Tag Archives: Indie Rock

09.04.14
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QVALIA Releases “This Is The Color Of My Dreams”

QVALIA

Immediately drawn in by the name, meet QVALIA. Newcomers to the New York scene, the group formed in 2014, and have just released their debut album, This Is The Color Of My Dreams, earlier this week. My ears were certainly pleased, that’s for sure. 7-tracks fill the record, and my only regret is that there aren’t more songs…just yet at least.

Invoking a bit of CHVRCHES flare, QVALIA sure does deliver. The catchy and brilliant piece “Sound the Alarm,” kick off the record with a powerful force of synths, pianos, and ASTONISHING vocal work from singer Michael Hazani. Tracks such as  “Breach,” offer a new twist on a nostalgic 80s sound. The musicianship seems extremely smooth and appears to come naturally to the band.

“Stardust,” takes the record down with darker undertones which are wrapped in the arms of sugary harmonies and heart-wrenching vocals. “I Won’t Let Go,” brings the dance party back into full force, which is a track I have been blaring endlessly from my stereo speakers. The instrumentation is stunning on every level and it is almost hard to believe the band have only just begun.  This is the work of seasoned musicians. “The Feel of Not to Feel It,” and “White Bones” evoke the sounds of the 80s without hesitation as it recalls powerhouse synths that are prominent and unforgettable. Closing out the record is “150,” a slow and heartfelt way to end the collection of songs. Check out QVALIA’s This Is The Color Of My Dreams, as it will not disappoint.

 

Grab the album on Bandcamp HERE

Watch the album trailer HERE.

11.15.10
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BRAIDS Make Lemonade

It takes a lot for four best friends from Alberta, Canada to convince each other to skip college and move across the country to Montreal. At only eighteen, the music geniuses BRAIDS  released a  self recorded/self produced album known as Native Speaker.

With its single “Lemonade” now debuted on Stereogum, new fans can’t wait for the LP’s release on January 18th. The critics can’t wait either, as Filter magazine described the album as “an amalgam of feminine assertion and unabashed lust.”

Illustrated as brilliant in detail and  luminous structure, none of the songs on Native Speaker ever come in under four minutes and most average about six. Such pattern has not bored listeners, but only seemed to sugarcoat the already radiant sound. Leading up to the release, the band will be playing the following shows. Catch them in your city!

***Tour Dates***

11/17 – M For Montreal  With We Are Wolves  Montreal, QC
11/18 – Cabaret Du Mile End WIth Land Of Talk   Montreal, QC
11/30 – Knitting Factory With The Radio Dept.  Brooklyn, NY
12/1 – Bowery Ballroom With The Radio Dept. New York, NY

11.15.10
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Les Savy Fav Release New Album and Video

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It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Les Savy Fav: their 2007 release, Let’s Stay Friends, earned them critical buzz and highly coveted spots on many year-end lists. The Brooklyn band has picked up where they left off with critics, receiving rave reviews for their latest LP, Root For Ruin, released in September on Frenchkiss Records. Unlike the roster of guest stars included on Let’s Stay Friends, Root For Ruin finds the band working as a quintet once again. Guitarist Seth Jabour described their latest recording as revelatory, explaining that “it turns out we enjoy making love to one another more than with a group of strangers.” The raw energy and jangled guitars that Les Savy Fav are known for are still there, and on Root For Ruin you can actually hear the guys getting comfortable with their own legacy as indie rock veterans.

