Did nature make us that way?

walla

This is one of my most favorite times of the year. Summer jams are in full force and I couldn’t be any happier.

I’m a sucker for a good pop anthem, some well placed synths, and catchy, driving choruses that remain in your head for days. A five piece consisting of L.A. based expats, WALLA bring power-pop to another level. I love the brit-rock guitars, loads of lo-fi, and bouncy percussion – these gentleman make up quite the combination.

Listen to their newest single, “Nature,” below and stay tuned, their forthcoming Nature EP is set to release on June 4, 2013.

Still Awake EP – Ryan Hemsworth

ryan hemsworth

Just the other day, DJ, Producer, Young Canadian, remixer, yadda-yadda Ryan Hemsworth released his newest cute little EP featuring a whole bunch of lush dreamy sounding melodies and nicely produced hiphop/danceable beats. What I really enjoy about Hemsworth, even in his DJ sets and mixes, is that he has a tremendous way of capturing various moods and emotions and then carrying you through them to new and unexpected places. This EP is a fine example of his ability to do just that; capturing what I feel is a very somber and intimate mood.

Check it out below:

[Music Video] Is This How You Feel? – The Preatures

Oh, wow. That bass line, those female vocals..

I love the fuzzy glow and 70′s rock star vibe, everything about The Preatures newest music video for their single, “Is This How You Feel?”, is completely vintage. Fall in love by pressing play above and be sure to check out their upcoming tour schedule if you’re lucky enough to be residing in their home country of Australia.

Songs For Justice

songs for justice compilation

It’s really no surprise how much I love charity compilations. Yes, they can sound pretty lame at times but the amount of effort and work that goes behind them really stands out.

Songs For Justice is a charity compilation put out by Rock For Justice, who’s main mission is to “sponsor collaboration between artists and social justice causes.” For only $12, your proceeds will go directly to Invisible Children, the Give a Damn? documentary, and The Hunger Project. All of those organizations? That’s huge.

Featuring Generationals, Dear Hunter, Savoir Adore, Jhameel…just to name a few artists who have all agreed to waive financial gain in respect for their time and musical efforts for the compilation should be enough for you to hit play below. Be sure to read more about the project here.

Wait for the day when the light scatters.

trophy wife

In perfect Monday fashion, the day was a whirlwind of highs and lows. Trophy Wife finally released their debut album, and then quickly laid their band to rest.

Parts of my life I can conjure up exactly what I was listening to then – I live my life by short-periods of musical obsessions and Trophy Wife’s sound easily depicts my immediate post-grade life. The Oxford-based trio created a dark, electronic pop sound. Each chord, effect, you name it sounded clean and exact. They garnered a lot of attention with their single, “Microlite,” and eventually started touring the UK with Esben and the Witch.

Slowly but surely new music emerged and our ears were left with the Bruxism EP, enough to satisfy our wants for more. Rumors swirled around last year about a full length finally being completed but nothing ever came of it. Now here we are, late spring of 2013 and the band has released their debut album – 3 years after appearing onto the music scene. It’s sad to see a group you made sure to keep on your rader slip away, but releasing the self-titled album for pay what you want was a fabulous career-ending move.

Listen and download the 11-track release below and if you’re based in the UK make sure you head out to one of their final live shows.

Also check out this super neat video collage the band made.

[Nice In The Headphones] Wheelhouse EP – Moon Bounce

moon bounce

I thoroughly enjoy Moon Bounce’s electronic approach. Downtempo glitch-hop with heavy layers, plenty of automation, and enough effects and samples to make my head spin. He keeps everything tight and bound together, no fray ends will lead your attention stray.

His latest EP drop, Wheelhouse, is a monster collection of tracks. “Flood Gate” hits you quite hard as an opening track with a lot of future R&B influence. I was particularly fond  of the lushness that was immediately apparent in the third track, “Arcade,” which dropped the beat multiple times over comic space ship sounds. It’s really hard to envision what’s going on in Corey Regensburg’s mind to create this eclectic form of electronic music.

Stream Wheelhouse in its entirety below and be sure to grab the ultra neat cassette here.

[Inbox Submission] Antics – Vundabar

vundabar music

There’s a lot that I instantly loved about Vundabar’s sound when I first heard their album, Antics, that was recently shot over to my inbox.

Opening track, “Greenland,” consists of lax chords, lo-fi vocals, driving percussion and a surfy pop-punk rhythm to it. And then you find yourself on the following track, “Voodoo,” that’s completely twangy and expansive. I love the diversity that these two musicians can make with the lack of physical members available. For their first stab at a full length – I think these two are promising. I’m finding myself listening and then re-listening to all of the different tracks, they packed a lot inside all 10 of them.

Do yourself a favor and download Antics for free via bandcamp and check out the full stream below.

Enjoy.

You make the earth move.

The London pop duo, Thumpers, croon love stories amongst heavy dance rhythms, searing synthesizers, and one of the catchiest choruses you will ever hear. Their new single, “Unkinder (Tougher Love)”  is a bit melancholic in content but will still make your limbs feel restless.

Watch the video above and be sure to mark your calendar for the release of their debut EP, Unkinder, through Transgressive Records.

Landslide – Cold Fingers

cold fingers

This track is amazing.

A completely new and different take on the classic Fleetwood Mac song, “Landslide,” 
the duo who go by the moniker Cold Fingers, truly turn it into a different track. A chilled heavy beat, modulated vocals, and fluttering keys just does it for me.

Like what you hear? Be sure to pour through their Soundcloud page for more excellent tunes.