Artist: Woods

Hails From: Brooklyn, NY

Musical Style: Indie, Folk, Psychedelic

For Fans of: Pavement, Neil Young, Bon Iver

Why you should check them out:

Like a ghost in the machine, Woods make haunting campfire songs complete with outdoor recordings and eerily falsetto harmonies. This experimental outfit from the boys who brought you the label Fuck It Tapes marks an earnest and quietly arresting collection of folk freak outs and acid tinged lullabies. Their latest, Songs of Shame, is the most versatile and eclectic album of this band’s tenure, and an accessible gateway to their weighty ambiance.

Background Check:

One of the definite perks of living with an avid record collector is the continual influx of weekly 12″ boxes brimming with everything from the familiar to the most obscure albums imaginable. On one of my all too familiar “Who are we listening to?” inquiries two years back while listening to the song “All About Kitty”, my then roommate proceeded to enlighten me to the stylings of Brooklyn based duo Woods. And while their folksy tribute to cats made me ask, it was  their straightforward folk melodies that kept me coming back for more.
 
The real appeal of Woods lies within their casual approach to songwriting, and their apparent complete lack of pretension. Woods’ tracks may standout as the epitome of lo-fi, but the songs are steady and sturdy, reeling you in with their layered falsetto’s and near grunge edge. Formed by Jeremy Earl and Christian DeRoeck while performing in their primary band Meneguar, Woods released their first full length At Rear House in 2007 followed by How to Survive that same year. Countless shows as both Woods and Meneguar later, the duo has now expanded to four, completing the lineup for their newest and fullest release to date in Songs of Shame. With their new album retaining the characteristic lo-fi qualities embedded in all of their releases, I can safely say that their live shows sound even better, if only due to the enhanced sound equipment and lack of forest settings. 

Where you can find them in Cyberspace:

MySpace

Fuck it Tapes

On Tour:

JamBase
 

Artist: Micachu

Hails From: London, England

Musical Style: Indie electronic, Alternative pop, Experimental

For Fans of: Bjork, M.I.A. St. Vincent

Why you should check them out:

Micachu and the Shapes prove that experimental music can be a blast. The band pulls from a grab bag of sounds and samples, assembling ear candy in the form of electronic pop tunes. Barely into their twenties, this group is just getting started.

Background check:

A first listen to Micachu’s music is like stepping through a doorway and directly into a sonic funhouse filled with all sorts of disorienting bells and whistles. Steeped in classical musical education, Micachu-the nom de rock of Brittish singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Mica Levi-veers a little off the rails in her current project, crafting bizarro but catching hooks and subtle melodies over messy beats and found sounds.

Micachu’s recently released debut album, Jewellery, was recorded by the esteemed Matthew Herbert, who brought a wealth of his own fresh ideas to the process. The production team takes a kitchen sink approach to the songs to great effect, coupling fuzzed-out bass and keyboards with non-traditional instruments like a vacuum cleaner and a kiss as percussion fill. Michachu is also known to build her own homemade instruments, including a modified guitar called a “chu” and a bowed instrument created out of a CD rack.

Live, Levi is joined onstage by The Shapes: Raisa Kahn on keyboards and Marc Pell on drums.

Fun Fact: As a composition student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Levi was commissioned to create an orchestral piece for the London Philharmonic. The orchestra performed the piece at the Royal Festival Hall in 2008

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

Micachu.com

MySpace

On  Tour: 

JamBase

Artist: Wye Oak

Hails from: Baltimore, MD

Musical Style: Indie Rock, Americana, Rock

For Fans of: Beach House, Sonic Youth, Cat Power

Why you should check them out:

As long time friends and musical compatriots, guitarist Jenn Wasner and drummer Andy Stack are creating the kind of intensely entangled indie rock that was first great a decade ago. Together, this collaboration has sparked audiences with swaggering live shows and their subtle musical deftness. Their honest sound and nondescript attitudes toward trends fit perfectly on Merge Records’ legendary indie roster.

Background Check:

The debut record from Baltimore’s Wye Oak, If Children, took the two from recording in basements to signing with Merge Records in early 2008. That debut shown with dreamy indie rock spectacles, most notably Wasner’s searing freak out solos and Stack’s copious hat switching, from drums and keys to bass and harmonies.

2009 brings Wye Oak’s second album, The Knot,  with promises of a deeper, more methodical imprint. The connection between Wasner and Stack has only strengthened in time, as the songs reflect a more daring and personal tone. If Children was the duo’s proper and politely engaging introduction, with The Knot, things are going to get a bit more complicated, and whole lot more interesting.

Within their quietest moments, Wye Oak demonstrate an unassuming Americana influence, adding yet another element to their already diverse sound. For their latest, the hazy shoegaze fuzz of their earlier material has been stripped in favor of a more vulnerable and demanding presence, but not without those squalls of post rock noise and fervor. While Wye Oak may not appeal to audiences in search of trendy hooks, they excel rather at tying listeners close with their own blend of familiar rock textures. 

Where you can find them in Cyberspace:

MySpace

Wye Oak Music

Wikipedia

On Tour:

JamBase