Dent May — Best Friend

from Do Things (June 12, 2012)

Dent May—easily one of my favorite pop singers out there right now. Puts on a fantastic show too. This guy is one part Brian Wilson, one part Elvis Costello and one part nightclub crooner. Oh yeah, can’t forget his Mississippi roots, either.

His new album comes out in a couple months.. until then, feast on this. And some older gems too…

Walsh — Welcome to 2k12

from Back 2 the High Life (2k12)

Been digging on the new Walsh release all week. Brandon Biondo strikes again! Get yer funk on at bandcamp or the sublime AMDISCS. And pop open a High Life while yer at it.

Grandparents — Fumes

from Fumes EP (2012)

Sprawling psychedelic sounds… spooky harmonies and clattering drums… from Portland’s Grandparents. Git over to bandcamp for more jams like this.

Hat tip to This Music Doesn’t Suck on this one.

Dustin Wong — Diagonally Talking Echo

from Dreams Say, View, Create, Shadow Leads (2012)

Dustin Wong’s music has always conjured up colors in my mind… the staccato guitar loops seem almost like a pointillist painting in sound. Here that color is visualized by Dustin himself, in the video for ‘Diagonally Talking Echo,’ a track from his new solo record, Dreams Say, View, Create, Shadow Leads, out Feb 21st on Thrill Jockey. (Get ready—he screams…)

Also on the Dreams theme, he wants your collaboration on the project “Say Your Dream, Create a Sound”:

Tell Dustin about a significant dream by recording a description of the dream to his Soundcloud page. Dustin will create and original piece of music inspired by each dream and incorporating your description, and post a selection of these recordings to his Soundcloud page beginning on Monday, February 20.

Catch him this Sat 1/21 at 285 Kent in Williamsburg with Akron/Family; Fri 2/3 at Glasslands; or Sat 2/4 at Wesleyan University.

Julia Holter — Marienbad

from Ekstasis (March 2012)

Wow. Wow. Her voice sounds like a synthesizer. Spooky, beautiful vocal loops in the bad-acid-trip Linda Perhacs vein. Definitely looking forward to this one.

earsofthebeholder:

Here’s a heavenly track off Julia Holter’s next album Ekstasis. Her 2011 release, Tragedy, is one of my favorites of this year - and this next one will no doubt be another hit. Check out more info on RVNG Intl.

Street Gnar — Without Blue

from Poking The World With A Stick (2011)

Lovely lo-fi beercan rock from Case Mahan, a Brooklyn transplant from Lexington, Kentucky.

Check out his stuff for free at bandcamp… or IN PERSON! At Williamburg’s Bruar Falls this Sat 10/22 for a CMJ showcase. Set time 3pm.

His photoblog is also worth a gander.

Vektroid — Splash

from Neo Cali (Oct 2011)

This song rises up and spreads its wings, like a little mushroom poking slowly through pine needles on the forest floor, before it opens its cap and shoots spores all over the place. To hear 18-year-old Washington state producer Vektroid tell it:

this is my ode to moody summers transfigured upon pattern diffused lifescapes and brushed off; to fabricated memories of teen hackers of the past and their elementary school computer labs buried deep within the oceans of time. to a new life, experienced more vividly through microsoft encarta and library terminals of the past. we miss you.

Album drops Oct 7th; you can pre-order over at Bandcamp. Til then, why don’t you boot up MS-DOS, sit back, and relax…

The Very Most — Congrizzle 4evzzz

from ePop017 (Eardrums Pop, 2011)

Stumbled across the collective The Very Most the other day on the Free Music Archive. (not to be confused with The Very Best) They’re pumping out some breathy, elated pop from the most unlikely of places—Boise. Then again, pop knows no borders, does it?

‘Congrizzle 4evzzz’ is about congratulations, and the whimsical little synthesizers, doo-wops and ah-ahs sure do feel like a nice pat on the back.

