Archive for the ‘Band Spotlight’ Category


24.05.2010

Band Spotlight: Little League

posted by Will

in Band Spotlight

Who? Little League

Where are they from? Tallahassee, FL

What do they sound like? Boilermaker. I couldn’t place it for the life of me and then it hit me. These guys and Pswingset should get together. Both bands are mining the same territory and both are doing it really, really well.  All three bands have that same kind of dynamic with subtle hooks and vocal harmonies that never overpower but slowly work their way in. Although Little League might have a bit more of a pop edge to them. If you like your indie/emo and bands like Boilermaker, Braid, Hellbender and real early Piebald you should check Little League out pronto! The band’s new EP is called Frames.

Little League “Hot Knife”

11.05.2010

Band Spotlight: Wavelets

posted by Will

in Band Spotlight

Who? Wavelets

Where are they from? Gainesville, FL

What do they sound like? I’m not sure why I thought these guys were British at first. Then I visited the band’s myspace page and saw they were from Gainesville, FL of all places. How refreshing, a band from Gainesville that doesn’t sound like they were raised exclusively in the No Idea warehouse (not like that would be a bad thing necessarily). These guys have the noodly emo thing down pretty damn well. Imagine a more upbeat and raw American Football. Kinda reminds me of the short-lived Street Smart Cyclist a bit as well. Promising stuff indeed.

You can download all the band’s songs right here. Pretty farkin’ cool!

Wavelets “Gnarly Davidsonfinal”

Wavelets “Let Off Some Steam”

04.05.2010

Band Spotlight: Tiny Lungs

posted by Will

in Band Spotlight

Who? Tiny Lungs

Where are they from? Long Beach, CA

What do they sound like? There seems to be a good bit of this brash indie rock thing going around of late and that is an excellent development. Someone mentioned recently that Superchunk seems to be an influence on a lot of younger bands coming up and I would imagine they probably are for Tiny Lungs as well. Tiny Lungs kind of remind me of Forming who I’ve covered a few times here already. Both bands are playing loud but plenty tuneful indie rock with some much needed punk chops injected in for good measure. The vocals here remind me of early Cursive in their harshness which definitely adds to the raw quality of the band. Tiny Lungs have a five song demo which you can purchase from Mountain Man Records who it should be noted are putting out some great releases right now.

Tiny Lungs “Cop Heart”

www.myspace.com/tinytinylungs

27.04.2010

Band Spotlight: Trisorta

posted by Will

in Band Spotlight

Who? Trisorta

Where are they from? Flint, Michigan

What do they sound like? Bands like Trisorta are hard to come by these days. Trisorta have that guitar-oriented and moody emo vibe to them. Imagine Benton Falls and bands that once littered proud labels like Deep Elm. Sadly, they don’t make them like they once did. It doesn’t seem like the band is very active and that’s a shame cause their EP, …all else the sea, is quite a lovely debut offering.

Trisorta “…All Else The Sea”

22.04.2010

Band Spotlight: Campaign

posted by Will

in Band Spotlight

Who? Campaign

Where are they from? Atlanta, GA

What do they sound like? For fans of Hot Water Music and The Draft this band is a damn godsend! Campaign play a brand of melodic hardcore with definite pop/punk traits thrown in. With influences like The Misfits and Descendents, Campaign will have you singing along and stomping your foot in no time. You can download the band’s first two EPs here. It Likes To Party is the brand new one. Physical copies of It Likes To Party will be available soon from the band.

Campaign “Best Luck”

(Thanks to Mitch at Culture As Given for the original heads up!)

13.04.2010

Band Spotlight: Prismo Perfect

posted by Will

in Band Spotlight

Who? Prismo Perfect

Where are they from? Brest, France

What do they sound like? This whole noisy phenomenon has me a bit confused. One moment I find myself into a band like No Age but completely bored with a band like Japandroids. Go figure? Prismo Perfect hit a sweet spot for me in this whole craze though. The French band ups the melodic pop energy and tunes down the noise ever so slightly. The result is a very nice medium that it seems many of these bands are searching for and not finding. The band’s EP, Out Of Nowhere, is out now.

