Port O'Brien flooded with WATERS and the sound is magnificent
BOD (10.26.11) WATERS
It’s easy to say that bands these days are derivative. I hear so many people refer to bands as “Sounding like…” or “These guys are so derivative of…” that too easy. Making music isn’t easy and if you’re a talented artist and you do the work, then you shouldn’t have to suffer from comparisons. It’s hard not to, we even showcase our “Sonic Soulmates” because it makes it more palatable for the listener, but I have to admit that it bias the listening experience. You instantly think of the artist referred then the artist playing. The reason for this diatribe is that our BOD WATERS just doesn’t conjure up that easy comparison. Making our job so much easier today. Van Pierszalowski formerly of Port O’Brien, which is no more (so sad), traversed the coasts from Alaska to Oslo back to SF and he’s created more aqually awesome music. You could say that his reverb heavy garage rock sounds are college radio friendly, but I tend lean towards his softer approach that still cranks out troubling guitar riffs and distorted ear piercing sounds. He’s getting all the play and his vocals hover around Yo La Tengo. Grab the new record Out In The Night and make your day with new music.
Vitals:
Hometown: Oslo, Norway; San Francisco, CA; Brooklyn, NY
Members: Van Pierszalowski
Sonic Soulmates™: Yo La Tengo?
Trackables™:
“For the One”
Really there are days, weeks when I just get bored listening to the same old drivel. I try not to remind myself how great it used to be…when one band from one new area from say Toronto, led to a slew of fantastic artists. Wow, that was just last year. Sometimes, I just have to remember that great music isn’t easy to find. I feel like our excavators have exhausted The Swedes, The Canadians, Chicago, San Francisco, the well seemed dried up. But then, I found a this lonely ‘ol lost track from Apparat, dream pop artist who had two records on Shitkatapult now on Mute. His new record The Devil’s Walk is great commute music. Calming dream-pop that conjures up 80’s revivalists like Cocteau or Roxy and then layered in a little James Blake. I feel good about today’s selection and I think you’ll find love in Apparat.
Vitals:
Hometown: Berlin, Germany
Members: Sacha Ring
Sonic Soulmates: Four Tet, Cocteau Twins, Sigur Ros
Trackables:
“Black Water”
Don't Be Alarmed, People Still Go to the LIbrary and They Still Whisper
Band of the Day (10.11.11) Library Voices
I still have the urge to post more information about our “Already Profiled” bands that have new records. There are so many, it’s hard to keep up. We can’t forget about the new ones, we really can’t. Today’s band is a Canadian delight. Now that we’re finally over the maple leaf obsession, we get a band from Regina, Saskatchewan, CA dead center of Winnipeg and Calgary. Some of the most beautiful country in the world, but it’s damn cold. The band Bon Iver’d up in a small town of Kronau (population: 209) to record their sophomore record and it’s quite good. The band has not been on the golden road to Oz, their trailers have been robbed, their instruments and studio destroyed in a flood, but the seven piece Reginates are aiming for their own US rocket ship. The record hits next Tuesday and we have a track or two below. Think of the bell clanging female backed Los Campesinos combined with 80’s horn driven favorites like Bruce Hornsby and then sprinkle in some good ‘ol home cooked Canadian bacon like Stars and The Dears and you have Library Voices. Love ’em and you will be hearing them all over soon.
Vitals:
Hometown: Regina, Saskatchewan, CA
Members:
Amanda Scandrett – keyboards /vocals
Paul Gutheil – saxophone / vocals
Michael Thievin – drums
Brennan Ross – Guitar /vocals
Carl Johnson – lead vocals
Michael Dawson – keyboards / vocals
Eoin Hickey-Cameron – bass guitar
Sonic Soulmates: Los Campesinos, The Dears, Stars, The Range with Bruce Hornsby
Trackables:
“Generation Handclap”
2011 is shaping up to be the year of second records. Or at least the “Next” record for many of our NBD favorites. Seriously, I think this new age of releasing EPs has helped turn these bands into better album makers. These records are great! Seriously better than we expected. Just download the new Girls record and you’ll hear for yourself. That’s right, albums from our favorite “Already Profiled” bands. Below find the links to these artists and the link to their new records. And yes they are in order of our favorite. Support the bands and their plans! If you click through to a Facebook link, it’s only because we featured those artists on our FB page before we launched the blog.
1. Widowspeak – The new album is here and it’s VERY VERY good. The two tracks on their profile are included on their self-titled record.
