Some releases can take a while to fully digest, others hit you instantly. Glass Vaults’ debut EP has done both; immediately what jumped out was its trance-like electronics and tribal percussion, but over time it has revealed much more, with vocal shout-outs, spacey drone and whistling theremin-esque sirens all becoming more recognisable. If you haven’t downloaded the Wellington duo’s debut EP, Glass, I suggest you head over to bandcamp and do so. Since its release on June 16 it has had numerous international blogs praising its beauty and as I write this post their song ‘Forget Me Not’ is currently sitting at #80 on Hype Machine’s ‘Most Favorited Music Chart’. Glass Vaults could be the first NZ band to be widely embraced by the international blog community.

A couple of weeks ago the band released its first music video, for the song ‘New Space’. Much like the Glass EP cover art, it’s coloured with hazy pastels and fails to reveal the identities of band members Rowan Pierce and Richard Larsen. It’s shot high in the mountains above the snow line and follows a young hooded individual as he climbs towards the summit. It perfectly captures the song’s iciness and fits with the shadowy drone-heavy synths that drive the song’s melodic structure.

 Glass Vaults- New Space: MP3

 Glass Vaults- Myspace

Like staring into a stratosphere filled with space junk and disposed amputee limbs, Dead Gaze has a sound that encircles the recent shitgaze phenomena that people refer to with Times New Viking and the Pink Noise. But really the songs are gentler, with some that seem to be about love and friendship, at least ‘I’m a Mess When You’re Gone’ and ‘Remember What Brought Us Here’. Cole Furlow is the main brains behind Dead Gaze, but plays live with Alexander Warren on drums and Jimmy Cajoleas on lead guitar. His songs are all blasted synths and washed out reverb, accumulating sounds like dirt on the soles of your shoes or unexplainable junk that piles up in your bedroom. ‘Remember What Brought Us Here’ sounds like a memorable teen anthem, complete with singalong “wah” vocals and four chords. It sounds like it was recorded and rerecorded onto tape through a ghetto blaster 20 times and then played backwards. The heavy psychedelic delivery of the simple-at-heart pop songs echoes Jay Reatard, while ‘I’m A Mess’ is a scary, squelchy ballad with mutilated vocals. Dead Gaze has a show coming up with drone kings Indian Jewelry as well as a gig at Shea Stadium in NYC with Pure Ecstacy and Salem DJing on October 20. There’s a Dead Gaze/Gray Things split tape out on Clandestine Records, and Dead Gaze’s End of Days, Why Not You? tape is out via Mirror Universe Tapes.

Dead Gaze- Remember What Brought Us Here: MP3

Dead Gaze- Myspace

To Swedish ears the name Solander is already well engraved,  but in these parts they’re still relatively unknown, despite having been around since 2005. The band released three EPs between 2005-2007 and in 2008 they released their debut album, titled Confessional Failures. However the main reason for Solander’s relative obscurity is for the past two years the band has been operating as the solo project of Fredrik Karlsson (bottom left); the band only recently reunited.

It was Karlsson’s solo work as Solander which I recently uncovered, a beautiful masterpiece of visionary pop music titled Since We Were Pigeons. The album was written by Karlsson and recorded with the help of his fellow band mates and other friends. The result is a pragmatic, meandering folk rock/indie pop fusion, littered with lightly strummed guitars, pristine vocal harmonies and rustic percussion. It mixes the wintry charm of Peter, Bjorn and John’s Writer’s Block with the romantic beauty of the Shout Out Louds‘ sophomore album Our Ill Wills. As music it creates its own imagery; rain falling on roof tops, grey skies, children splashing in puddles wearing yellow rain coats, but it also has an emotional connection; one of lost opportunities, new beginnings and uncertainty over future endeavours.

For a small price Since We Were Pigeons can be downloaded from Solander’s bandcamp page. Two singles from the album, ‘Narcissus’ and ‘Looking For Gold’,  can be downloaded for free. Both singles come backed with exclusive b-sides, ‘Looking For Gold’ includes a cover of Shellac’s ‘Prayer To God’.

