Remembrance of Things to Come – Princeton // Buy

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With Remembrance of Things To Come, Princeton (@princetonmusic) has put forth their most innovative and ambitious effort to date. By teaming up with the Los Angeles’ New Music Ensemble, the four-piece, LA-based band has found a niche that brings their baroque-pop songs to a whole new, musically intellectual level. The 7-piece New Music Ensemble truly breathes life into the band’s instrumentation, creating Continue Reading

The Lion’s Roar – First Aid Kit // Buy

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The Soderberg sisters’ ability to wonderfully capture/recreate the sound of Americana may almost seem unfair given their Swedish origins, but First Aid Kit’s (@firstaidkitband) The Lion’s Roar is too sweet to stay bitter for long. Johanna and Klara’s voices blend together in a harmony only possible from people of similar genetic background, and this is the focus of the duo’s second full-length album. The songs Continue Reading

The British are coming! This time around, though, they’re coming via airwave. Hailing from across the pond, Field Music (@fieldmusicmusic) have taken influences from their British Invasion predecessors and gleefully pushed it to experimental fringes in every direction. Plumb, their fourth studio release, is an ambitious exploration that brings together hyper-eclectic instrumentation with a prophetic songwriting style that is warm and wide-eyed. With its seemingly endless hunger for change, Plumb is one of the most emotionally diverse albums I’ve heard since Making Mirrors from Australian-native Gotye. Continue Reading

Serpents – Sharon Van Etten // Buy

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Sharon Van Etten understands heartache. While this may be one of the most common themes in songwriting, she manages to give love’s complex emotions and heartbreaking situations a new depth Continue Reading

Be The Void, the sixth studio release from Philadelphia’s Dr. Dog (@drdogmusic), is trying to prove that old dogs can indeed learn new tricks. Most bands with a discography as strong as theirs have attained footholds in the “indie mainstream”, but despite the band’s consistently high quality, they’ve managed to remain just below the radar. Be The Void, though, could be the springboard they need. Jumping back and forth between their Mersey beat psychedelic roots and a more contemporary trash-pop sensibility a la Beck, Dr. Dog is clearly trying to pull in new fans with this release. Continue Reading

Dour Percentage – of Montreal // Buy

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Of Montreal is a name synonymous with garish theatricality. In their music, and especially in their stage shows, the band takes showmanship to levels previously thought unreachable. No matter Continue Reading

Love Lust – King Charles // Buy

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Mississippi Isabel is just refreshing. It’s sunny without jumping into a fuzzy, beach-y vibe, and it’s poppy without feeling like it belongs on top 40 radio. The songs will get under your skin and into your head quickly, meaning you may have to work extra hard to hide your glee on public transit this winter — because who wants to be seen smiling in public? In the confines of your own private dwelling, though, I dare you to not break out your most embarrassing dance moves. Continue Reading

Stay Useless – Cloud Nothings // Buy

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No Future/No Past – Cloud Nothings // Buy

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Attack On Memory is very appropriately titled. 18-year-old Dylan Baldi exploded onto the scene with irresistibly catchy, lo-fi pop songs only a few years ago, but the growth and progression seen in Cloud Nothings (@cloudnothings) releases since then resembles that of a much older project. Baldi (now 20) has claimed that he wants his second full-length album to be an “attack” on the “memory” that previous listeners have of his music. The result is a fantastic collection of exciting songs from a young musician with a Continue Reading

Put Me To Sleep – Porcelain Raft // Buy

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One aspect of music has always fascinated yet simultaneously bamboozled me — the ways in which different people react to the same artist or genre. Despite having had significant time to digest, dissect and form some kind of understanding of music’s emotional abilities, some things still remain a mystery, namely the unwritten, inexplicable law of love between listener and artist. Some musicians can release a slew of music and my most enthusiastic response is “yeah it’s alright, I guess”, while others can instantaneously draw me in like an audible moth to their instrumental flame. One artist who definitely fits the latter description is Italian born, UK-based musician Mauro Remiddi.

For the last couple of years, Remiddi has been releasing music under the delicate sounding moniker, Porcelain Raft (@porcelainraft), and from the moment I first heard the single “Tip of Your Tongue”, I was hooked. The song’s effortless mix of soft fragility and sturdy framing simply attached itself to my heart with no intention of letting go. Since then, Remiddi has teased his audience with a couple of EP’s, material on his Bandcamp page and even some bits and pieces released via cassette tape. After hearing Strange Weekend, though, I’ll confidently say that a full length album was definitely worth the wait.

Strange Weekend is most impressive because the album genuinely feels like a real progression from Remiddi’s previous work. The sentiment and sweeping atmospheres are still present, but more established sounds also branch out of each song. Drum beats and percussion sound stronger and add more crunch to his compositions, as do the effected guitars in tracks like “Unless You Speak From The Heart” and “The End of Silence”. These elements add a crisp texture that meshes well with the lighter, more ambient aspects of the album such as Remiddi’s simple but sweet vocals and his lingering acoustic finger-picking.

What truly makes this album stand out, though, is the impressive way in which it tip toes the fine lines between homemade charm and tight, polished production — sentimental minimalism and bold determination. Some way find this approach somewhat non-committal or indecisive, but I see it as a brave manoeuvre, which not only pays off handsomely, but shows off the versatility of Porcelain Raft’s current palette and future potential.

Armed with various electronics, synths, drum machines, vocals and guitars, Mauro Remiddi has created a beautiful, sensitive record that manages to avoid being bogged down by sickly sweet mush. Strange Weekend is an album with a loving heart and an acute mind — an album that demonstrates Remiddi’s ability to progress yet still leave room to grow, and I, for one, can’t wait to see which territories he charters next.

Miracles of Modern Science (@wearemoms), the “orchestral space pop” quintet from Brooklyn, are starting to make some real noise with the release of their debut full-length album Dog Year. I can count myself among the lucky number of people who are familiar with the band’s previously released EP, and I’m happy to report that Dog Year successfully delivers on the amazing potential that their earlier effort displayed. Continue Reading