“Puritan” – If haven’t been listening then are you okay? Because everyone’s talking about Widowspeak. Buy Now
2. Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost is so good, I think I’ve listened to it about 1000 times. The bad is maturing and you can hear it in their sound.
“Vomit” – Heard this once and I’ve been listening to it on repeat for months. I hate repeat, but I don’t hate this track. Buy now
3. Yuck – Yuck S/TEverybody has them on their list now. It’s cool. At least we can say we profiled them over 18 months ago. Love these guys because they bring back what I loved so much about The Smashing Pumpkins, dual overlayed guitars and the Sonic Youth obsession. These Canadians may be the lone leftovers of last year’s obsession with the maple leaf. Great band!
“Georgia” – Wow. 90’s rock. Sonic Youth meets The Pumpkins meets Screaming Trees meets flannels and boots. Buy now
4. Balam Acab – Wander/Wonder – Alec Koone has been our obsession for some time and this full length is so worth the vinyl.
“Oh Why” – Haunting for your October chill. Just a great track. Buy now
5. Cults – Cults S/T – These tracks ended up in our inbox about 16 months ago. They were sly and anonymous, but everyone seemed to get the same mail. We called around and everyone said the same thing “Did you hear that track” we were all in shock, and we wanted more. Well we got a record and it is just as good. So good.
6. Washed Out – Within and Without – Chill summer music, perfect for the beach or a romp under the sheets. So shows the album cover. We loved him back in 2010 and 2011 has been a break-out year for him.
“Amor Fati” – Spacey dreamy track from one of our favorite digs. Buy now
7. Toro Y Moi – Underneath The Pine – I’ve spent the better part of 35 years focusing on music and what I like. My tastes are my tastes, but I’ve never been more moved when I heard TYM for the first time. Now he’s three LPs and a few EPs in and his maturity is showing.
8. Nurses – New album Dracula is so friggin good. The Muse and I saw this Portland trio open live at the haunted Brookdale lodge in Santa Cruz for last years NBD #1 artist Tallest Man on Earth. The track is below and it’s good!
“Fever Dreams” – Hard to describe this track. Just listen Buy now
9. Real Estate – Days Really one of our favorite finds from 2009 that carried over to 2010 and has stayed with us. The album comes out next week, but we know it will be great.
“Green Aisles” – Can you see the excitement. Well you can at least listen to it. Buy now
Beards were grown, hearts were broken and Megafaun went on Tour
Band of the Day (9.30.11) Megafaun
What do you want me to say, “I’m sorry” or make up some horrible excuse. I’ve been busy and the music just kind of sucks. I have a post coming later today that will explain it all. I truly found a band that you’ll love, trust is key here. Megafaun is 70’s smoke rock, from the open fields of Durham, NC. When I hear the clean slide guitar riffs, I think of The Byrds and possibly even Fleet Foxes but with an electronic edge. There is an association with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver here. He too was from Durham, but moved to Wisconsin to live in a cabin and write a sad successful record. The rest of the boys stayed in Durham, grew beards, hearts were broken, lyrics were written and vans were filled with chips, beer and guitars. I love Southern harmonies, but these brothers are inventive with their sound. Love em and I know you will too.
Vitals:
Hometown: Durham, NC
Members: Phil Cook, Brad Cook, and Joe Westerlund
Sonic Soulmates: The Byrds, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Whiskeytown, Wilco
Trackables:
“Real Slow”
Love doesn't describe what we've discovered. Lana Del Rey is commitment.
BOD (8.29.11) Lana Del Rey
Modernizing that Spector sound is oh so beautiful when it goes right. La Sera’s done it, Cults did it and now Lana Del Rey. She’s the darling of the industry today and I think you’ll agree that your life is now a little better after you watch this video below. She is so Hollywood, that I already see her tragic rehab comeback. I love her. The saddest part is that I don’t get to discover her again. The goosebumps are gone and now replaced with a fear of being too late to write about her. By the way her first record won’t hit until January. There are only three tracks out there….I’ve posted “Blue Jeans” and the video for “Video Games”
Vitals:
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY/ Hollywood
Members: Lana Del Rey
Sonic Soulmates: Stevie Nicks, Dolly Parton (in tone), The Shirelles, The Ronettes
Trackables:
“Blue Jeans”
The War on Drugs was no war, but just a name for a cause...good music cause
Band of the Day (8.25.11) The War on Drugs
I’m definitely a kid of the 80’s. Watching Nancy on stage passing out T-shirts telling me I shouldn’t. While Ronnie was on the 11pm news telling us how we’re winning the “War on Drugs” against the Colombians. Do you know what I really think…by calling it a war, it helped fund an industry and kept the economy moving forward. Maybe it was just a ploy to help us get our get our favorite band of the day. Ironically, The War on Drugs is down home Americana, the likes of Dylan and Springsteen…just like Reagan’s war on Angel Dust. TWOD are more of a collective, starting back in 2005, with Adam Granduciel and Kurt Vile touring Oakland, Philly, etc. then Vile bailed and Adam got serious with Dave Hartley and Mike Zanghi. They make up a super trio of electronic Americana. The threesome have Americana roots, with a Adam sounding a lot like Dylan fronting and the boys adding their best My Bloody Valentine. Love the new record Slave Ambient and the tracks posted below. Think Wilco meets Dylan meets Eels.