Grab the EP (for free) at Eardrums Pop or the Free Music Archive. [myspace]

Twin Sister — Gene Ciampi

Twin Sister proves, for the second time this summer, that they can do no wrong, and that their musical inspirations are limitless. This song, for example, sounds like Turkish psychedelia crossed with Ennio Morricone. Bravo ragazzi.

yvynyl:

In case you missed Ian Perlman’s close-quarters videos of the band performing in someone’s living room the other day, here’s the studio version of one of the new songs that was played from the forthcoming In Heaven.

WALSH — Landing Strip

from Don’t Want 2 Fall In Luv (2011)

Everything Brandon Biondo (aka WALSH) touches turns to funk. He literally presses a key on his synthesizer and a leopard-print leotard jumps out of the speaker.

I mean these mechanical drum hits are just TOO MUCH. Kinda nasty. I think Biondo’s officially turned into a robot. And you will too, if you aren’t careful with this song. Also don’t miss the other standout track, ‘Kommissar.’

Like all his work, this EP is a real winner. If you’re feeling generous, grab it over at bandcamp at the pay-what-you-will rate… or you can try it on for free at label Dracula Horse. (follow Dracula Horse on tumblr for more goodies)

Romantic States — The Fourth

from Still Petals (beko lp09, 2011)

Here’s a lovely, noisy pop romp, with some earmelting guitar, from the new Romantic States EP. It’s out now on the beko digital singles label, a goldmine of free downloads of bands you’ve never heard of. (Or, at least, that I’ve never heard of—most of them spectacularly ungoogleable, like GeRmAn ArMy, Healthcare, and Pregnant, or the irresistibly named How I Quit Crack)

Grab the EP free over at beko, where you should go get lost anyway, or on bandcamp.

Neon Indian — Polish Girl

from Era Extrana (Sep 2011)

You wanted streaky synths. You wanted ARPish arpeggios. And you wanted to dance.

You got it.

perfectmidnightworld:

I’m going to be honest, and this may make me seem like an asshole, but these two new Neon Indian tracks are far more exciting than any of the previous material. Not to say the previous work was bad in any way, it wasn’t. It was quite good, but the new material feels more lived in and dynamic. The layers build up and form something that feels much more cohesive than most songs being battered about as chillwave. These are full fledged, great jams. Definitely recommended. 

Dent May — Fun

from Fun b/w Wedding Day 7” (Sept 2011)

Sing-along summer FUN from Dent May, recorded at Hits Inc., his home studio at the Cats Purring Dude Ranch in Oxford, Mississippi. Cosmic American music for the synth kids. He plays Thursday at Glasslands in Brooklyn, with fellow spaceman Julian Lynch; Prince Rama djs.

Follow Dent on tumblr (lots of tunes there!); buy the digi-single via iTunes…or order sexy clear vinyl from Paw Tracks.

These Animals — Side By Side

from These Animals EP (2011)

These Brooklyn art school kids are a kickstarter success story, their songs full of skydiving guitar lines and anti-depressant-strength vocal harmonies. Prizes in every box to reward repeated listening… great arrangement throughout the album, particularly on the sweet & lovely track ‘Miles.’ Don’t miss that one!

Their new EP is out now on Germany’s Aaahh Records. Grab it for FREE there, or stream at the Free Music Archive. Another 4-track EP, the Souvenir Sessions, available free from Jamundo. Or catch them on the road — they play DC and Philly next month.

Oh, and Tumblrer Unsigned Unleashed has an interview with the drummer, if you’re curious.

soundcloud // myspace

Twin Sister — Bad Street (2011)

Was listening to the excellent new yvynyl summer mix yesterday, and this tune jumped right out, because I thought Mark accidentally threw a Tom Tom Club b-side on there.

Which, to my ears, means Twin Sister has locked into their best work yet. They’ve come a long way from their (also awesome) free-floating space jams—this is rock-solid new-wave funk, punctuated by glittery synths and staccato contributions from the rest of the band. And Andrea Estella’s vocals are better than ever—ultra-confident, alluringly deep. Dance party, anyone?