Our inbox is over flowing again so we are letting you good people know exactly what is new and available out there in the music world. Musically I feel like everything this week is pretty chill and mellow. Todays column has afternoon wine vibes all over it, so pour a glass and listen up. If you want to see your band on one of these lists, send us streaming music and as short bio.
Band Name: Bike
BMN Score: 8.5/10
What the band says they sound like: FOR FANS OF: The Black Angels, Tame Impala, Kikagaku Moyo, Beak, Os Mutantes, Goat, Osees, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Ty Segall
INFLUENCED BY: Os Mutantes, Pedro Santos, Walter Franco, Lula Côrtes, The Velvet Underground, Silver Apples, Syd Barret, Can, Sonic Youth, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Neu!
What we say they sound like: In the opening moments it feels like the song is going to be metal or grunge but after a few measures of distorted guitar it turns to more of a 60's/70's influenced jam. A bass line reminiscent of Aerosmith's “Sweet Emotion” or something by Can, but then as an outro it breaks into a very Pink Floyd / Beatles-ish ending. I dig this and I'm ok with the odd song structure, which is basically part A, part B, part C, with nothing really repeating once the part is over. I would venture to think modern jazz and jam band people would like this more than people who are into traditional more mainstream tastes.
Song to add to your playlist: O Torto Santo
Band Name: Brian Lopez (Ft. KT Tunstall)
BMN Score: 9.2/10
What the band says they sound like: Alternative indie-rock artist Brian Lopez (Calexico, XIXA) shares his latest single “Road To Avalon,” with a special guest feature and longtime friend KT Tunstall. Tapping into the memory of shared exploration and experiences between the friends around Glastonbury Festival many moons ago, the waltz-leaning single narrates an escape into the unknown corners of your mind in the name of trust and the procurement of curiosity. It is less a love song and more of one that celebrates the power of companionship as you trek on towards greater unknowns hand in hand with the trust of a friend.
What we say they sound like: It's weird when you mostly review lo-fi stuff to come across something so hi-fi and perfect. It's cinematic in it's approach, a slow build into a very classic sounding song. It reminds me of something written by Burt Bacharach for a 70's cowboy film starring Paul Newman. The guitar lead when the drums kick in give it that whole Sergio Leone feel. What's interesting is I can only think of movie music to compare it to as musically it's in that vein of 70's pop and the full orchestration only helps it to feel like a soundtrack piece. KT Tunstall's vocals are a perfect fit but are hardly a centerpiece. Beautiful video to accompany it as well. It's not often that I lock onto lyrics either but the opening line “night is a savage bird of prey” just shows that all aspects of this song are great.
Song to add to your playlist: Road To Avalon
Band Name: First Class & Coach
BMN Score: 9.5/10
What the band says they sound like: Geraldine explains “Neon Hip is a lyrical journey but mostly a testament to loss and grief. “The material started forming with no certain intent, after our debut record ‘The Truth About Honey’ – that album really was an exploration of possibilities - a dance to find the band’s sound, I see ‘Neon Hip’ as a gift - remembering someone or something, sonically wrapped – eternally.”
What we say they sound like: Initially the other single sent for this album didn't peak my interest but this one really stood out. The Karen O meets PJ Harvey vocals work really well with the driving shoegaze style. Lyrically and emotionally the song hits the listener with the refrain “I was wrong” over and over. The production is spot on and gives this just enough of a lo-fi mix of fuzz bass and understated guitars with pulsing drums keeping a simple rock beat as the vocals are heart wrenching and carry the song. A really great single and not to make anyone in the band upset, but I'd much rather hear the female vocal lead tracks as it's like a whole different level from the other 2 available singles. It's kind of similar to Sonic Youth or The Velvet Underground, you may be more Nico then Lou Reed but it's all really good.
Song to add to your playlist: My Oh My
Band Name: Megafauna
BMN Score: 9.7/10
What the band says they sound like: "The song came into being while Will, Winston and I were living together early in the pandemic. Winston was playing us lots of bossa nova artists like Astrud Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim, and they heavily influenced the tune. I talked to our friend about filming the video on his sailboat and he mentioned that we'd be sailing near 'Sometimes Island,' a land mass in Lake Travis that is sometimes visible, depending on water levels. I thought it was a cool name for a song about love fading in and out of view."
What we say they sound like: As a huge fan of bossa nova and Astrud Gilberto type songs this is definitely right up my alley. For normal music fans this has a lot of elements to it that Radiohead usually takes from 60's bossa nova and transplants it into a modern indie pop format. Like you'll feel musically like it's very in line with a mellow version of something from In Rainbows but with traditional jazzier vocals. It also works very well for anyone into trippy psychedelic music as it feels cosmic and spacious because of the use of synth in the place of more traditional organ tones. Overall I would use the word pleasant to describe this, it's like viewing a sun set, drinking a cocktail type of vibe.
Song to add to your playlist: Sometimes Island
Band Name: Poppy Patica
BMN Score: 9.8/10
What the band says they sound like: Animal Collective’s squelchy squeeze lives in the first single, “Awful Sound,” alongside a jangle that soars through the track with an insouciant shrug that gets close to Stephen Malkmus’ lyric power. “What’re you gonna smoke about?” he asks, twisting terms and kicking proverbial rocks as he watches his city bittersweetly change alongside him. It’s strange, sometimes: Hartmann’s work can feel so often like he’s talking about heartbreak, or injustice writ large, but the city’s his chief muse.
What we say they sound like: I love the overall lo-fi quality of this. I can always tell when a band is well versed in just as much classic rock as they are in punk rock. This has some Pavement vocal vibes but mixed musically with some Belle And Sebastian or Lucksmiths. The great poppy female backing vocals and 70's synth only help to cement this as everything indie pop rock should be about. Really this song is perfect in it's simplicity, it does enough for you to want it on a playlist and to hear it a couple hundred times.
Song to add to your playlist: Awful Sound