Rebel and a Basketcase - Escondido

Prefer to perform sweeter than sweet
I cant even say what I feel
Can't call us a name cause theres no name for us
And remember that nothing is real

Comparisons rarely leap so easily to mind as in this case: Rebel and a Basketcase sound like Blondie mixed by the Pet Shop Boys. Intrigued? Well then, I also just figured out that the Deborah Harry-esque voice is coming from the actress who plays the first-gen android "Delores Abernathy" on Westworld. So. Have a listen. 

RIYL: Tegan and Sara, Eisley, Best Coast, Brazilian Girls

Upcoming Shows

LVL UP - Hidden Driver

She broke right through the mess he made
Shoved an apple in his face
And impaled him with a long and gnarly stake
And I give thanks for it everyday
But I still think of god in the same way:
As the moment in my dreams
When I'm fading away
And what takes my place
Is a radial gradient of cops and priests
And mounting things
Fucking everything
Making rules for a body within me

The first time I heard New York garage outfit LVL UP I was reminded of the first time I heard Built To Spill. I mean the old, kind of rough-but-awesome stuff, not the more polished (still awesome) less-old stuff. "Hidden Driver" is the kind of song, like Built To Spill's "Car" that catches you a bit unaware each time you hear it, exciting you as it worms its way in through your ears. Their latest release, Return To Love, is an intelligent, complicated fuzzy, lo-fi treat. Check it out.

RIYL: Built To Spill, Cayetana, Porches, Car Seat Headrest

Upcoming Shows

From Indian Lakes - The Monster

I'm beginning to wake myself up
I've been dreaming of monsters in love
Now I can't get out the taste of blood
I'm beginning to wake myself up

I was a normal kid no one could see I had a monster growing in me
I always kept it down. I was always good enough
I was a body pretending to love

We've returned from Mexico to rain here in Austin (and I realize, wah, it's likely snowy/slushy/far colder wherever you are) so let's continue the moody, mellow, seasonally-affected indie rock today with solo creator and emo revivalist Joey Vannucchi (aka From Indian Lakes). 

RIYL: The Deer Hunter, American Football, Lydia

Upcoming Shows

Frightened Rabbit - Get Out

I'm in the arch of the church
Between her thumb and her forefinger
I'm a worshipper
A zealot king, cursed, a devotee
Of the heady golden dance she does
She's an uncut drug
Find the vein and the pulse
Chased it and for a minute I was floating dead above myself

Solid, Scottish, slightly 80s sounding, indie - obviously an oversight that we've not posted Frightened Rabbit before now. I particularly repeat this song, with it's La's-like imagery. (Is the song about obsessive love or drug addiction, really?)

RIYL: Foals, Blaenavon, WWPJP, The National

Upcoming Shows

FANS - Not In Love

I don't think I can go downstairs
I know that there'll be people there who hate me
They're just waiting to tell me I'm wrong
So I'll just lay here and die

I don't know much about FANS. They've had an EP and a couple of singles come out over the last couple years, and I've enjoyed listening to them. They sort of sound like an even more 80's sounding version of The Strokes or Interpol, with solid rock/pop hooks, pleasant vocals and catchy rhythms. Most of the songs they've got out are good, and "Not in Love" is a pretty good representation of their sound. 

RIYL: The Strokes, Twin River, The Fratellis, The Hives, Interpol

Upcoming Shows