Vitals:
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Members: Current
Adam Granduciel (vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards, samplers)
Dave Hartley (bass, guitars)
Mike Zanghi (drums, percussion, sampler) Former
Kurt Vile (guitar)
Kyle Lloyd (drums)
Charlie Hall (drums, organ)
Sonic Soulmates™: Bob Dylan, Springsteen, My Bloody Valentine, Eels, Grant Lee Phillips
Trackables™:
“Baby Missles”
White Denim in Austin, TX is like wearing cowboy boots in LA. Fashion Police...
Band of the Day (8.23.11) White Denim
Two words solidify my love for White Denim, no not Meghan Fox no the two words that leave my mouth every time I hear White Denim…Hummingbird Award. Yeah that’s right, they are that good. Yeah and I don’t really give a hoot that they’ve been playing music since 2006. Five years is enough time for a band to really hit their shit. And I swear their new record D is rock your socks off good. I love the diversity of the 80’s deep bass rock, similar to early U2, and the droniness of 2011 found on “Street Joy” like that of Girls. They get all fuzzy at times like our faves here at NBD, Tame Impala. If that gives you any indication of their sound then why the hell are you reading this post. Listen and follow brother. And by the way, you tell me, but I think this qualifies and I do think I declared that 2011 was the re-birth of rock…..
Vitals:
Hometown: Austin, TX
Members: Josh Block (drums), Steve Terebecki (bass), and James Petralli (guitars, vocals)
Sonic Soulmates™: Did you see that I trademarked it…Tame Impala, Boyish U2, Shabazzzzzz
Trackables™: Trademarked that shiat as well.
“Drugs (PBJ Remix)” – My present to you.
Spell Crafted bitch...my pants are way too tight and my 80's are on right now!
Band of the Day (8.19.11) Craft Spells
You know when you haven’t seen someone in a while and you stumble on them….forgeting their name but recognizing their face…you say “Hey Man, what’s up dude???” Well I feel that way almost daily when I hear new bands. I know you look and sound familiar but I just can’t find the name. Craft Spells reminds me of my college buddy that I saw at Peet’s coffee yesterday. What the hell is his name? Well if it’s Craft Spells it’s more like my 7th grade buddy, due to their 1983 modern new wave KROQ stylings. I liken them most to Joy Division oddly cute 18 year daughter. Or if you want to get all weird about it, how about Joy Division’s new spawn having their own child…like Seapony or Beach Fossils. Or what the hell is that band’s name again?
Vitals:
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Members:
Justin Vallesteros
Jack Smith
Peter Michel
Javier Suarez
Sonic Soulmates: Joy Division, Seapony, Beach Fossils
Trackables:
“Party Talk” – We first heard in August of last year…a year ago. The album came out in March.
“After the Moment” – Your Junior Senior moment of the day. Fucking love this song! Just so you know, my hair is plastered to my head, my jeans are way too tight and I just totally blew a speaker in my mom’s Fiero. Wait it’s not 1986.
I found this band from a Google search...Young Girls
Band of Day (8.8.11) YOUNG GIRLS
As the Turk told me last night, “Don’t Google search these dudes…” well I did and I got what I expected. Knowing that these Houston lads had a strong single floating around the intertubes in “Mexico In December”, my search was made much easier. The threesome garage rocksters bring happy summer sounds with a 60’s flare and a peaceful warrior approach. I love the echo harmonies, reminds me of KROQ circa 1985 when the first wave literally crashed into the garage punks. Harlem from our 2010 NBD collection is a quick reminder of their sound, but I give the Sonic Soulmate nod to Surfer Blood. Houston isn’t a hotbed for surfers, but I hear that the dudes from Surfer Blood don’t surf either, so here’s to Texas’ surf rock…yeehaw dude!
