but thats all I have to go on from Leamington Spa, UK's Post War Years. And let me tell you...this is some pretty fantastic music that blends analog electronics with an almost jazz fusion beat, then coming together in a modern indie sort of way (complete with hand claps). I don't know much about them besides the fact they're a new four piece from the UK. Here's their own description of themselves:

Post War Years live together in an abandoned russian social club/ hairdressers. Here, they can usually be found creating big beats in the kitchen or just sleeping somewhere. Any noises you hear are triggered by a Live Finger or foot. They grew up together.

The also have a blog which is pretty fantastic. Check it out...go leave a comment of encouragement. They have a 7" of Black Morning due out on May 12th on Rough Trade. Pre order it here, but for now ... listen.

mp3: Post War Years - Black Morning --> website --> buy
mp3: Post War Years - You and Me Both
mp3: Foals - Electric Broom (Post War Years Gatefold Banjo Remix)

Here's their video for Black Morning:

School of Language - Learned

In April 2007, Sunderland UK's Field Music decided to kind of stop making music to persue side projects. One of these tangents is David Brewis' School of Language. In February, School of Language released Sea From Shore on Thrill Jockey. When listening to this, I guess I could throw around terms like "post rock" or "friggin' great", but that wouldn't really pin point what Brewis accomplishes on Sea From Shore. The core of the album is held together by the epic four part Rockist that fleeces my ears with it's oohs-and-ahhs-a-capella backbone over and over. The other tracks drop in between Rockist parts with power and solidarity. I guess it's not too often you hear the words monumental and indie in the same sentence, but that is exactly the style of rock that School of Language emanates... and I can't seem to turn it off. Right now there playing all over Europe. Check their myspace for the dates.

mp3: School Of Language - This Is No Fun --> website --> buy
mp3: School Of Language - Rockist Part 4

Toofer Toosday - 13Ghosts & Neva Dinova

I dreamt last night I was a member of the Eagles and somehow Don Henley and company were short on luck, losing everything in Vegas. So there we were, riding in an old beat up boxcar, traveling where ever the train took us. What instrument did I play, you ask? Why a drum sequencer and sampler, of course. When I woke up the next morning, I realized I had fallen asleep listening to 13Ghosts new LP, The Strangest Colored Lights. This Birmingham, Alabama 6 member band plays country infused classic folk rock with a large dose of distorted reality painted all over it. Very intriguing indeed.

mp3: 13Ghosts - Beyond The Door --> website --> buy
mp3: 13Ghosts - Whip Poor Will

Imagine. You're down south. It's hot. You stroll into a dank bar and the smoke swallows you whole. The ceiling fan is spinning slow as the wallpaper begins to peel off the wall (as if you're in a Coen brothers movie). Sounds gradually drift your way. A moody southern slow rock with a twist of the unkown. You then mosey on over to a empty bar stool and replenish your tired mind with booze and the salty tunes of Omaha's Neva Dinova. If you like that kind of cinematic song writing, then Jake Bellows' Nevo Dinova, who just released You May Already Be Dreaming on Saddle Creek, might be a good play for you. Check them out on May 11th at DC9.

mp3: Neva Dinova - Squirrels --> website --> buy
mp3: Neva Dinova - Supercomputer

Royal Bangs Cut It Up

What's there not to like about Knoxville, Tennessee? I mean come on. Superdrag... AWESOME. The Sun Sphere .... AWESOME. The Wig Sphere.... AWESOME. Now.... Royal Bangs... yup... AWESOME. This five member group blazes out of the 'ville brandishing a unique electro rock sound that sounds too old school to be new wave and too new school to be...um... old school. They've pretty much played everywhere down south including a stint at some festival called Bonnaroo. Now they have an album coming out on May 13th called We Breed Champions on Audio Eagle. I was pretty taken when I first listened to it. The Knoxville Voice compared them to "Radiohead vs. fifteen bottles of Southern Comfort." First of all anybody with 15 bottles of So-Co is not going to sound good, but I see where they're going with that. Second of all, I would say they sounded more like the Rolling Stones gettin' all crazy-like with keyboards when Van Morrison kicks down the wall and goes crazy (like Aerosmith vs. Run-DMC 'Walk This Way' style). This is Royal Bangs. Intelligent, yet rough around the edges, electro rock that knows no boundaries.

