A R I Z O N A - Oceans Away

| Kerri

I never let
My guard go down
But you messed me up
When you came around
When the high wore off
Know you needed space
But I don't wanna wait
I don't wanna mistake

Few thousand miles and an ocean away
But I see the sunrise, oh, just like the other day
Picture your eyes as I fall asleep
Tell myself it's alright, oh-oh, as the tears roll by

Ooh, I wish I could feel your face
Ooh, I'm helpless when I'm oceans away

Three songwriters/producers from the Jersey came together in Boston and decided to make and perform music for themselves. Why they call themselves Arizona is unclear, but the fact remains that forming a band was the right decision. Poppy and current, with thoughtful lyrics set to a danceable background. They were my biggest surprise from Day One of SXSW Music this year and I'm sooo glad to have caught them, as it turns out it was their only Austin show for the entire year. "Oceans Away" is their latest single. Don't be surprised if one of their remixes shows up on our Pleasures list soon, too.

RIYL: Frenship, Postal Service, Islandis

Upcoming Shows

Real Estate - Darling

| Kerri

The black and yellow finches
That nest in knotted ferns
Which hang upon our front porch
Wait for the warm sun to return

Impatiently, as I wait for you
Impatiently, as I wait for you

That night surrenders swiftly
The moon retreats from sight
The darkness that surrounds me
The sun cuts like a knife to shine

Impatiently
Impatiently

The birds singing
The sun rising
Impatiently
As I wait for you
For you, for you, for you
 

These guys have been on my radar for a few years (notably on TMIS last summer) so I've really enjoyed hearing this new single getting air time on Alt Nation. The lyrics are striking me at just the right time for a re-post of this artist, as I am both impatiently waiting for Keith to get back from Oz (a week or so to go), and also no longer having to wait to see Real Estate live (they will be performing at least 6 times this week during SXSW). 

RIYL: DIIV, The Feelies, Wild Nothing

Upcoming Shows

The Clash - Lost in the Supermarket

| Keith
I'm all lost in the supermarket
I can no longer shop happily
I came in here for that special offer
A guaranteed personality

I'm not exactly sure what's going on here in Sydney with The Clash, but I love it. It had been ages since I heard "Lost in the Supermarket" and I heard it randomly twice today. And London Calling is one of the best albums ever. So. Yeah! Awesome. TMIS!

RIYL: Billy Bragg, Talking Heads, The Jam, The Damned, Sex Pistols

Upcoming Shows

The Chain Gang 0f 1974 - Sleepwalking

| Kerri
Maybe we're just sleepwalking
Maybe we're just sleepwalking
Visions of better times
Kingdoms and lilac wine
Why did God fail
To improve us
Teardrops of acid rain
Burning down through my veins
Can't I just sleep for now
Now
Despite my fears
I dance for you
And did what others knew

Kamtin Mohager says this was the first song he recorded for the 2014 (first major studio) album for Chain Gang of 1974, Daydream Forever, but the people behind Grand Theft Auto V approached him around the same time and he was stoked to have this new song be such a big part of that release. Cool story, and cool that he's having continued success with that big bump in exposure. I was excited to see his band perform at SXSW this year, hopefully! (Though announced, I can't find them on the schedule?!?) Also, had to pick this song for today's Most Important because I'm dealing with the sleepwalking-effect of jet lag having returned to the U.S. last night. I just love it when I can pick out a song title or lyric that's on the nose. Such a nerd.

RIYL: M83, Neon Indian, St. Lucia

Upcoming Shows

WHY? - Proactive Evolution

| Keith
I'd be white, weak and blind
The opposite of oxen
Feeling for an exit with
Fingers stiff as branches
Of a tiny bonsai birch
Bark falling off in strips
Leaving nude wood, white
So bright in raw scar-glow
Like a fresco angel, except
Starved and deranged though
And for an exit, trying
Through blindness and time
If I wasn't when I am

I've got a very clear, and very cool memory of one of my first experiences with Oakland's Why?. It comes from back when I first moved to San Francisco from Seattle. I'd just discovered their 2008 release Alopecia and had "The Hallows" in frequent rotation. I remember sitting there on the floor of my new apartment, sun and summer air streaming through open bay windows, listening to Alopecia and dreaming up my SF adventures. Good times. It's been a bit since I'd thought about them, but the couple new tracks I've seen come through lately are great. And today's Most Important, "Proactive Evolution" has piqued my interest quite a bit again. I'm sure I'll remember this for awhile as well, sitting here jamming their catalog as I write this, thinking about this week's upcoming summer adventures in Melbourne.

RIYL: Menomena, Dan Deacon, tUnE-yArDs, YACHT, Dirty Projectors

Upcoming Shows