Hockey to re-release "Mind Chaos" this summer

Hockey, a four-piece dance-rock band from Portland, are getting set to re-release their debut album, Mind Chaos, this summer after having self released the record last year. The group's infectious pop sound takes the funk and danceability of classic soul and pop music and combines it with synths, drum machine, and a gritty rock 'n' roll attitude that make songs like the first single, "Too Fake," such a compelling listen. These guys seem poised to conquer the indie scene, so do yourself a favor and get familiar with them now.

You can watch the video for "Too Fake" below and you should head over to the band's MySpace to hear a few more tracks. Also, check out this article on guardian.co.uk in which Hockey are quite literally listed as the next big thing.

Too Fake (Video)


The band are heading overseas to conquer Europe after a few dates in California:

4/14 - Detroit Bar - Costa Mesa, CA *
4/15 - The Loft @ UCSD - San Diego, CA *
4/16 - Cellar Door - Visalia, CA #
4/17 - Rickshaw Stop - San Francisco, CA #
4/24 - The Roundhouse (MTV "Camden Crawl") - Camden, UK
4/25 - Bristol University - Bristol, UK *
4/27 - Manchester Academy 2 - Manchester, UK *
4/28 - Wulfrun Hall - Wolverhampton, UK *
4/29 - Waterfront - Norwich, UK *
4/30 - Forum - London, UK *
5/1 - Southampton University - Southampton, UK *
5/2 - Digital - Brighton, UK *
5/3 - Custard Factory - Birmingham, UK *
5/5 - Leeds Met University - Leeds, UK *
5/6 - Studio 24 - Edinburgh, UK *
5/7 - OMU - Glasgow, UK *
5/8 - Red Room - Nottingham, UK #
5/11 - Black and White @ Plug & Play - Reading, UK #
5/12 - Clwb Ifor Bach - Cardiff, UK #
5/13 - The Cellars - Portsmouth, UK #
5/14 - The Great Escape - Brighton, UK #
5/16 - The Great Escape - Brighton, UK #
5/24 - Sasquatch Music Festival @ The Gorge - Quincy, WA
6/11 - Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival - Manchester, TN

* w/ Friendly Fires
# Headlining date

Review: Doves - Kingdom of Rust (* * * *)

It's been four solid years since Doves dropped their last album, Some Cities, on the world. One could argue that a four-year absence doesn't qualify their new record, Kingdom of Rust, as a comeback album, but for whatever reason, it FEELS like a comeback album. Fortunately, the trio of Jez Williams, Jimi Goodwin, and And Williams seem determined to make the most of this opportunity, returning in a big way with another confident display of songwriting and musicianship wrapped in their signature alt-rock sound that's even bigger and more brash this time around.

Admittedly, this album had to overcome the initial bad impression I had with the first single and lead track,"Jetstream," which I've since learned to enjoy but was at first a little bored with. Fortunately, not only has the album grown on me, but many of the songs made quite the impact upon first listen. The title track is especially captivating - dark, stylish, emotional, and perfectly produced with haunting strings complementing the worn, but hopefuly lyrics. It's the sound of a band on top of their game, playing to their strengths without simply rehashing earlier material. What follows is an album that generally meets, and sometimes exceeds, what we've come to expect from Doves.

Other highlights include the intense rocker "The Outsiders," the smooth, grand "The Greatest Denier," and the explosive "House of Mirrors." On these more uptempo numbers, the trio sound just as sharp as they've always been, but with a grittier, more organic edge that makes the rock 'n' roll style really hit hard. Also impressive is the amount of variety on the album. Though much of the music still follows the dramatic, melancholy presentation Doves have become famous (or perhaps infamous) for, there are more than a few interesting detours here. "10:03" starts as a slow, orchestral pop tune before climaxing slowly into a frenzied guitar and drum attack, while "Compulsion" plays like a dance-rock number, funky, slick, and edgy. The stylistic flavor adds some welcome spice to an album that could have been too weighty or self-serious without it.

