Rupa and the April Fishes
Artist: Rupa and the April Fishes
Hails from: San Francisco, CA
Musical Style: Punk, Folk, Pop
For Fans of: Manu Chao, Beirut, Julieta Venegas
Artist: Rupa and the April Fishes
Hails from: San Francisco, CA
Musical Style: Punk, Folk, Pop
For Fans of: Manu Chao, Beirut, Julieta Venegas
Artist: 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:
On Tour:
Artist: The XX
Hails from: London
Musical style: Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative
For fans of: Portishead, Mazzy Star, Hot Chip
The xx is a band that you reflexively want to dislike based solely on age: the group formed just last year, when its four members were still in high school. Yet this quartet of English indie rockers is quickly winning listeners and critics over with an excellent debut that has catapulted them to the top of early year-end best-of lists.
Background Check:
The xx manages to pull off something rare on their 2009-released debut: coalesce their disparate influences – pop, indie rock, electronica – into a cohesive whole that is neither derivative nor over-the-top. The music is understated and pared-down, filled with groovy bass lines and reverb-y guitar leads coupled with exceptional and complementary boy/girl vocals.
The group combines traditional elements like drums, bass, keys, guitars and voices in both familiar and new ways to deliver a languid, dreamy album that digs into your brain with each successive listen. Add in a few programmed beats and some tasteful percussion and the resulting artifact is a moody, often pensive group of modern love songs that incorporates the best bits of great bands like The Cocteau Twins, Love and Rockets, and Yo La Tengo.
The xx is currently on a world-wide tour that will span the next several months. Here’s hoping they will be able to maintain momentum and come out the other side with a batch of brand new songs to lay on us.
Where you can find them in cyberspace:
On Tour: