Moonface | A Review of Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped

Spencer Krug is at it again with yet another band. For those of you who don’t know the name Krug he has been making the rounds in terms of indie music affiliations for a number of years.  The list of bands that he lends his distinctive vocals to are quite numerous.  Sunset Rubdown, Frog Eyes and Swan Lake are among his affiliations. He is one of the lead singers for indie band Wolf Parade. Moonface is his latest effort and surprisingly it’s not as trippy as you might think. You see generally speaking for the past couple of years Krug has had a penchant for producing music that has a very hypnotic psychedelic quality.  From the never ending anthems to surreal and imaginative lyrics up until now Krug has been keeping his music unreal (for lack of a better term).

 Now in Moonface’s new album we are hearing songs with a more down to earth quality, focusing less on descriptions of “dream catchers hanging from the mirror of a minivan parked along the water’s edge” and  more on how “Peter loves a girl”. Even though the lyrics are less trippy the extended anthems are still very much intact, there are more keyboard solos on this tiny album than most 80s albums. That shouldn’t deter anyone from picking up this album, there are a number of tracks on it that just have that sought after listenability to them. 

Band In Heaven | The Band’s Latest Tape Seven Minutes In Heaven

Among the many up and coming artists who find their outlet in an ambient style of music, Band In Heaven is one of the standouts. This band from West Palm Beach, Florida has been fine tuning their sound for a few years now. They have a way of eking out tracks a few at a time but as a result they have a relatively large if not spread out catalogue of music. Band in Heaven have an atmospheric sound populated with distortion and driven rhythms. The latest release in July of 2011 is a bit more polished in comparison to their previous demos. The two tracks, Sleazy Dreams and If You Only Knew have a strong tone and illustrate the band’s growing confidence and stylistic direction. You can get their music from the band’s bandcamp page here.

Graham Wright | Shirts VS Skins

Do you have a deep-seated hate for sweater wearing cool kids and a strange fascination with soviet era spy satellites while inebriated? If you do, you may have a new go-to album. Graham Wright of the Toronto based band Tokyo Police Club is releasing a solo album and it’s called Shirts VS Skins. The first impression that the album may give you is that Graham Wright is a cheeky bastard with a penitent for writing lyrics that will make you laugh.  The lyrics in Shirts VS Skins are not the only selling point on this solo endeavour of Wright’s. No, the playful structure of the songs give you as the listener the sense that there is real momentum behind each track. The first song on the album Chucklefucks, is a prime example of Wright’s cheeky style, with its deeply insulting lyrics sung ever so genteelly.  And after you hear it, the song does make you wonder; who will pick up all those cups and plates after the Chucklefuck’s party is done.  Was that’s Wright’s job?

Soviet Race is another highlight from this album. It combines a pleasant pop melody with a nerdy underlying story surrounding soviet era paranoia.  Evening Train from Kingston Station is another oddly strong track, simply because of how it just explodes unexpectedly in the middle.

Graham Wright’s Shirts VS Skins album is full of light-hearted songs, perfect company for the summer month.  

Pure X | A Review of Pleasure

 Austin Texas trio Pure X is set to release their latest album Pleasure worldwide on August 22^nd. The band’s sound is ambient rock and it really takes that minimalist style to heart. Repetition is key to this style of music and you can hear similar themes throughout the record which produces the desired effect. When in a situation where you are in need of some hazy escape band’s like Pure X are the way to go.  Besides a few unfortunate tracks Pleasure strikes that solemn trance inducing tone with the best of them.   If you are looking for some music to relax to, Pure X’s Pleasure would make a good pick.   

My Grey Horse Have A New Music Video

My Grey Horse has recently released a music video for their newest single. This is the first single that they have released with their new label and the track is called Waist of Air. Waist of Air appeared on the Saltway EP however it is going to be the song that will hopefully introduce My Grey Horse to a wider audience. The video was directed and edited by one of the band members Peter Butler.  The elements in the video are full of very vivid colors, which stands in contrast to the song itself. Waist of Air’s message is rather somber.  On the whole though, this music video does provide a nice visual introduction to the band. 

Check it out. 

my grey horse - waste of air from Peter Butler on Vimeo.