Closer "Lifelines" finishes things off spectacularly and epically, a seeming testament to the fact that Doves have plenty of life left to enjoy and music to offer. Kingdom of Rust is the kind of album you hope a talented band would produce after four years of silence - consistent, well-executed, and full of ideas. Doves may have lost the spotlight, but it's apparent that they haven't lost their edge. Let's just hope it doesn't take so long for the next record.

You can hear the entire album over at the band's MySpace, though I'm not sure how long the offer holds.

Project Jenny, Project Jan - The Colors EP

Project Jenny, Project Jan is a two-man electro-rock band that are out to have a good time and want you to do the same. Their debut LP, Xoxoxoxoxo, is a blast of danceable pop music that's goofy and fun, but also good enough that the duo are clearly asking to be taken seriously. Now, with The Colors EP, programmer/keyboardist Sammy Rubin and vocalist Jeremy Haines have teamed up with Fujiya & Miyagi, Mixel Pixel, So Percussion, Adam Matta, Clack Singles Club and vocalists Katie Hasty of Numbers and Letters and Kellie Rae Powell for a collaborative set of five catchy tracks that rival the band's best work on their debut.

"Pins and Needles", featuring Fujiya & Miyagi, is a funky, infectious pop tune with a signature F&M vocal hook, while "You Said," with So Percussion, is a more experimental, psychedelic number that's equally fascinating but less immediate. My personal favorite is "Rainbows," with Mixel Pixel, is a dense, trance-like tune with a dark edge and a killer chorus. Add a couple of bizarre pop songs, "Junk," and "Caller ID," and you have an EP that goes less for cohesion than it does for breadth of style and fun, and succeeds admirably. Whether you're waiting for PJPJ's new full-length to be released later this year, or you're just looking for some good electronic pop music, The Colors EP should hit the spot.

Check out the "Pins and Needles" video over at Pitchfork, or head to PJPJ's MySpace page to hear more tunes from the EP and their debut LP.

Review: The Drones - Havilah (* * * *)

The Drones have been labeled by many as one of Australia's greatest rock bands, but I hadn't heard much about them before this year. They have recently released their fifth record, Havilah, in the U.S. - though it's been out for quite a while in their home country - and I finally had the pleasure of being introduced. The band's uniquely raw, rough sound - combining elements of classic rock, folk, and more progressive musical elements - makes it clear why these guys come so highly recommended. The ten tracks on the album are provocative and stirring, with frontman Gareth Liddiar's rough, emotive vocals spinning twisted narratives over slow-burning, meandering rock 'n' roll music.

Opener "Nail It Down" starts things off on a relatively mild note, with Liddiar's thickly accented voice wandering over classic rock riffs of varying intensity, while the following track, "Minotaur," is louder, grungier, and grittier - a cacophonous mix of spiky guitars, shouting, and pure energy. The remaining material leans toward the less explosive, more deliberately paced side of the band's style. Songs like "The Drifting Housewife" and "Careful As You Go" feature clean electric guitars over minimal percussion while Liddiar spins melancholy tales that don't always make much sense, but the imagery and cracked, distorted melodies are gripping just the same. Closer "Your Acting's Like The End Of The World" is the most surprising (and pleasantly so) cut here, an acoustic folk-rock number with a heavy dose of southern twang that ends the album on a lighter note.

There are still a few bouts of noisier rock 'n' roll, like the upbeat, urgent "Oh My" and the dynamic "I Am The Supercargo," which erupts with several fiery guitar solos in between the dark, weary verses. These more musically violent outbursts are especially effective as they feel like needed punctuation on an album that shows a great deal of restraint. The record can seem a little daunting at first, with the ten dense, grinding tracks stretching well over fifty minutes, but the musical variation and the band's obvious talent make Havilah a consistent and generally fantastic listen. It's quite easy to see why The Drones continually create so much excitement as one of Australia's hottest bands.

