The Felice Brothers "Undress (Yep Roc)"
“It isn’t hard to find worthwhile things to write about these days, there are a lot of storms blooming on the horizon and a lot of chaos that permeates our lives. The hard part is finding simple and direct ways to address them.” So says Ian Felice of the new Felice Brothers record Undress (Yep Roc). Well, address them they did. This is the bands most direct, emotional release to date. Full of the heartland, indie-folk sounds we’ve come to love them for, but with a definite modern lyrical slant. They, like the rest of us, are obviously pretty tired of the current landscape and are working through it via song. Check out the title track “Undress.”
Guache "A People’s History of Gauche (Merge)"
D.C.’s Gauche is here with their latest, People’s History of Guache (Merge). What they’ve done is make your tattered copy of Howard Zinn’s book A People’s History Of The United States the second most exciting People’s History in your collection. Bouncy, angular, funky, spindly power post-punk pop excitement is the name of this game. The kind of rock music you could (and should) be dancing to. Are their themes weighty? You bet! Will you notice? Well, if you pay attention, sure you will silly. But also, these anxious tunes could just as easily wash over you if you let them. Check out the Joy Division meets B-52’s sounds of “Flash.”
Imperial Teen "Now We Are Timeless (Merge)"
As a people, we’ve been lucky enough to be listening to Imperial Teensongs for over 20 years now. I mean, you HAVE been listening to Imperial teen, right? After all, their confessional, frank, indie-leaning electro-pop tunes are the stuff late-nights are made of. Now We Are Timeless(Merge) is exactly what you want it to be (and that is a very good thing to be after all). Total songwriting magic–with an emphasis on the craft of pop songwriting that is (ahem) all too absent from a lot of music these days (damn kids and their Soundcloud…). In fact, we should make this album a masterclass in songwriting chops that should be mandatory for all bands 30 and under. Professors Roddy Bottum, Will Schwartz, Jone Stebbins, and Lynn Perko Truell will be handing out your syllabi soon! You like earworms? Who doesn’t (besides dogs), well don’t you dare walk away from “Walkaway”!
METZ "Automat (Sub Pop)"
Chances are you’re already a fan of the “delightfully noisy 3-piece punk band from Toronto” but even for the biggest fans of the band, the songs on Automat (Sub Pop) were hard to get ahold of. Well… hard to get along of no more these songs are (that was a surprisingly Yoda sentence of me). Non-album tracks, b-sides, rarities from over the last decade. It’s a veritable Odds & Sods! Check out the angular power of “Pure Auto.”