LISTEN: HAERTS - "Wings"

There's something inherently uplifting about '80s pop, especially the kind that isn't sugarcoated with charm to cover a lack of substance. It feels so effortless and yet so passionate -- which happens to make it all the more infectious. And with elements of dream pop and new wave, you can't help but get sucked in. If you're wondering what I'm even talking about -- sometimes I wonder myself -- go ahead and spin the stellar "Wings" by HAERTS below. It makes me think of something like Fleetwood Mac collaborating with The Cars.

LISTEN: The Shamefaced Sparrows - "Ride That Seastorm!"

The Shamefaced Sparrows - "Ride That Seastorm!"


When your father is Link Wray and your mother is a Frech Ye-Ye girl, you have a lot going for you. Imagine the melodic hypnotism of yé-yé thrown into a vat of scuzzy garage rock, and, after simmering for some time, you'll come up with something along the lines of The Shamefaced Sparrows. With hints of surf rock cool, their sound is filled with enough instrumental and lyrical melodicism to avoid drowning in a sea of fuzz. It plays out like a film noir, with mystery -- or better yet gloom -- hanging around like a dense fog as our main character tries to keep some semblance of himself. Everything that's good and safe seems worth risking for the temptation of what lies beyond that corrupt, ignominious decision. No one said the ride would be easy, but that's why it's worth it all.

The Shamefaced Sparrows are a duo out of London. More on SoundCloud.

LISTEN: Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra

Whether you're in a great mood or you're trying to pick yourself up off the floor of melancholy, you can't go wrong with the funk of afrobeat. There's something inexplicably uplifting about afrobeat's soul. I definitely recommend checking out Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra's 2010 self-titled album. The Leeds 9-piece start with a foundation of afrobeat and add in elements of jazz, funk, as well as hints of reggae.

LISTEN: The Hidden Revolution - "Failing"

The Hidden Revolution - "Failing"


With a sense of failure comes a sense of distance; everything that once seemed possible is now appearing to be rather impossible. The perceived sense of distance from what you want ties you down. "Failing" starts like a whisper in the dark, but it ends with a bang, right against your eardrums. It's a stern kick reminding you that nothing changes with complacency. It's a battle cry to stand up and move on. With hints of post-hardcore's frantic, intertwining percussion and guitars and the encouraging mood of anthemic rock 'n' roll, "Failing" never settles down and keeps the energy high throughout. Singer Chris Wise's Judah Nagler-meets-James Grundler soaring voice helps seal the deal, carrying this melodic rock music to a rather uplifting place.

I don't know where the band name came from, but I'd like to think it's a reference to the hidden revolution waiting to happen in your heart and mind.

LISTEN: Art Is Hard Records Releases Split 7" with New Years Evil & The Black Tambourines

I think the most exciting thing about running your own record label would have to be the joy in discovering bands before anyone else does -- that is, of course, in addition to having some power to help this music reach a wider audience. You can use your label as a treasure chest, mining all sorts of new bands out of relative or absolute obscurity; bands that the world is unaware of or, God forbid, bands that the world has overlooked altogether.

Art Is Hard Records, a small independent label run by two friends based in Plymouth and Portsmouth, is one of those personal labels built on creativity and true passion for music. Proof of this is best exhibited in the label's first release, a compilation entitled Brink of the Clouds. It featured the label's favorite alternative/indie/lo-fi bands from their area and was released via t-shirt (no really). Yes, a wearable comp! It was a limited run of 50 and came with a unique download code and a zine put together by the nine featured bands. Of the release, the label says,

We're trying to give people something they couldn't get just from downloading whilst also reflecting the fact people buy cassettes, cd's and vinyl without even listening to them so is there any real need to release music on a musical format?

The label just released a split 7" featuring New Years Evil and The Black Tambourines. Check it out after the hop.

LISTEN: Francois Peglau

Francois Peglau - "One minute to midnight dream (So sad)"


Time disappears with a quick snap of the fingers -- just like a magic trick. With your head in the clouds, you tend to miss a lot of what happens down in reality. You can't let yourself get carried away by what you think, neglecting that which you already know. The trouble often lies in looking for something rather than at something, failing to ever recognize that what you're looking for is right in front of you. While seconds are buried left and right, you become dependent on a hope for something that might not even exist. It's so sad to consider the possibility that what you're looking for has already passed by you. One day, you'll wake up and realize that securing your hope to a dream -- to a future unknown -- has left you with an empty feeling. Don't ignore the future, but don't let it become your obsession.

