Archive for the ‘Alternative/Indie Rock’ Category

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Atlas Sound

Atlas SoundArtist: Atlas Sound

Hails from: Atlanta, GA

Musical Style: Pop-Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock

For Fans of: Beck, Grizzly Bear, Stereolab, Deerhunter

Why you should check him out:
One thing is clear about Bradford Cox: the man is a music obsessive. Whether promoting artists through his self-released mixes, churning out tracks of his own with bands Deerhunter and Atlas Sound, or playing countless shows each year, Cox’s life is one immersed in sound. His energy is abundant and infectious, resulting most recently in Logos, perhaps his most interesting artifact yet.
Background Check:
Athens-born Bradford Cox is a freak of a man, often eccentrically-costumed and always preternaturally thin (as the result of Marfan syndrome). He’s also a gifted and prolific songwriter, whose output cannot be contained by one band alone. Atlas Sound is his “solo gig”—a project born in the wake of a self-imposed hiatus from his experimental noise band, Deerhunter.

Atlas Sound’s second album, Logos, was almost abandoned after an unfinished version prematurely leaked from Cox’s MediaFire account. Now, Cox has been known to willfully release exclusive songs through his blog, but this was an accidental—and devastating—ooze. Luckily, he soldiered on to complete the work, buoyed by excellent vocal contributions from Stereolab’s Laetita Sadler and Animal Collective’s Noah Lennox (aka Panda Bear).

Logos is full of lucid, joyful concoctions: a culmination of a lifetime spent culling LPs from dusty stacks. Its tracks gleefully pile up layers of electronics and guitars and hazy vocals, meandering from dreamy shoegaze to rock bliss. Standout cuts like “Walkabout” and “Sheila” marry 60s pop confection with Lilys-inspired indie psychedelia. With Logos, Cox has artfully constructed one of 2009’s best listens: a heart-felt tribute to the music he loves.

Where you can find him in cyberspace:
On Tour:
Atlas Sound plays the Noise Pop Festival on Friday February 26th at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.  Tickets are on sale HERE

Posted in Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Cold Cave

Cold CaveArtist: Cold Cave

Hails From: Philidelphia, PA

Musical Style: Indie Electronic, Pop/Rock, Synth-Pop, Indie/Alternative

For Fans of: Erasure, New Order, Xiu Xiu

Why you should check them out:
Cold Cave is a testament to the benefits of experimentation. The brainchild of Wes Eisold has produced a debut full-length that is both stark and emotional, filled with plenty of catchy melodies and inventive samples to keep it interesting throughout.
Background Check:
Wes Eisold formed Cold Cave after a run as singer of a few well-loved hardcore bands (Some Girls, Give Up the Ghost) and as front man for some more electronic-based bands like XO Skeletons and Ye Olde Maids. He decided he wanted to start making music on his own, but a lack of facility on guitar forced him to experiment with synths and effects pedals, and the results were dramatic. Edgy, dark electronic pop emerged: a winning mix of new wave, goth, experimental noise, pop and indie rock.

For 2009’s Love Comes Close , Eisold teamed up with Caralee McElroy (Xiu Xiu) and Dominick Fenrow (Prurient) to craft a collection of syth-driven numbers that speak to the tortures of modern life and love. Noise, samples and programmed rhythms make Cold Cave’s tunes sound simultaneously otherworldly and danceable.

Layering harshness and odd recorded sounds with melody and beats results in an edgy, intoxicating whole. There’s a little jangly New Order guitar mingled with Whitehouse-esque noise and Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis’ deep baritone. One of the real treats here is the great female vocals of McElroy as counterpoint. Cold Cave’s trippy, brooding debut presents a project truly rounding into form.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

MySpace

On Tour:

JamBase

Posted in Alternative, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock | No Comments »

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Say Hi

Say HiArtist: Say Hi

Hails From: Seattle, WA

Musical Style: Pop, Rock, Indie

For Fans of: Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie, Grandaddy

Why you should check them out:

With a whispered rapport and a three chord catharsis, Say Hi can talk about anything, from doomed relationships to spaceships with wistful ease and head nodding persuasion. Frontman Eric Elbogen crafts impeccable indie pop with a sly smile and intimate wit appropriate for any situation.

Background Check:

Say Hi is Eric Elbogen, the energetic and pop culture obsessed songwriter who has helmed the project since 2002. Originally out of Brooklyn, NY and previously known as Say Hi to Your Mom, Elbogen began recording at home, self recording his lush and straightforward indie rock in the vein of the more accessible side of the Pixies. Elbogen’s albums are almost entirely self produced and played, with the multi-talented musician taking up nearly all the parts on any given track. Elbogen began his own recording label to release his homespun creations, Euphobia Records, in 2005 giving home to his ever revolving songs about vampires and Star Trek, most notably 2006’s Impeccable Blahs, which referenced Buffy and other Joss Whedon creatures.

With a moniker shortening (Your Mom just wasn’t that aesthetic anymore) and cross country relocation in 2008, Elbogen landed in Seattle and on Barsuk Records, a perfect fit in the indie rock label’s catalog. In March 2009, Say Hi released Oohs and Aahs, the most hook laden album of Elbogen’s career. Understated and enthusiastic, the record signals a culmination of Say Hi’s previous efforts into a rather flawless concoction of pop and indie rock. Melodic and moody at times, the album is one of Elbogen’s most charming and disarming works to date.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

MySpace

ilikesayhi.com

Wikipedia

On Tour:

JamBase

Posted in Alternative Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Pop/Rock | No Comments »

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