LISTEN: Cemeteries - "The Wilderness"

MP3: Cemeteries - "The Wilderness"

The illusory things once seemed so harmless, and yet now, at times, they feel more real and discomforting than the reality you're trying to escape. Instead of an oasis, your safe haven is nothing more than a rickety treehouse caught in between the shades of gray that decorate the ominous sky. But you remind yourself that "real" is nothing but an adjective, not an absolute. You begin to realize that fear is not an obstacle but rather a compass for how things will shape up and come to pass.

LISTEN: The Morning Clouds - "The Wrong Things"

MP3: The Morning Clouds - "The Wrong Things"

True to their name (or rather his name), The Morning Clouds' "The Wrong Things" begins like the sun rising from behind a wall of clouds. With its shimmering, shoegazey guitars and '50s pop heart, it's bright and blissful. And while it might be a dreary wet -- and somewhat cold -- mess outside here in Maryland, this song is warm with memories and feels like floating around in the pool, sunlight warming your body. This is the type of song that makes rain seem like the most pleasant thing in the world.

"The Wrong Things" is from The Morning Clouds forthcoming EP, Wasted Youth Blues, out October 11 via Lefse Records (cassette/CD/vinyl). The Morning Clouds is the brainchild of Josh Wambeke.

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LISTEN: Ganglians - "Jungle"

Still Living

Sacramento's Ganglians will release their new album, Still Living, August 23rd through Lefse Records (North America) and August 29th through Souterrain Transmissions (Europe). The 12-track effort was produced by producer Robby Moncrieff (same man behind the Dirty Projectors Bitte Orca). Check out the first single from the album below.

MP3: Ganglians - "Jungle"

Ganglians are known for their psychedelic roots, which are still clearly intact here. But even amidst the lo-fi aesthetic and loose feel, the band manages to mix in a fair amount of pop. Guitars soaking wet with reverb provide "Jungle" with a lot of space, amping up the sound past its garage rock baseline.

Pre-order Still Living here.

LISTEN: Bikini - "American Mourning"

By Geir Halvorsen

MP3: Bikini - "American Mourning"

A panacea -- that's what this is. When you've been gutted and feel like the ground is at a higher level than you are, a song like this picks you up and eradicates any trace of sorrow. With an elastic beat and a synthesized noise that sounds like a manipulated sonar ping, "American Mourning" is fun and carefree, filled with mostly unintelligible lyrics. In fact, the vocals sound as if they are being transmitted from underwater. It's this lack of lyrical description, and coherency, that allows the song to free itself from emotional and thematic classification -- and why it fits nearly any mood imaginable. A listen through this underwater adventure is, in an inadvertent way, rather rejuvenating. Take a dive.



BUY: "American Mourning" is from Bikini's new 6-song EP entitled RIPJDS. Pick it up on Amazon MP3, iTunes, or directly from Lefse Records here.

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