Big Thief - Shark Smile

She was a shark smile in a yellow van
She came around and I stole a glance in my youth
A vampire
Evelyn shown quiet as roses sting
It came over me at a bad time
But who wouldn't ride on a moonlit line?
Had her in my eye, 85 down the road of a dead end gleam

Adrianne Lenker has a remarkable voice and style that pairs perfectly with Big Thief's low fidelity indie folk sound. Their latest, Capacity, is terrific with a few stand out songs, especially "Mythological Beauty" and today's Most Important "Shark Smile".

RIYL: M. Ward, Frankie Cosmos, Kevin Morby, Mitski

Upcoming Shows

The Districts - Violet

What doesn't last will get remembered
What doesn't last is good to miss
What doesn't last is stuck in your throat
What doesn't last gets swallowed whole

I've been digging the new tracks coming out from Pennsylvania band The Districts. This time around they feel a bit more indie and less alt-country and it's a good look for them. I like all the new tracks, but the latest "Violet" is my current favorite.

RIYL: Heartless Bastards, Wilco, Delta Spirit, Dr. Dog, Pinegrove

Upcoming Shows

Mount Kimbie and King Krule - Blue Train Lines

Six pounds in my pocket
I threw another man's change
Lose another man's six
I guess he might have seen it all

I've been wanting to share this one for a couple weeks now, but it's been too damn sunny and hot here in Austin, Texas. 'Blue Train Lines" is a powerful sound from post-dubstep duo Mount Kimbie. They're here doing their thing, but the real highlight are the gritty, snarling vocals of Archy Marshall, aka King Krule (yeah, the Donkey Kong villain). It's a song best reserved for nighttime, rain and maybe subway trains. It's a dark and stormy day here in Austin, so this will do just fine. If you like this check out "Easy, Easy" and the rest of King Krule's stuff.

RIYL: Burial, The Streets, King Krule, Slow Hallows

Upcoming Shows

Good Old War - Part of Me

We've got to run
If you're holding on the seams will come undone
And you'll only get part of me
We don't want to catch a break while we're playing it safe
You'll only get part of me

File this new cut from Good Old War under "mellow" and then hit play. Good Old War has had a few songs cross my radar over the last couple years, and I recently heard of them again as they were the backing effort to Anthony Green's (of Circa Survive) tour, which seemed a bit odd at first, but after some listening, ok a lot of listening, began to make sense. "Part of Me" is a pretty song and perfect for a chill Sunday morning.

RIYL: Pinegrove, City and Colour, Manchester Orchestra, Blind Pilot, Horse Feathers

Upcoming Shows

Passion Pit - I'm Perfect

Thank you!
(And thank you again!)
You're brutal, you're honest
You're my very best-friend
It's not like you asked me if our night had to end at one of my brother's parties
 

Oh, what can I do?
When the face is a mirror of flattering youth
And all of the work that you say that you'll do
You've barely even started
Can't you...

Just tell, tell me I'm so damn perfect
Tell me it all of the time, oh
Tell me I'm so damn perfect
Tell me it all of the time

The new Passion Pit album, Tremendous Sea of Love, dropped last week! I don't know for sure but I think the "Tremendous" is tongue-in-cheek. I know that I can't hear that word anymore without rolling my eyes (thanks Drumpf) and I bet it's the same for a sensitive artist like Michael Angelakos. This track is quite sarcastic as well, not a new thing for PP - always with the peppy synth major chords and high falsetto, telling us dark tales of personal history. This album isn't a major departure sonically, but as a project it was created and presented atypically for the industry (some songs created, recorded, and uploaded the same day), and released for free via Twitter & Reddit with a message including: “I wrote this album to tell myself and to tell you that you were always good enough.” But no, tell me I'm perfect!! 

RIYL: Phoenix, Neon Indian, MGMT, Matt and Kim, M83

Upcoming Shows