PRDS

Yesterday, I received an especially brief message from a certain 16-year-old kid named Adam, who makes music under the moniker prds. With a copy of Fruity Loops as his instrument, the Swede pumps out sublime, melancholic instrumental pop gems that shimmer like the setting sun reflecting off a placid ocean. "Lionfish" is a tad repetitive and flat; "Bahamas" is a bit choppy and doesn't spotlight the throbbing bass line that drives the tune quite enough; prds is a work in progress, but with some assuring signs of a positive and creatively fruitful future.

Check out two MP3s below and grab another pair at the guy's Last.fm page.

prds - Lionfish

prds - Bahamas

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John & Jehn

John & Jehn is London's latest über-hip duo that pulls simultaneously from old psychedelic acts of the 1960s, garage innovators, and the loungier efforts of outfits like Stereolab. Imagine a pared down reincarnation of the Velvet Underground with a more minimal sound and twist of Jesus & Mary Chain shoegaze grit.

At times, they nearly sound like Serge Gainsbourg trying to ape Nico, but at no point do they come off as purely derivative and they remain oddly sweet throughout every song. John & Jehn are endlessly arty -- imagine them playing with Lissy Trullie and Marnie Stern -- but they never get too heady or dense so as to make them un-enjoyable. They're loads of fun, and even if they're brooding over Voltaire's Candide and studying Charles Mingus at present, we can't help but love them to death.

Pick up the eponymous debut full-length right here.

John & Jehn - 20 L 07

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The Morning Paper

The Morning Paper (MySpace) drips with so much reverb, guitar feedback, echoey vocals, and thick string arrangements that it's sometimes a little difficult to find the hook or melody in their tunes! That being said, the songs -- whether hyper melodious or not -- wrap you up tight like a warm blanket, a sensation that most groups can't replicate, no matter how hard they try.

The Swedish trio's hyper-ambient, shoegaze is really appealing -- don't get me wrong! The song below -- "Fingers Crossed" -- is like what would happen if the Tough Alliance did Cocteau Twins covers and then rerecorded them as though they were in Slowdive. The Morning Paper selectively pulls shoegaze and dream pop influences from all across the board, but melds it all into one modern and catchy entity that I can't get enough of.

Order their new EP -- It's Getting Clearer -- right here!

the Morning Paper - Fingers Crossed

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Dead Leaf Echo

Dead Leaf Echo is a new NYC shoegaze band that, instead of first and foremost listing musical influences on their MySpace page, cites "Nabokov, Camus, and Huxley" as idols. Think of them as a heavy, massively-layered literary version of shoegaze a la Slow Dive.

The trio released an EP in 2006 and just recently came out with a follow-up called Pale Fire (Nabokov alert!) The six-tracks contained are painstakingly dense, meticulously constructed, and mindbendingly ... hypnotic. Washes of guitar eclipse the tracks in noise, only to reemerge as oceanic echoes and swirling, throbbing bass lines. The vocals aren't unlike a super mellow Raveonettes. Oh, and there's a special guest featured on the LP! Ulrich Schnauss! The experimental classicist mixed "Pale Fire." Download it below. Submerge. This is good.

Dead Leaf Echo - Pale Fire (Mixed by Ulrich Schnauss)

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Owl

One of my best Swedish buddies, Tony Cederteg (buy his books!) revealed the true extent of his talents to me the other day. I'd assumed him to be a phenomenal publisher and photographer, and wasn't prepared to hear that he's also a pretty decent drummer and Internet national T.V. show host, not to mention expert DJ and hilarious writer.

He's been drumming on and off in a Swedish pop trio called Owl for a while now, but don't think it's his band. The group is officially comprised of Anna, Milou, and Fan Fan (cool names!) -- Tony just helps out when they need a drummer on the cheap.

