Category Archives: New Releases

11.19.10
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The Cordelier Club Reveals Debut Song on December 6th

The Cordelier Club’s December slated single, “Don’t Let It Go By” from the London based ensemble is fused with bouncy guitar, dance-synth keyboards and percussion that you can clap your hands to. The music has a similar effect as many of their contemporaries today but with a style almost evoking disco and vocals influenced by 70’s rock singers, merging that current sound with an older generation’s. The Cordelier Club has created a refreshing new take on what’s popular right now.

The brother-sister vocal effort from the core of the band – Richard and Alice Smith – comes through with charming harmonies and an echo throughout the chorus from Richard after Alice implores “is any body out tonight?” Alice’s vocals are more prominent and powerful and are the melody to Richard’s cool rhythm.

It’s a great dance song and a perfect debut for a band on the verge of breaking out. If they don’t manage to blow up the scene, well then it’s one perfectly pleasant song to be proud of. The latter seems to be less likely especially with the help of the likes of Mike McCarthy, the man responsible for the production of Spoon and …Trail of Dead.

Look for “Don’t Let It Go By” on December 6th.

11.18.10
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Acrylics Release First Single off “Lives and Treasure”

Acrylics can’t possibly be making any kind of statement with “Nightwatch,” the first single off their upcoming debut LP, Lives and Treasure.  But with the multitudes of flash-in-the-pan indie that has come out the past few years, making a significant splash isn’t about being bold or innovative, you just need to write a good track. 

“Nightwatch” is a good track.  It’s easy to imagine this as a Fleetwood Mac tune given that singer, Molly Shea, is a female and the track screams 70’s soft rock; however, the similarities end there.  Unfortunately, female singers have always been limited to ill-conceived and ambiguous comparisons due to a smaller influential pool to draw from.  Not every female folk singer sounds like Janis Joplin, just like not every male indie rocker sounds like Lou Reed — even if they try to.

Regardless, “Nightwatch” is a late-night drive, a haunting slow jam that never picks up because it never has to.  The line, “I believe in infinity” falls as flat as the chorus it makes up, but the rest of the song coasts along toward its shimmering fade out.

11.18.10
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The Future Islands And Lonnie Walker Release Split 7 Inch

The Future Islands and Lonnie Walker team up to release a split seven inch from Baltimore’s Friends Records. The single features a new track from both artists and is now available on limited addition peach colored vinyl. Only 1000 copies were made so you better act fast!

Making sense of why these two very different bands have teamed up at first is a little tricky, but the two artists actually have a long history together. In fact they have known each other for most of their lives. Both from coastal North Carolina they at one point played in a band together in college.

The two will also be  playing shows together this week.

November 18 Charlotte, NC – The Milestone
November 19 Raleigh, NC – Kings
November 20 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar

11.17.10
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New York’s Acrylics Set To Start New Year With New Album

 

Putting all of their heart and life into their first full-length album, New York duo Acrylics will be releasing Lives and Treasure on January 25, 2011 on Hot Sands Records. 

Joining forces in 2008, Acrylic’s Molly Shea and Jason Klauber first met at Oberlin College where the two quickly started creating their dreamy sound.  They released an EP entitled All of the Fire on Terrible Records giving Shea and Klauber the opportunity to work with producers like Patrick Wimberly of Chairlift, Matt Boynton of Gang Gang Dance and MGMT, and Britt Myers of Yeasayer and Charlift.  The EP quickly garnered a lot of buzz among listeners and critics alike. 

After the release of All of the Fire and sharing the stage with bands like Das Racist, Class Actress and Girls, the two were ready to head back to their Bushwick apartment and finish up their first full length album.  Lives and Treasure is full of tracks rich with layers of meaningful lyrics backed with flowing harmonies and melodic beats.  For Shea and Klauber, the album comes straight from the heart.   

Check out Acrylics on their MySpace page and hear tracks from their previously released EP All of the Fire.

11.17.10
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Chris Garneau Fends Off a “Dirty Night Clown”

With “Dirty Night Clown,” Chris Garneau crafted a vivid and textured song. Director Ryan Gibeau took note of this. And, when he agreed to lens a video for the track, it was with some specific ideas in mind.

“The music created such vivid visuals and Chris was very open to hearing my interpretation for the video. I wanted Chris in the video, but rather than in person, I wanted a puppet representation of him instead. He agreed and we were able to create a compelling, all puppet, story.” said Gibeau.

The entire process of finding the right puppeteer and then filming the video took upwards of two months. But, the final product is quite wonderful.