mp3: Royal Bangs - Broke Calculator --> website --> buy
mp3: Royal Bangs - Cat Swallow

Tokyo Police Club Expanded

When I first heard A Lesson In Crime, Ontario's Tokyo Police Clubs debut EP, I was immediatley taken by the energy that was thrown at me, but really didn't have enough time to enjoy it since it only ran around 16 minutes. Luckily for me, the EP garnered them some success and they signed to Saddle Creek to release their debut LP, Elephant Shell, which came out on April 22nd. On this one they have seemed to limit their hyperness... and it's poptastic. It could even be considered more 'main stream'. All of these things seem to be negatives, yet this album hasn't left my rotation all week. The lyrics are captivating enough and catchy enough to hold my attention long enough that I'm singing along by the end. This is sure to be a favorite of many...so go ahead and dive in.

mp3: Tokyo Police Club - In A Cave --> website --> buy
mp3: Tokyo Police Club - Listen To The Math

Riddle Of Steel For Rock

Sometimes music needs to stop messing around. What's up with all these samples? What's up with all this disco? Where's the rock...umm...I...mean...where's the R O C K? Apparently it's in St. Louis...what, you didn't know that? There's a rumor that a three piece band lives in Missouri that produces the kind of rock that makes me nod my head back and forth when thinking about it. Well actually it's no rumor, it's a fact. Riddle Of Steel. Three guys, Andrew Elstner, Jimmy Vavak, and Rob Smith, crank out rock that sounds like Queens of the Stone Age dreaming of Jawbox or maybe Van Halen partying with Shudder To Think. Whatever. That doesn't matter. What matters is now is the time to test that little stereo of yours. How loud can it go (does it go to 11)? Riddle Of Steel will solve that...riddle. Their debut album, 1985, is out now.

mp3: Riddle Of Steel - It's Called A Turbo --> website --> buy
mp3: Riddle Of Steel - Who's The Fella Owns This Shithole?

Toofer Toosday - Magnetic Morning & Man Plus

Magnetic Morning (formerly the Setting Suns) are made up of Swervedriver's singer/guitarist Adam Franklin and Interpol's drummer Sam Fogarino. They met and formed in New York in 2006. Last year they released their first self titled EP on Itunes in Novemeber while the physical copy came out on April 19th of this year. Adam Franklins bassy drawl defines their sound while stacks of whistles, strings, and organs flow beneath him covering the deep bass and drums like a winter jacket. Bundle all that up in a nice neat package then drop into a bath of reverb and you will have the majestic orchestral indie rock of Magnetic Morning.

mp3: Magnetic Morning - Cold War Kids --> website --> buy
mp3: Magnetic Morning - Don't Go To Dream State

Man Plus get their name form a science fiction novel by Frederick Kohl where a man slowly becomes a cyborg so he can live on Mars. Well the band isn't from Mars, but from Seattle, and they're not cyborgs (though I could be wrong). Instead their a five piece band that sounds like electronics shaing hands with drums that pat male/female(Jared and Ellen) duo vocals on the back. Jared's voice wavers between po and aggressive often complementing the rhythm of each song while Ellen's calm vocals sway with the musical patterns that underly them. Man Plus plays BEASTLY/light indie rock...or bi polar indie rock...or something else that I haven't thought of yet...hmmm...it's good. And they've got a new album out called The Hungarian Suicide Songbook...go get it!

mp3: Man Plus - Kids Gone Bad --> website --> buy
mp3: Man Plus - A Ghost Is A Ghost Is A Ghost Is A Ghost

The Jealous Girlfriends...Finally

By all accounts I should have heard of The Jealous Girlfriends before. Their song Lay Around played on Showtime's The L Word, two of their songs (off their upcoming album), Roboxulla and Something In The Water, were used on Grey's Anatomy, while the song Carry Me was on CSI: Miami (which I usually turn off after the sunglasses go on). Their music video for How Now even won the IPod music video contest. So how is it that it took me so long to hear and love them? I guess it's a thing called fate that brought me to them...or maybe it's the fact that they opened for Nada Surf (wait...that's probably it). The point is, if you haven't heard them, DROP EVERYTHING and take a listen. Aside from the fact that their live show is an intense display of sheer rock goodness, The Jealous Girlfriends self titled LP (due out on April 22nd on Good Fences) grabbed me, slapped me, then hugged me. Blending the soulful voice of Holly Miranda with the soaring guitar of Holly Miranda with the smooth deep voice and red hair of Josh Abbott with the lush bass and keys of Alex Lipson with the daringly great drums of Mike Faden, this wonderful quartet from New York puts together a hypnotizing selection of spirituous pop rock. Many would probably say they have a New Pornographer type of sound, but I'll take it a step further and say they are channeling the Pixies covering Fleetwood Mac. Decide for yourself when they play at the Rock and Roll Hotel with Sea Wolf on May 25th. Make sure you pick their album up on Tuesday.

