Cut/Copy - Zonoscope
Rating 5 out of 6
File under – Dance, Indie Electronic
This group out of Australia has some really catchy upbeat songs like “Need You Know” and “Take Me Over” The lead singers voice reminds me of the guy from Rusted Root a bit but with an accent. The drum texture on the second mentioned track is straight out of the Duran Duran school of Dance Rock. Also has some Men at Work in it. Makes sense since they are Aussie . Track 5, has the most relevant song title to date called “Blink and You’ll Miss a Revolution” is a really great catchy track as well. It has a bit of a Talking Heads thing going on but busts out into some killer choruses. This album is cool for my Wife and little 15 Month old seem to love it too.
This album is for fans of New Order, Duran Duran, Yeasayer, Hot Chip, and Passion Pit.
Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean
Incomplete – Not enough listens but sounds pretty good.
File under Contemporary Singer/Songwriter or Indie Folk
Sam Beam is a sweet singing bearded fellow that has been a very important artist from the last decade. He is a truly gifted vocalist and writes beautiful study rock mainstays. Song “Tree by the River “ is a nice soft rock for today feel. “Monkeys Uptown” is a little more funky and has some cool studio polish on it.
Yuck - Yuck
4.5 out of 6
File under – Indie Rock, Power Pop Revival
This group from Liverpool UK relives the magic of the Grungy Power Pop band of the 90’s. These guys have a ton of Sonic Youth and Superchunk influence as this album really heats up on tracks 4-8. Holing Out is fun a jaunty. Suicide Policeman is more chill and moody. Song called “Georgia” Kicks it up a notch and feels a bit like Belly or Mates of State. The song “Stutter” has just the right does of Pavement pace and the vocals are very Smashing Pumpkins. The track “Sunday” has a nice subtlety that reminds of the Posies, or Teenage Fanclub. I could see some calling these guys a bit derivative but I think I think they wear the influence in a creative manner.
Bright Eyes - The Peoples Key
4 out of 6
Listen to Conor Oberst all grown up (only 31) and highly polished on “Shell Game.” More hooky than past efforts, it sounds as if young Conor is having a bit more fun creating a more Pop oriented sound. It suits him pretty well as he can sing and sling like a young Ryan Adams. “Jejune Stars” and “Haile Selassie” are both choice numbers of this LP as he uses the fuzz in calculated doses. Some unusual monologue on track 1 is a bit odd and prevents me from scoring this one a half point higher.
Surf City – Kudos
4.5 Out of 6
The magic of the more dissonant New Zealand Bands of the past like Bailter Space, and The Clean are trumpeted nicely by a fresh young group from the land of DIY. A nice start to this LP with “Crazy Rulers of the World”, “See How the Sun” and “Kudos” have a sundrenched dissonance that would make Pavement quite proud. Fans of bands like My Bloody Valentine and Galaxie 500 will really appreciate the track “Teachers.” “ICA” is a fun little Garage number as well.
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