The Oscillation – Veils On their second album the UK’s The Oscillation have created a stellar piece of menacing no-wave. The songs cast a dark psychedelic atmosphere, moving from ambience to minimal rhythms to shuddering walls of industrial noise-sometimes all in the one song (the truly epic title track). Second track “Future Echo” is particularly powerful as it builds to a mind altering […]
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The Bandcamp Hunter from Australia chooses Tyler Lyle, Single Twin and Fire Spoken by the Buffalo as his picks of the week for August 27, 2011. A weekly Pop ‘stache feature.
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Yes Know – Place Sandy Gilfillan recorded this beautiful bedroom music under the name Yes Know. These are slow-paced songs that have a lulling ethereal quality. The reverb applied to the vocals and guitar never overpower the sentiment of the slightly warped folk-pop though. Gillifan has a laconic approach to his craft, creating spacious lo-fi soundscapes with minimal techniques. An […]
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Terrible Truths – Terrible Truths 7″ From the South Australian city of Adelaide, Terrible Truths are something of a superband, comprising of members of Bitch Prefect, Rites Wild and Dud Pills. These songs take unconventional twists on indie guitar pop while remaining totally infectious, packed with echoing hooks, a pounding rhythm section and yelping call-and-responses. Like a more hyperactive version of […]
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We Are Trees – Girlfriend We Are Trees play lovely uplifting pop music that is reminiscent of Grizzly Bear, though this Virginia beach group are not quite as complex. Building with dense instrumentation and lilting harmonies, these are lush pop songs that have been superbly arranged. Opener “Teenage Heartbreak” is perhaps the finest of this collection, a […]
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Crush – Crush EP While there may be an excess of dream pop emerging from Brooklyn at the moment, Crush are impossible not to like. The blissful pop on this EP has a dark edge to it, with just the right amount of distortion and melancholy lyricism to contrast the summery feel. The influence of […]
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Young Liar – Young Liar Young Liar are an atmospheric post-rock band that aren’t dark and brooding. They produce soaring walls of sound that build effortlessly to great heights. At around five minutes each, these songs are perfectly formed. Young Liar achieves great drama while maintaining moments of restraint, which is not only lovely but a rarity […]
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Sad Souls – Precious Paragons Sad Souls creates simple, beautiful, lo-fi folk that gently warms the soul. Glowing soundscapes and dark overtones hint at the influence of the late great Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse, though lyrically Sad Souls don’t explore such gothic realms. These are plaintively written songs of soft yearning and heartache that swell with sweet […]
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Hundred Visions – Last Cab From Tunis One of the more exciting bands to come out of Austin recently is Hundred Visons. They play rock and roll with groove, kick and swagger. With handclaps, harmonies and sweet hooks, what’s not to love? Hundred Visions are a bubbling fusion of Petty-esque rock and 90’s Brit pop, […]
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Plates of Cake – Plates of Cake Let’s face it, Plates of Cake isn’t a great band name. Such things can be overlooked if the music is good and in this case, it is. The Brooklyn outfit produce music with a distinct 60’s feel while the lyrics have some Leonard Cohen flavour. At times the […]
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House of Wolves – Fold in the Wind Immediately affecting and softly devastating, Fold in the Wind is a pristine collection of songs created by Los Angeles musician Rey Villalobos. A certain dark elegance and sweet sadness defines the record but it’s never overly sentimental. It’s a warm melancholy that is given clarity with sparkling […]
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