mp3: The Jealous Girlfriends - Secret Identity --> website --> buy
mp3: The Jealous Girlfriends - Something In The Water

Mash It Up Why Don't You

I know it's Friday and I've already posted some quality remixes for your listening pleasure, but I've been receiving some grand mash-ups for the last week or so from Immuzikation (aka Alfredo Lapuz Jr.) that I just had to put up. Enjoy!

mp3: Immuzikation - Jeumie (Yelle vs. Weezer) --> website
mp3: Immuzikation - All My Children (LCD Soundsystem vs. MGMT)

Weezer Strikes Back

So many of you have heard the leaked single Pork and Beans (actual release date on April 24th) floating around the "net". So have I. In my opinion, it's pretty friggin' good. You see, like many of you, I'm a big Weezer fan, and, like many of you, I was deeply "pained" by Make Believe. I mean, what was that? The thing about this song, Pork and Beans, that makes me smile is that it seems Cuomo and company have gone back to their original recipe of fuzzed out guitar pop with honest and sometimes hilarious lyrics. And it's catchy...the main ingredient to all great Weezer songs. Now we just have to wait until June 17th(maybe) to hear the full self titled(maybe) red(maybe) album that was produced Rick Rubin(partly), Weezer, and Jackknife Lee(R.E.M., The Hives, Editors, Bloc Party). That's right around the corner folks, so get your ears (and your thumbs) ready.

mp3: Weezer - Pork And Beans --> website --> buy
mp3: Weezer - Why Bother
mp3: Weezer - In The Garage

Wye Oak Revisted

Quiet music kills me sometimes. I'll admit it, I like to rock. Baltimore's Wye Oak have made me give quiet another look. Though there are some up beat songs on If Children (just released on Merge), Wye Oak truly binds me into the laid back, cool yet humid, landscae of memories and brushings. Please Concrete, the opening track, sets it all off with light guitar and organ as the rhythm timidly comes through before blasting off at the end. These types of mood swings embody the rest of the album. There's aggressive sounds, but not over the top, and certainly transformed by Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack's knack for creating harmonies where you wouldn't think there'd be harmonies. The slow songs are just pleasant to listen to. They don't exaggerate, they simply state, letting any sappy sentiment float away. Check their myspace for tour dates.

mp3: Wye Oak - Regret --> website --> buy
mp3: Wye Oak - Family Glue

Mr. Jones

So the folk scene is HIGHLY SATURATED. I often tire of actually. So what does it mean when a folk album passes through my hands that I end up enjoying? It means it's damn good. Why? There's personality, charm, pain and sorrow leaking out of every crack of the album. Every track doesn't hit me the same way, but on the whole Hezekiah Says You're A-OK by Hezekiah Jones comes together well with no strings attached. No booming choruses, no xylophones and tubas. Just a guitar, some choice melodies and vocals, and the occasional spice of an instrument. Being from the Philadelphia region, you can find Hezekiah Jones playing up and down the east coast frequently. Check their myspace for current dates.

mp3: Hezekiah Jones - Postpone --> website --> buy
mp3: Hezekiah Jones - Agnes Of The World

Toofer Toosday - The Sound Of Arrows & Oren Lavie

The Sound Of Arrows are Swedish duo Oskar Gullstrand and Stefan Storm. They make music. The kind of music that does circles around your heart with crazy liquid reverb and transfigure analog piano lines. Gullstrand and Storm have a new EP, Danger!, set to be released on May 7th and then will follow it up with a LP in the fall. This EP teases you with textured pop songs so that when it ends you have no choice but to listen again. Throw some solid remixes onto the backside of it and you've just scored the perfect after midnight snack.

mp3: The Sound Of Arrows - Danger! --> website --> buy
mp3: The Sound Of Arrows - Danger! (Panache Remix)