VITALS:
HOMETOWN: Houston, TX
MEMBERS: Charlie, Luis Carlos, and Pete (SEND ME LAST NAMES PLEASE)
SONIC SOULMATES: Surfer Blood, Cooler than but Vampire Weekend, Fang Island
TRACKABLES:
“Mexico in December”
The Bay Area has a scene and it's not non-Shalant with The Shalants
Band of the Day (8.4.11) Shalants or The Shalants
Nothing more homer love for home town heroes. Shalants are bluesy and ballsy and they hail from San Francisco. Their recently released self-titled album is that good. “That Good” means that you must tell your friends that Shalants are your new favorite band. Listen to “The Mercury Twins” below and you’ll be screaming for more. So I posted another track just so you stopped begging. Trust us and we’ll trust you. They’re part of the emerging SF psych surf, garage scene that includes some of our faves like Sonny and the Sunsets, Girls and The Fresh & Onlys.
Grab the album here…support these lads
Vitals:
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Members: Miller Carr Robin Macmillan Jacob Silver Brett Eastman
Sonic Soulmates: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Tom Waits, The Walkmen, The Kinks and Neil Young + Sonny and the Sunsets, Girls and The Fresh & Onlys.
Trackables:
“The Mercury Twins”
“The Deserter” – I promise that this will be the track you talk about to all your friends.
Follow: MySpace
Facebook —- Come on boys get with the times
A brown recluse is horrid, Brown Recluse is pleasantly summerific.
Band of the Day (7.25.11) Brown Recluse
Back is back and I won’t apologize. Busy and the music has dried up…really the music coming out really is weak. It’s not an excuse, it’s just the truth. A ton of sophomore albums from our favorites have hit the streets…list coming soon. Today’s band, Brown Recluse, was on our radar last year with an EP that turned our heads. Now with Evening Tapestry hitting the eplaces, including Spotify, we’re finding much love for them again. They’re a little XX/XY with that Belle and Sebastian edge. Is that an edge? A brown recluse is probably the most disgusting spider on the planet. It’s poisonous bite eats away at your skin and creates quarter-sized craters in your skin, especially grotesque when conducting a google search for the band…the band not so disgusting. They pleasant summer breezy sound will get you through the long hot or oddly globally warmed American landscape. Give em your love. I’m gonna start adding Spotify links too.
Vitals:
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Members: Tim Meskers | Mark Saddlemire | Herbie Shellenberger | Daniel Steinberg
Sonic Soulmates: The Beach Boys, Belle and Sebastian, The Zombies
Trackables:
“Impressions of a City Morning” – Summer love
Battery about to die and it's at :11 minutes for the 11 best of 2011...eerie.
I can’t wait until next week. I’m anxious and excited and I just want to get it over with…you understand, the anticipation to tell someone some good news. So I’m all alone in a dark hotel room, I think the electricity just crapped out on me, so it means I have :11 minutes on my Mac to make this shizzle fo real. SO here it is, 11 Bands for 2011 in all it’s glory… THE BEST OF 2011…SO FAR
11. Other Lives – This is the band that won’t leave my playlists for 2011. I love them hard.
“Tamer Animals”
10. Suuns – 2010 year end dandies have captured our hearts in 2011.
“Arena”
9. Code Pie – The BSS of 2011. Canadian love children with layered sounds.
“Love Meets Rage”
8. Widowspeak – We were there in the beginning. We’ve heard from the fans and we’ve watched them skyrocket up our PAGEVIEW list. Wow. They have more traffic then all of the 2011 bands combined. Just listen.
“Harsh Realm”
7. Sun Airway – Found them to be the most delightful band of 2011. I think they’ll move up the charts by year end.
“Waiting On You”
6. The Vaccines – They are the ROCK darlings of 2011 and if you haven’t heard their singles then you’re trapped in a Chilean coal mine.
“Blow it Up”
5. The Antlers – One word “FINALLY” they’ve hit the hipster mainstage. We love them.
“Rolled Together”
4. The Donkeys – The Turk found these San Diego stoney garage boys.
“I Like the Way You Walk”
3. Seapony – The Trio from Seattle is our Tennis of 2011. So Spectory good.
“Always” – A little early Cure guitar riff.
2. James Vincent McMorrow – Do you know me? Really have you been reading us for awhile? Then you know we love Singer/Songwriters and JVM is better than them all this year.
“If I Had A Boat” – Try not to tear up.
1. Star Slinger – Dude has been a DJ for less than a year and his stuff is otherworldly.
“Mornin'”
GIVING YOU THE BIRD…THE WHOLE 2011…SO FAR PLAYLIST —>
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