LISTEN: Wampire - "The Hearse"

The first time I heard the name "Wampire" a few weeks back, I wondered what this band could possibly sound like. I assumed they were somewhat humorous and played more to a lighthearted tone, but outside of the artwork, Portland duo Wampire seem rather wrapped up in the haze and chill of '80s new wave and post-punk. Under the cover of grand, almost spooky, synth organs, "The Hearse" seems like something that would be just perfect to complement "The Lost Boys." They're fun, kind of wild, but not without intent.

REVIEW: Japandroids - Celebration Rock

Japandroids - Celebration Rock

In 2009, Vancouver duo Japandroids (guitarist/singer Brian King and drummer/singer David Prowse) released their debut album, Post-Nothing, a unique blend of fuzzed out, distortion-heavy guitar muscle and air drum-worthy percussive weight that matched ‘90s rock ‘n’ roll volume and tone with garage rock’s blistering, energetic edge. It was one of the most critically acclaimed releases of that year, which inevitably lead to questions as to what would come next. It’s a rare occurrence when a band riding a wave of buzz is able to follow up their buzzworthy debut with an album that’s even better, but Japandroids have done just that with their sophomore outing Celebration Rock.

LISTEN: Japandroids Share "The House That Heaven Built" from New Album

As previously reported around the web, Vancouver rock 'n' roll duo (some may say "garage rock" or "noise pop" duo) Japandroids are set to release their third album, Celebration Rock, on June 5th via Polyvinyl. Today, the guys unleashed a fierce new track, "The House That Heaven Built," from their highly anticipated follow-up to 2009's critically-acclaimed Post-Nothing. Take it for a spin. High volume is recommended.

REVIEW: Owen - Ghost Town

Owen - Ghost Town
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From his work with Cap’n Jazz to American Football, Mike Kinsella has always displayed a knack for being able to translate emotional weight through dizzying guitar riffs just as well as any singer ever could. As Owen, Kinsella has proven to be a master at arranging and layering, creating something soothing and accessible that still manages to be relatively complex and deep without losing a sense of purpose. Owen’s sixth full-length album, Ghost Town, is no different.

REVIEW: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Tape Club

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Tape Club
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Creative works are perceived and judged by a version that has been toiled over, constructed and deconstructed multiple times; final drafts of creative works only expose one side of the original idea. The mark of a great artist is the progress the person, or persons, made in reaching the final product, for the true testament to skill is not just what a person produced in the end but how the person made it there. Recognizing, considering, the genesis of a creative work is not only a greater determinant, it also reveals more detail about the work. Tape Club is a magnifying glass on Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin’s diligent songwriting process, exposing the steps they’ve taken to be the band we know today.

BRAID WEEK: An Interview with Bob Nanna

All week long, we've been celebrating the release of Braid's new EP, Closer to Closed, the band's first release in over a decade. To conclude "Braid Week" here on Mixtape Muse, we have an interview with Braid vocalist/guitarist Bob Nanna. Bob was nice enough to take some time and answer some questions, talking everything from the tag "emo" to growing as a songwriter to the future of Braid.

Interview by Quinn S.

Hear Clips From Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin's New Album

A little over a week ago, we shared the news that Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin are releasing a new album this October. Details were slim last week, but today there's more to share. The 26-track album is entitled Tape Club and will be out on Polyvinyl October 15th. Oh, and you can hear some of the album's tracks right now thanks to this cool, little teaser video!

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
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Polyvinyl Records

BRAID WEEK: Hear Some of Braid's Favorite Songs

Bob Nanna and Chris Broach of Braid recently sat down with Rdio for a quick interview and shared a playlist of some of their favorite songs. Hear the mix below (via Rdio).

BRAID WEEK: Download "Universe or Worse" from Braid's New EP

Braid's brand new, MM-approved EP, Closer to Closed, came out yesterday -- just in case you didn't know. We've already shared the opener "The Right Time," and now thanks to the kind folks at RCRD LBL we can share the EP's closing track, "Universe or Worse." It begins in a casual yet pensive manner and increases in scope just before the midpoint of the song, with guitars ringing out notes and drums sounding bigger and bigger. Eventually, it swallows you whole, pulling you into a canyon of percussion with an undertow of reflective tones.



Braid
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REVIEW: Braid - Closer to Closed

Braid - Closer to Closed
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It’s been over a decade since seminal ‘90s emo/post-hardcore quartet Braid released Frame and Canvas, their last studio album of all new material. Not only has a great deal of time passed, but a great deal has changed in the musical landscape that they were once a part of and helped define, as well. Many bands of the emo/post-hardcore classification have risen and faded in this time, bands that have cited Braid as an influence. Outside of a short reunion in 2004, the Champaign, IL band has remained inactive, but they certainly have not been forgotten.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Releasing New Album

The band with the most charming name around, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, announced today the release of a brand new album. About an hour ago, the band shared the news on Facebook posting the image shown above. This new album will be released this October, which makes the news a bit surprising as the Springfield, Missouri quartet released their most recent album, the excellent, MM-approved Let It Sway, in August 2010. I guess that stockpile of ideas and riffs came in handy. Stay tuned for more info.

