I had the pleasure of working with Monteclair again this winter working on two singles. The guys are always such a joy to work with. Insanely hardworking. Not to mention, they write incredibly catchy songs that keep you tapping your foot yearning for more. This band is a really hard band to pigeonhole. They pull from an arsenal of different influences ranging from Paul Simon, Portugal The Man, Yeasayer, Fang Island and the Strokes. I love what these guys are doing! Enjoy the two songs below and be sure to buy them on their Bandcamp.

Mamma’s Always Right

Adobe Flash Player is required to play this audio.

Four Years

Adobe Flash Player is required to play this audio.

Civilian is Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack’s third full-length album for Merge Records. But it feels more than anything like the continuation of a collaboration between Wye Oak and another duo, brothers Chris and Mickey Freeland of Beat Babies Studio, who began producing the band on last year’s My Neighbor / My Creator EP. The four songs debuted on that EP pointed toward possible new directions for the band, including a wider variety of instrumentation and some of their most lively and upbeat songs to date. Ultimately, however, the ten new songs on Civilian are closer in sound and mood to 2009′s The Knot, another dark and subtle album that gradually unfolds and reveals its charms over several listens.

Holy Holy

Adobe Flash Player is required to play this audio.

(more…)

The intriguing title of Microkingdom’s latest album, Three Compositions Of No Jazz, made me wonder if the Baltimore trio were making some kind of statement, serious or tongue-in-cheek, about their genre affiliations or how composed or improvised their music is. As it turns out, the title is a nod to both Anthony Braxton’s Three Compositions Of New Jazz and the ’70s post-punk “no wave” movement, and those reference points in and of themselves make a potent statement about where Microkingdom is coming from.

(more…)

Eureka Birds, the songwriting vehicle of Justin Levy, has been a favorite band of the folks at Mobtown ever since their 2008 self-titled debut album and subsequent visit to the studio for a microshow. And while their follow-up release, the Eureka! EP, runs only about 20 minutes, it feels like a substantial work in and of itself, not just a minor stopgap release. The EP’s 6 songs represent a variety of sounds and a satisfying arc as well as many albums, and producer Tyler Watkins, who also plays bass on the recording, helps guide the songs to a clear, full-bodied sound.

(more…)

When singer/guitarist Jon Ehrens first recorded an album as the Art Department in 2005, it was just one solo project of many, including Repelican and the Hypnic Jerks. Nearly five years after The Art Anthology, however, the band is a fully operational gigging trio, rounded out by drummer Mike Meno and bassist Jason Howe, who have helped Ehrens both expand and refine the Art Department’s rewardingly unusual sound and uncompromisingly narrow aesthetic boundaries.

(more…)

Monteclair came in last month to record their record “No More Overtime”. They’re a band based out of Baltimore with Greg Wellham on guitars, Steve Mangubat on bass, Artie Sanchez on vocals, and Ben Dayman on drums. They describe themselves as sounding like “vacation music”. They are incredibly precise guys who know exactly what they want out of their music and their band. Monteclair pulls from music all over the world, from mathy post-rock to world music to pop. Some of their influences are obvious, such as Mars Volta, Fang Island and the Strokes others are subtle, like 60s Motown and Yo La Tengo. Have a listen and decide for yourself.

Adobe Flash Player is required to play this audio.