“Solitude is Bliss.” Is it? Well, I’ll soon find out. But Tame Impala most definitely is. Blissfully good. So say hello to your new favorite band. They sure are mine anyway. I cannot get enough of their new album, Innerspeaker, due out June 8. The Aussie group is embarking on a US tour supporting MGMT. I’m still tracking for that San Francisco show. Right now Santa Cruz is as close as they’ll get on May 29. Come on guys, you don’t have to be in Portland ’til June 1. Come on up to SF already.
Artist: The Dig Album: “Electric Toys” Release Date: June 8 For Fans Of: The Strokes, The Walkmen Featured Track: “You’re Already Gone”
This may be the first time you’ve heard of The Dig but it definitely won’t be the last. Mark my words, these guys are going to be huge. The debut LP from the NY-based quartet is good, really good. The kind of good that makes you scratch your head and say, ‘Really? These guys are unsigned?” Suffice it to say, I really dig The Dig. The similarities to other well-known NY bands like The Strokes and The Walkmen are obvious. They have a straightforward rock and roll sound with a pop sensibility. And man can these guys play their instruments. Just take a look at the video a recent live session and see for yourself. Reportedly all grads from the Berklee School of Music, they clearly take their craft seriously, as do others. Their debut was produced by Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Antony & the Johnsons, The Ramones, Bishop Allen). Not too shabby for an unsigned band.
The band kicks off their US tour with a CD release party at the Mercury Lounge in NYC on June 5. Sadly they won’t be making it out to San Francisco on this run.
Holy smokes, where you have been all my life boys? While the Ohio-based group is releasing their third album, Holy Spirits, it’s the first I’ve heard of them. And it likely won’t be the last. Recorded right here in San Francisco at Tiny Telephone Records with the help of Ian Pellicci (Deerhoof, Rogue Wave), they’ve got a touch of that way back sound – a little 60s pop here, a little 70s reverb, hazy psychedelia there. For a whopping $2, you can have the whole kit and kaboodle all to yourself. Get it here.
Think hazy, ethereal, dream-like experimental soundscapes. Think dream pop. Think Cocteau Twins. Now meet The Hundred in the Hands. A boy/girl Brooklyn-based duo with electronic tendencies and French pop influences. Their new EP ‘This Desert’ is due out May 18 on Warp Records and a debut LP expected sometime later this year. As an extra special bonus, the electronic veterans will be making their SF debut at San Francisco’s PopScene on June 3rd at 330 Ritch.
The Arizona-based band with the cheeky moniker is about to release their second album, Bloom Cheek, on June 8 and is out on tour in support of the new release. They’re playing San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill this Friday, May 14 with Annuals and The Most Serene Republic and we’ve got a pair of tickets to giveaway! First person to email me (theocmd at gmail dot com) or Tweet (@indierockgirl) gets ’em. It’s a great line up and you’re sure to succumb to the irresistible pop charm of this group. Devendra Banhart loves them. So does Daytrotter. Perhaps you should too.
Single Screen Records wants you to know their favorite San Diego indie bands. You know, the ones that unfairly languish in obscurity. The ones that are worthy of your attention but never seem to make it over the fence. So founders Jackson Milgaten and Craig Barclift started a label to change all that. Since the label’s inception they have released 14 records from San Diego artists. They do not like to be confined to any niche or genre, however. The only common thread is the artists’ integrity and commitment to their craft. To promote their efforts, they’ve released a digital EP in an attempt to show the world the best of what is currently going on in the San Diego scene. AND I’ve got some vinyl to give away. A copy of The Paddle Boat and Beaters album to the first person to hit me on email (theocmd at gmail dot com) or Twitter (@indierockgirl). Enjoy!
1) The Paddle Boat- “Air Conditioned Nightmare”
2) Beaters- “Fishage”
3) Illuminauts- “Acid Hands”
4) The Vision of a Dying World – “Manta / What Is and What Is Not”
5) Nude Boy- “D. I. Dad”
6) Neon Dick- “Pre-existing Condition”
The Chain Gang of 1974 is the solo act of Denver-based Kamtin Mohager. And he wants you to “stop fucking with his mind.” First time I laid ears on this track from his debut LP, White Guts, I thought someone was fucking with my mind because it reminded me so much of Beck. Then I looked at the album cover and thought… it’s a Jedi mind trick! Maybe it is Beck. A day-glo, dance-party electro version of Beck. All funked up and disguised as The Chain Gang of 1974, which sounds exactly like the kind of band that would play at the Star Wars Cantina…doesn’t it? Hmmm. Well, the debut White Guts is out now so check it out and see for yourself. (These are not the droids you’re looking for.)
The perfect album for Mother’s Day. The perfect song. Portland-based Nick Jaina’s newly released album, A Bird in The Opera House, is a complex, lush and beautiful endeavor worthy of attention. His sound evokes a richer, folkier Elliott Smith. Kind of a contradiction, I know. But listen and see for yourself. It’s simple and complex all at the same time. Each listen opening up new layers and textures. His band alone is quite impressive with a strings section, clarinet, trumpet, steel guitar, banjo. No wonder it sounds so good. Happy Mother’s Day.
The latest video for “Albatross” by The Besnard Lakes from their Jagjaguwar release “The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night.” REALLY looking forward to their show Monday night 5/10 at The Independent in San Francisco! See you there.
It was a happy day of sun, sand and surf today. (Not in SF, mind you, but sunny Florida.) Such a lovely tropical day I just wanted to burst. Hooray for Earth! Right? Right! While the oozing optimism of this NYC/Boston-based band may have been a bit too much for my SF cynicism, it was the perfect soundtrack for a hot, tropical day at the beach. It even made the meatheads with the gold grills blasting techno music all day tolerable. Hooray for Earth!!
The band’s EP, MOMO, will be released on June 1 followed by an East Coast tour supporting Surfer Blood and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.
the OCMD 