The lead single from Root For Ruin, “Let’s Get Out Of Here” now has an amazing video to accompany the track. Check it out below, along with a handful of tour dates to close out the year:

2010 Tour Dates
November 15 – Komedia – Brighton, UK
November 17 – Gebäude 9 – Cologne, DE
November 18 – Festsaal Kreuzberg – Berlin, DE
November 19 – Trouw – Amsterdam, NL
November 20 – Nouveau – Paris, FR
November 21 – Trix – Antwerp, BE
November 22 – Electric Ballroom – London, UK
December 4 – Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR
December 5 – Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
10.22.10
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Bad Books Rocked Out and Sold Out at the Bowery Ballroom -CMJ

Doesn’t matter if you enjoy reading or not, Bad Books carved themselves open at the CMJ this year. We’re talking about a music side collective consisting of New York local artist  Kevin Devine and Andy Hull, the frontman of an Atlanta-based indie-rock group Manchester Orchestra.The band’s material is founded upon the close friendship between Hull and Devine. The two produce a contrast of buoyant folk-rock  while  interweaving threads of swelling alternative rock. With lyrics that are histrionically driven and dizzying spontaneity, the Bad Books won themselves a sold out show on Wednesday night at the Bowery Ballroom.

Bad Books released their self-titled album You Wouldn’t Have To Ask, on Tuesday, October 19 just a day before their New York show and will continue on touring across the nation through the month of December.

***Tour Dates***

Bad Books at  North Star Bar w/ Right Away, Great Captain!, Gobotron & Hardello, Philadelphia, PA

Sat, October 23 @ 6:00 PM

Bad Books at  Ottobar w/ Right Away, Great Captain!, Gobotron & Hardello, Baltimore, MD

Sun, October 24 @ 6:00 PM

Bad Books at  FG Present: “The Stuffing” @ The Center Stage Atlanta Music Complex, Atlanta, GA

Wed, November 24 @ 5:00 PM

Bad Books at  Andy & Kevin Devine @ Cats Cradle, Carrboro, NC

Wed, December 01 @ 8:30 PM

Bad Books at  Andy & Kevin Devine @ New Brookland Tavern, West Columbia, SC

Thu, December 02 @ 7:30 PM

Bad Books at  Andy & Kevin Devine @ The 567, Macon, GA

Fri, December 03 @ 8:30 PM

Bad Books at  Andy & Kevin Devine @ The Social, Orlando, FL

Sat, December 04 @ 8:30 PM

Bad Books at  Andy & Kevin Devine @ The Orpheum, Tampa, FL

Sun, December 05 @ 7:30 PM

-Viktorsha Uliyanova

 

 

 

05.31.10
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“Memorial Day” by Drew Danburry


The saddest news in indie rock came this year when Drew Danburry said that he was retiring from music. While we all hope he’ll one day come back, we only wish him the best. He released his last record, Goodnight Dannii, earlier in the year to critical acclaim.

Whenever Memorial Day comes around, it makes me think of Danburry’s song by the same name. As far as I know, the only indie song about the holiday. The song is from his record This Could Mean Trouble, You Don’t Speak for the Club and quite frankily, just one listen will have you hooked for life. He’s even toured with the likes of Modern Mystery fav’s Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. It’s a must hear for any fan of good music, that’s for sure.

Here it is in all of it’s glory. “Memorial Day” by Drew Danburry.
Drew Danburry – “Memorial Day” by modernmysteryblog

11.10.09
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Portugal. The Man @ CMJ, Apple Soho, October 23, 2009

Portugal. The Man live... by Christoph!.

Roughly 200 fans cramped into the Apple Soho store on Friday, October 23rd to get a glimpse of the prolific, Portland-via-Alaska group, Portugal. The Man, as they skimmed the surface of their catalogue for pre-CMJers.

The band kept the mood mellow, employing strings that coupled nicely with John Gourley’s flailing voice, trembling during high notes, hissing like a crooner during low ones.

The set opened with “AKA M80 The Wolf” off of Waiter: “You Vultures!” The audience, which ranged in age, chanted along Gourley, “I am but a man / but a proud, proud man.” And everyone did their best clap during “The Sun”—a tune from the band’s 2009 LP The Satanic Satanist—while Gourley’s lyrics took flesh (“Fixing up to wallow my soul / Because we are all, we are all just lovers”).

But of course, being as prolific as they are, they can’t just have one full-length album a year. The band has already completed another studio recording, American Ghetto (release date TBA), and is currently on a two-month trek around Europe.
–Paola Capo-Garcia