Here we are, riverside, at midnight watching the moon speckle light between the trees while the sound of the water flowing is like a nocturnal symphony. this is Oren Lavie, a songwriter from Berlin via New York. A rising talent in Europe, Lavie decided to start his own label in New York this year, Blue Smile, using his album The Opposite Side Of The Sea as it's inaugural release sometime soon. He makes gentle music for gentle times and he might even garner comparisons to Drake. He should. A deep beautiful voice paired with quality recording and production leave me with nothing bad to say about him. Oren Lavie is nice.

mp3: Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance --> website --> buy
mp3: Oren Lavie - The Opposite Side Of The Sea

Portishead Third - This Time It's Personal (for you)

Portishead's here again with dark rooms, candles, and ancient robots in love. The magical thing that is Portishead can wisp you away like Phantom of the opera then boil you over with industrial hip hop style grimy beats. On their new release they don't reinvent their sound, but why should they? I've been waiting to hear these trip hop pioneers produce new music for years (that rhymes and you know rhymes, admit it). Now that it's here, I couldn't be happier.

mp3: Portishead - Hunter --> website --> buy
mp3: Portishead - We Carry On

De Novo Dahl Delivers

Have you ever been downtown sitting on a bench watching people go by at lunch time? It seems like madness. People rushing this way and that, bumping and running to their destination. This is the time you should pop on your headphones and listen to De Novo Dahl's Move Every Muscle, Make Every Sound. Their gorgeous pop sound with looming choruses that slap you across the face repeatedly until you clap along will drum over the avenues of work you see passing before you and make them seem almost beautiful. Oh yeah, add a dash of funk and punk and there it is! Good music.

mp3: De Novo Dahl - Been Kept Up --> website --> buy
mp3: De Novo Dahl - Marketplace

Annuals are Perennial Favorites

Annuals new EP, Wet Zoo, has just been released and it's not shocking that it's great. There are 3 superb Annuals songs on the disc that sport the soaring vocals and mountainous drums that define the Annuals sound. There are also two tracks by Sunfold, a side project of member Kenny Florence, that sport the same cast as Annuals, but with a little switcharoo action. The Sunfold tracks are quite intriguing in that they have a similar quality to Annuals except that they hold a laconic feel that never gives too much, but doesn't feel lacking. All in all, this sweet little EP has easily perked my interest to the apparent Annuals LP being released in the fall.

mp3: Annuals - Sore --> website --> buy

The Good Ole Days of Plants & Animals

Montreal's Plants & Animals take me back to my delivery truck driving days. No tape player. Just a run down radio that only picked up 100.7 the Bay (Baltimore's best of the 60s , 70s, and 80s). Many might consider this hell, but I quickly learned to love a majority of these songs. Many of the artists sought out big production, clever arrangements, and never failed to include the sultry hook that grabbed you by the ears and twisted until you sang along. Plants & Animals have that quality that defines classic rock, yet they don't seem dated. So that was my first impression. Then things started to warp my mind a bit as it swooned around these tunes...Arcade Fire ...hmmm...bits... Animal Collective...tiny bits...CSNY...more bits...Then all these pieces merge together and coagulate to my previous impression. Well if you can make any sense of what I just wrote, then you'll love Plants & Animals. They just released their full length, Parc Avenue, on March 25th on Secret City Records.

mp3: Plants & Animals - Mercy --> website --> buy
mp3: Plants & Animals - Bye Bye Bye

Man, Man Man is Magnificent

Man Man's Rabbit Habits comes out on April 8th on Anti-. This is the closest thing I've heard to a modern reflection of what Waits and Zappa accomplished in their respective glory days. Rabbit Habits is full of wild circus ballads that create more genres than take to them. This style of play breeds stories and imagery without understanding the lyrics. The inflections of voice and bass tone carve out each fantastic mood directly from your ears to your brain. I just imagined a box car picking up musicians along it's travels through the midwest until the train gets so weighed down it has to stop. The final destination is an old run down paper mill. That's when all hell brakes loose. I know...I'm strange...this album's got a hold of me...help. Man Man is playing their record release show at the Starlight Ballrom on April 8th with Dirty Projectors and The Extraordinaires then heading out a major tour with Yeasayer.

mp3: Man Man - Top Drawer --> website --> buy
mp3: Man Man - Mister Jung Stuffed