 Solander- Narcissus: MP3

Solander- Looking For Gold: MP3

Solander- Myspace

About two months ago our friend Shea (at Rose Quartz) introduced us to Christchurch band Wet Wings. Hearing their dreamy simplistic pop tunes immediately made me shiver; Darian Woods (guitar/vocals) and Lucy Botting (vocals/keys) are an instantly likeable duo and their music clearly benefits from their close personal relationship. Pretty is perhaps a word not used often enough, but it perfectly describes Wet Wings; guitars are lightly poised, layered atop a delicate wavy keyboard drone and their vocals float even higher, making each song a beautifully well worked composition.  Yesterday the pair released two songs on bandcamp, ‘Running Like A Man’ and ‘Whisper Always’; the first is already one of my favourite songs of 2010. ‘Running Like A Man’ is a six minute long poetic pop jam, described above, while ‘Whisper Always’ adopts a more organic approach, beginning with the sound of flowing water before building through a layer of choral vocal harmonies towards a noisy climax.

Both songs can be downloaded below, but better quality versions can be downloaded from Wet Wings’ bandcamp page.

 Wet Wings- Whisper Always: MP3

Wet Wings- Running Like A Man: MP3

 Wet Wings- Myspace

If you just wanna rock out in the most unashamed way possible – screaming guitar riffs, pulsing drums and howling ambiguous vocals that turn to shrieks of joy – then Baltimore noise rock duo Weekends is for you. Brendan Sullivan and Adam Lempel formed the band in 2008 while both students (studying sculpture and philosophy respectively), and each take turns playing guitar and drums. Adam also helps out in Winks and Brendan makes solo noise folk music, but they make an absurdly big noise in Weekends. ‘Rain Girls’ is an epic riff-out that revolves around menacing drums and heavily effected guitar, playing a simple but raucous jam designed to inspire victory dances. The vocals take a more droney approach that eventually drags the song into a watery slumber, but it’s not without chaos. They inspire dance grooves with their staccato guitars and almost !!! intensity in ‘Roommate’; it would be a challenging listen if it wasn’t so fun. Their noisy drone wash over everything casts spells and wreaks havoc. The band made their first album available for free download, and they released a split cassette with Total Slacker on Breakfast of Champs. Pre-order their second album, Strange Cultures, which was mixed and mastered by Rob Girardi (Beach House, Double Dagger, Celebration) from Friends Records.

Weekends- Rain Girls: MP3

Weekends- Psychedelic Mice: MP3

Weekends- Myspace

Photo by RaRah

Raindeer’s self-titled, debut EP could well be the best pop record of the year, and it’s made by a little known band based in Baltimore, USA.  Their synth explosions hit all the right notes and their drugged out guitar lines bubble just below the surface waiting to be transported to a world of weed-loving geeks and daisy hugging cyborgs. MGMT’s pop influence is all over it, but its infusion is met with resistance, far removed from psychedelic hippy wasters to roam among foraging technophiles. Mixing cheesiness with loads of catchy hooks in this case releases a rather enticing melody. The vocals are wrapped in 1960’s hypnosis, recalling the sound of Manfred Mann, Nirvana and The Zombies while the instrumental arrangements are dead modern, dripping with references to MGMT (’Dark Place’), Irish psychedelic folk band Hal (’Juanita’) and Neon Indian (’Green Light’). It’s a reminder that pop music is designed to be carefree, unaware of its surroundings and blinded by reality.

If you want to hear more you can download Raindeer’s entire EP for free.

 Raindeer- Dark Place: MP3

 Raindeer- Social Networking: MP3

 Raindeer- Myspace

Here’s a cute wee song from Glasser’s debut album Ring, out September 28 on True Panther. Where her previous work amalgamated icy, tribal rhythms and slightly crooked, warped synths, this new track, titled ‘Home’, is scattered with hand claps and clunky teardrops. Gone are comparisons to Kate Bush and Bjork and in come comparisons to Feist and White Hinterland. ‘Home’ sounds like a winter pop song set high in the Himalayan mountains, with previously aligned avant-garde instrumentation having been replaced by orchestral strings, woodwind and bass. Cameron Mesirow’s voice again casts a long shadow; beautifully primitive and striking, it’s perfectly coated in reverb. Having shot to fame via her first two releases, Glasser’s debut album is set to sparkle in the hearts of those awaiting more of her minimalist dream-pop.

