Samideani: Adorable EP

Yesterday was a band from France and today we have a band from Italy. Samideani is a quartet from Bergamo that delivers lo-fi post-punk in a dreamy package. Featuring both female and male lead vocals the band's debut EP, Adorable, is a combination of influences from shoegaze to punk, drawing comparrisons as diverse as the Kills, to the Clash, to Joy Division. Samideani take it all in and what comes out is their own unique take on post-punk. The six tracks are hard edged and heavy while also being melodic. Adorable is strong on every track and marks this band as one to watch for the future. Definately can't wait to hear more from Samideani. Stream and download Adorable at the link below.

Decibelles: Pedro Joko



Decibelles is a female punk band from Lyon, France. Right off that's pretty cool. I dare you to name another all girl French punk band. Their debut album, Pedro Joko, is a hard assed, in your face, punk rock assault. Driving guitar, heavy handed bass and smashing drums pair perfectly with the at the edge vocals. Don’t let the punk sensibilities fool you though, there is much more than this on the album. Decibelles also give up sterling production and great songwriting. This album is a standout in every way and is destined for my year end best of list. Stream and download Pedro Joko for free at the link below.

Art Imperial: Surf Suburban EP

The Surf Suburban EP is the debut from Art Imperial, otherwise known as Toronto singer/songwriter Arthur C. Imperial. The six tracks jump right out at you with raucous garage rock, with similarities that range widely from Hunx and his Punx to the Raveonettes. Art Imperial gives us melodic, driving music with every track on the EP a winner. My personal favorites are The One You Choose, a dreamy, haunting song that seems to go right to the soul and Bugs Out My Mind, a ballad with a great guitar riff and beautiful harmonies with a wall of sound feel. Imperial shows us some impressive musicianship with him playing all the instruments. No drum machines here. He proves one can make a really fine band out of me, myself and I. Stream and download the Surf Suburban EP at the link below.

Echo Shade: Echo Shade EP

Echo Shade is the alter ego of UK musician/producer Lewis Woods. His self-titled debut EP is  full of lo-fi, shoegazey synth melodies. Understated beats and minimalist production deliver  pop tracks that lend themselves to both active listening and as background to other life pursuits. This is an admirable quality, interesting enough to warrant attention, but also unpretentious and light. There are many textures and shades of imagery in Echo Shade  with just the right amount of noise to liven things up. This EP is ultimately listenable and doesn't wear with repetition. Definitely one to add to your music collection. Stream and download for free at the link below.

Francisco The Man: Broken Arrows/Franklin Ave

It's been a year since the debut EP by L.A. shoegazers Francisco The Man and we finally have a followup. The single Broken Arrows backed with Franklin Ave was worth the wait. Broken Arrows has it all, musical hooks, vocal hooks and lyrical hooks. The guitars sound great, the bass work provides a wonderful counterpoint and the drums are rock solid and tie it all together. I can't seem to get the song out of my head. Scotty Cantino's lead vocals and that guitar refrain just keep going round and round. The ending of Broken Arrows makes an interesting transition to the track Franklin Ave, a downtempo piece that perfectly compliments the feel of Broken Arrows. The only downside is that we need much more. These two tracks make me yearn for a whole album. Francisco The Man is a great band, period. Stream and download Broken Arrows/Franklin Ave. at the link below.

Arrange: Plantation

Lush ambient landscapes, lo-fi drones and dreamy pop songs showing a mature musical sense of form and taste. All this coming from an 18 year old, just amazing. Plantation is the fourth (yes, fourth) album from the prolific and immensly taleneted Malcom Lacey aka Arrange. When one considers the impact of the first Washed Out album, it is clear that the home DIY Plantation album should clearly be of equal importance. This is a great record in every way a record can be great. Lyrically, musically, vocally and the production are all that one could ask for. Plantation is a must have, a work that will stand as a testament to the budding genius that is Arrange. Stream and dowmload Plantation for free at the link below.