Casiokids Releasing New LP, Download Album Track "Det haster!"

Norwegian synthpop masters Casiokids are set to release their new album, Aabenbaringen over aaskammen, on October 11th through Polyvinyl (September 30th in Norway via Universal Norway, January 2012 in the rest of the world via Moshi Moshi). Aabenbaringen over aaskammen (meaning "The Revelation over the mountain") is the band's follow-up to last year's Topp Stemning På Lokal Bar ("Great vibe at local bar"). Download "Det haster!" from the new album below.

DOWNLOAD: Casiokids - "Det haster!"

So much synth, so much fun. There's one particular synth riff appearing on and off throughout the song that almost sounds as if it's tripping over itself, just casually keeping in line with the beat. It lends a sort of loose feel to a song that's built on nothing but synthesizers. "Det haster!" sounds dreamy, but also a tad mysterious. Then again, that's probably because I have no idea what they're singing.

Braid Releasing New EP, Download New Song "The Right Time" Now

In high school, I discovered this thing called "indie rock," and then went on to discover all of its multiple subgenres. One of the first band names tied to this special genre that I happened to read or hear was Braid. To this day, I know about as much about Braid as I do about my high school emotions -- which is to say, enough to get by. Semi-abstract, failed attempts at humor aside, Braid was a band that held, and continues to hold, special significance in the world of indie rock -- this I know. While they were active from 1993-1999, their output was primarily deemed "post-hardcore" and also labeled with the often unfavored tag of "emo." All I can tell you -- and all you probably need to know about that period of their existence -- was that it was raw, hard, and beautifully emotive.

LIVE REVIEW: Joan of Arc @ Golden West Café, 1/22/11

I am not familiar with Joan of Arc’s back catalog. Is that sacrilege in the indie music community? I don’t know, but it’s the truth. Coming to a JOA show with no real preconceived ideas of what to expect certainly leaves one with a certain sense of excitement, especially when one is only familiar with a few older songs and the band’s 2009 LP, Flowers. I went in understanding that Joan of Arc is known for being rather adventurous in terms of themes, lyrics, and music, intentionally misleading and confusing listeners.

The set on Saturday night’s sold out show at Baltimore’s Golden West Café – a restaurant by day, a concert venue by night – was primarily filled with new songs. And while such a move might be off-putting for some, Joan of Arc’s set was rather entertaining. It was easy to move to the rhythms, which seemed to constantly shift, but it was also stimulating as I found myself focusing deeply on the interplay between all four musicians (guitarist/vocalist Tim Kinsella, guitarist Victor Villareal, bassist Bobby Burg, and drummer Theo Katsaounis). Both Kinsella and Villareal tended to play contrasting riffs that, although different in style and emotion, converged together in an effective cacophonous force. It was a rambunctious performance that had its harmonious moments. There was a jazz-like freedom to each song, with shifting rhythms, syncopation, and furious fretboard action. Looking around the room, even devoted fans seemed to be nodding along in approval to the newer material – though, of course, older material drew the biggest reactions.

REVIEW: Shugo Tokumaru - Port Entropy

Shugo Tokumaru - Port Entropy
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Shugo Tokumaru is a Japanese multi-instrumentalist, but more than that, he’s an introspective conductor. On his fourth full-length, Port Entropy, this is made abundantly clear. His playful, animated arrangements provide a window into a mind that is brimming with a hive of musical notes just waiting to be formulated and expressed through the adept hands of Tokumaru. On this latest album, he once again assumes total control of every instrument to craft something that is both personal and universal in its accessibility.

With standouts like “Tracking Elevator" and “Straw,” Tokumaru easily impresses with his technical prowess. More than that, even with an obvious knack for playing multiple instruments with great skill, he is able to write songs that have distinct melody and significant depth. Without being overly sentimental or dramatic, Tokumaru uses an undertow of nostalgia – the real hook here. Whether or not you speak Japanese is irrelevant for how strongly Port Entropy gently alludes to the past. It’s an album that instills a sense of excited fascination, a return to a time where your world outlook was filled with an immortal optimism for what was possible – when you were infinitely youthful.

LISTEN: STRFKR (Starfucker) - "Bury Us Alive"

Way back when, I told you about STRFKR (known better as Starfucker) signing with Polyvinyl. Well, the band is now set to release their second album, and debut on Polyvinyl, on March 8th. The album is entitled Reptilians and features 12 tracks of smart, addictive electropop. Crafted almost entirely by principal songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Hodges, the album tackles subjects of death and the end of the world, two important topics at the forefront Hodges' mind following the passing of his grandmother. But instead of dwelling in the dark, STRFKR, with help from Keil Corcoran (whom Hodges describes as a human drum machine) and producer Jacob Portrait (The Dandy Warhols, Mint Chicks), takes a positive outlook by enlisting the words of British philosopher Alan Watts (his lectures are excerpted at various parts throughout). Watts proposed that death is essential as it lends meaning to life. Check out some of magic below.

