Cole’s Indie Music Corner: Wild Nothing

The sophomore release by Jack Tatum (a.k.a Wild Nothing) is a masterful throwback to 80s synth pop, with echoes of The Church and The Cure and a little dash of My Bloody Valentine shoegaze to boot. Improving upon his great debut Gemini, Nocturne is a a treat from start to finish — the record is full of constant highs, with the incredibly addictive title track Nocturne regularly rotating through my iPod as I drive around LA. There’s a certain breezy easiness with each of these tracks, dancing between mid-tempo and upbeat that creates a relaxing yet exhilarating listen. Nocturne officially releases tomorrow, August 28th, so download it as soon as it becomes available — you won’t be disappointed.

Nocturne / Wild Nothing

Cole’s Indie Music Corner: Suckers

Suckers are exciting. The Brooklyn quartet make adventurous, experimental yet melodically enticing music thats fun as all-get-out. Their sophomore album, Candy Salad, is just that — a sugary sweet concoction chock full of random ingredients that work so much better than they should together. After seeing them destroy live at the Echo a few months back in LA, their infectious energy onstage translates well onto disc (or vinyl or MP3, or however you kids are getting your music nowadays) and makes for an exhilarating listen all the way through. There’s a ton of stand outs on the record — the island groove of Turn on the Sunshine will get your head bobbing, and the slow build of Lydia will be rattling around in your head for weeks. Much like the great single Roman Candle on their first album, a triumphant whistle kicks off Chinese Braille, an incredible mid-tempo tune with playful lyrics and a catchy chorus. But picking out a single song from the record is a tough task — get the whole damn thing immediately.

Chinese Braille / Suckers

Cole’s Indie Music Corner: Fanfarlo

London’s Fanfarlo avoid the sophomore slump with a super strong showing with their second album, “Rooms Filled With Light.” Parts Arcade Fire, Talking Heads and The Decemberists, they craft catchy, rhythmic songs that put their multi-instrumentalists on full display. There’s some throwback 80s guitar flourishes a la Echo and the Bunnymen or, say, New Order, as well as strings, horns, keys and unusual percussion. The second track on the record, “Deconstruction,” is a high-energy driving toe-tapper, with a warbling whistle of a melody that grows on you every time you listen to it. The entire album, indeed, is one that reaps rewards upon repeat soakings. Get it.

Deconstruction/Fanfarlo

If you’re like me, you need something to fill the void of the now-defunct Beta Band. Thankfully, the UK’s Django Django are here–this quartet met at art school in Edinburgh and have a sound that takes that aforementioned band and weirds it out, with elements of psych and post-rock, experimental rhythms and a playful sense of humor. At first listening, it’s challenging, but always interesting, and the song “Default” is epic, bombastic and catchy as all get out. Crank it up and blast it with the windows down while driving your vehicle of choice.

Default / Django Django

Cole’s Indie Music Corner: Active Child

The first full-length record by Pat Grossi, aka Active Child, is a gorgeous collection of dreamy melodies and spacey production, melding his fragile voice, harp, beats and electronic soundscapes– think Owen Pallet meets The Divine Comedy meets Depeche Mode. It’s a marriage of sound that works brilliantly–the title track, You Are All I See, is a seductive earworm that will have you humming for days. High on atmosphere, the album delivers on the potential of his Curtis Lane EP from last year. Visit his site at www.activechildmusic.com.

 YOU ARE ALL I SEE / ACTIVE CHILD

Sleeping At Last is built around Wheaton, Illionois’ Ryan O’Neal (vocals, guitar and piano) who has a knack for gorgeous, fragile melodies and quiet, hypnotic instrumention. Along with bassist and keyboardist Dan Perdue (who, it was just announced, is leaving the band), he’s in the middle of releasing an ambitious and charming project known as Yearbook, where each month they release three new songs for an entire year, each EP named after the corresponding month (with different eye-catching, whismsical nature paintings as covers). Having been featured on TV dramas like Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice, the songs wear their hearts on their sleeves, with O’Neal’s emotive and vulnerable vocals anchoring them firmly. “Tethered,” the first track on the April EP, is a sweet, lush ballad and a good representation of the band’s soothing sound.

Visit them on the web and check out the cool Yearbook series, HERE

SLEEPING AT LAST / TETHERED

Smother, the third full-length album from Kendal, England’s Wild Beasts is their strongest to date and one of the best records of the year thus far. Super dramatic and lushly melodic, it’s an addictive journey that grows more and more interesting with repeat listens. Singer Hayden Thorpe has a unique (some may say affected), light, lilty tenor voice–more restrained here than on previous releases–and it soars along with the music. If you find it to your liking, than Wild Beasts will soon become one of your favorite bands. “Lion’s Share” sets the tone nicely, indicative of an album full of beautiful silences and thundering crescendos. Other stand-out tracks include “Loop the Loop” and “Plaything,” but I’ve decided to highlight the gorgeous mid-tempo burner “Albatross,” coincidently the first single released from the record. There’s a touch of Martin Gore-penned Depeche Mode in it, and it really stuck with me when I first heard it.

