L.A. lo-fi pop group Pearl Harbor has decided to now go by the name Puro Instinct, maybe for fear of being labeled with bad taste? I don’t know, but since their last awesome single, “Luv Goon,” they have recorded an EP and set up a Bandcamp page. The Puro Instinct EP features four tracks including… Continue reading [MP3] Puro Instinct: “California Shakedown” / “I’ve Got Some Happiness (Leland)”
Category: New Albums
[MP3] Elsinore: “Yes Yes Yes”
Want a sweet touch of pop to spice up the beginning of your weekend? Look no further than Elsinore, from Champaign, Illinois. Led by songwriter and vocalist Ryan Groff, the foursome is set to release their second full-length album, Yes Yes Yes, August 10. Groff’s inimitable falsetto vocals and the band’s lush, full, slickly produced… Continue reading [MP3] Elsinore: “Yes Yes Yes”
Woodsist to release compilation: Welcome Home/Diggin’ The Universe
Woodsist, the label that several great artists call home (including Woods, Real Estate, The Fresh & Onlys, etc.), just announced what is surely an epic compilation. Welcome Home/Diggin’ The Universe will feature 13 tracks, 12 of which are exclusive to the record. Our first taste of the new Woodsist tracks is “I’m Not Gone,” a… Continue reading Woodsist to release compilation: Welcome Home/Diggin’ The Universe
[MP3] Stars: “Wasted Daylight” + “We Don’t Want Your Body”
Stars just released TWO new songs (in addition to “Fixed”) from their forthcoming The Five Ghosts, which we’ve been hyping like whoa here on KR. Electro synth has been rockin’ the songs we’ve heard so far from the album, and I’m a-okay with that. It’s exciting; it’s fun; it’s different. Torquil finally gets his turn on “We… Continue reading [MP3] Stars: “Wasted Daylight” + “We Don’t Want Your Body”
Suckers show promise but lack focus on Wild Smile
The much-anticipated debut full-length from Suckers is finally here, and man, I don’t know what I was expecting of the album after hearing a bit of their previous work. But that was my problem: I shouldn’t have been considering expectations – Wild Smile is all over the place, sticking to no one genre; no one… Continue reading Suckers show promise but lack focus on Wild Smile
Wye Oak needs to step outside the music on My Neighbor/My Creator
Something about Wye Oak’s style — the sweet female vocals, the lush, strummed guitar, the odd bits of electronics — is instantly likeable. It sounds slightly left-of-center, but still feels familiar. After all, for all the duo’s interesting experiments, the song structures and vocals aren’t terribly hard to come by. That said, the band seems… Continue reading Wye Oak needs to step outside the music on My Neighbor/My Creator
Deer Tick struggles but makes good, authentic music on Black Dirt Sessions
It’s inevitable that within every generation of musicians that strives to break new ground with cutting edge genres and recording techniques, there is a handful that instead go back to the roots of rock and roll and draw inspiration from what is seen as a more “authentic” source. Most recently, Jack White tore up the… Continue reading Deer Tick struggles but makes good, authentic music on Black Dirt Sessions
[MP3] Jesca Hoop: “Feast of the Heart”
Jesca Hoop’s sophomore album, Hunting My Dress, will be released July 27 in The U.S., and she’s made “Feast of the Heart” available to the public for free download. The record comes to the U.S. after her recent move to London from California, but she’s still making excellent, quirky pop music. The two songs I’ve… Continue reading [MP3] Jesca Hoop: “Feast of the Heart”
Blitzen Trapper comforts us with Destroyer of the Void
Familiarity breeds comfort. The past breeds familiarity. Even if we have trouble living in the moment, forgetting to appreciate the minutiae of what’s before our eyes, we look back fondly on what “used to be”. It may have even been the most tumultuous time of our life, but we yearn for something we think we… Continue reading Blitzen Trapper comforts us with Destroyer of the Void
Tokyo Police Club’s Champ is somehow weak because it is so well-constructed
How can an album be weak because it’s so well-made? It’s kind of weird to wrap your mind around, but Tokyo Police Club’s Champ manages it. The guitar riffs are appropriately angular, but the production is slick. The vocals — from Dave Monks’ drawl to the slightly hidden background chants that occasionally pop up —… Continue reading Tokyo Police Club’s Champ is somehow weak because it is so well-constructed