Triptides: Tropical Dreams EP

It's only been 5 months since the release of Triptides debut EP and they already have a followup out, Tropical Dreams. The Bloomington, IN trio stay true to their garage sound on this sophomore effort with seven tracks of jangly, reverb twinged, dream pop with slight lo-fi vibe. The release of Tropical Dreams also sees Triptides appearing on the UK label Beachtapes, which should mean a wider audience for the band. This is solid garage band music which should be added to your collection. Stream and download Tropical Dreams at the link below.

Burning Buildings: Burning Buildings

Burning Buildings is the self-titled debut EP from this UK trio. The tracks far surpass what one would expect from a DIY record. This is quite simply a great post-punk record, that could easily cross over to commercial alternative radio. Everything here is strong, the vocals are out front and unafraid to be heard, the guitar is heavy, the bass is heavy and the drums are heavy. The songwriting is sterling, the musicianship exceptional and the production is worthy of the best studio, not a bedroom DIY. Burning Buildings are destined to become an important band. Listen to them now and don't be surprised to see them coming out on a major label sometime in the future. Stream and download Burning Buildings for free at the link below.

The Townhouses: Backyard



Backyard is the latest EP from Melbourne's The Townhouses, a solo project of  Leigh Hannah. This is dreamy pop music with a unique sound coming from the prominent marimba. Stradling the ground between ambient, chillwave and dream pop, Hannah combines intricate melodic lines into soundscapes the beckon one to close their eyes and get lost in the music. This music is pure beauty, haunting and enchanting, with Hannah's voice providing a siren song background to the tracks. Stream and download Backyard at the link below.

Motel Beds: Sunfried Dreams

Ohio has been the home to more than its share of good garage music. Now it gives us the quintet Motel Beds. Their latest release, Sunfried Dream, is a lo-fi plum full of garage band anthems. This is one to listen to over and over. All the tracks grab you and pull you in. Of particular note is Bat Naps which has shades of both the Clash and Placebo. This album is heavy and poppy, fuzzy and clean, and just all around great. There is just something very compelling about Motel Beds' music. Can't really single out any one thing, as everything about these tracks works. Grab some great music for free at the link below.

Wednesday Shameless Plug

  

So I am not just a music blogger, but am also a musician. My band Prevrat will release our next album titled Manic Diversions at the end of June. This is a followup to our EP Coup d'Tat which came out last November. 8 advance tracks for Manic Diversions and the entirety of Coup d'Tat are avialable on our Bandcamp site. Name you price or enter 0 to download for free. I also have a solo electronic side project and my first album Didgital Dreams is also available on Bandcamp for those into electronic, ambient and darkwave. The links to both are below. Thanks for checking out my music.

Tuesday Extra: New Boring Girls Single



Heard from Boring Girls member Maxwell today that they have a new single out that is a split with his side project Cotton Shark. The tracks Kill Your Friends and Grass Snake Scream are both very cool tunes. We love Boring Girls here at Floorshime Zipper Boots and hope they keep the music coming. Check out the split single at the link below. 

The Whatevers: All Your Indie Heroes



The Whatevers might be from the UK or they might be from Belgium, whatever. All Your Indie Heroes is the latest release from the duo of Mike Relton and Kate Bisson.  The album is ten tracks of the minimalist, lo-fi, post punk music of Relton, paired with Bisson's vocals that come off as a cross between Lilly Allen and Morrissey.  Like Morrissey, the lyrics tell tales of love, life and anguish. These aren't hooky pop songs, they're short stories put to music. The band's music is quirky and enjoyable. Something different from the mass of garage music out there now. Stream and download All Your Indie Heroes at the link below.

