Listen: Pill Friends – “Forgetting You”

Next week Pill Friends will release their EP Murder Me For My Sins. Pill Friends is a three piece lo-fi band out of Philadelphia, incorporating cello, drums and guitar. While their number of releases are limited, their style varies greatly from song to song. They recently released Forgetting You, one of the featured tracks on the new EP. The track has a very ambient feel to it, which is a completely different direction compared to songs like Bummertime and Pillspillspills. Despite lack of a completeness factor to each release, Pill Friends are admirably something different to add to your music library. The punk/lo-fi feeling is energizing and catchy. Stream or download Forgetting You below and be sure to check out the full EP sometime next week and download their previous EP for free on their Bandcamp.

Listen: Camper Van Beethoven – “Someday Our Love Will Sell Us Out”

Camper Van Beethoven, have released a new track off of their upcoming release called La Costa Perdida. The track is titled Someday Our Love Will Sell Us Out and is available to listen below or on Soundcloud. This track sounds different from their regular indie rock style as it has a psychedelic aesthetic. However the fusion of the electric guitar strumming sound and vocals is an unusually perfect blend, and makes me excited for their upcoming release. La Costa Perdida, Camper Van Beethoven’s tenth album will be released on January 22nd.

The Story So Far To Release New Album

Californian pop-punk band The Story So Far has announced their new album, What You Don’t See. The band’s highly anticipated follow-up to the largely successful Under Soil And Dirt is set to be released through Pure Noise Records on March 26th, 2013. The album was produced by Steven Klein at The Panda Studios.

You can check out the track listing below.

Track list:

1. Things I Can’t Change

2. Stifled

3. Small Talk

4. Playing the Victim

5. Right Here

6. Empty Space

7. The Glass

8. All Wrong

9. Bad Luck

10. Face Value

11. Framework

Review: Ben Howard – “The Burgh Island EP”

The Burgh Island EP

Released: October 31, 2012
Label: Island Records
Purchase: iTunes | Amazon

After his sensational debut album Every Kingdom, Ben Howard’s newest release The Burgh Island EP has not disappointed. Though fans have come accustomed to the smooth, acoustic, folk songs experienced in the album, The Burgh Island EP demonstrates a darker side to his songs, highlighted by the use of the electric guitar rather than his usual acoustic self. Yet the gritty, and albeit, gloomy sounds does not take away from the emotion and soul that is put into the lyrics and songs themselves. The songs were all inspired by his memories from surfing the beaches of Burgh Island, which leads to question, why create a darker tone for the songs?

Though fans and listeners would agree that the sound of this EP is completely different, it does not mean it’s a bad change. The opening track “Esmerelda” begins with eerie sounds, which grow more powerful as the song progresses through the beats, perfectly complemented by the rasp in his voice. The second track “Oats In The Water” on the other hand uses the electric guitar differently by creating a more bluesy electric sound, thus producing a more calming and memorable vocal melody. My personal favorite track of this album is the final one appropriately titled “Burgh Island”. This track most resembles the style of songs portrayed in the album Every Kingdom. Much like Ben Howard’s popular track, “Black Flies” it’s a mostly calm song throughout, but has a powerful punch in the middle and near the end. Though it is not as catchy, it will definitely be a favorite to those fans of Every Kingdom.

This album also excites me as it demonstrates that Ben Howard doesn’t have just one style, but illustrates that he has a variety of styles, leaving fans wondering, what will he do next? For those following Ben Howard, he will be touring in New York, New Jersey and Virginia, for a week beginning February 11th with another of my personal favorite bands Mumford and Sons.

8.0

Standout Tracks: “Esmerelda” “Burgh Island”

Track listing:
1. Esmerelda
2. Oats in the Water
3. To Be Alone
4. Burgh Island (feat. Monica Heldel)

Review: Beach Fossils – Clash The Truth

Beach Fossils – Clash The Truth

Released: February 19, 2013
Label: Captured Tracks

Beach Fossils sophomore record Clash The Truth is set to be released on February 19, 2013. Following their self titled release in 2010, Beach Fossils became well known for their catchy Jingle Jangle styled guitar riffs in songs like “Sometimes” as well as their electrifying stage presence. After several members moved on to side projects, Dustin Payseur began writing Clash The Truth “determined to capture the urgency, human flow and spontaneity of the live performance.” This goal for the record has shown to be a trouble for many bedroom recording styled bands. Many lo-fi bands have spectacular albums, but the dreamy and somber melodies don’t always translate to a live show. Yet with this presence of urgency, Clash The Truth doesn’t lack in energy throughout every track. The excitement in the tracks give off a punk rock experience with a shoe-gaze styling.

The progression of Beach Fossils sound in Clash The Truth is near perfect, they translated the lo-fi bedroom recording style to a well tuned studio project. I initially had some fear that their highly praised vibes would lose their originality, yet the album beautifully captures Dustin’s vision. Clash The Truth is much more instrumentally complex than the records before; with each track standing out more individually, yet still creating one complete record. This is most prevalent in songs like “Sleep Apnea” that bring in a more acoustic presence whereas “Caustic Cross” has more energy and power in the guitar. Another great addition to the album is the development of the drums. The drums are much more established in the album, “the drums were recorded live in a room with Dustin on bass to give the album a driving and energetic force.” In previous records the drums have a presence but appeared to be very simple, I never found myself mesmerized by the beat.

While this album is one of my favorites, and well deserving of a listen, there are some weaker points to the album. Oddly enough, I felt the title track along with the previously released track “Shallow” didn’t live up to the rest of the album. When Shallow was first released a year ago, it wasn’t as enchanting as songs like “What A Pleasure”. It generated no anticipation or excitement for the rest of the album. The title track is a nice melody that eases into the rapid pace of the album, yet I felt a lack of connection with the song. It has a catchy aspect to it, yet that wasn’t a highlight for me.

Following the release of Clash The Truth, Beach Fossils will begin touring through the US and Canada. All of the tour dates can be found on their Facebook Page. The song “Careless” is available for free Stream or Download below.

8.0

Standout Tracks: “Sleep Apnea”, “Crashed Out”, “Generational Synthetic”

Tracklisting:
1. Clash the Truth
2. Generational Synthetic
3. Sleep Apnea
4. Careless
5. Modern Holiday
6. Taking Off
7. Shallow
8. Burn You Down
9. Birthday
10. In Vertigo [ft. Kazu Makino]
11. Brighter
12. Caustic Cross
13. Ascension
14. Crashed Out

Lost In The Sound

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Monthly Archives: January 2013