Japandroids - Near To The Wild Heart Of Life

It was last call at my local
And I stalled saying goodbye
So the girl behind the bar came over
And she took me aside
She kissed me like a chorus, said
“Give 'em hell for us
The last drink of the night, last night in town
Baby, this one is on the house

I was pretty excited when I heard earlier this week we'd have some new Japandroids coming soon, and now it's here! Celebrat(ion)! Rock! It's terrific and showcases much of what make Japandroids a great band. Celebration Rock was probably my favorite release of 2012 and you can hear a lot of that in "Near To The Wild Heart Of Life". It's got the classic sonic noise-rock sound so prevalent in their previous work, with even a bit more clarity and polish, and it works really well. It's a bit "Summer of '69" in the chorus, but even that's something I felt a bit on many of the best tracks from Celebration Rock. Here though it might come across even more clearly, which initially threw me, but quickly grew on me. Can't wait for the new album.

RIYL: Cloud Nothings, Cymbals Eat Guitars, The Thermals, JEFF The Brotherhood, Wavves

Mercury Girls - All That Heaven Allows

indecipherable lyrics

Charming, fizzy, newcomer indiepop band, Mercury Girls, is made up of three boys (one from Austin!) and one girl, their emotive lead vocalist. They played The Crocodile in Seattle last night - sorry not to spread the word in time to our peeps there. Check out below for more tour dates/locations. Word from a couple concert reviewers is they are better than those they open for, so get to the show early.

RIYL: Pity Sex, Whale Tooth, Best Coast, Dum Dum Girls

Upcoming Shows

DREAMERS - Wolves (You Got Me)

All the other ones never made it this far
They all were dust when they saw what you are
Still I chase you down to the place you hide
Will I make it out, make it out alive?

You got me brainwashed, you got me so lost
You got me fucked up like you
You got me drugged up, you got me undone
Falling in love like you do
And if you lie down with wolves
You learn to howl
You got me brainwashed, you got me so lost
You got me fucked up like you

Dreamers is a band on the verge, I think. Before even releasing their first full length LP (This Album Does Not Exist came out August 26th), they had already opened for some pretty big and really well-matched bands which lead to write-ups in Rolling Stone, Spin, and a smattering of online publications. They've just wrapped up touring with The Mowgli's only to resume touring this month as the headliner. But, word is that they still hang out at their own merch table and frequently tweet back at their fans. So check 'em out soon if you want in on that kind of intimate interaction with a band, before they start getting mobbed. 

RIYL: Bear Hands, Walk the Moon, The Griswolds, Grouplove, Struts, Atlas Genius, The Moth & The Flame, Kings of Leon

Upcoming Shows

The Drones - Boredom

The ‘burbs are growing like a fingernail
Slower than the dullest pain
I want the hunger and cold of the knights of old
When there was blood up to the Himalayas
I’m saying farewell to the welfare state
The only comfort is a caliphate
I'm guessing war sure beats any old North Shore beach
Or any western suburb single player
I'm looking for the type of test
A cataclysm make me beat my chest
Man, any kind of 'ism' beats a singing competition
On a TV fat with gnash and wail
They got me singing in a different scale
Don’t wanna push no pram
Or join a bikie gang
Or flip a burger for the infidel
No one ever lives to tell
What’s at the bottom of an oil well

Let's keep it a bit odd. The Drones, from Perth, Austrailia, were described to me as "hard to get into" by my friend and co-worker James Bryant. I gave them a listen and was struck how much they reminded me of The Hold Steady, while at the same time, not being all that similar. Yeah, I know. Weird. But also creative, poetic and, at times, rockin'.

I've given them a few decent hours of listening time and I'm impressed with what I'm hearing, despite that steep curve. They are hard to get into but there's something compelling and cool to their sound and it might be worth that initial awkward phase. Give today's Most Important, "Boredom" a listen, and if you're intrigued, check out James' Drones Gateway playlist on Spotify or their latest album, Feelin' Kinda Free.

RIYL: The Hold Steady, The Mars Volta, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

Upcoming Shows

Goat - Union of Mind and Soul

Give me your time
Open your mind
Open your mind
See what you can find
Open your mind
Open your mind

It's Halloween! Let's get a bit weird! If you mixed heavy metal with Afrobeat you might get something like mask wearing Swedish psychedelic megaband Goat. Maybe. 

This is some odd, yet undeniably cool stuff. It can be a bit hard to get into at times, but tracks like "Run To Your Mama", off their semi-ironically titled 2012 release World Music, and "Try My Robe" highlight a penchant for fun, funky grooves that I can imagine are a blast live. Today's Most Important "Union of Mind and Soul" stretches pushes the boundaries of that fun, funky sound, but, hell, I kind of love it. If you do too, check out their recently released album Requiem.

RIYL: Dead Can Dance, Foxygen, The War on Drugs, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, The Sword, Dead Meadow

Upcoming Shows