Boy In A Bear Costume: Poor Frisco EP

The Poor Frisco EP is the debut EP from Kansas City quartet Boy In A Bear Costume. The EP features four tracks of fuzzy lo-fi garage music that brings to mind images of Times New Viking and Cloud Nothings. The vocals by Katie Ford are definately the strongest thing about the tracks with an interesting timbre and some unique phrasing. Ford's singing really carries the record and the EP is worth recommending just for her. The songs employ some cool time changes, but these get overused. Generally the EP could benefit from more inventive instrumental parts. The musicianship is uneven at best with the bass and drums not up to the same level as the guitars. The tracks Wannabe and Boy In A Bear Costume come the closest to putting it all together, but the time changes seem thrown in just for the sake of being there and both songs would benefit from a straight delivery. All in all this band shows promise, but they could certainly benefit from working with a good producer. Check Boy In A Bear Costume out for yourself at the link below.

The Woozies: The Cassette Tape



The surfs up in the garages of Columbus, Ohio. Must be, because we have The Woozies. The Cassette Tape is everything good about garage music. Psychedelic surf music straight from the 60's. Could see these guys teleported back to 1967 and opening up for Moby Grape or the Electric Prunes. This is happy music, fun music and good music. This quartet is so authentic sounding it is plain scary. Must be that a wormhole opened up in Columbus and The Woozies came through it from the past. That or these are the greatest students of 60's music ever known. Either way The Woozies are a must have for any afficianado of garage music. Stream and download The Cassette Tape at the link below.

Stone Darling: All I Wanna Do/Can You Get To That



There have been a plethora of great female bands coming out of southern California. The most dominant of these are Vivian Girls, Warpaint, Dum Dum Girls and Best Coast (ok so there's a guy in this band, but the focus is Bethany Cosentino). This then begs the question, do we need another shoegazy, post-punk, SoCal female band? Oh yes, absolutely...Stone Darling. All we have from Stone Darling so far are two tracks, the original All I Wanna Do and a cover of the Funkadelics Can You Get To That. Beautiful harmonies, jangly guitars and pure garage band bliss abound in these tracks. The hook heavy All I Wanna Do is a pefect single. Light, airy and just good to listen to. One of those tunes you can just listen to over and over. Can You Get To That is powerful and laid back simultaneously and gives even more of the beautiful harmonies. The band recently got a full EP release funded on Kickstarter, so look forward to hearing much more from this band. Stream and download Stone Darling at the link below.

Villa Cola: She EP

The She EP is the sophomore release from London trio Villa Cola. The 5 tracks weave together deep post punk roots with synthpop driven vocals that evoke a new wave comparrison to Depeche Mode. Villa Cola are polished while still being edgy. The synths have minimalist tendancies, but also offer ample complexity to keep the listener fully engaged. Every track is strong, with energy oozing from every beat. A special notice should be taken of the bass work, which is sterling and could really benefit from being more prominent in the mix on some tracks. This is a band that one could see rising to stadium status. Very few bands put it all together this well. Stream and download the She EP at the link below.

Little Kid: Logic Songs

London, UK has given the world a multitude of great music. That's quite a heritage to live up to, but Little Kid, aka Kenny Boothby, gives it his all. (LOL, Kenny just emailed me to say he's from London, Ontario. Oh well, the sentiments expressed apply regardless of where he's from.) His latest album, Logic Songs is an epic work spanning lo-fi, folk and ambient influences, all tied together in a unique setting of acoustic singer/songwriter meets industrial noise. The tracks on this album are beautiful, while being challenging sonically. It's a true testament to Boothby's talent that that he can pull off such a melding of disparate sounds at all, let alone do it so expertly. This is a great album. Stream and download it at the link below. 

Youth Lagoon: July + Cannons

The debut single by Youth Lagoon, aka Trevor Powers, is surprisingly powerful for dreamy lo-fi pop. There is much to like here, well crafted songs, sterling musicianship, reverby (but not too) vocals and a simple compelling presentation that screams this guy is to be taken very, very seriously. Signed to Juno Beach records, an album is expected for release in July. Can't wait! July + Cannons are great tracks. Did I say they were great tracks? Oh by the way, these are great tracks. Stream and download them for free at the link below.