Prismo Perfect “Summer In The Kitchen”

www.myspace.com/prismoperfect

05.04.2010

Band Spotlight: Greenland Is Melting

posted by Will

in Band Spotlight

Who? Greenland Is Melting

Where are they from? Gainesville, FL

What do they sound like? Need more banjo in your indie rock? Greenland Is Melting got you covered. I had the pleasure of seeing the band last summer when they came through Columbia and the guys actually ended up crashing with me as well. This is lovely Americana/Folk with a punk spirit that I can get down with. A more rowdy Avett Brothers would be an apt comparison I think. The band’s debut is being reissued on Paper + Plastick on vinyl very soon but until then you can download it for free at the band’s Bandcamp. Get to it!

Greenland Is Melting “No More Sorry Songs”

18.03.2010

Band Spotlight: Juvenescent Beat!

posted by Will

in Band Spotlight

Who? Juvenescent Beat!

Where are they from? Hanover, PA

What do they sound like? This is another end of the year list discovery that I got from combing other peoples’ lists. Not sure how I never even heard of Juvenescent Beat but I certainly missed them on the first go round. The band plays really great old school emo and not the whiny shit either. This is emotional hardcore that harkens back to Rites of Spring and stands tall next to modern bands like Sinaloa and Life At These Speeds. They even kind of remind me of a less screamy Grade. You would be well-advised to pick up the band’s debut LP, One Day We’re Gonna Fall Through This Roof.

Juvenescent Beat! “Bridge”

09.03.2010

Band Spotlight: The Holy Mess

posted by Will

in Band Spotlight

Who? The Holy Mess

Where are they from? Philadelphia, PA

What do they sound like? Snotty pop/punk that reminds one of the best the genre has to offer. We are talking cream of the crop type stuff here. For fans of The Lawrence Arms or Smoke Or Fire you need this…NOW!

You can download the band’s EP Dismount from If You Make It. The Holy Mess will be releasing their next 7″ on the illustrious Evil Weevil.

The Holy Mess “It All Happened In a Ford Winstar”

01.03.2010

Band Spotlight: Rooftops

posted by Will

in Band Spotlight, Best New Music

Who? Rooftops

Where are they from? Bellingham, WA

What do they sound like? Mathy instrumental goodness. I covered the band’s split with Noumenon a while back but I would have never guessed the band’s debut full-length, A Forest Of Polarity, would be this good. Rooftops are predominantly instrumental but the songs that add vocals are just downright heavenly. It’s like some amped up version of This Is Animal Music-era Look Mexico almost. But the band keeps the vocals to a minimum and in reality they just aren’t needed when the songs are consistently this good. At the end of the day you can’t ask for more than this if you are a fan of atmospheric math rock. CD out on Clickpop and Vinyl soon to be out on Topshelf. And yes, I am working this for Beartrap. Life is good.

Rooftops “Raft Easily”

19.02.2010

Band Spotlight: The Ambulars

posted by Will

in Band Spotlight

Who? The Ambulars

Where are they from? Washington, DC / Chicago, IL

What do they sound like? Adult contemporary pop punk according to the band. I guess it’s accurate…us oldies probably will dig this a bit more than the young folks. The Ambulars’ male/female fronted style is the perfect mix of 90′s pop/punk and power pop. The band isn’t doing too much cause they are split into two locations but there are plans to reconvene in 2010. The band has released an Acoustic demo and the Summer Of The Ambulars EP pictured above.

The Ambulars “The Rains”

05.02.2010

Band Spotlight: Sundials

posted by Will

in Band Spotlight

Who? Sundials

Where are they from? Richmond, VA

What do they sound like? Power pop/punk goodness! Man, these guys remind me of someone and I just can not put my finger on it exactly. I’ve been racking my brain and going through old CDs but to no avail. Oh well, I will figure it out eventually and all you need to know is that this is great stuff either way. I could tell by the band’s influences that I was gonna love them…”The Lemonheads, Dinosaur Jr, Jawbreaker, The Weakerthans, Husker Du…”, I mean, c’mon!

If you dig modern stuff like Cheap Girls, Failures’ Union or Tin Armor you can add Sundials to your list of favorites.

The band’s first six songs are available for free download from If You Make It. And of those six, the first three songs will be released as a 7″ on Impermanent Records which I will definitely be purchasing!

Sundials “Neighborhood Well”