New Tracks

Stream: Mark Lenover – “Ladders”

“Ladders” sounds queasy and bleak, like a fever-induced nightmare accompanied by fog machines and drizzling rain. Mark Lenover’s voice is very similar to a fellow Canadian, Neil Young. His nasally melancholy would

Video: Meme – “Young”

“Young” is a fairly typical electro-pop ballad touching on the longing for youth, though with a sugary-sweet construction and upbeat chorus that gives it an oddly addictive quality. The Minneapolis-based Meme are

MP3: The Amazing – “Gentle Stream”

Swedish rockers The Amazing are favorable reminders of Jethro Tull, CSNY, and other prog-rock groups originating in the late '60s that balanced jam band aesthetics with swirling psychedelia and blues infusions.

MP3: Young Holidays – “Pretender”

The tightly constructed garage-rock of Young Holidays reminds of early Wolf Parade material, when joyously sloppy guitars, flurries of playful keys, and frenetic percussion resulted in some of the most buzzed-about material

MP3: The Zolas – “Knot in My Heart”

The poppy "Knot in My Heart" is getting some positive early press, perhaps a sign of good things to come for The Zolas' sophomore album Ancient Mars, out October 2nd on Light

MP3: Life Size Maps – “Darkling”

Life Size Maps are a rare find in their ability to juggle cinematic atmospheres with glittering pop infectiousness. Their murky vein of electro-rock is without a dull moment, its soaring and infectious

MP3: Boy Friends Club – “Paradise”

Boy Friends Club pay homage to underground jangle-pop, as well as the bedroom variety in the vein of Ariel Pink, whose early releases are somewhat comparable to Boy Friends Club. They make no

Obscure Sound: Best of August 2012

This compilation made a six hour plane ride pass by quickly, which was helpful since I'm never able to sleep on planes. I feel this tracklisting is easy to get lost in.

New Albums

Pol Sembrano – ‘Anywhere’ EP

A compelling electro-pop sound with both emotive and danceable qualities shows across Anywhere, the new EP from Pol Sembrano. The Seattle-based, Filipino-American

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