Mike Krol "Power Chords (Merge)"
Mike Krol is here to save rock and roll. Power Chords (Merge) sounds just like an album called power chords should. A little bit punk, a little bit ‘90s alternative, it’s a guitar-driven collection of the best influences. Ramones. Early Weezer. The Strokes. It is not a surprise that the thing all those bands have in common is a certain cheekiness. It’s not that Mike isn’t displaying real emotions via his songs here. There’s hearts both aching and breaking to be found, but the candy-coated melodies belie the seriousness of the message in only the way that the best rock and roll can. Check out the clap-a-long-able bounce of “I Wonder.”
Bruno Bavota "Re_Cordis (Temporary Residence)"
As the line between modern classical composers and electronic musicians blurs more and more with every passing year, in steps Italian composer Bruno Bavota. Bruno is known for, essentially, remixing his compositions live as he performs them. Sitting at a piano with a series of effect pedals, playing his pieces live as he then also manipulates those pieces live. If someone were animating this process, surely Bruno would be an octopus, tentacles everywhere (maybe an amazingly delicious sandwich next to him. After all, cartoon food ALWAYS looks amazing, right?) On Re_Cordis (Temporary Residence), Bruno oscillates between beautiful, calming, solo piano pieces that have very little in the way of manipulation–and haunting, tension-filled combinations of deliberate melody and frayed effects. Here he is revisiting older compositions to show how they have evolved since he originally wrote them. It’s like the dawning of a new kind of new-age music, and I for one am ready for it! You will be too! Check out simply lovely “The light of.”
Juliana Hatfield "Weird (American Laundromat)"
Few things are as enticing as a new collection of songs from power-pop master Juliana Hatfield. Weird (American Laundromat), her latest, is a jangly, catchy, wryly funny reminder of why you love rock music so much. Hints of everything good about rock music here, from the Crazy Horse noodling that ends “Staying In” to the new wave synth hits of “Sugar” to the chunky Cheap Trick chords of “Paid To Lie.” There is very little to say about the many talents of Juliana that hasn’t already been said far more eloquently than I’m capable–so I’m gonna cheat and let her music do the talking. Check out the video for ”Lost Ship.”
Lost Under Heaven "Love Hates What You Become (Mute)"
Few bands are as instantly recognizable as Lost Under Heaven. If you’ve heard them even for a passing moment, you will instantly recognize them as soon as you hear them from that moment on. This has a lot to do with Ellery James Roberts’ distinctive vocal stylings, but also the duo’s mix of goth rock and modern electronic music makes them as future-leaning as anything you’ll ever hear. Describing their sound is like trying to describe the feeling of riding a roller coaster to someone that has never even seen one. On Love Hates What You Become (Mute), besides Ellery’s screaming whisper, they’ve also added more vocals from Ebony Hoorn, the other half of the band. It is always a very welcome addition to the sound, as is evidenced by the Hole meets NIN meets LUH sounds of “Bunny’s Blues.”