Earlier this year, former Canadian Alexandra Stewart released her debut EP WÀBÀ. Named after the Algonquin word for light, her set of lush pop songs are exactly that. Fusing old style chanteuse with jazz-inflected indie pop, Stewart’s vibrantly textured songs radiate with warmth and, even despite their occasionally dark lyrics, glisten with a delicate sheen; a radiant lunar glow.
“Pow Wow”, the second track on the EP is perhaps the least night-invoking of WÀBÀ‘s 5 songs. The most upbeat and poppy, “Pow Wow” features Stewart’s heavily descriptive narrative lyricism and binds them to winding but minimal melodies. From its beginning brass stabs to its penultimate glockenspiel – “Pow Wow” is all smooth, blossoming songcraft. Each musical idea comes in succession rather than through layering allowing the track a kind of free wheeling plod. “Pow Wow” unfurls at it’s own pace but one that’s none too slow. Each momentous surge leads to another musical idea with Stewart’s vocals forming the densest part of the track – obscuring an otherwise clear melodic trail at its climactic end.
Alexandra Stewart’s premier EP WÀBÀ is out now. You can listen/download at her Bandcamp here »
While we’re busy figuring out how to rank and present our favorite albums and songs of 2013, there’s still plenty to pay attention to outside the listomania. Brooklyn’s Young Yeller is the solo project of Chrome Sparks member Jesse Brickel and definitely something to look out for in early 2014 when his self-titled LP drops. Crossing my fingers that the whole ends up a theoretical sum of songs like “War” (or the equally commanding “1st Love”).
If you were lucky enough to catch one of their few CMJ sets, you had the privileged of catching a set of completely new tunes from Brooklyn experimental pop quartet Milagres. With their 2011 sophomore effort Glowing Mouth firmly in the rear view, Milagres are back in a big, big way. “The Letterbomb,” the first single from their forthcoming full length Violent Light, is all expansive, fathomless big rock licks and a decidedly more straightforward delivery than Glowing Mouth‘s subtle creep. Far more synth-oriented, Milagres frontman Kyle Wilson is in rare form on “The Letterbomb” twisting and contorting his vocals for the sake of a heightened state of drama that covers the range of everything/anything between caressing whispers to riotous shouts. “The Letterbomb” crackles with intensity, an impressive feat of dynamic songcraft that manages to find balanced intricacy with its ginormous sound.
Milagres’ third full length record Violent Light is out February 25th on Kill Rock Stars.
Phoenix’s Shane Dinet, a.k.a. Ether Teeth, is two-for-two in the “original songs that I’ve heard of his” category, after the gorgeous track “Animal” from two years ago. On “Autumn Sky,” Dinet pulls back on the multicolored freneticism of his usual work in favor of a more straightforward indie rock tune with one hell of a vocal melody:
Ether Teeth promises more new work to come, but there’s plenty of lost-getting afoot on his Soundcloud page »
You know, if Erin Fein aka Psychic Twin became the go to female vocalist for electronic producers everywhere I probably wouldn’t complain at all. After guesting on Cemeteries synth pop off shoot Camp Counselors’ “Attean”, Fein’s lending her talents to Beat Culture‘s “Drifter”.
Unlike normal featured vocalists, Fein leads right out of the gate with some breathy sighs and sultry vocalizations with a surprisingly sparse accompaniment. In fact, almost a full minute passes before the beat drops to knock the listener from Psychic Twin’s vocal free-fall. Even then Beat Culture engages in minimalistic approach, embracing the space between musical ideas and giving Fein free reign to simmer and glide, while providing an oceanic cushion that ebbs and flows. Beat Culture isn’t at all afraid of his beats not being the primary focus and it works to great advantage here – “Drifter” is a calmly treaded dance jam with an emotionally resonant core (due in part to Psychic Twin’s involvement). It’ll make your body move but also hit you square in the feels.
You can preorder Beat Culture’s “Drifter”/”Shibuya” 7″ before it’s January 21st release date through B3SCI Records now »