Owl's music is a sort of bedroom breed of soul or R&B. It's really emotional, really expressive, and certainly not glossed up with fancy production or diluted with overbearing walls of sound and noise. Instead, Owl makes clean and clear music ... you can hear each element distinctly: from the gritty guitar hooks to the saucy tamborine; the cutesy yet strong vocals to the throbbing, minimalist bass line. They're not attempting to bite off more than they can handle, and that's obvious (these are simple songs!), but they've obviously labored over the arrangements and production of each and every tune. Everything sounds perfectly assembled, constructed, and tied together. Their unique garage-rock-meets-shoegaze-meets-Swedish-pop blend of aesthetics is heartwarming and special. I love these three and will only love them more as they continue to release more music.

P.S. - Do you hear the bass line of Blur's "Good Song" in "Heart Ache"?

Owl - New Addiction

Owl - Rude Awakening (New Demo)

Owl - Heart Ache

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Sad Day for Puppets

If, for some reason, you were asking yourself, "geez, I wonder when another Swedish tune will be posted to BBBD because there just aren't enough of them!" the other day, have no fear -- I've got more swedes for your ears!

Sad Day for Puppets has a strange name, but the HaHa Fonogram roster members (that's right, the same label that brough you Radio LXMBRG) are quite a fantastic indie-pop/shoegaze trio (sextet live), and judging by their debut EP, Just Like a Ghost, they ought to be kept an eye on. The group plays super 90s-leaning guitar-pop infused wall-of-sound stuff that's absolutely a delight. Great vocals, great Edge-like guitar playing (okay, so not all the time and never nearing the same level of cheesiness), and playful, upbeat synth/keyboard hooks.

It's C86 all over again, but with more sophistication, finesse. Check out a few tunes below grab up your own copy of Just Like a Ghost when it's out on April 9!

Sad Day for Puppets - Big Waves

Sad Day for Puppets - Hush

Sad Day for Puppets - Set Alight

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Under Electric Light

Under Electric Light (MySpace) is a wonderful one-man Montreal-based shoegaze/bedroom/dream pop band. Danny Provencher draws his inspiration from the likes of greats such as New Order, My Bloody Valentine, and the Radio Dept. -- and they all shine through -- but he filters it all with an endearing and heartfelt bedroom recording/space pop aesthetic that distinguishes him from the plethora of other wannabe artists claiming similar influences. I like his honesty, but more so, I appreciate his individual creativity and uniqueness.

He just released a new EP, After the Blue, that you can buy from Bluetracks in Canada. Unfortunately, there seems to be no U.S. distributor at present, but with such a low price and the option of just buying the four MP3s, it's a deal that's hard to resist!

Check out two of the tunes -- half the EP! -- below. You'll be pleasantly surprised and warmed.

Under Electric Light - Your Rainy Days

Under Electric Light - This Moment

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New Greengate

BBBD's favorite underappreciated Japanese indie group of the moment -- and for the past several months now! -- Greengate, is out with a new song, "Jumbotron (1:20)" ... it is, as expected, very much worth your time to check out!

Greengate dazzled me with "Home," a invigorating, shoegaze-infused track a la the Stone Roses circa 1989 ... or maybe Primal Scream from that same era or something. "Jumbotron (1:20)" picks up where they left off -- they're still hot on the Madchester/early-90s British rock tack -- but with an added dash of electronic/synthetic grit and bump. It's still just as clean and crisp as "Home," but more energetic, more vital, and perhaps more confident.

Check the tune out below! Support these two -- they rock hard.

Greengate - Jumbotron (1:20)

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The Depreciation Guild

While I can't help but wonder if this strategy is really working, I do admit that I'm a big fan of any band who offers their music for free download, especially when that music is in an album package, with artwork and all. Additionally, the groups taking this route seem to be getting increasingly better, which is heartening, a good trend.

The Depreciation Guild (MySpace) has their album, In Her Gentle Jaws available for free download right here (click the yellow bar of just grab the ZIP here). It's a very solid effort. I never thought that 8-bit, jagged electronics, harsh drum machines, and shoegaze could merge so effortlessly and with such a beautiful result. Let's call it industrial shoegaze.

The Brooklyn-based band sounds like apost-apocalyptic My Bloody Valentine that's been hacking around with synthesizers, drum & base production equipment, and Atari-chip filters for ages. In Her Gentle Jaws is mesmerizing. Download it immediately, sit back, and let wave upon wave of serene yet angst-ridden guitar walls, bombastic drumming, and swooning vocals flow over you ...