Check out The Drones on MySpace

Recommended Artist: The Waking Eyes

The Waking Eyes are a Canadian pop rock quartet who released their sophomore album, Holding On To Whatever It Is, last year. The group is led by frontmen Rusty Matyas and Matt Peters, who share vocal duties in addition to playing both guitar and keyboards, with Joey Penner on bass and Steve Senkiw on drums. The boys play infectious pop music that is genuinely exciting and as much fun as anything in recent memory, with hooks simply packed into each and every tune.

Holding On To Whatever It Is is the kind of album that has a radio-friendly vibe, but remains intelligent and exceptionally executed throughout. Put another way, this is a record that's about impossible to hate and very easy to love. Songs like the groovy "Get Me To The Doctor" and the earnest rocker "All Empires Fall" feel familiar and follow a fairly standard alternative rock template, but they're so catchy and well-written that it doesn't matter much. "Clap Clap" is funky and danceable, "Masters of Deception" is both sinister and cheesy, and "Boyz and Girlz" mixes bizarre electro-rock with a sunny pop style. Throw in a few ballads, like the folk-inspired "Wolves at the Door" and the lonesome "Pick Up Your Number," and you have a record that admirably covers quite a bit of pop territory without feeling too scattered.

The Waking Eyes combine a wealth of influences and styles, using electronics, strings, horns, harmonica, and more to flesh out their remarkably entertaining tunes that make Holding On To Whatever It Is one of my favorite new discoveries. These guys seem to be flying quite under the radar, at least in the U.S., and that's a damn shame, so check them out on MySpace, or head over to their website where you can download "All Empires Fall" for free if you sign up for their mailing list.

Empire of the Sun set to release U.S. debut

Empire of the Sun has already garnered no small amount of praise here and in their native Australia, though they are just now officially releasing their debut album, Walking On a Dream, in the U.S. The band, comprised of Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore, make electronic rock music with plenty of flair and bravado, causing some to compare them to America's own MGMT, who were about inescapable last year (which was fine with me). However you describe them, the duo have made big waves that are about to get bigger.

You can download a previously unreleased track, "Romance to Me," at the band's website if you 'join the Empire' by registering with the site, or you can simply head over to their MySpace to hear some tunes from the new album. Also, you can see a couple of their bizarro videos which I've embedded below. I'm excited to hear more from these guys when the album drops on the 21st.

Walking On a Dream



We Are the People

Ice Palace returns with new album on April 21st

Ice Palace is a Minneapolis-based indie rock collective about to release their new album, the evocatively titled Wonder Subtly Crushing Us, on April 21st on the Earthology label. Led by singer/songwriter Adam Sorenson, the band recorded the album in various locations around the city (their second) and then handed it off to Cloud Cult frontman Craig Minowa (owner of Earthology) for mixing and production. The first single, "Thoughts/Facts," is available for download below, an intriguing pop tune with a dark, melancholic edge that can't mask the band's love of melody and harmony.

Thoughts/Facts (MP3)

I'm impressed with the little I've heard from Ice Palace so far, and I'm psyched to get a hold of the new record in a couple weeks. Until then, check out the band's MySpace page to hear some more songs. Lastly, don't forget to take a look at these tour dates:

4/11 - Washington, DC - Black Cat *
4/12 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Small's *
4/13 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom *
4/14 - Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection *
4/23 - Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theatre (RECORD RELEASE SHOW)
5/4 - Rapid City, SD - The Dahl Arts Center
5/5 - Bozeman, MT - The Filling Station
5/6 - Missoula, MT - The Other Side
5/8 - Seattle, WA - Neumos #
5/9 - Vancouver, BC - The Biltmore Ballroom #
5/10 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom #
5/12 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent #
5/16 - Tucson, AZ - Plush #
5/17 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room #
5/19 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theatre #
5/20 - Omaha, NE - Waiting Room

New Artist: Caroline Weeks

Caroline Weeks isn't really new to the scene, but it's unlikely that you've heard much about her as a multi-instrumentalist for Bat for Lashes. She is an accomplished guitarist and flautist (among other things) and has performed with and been a part of numerous groups I've never had the pleasure of hearing, including an all-girl chamber quartet and a Bulgarian folk choir, of all things. Weeks is just now making her way into the spotlight with her solo debut, Songs for Edna, a collection of nine sparse tunes using the words of late American poet, Edna St. Vincent-Millay for all of the lyrics.

