Matt Pond PA is undoubtably my favorite band to listen to in the Fall. There is something about their music that just goes perfect with every autumn day. The colors of the leaves, the chill in the air, the overcast sky…they go so well with the music. Pond has one of the greatest voices in indie rock. A little bit scruffy, a little bit smooth, a lot of brillance. For today’s Secondhand Sunday we share with you Matt Pond PA’s “Locate the Pieces.” Enjoy this lovely Fall afternoon!
Bryan Scary & the Shreding Tears are quickly becoming one of our favorite bands at Modern Mystery. Scary and Co. are set to release their new EP, Mad Valentines (Simian/Old Flame) on October 27th and eager fans are at the edge of their seat. The first single “Andromeda’s Eyes” is flawlessly with amazing harmonies, guitar riffs and a dab of psychadelica. The band seems like they could be the love child of early Of Montreal twee pop and indie Godfathers, Sloan. Both flattering comparisions. Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears are certainly a band to watch out for in the coming months.
Download Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears “Andromeda’s Eyes”
There has been a buzz about singer/songwriter Josh Ottum for quite a while now. Known for being a little wacky and also having a stockpile of his own songs. Finally it is time for him to share them all with the world. Ottum will release his highly anticipated debut record Like the Season (Cheap Lullaby) on October 21st. For his first record he’s already pulling out some big names. Appearing on the album is James McAlister (Sufjan Stevens) Casey Foubert (Pedro the Lion, Sufjan Stevens) and engineer Jon Ervie (Modest Mouse). The first single “It’s Alright” shows his influences new and old from Randy Newman and Stevie Wonder to Phoenix and Ben Folds. Check out the tune below!
Download Josh Ottum “It’s Alright”
Seattle has always been known for great music, and Ivan & Alyosha are no exception. The duo that formed in 1997 will be releasing their first EP on October 20th titled The Verse, The Chorus (Cheap Lullaby). The band made up of Tim Wilson and Ryan Carbary have been making quite name for themselves with their smooth 60’s sounding rock. The first single titled “Easy to Love” is a brilliant song with spacey harmonies. This is one of the catchiest songs we’ve heard all year. I guess Ivan & Alyosha really are easy to love.
Download Ivan & Alyosha “Easy to Love”
Going into the Sufjan Stevens show last night, I must admit I didn’t know what to expect. Having heard great things about his live set, the bar was set pretty high for him. This was his second date in New York as there are two sold out nights in Williamsburg to follow. The show opened with Asthmatic Kitty labelmates, Cryptacize who were a pleasant surprise. Singer Nedelle Torrisi has a soft angelic voice that’s not afraid to mix dark with poppy. The band seemed well recieved by the crowd.
Then, it was Sufjan time. No matter how big this guy gets, he still comes on stage to set up his own equipment. Fans in the front of the stage were sneaking pictures of him getting ready with smiles on their faces. With a band of over ten people it’s amazing how they even fit onto the Bowery stage.
Stevens greeted the crowd and launched into the set with banjo in hand. The setlist was mostly a cross between new songs and Come on Feel the Illinoise which made for a stellar lineup. Seeing Stevens play live is every bit as amazing as hearing his records. He sings with little effort because it comes so natural to him. The backup singers who included Nedelle from Cryptacize sounded heavenly behind the mixture of trumpets and assorted wind instruments that appeared throughout the night.
One thing I learned about Sufjan last night is that he is a bit of a joker. He said he is ‘”not very good talking onstage,” before he announced a string of songs, giggling “this one’s by Sufjan Stevens!” A lot of the new songs that he played last night strayed away from his orchestral sound that we’ve come to know and love. The new tracks with titles like “Impossible Soul” and “There is Too Much Love in Here,” are a bit electronic based but not in a cheesey way that feels forced. Somehow these songs still fit in with the likes of his banjo/acoustic songs like “Casimir Pulaski Day” which was one of the highlights of the night. Another surprise Sufjan had up his sleeves was the track “The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts,” which they hadn’t played it in so long that he admittedly had to write out the words to keep onstage. Stevens and the band played it flawlessly though, just like the other songs in the set. The show closed with a short encore: a low key version of “Chicago” and the earlier mentioned new tune “There is Too Much Love in Here,” as Sufjan stated that the encore had to end ‘just right and louder.’ It did just that.
Photos by Ivy Weir
Check out MORE Photos of Sufjan’s Show AFTER THE JUMP
As you and I both know, there is always a sound that depicts every moment of our lives. Much like a soundtrack, but more personal and passionate. Sounds know us more than we know each other. The sound that we hear keeps our minds creative. In all instances, in all happenings, there is a sound. Has there ever been a moment in your life that felt so still? Everything remained motionless, but your soul and mind wandered off to far places. Lights, bright lights, filled the air and the sky. It could almost be compared to how a rainbow would look if it were to explode in a million pieces.
In this big city of San Antonio (Texas), there reigns four talented individuals who know the sound of wandering silence. Budian gives the mind and the soul the chance to escape this dirty world and enter this field of stillness and beauty. Budian just released their newest record this September, The Beast. The Beastis a 10 track record full of nothing but beautiful harmonies and melodies. Budian consists of Janiene Bishop, Joshua D. Bishop, F. Sott Andreu, Stephen B. Andreu, and a special guest Ruben Benavidez for the ‘Get Up’ track. The very first song, ‘Please To Meet You, ‘is the perfect introduction to a beautiful work. Purely instrumental on this first track, hearing the violin autmatically brings this comfort to the mind. It’s very mesmerizing as it leads to the next track, ‘Dreams.’ ‘Dreams’ has to be one of the most beautiful, soothing tracks I have ever listened to. As I first heard this song, I felt powered to close my eyes. This is where the imagination takes the lead. A dream is, indeed, what Budian is all about. They are the dream of calmness and creativity. They give the listener the chance to just sway back and forth and loose themselves within the sound. The vocals in The Beast may very well be the key ingredient to this beautiful, calming product. Janiene Bishop has the voice of an angel and knows exactly how to project it in each track. However, each individual in this band brings forth the perfect amount of talent and passion to make their sound so unbelievably beautiful. I can ramble on and on about each track on this record, but you, the listener, will have to experience the beauty of all this on your own. It is a record worth listening to and buying. Give your mind the chance to explore on a level it has never explored before. Let Budian become the soundtrack to your precious life.
–Krista De La Rosa
Check out Budian on MYSPACE
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