At least sample a couple tunes below.

the Depreciation Guild - Darklooming

the Depreciation Guild - Nautilus

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Most Valuable Players

I feel as though I've stumbled upon some old Morrissey home demos or something. Sweden's Most Valuable Players sounds like four-track Morrissey tunes covered by Casiotone For the Painfully Alone or the Unicorns before they got "big" trying to channel some of their deeper emotions through low-fidelity equipment and without pitch-perfect vocals.

The band released a super-sparse, minimalist pop album, You In Honey, in 2006 via Friendly Noise that's incredibly endearing if not a little too empty at times. They hadn't solidly landed on their sound yet, I suppose. Regardless, the LP's worth checking out ... sample two songs from it below ("AC In HCMC" and "Stockholm Doesn't Belong To Me")! You can grab a couple other sons over here, too.

What I'm most excited about, though, is the new single, "Rondo," which the group released via Friendly Noise's MP3 page (which is loaded with awesome freebies that you all ought to check out). The song is more confident, more collected, and the Morrissey comparison I drew earlier is clearer. The song sways along ... drifts past in an almost eerie haze that's made all the more sublime by the jazzy drumming, organically strummed guitar riffs and bass hooks, and warbly synth lines.

Most Valuable Players - Rondo

Most Valuable Players - Stockholm Doesn't Belong To Me

Most Valuable Players - AC In HCMC

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Glasvegas

Glasvegas (MySpace) -- quite a name, right? The Glasgow four-piece is quite a band, though.

Glasvegas' MySpace describes their sound as "Experimental/Surf/Pop" and, surprisingly, such a classification isn't far off. The band plays heavy shoegaze-infused atmospheric post-punk songs which pull both a page from Echo & the Bunnymen's as well as Slowdive/My Bloody Valentine's. The songs are incredibly deep and at times a little overwhelming because of the vastness of their grand wall of sound. But the quartet keeps the production clean and crisp, enunciating the guitar melodies, stellar bass lines, and vocalist's uber-accent despite the umbrella of reverb and echo that encapsulates the songs as a whole.

"Daddy's Gone" sounds like the Raveonettes meets Interpol meets surf pop (for real). If only I could offer it for download ... check it out on their MySpace. But first -- grab the below demos. Never have I heard such expertly produced home demos! Wow! This is indeed a very good, very solid band.

Glasvegas - Go Square Go! (Demo)

Glasvegas - Geraldine (Demo)

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New Beach House

The new Beach House (MySpace) album, Devotion, is a stunning work of beauty. No questions asked. The Baltimore duo's follow-up to their eponymous debut is more complex, more layered, more technical. It's the first album taken to a new level, it's the first album with heightened sensibilities and sans newbie skin.

Devotion is the work of a weathered band that deserves every Mazzy Star, Slowdive, and Galaxie 500 comparison. But Beach House is by no means derivative, and Devotion proves that ... an expertly crafted record of swooning vocals, delicate, fragile guitar melodies and supple organ lines, and an air of maturity and self-awareness that is both unusual and much appreciated. Check out "Gila" below. It'll put you to sleep ... soothing.
"D.A.R.L.I.N.G." is immaculate -- the best song on the album -- and while I would love to post it, I'm not sure if that's cool ... the Grizzly Bear blog has it, though.

Devotion is out on Carpark Records on February 26. Buy it.


Beach House - Gila

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The December Sound

I'm hoping that Boston's the December Sound (MySpace) deliberately sent me an introductory email yesterday, as it's now December! Wow ... that year went slow. Loved it.

The December Sound is a very exciting quartet. They combine the wall-of-sound aesthetic and grit of shoegazers like My Bloody Valentine, but add to the mix this clean industrial sound and post-punk vibe that elevates them to a more accessible and appropriate-for-the-21st-century level. They're also genre hoppers: one track'll be a melodious, relaxing shoegaze tune reminiscent of something by Slowdive or the Jesus & Mary Chain, then the next will be a jagged garage tune that sounds more like a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club cover of some old Nine Inch Nails song. And there might be some psych-rock in there, just for good measure.

