Terry Malts – Killing Time | CD Vinyl MP3
Download “Tumble Down” (mp3)
Download “Nauseous” (mp3)
Terry Malts are a power pop trio from San Francisco. The songs on Killing Time, their debut full-length album, are short and sweet with 14 tracks in less than 33 minutes. They have the fuzz of 60’s garage rock and the energy of 70’s punk with a catchiness underneath the buzzing rumble that makes this an addictive set of pop bursts.
The James Low Western Front – Whiskey Farmer | MP3
Download “I Would Have You” (mp3)
James Low has released a few solo albums in the past, but this is the first album released by his new band, The James Low Western Front. His weathered tenor croon gives this Americana band a distinctive quality. The music, which is acoustic in nature, has a relaxed, countrified sound with lead lines from a picked electric guitar or gliding pedal steel. It’s a tight batch of songs that owe as much to country ballads as they do to folk rock.
You Won’t – Skeptic Goodbye | MP3
Download “Three Car Garage” (mp3)
Download “Who Knew” (mp3)
You Won’t is a duo comprised of Josh Arnoudse and Raki Sastri, who were 2/3 of the band Nohow No. Both have spent their time working in music and films, and this album has the cinematic likeness of a feel good flick. Skeptic Goodbye, their debut album under this moniker, is an ubercatchy set of diverse, folky music. They both play a plethora of instruments and create music that will be hard to shake out of your head.
Rickolus – Coyote & Mule | Cassette MP3
Download “Candy Blood” (mp3)
Richard Colado has released albums as the frontman for The Julius Airwave, but he has been more prominent with the output of his solo project, Rickolus. On Coyote & Mule, his latest album, Colado played every instrument and recorded on a 4-track machine he has used for 15 years. There is a personalized, lo-fi feel to the album, but the quality of the recordings sounds better than you’d expect from a 4-track. These songs are ridiculously catchy and layered with musical affability that makes the album, whether heard as a digital or cassette release, shimmer.
Islands – A Sleep & A Forgetting | CD Vinyl MP3 Deluxe MP3
Download “This Is Not a Song” (mp3)
Many of the best rock songs are either about falling in love or falling out of love. The fourth album by Islands is full of the latter, pairing lusciously sweet music with forlorn lyrics. The band, fronted by Nick Thorburn, created a beautiful sounding album, juxtaposing the upbeat songs and layered vocals with songs about the end of a relationship and dealing with that loss.
Heartless Bastards – Arrow | CD Vinyl MP3
Download “Parted Ways” (mp3)
The latest album from Erika Wennerstrom’s Heartless Bastards is a solid and precise set of classic rockers. Produced by Spoon’s Jim Eno, the album has the tight, locked sound of a Spoon release, but with the recognizable quality of Wennerstrom’s voice. Arrow is the first recording to include the touring musicians of bassist Jesse Ebaugh and drummer Dave Colvin (even though they were on the band’s first demo recordings). This album also sees the band expand to a quartet with the addition of guitarist Mark Nathan. This all combines to make Arrow one of the best Heartless Bastards albums in their powerful and impressive catalog.
Sharon Van Etten – Tramp | CD Vinyl MP3
“Serpents” (mp3)
Sharon Van Etten’s third album, Tramp, is produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner. With contributions from members of The Walkmen, Wye Oak, Beirut, Doveman, and The National, the singer-songwriter’s style is fleshed out with multiple layers of sounds. The album carries the weight of The National, the catchiness of Wye Oak, and the diversity of Beirut, while keeping Van Etten’s vocal and songwriting strength at its core.
Chuck Prophet – Temple Beautiful | CD Vinyl MP3
“Castro Halloween” (mp3)
Because of the subject matter, which focuses on anecdotes and reminisces about San Francisco, Temple Beautiful is inevitably compared to Lou Reed’s New York, an album homage to the East coast mecca. While Reed’s New York is mostly a personalized album that embodies his feelings and experiences about the Big Apple, Prophet’s album mainly deals with the lore and history of the “Baghdad by the Bay” with songs about Jim Jones, Willie Mays, and Emperor Norton. The music has the garage rock sound that has become a recognizable aspect of the singer-songwriter’s more recent albums.
Bahamas – Barchords | CD Vinyl MP3
I Got You Babe” (mp3)
Alfie Jurvanen releases his music under the name Bahamas and is also a member of touring bands for Feist, Jason Collett, The Stills, and others. On Barchords, Bahamas’ second album, the music continues the effervescently mellow sound of Pink Strat (a TWSIS favorite) with a crisper production quality. These 12 songs are incredibly catchy and remarkably addictive.
The Minor Leagues – North College Hills | CD MP3
Download “Ghost Maps” (mp3)
Download “Secret Codes” (mp3)
The Minor Leagues are a Cincinnati-based band started by Ben Walpole and Patrick Helmes that has expanded into a septet. The band’s last few albums (including 2006’s The Pestilence is Coming) have taken on a grand scale and theme. North College Hill takes its name from the town a few miles north of Cincinnati. The album is full of reminiscence and lamentations about the changes that have occurred in that community. The seven-piece band puts forth a luscious set of lyrical chamber pop to support the album’s nostalgia.
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