Phoenix | Bankrupt!
Everything will be okay.Recommended If You Like: Empire Of The Sun, The Strokes, Matt and Kim, Passion Pit
By Molly Pfeffer, Velvet Sessions, Wednesdays 5-6 p.m.
The Besnard Lakes | Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO
I have no idea what that album title means. Besnard Lakes are a dreamy indie band with a girl on vocals. They have fluffy, thick synths and melodic basslines. Often, the lead vocals are covered in reverb, obscuring the lyrics, but the melodies stay in the foreground. It sounds like singer Olga Goreas has her mouth full of clouds. There's some chillwave influence here as well, with the liquid rhythm sections and dance -influenced grooves. There are hints here and there of acid psychedelia, but they're well hidden behind the cotton candy mountains of instruments on this album. This album has some good ideas that are worth checking out. RIYL: Tame Impala, Olivia Tremor Control, MGMT
By Cameron Stewart, Sultry Red Feedback, Fridays 2-4 p.m.
Io Echo | Ministry of Love
A passive, lo-fi assault on the ears. LA duo IO Echo takes sonic indie to the Eastern Hemisphere on "Ministry of Love," dabbling in Asian elements and crafting an album that has the likes of director Harmony Korine and James Franco taking notice. Dark but romantic, the band's brash guitars and drums contrast with a strategic vulnerability in the vocals. With the flip of a switch, the volatile title track transforms into slow and steady "Stalemate," only to shift again later. Sounds travel with the tempo, and IO Echo aptly named a string of tracks to coincide with the journey. The band is disinterested in a full-frontal attack. Falsetto poetry masks guttural wishes, but only for so long (hear "Forget Me Not"). The album's direction might be lost, but the ambience isn't.
RIYL: STRFKR, Cayucas, Throw Me the Statue
By Mandi Ray