It's really refreshing to hear these guys. They are clearly super-skilled musicians -- I can only imagine how difficult these songs are to play! -- and labor over their craft. Not a single track on the debut eponymous LP (also nicknamed The Silver Album) has a hole in it, a distracting mistake ... nothing's wrong. The December Sound is especially exciting now when clubs and venues are chalk-full of ironic laptop DJs and crummy electronic bands ... these Boston boys will remind you what real music is and that a sugar high of no substance should never be mistaken for a real, hearty meal (to be proverbial). Cherish the December Sound.

the December Sound - Truth Hurts


the December Sound - No Heaven Like Hell

the December Sound - Do You In

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New Pandatone, Free EP

Pandatone, a BBBD favorite and owner/proprietor of Music Related Trevor Sias' solo act, just released a new free EP, What Has Nature Done For Me Recently EP on the digital-only imprint label Creation Centre.

That was a lot of plugs, geez! But the EP is most definitely worth mentioning. It's a collection of rarities and unreleased tracks, some of which I'm assuming date back quite a few years, while others are more recent (circa Happy Together) all of which date back to 2006 or before. They're all great songs, though ... from the glitchier "Wondering" to the serenely dazed space-pop tune "Only to Sleep In" to the surprise lo-fi bedroom recording, "Two Piece (feat. Michi)" (Michi is from the wicked awesome Japanese pop/punk trio MacDonald Duck Éclair) ... the record is showcase of how damn good Mr. Sias has gotten! He's developed a more confident and stronger voice that's reminiscent of Thom Yorke on a rainy, slow day; he's become infinitely more comfortably with the recording, mixing, and producing process, elegantly layering simplistic loop upon loop, dropping in and intertwining supportive melodies and riffs; he's become a bona fide recording artist and no longer just sounds like he's making music as a hobby he doesn't wholeheartedly pursue.

So I'll cut this post off with a big Congratulations! -- Pandatone has only a bigger and better future ahead. Check out a couple songs from the new EP below and then head over here to download the thing in its entirety!


Pandatone - Only To Sleep In

Pandatone - Two Piece (feat. Michi)

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Panda Riot

Panda Riot (MySpace) is this absolutely wonderful shoegaze outfit from Chicago. It's shoegaze with a little less distortion and a little more pop twists smeared all over. The hooks are cleaner, the vocals less distorted, the guitars less fuzzy and atmospheric, but this is definitely shoegaze at its core.

If you were down with Asobi Seksu, then I'd say Panda Riot is right up your alley. Contagious melodies, beautiful singing, a great rhythm section -- an overall super collective and tight band. And like I said, there's just enough distortion and wall-of-sound noise in there to get the My Bloody Valentine juices flowing.

Click on the homepage picture and you'll be directed to a page with a plethora of ordering options for the new album, She Dares All Things (which, while I've not heard in its entirety, I'm assuming is fantastic, so check out a couple tunes below to get the gist of the whole).


Panda Riot - Like Flowers at Night

Panda Riot - She Dares All Things

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Greengate

Whenever I come across a find like Greengate, I really want to resume my regular Japanese music post ... but unfortunately a group like Greengate is rare, and I don't think I could sustain a Nippon-themed column ...

Anyway, Greengate is the brainchild of Toshiaki Shibata and Tomoyuki Kondoh. The group has been around, in some form, since the late 1990s, but they never got it together enough until August this year to get a MySpace page, churn out a wonderful psychedelic/shoe-gaze/electronic pop tune as awesome as "Home." This tune reminds me a lot of the earlier Shibuya-kei stuff that I fell head of heels for in high school (Yukari Fresh, Pizzicato Five, Miniflex, Mansfield), so there's a pretty strong emotional connection here for me ...

Regardless, though, you all really ought to love Greengate. Soft-spoken, atmospheric shoe-gaze-infused psychedelic pop that's as contagious and heartwarming as some of Arthur Russel's older stuff ... or maybe just Cornelius (grin). This song took them six months to finalize, so cherish it, okay?