In the hands of Francois Peglau, sadness sounds rather upbeat. Peglau plays with a jangly '60s pop sound that crosses The Clientele and Belle & Sebastian. "One minute to midnight dream (So sad)" is a lo-fi garage rock/Group Sounds/twee pop song that's rather like a post-it note from the future reminding you to not let time, or any one person, make you out to be a fool.

"One minute to midnight dream (So sad)" is from Peglau's latest release which you can hear and download after the jump.

LISTEN: boyChild - "Salad Days"

By Kevin Cooley

boyChild - "Salad Days"


Inside the obvious, there is such amazing beauty. When we gaze at something, we tend to take it for what it is worth on the surface, never allowing ourselves a moment to examine that which lies deeper. Neglecting to look past the surface of things causes us to miss a great deal, some of which can change our lives and our perceptions of specific things we once held to be resolute or true. It's hard to not feel as though there is a void in ourselves when we realize that there is much more to life than we once believed there ever was. Here's a song that makes you turn inward, and take that moment to look more closely at things. With clicks and blips of electronic drums, chillingly beautiful piano lines, and violins that move as gracefully as wind over water, "Salad Days" is this journey of discovery and realization put to music.

boyChild Official Site
boyChild @ Facebook
boyChild @ SoundCloud

Singer/Model VV Brown Releasing Her Own Comic Book Series

Some may know VV Brown as a model. Some may know VV Brown as a singer. Some may even know VV Brown as both of these things. But how many people know that VV Brown also writes comic books?

The English songstress is a huge fan of graphic novels and comic books and recently collaborated with friend David Allain and illustrator Emma Price to create her own comic book series entitled "The City of Abacus". It's a mix between THX 1138 and 1984, following the lives of the brainwashed citizens of Abacus. Much like THX, people's lives are governed and controlled by a higher power. The mind-numbing MX-41 device keeps the citizens in a "complacent state of conformity" and allows evil Queen Virusos, the monarch of Abacus, to have absolute control over her people. No one rebels or contests her rule as everyone in the city loses any original thoughts to the weekly MX-41 brain scan. The Queen knows all because, much like 1984, the ruling body requires nothing be a secret, nothing be outside the view of the authorities.

Volume One of the series entitled "MX-41" was recently released and quickly introduces us to the complacent state of Abacus. We learn that one girl, a stubborn yet shy 19-year old orphan named Freeda is the only one who seems immune to the affects of the MX-41. After it is discovered that the technology has no effect on Freeda, authorities go to apprehend her for questioning, but before they reach her, a rebel named Juduso grabs Freeda and escapes with her, running away past the city walls. It is here that Freeda learns about how things used to be many years ago and discovers that her father was the one who built the MX-41. The volume gives just a few details and, appropriately, leaves you wondering what's next as Juduso and Freeda head back on the run, continuing deeper into the outskirts of the city as Abacus authorities pursue them.

"The City of Abacus" is sort of a dramatization of our own world, providing social commentary on how we have let technology, celebrity culture, and TV become such integral parts of our lives to the point that they are negatively impacting our world. The MX-41 represents this social decay.

Watch the video preview and interview with VV Brown after the jump to learn more as Brown discusses the story and the creation of the series.

LISTEN: The Band of the Eye - "Bye"

(Image by Andy Rementer)

The Band of the Eye - "Bye"


A bittersweet send-off that's more a painful goodbye than a show of hope for reconciliation and reunion. The chord progression aligns itself well with the lyrics, hitting a lower minor chord at just the right moment as if to punctuate the slip in mood. It winds up being a song that's empowering, lifting the spirit as it builds to its final kiss-off fueled by the added bite of distortion. Starting off a bit shy, it ends with confidence and a certain air of pride. With a hint of REM and the melancholic reflection of Built to Spill, it's a perfect song for that mixtape to carry you through anything.

The Band of the Eye is a band based out of Bristol/Gloucester, UK.

The Band of the Eye Official Site
The Band of the Eye @ MySpace

LISTEN: The Honest Sounds of Stuart Newman

Stuart Newman - "Oscar"


Stuart Newman - "Head Hurts" (Studio Demo)


There's a raw honesty in Stuart Newman's melancholic acoustic music that most people tend to hide deep inside themselves. We're all vulnerable in some way or another, but we usually try to mask our fears and weaknesses. Newman sings with a wounded tone -- at times nearly in a whisper -- that assumes a certain strength, exposing that which lies deep in his heart and mind. It's a sound that expresses the most sincere human emotions. He is humble but brave to share such vulnerable and honest music.

"Oscar" is from Newman's Single But Defective, available here.

"Head Hurts" is from a collection of studio demos for Newman's second album. More available here.

Stuart Newman @ Bandcamp
Stuart Newman @ Facebook
Stuart Newman @ MySpace
Stuart Newman @ Twitter