Friday Extra - New Video from No Evil Star

As a followup to our review, here is a new video from No Evil Star. Enjoy!

DAD: DAD

DAD is the self-titled album from Vancouver musician Crystal Dorval. Not sure if this is a side project to her My Friend Wallace incarnation or whether DAD is her new main project. At any rate, the 12 tracks provide a wealth of dreamy, fuzzy lo-fi music. Jangly guitars, way out back vocals, heavy doses of reverb and an active drum machine comprise the sonic landscape here. Instrumental hooks keep things somewhat interesting, but at the same time there's not a lot to hang on to. Fuzzy lo-fi guitars and obscure layers only get you so far. One wonders if there isn't more to be had from this artist. It would be especially nice to hear some actual vocals instead of the indistinguishable chants, oo’s, aah’s and purrs that make just another obscure layer. This is an OK album, but not a great one. DAD leaves me undecided about whether this is an artist to take seriously or just another bedroom project that should remain in obscurity. Decide for yourself, by streaming and downloading DAD at the link below.

Jetman Jet Team: Unfinished Album

Ok right off, have always thought the Trinity Test picture that Jetman Jet Team are using as their cover was very cool. If you don't know what the Trinity test is, ah that's what Google is for. Anyway, Unfinished Album is the three track debut from this Seattle quintet. Of course this begs the question of whether this is an aptly titled three song EP or if this is a teaser for an album that's in the works. Right from the start you get garage tinged shoegaze that just pushes forward with energy. The tracks are fuzzed out and dreamy, with vocals so far back in the mix that, at times, you wonder if they are actually there or if you're imagining them. The three songs are tonal poems that create new visions in one's head with each listen. The tracks' most compelling feature is that they seem too short when I listen to them. This is interesting as they range from 4 to 5 1/2 minutes each, so they aren't particularly short. They just seem to go by quickly. This is a sure sign that more tracks are needed, so I sincerely hope that Unfinished Album will be finished soon. Definately need more. Stream and download Jetman Jet team at the link below.

Radio Wire Empire: Color & Colour EP

The Color & Colour EP is the latest offering from Detroit's Radio Wire Empire, aka singer/songwriter Matt Romanski. The 7 tracks of electropop/shoegaze are catchy and fun. It would be easy to point to influences from LCD Soundsystem to Atlas Sound to, dare I say it, The Postal Service, but though the music has a familiar feel, it is distinct and original. Touches of lo-fi sneak in when least expected, minimalist beats propel the tracks forward and with synth work binding it all together, the whole thing just works. A good time is guaranteed for all. Stream and download the Color & Colour EP at the link below.

No Evil Star: Beach Reading

Beach Reading is the latest album from Boston singer/songwriter Adam Quane aka No Evil Star. Since his debut in 2006, No Evil Star has released 6 albums of dreamy psych pop music. Once can hear many influences hear, from Animal Collective to Arcade Fire to Guided by Voices to Washed Out. That's a lot of ground to cover and Quane does it with solid musicality, interesting songs and production that frames his musical adventures perfectly. There is a lot in Beach Reading to keep one engaged. Just when you think you have settled in, the mood changes and the listener is drawn back into active involvement with the music. Beach Reading is what shoegaze should be, complex without being pretentious. Stream and download Beach Reading for free at the link below and take the sonic trip.

The Morning Clouds: Wasted Youth Blues

The Morning Clouds is the latest incarnation of Denver singer/songwriter Josh Wambeke. Best known for his work in Phineas Gage and Fell, Wambeke is a longtime fixture in the Denver music scene. His debut EP as The Morning Clouds gives us 5 songs of dark introspective psychedelic music. Polished and lo-fi at the same time with unmistakable 60's influences, Wasted Youth Blues is a record that begs to be listened to. This is brooding, in your bedroom with the lights low, thinking music that ranges from lush and dreamy to heavy and fuzzy. Stream and download Wasted Youth Blues at the link below.