Brand New - Can't Get It Out

We speak in tongues and start to teethe
Lift your voice and scrape your knees
Kids in love will plant a seed
Resurrect and start to breathe

Brand New's brand new album Science Fiction sounds like a throw back and I'm loving it. I saw them several years ago at ACL (Kerri was with me, but I doubt she remembers as she was fairly unimpressed with them) and I was impressed how they'd been able to keep their sound over the years. That's clear on tracks like today's Most Important and holds mostly true through the album. 

RIYL: Manchester Orchestra, Saves The Day, Tigers Jaw, Crica Survive

Upcoming Shows

The Republic Tigers - Buildings & Mountains

We've been waiting all our lives
For things we've always had but have no eyes to see
Something new is going to happen
The most natural thing but nothin' we'd expect

All these buildings and mountains
Slowly they'll arise
Before our eyes

How do cities understand
We drink our wine and wonder why we're really here
What's the point of even asking
You take the good and bad and make the best of it

Kansas City kid Kenn Jankowski (lead vocals/guitar) was in a band called The Golden Republic. Then he joined up with some new/old friends and formed The Republic Tigers, becoming slightly more poppy in their indie rock. And now Kenn & fellow Tiger Ryan Wallace (keyboard/guitar) have formed Jaenki and upped the pop once again. I linked Jaenki in the "Upcoming Shows" for future reference, but still love the mellow groove of this song from 2008. Thinking of Houston right now, under two feet of water and getting higher fast, as it slowly raises to over five inches in my corner of Austin. Could be four or five more days of this. The most natural thing but nothing we'd expect. 

RIYL: Ra Ra Riot, Ha Ha Tonka, A Silent Film, Zipper Club

Upcoming Shows

Cende - What I Want

Act without a thought
You wish that it was all imagined
Your demons unfold before me
Even what I want I'm bound to let it all end swiftly
I'm in it for the moment

#1 Hit Single by Cende doesn't live up to its name. There are at least a few great tracks on the album! So don't stick to a single and start at the start with the horribly catchy "What I Want" featuring Greta Kline aka Frankie Cosmos.

RIYL: LVL UP, Two Inch Astronaut, Frankie Cosmos, Porches, Cayetana

Upcoming Shows

Pale Seas - Someday

As dawn breaks, I remain in the dark
Your echo leaves a scar
So you'll never be gone

I'm just getting into Pale Seas and I'm loving what I'm hearing so far. It's a bit hard to pin down, but I'm getting a bit of an Oasis vibe, maybe Placebo as well, but with an earthy, folksy cast to it. Like if Neko Case was fronting one of those bands. It's cool stuff and I expect more from their upcoming album, Stargazing For Beginners.

RIYL: Editors, Placebo, Neko Case, Blaenavon, Wolf Parade

Upcoming Shows

Rare Monk - Happy Haunting

If you were to die before me
I hope you haunt me forever
And if I were to die before you
Yeah I'm gonna haunt you forever, with clever puns, yeah
 

Pacific NW peeps coming at you with a new album and a sound that is so familiar, yet distinct. Clever intertwining guitars and vocal harmonies, with a good measure of pop sensibility and a dash of indie cynicism. If you like this, you should definitely check out the rest of A Future, and their previous album Death By Proxy (it feels a little harder edged than this one, but in a good way). 

RIYL: Modest Mouse, Day Wave, Tipling Rock, The Shins, Cold War Kids

Upcoming Shows