Artist: Free Energy

Hails From: Philadelphia, PA

Musical Style: Power Pop, Rock

For Fans of: The Strokes, T. Rex, Pavement

Dream City

Why you should check them out:

Summer is the season made for Free Energy – dishing out a classic 70’s arena rock sound bathed ever so gently in 21^st century polish.  This is music for a sweat-soaked city, for hoisting cold beverages and firing up the grill.  Brimming with windmill guitar riffs, crispy hooks, a smattering of handclaps and just the right amount of instrumental flourish, Free Energy aims to inject that warm, fuzzy feeling through their boombox brand of carefree guitar rock.

Background check:

Over the tick-tock-tick of a well-engineered cowbell and a ringing two chord guitar blast, Free Energy righteously declare their second coming: “We’re breaking out this time.”

That’s because Free Energy is the second rock iteration for frontman Paul Sprangers and guitarist Scott Wells, who left Minnesota for Philly after the chaotic demise of their similar sounding band Hockey Night in 2007.

In 2009, with additional players in place, Free Energy released a debut 7”, Free Energy/Something in Common, followed by a three-track EP.  Their debut album Stuck on Nothing, produced by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy and released in March on his own label DFA, is a collection of mid-tempo rockers that deliver quickly.  Murphy’s dance-punk ethics and Free Energy’s classic vibe may seem like an unholy alliance until you press play.  It’s bright, it’s shiny and it’s reduced to the essentials.

Months after its release, Free Energy’s initial declaration proved true.  Stuck on Nothing has captured the attention of music mags big and small, including name drops in Spin and Rolling Stone, landing Free Energy on a host of top ten lists practically begging you to dig this band.

This summer finds Free Energy touring with husband-and-wife team Mates of State and New Jersey power rockers Titus Andronicus, and bringing their freewheeling tunes to a sun-drenched America.

–Eric Quist

photo credit: Cass Bird

Where you can find them in cyber space:

myspace

Free Energy.com

On tour:

jambase

Artist: Happy Birthday

Hails From: Brattleboro, VT

Musical Style: Indie Pop, Lo-Fi, Alternative Pop/Rock

For Fans of: Apples in Stereo, Beach Boys, Of Montreal

Subiminal Message

Why you should check them out:

Sometimes a band’s success hinges on a certain alchemy amongst its parts. In the case of Happy Birthday, all it took was three friends getting together a handful of times before scoring a record deal with Sub Pop and subsequent international acclaim. The band’s auspicious 2010 debut is filled with well-constructed, fuzzed-out, and slightly tweaked indie pop gems.

Background Check:

I used to work in a record store in Brattleboro, Vermont—Happy Birthday’s base of operations—where lead man Kyle Thomas was a daily fixture. He would shuffle around downtown with his sketchbook, chatting up locals and composing songs in his head. Oftentimes he would share his latest home recordings: his own personal takes on whatever he was into that month: T. Rex, Fairport Convention, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Norwegian Black Metal—you name it. And they were always good.

After releasing some tunes under the moniker King Tuff, and turns in psych folk outfit Feathers and the J Mascis metal side project Witch, Thomas formed Happy Birthday along with friends Ruth Garbus and Chris Weisman. After just a few shows, the band found a home for their seemingly effortless blend of pop, psych, and garage on Sub Pop Records. Tasty sonic layers worthy of the Beach Boys or Of Montreal combine with great melodies and interesting production on standouts like “Girls FM” and “Pink Strawberry Shake”—radio hits for/from another dimension.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

myspace

On Tour:

jambase

Artist: Neon Indian

Hails From: Denton, TX

Musical Style: Indie, Alternative, Electronic

For Fans of: MGMT, Washed Out, Air

Terminally Chill

Why you should check them out:

It’s an easy/bad pun, sorry, but Neon Indian has more buzz than a, err… neon light bulb.  The band has become the leading figure of the new indie microgenre called chillwave. This new sound applies a garage lo-fi aesthetic to a sleepy 80’s-style synth pop. Much of this genre’s success can be credited back to Neon Indian’s sleek and gratifying songwriting.  There are hooks at every turn and they know how to present a cool retro sound fitted for the listeners of today.

Background Check:

The band started as the brain child of Alan Paloma, who wrote the music and lyrics, and his long-time high school friend Alicia Scardetta, who supplied visual elements to accompany the music. They released their first EP in 2008, but it wasn’t until the spring of 2009 when they released two tracks “Should Have Taken Acid With You” and “6699 (I don’t Know if you Know)” onto the web. Several indie music blogs caught wind and started to spread the word.

They released their first LP Psychic Chasms, on Lefse record in October and since then the buzz has just continued to grow.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

MySpace

Wikipedia

On Tour:

JamBase