I’m never quite sure how to describe a band that sounds like Ski Lodge. With shades of the Smiths, indie pop seems to be the genre name of choice, but that one never sits quite right with me.
I would make up a genre name for it, but no one wants to be the one to inflict another “chillwave” on the world.
If you’re a Los Campesinos! fan, I’ve got some pretty great news for your Friday. The UK-based indie pop band is releasing their very first live album, which will be available for digital download on May 4th.
A Good Night For A Fistfight was recorded last December at Islington Assembly Hall in London, where the band played a 21-song set spanning all of their albums. The show was particularly noteworthy because it marked the last show with band member Ellen Campesinos!, as well as the appearance of Aleks Campesinos! playing her first show in three years.
The band putting together one of the most interesting sounds in indie right now is Oakland’s Bells Atlas. So far, we’ve only heard some singles and demos from them, but now they’re getting ready to release their first EP.
The self-titled EP will be released March 11. We’ve already heard the first track off that album, and now here’s the second. Read More
You know I’ve been digging on Fear of Men‘s sound for a few months now, but I hadn’t really given much thought to their band name. But as I was doing some digging recently, I came across an interview that asked them about the name’s origin, specifically if they were in fact “man-hatin’ feminists,” to which the singer/guitarist Jess replied,
Haha! Er, no, it’s more about equality – an equal split. It’s also about mortality anxiety; and an evocative, strong title for the project.
But don’t worry, they’re not one of those “I’m not a FEMINIST but…” folks. (Hint to people still using this phrase: you don’t need to apologize for believing in equality. It’s cool. It’s 2012.) Instead, Jess told the interviewer:
Dan and I got together through a shared vision of making feminist, interesting pop music and using the band as a way to explore what we’re reading or thinking about.
So if you didn’t have enough reasons to be digging Fear of Men, that’s one more.
Today’s song comes to you from Austin’s own The Eastern Sea. This really is a “better late than never” for the band’s whole catalog, because I’ve been jamming on them for a long time, but I haven’t let all of y’all in on the fun. Clearly, I was being selfish.
But as we’re in the season of giving (Halloween is the ‘season of giving,’ right?! Because we give candy to strangers!), it’s time for me to share.
The first time I saw these dudes was at a show several years ago in Houston, where they played a cover of Extras Glenns’ “Going to Marrakesh,” and Dan (of throwback thursday) fell deeply, deeply in love. After that, their EP was on heavy rotation in our car, and we were able to catch the band at shows in Houston and Austin pretty frequently for a while.
Do you have any bands that you’ve been patiently waiting for to release a full album? And the wait seems interminable?
Guards have been that band for me for a couple years now. While they were releasing tracks here and there, along with an EP and a 7″, I kept wishing and hoping for a full-length. Well, it seems the stars have aligned for me.
Guards will be releasing their debut LP In Guards We Trust on February 5th via Black Bell Records. (Yes, 2013. Does that sound like the FUTURE to anyone else?)
Photo by Peter Lee
Today, I’m introducing a new series on 70dayweekend, joining the vaunted ranks of throwback thursday, better late than never, and take cover. The series, recommenders, will feature music recommendations from some of my favorite bands and artists.
Why ask bands for recommendations? It’s not that I think musicians as a group tend to be the most well-versed in the latest releases. If you’re looking for that, music-obsessed bloggers like myself are probably your best bet.
But, in my experience, they tend to give fantastic music recommendations. My theory is that, as creators of new music, musicians tend to consume and experience songs in a slightly different way than the rest of us. Which, in turn, leads them to recommend a band or album which quickly turns into your new favorite.
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Instagram is pretty controversial these days. The simple phone app is the subject of a lot of love and a lot of hate these days.
For the record, I am #TeamInstagram. Yes, even the pictures of your ordinary looking brunch, or the 1,000th photo of your cat. I want to see them all.
And that’s probably part of the reason why I love the new video from UK singer Ellie Goulding for her song “Anything Could Happen”. The lyric video was created from hundreds of user-submitted ‘grams, resulting in what I think is a pretty awesome video. (Of course, if you’re an Instagram hater, this is probably your worst nightmare.)
In the new video for “Always” , indie pop duo Summer Camp manages to turn what sounds like a straight-forward into something a bit more sinister. The video, directed by Oliver Evans, features members Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey gleefully executing a kidnap and murder.
A lyric like “We’ll always be together” takes on a different meaning when it’s been sung by two people dragging a dead body across the beach.
How do you feel about guns? What about breaking stuff? Your responses to those questions will likely determine your response to this video from indie duo Eternal Summers for their song “Millions.”
The video, directed by Johnny Woods, features two people in the desert shooting guns and destroying a group of objects – from a toaster to a flower pot – with golf clubs and shovels. It’s an interesting contrast with the light poppy vocals of the song.
