Clever Girls - "Loom"

Last March we were pretty high on Clever Girls's EP, Loose Tooth. Here we are pretty much exactly a year later and the Burlington, VT band is set to release a full length album. The first song off that album, "Loom," is everything we loved about Loose Tooth, but more so. It's a little less Tom Petty style Americana than the songs off Loose Tooth, and is more like Tom Petty's more rock style but mixed with the Pixies's loud/quiet/loud alt-rock. It's one of those musical blends I never knew I needed, but from this day forward I'll be obsessed with.

You can listen to "Loom" below. The new album from Clever Girls, Luck, will be available on April 2. For more on Clever Girls, check out their website.

Tallies - "Mother"

As those of us in the Northeast brace for another Nor'easter and are desperately looking for an end to winter, we might start looking to summery music to help remind us that warmer weather is around the corner. We probably wouldn't expect that music to come from Toronto, but here are Tallies with just that sound.

Formerly known as Thrifty Kids, Tallies have released a new single, "Mother." (In case you want to feel ancient, the origins of the band start way back in 2006 when guitarist Dylan Farkland met drummer Cian O'Neill at School of Rock Camp when they were thirteen and twelve.) The new song blends some diverse retro sounds into something completely new. I already brought up a summery sound, so there's some obvious comparisons to The Beach Boys. Staying pretty close is a heavy dose of 50's doo wop. They also throw in some 90's with the dream pop before it was a genre sound of The Sundays, along with some of the more upbeat, jangly mid-90's alternative. It creates a song that sound fresh but comfortingly familiar.

You can watch the video for "Mother" below. The song is currently available on the band's Bandcamp. For more on Tallies, check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

Friday Freebie: Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys - A Little More Life

Living in New England, February is a garbage month. You're just want winter to finally be over, but it's a miserable, cold, wet month. There are only two days to look forward to: The 15th when Valentine's Day candy goes on sale, and the 28th when our favorite punk/folk/burlesque/rock/steamcrunk band Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys release their entry for the RPM Challenge.

This year brings us A Little More Life. For the most part, the Army of Toys' RPM Challenge releases tend to be more mellow than their official albums. As much as I enjoy them, I have a preference for their songs with a little more oomph. A Little More Life is no exception, but the more quiet songs are gorgeous, which I don't believe is a word I've ever used to describe their music before. Album opener, "A LITTLE MORE DEATH," is one of the most lush songs I've heard in a while. "KING CLONE" has a little R&B and hip hop edge to it. The album picks up a bit with "CHILDREN OF THE HYDRA," which features a reworked verse of Doug E Fresh & Slick Rick's "La Di Da Di" specific to the Army of Toys. I know I'm getting older, since "EMPTY NOW," a duet between Walter Sickert and Wednesday Alice (his daughter with Edrie), might be the sweetest song I've ever heard. This is by far my favorite of their RPM Challenge albums to date.

You can listen to "CHILDREN OF THE HYDRA" below. A Little More Life is available for free via Walter Sickert & The Army of Broken Toys' Bandcamp. If you do download the album, try to throw the band a few bucks or at least give them a follow on social media. You can find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Juliana Hatfield Covers Olivia Newton-John's "Physical"

Photo by David Doobinin

"Physical" is the song by Olivia Newton-John I most relate to her. That song was everywhere back in the early to mid 80's, and since it had an aerobics inspired video, it's always the go to for anything set in the 80's that needs an aerobics scene. 

Needless to say, once the tracklist was revealed for Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John, I could not wait to hear her version of "Physical." The song is now available to listen to, and let's just say it does not disappoint at all. It seems more like an Evan Dando cover since it's more than a little noisy and sloppy. Of course, that isn't meant as an insult at all, and you can tell Hatfield is having a blast covering one of her idol's most iconic songs. Plus, it features a mind blowing guitar solo that you don't always hear in Hatfield's music. 

You can watch the video for Juliana Hatfield's version of "Physical" below. Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John will be available April 13 via American Laundromat Records. A dollar from each album sold will benefit the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre. You can pre-order the album here. For more on Juliana Hatfield, check out her website.

BODEGA - "How Did This Happen!?"

