Wavves - Way Too Much

This conversation's getting boring
I've given up and now I'm on the ground
Way too much

We're going to the beach this weekend. The Mexican beach in Puerto Vallarta! Woot. Anyway, to get geared up for that, and because it's been cold AF here, and because I've been sick AF, I've decided to pull out some summer-style tunes. San Diego-based Wavves fits the bill perfectly with their lo-fi approach to feel-good rock. "Way Too Much" is on my short of list of songs that get me smiling right away. Feeling the winter? Give it a listen and see if it doesn't help brighten up your life too.

RIYL: Cloud Nothings, Surfer Blood, Best Coast, Japandroids, JEFF The Brotherhood

Upcoming Shows

Portugal. The Man - Noise Pollution

Hello, I'm introducing
Live leak the revolution
Go stream it now on demand
New world distribution
Let's make low resolutions
Let's reverse evolution
Let's leave behind this dry land
Crawl back to the ocean

Act like you're over it, still be upset
Naturally gifted or losing it
Act like you're over it, still be upset
Naturally gifted, down for heavy lifting

I know my rights, je t'aime Paris
Live or die like c'est la vie
With my fist in the air, "Je suis Charlie"
Can't ya see I'm feeling magnifique?

Hailing from Wasilla, Alaska, Portugal. The Man is an ever-evolving alt rock group (now based in Portland, Oregon) that is neither Portuguese nor a singular man. This song of slight despair but greater solidarity came out recently, a bit early, along with this statement from the band: "Not to be dramatic and shit, but there’s a flood of noise right now that feels like it might drown us all. And it’s harder and harder to tell what’s fact, what’s opinion, and what’s just straight up bullshit. We’re not able to make sense of it, much less tell you how to make sense of it. Thank God there’s music for that. We’ve been working on a new record with your boy Michael Diamond for awhile... Seemed like the right time to show this to you. We’re in this together."

RIYL: Cage the Elephant, Local Natives, Cold War Kids

Upcoming Shows

Mitski - Your Best American Girl

If I could, I'd be your little spoon
And kiss your fingers forevermore
But, big spoon, you have so much to do
And I have nothing ahead of me
You're the sun, you've never seen the night
But you hear its song from the morning birds
Well I'm not the moon, I'm not even a star
But awake at night I'll be singing to the birds

Don't wait for me, I can't come

Your mother wouldn't approve of how my mother raised me
But I do, I think I do
And you're an all-American boy
I guess I couldn't help trying to be your best American girl

You're the one
You're all I ever wanted
I think I'll regret this

Mitski says this song was intensely personal to her; she didn't expect it to resonate with anyone. And yet it's by far her biggest hit. Mitski was raised in the Congo, Japan, Turkey, and attended college in New York -- I can imagine it would be easy to feel like you don't fit in. How lucky we are that she decided to make music.

RIYL: Waxahatchee, Diet Cig, Cayetana

Upcoming Shows

Bad Suns - Disappear Here

I kiss the bend of the canyon road where
I find your ghost again
You found the sky through the moonroof topless
You were so happy then

I'm right, I'm wrong
I'm everything but sure
My blazing head, my freezing heart
Your five words walk out the door

Would you run after me?
I feel I've stood here once before
Would you run after me?
Would you run or do we disappear?
Oh, disappear here
Would you run after me?
Would you run or do we disappear here?

L.A. indie band with a surprise big hit ("Cardiac Arrest") from their first album in 2014, Bad Suns released their second rather quietly last year. With smart, Cure-esque lyrics and catchy, current, alt-rock sound, I think they deserve more attention. 

RIYL: Atlas Genius, Night Riots, Bleachers

Upcoming Shows

Big Jesus - Lock & Key

Don't, don't
Leave me loveless

Big Jesus have sort of a fuzzy shoegaze take at rock that comes off a bit dreamy at times and a bit raucous at others. "Lock & Key" feels a bit like a mashup between Torche and Silversun Pickups, and while it's strange to think of a metal-esque song as pleasant, that's what we've got.

RIYL: The Dirty Nil, Silversun Pickups, Torche

Upcoming Shows