Greengate - Home

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Ai Aso

Finally, I've stumbled across something really great, something I'd only scratched the surface of up until now, something that's all come together for once and all!

Ai Aso just released an album called Chamomile Pool on Pedal Records and it's really something else. A wonderful blend of folk, psychedelic pop, that charming sort of Japanese twee, and a little bit of heavy rock.
So the LP's absolutely great. So allured by it all I was, in fact, that I started looking into who exactly Ai Aso is, where she comes from, what she's been up to, and all that good stuff ...

It should first be mentioned that Ai Aso also recently released a 7" single called She's So Heavy. The b-side is a song by Wata ... who is otherwise known as the woman in legendary sludge/doom rock group, Boris. So there's one bizarre connection.
Secondly, both Ai Aso and Boris have worked with Michio Kurihara ('member Rainbow?), although Ai Aso in a more covert way: she's married to him! Not only that, but Kurihara plays guitar on the bulk of Chamomile Pool! And, and, and ... both Kurihara and Aso played in White Heaven. The list goes on. I don't know if this is such a shocker to all of you, but it's really damn cool to me! Such a small world ... Boris to Michio Kurihara to Wata to Ai Aso ... and they somehow all end up on the same record, on the same label, on the same something! Amazing.

Anyway, check out a few tracks of Aso and Wata's below ...

Ai Aso - A Lo N

Ai Aso - Colchicum

Ai Aso - Land

Wata - Angel

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Raveonettes Demos

I unfortunately missed the Raveonettes (MySpace) when they were here on Saturday for the Detour Festival (only the second time I've planned on seeing them only to miss the show in the past year), but was pleasantly surprised to find four new demos that I'm assuming will all be released in a polished form on their forthcoming Lust Lust Lust LP.

The tracks are wonderful. Absolutely dazzling. This new album will be the best yet, I'm certain. The NYC/L.A.-by-way-of-Denmark duo has refined their sound to a sort of shoegaze/wall-of-noise (think My Bloody Valentine)/50s & 60s rockabilly that melts -- literally melts -- together in this sublime and utterly at peace way.

"With My Eyes Closed" sounds like a straight-up slow-dance rock tune from a late-50s prom, "Lust" a masterfully crafted ode to the Jesus & Mary Chain, all at once distant and removed yet wrapped in a wall of serene feedback and accented with a crisp, jangly guitar hook. The same goes from "Blush," a slightly faster reproach to "Lust." "Black Satin" is this organically constructed M83 take on something you could believe Peter Bjorn & John would've written.

All in all, these four tunes are amazing. Absolutely the band's masterpiece. Grab 'em!

the Raveonettes - Lust (Demo)

the Raveonettes - With Eyes Close (Demo)

the Raveonettes - Blush (Demo)

the Raveonettes - Black Satin (Demo)

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The Hectors: Geeks, Thugs, Slakers, and Dreamers

Some of you long-time readers may know that I've never expressed a great interest in L.A.'s music scene, despite the fact that I live here. Aside from a select few -- HEALTH, Foreign Born, CokeDance -- I'm not too down with L.A.'s pickings.

That being said, with every passing day, every new discovery, my opinion softens and degrades more and more. Indeed, Los Angeles has quite a few cool bands ... quite a few awesome bands, for that matter, and the Hectors (MySpace) fall into one of those categories, no doubt.

The quartet got its name from a 17th century London gang, notorious for their aggressive and mean-spirited vandalism and "hooliganism." The Hectors would accurately describe a Sex Pistols knock-off punk outfit, then, but maybe not these four (I'm not knocking the name! I like it! Just saying it's not the first thing I would've thought they'd be called!) The new EP, Sometimes They Collide, is out on Tarantism Records, and is certainly worth checking out. A meticulous, grandiose infusion of shoe-gaze, power-pop, and something grittier ... maybe some Radiohead-esque wall of sound? Or Pixies alt-rock? That "X Factor" is the group's making point, I'd say. Check out a couple tracks below, but be sure to support these guys!

the Hectors - Proof of Sale
the Hectors - A Million Fingers

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Exit Music Chart the Decline of the West

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