Photo by Mert Gafuroglu

When a band is described as an "art rock unit," you know the art is going to be more important than the music. That's not the case with Brooklyn's BODEGA. Their new single, "How Did This Happen!?" is far too rocking and catchy to just be art rock. To steal from the band's press release, it is a mixture of "... post punk, contemporary pop, hip-hop, kraut rock, and folk-derived narrative songwriting." That sounds like a total mess of genres that would just be a trainwreck, but the song works perfectly. It's far more fun than art rock has any right being.

You can watch the 360-degree interactive video for "How Did This Happen!?" below. BODEGA's debut album will be out this summer on What's Your Rupture? For more on BODEGA, check out their website. Their current tour dates are below the video.

March 10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool w/ Mind Spiders
March 13-17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
March 24 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right w/ High Waisted
April 7 – Brooklyn, NY @ Alphaville
May 15 – London, UK @ The Social
May 16 – London, UK @ The Lock Tavern
May 17 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape
May 19 – Leeds, UK @ The Brudenell Social Club (Gold Sounds Festival)

Hero Fisher - "Lonely"

The new single from London's Hero Fisher makes me nostalgic for a very specific time in the mid-90's. There was a time when female artists that were considered alternative (in the mid-90's, EVERYONE was alternative) had some pretty serious pop chops and would release these great songs. They weren't exactly singer/songwriter, they weren't rock, and they weren't electronic, but they had elements of it all. Think of artists like Heather Nova or Tori Amos. That's what "Lonely" feels like to me. It has electronic elements but isn't an electronic song, and it's far too electronic to be a singer/songwriter song. It's this lush and minimalist track that could be called haunting if it wasn't so incredibly enjoyable. 

You can listen to "Lonely" below. Hero Fisher's sophomore album, Glue Moon, will be out later this year. For more on Hero Fisher, check out her website.

Dinosaur Jr - "Hold Unknown"

Photo by John William Moloney

We're at this really weird point where it's easy to take Dinosaur Jr for granted. The band is over ten years into their original line up reunion and they've improbably been releasing great to fantastic music during that time. While many of their peers are releasing mediocre at best albums just to have something to sell at their reunion tours, Dinosaur Jr have been killing it. But because of that, we've come to expect it and the sheen has worn off a bit.

Let's not ignore this great new Dinosaur Jr song. "Hold Unknown" is great, which we've come to expect at this phase in their career. But it shouldn't be great. This should be garbage that we all dismiss and just go see them for the classics. "Hold Unknown" has this frantic energy and intensity bands a quarter of their age would kill for. Plus, J Mascis guitar solos, which can never go wrong.

Seriously, listen to this song loud and repeatedly. You can find it below. "Hold Unknown" is available as part of the Adult Swim Singles Series here. For more on Dinosaur Jr, check out their website.

First Listen, Part Two: More New Releases for February 23

And the rest!

Co-Album of the Week:

Artist: Screaming Females
Album: All At Once
Quick Description: The latest from a band poised to break out
Why You Should Listen: They're one of the best indie acts going right now.
Overall Thoughts: Co-album of the week comes from one of indie rock’s most steady acts as of late, Screaming Females. If there’s a downside to this album, it’s that the act is almost too tight. Everything feels crisp and deliberate, and your expectation for an act like this is some grit or grunge, but instead the polish allows everything involved with this to be highlighted. I can’t speak highly enough about this, and it’s definitely one of the top musical efforts of the year so far.
Recommendation: A must-listen.

Artist: Anna McClellan
Album: Yes and No
Quick Description: Folkish listen.
Why You Should Listen: You're looking for something off the beaten path.
Overall Thoughts: This was a weird one, and I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. McLellan gives me the feeling of a lo-fi, anti-folk Amanda Palmer in many regards, so you can understand why this perhaps doesn’t always hit the mark for me. Ambitious music is one thing, but this just did not completely work for what I wanted. Give this a listen, but you’ll know pretty fast if this is what you’re looking for.
Recommendation: You might love it or hate it.

Artist: Dessa
Album: Chime
Quick Description: Female rap from the Doomtree collective.
Why You Should Listen: This is good, as is everything from Doomtree so far.
Overall Thoughts: Rap connected to the folks over at Doomtree, Ken said he wasn’t so into this on a whole, but I really, really enjoyed this. Solid beats behind a good rap delivery goes a long way, and in a time where a lot of the independent rap scene sounds similar, Dessa stood out to me.
Recommendation: Worth a listen.

