2011 November — Last Stop, Wonderland

[MP3] Chiddy Bang – “Ray Charles”

November 30, 2011 by Derek 2 Comments

I guess I was too quick to assume “Mind Your Manners” was the first single from Chiddy Bang’s forthcoming album, Breakfast. Earlier this month, the official first single, “Ray Charles,” appeared and spread like wildfire. But it’s not an ode to the legendary soul singer, as Chiddy explains:

“The song actually started out as a joke when my brother, Cheeseburger Don, got so high he fell asleep in the studio with his sunglasses on. I looked over and he reminded me of Ray Charles, probably because I was high, too. I started freestyling about him and we laid it down right there.”

Still no word on the release date of Breakfast, but the sooner the better. Listen to “Ray Charles” below.

Filed Under: Chiddy Bang, Hip Hop, MP3

[Video] The Wonder Years – “Came Out Swinging”

November 29, 2011 by Derek Leave a Comment

Watch the new video for The Wonder Years’ standout “Came Out Swinging” below. The band’s 2011 album, Suburbia: I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing, is one of the best pop-punk albums of the year: non-stop energy, introspective lyricism, and standout track after standout track.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiCit3G4YRU]

Filed Under: Pop-punk, The Wonder Years, Video

[Interview] Seahaven

November 28, 2011 by Derek Leave a Comment

Touche Amore’s fall tour, with Pianos Become The Teeth and Seahaven opening as support, stops in Boston this Wednesday for a show at the Middle East Upstairs. Michael Craver, guitarist of the band Seahaven, was kind enough to spare a few minutes before dinner to talk with me on the phone. We talked about their current tour, the band’s new album, Run For Cover, and more.

After the jump, read the full interview— the first of many here on LSW, I hope.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Interview, Seahaven

[MP3] Scout – “Please Excuse Me”

November 28, 2011 by Derek Leave a Comment

With the release of the Pi EP tomorrow, Scout celebrates their first release since 2003′s The Soft Life and prepares the world for the release of their third full-length, All Those Relays, in 2012. Our first listen from the album, “Please Excuse Me,” features driving drums and a relate-able, stuck-in-you-head chorus thanks to the powerful vocals and songwriting of Ashen Keilyn.

The songs on All Those Relays are being billed as some of Keilyn’s strongest of her career, and “Please Excuse Me” acts as a testament to that. There’s a masked vulnerability bubbling to the surface in each song, kept in check by an optimistic notion that everything will be alright in the coming days. There’s a war being waged on every track, and Keilyn’s fighting for both sides.

Pi is available for pre-order here via Invisible Brigades.

Scout – “Please Excuse Me”

Filed Under: Indie Rock, MP3, Scout

[Video] The Staves – “Mexico”

November 23, 2011 by Derek Leave a Comment

If it weren’t for Pigeons and Planes, I wouldn’t know about English sister-trio The Staves— or their forthcoming EP, Mexico, due on December 11— so first a warm thanks to them. Title-track and lead single “Mexico,” an inviting and tender folk song, recently received the video treatment. It’s simple, but the video’s wall projections and kaleidoscopic colors make for an easy viewing. Check it out below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYV0Wp0MdZ4]

Filed Under: Folk, The Staves, Video

[MP3] Monument Valley – “Round and Round”

November 22, 2011 by Derek Leave a Comment

Monument Valley, aka Ned Younger of London, is readying himself for the release of his debut EP, Tongues, on November 28 via Tritone/PIAS UK Records, and in preparation he released a stream of first single “Round and Round” earlier this month. The song itself is fantastic, but when great tracks are coupled with interesting concepts behind the music, well, all the better.

For each song on the album, Younger collected photographs of strangers at garage sales and markets, then wrote imaginative narratives of the people in those photos. A creative, introspective mash-up of the present and past— which shines through in the music as well, with decades-old rock/pop influences meshing with current indie-pop.

[soundcloud url="http://soundcloud.com/partisanpr/monument-valley-round-and"]

DIY premiered the video for “Round and Round” earlier this month, as well.

Filed Under: Indie Rock, Monument Valley, MP3

[MP3] Cloud Nothings – “No Future/No Past”

November 18, 2011 by Derek 1 Comment

The warm melodies and angsty-yet-hopeful lyrics of Cloud Nothings‘ 2010 self-titled debut are gone, replaced— at least in Attack on Memory‘s first single “No Future/No Past”— with brooding guitar and shouted chants. Reminiscent of early Sunny Day Real Estate material and other 90′s emo powerhouses, I can’t hide my eagerness to hear the rest of the album despite the lack of read-between-the-lines cheerfulness that made me fall in love with Cloud Nothings in the first place.

The Steve Albini-produced album, Attack on Memory, is slated for release on January 24 via Carpark.

Cloud Nothings – “No Future/No Past”

Filed Under: Carpark, Cloud Nothings, Indie Rock, MP3

[MP3] Seahaven – “It’s Over”

November 16, 2011 by Derek Leave a Comment

“It’s Over,” the first single and a standout track from Seahaven‘s recently released debut full-length Winter Forever, is a hard song to describe— instrumentally meshing together elements of pop-punk, post-punk and emo, and then combined with the introspective lyricism of Kyle Soto, it’s hard to pinpoint a singular style. So, I don’t feel bad skipping that arduous task, instead labeling the song simply as “good music”: anthemic, driving, and addicting.

The band is now on tour with Touche Amore and Pianos Become The Teeth, with a Boston show scheduled for November 30th at the Middle East Upstairs. Doors are at 6pm and $12 gets you a ticket.

[bandcamp track=1511552062 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]

Also, I’m proud to announce that the first LSW interview will be with Seahaven, taking place later this week. If you have any questions you would like answered, feel free to send them my way.

Filed Under: Indie Rock, MP3, Run For Cover, Seahaven

[MP3] Saskatchewan – “Skinny Dipping”

November 16, 2011 by Derek Leave a Comment

It’s been a few months since I last featured Saskatchewan here on LSW, and in those months, when I day-dreamed of writing this post, I secretly hoped it would contain news of a full-length debut by these Orlando dream-pop crafters. No such luck, but we are graced with two new tracks available on a pay-what-you-want basis over on Bandcamp.

The A-side, titled “Skinny Dipping,” is a glazed and shimmering track with spellbinding effects— it’s almost impossible to listen to this song just once. With resonating, layered vocal harmonies and ethereal synth, “Skinny Dipping” is perfect for your late night autumn adventures. Listen below, and make sure to grab the b-side over on Bandcamp.

<a href="http://saskatchewan.bandcamp.com/track/skinny-dipping-2" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://saskatchewan.bandcamp.com/track/skinny-dipping-2']);">Skinny Dipping by SASKATCHEWAN</a>
Saskatchewan – “Skinny Dipping”

Filed Under: Dream Pop, MP3, Saskatchewan

[Video] Summer Camp – “You Might Get Stuck On Me”

November 11, 2011 by Derek Leave a Comment

Summer Camp‘s wonderful LP Welcome To Condale came out this past Tuesday (stream it on Spotify), and on Wednesday the ambitious duo released a video for the new song “You Might Get Stuck On Me.” Written as part of 17 Cosmetic’s new promotion— where the company invited 17 artists to record songs for their new make up line— Summer Camp’s submission is over-saturated in pop and its corresponding video is smothered in pastels. Check it out below.