future us performed a few tracks live on air at FCC Free Radio back in November shortly after killing it in our first show back at The Connecticut Yankee. Give a listen to “I Belong to You” and “No Good” below, and make sure to come down to El Rio tomorrow night (1/23/13) to see the future of music as Jim Morrison so aptly described back in 1969. Discounted tickets are available here.
future us will be performing this Friday night (11/9/12) at The Connecticut Yankee in support of Spidermeow. The duo is comprised of singer/songwriter, Megan Heavlin Ochoa and electronic artist Daniel Durrett. The two cutting edge artists are fusing the classic storytelling of folk, with the soundscapes and beats of electronica. Make sure to hear their innovative sound first hand this Friday night. Half price tickets are available here.
Listen to “On My Mind” below to get a taste of what you’ll hear on Friday night.
Author : Paul LaScolea
There is a moment on Tame Impala’s sophomore album, Lonerism, when I realized that I was listening to one of the best psychedelic rock albums of the year. When the fourth track, “Mind Mischief”, transitions from a catchy guitar groove to full-on harmonic bliss at the two-minute mark, I also realized that this one of 2012’s best albums of any genre. Lonerism is stuffed to the brim with transcendent moments such as this; crammed with imaginative details exploding off of warmly fuzzed-out guitars, bouncing bass lines, and heavily reverberating vocals. An important difference between this effort and Tame Impala’s debut, Innerspeaker, is the dominance of synthesizer and keyboards throughout. While Innerspeaker used keyboards to accent and surround many of the songs in a haze, Lonerism is happy to utilize them side by side with the guitars, in many cases completely taking the lead as the driving force.
It’s easy to peg a band many classify as “psychedelic rock” as entrenched in the past. This is simply not the case with Tame Impala. The songs here are based off of elements I could identify as “psych” or “prog”, but at no point could I picture this music coming from decades prior. Something about this band is completely modern and fresh sounding. Much could be said about this album’s lyrical content being laser-focused on themes of loneliness, isolation, and general outsider tendencies. The vocals, while quite catchy, also seem to have a lazily bittersweet current coursing through them. However, the music is so inviting and huge that it is nearly impossible to come away without a smile after finishing the record’s 52 minutes. Lonerism is one of the year’s most essential pop albums, and one that sounds destined for classic status.
Listen to stand out tracks “Apocalypse Dreams” and “Elephant” below.
Watch this amazing cover of “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” by the PS22 Chorus from NYC. This displays the pop brilliance of these songs.
Guest contributor: Ben Anshutz
Sally is full of indie-pop fun. Based right out of New York City, this group creates bouncy, bubbly pop that pulls from acts such as Nighttime Adventure Society and The Moldy Peaches. The band offers up a new six-song EP We Are In A Car that smartly distills their cutesy ethos.
Opener “We Are In A Car” features an intricate and fleet drum line bellied up with jangly guitars and singer Kristen Gudsnuk’s honey-dipped voice, and will leave you smiling. “A Summer Song”, eloquently composed with textures similar to the first track’s, speaks to the heartache from the loss of summer romance. Here, songwriter Jordan Cooper is mining a powerful pop sensibility.
But it is on the third track, “Friends Are Foes,” that Cooper really hits his stride. With a scratchy vocal filter, Gudsnuk lets her inner punk out with distorted guitar wails to match, making this one of the most fun moments on this release. “Head On Your Neck” channels 1960s girl-groups with its dance-ready composition. Take this one to the beach for sunbathing weekends.
The EP wraps up with “Another Lesson,” putting a bow on the bubblegum folk that Sally has curated through the six songs. While this release doesn’t offer a huge variety or particularly unique instrumentation, it rides on the strength of Gudsnuk’s honest vocals and Cooper’s cheery songwriting. The EP is unique in its execution, with the longest of six songs being under three minutes, and the majority of them under two. Writing these short pop songs is unique in the landscape of current indie music, with too many bands unleashing sprawling and dragging epics. With We Are In A Car, Sally proves that you don’t need much to craft beautiful indie pop. If you’re looking for something spunky for your summer playlist, look no further than Sally.
The EP can be purchased on CD Baby, or iTunes. You can also stream it on Spotify.
Watch the band perform “Undo” below.
Vice Count is a New York based Alt-Rock band with heavy Blues and Classic Rock sensibilities. If you like your rock, to actually ummmm ROCK, then you’ll appreciate their riff-centric approach. Formerly known as The Viscounts, until further research revealed conflict with the name, the band has been hard at work in the studio writing and recording new material. From the sounds of the first song released, “Peripheral Vision”, the band is ready to continue their conquest of the city. The melody flows smoothly from guitar to vocals and back again, never ceasing and keeping your interest from beat one. Give a listen below, and make sure to catch their upcoming show at Tammany Hall on Thursday, August 2nd.
Snakadaktal are young band from Melbourne, Australia that has yet to really make a big splash here in the US. They are a self described Pop band, but there is so much more going on that it’s hard to believe there all still in high school. Give a listen to their single “Chimera” below.