Artist: Mint Field
Album: Pasar de las Luces
Quick Description: Airy instrumental indie music.
Why You Should Listen: This is an album you didn't know you wanted to hear.
Overall Thoughts: Mint Field gives a definite Mogwai/Sigur Ros vibe throughout this record, and it’s absolutely a highlight of the week. Airy vocals over crashing instrumentation at many points, dynamic volume, this really has a lot of what I was looking to hear right now. If you’re into the more/mostly instrumental side of things, this needs to make your list.
Recommendation: A great listen this week.

Artist: Totally Mild
Album: Her
Quick Description: Twee-esque indie rock.
Why You Should Listen: You have specific nostalgia for the sort of cute, lively indie pop of the early 2000s.
Overall Thoughts: This is some nice indie rock that harkens back to some of Isobel Campbell’s work when she was still with Belle & Sebastian. It’s maybe a little too cute at times and not really what we expect these days, but those who really enjoyed this type of thing and hope for a comeback should give this a listen.
Recommendation: Might be something you love.

Artist: Darlingside
Album: Afterlife
Quick Description: Dreamy male-fronted folk rock.
Why You Should Listen: You wish Bon Iver was a little more normal.
Overall Thoughts: Darlingside does that sort of gorgeous soft folky stuff that some people absolutely go crazy for. For me, it was a solid listen, and songs like “Lindisfarne” really do a good job setting the tone. This is definitely a good listen, reminiscent of a lo-fi Fanfarlo in some regards.
Recommendation: Give it a shot.

Artist: Nive and the Deer Children
Album: Feet First
Quick Description: More twee!
Why You Should Listen: You wanted a little more from Totally Mild.
Overall Thoughts: A lot of this melded into Totally Mild for me, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing musically, but it also means that you have two very similar albums in the same week. On this one, “In Your Head” toward the end is a really solid song, and while the album itself has a hit-or-miss tendency, when it’s on? It’s on.
Recommendation: Give this a listen.

Artist: Psychic Markers
Album: Hardly Strangers
Quick Description: Genre-bending indie rock.
Why You Should Listen: You've got some Doc Martens in your closet, but bought tickets to see Radiohead this summer.
Overall Thoughts: This is an interesting, different listen that refuses to be slotted in a specific genre. Has prog elements, is structured like an electronica record in some regards, and it sort of makes me think about what Spiritualized might sound like if they were a goth act. I’m not convinced 100% that it worked for me, but, for the most part?
Recommendation: This is an interesting listen.

EPs:

* Kero Kero Bonito - NOTEP
* ARXX - Daughters of Daughters
* Charlotte Day Lewis - Stone Woman

Also out:

* Netherfriends - Landscapes
* Reggie and the Full Effect - 41

no hope/no harm - Swimming in the Charles EP

When I first heard Aaron Perrino's latest project, no hope/no harm, I wasn't as into it as I expected to be. I've always preferred his work when he's a bit louder and more rockin', and the first no hope/no harm songs were a little too mellow for my taste, and almost crooners. With their new EP, no hope/no harm have married both sounds perfectly. 

What's interesting is that these songs have a feel like a crooner decided to take on emo inflected 90's alt rock. The fact that you get an anthem like "I Know That You Don't Care" next to the almost country tinged "Punch a Nazi in the Face" and they both flow together in a completely seamless way is magical. Plus, "Punch a Nazi in the Face" might be the angriest power ballad of all time. While the EP is very ballad heavy, it's by no means a quiet or mellow release. The ballads have the most intensity on Swimming in the Charles EP. 

You can listen to "I Know That You Don't Care" below. Swimming in the Charles EP is available now on no hope/no harm's Bandcamp. For more on the band, check them out on Facebook.

First Listen, Part One: New Releases for February 23

A really busy week, so a two-parter with two albums of the week. One today, one tomorrow:

Co-Album of the Week

Artist: Frigs
Album: Basic Behaviour
Quick Description: Awesome post-punk debut.
Why You Should Listen: You're upset we only got one Screaming Females album this week,
Overall Thoughts: A co-album of the week, very interesting to listen to in the context of an excellent Screaming Females album. A little angsty, a little anxious, and has a heavy, dark feeling behind it that suggests a number of layers below the initial surface. This is quite simply a must-listen, especially for fans of Screaming Females. Definitely a release that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Recommendation: One of the best of the week.

