Let's hype a band that deserves it

Austin's very own UME has been making little ripples amongst indie enthusiasts and, let's be honest, good music appreciators here and there. Continuing in my search for bands that kick your ass, UME fits the bill perfectly, and what's more? Their frontman (or frontwoman, more appropriately) is a tiny, adorable, dress-wearing rocker chick, and yes, she shreds.

UME's new Sunshower EP is 18 or so minutes of powerful, squealing guitar and thumping beats that I seem to be listening to on repeat as of late. Lauren Larson's vocals are iconic to the tiny "Girl Power!" feeling I have buried deep inside my gut. Gender aside, though, Lauren is the perfect topping on this band. Accurately described by some as turning her vocals from "virgin to whore", this is as dirty and gritty as indie gets.

I implore you, good sirs and womens, to support UME. Go to a show, buy their music, get some merch. Real talk, guyz: This is a seriously under-appreciated band. Personally having talked to Lauren, they deserve all the attention they can get, and I hope to some higher power I don't believe in that they hit some success. For the sake of music.

Why listen to anything else?

OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH, WE USED TO DREAM
NOW WE WORRY ABOUT DYIN'

I have no reason for not listening to Japandroids sooner other than I just sorta suck and haven't been on top of the music front lately. Take a hint from Pitchfork, though. When they named Japandroids with "best new music," they really meant nothing less. Forget your pussy acoustic shit and get your musical taste kicked in the ass by a band that's giving a huge "fuck you" to conventions.

Maybe one of the most interesting things that most people will comment on is how a two-piece band manages to sound like five dudes beating the hell out of their instruments. That sounds bad, but trust me, it is way more awesome than you could ever know.

There hasn't been a band that makes me want to mosh or fuck shit up since my screamo-loving days, however, Japandroids prove to be the exception. Are they loud beyond all tolerance? Yeah. Can they sing? No. Do they sound like they give a fuck about what you think? No.

Perfect.

Is that Isaac Brock? Wait... noo..

One thing I seriously pride myself on is my ability to make connections between artists. Pick out influences and inspirations. It's merely math to me.

I gave Why There Are Mountains one revolution when I first happened upon it. After all, one is all it takes for a first impression, right? I did the unthinkable. I wrote them off as a Modest Mouse sound-a-like, and maybe I'd get back to them when I was in the mood for Modest Mouse that wasn't quite Modest Mouse.

A couple weeks roll past, and the time to listen to Cymbals Eat Guitars arises once again. But something hit me this time I didn't see before. I heard the Pavement, the Broken Social Scene, and I felt like such an idiot.

If there's a word to describe Cymbals Eat Guitars, it must be "full". This band makes an album with the intention of leaving no sparse sounds. You oughta know it's okay to call them epic. Their tiny blip on the radar is only going to get bigger and louder, and before you know it, they're going to be leaving you stiff from awe at live shows.

Manners

The new electronica pop band that seemed to explode overnight with their Chunk of Change EP is back on the scene with their first full length release, Manners. Passion Pit virtually came out of nowhere and took the whole damn indie scene by storm.

Chunk of Change was an innocent, doe-eyed EP with simple songs about love. Abnormally cute with an endearing falsetto leading the band, "Sleepyhead" was the acclaimed hit. Fans waited and wanted more.

Now, finally, Manners has leaked, and there's something different about Passion Pit. They're still the same electronic dance band they promised to be, but with a sound that's more fleshed out and fuller they lose that charming rawness that was so apparent on the EP. Fans of the EP, however, will be happy to know that "Sleepyhead" is left unchanged.

By no means am I less inclined to dance when I hear any of the new songs, it's just a bit of a... disappointment? Maybe that's not the right word. I still quite like Passion Pit. I even had the fortunate chance of catching them during SXSW, and it was a fun show. I feel as though Manners is going to be a huge hit or miss with fans, and well, it was a miss with this one.

Inspiration strikes at odd hours

Well, first thing's first. I don't plan on posting every day, but recently I've felt compelled to put my feelings about Merriweather Post Pavilion in words. Yes, it's been reviewed to death, but this is a particularly important album in my life, I feel.

Animal Collective has the uncanny ability to CONSISTENTLY put out phenomenal albums. Feels, Strawberry Jam, Sung Tongs... all are albums that are more or less revered. So what makes Merriweather Post Pavilion deserve all the praise and attention it has been getting?

It's the biggest pop album Animal Collective has put out thus far, but that trippy, surrealist ambiance they've created around their band remains. The fusion of these two musical spheres marry so wonderfully and have produced something so perfect, it left me stiff after the first revolution. Merriweather Post Pavilion is a labor of love. It is nothing other than that.

First tasting the album with "In the Flowers", how do I feel? I feel exactly the same way the first time I heard it. Every. Single. Time. In that moment where the bottom disappears, and you fall right through the floor, you feel exactly what this album is about. It's about letting every note, chord wash over you. Breathe it in, don't open your eyes, this is for the music lovers.

It's quite impossible to pick a favorite song from this album. There will always be the most popular ones, "My Girls" and "Brother Sport", but each song has an equal amount of care sewn between the measures.

I feel that as a whole, Merriweather Post Pavilion is mature. It is sensitive. I once spent a revolution of this album in my boyfriend's arms, and there's something about "Bluish" that helps me recreate that moment fully. It's sweet and memorable.

You know what Animal Colletive has on their side? The fucking power of love, man.

It's like, 2:30 AM

I'm listening to "True Love Waits" on repeat.

What the fuck is new? Fucking Clues. Clues is new, and it is some good ass shit.




So you know me, right? You might. If you do, you know I loved/love The Unicorns, and they're in my top ten favorite bands of all time. Like any other diehard Unicorns aficionado, I was devastated to hear that The Unicorns were dead back in 2004. The lovechild of Nick Thorburn and Alden Penner would be no more. RIP Unicorns.

So Nick Thorburn goes and forms Islands, they put out Return to the Sea, it's successful, yadayada, you know that story. Alden Penner, however, sinks into obscurity. He composes the soundtrack for The Hamster Cage in 2005, but where does he go after that? WHO KNOWS??

In 2007, who shows up at Pop Montreal??? Alden Penner! And with the new project Clues! Now, I hold this dude in high esteem. He's everything I want in a good musician. Talented and so much more than passionate. He doesn't give a shit about being a rock star, he just wants to make music.

What stands out to me about Clues' debut self-titled album are the parallels to The Unicorns. Clues has all the pre-existing darkness of The Unicorns that Islands lacks. It's apparent that this album is a labor of love. Years in the making, Alden Penner fans around the globe are rejoicing at this new release. The opener "Haarp" punches you in the throat about five seconds in and commands your attention. The highs and lows of this song match the highs and lows of this album as a whole. Standout songs like "You Have My Eyes Now" and "Let's Get Strong" leave me with a fuzzy feeling that tells me yes, Alden Penner is back, and he is STILL badass.

Furthermore, like a boss, Clues has made the conscious decision to not join any networking sites like Myspace or Facebook, so they can build a hype naturally. How it should be.
To hear The Unicorns: http://www.myspace.com/theunicornsband
To hear Clues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkq1PuJyXjc