Golden Silvers - True Romance

Psychedelic rock is such a huge umbrella term now. It covers anything from Of Montreal to MGMT. And I guess I'm okay with that, but there was a time where 'psychedelic rock' wasn't thrown around loosely. I'm about to contradict about myself, but I will say that modern 'psychedelic' music is probably more congruent with actual psychedelic experiences. Regardless, the word psychedelic as it pertains to music was set in precedent in the 1960s by American bands like The Velvet Underground and 13th Floor Elevators and British bands like Pink Floyd, Traffic, Soft Machine, and Cream.

Golden Silvers are true psychedelic rock from where I see it. These young Londoners released this debut last year to little to no hype. The trio has been kicking around singles since 2007 and released "True Romance" on XL Recordings. Synthesizers and dramatic vocals, and anything under the sun used to characterize 'psychedelia' are on this record. I have a sneaking suspicion they'll make waves with a future release as they improve upon their already tight sound.

DOWNLOAD TRUE ROMANCE

Fred Thomas - Night Times

In my short music playing career, I have had few special moments. Actually, I can only think of one. And that was playing a house show with City Center and knowing that Fred Thomas was watching me play music. Fred Thomas is of Saturday Looks Good to Me and City Center fame and is an all-around great songwriter. From the indie pop of his older works to the more ambient and experimental sounding project City Center, Fred is a truly special musician. This is a collection of songs he put out last year in between working on City Center material. Subtle compositions with acoustic and electric guitar tones along with catchy vocals and interesting sounds. A lot of solid stuff here. And it's free. So I don't feel bad. Thanks, Fred. Sorry about the leeeetle cover art, it's all I could find.

DOWNLOAD NIGHT TIMES

Lisa Mitchell - Wonder

DOWNLOAD LISA MITCHELL'S WONDER

(sorry for rapidshare)

Holiday Shores - Columbus'd the Whim

Opening for Surfer Blood is A BIG DEAL. Holiday Shores did it recently, and will hopefully get a little more hype for this 2009 release. Pretty standard fare indie rock here. Reverberated guitars and harmonies dance on playful drum rhythms and melodies. Last.fm said 'new weird america,' but I disagree with that tag. These guys kind of remind me of a looser Local Natives and a softer Surfer Blood. Go for it dudes.

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Fang Island - Fang Island

Hello folks! My name is Evan, and apparently I've been a contributor to IWanttogotoBrainville.blogspot.com for quite some period of time, without actually contributing anything.

That changes this morning, Saturday, March 27th.

So I didn't sleep last night, and I thought I'd include some of my insomnia soundtrack. It included the likes of Coheed and Cambria, jj, Animal Collective, Screaming Females (which I discovered tonight), The Talking Heads, Tears for Fears, and ofcourse, FANG ISLAND. Described as “everyone high-fiving everyone”, Fang Island is a 5 member band that rocks a drummer, 3 guitarists (crazy, right?), and a keyboardist. You're probably thinking...in this day and age, new music HAS to have a synthesizer, right? Guitars are slowly becoming a thing of the past.

Fang Island is bringing guitar back. Huge guitar harmonies expand as you are overtaken by group vocals. Every member of the band participates in the vocals, making a gang-like sound that pumps you up. Listen to tracks like "Life Coach" or "Sideswiper" to really get you in the mood to fuck shit up.

I can't believe Robbie hasn't posted Fang Island yet, so it has become my duty to provide where he has failed.






Download to try
PLEASE BUY THIS ALBUM. You won't regret it.

Bombay Bicycle Club - I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose

Just with one listen to Bombay Bicycle Club, it is clear that these guys are the British-est of the British. The English drawl of singer Jack Steadman (no relation to Ralph), is smooth and intriguing. Fast paced and simple songs create a pop vibe with a somewhat darker undertone. These guys are young and are probably going to get even better. For now, this is a great debut.

DOWNLOAD AND SHAKE THEM BLUEZ

MGMT - Congratulations

I'm sorry. I have to.

It really isn't bad. It's still MGMT, but they're weirder. A little less dance-y, a little more 60s. Definitely a step up in terms of consistency of an actual album. I can see myself actually buying an MGMT record. Tickle me surprised.