Middle Kids - Edge of Town

Hey, guy, have you got something on your mind?
Tick, tock, can I take it for a while
Hey, guy, have you got something on your mind?
Tick, tock, could I take it for a while
Hey guys I got something on my mind
Tick, tock, could you take it for a while
Hey guys I got something on my mind
Tick, tock, can I take it for a while
Hey guys I got something on my mind
Tick, tock, could you take it for a while
Hey guys I got something on my mind
Tick, tock

I think I first heard Australian three piece Middle Kids a little while back on the recommendation of a Sydney-based co-worker and thought, that's not bad... and then completely forgot about them. They recently came back to me via Spotify's Discover Weekly, probably because I've been listening to a lot of Australian stuff in the last couple years. Their new, self-titled EP is remarkably good. It's well made pop-rock with a solid, smart and whimsical edge in the vein of Eisley or First Aid Kit. I expect more good things to come and hope to see them live sometime.

(I missed them at SXSW because I was in Syndey. OH THE IRONY. Heh, it's not the first time I've missed a great band where I live for being in Australia. Isnt' that right Gang of Youths?)

RIYL: Eisley, Courtney Barnett, First Aid Kit, Camp Cope

Upcoming Shows

Broken Social Scene - Halfway Home

Come right
Into the sunlight
Cause I see the cold eyes
I feel they still grow
Like it was so what
As if it's so much
All through my fallen face, end to end

There must be something in the air up in the great white north. Everyone's getting the band back together! It's been about seven years since we've heard anything new from Canadian indie super-collective Broken Social Scene and I'm liking what I'm hearing quite a lot. 

Bonus! Here's a video of them performing "Halfway Home" on Colbert. 

RIYL: The New Pornographers, Wolf Parade, The Sea and Cake, Pinback

Upcoming Shows

The Thermals - Returning to the Fold

I regret leaving my mind
I forgot I needed it, to think
And maybe to keep me alive
Can't believe I got so far with a head so empty

The Body, The Blood, The Machine tells a compelling train-wreck-style story of a couple fleeing a terrifying fascist-Christian future. It feels scary as hell, yet smart and interesting and, somehow so, so heartwarming. It's quite a trick. It’s also one of my all time favorite albums. Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster are simply put, amazing storytellers, and The Thermals are, simply put, an amazing band. Their latest release, 2016's We Disappear, is terrific and, gah, I can't wait to see them live again.

BONUS! WATCH THIS SUPER FUN VIDEO OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS AND, LIKE ME, WISH YOU WERE AT A THERMALS CONCERT.

RIYL: Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, The Weakerthans, Dismemberment Plan, Japandroids, Les Savy Fav 

Upcoming Shows

Modest Mouse - Missed the Boat

Oh, and we carried it all so well
As if we got a new position
Oh, and I laugh all the way to hell
Saying, 'yes, this is a fine promotion.'
Oh, and I laugh all the way to hell

"Missed the Boat" from Modest Mouse's 2007 album We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank has all the hallmarks of a Modest Mouse song: quirky vocals, quirky lyrics, quirky pacing, quirky arrangement, etc. It also has a sentimental, melodic sound that strikes me as unique for them, and while I find many of their songs memorable, "Missed the Boat" is a standout in my mind.

RIYL: Built To Spill, Wolf Parade, The Mountain Goats, Broken Social Scene, The Shins

Upcoming Shows

Signals Midwest - You're Gonna Be Golden

There will be islands with nobody on them
Remnants of houses will drift away in the sea
And names carved in tree trunks and footprints left in concrete
will leave better proof of our existence
than my body could ever be

Signals Midwest has an apt name. They're an indie rock band from Cleveland, OH and they've got that midwest emo garage rock sound down. Think Jimmy Eat World and Sunny Day Real Estate. It's pretty straightforward, just good, solid, midwest-flavored rock. From their website, and I think it's fitting, "We are a punk/indie band from Cleveland, Ohio. We've been doing this together since 2008. We will play in your kitchen or anywhere really." I bet they do a pretty solid live show too, so my kitchen is fair game.

RIYL: Jimmy Eat World, Sunny Day Real Estate, The Get Up Kids, Texas Is The Reason 

Upcoming Shows