Swiss Alps - S/t EP

After a long dry spell of not finding anything worthwhile and not updating my blog for a while I've finally found something that I'm liking. Swiss Alps is a jangly indie pop that is quite similar to Sea Pinks or The Drums but with a lesser emphases on recording quality. The album is pretty lo-fi with a certain quietness that carries on throughout the album. Defiantly worth checking out if you're into the jangly surf pop scene.

Kisses - S/t

With Summer upon us it only seems fitting that I not only posting again but posting summery and albums you'd take along with you to the beach. Kicking that theme off is Kisses self titled album that blends dreamy pop vibes with light and breezy sentiment. Most songs on this release stay fairly upbeat and uptempo but right in the middle you're given a break with a mellow acoustic track with a nice and simple beat that works well with the album and doesn't seem out of place at all. Kisses are working on a new album expected to be out later this year. Keep an ear out.

Purity Ring - Shrines

 After hearing about them and admittedly forgetting about them only to see them live at Sasquatch this year. Purity Ring has made a resurgence in my life in a big way. Their debut album dropped into my lap and turned out to be just what I needed. Purity Ring are a Canadian duo that churn out refreshingly modern songwriting and leave you wanting more. You could call it trip-hop. It's female vocals laid gently over bass heavy tracks that aren't overpowering. General poppyness is mixed in as well with the vocals sounding like they could be in the next hit indie song you start to hear on the radio all of a sudden. Make sure you check out this album as soon as you can and if you have the opportunity make it a point to see them live.

Sixth June - Back for a Day

Minimal synth and darkwave are two things I'd really like to get into more and have been looking into lately. I came upon a group from Berlin that goes by Sixth June. They've got a pretty great thing going. Pretty dark overall with a fair amount of fuzz that works well with the enchanting female vocals. There's not much more to say about this album except you ought to definitely check it out and I'm very very happy I happened on it..

Blazo - Colors of Jazz

I'd taken a break finding new music recently and when I tried the other day I ended up only finding one or two things. It turns out that one of them was a damn good find. Blazo is a polish instrumental hip-hop producer who is fairly mysterious. It seems he doesn't play any shows make any appearances or what have you but what he does is make great jazzy tunes that whisk you away and make you feel like you're floating on a cloud. Heavy piano and sax work really throws the jazz elements right in your face. It's likely that you'll listen to the whole thing and not realize you've listened to an entire album. In the end it's one great ride that you should look into as soon as you can.

The Black Angles - I'd Rather Be lonely single

So I finally made it to a record store day after a year or two of me not being able to make the deadline and what have you. This was a little gem I picked up at the closest record store I could get to. The Black Angels are a psychedelic rock outfit out of Texas that I've always been meaning to check out. I've heard a lot about The Black Angles and their level of praise greatly varies each time. I've heard them called garbage while on the other hand I've been recommended them many times. I've heard one of their previous albums and it was a tab bit dark for my taste. Anyway I heard they were putting out something for RSD and I looked into it and it happens to be on orange cream vinyl. I put this on my list and picked it up. Once I got home I gave all my new records a few plays and this turned out to be my favorite purchase of the day. On this single I see a pretty big change from the last time I heard them. This single is much more relaxing and much more 60s influenced. The single has two songs on it but when I went to go download the album via the download coupon inside I found that an extra track was included. It turns out they covered The Zombies's She's Not There. Lemme tell you. They do it flawlessly, you often forget you're even listening to a cover. Check these guys out as soon as you can.

http://www.mediafire.com/?kasdvcaa8jngp4d

Nikki Lane - Walk of Shame

Whenever I go to shows I rarely care much about the opening acts nothing changed when I first heard Nikki Lane opening for Noah and the Whale. For some reason when I was searching for new music I came upon her album Walk of Shame. It definitely wasn't what I remembered. Walk of Shame is a great country album with an almost smokey 70s feeling. On a couple of tracks Nikki is accompanied by another band mate to create a pleasing vocal harmony that really makes the tracks stand out. Hopefully you'll enjoy this album as much as I did.