Artist: Computer Magic
Album: Danz
Quick Description: Latest from the indie electronic act.
Why You Should Listen: A little more mature, a little more interesting.
Overall Thoughts: I have expressed my love for Computer Magic before, and this new album definitely feels like a shift for the act. Different, but not at all bad, it feels a little more complicated than the pop-adjacent blips and bleeps I’ve come to expect. This is one I will need to spend more time with, for certain, but on first listen, this was definitely one of the more interesting listens of the week.
Recommendation: Good listen this week.

Artist: Holly Miranda
Album: Mutual Horse
Quick Description: The latest from the singer-songwriter.
Why You Should Listen: You like your music a little off-kilter.
Overall Thoughts: Holly Miranda has danced alongside the odd corners of the pop world for a while. Her latest does the same, but might be one of her more interesting and yet more accessible efforts so far. A few songs on here are strangely addictive, and the whole thing is one that kept drawing me in throughout the first listen.
Recommendation: I can’t wait to get into this one more.

Artist: Public Access T.V.
Album: Street Safari
Quick Description: Retro 1980s rock music.
Why You Should Listen: You stopped listening to Duran Duran before "Ordinary World" happened.
Overall Thoughts: There is nothing at all wrong with acts that pick an aesthetic and stick with it. Looking at the album cover, you expect a sort of 1980s synthy rock show, and Public Access T.V. delivers. Whether you’ll like it is entirely up to whether this sort of era of music is in your wheelhouse or not, but it succeeds at what it tries to do.
Recommendation: Worth a listen; you'll know if it's for you pretty quick.

Artist: Caroline Rose
Album: LONER
Quick Description: New album from a favorite around these parts.
Why You Should Listen: Her debut album was truly great.
Overall Thoughts: I hate that I don’t like this. I hate that Rose’s debut album was a favorite of mine, with songs trapped in my head years later, and that the lead single “Money” was certainly off the beaten path but still catchy, and yet this album just flops for me. Rose is a talented enough songwriter that I chalk this up more to a choice I just do not like as opposed to a failure of an album.
Recommendation: Your mileage may vary, but I wasn’t into this.

Artist: The Low Anthem
Album: The Salt Doll Went to Measure the Depth of the Sea
Quick Description: Latest from the localish act.
Why You Should Listen: The Low Anthem always makes gorgeous, demanding music.
Overall Thoughts: We love the Low Anthem here, and this latest effort by the Providence act has a more ethereal quality to it than I expected. This is not a bad thing at all, but it does suggest that there is a change of pace for this album that might get some fans off the bandwagon. For me, this was a pretty solid listen on a whole even as it remained a bit unexpected, but those looking for a more traditional effort might be disappointed.
Recommendation: Give this a shot.

Artist: Pageants
Album: Forever
Quick Description:
Why You Should Listen:
Overall Thoughts: Another favorite of mine this week, Pageants does a sort of indie pop with a strange bent that mostly works. Great harmonies and instrumentation makes me think of this more along the lines of if First Aid Kit was an Elephant Six act, so it should absolutely get some time in your rotation this week.
Recommendation: A solid listen in a busy week.

Artist: S. Carey
Album: Hundred Acres
Quick Description: Some light folky stuff from a member of Bon Iver.
Why You Should Listen: You're looking for that more direct folk sound this week.
Overall Thoughts: There's some low-key folk-leaning music here that, if I’m being blunt, somewhat failed to resonate with me. This is probably more me than S. Carey, as folk and folkish male singers rarely work for me, but in a pretty busy week there is just a lot more better stuff out there instead. You probably won’t miss much skipping this.
Recommendation:

EPs of note:

* Stella Donnelly - Thrush Metal (don't sleep on this; great for fans of Courtney Barnett)
* Ratboys - GL
* The Regrettes - Attention Seeker

Also out:

* Starchild and the New Romantic - Language
* Grant-Lee Phillips - Widdershins