Weeks' gorgeous, quavering voice, complemented by her finger-picked Spanish guitar, frames Vincent-Millay's poetry in a beautifully haunting way. Though the album is quite simple musically, Weeks has the ability to make the music fascinating throughout. "Elegy" has a stately, yet dark, feel to it, "Wild Swans" is ethereal and soaring, and "I Shall Go Back" has a more urgent edge. While her approach to crafting a debut album is certainly strange, Weeks proves more than capable of handling such an unusual project and creates some amazing moments on Songs for Edna.

Check her out on Myspace or see my previous post to download a track from the album.

Review: Great Lake Swimmers - Lost Channels (* * * *)

I've often wondered how albums titled with specific locations are affected by their namesakes, but the connection on the latest from Great Lake Swimmers, Lost Channels, seems fairly obvious. Even looking at pictures of the Thousand Island area in which the Lost Channel is located and where much of the album was recorded, you get the feeling that the music somehow belongs there. The band's rootsy folk style is organic and charming, led by frontman Tony Dekker's pleasant voice and descriptive narratives. Great Lake Swimmers' fourth record is a remarkable set of folk tunes that expands on the sound of their last effort, 2007's Ongiara.

While Great Lake Swimmers don't branch out much stylistically on Lost Channels, the sound is bigger, warmer, and more produced this time around, which works as one of the record's strengths much of the time. The first single, "Pulling On a Line," is a good indication of what you're likely to find here, simple chord progressions, introspective lyrics, and an incredible sense of melody and harmony. Much of the record is comprised of similarly paced tunes like the flowing opener "Palmistry," the banjo-heavy "The Chorus In the Underground," and the earnest "Still." The band ably fill Dekker's songs with layers of earthy instruments that provide a solid platform for his light, smokey vocals.

Though the upbeat tunes are consistently enjoyable, the majority of the variation is found on the mellower cuts on the record, which also contain some highlights. "Everything Is Moving So Fast," with some haunting vocal harmony and delicate electric guitars, has a spacey, ethereal quality to it, while standout "Stealing Tomorrow" floats gracefully on sparse guitar under the reverbed vocals, allowing the heartbreak to really sink in. The bittersweet closer, "Unison Falling Into Harmony," showcases Dekker's lyrical ability, mixing specific details with relatable ideas in a thoroughly captivating way that makes his music a cut above the horde of new-folk songwriters.

What really works to the band's advantage on Lost Channels is, first, the consistency of the songs, and second, the pacing of the record. The blend of mournful ballads and upbeat acoustic anthems is well-distributed across the twelve tracks, never slowing to a crawl, but creating enough variation that the album avoids becoming simply a bland set of mid-tempo ballads. Lost Channels may be the band's best collection of tunes, a thoroughly impressive folk record that sticks to the group's strengths and builds upon them.

Silversun Pickups preview new album, unveil video for "Panic Switch

Though it's become much easier these days to get an earlier-than-intended listen to most big albums, it's been nice to have a legal way to preview some of this year's most anticipated releases. Silversun Pickups have thankfully allowed their upcoming album, Swoon, to be available to hear in its entirety at MTV's The Leak this week, leading up to the record's April 14th release date. From what I've heard so far, the wait has been worth it.

Also, though I'm sure you've already been listening obsessively to the first single, "Panic Switch," the colorfully claustrophobic video is now up, which you can see below.