Hands Team: A Light Toned Granule

A light Toned Granule is the debut album from Alabama experimental group Hands Team. The two extended tracks, totaling a half hour of music, feature a range of guitar and synthesizer sounds that delve deep into ambient themes and avant garde melodies. Highly original, with a unique sense of arrangement, the two pieces weave through a complex set of aural moods, from ethereal, atmospheric and melodic, to edy, raw and dissonant. This is an album that shows  the groups significant depth and artistics chops. A must have. Stream and buy A Light Toned Granule at the link below.

The Venus Fly Trap: Icon

London indie label Glass Modern Records bring us, Icon, the new album from The Venus Fly Trap. The nine tracks have a nice retro post-punk and synthpop vibe, recalling artists like The Buggles and Gary Numan melded with the likes of Public Image Ltd., but yet with a modern style and feel. The album unfolds with a unique sonic edge that gives it a raw industrial appeal that rises above the commonplace to inhabit an aural landscape all its own. This isn't music for the meek. This is an album for those that seek out adventure, that shed sameness for quality artistic experiences, that prefer Soho to Tribeca, that walk under ladders and break mirrors. Stream and buy Icon at the link below.

Piqued Jacks: Loner vs Lover

Tuscany band Piqued Jacks have released Loner vs Lover, the first single from their soon to be released album The Living Past. The track is stylish altrock, with plenty of dynamic changes showcasing an edgy, heavy sheen that engages the listener at a visceral level. This is not your usual formulaic altrock, but rather an original take on an artform sorely needing bands like this that shake the roots to expose new directions and rejuvenated excitement. Stream and buy Loner vs Lover at the link below.

Kapil Seshasayee: A Sacred Bore

Glaswegian artist Kapil Seshasayee, has released A Sacred Bore, his new album on Liverpool label Loner Noise. The ten tracks are a highly original take on indie rock, spanning post-punk, experimental, shoegaze and industrial influences. Taken together the album delivers an entirely alluring and compelling experience that will satisfy the most jaded rock aficionado. Melodically complex and musically ambitious, the album weaves a unique take on modern indie music that is fresh and exciting. An absolute must have. Stream and buy A Sacred Bore at the link below.

Goodbye Honolulu: Lorry Can't Love

Lorry Can't Love is the new single from Toronto band Goodbye Honolulu. The track is an edgy post-punk tune that is reminiscent of the Cold War Kids. Stark and raw, the song grabs at your shirt like someone slipping on an icy street. This a track that engages you right from the start and never lets go. With a bit of a lofi vibe and the incendiary feel of a live performance, we can't wait to hear more from this band. Stream and buy Lorry Can't Love at the link below.

Innes Wilson: Seaview EP

Seaview is the new EP from Guelph, Ontario singer/songwriter Innes Wilson. The four tracks are catchy indie pop, with nice melodic touches and a welcoming feel. Everything about this EP is good, but as a whole it is also unremarkable. The tracks are well performed, the sound is pleasing, but at the same time nothing reaches out to really engage the listener. This is a very nice EP and therein lies the rub; it could stand a helping of edge and more memorable hooks, something to lift it from being a good record to one that makes you want to come back to it after a first listen. Definitely recommended, stream and buy Seaview at the link below.

Galaktlan: En Garde

Estonian label Seksound Records, brings us En Garde, the new album from Brussels based Estonian artist Galaktlan, aka Taavi Laatsit. The nine tracks are deep electronic and ambient music, with dense structures overlaid by simple melodies, creating an aural vibe that is smart and appealing. The album has imaginative synth pads, minimalist beats and an overall uplifting feel. It transports the listener beyond the now, to a place where one can let the music wash over them like a warm blanket, surreal yet comforting. Stream and buy En Garde at the link below.

Minor Birds: Bestiary

Bestiary is the new album from Minor Birds, aka Oakland based singer/songwriter Chelsea Wilde. The eleven tracks showcase an artist with a level of depth and chops, that is rarely seen. Wilde has the vocal prowess of Florence Welch, the edge of Siouxsie, the pop sense of Goldfrapp and that piano driven goodness of Tori Amos. What you get is a record that sets the bar high and delivers a work stunning in its originality. The album has an accessible vibe that will continue to challenge listener with new wonders coming to consciousness with each play. This is a must have. Stream and buy Bestiary at the link below.

Breakers: Rewrite

Rewrite is the sophomore album from Virginia based band Breakers. The twelve tracks come at you with the feel of another band, The Strokes, that hard edged, but yet laid back feel that is so difficult to pull off. Pull it off is what this band does, with a vibe that sounds live, but yet with the production expertise that one expects from a good studio record. The only drawback is that they are so close to The Strokes, with their sound and style, that they come off as completely derivative. This is an obviously talented band and we hope that on future records they choose to find their own sound rather than being content to totally copy another band and relegate themselves to the what could have been drawer.. Stream and buy Rewrite at the link below.

Urchn: Composure

Composure is the new single from Urchn, aka L.A. singer/songwriter Max Greenhalgh. The track is sultry, smooth, complex and totally engaging. Stylistically diverse, superlatively performed and crisply produced, it does just what a single should, draw the listener in while not satisfying their desire for more, and more is what you'll want. This track is like a first goodnight kiss, that has the OK this is different, why was that so hot vibe. Damn, give us an album or just put us out of our misery. Stream and buy Composure at the link below.