WILD BEASTS/ALBATROSS

Hailing from Stockton, California, and recording under the name Craft Spells, Justin Vallesteros has crafted an album reminiscent of 80s synth-pop bands like Joy Division. Both dreamy and occasionally dancey, it finds a great groove and sticks with it, mining the territory that current bands like Wild Nothing and The Radio Dept. adeptly explore. There’s hints at the afro-beat rhythms and guitar work Vampire Weekend made their mark with, such as on this track “Party Talk.” As a whole, Idle Labor flows quite nicely, with a great flushed out sound rarely heard on solo projects like this. It’s lo-fi bedroom recording taken took the next level, and Vallesteros shows a ton of promise.

CRAFT SPELLS/PARTY TALK

I’ve been gushing over the UK’s Cherry Ghost for a couple of years now–I discovered Simon Aldred and co. whilst on my honeymoon in London, picking up their debut record Thirst For Romance on a whim with a pile of King Creosote (a Scottish artist hard to fine stateside) and the first Reverend and the Makers album at Rough Trade near Notting Hill. The band’s combination of poetic lyricism, alt-country folk rock instrumentation and some of the best melodies I’d ever placed my ears on made me an instant fan. Late last fall, they released their sophomore album, Beneath This Burning Shoreline. My expectations were unusually high–I was anxious yet scared to spin it, as I had such a love affair with Romance and didn’t want to be disappointed. But unlike Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull and the later Matrix movies, I was thrilled with what I was experiencing. Somehow, Aldred had delivered a record that expanded on their sound, quickly jumping to the top of my best-of list for the year (rivaled only by The National’s High Violet). I was initially drawn to the lovely single “Kissing Strangers,” which is not to be missed, but I thought I would stream the slow-burner that has ingrained itself into my head as of late—“Luddite” is a gorgeous, ambitious six minute journey that sounds just marvelous coming through my headphones. You may have to search a bit to locate the album (it’s not yet available on iTunes in the states, and may not be for a while), but trust me, you will not be disappointed. If you want to get a feel for the band, check out “People Help the People,” “Dead Man’s Suit,” and “False Alarm” on the first record, which is easier to track down. Oh, and Simon, if you’re somehow reading this–PLEASE COME PLAY LIVE STATESIDE!

CHERRY GHOST / LUDDITE

FOUND / Factorycraft

FOUND is an comprised of three art college buddies from Scotland (lead vocalist and guitarist Ziggy Campbell, synth and bassist Tommy Perman and electronics and drummer Kev Sim) with a really cool, unique hybrid sound—there’s some garage band rawk, some raw emotive vocals (love that Scottish brogue, reminiscent of Frightened Rabbit, The Twilight Sad and Arab Strap), multi-synth layering and an experimental songwriting approach. Their latest record, Factorycraft, shifts tone and technique from track to track, creating a really interesting and rewarding listening experience. They’ve recently signed with Domino, but have also released work on Fence records, helmed by one of my favorite artists, King Creosote. “Anti Climb Paint” is the album opener, and a good example of the energy running rampant on the album.

FOUND / Anti Climb Paint

YUCK (Self-Titled)

Yuck is the worst way to describe a band this tasty–think 90s guitar outfits like Dinosaur Jr. and Built to Spill, with a little Buffalo Tom thrown in as well. Hailing from New York, Hiroshima and London (rehearsals must be a bitch), the bands’ self-titled debut is an immersive treat. Daniel Blumberg and Max Bloom, both previously of the band Cajun Dance Party, both contribute stellar vocals and guitar work; Mariko Doi keeps channels the Pumpkins’ D’arcy on bass and Jonny Rogoff anchors the drums. “Get Away” kicks the record off with a nice bass groove and a wall of sweet sonic guitars.

Yuck / Get Away

Cole’s Indie Music Corner: Young Galaxy

Vanessa and I have pretty different music tastes, as do our podcast guests, so we don’t usually get to talk music as much as I’d like to. I worked as a manager at Second Spin for several years (until it got bought by a giant “music” conglomerate who is more interested in selling Twilight lip gloss than turning people onto great records), so it’s always been close to my heart. So I bring you “Cole’s Indie Music Corner,” where each week I’ll write up what I’m currently listening to and post a streamable track. We start with a band from Vancouver, B.C….

Young Galaxy just released their third LP, entitled “Shapeshifting.” It’s a marked departure for the band, turning in their guitars for a more electronic feel. Originally just a duo, the band has filled out to six members and created a hypnotic, layered sound. Melding their pop sensibilities with some seductive minor chords, they’ve created an album that’s both catchy and loungy (but not in the Vegas kind of way–the kind of music you can listen to late at night, with a glass of wine, or whatever your poison is). The vocals are split between co-founders Stephen Ramsay and Catherine McCandless, the latter’s soothing pipes particularly suited for the new direction the band has gone in. There’s a distinct Euro feel to the proceedings, recalling bands like The Knife, Bang Gang and Alpha. “We Have Everything” is a stand-out track, a mid-tempo burner that is indicative of the leisurely pace of the album—the opening lyrics some it up: Oh spare me today / I’ve had enough of the hurry hurry / Just let the day rise easy / And take over.

YOUNG GALAXY / “WE HAVE EVERYTHING”

Check out their website HERE