Glasser- Home: MP3

Glasser- Myspace

We already know Florida native Mike Diaz from his hypnotically awesome remix of Memoryhouse’s ‘To The Lighthouse’, and it was exactly that transformative ability showcased there that made me want to check out his own stuff. The guy clearly has a talent for pristine pop, syncopated rhythms, breathy synth melodies and banging beats. His songs have been compared to Toro Y Moi, Washed Out and Small Black, but have a distinct feeling of isolation and contemplation that sets him apart. His electronic creations are not all blissful sun-drenched babes moonlighting as death drone; ‘Day We Met’ has an unnerving quality that will have your stomach tied in knots and your breathing quickened. Its jarring, stuttering vocal clips shatter the wall of dreary noise in the latter half’s bugged out, epileptic rave. But ‘Mien’ is the opposite; a cool, crisp Knight Rider theme striding with confidence through misty streets with an unblinking stare. ‘Weak Ends’ features a springy melody-driven rhythm with strong, cavernous vocals. Download his Sunndreamm EP for free from his myspace and follow his blog for more covers and remixes.

Millionyoung- Weak Ends: MP3

Millionyoung- Mien: MP3

Millionyoung- Chlorophyll: MP3

Millionyoung- Myspace

As well as being a talented songwriter and indestructible DIY force, Paul A Rosales has been recording and producing bands in his local Southern California for the past seven years. Now he has decided to release a compilation of these recordings via his blog to showcase all his friends’ bands. Featuring two tracks from each by Tan Dollar, Pearl Harbor/Puro Instinct, Cosmonauts, Muddy Flowers, Dash Jacket, Stellarphone, Moon Pearl and Paul’s own band Wonder Wheel, the mix is like a metaphorical and mutual pat on the back to all these great players in the flourishing scene. All of the bands have the distinctly casual, creative West Coast vibe that we know and love, and some of the songs are previously unreleased, including the Pearl Harbor (now Puro Instinct) mp3 below. Paul says, “Some of these names you have heard before, some not at all; either way you will enjoy the lush collection of California dudes and dudettes.” Stellarphone’s two rowdy garage blasts are a highlight, as are Moon Pearl and Wonder Wheel. Click the link below to download the whole mix and tell us your faves!

Pearl Harbor- Hubbsian Lament: MP3

Click to download free Wonder Wheel Presents compilation

Wonder Wheel- Blog

Dreamy duo Memoryhouse from Ontario, Canada creates fairytales with Denise Nouvion’s pristine vocals and Evan Abeele’s ethereal instrumentation. The swirling atmospherics envelope splicing drums and foggy guitar. ‘To The Lighthouse’ is immeasurably beautiful, with perfectly formed instrumentation and haunting lyrics with a sleepy haze drawn over top. Denise’s voice is gentle but strong, sometimes wordless but always with the same forthright crooning ability of Beach House’s Victoria Legrand or Glasser’s Cameron Mesirow. She keeps her dulcet voice near while retaining a weightless presence over Evan’s guitar and soundscapes. Memoryhouse’s songs sound very structural and rhythmic but the melodies are definitely forefront. ‘Lately (Deuxième)’ is a strikingly beautiful, delicate artefact from a gentler time, and ‘Bonfire’ shows the band’s dynamism as they enter starker territory.  The strength of the songs is further shown in their ability to be transformed into rad club bangers, with MillionYoung’s version of ‘To The Lighthouse’ sounding like a lesson in remixes. They also do a dazzlingly beautiful cover of Grizzly Bear’s ‘Foreground’. Currently on their Everyone Hears The Voice tour of America with Twin Sister, they’ve made their EP The Years available for free download from their myspace. The first pressing of the ‘Lately’ 7″ (backed with a Teen Girl Fantasy remix) sold out but another is available for purchase from Inflated Records.

Memoryhouse- To The Lighthouse: MP3

Memoryhouse- Bonfire: MP3

Memoryhouse- Lately (Deuxième): MP3

Memoryhouse- To The Lighthouse (Millionyoung remix): MP3

Memoryhouse- Website

Memoryhouse- Blog

Memoryhouse- Myspace