STRFKR - "Bury Us Alive"


Check out Reptilians' tracklisting as well as another song from the album after the jump.

INTERVIEW: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin recently released one of the finest albums of this year with their third LP, Let It Sway. The MM-approved record was produced by Chris Walla and Beau Sorenson and features some of the finest cuts of indie pop you're bound to hear all year, including the excellent "Sink/Let It Sway." Not only does the band make great music, they're also down-to-earth, humble dudes who have been working hard for a decade.

I had a chance to sit down with the band's vocalist/guitarist/bassist/Ben's Chili Bowl enthusiast John Robert Cardwell before the band performed at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C. this past Friday. We chatted about everything from songwriting to touring to The Cribs.

Interview by Quinn S.

LISTEN: Japandroids - "Heavenward Grand Prix"

MP3: Japandroids - "Heavenward Grand Prix"

When a band is lifted up to the forefront of people's attention by a tidal wave of buzz and critical acclaim it's always interesting to see in which direction they head next. Too often is the case that the band's follow-up material doesn't live up to their debut, killing their trajectory. What's nice then about the story of Japandroids is that they continue to put out great music. "Heavenward Grand Prix" proves that the band is capable of evolving past what made them catch that initial wave of buzz.

In a fury of fuzzed-out electric guitar, a march of kick drum, and a shower of crisp hi-hatt, "Heavenward Grand Prix" hits hard, once again proving that it only takes two dudes to create something massive and magical. Massive and magical -- that's just what this song is. It's not complex by any means, relying instead on the encompassing power found in the sea of guitar fuzz and well-panned drum fills. It's nice to hear that Japandroids haven't lost any of the genuineness and honesty that made their music so endearing in the first place. It's a beautiful storm of emotion.

BUY: Preorder the "Heavenward Grand Prix" 7" here (Limited edition run of 2,000). The b-side features a cover of PJ Harvey's "Shame." It's available November 16th and will also be released digitally.

Tour dates after the hop.

Starfucker Signs to Polyvinyl, Hear New Single

Portland's subtly-named Starfucker have signed with Polyvinyl and are scheduled to hit the road next month with Austin-based band The Octopus Project. The band will also release an alternate single version of their track "Julius" b/w the B-side "Helium Muffin." The 7" is out October 12th and the first 500 will be limited edition blue vinyl. It will be out digitally on September 14th. Right now though, you can check out "Julius" below.

MP3: Starfucker - "Julius"

Here's one blissed-out synth pop jam. It's a lush array of synthesizers, held up by active drums. The vocals are washed out in reverb, dragging you deeper and deeper into the song. The synths dance and hook you, so just make sure you don't lose yourself in the mix. It's like swimming underwater and staring up at the surface to see the sunlight shining, dancing and bouncing through the water.

REVIEW: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Let It Sway

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Let It Sway
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Back in May, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin released the first single from their new album, Let It Sway, entitled "Sink/Let It Sway". It turns out that song was rather indicative of the new album's tone and direction. Let It Sway proves that there are still bands around making strong indie pop records. But you know, it's not just that; it's an album that sees a band at the top of its game. What sets Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin apart from their contemporaries is their ability to seamlessly fuse multiple riffs and passages together into one cohesive body of music. Whether it's the '50s surf sounds and pedal steel twang that drive "Made to Last" or the power chord kick and playful tone of "All Hail Dracula!," SSLYBY demonstrate a knack for fusing genres together, all the while making some damn catchy tunes along the way. By tackling multiple styles, the band really does take us on one hell of an audible venture. What characterizes these songs is their cohesive power; it's an album of subtle eclecticism that sounds as though it's the product of one band rather than several -- and if that's not commendable, I don't know what it is.

Nothing ever feels forced as it all sounds so in the pocket, whether through the sharp drums or the rich interplay between the guitar tones and riffs. Even in the face of the album's studio polish, it still manages to sound rather organic and loose, illustrated in the band's jump into the ramshackle jangle guitar attack of songs such as "Sink/Let It Sway" and "My Terrible Personality". Let It Sway then is not simply the album's title, but the album's motto, as well. The songs feel free, unconstrained, and, in a way, carefree -- what eventually equates to a record that you can always turn to for a quick pick-me-up. At their core, what's interesting about this batch of songs is not so much their clear conviction or obvious place in today's music landscape as much as it is the fact that these songs have a sort of timelessness that few albums hold down in the independent music community. If anything, Let It Sway is a sort of time capsule that saves some of the best elements of indie rock from the past two decades: the hooks, the adventurous riffing, the willingness to take risks, the down-to-earth character that makes the music that much more relatable. In ten years, when someone asks what a great indie pop/rock record from the '10s was, it won't be much of stretch to offer up the reply "Let It Sway by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin."