These songs really remind me of both Vampire Weekend (specifically "Little Grace" with the vocal deliveries and accelerated paced tracks a la VW's first two albums) and Local Natives (especially "Souls" with the group choruses, drums hitting the side of the kit, and their overall sound), but these kids from Minnesota also bring their own poppy vibe to bop your head to.
Read MoreDrug Cabin's debut full-length album, Yard Work, is a walk down memory lane for me. The Los Angeles band's vibe and sound reminds me of Wilco's Sky Blue Sky, a laid back and retro sound that's paced well with a full listen only costing you 26 minutes. This is the type of album I picture putting on as I sit on a deck somewhere overlooking the beach (or at least that's my favorite way to listen to Sky Blue Sky).
Sapphire is my favorite track on this album. So if you like this track, give the rest of the album a good listen!
Read MoreIn light of the speculation that a new album is coming out somewhat soon (UPDATE: May 5!), I thought I'd highlight five of my favorite tracks by Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno's duo Best Coast. I've seen them live a couple times, the most recent being at The Fillmore in SF, and I was really blown away by Cosentino's voice. It's a bit reminiscent of Stevie Nicks, and I don't think any band encapsulates the SoCal beach vibe better. Cosentino's ability to turn three to five chord songs into catchy tracks is all based on her melodies. Love that voice.
Read MoreThe Maccabees, a pretty well known band in the UK pretty well forgotten in the States, released their third album, Given to the Wild, in 2012. The album won NME's Best Album of the Year. It was listed as #15 in my Top 25 Albums of 2012, and now that I'm listening to it again, I think it deserved to have a higher ranking.
The album is an original. I can't think of any apt comparisons other than Bombay Bicycle Club's So Long See You Tomorrow (especially the atmospheric intro tracks that flow right into the second) sounding somewhat similar, but the BBC album pales in comparison.
This album is all about love - that which we follow, idealize, grab and grasp for, then take for granted and ultimately lose.
Read More“As I’m getting older, chip up on my shoulder, rolling through life to roll over and die.”
Mac Demarco’s first line on the title track (and my #2 Top Song of 2014) of his album Salad Days perpetuates the strange dichotomy between Demarco’s public persona and his writing as a singer/songwriter.
One one side, there's his public persona - goofy, humorous, playful, idiotic, likable, and crude (instead of a band prayer/pep talk, I envision Demarco and his buddies playing the “Penis” game prior to stepping on stage). There's his ridiculously and I presume intentionally stupid documentary, Pepperoni Playboy, that has amassed over 500,000 views. His music videos are beyond comprehensible. His live shows are messy and completely enjoyable. I saw Demarco at The Great American Music Hall in SF, and Demarco broke his strings on three separate occasions, once asking his bassist to do a cover of Coldplay while he restrung his guitar. “Let Her Go” was played completely out of time, and Demarco laughingly stated so after they got through it. Demarco and Co. were in the middle of one song, and a fan jumped on stage, put his arms around the bassist and took a selfie. The bassist smiled happily for the camera. The show was more like a circus act, and I loved it. Demarco’s crazy persona was in full force.
Then there’s the other side.
Read MoreThis song hit me immediately. The synths throughout and the chorus reminded me of The Killers and the heavy continuous bass drum reminds me of Interpol.
The craziest things? 1) That's a female voice. 2) It's Sting's daughter.
Read MoreVampire Weekend’s Modern Vampires of the City is a gorgeous landscape of bright colors and sounds mixed into dark tones that will age with time. Lead singer and songwriter (along with Rostam Batmanglij), Ezra Koenig, is no longer singing about a fucking oxford comma - he’s gotten older and wearier and its effect is apparent. In the first track, “Unbelievers,” Koenig sings, “Got a little soul / The world is a cold, cold place to be / Want a little warmth / but who’s going to save a little warmth for me?…Want a little grace / but who’s going to say a little grace for me?”
His pessimism turns into an obsession with death for the remainder of the album.
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