Blogs

Stirring up the singer songwriter world. Well-known for co-writing Feist‰'s song “1, 2, 3, 4,‰” Sally Seltmann incorporates many of the whimsical characteristics found in that song and combines them with quirky lyrics and unpredictable instrumentations. She is an...

An unpredictable and mournful electronica debut. Within the first three seconds, Pillar Point‰'s debut album comes to life, pulsing with energy before inevitably bursting into a synthesized atmosphere. Even though the beats and lyrics can become repetitive by the end...

Sunny, smart, edgy indie pop. Virginia-based band Eternal Summers‰' newest album The Drop Beneath lives up to the band‰'s name. Dreamy, light, and poppy, this album encompasses much of what makes summer great. Catchy riffs and verses are punctuated with edgy...

Exemplary indie. While a lot of characteristics fall under the umbrella of “indie‰Û, most bands stick to one or two subcategories. Cataldo is one band that is an exception to this trend. On Cataldo‰'s most recent album, “Gilded Oldies‰Û, dancey indie pop appears...

Dance rock and misc. instruments This Edmonton five-piece band describes Free Candy as “a well-conceived quasi-album about death, disappointment, and doin‰' it.‰” In spite of the downer descriptors, the overarching sound definitely stems from the devil‰'s tango. The...

Superchill Finnish indie-pop I‰'m sure we all know that there‰'s a science to producing a good pop album- a producer‰'s magic touch to make it the perfect amount of irresistibly catchy, incredibly easy to dance to, and contagiously head-bobbing. Never in a million...

Fun time bubblegum pop-punk Imagine the sort of Washington state band that name themselves after a palindrome involving felines and Mexican food. If there were ever a better description of TacocaT‰'s NVM, the band would probably find it too boring. With slight...

Pop-punk college problems Most kids outgrow pop-punk by high school. Philly based Modern Baseball took it to the collegiate level and skyrocketed to fame and acclaim with the success of their first album, Sports, and the absolute relatability of lyrics set to hooky...

Like Animal Collective, but poppier ceo is an Swedish electronic performer whose sophomore album “Wonderland” creates a weird and eerie atmosphere while listening. Each song creates a different feeling that is reminiscent of some kind of childhood moment....

Someone say 90’s trip-hop? English electronic producer since the 90s, Neil Davidge has finally made his solo debut with Slo Light and its chilled out vibe will bring you back to the era of trip hop and glitchy trance tunes. He’s produced Massive...

_An album in the truest sense of the word _ The Notwist album Close To The Glass starts off with the song “Signals,” which layers a series of techno sounds that make you feel like you’re flying in a futuristic spaceship. Markus Archer’s voice...

Spooky, psychedelic, synth-driven post-punk. Despite obviously being influenced by post-punk guitar gods like Glenn Branc and Wire, Australia’s New War don’t use guitars, relying instead on pounding synths and complex, insistent percussion. The percussion...

Warped Tour Despite “Back Seat Ho” being the name of half the songs on this EP, you can be assured its rave-ready IDM does not take a back seat on this one. Following up solid 2013 release Vapor City, respected electronic producer Travis Stewart starts off...

A gimmicky project that doesn’t really need the gimmick. Public Service Broadcasting take their band name very literally, they use samples from old – you guessed it – public service broadcasts. This song uses clips from a documentary about Mount...

Noisy and just the right amount of mopey Nothing may be a shoegaze band, but don‰'t lump them in with just every other group of twenty-somethings who‰'ve listened to Loveless a few too many times. With their roots in hardcore and punk music, Nothing bring a bit of a...

Loud, sweaty post-punk This is the kind of music that should never be played in a room bigger than the Black Cat, it would just sound off. UK-based Eagulls specialize in a grimy, bass driven brand of aggressive post-punk with songs that aim to get in, kick-ass, and...

Derivative but catchy With their select brand of hyper-hip and currently super-trendy influences (90‰'S INDIE ROCK AND ALL ITS SUBGENRES), it could be very easy for Cheatahs to get lost in the shimmery, reverbed, slightly distorted noise. On their debut album,...

Dark and very mysterious. This is an interesting album. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what this band is all about. There are moments within this album that are brilliant, whereas others are lackluster. The opening track, “Perennial Bulb,‰” has a mysterious start that...

An eccentric, Swedish singer-songwriter. If you are in search of a singer-songwriter who will help you get in touch with your inner emotions, Sibille Attar may not be the artist for you. The majority of her songs are quite exuberant despite the dark themes found...

Success has sweetened their tunes but hasn‰'t softened them Every release by Speedy Ortiz has found them updating their sound substantially. 2012‰'s Sports EP turned Speedy Ortiz from a one-lady lo-fi project into a four-person juggernaut. Last year‰'s_ Major Arcana_...

EIS‰'s token Europeans hit all the volume levels on a pleasingly psychedelic guitar album Disco Doom are somewhat of an outlier on the Exploding In Sound roster. For one thing, they‰'re not from the Northeast but from Switzerland. And for another, Disco Doom are a...

Exhaustingly optimistic Hailing out of Montreal, the Sam Roberts Band experimented with self-discovery and used it as the anchor for their most recent LP. There are catchy riffs exuding out of guitars that will be hypnotic to many listeners. It isn‰'t anything too out...

Storytelling, synths and supernatural Just one year ago I found myself up against the stage of a dark Austin, TX bar as two mysterious women opened their mouths to let something inside them escape. What I heard haunted me as hypnotic drumming and static drones...

Well done psych-punk debut. On their debut album, Montreal-based band PYPY (like the Greek letter you‰'d recognize from math class) marry psychedelic rock and classic punk. With elements ranging from shredding 60s-style guitar solos to hard, fast, repetitive 70s punk...

Guitar heavy instrumental. Indie and ambient sound. Woodsman is an instrumental band that uses guitars and percussions to create a sound that gives an rhythmic outdoor feeling. Songs like “Obsidian” are much more mellow and have sonic flares throughout the...

Submit thyself before the alter of psych! On the eighth day of the British Invasion, God created the mellotron, and banished the verse-chorus-verse song structure to hell! Since then, tens of thousands of teenagers and twenty-somethings have brushed the strands of...

Whimsical and exuberantly poppy. The first track of this EP may take you by surprise, the title “Pretty Colors‰” is definitely appropriate because that is in fact what the lyrical content is all about; there is actually a part of the song where Sable Young lists...

Reverbed guitar goodness This duo rising out of Montreal could eventually create as much hype as our beloved Japandroids, but they have quite a ways to go. Xavier Germain-Poitras‰' reverbed and distorted guitar playing pounds away constantly in all ten songs. Although...

Rootsy and smart modern rock Dynamic rock band US Royalty, from right here in Washington, D.C., has put out a reflective, rootsy sophomore album. The band expertly combines occasional reverb, soulful guitar riffs, deep basslines, and punchy percussion to make for an...

Edgy, creative indie-pop. Bear Hands‰' newest album has all the best qualities of indie pop. The album opener, “Moment of Silence‰” builds into an upbeat, passionate dance-y track with positive lyrics. Then, the band launches into several edgy tracks with a focus on...