Mardou: Kirby Sessions

 

I am thankful for...PUNK! Which brings us to Kirby Sessions the latest EP from Cincinnati punkers Mardou. The three track EP channels artists from The Undertones to Richard Hell. In a mere seven minutes the band of Dylan McCartney, Eric Lindsay, Eric Dietrich and Aaron Watkins show all the cred of decades of the genre. End your week with the rawness that rock should be. Stream and download Kirby Sessions at the link below.

 

Future History: Lungs

 

FZB favorites Future History are back with their third album, Lungs. Hailing from Toronto, the band of Kevin Ker, Justin Dillon and Chris Dawe recorded the album in an old decrepit cabin in the backwoods of Ontario.  Assembling a myriad of old recording equipment and utilizing old furniture discovered in the cabin, the band spent months in solitude writing, summoning and capturing. What results is an astonishing folk rock album with tracks that are novellas to the changing seasons in wind and rain, the shifting of the cabin walls and creaking of surrounding trees. The band captures faint ghostly whispers and strange ominous noises, all of which create the sonic foundation upon which the songs were recorded.  Future History continue to deliver albums that capture the imagination and fuel the spirit. Watch the video for the album track Without You and then stream and buy Lungs at the link below.



crashfaster: furthur

 

Bay Area synthpop masters crashfaster are back with their new album further.  Sharing a heritage with bands like Human League, crashfaster continue forward from new wave influences to their own signature synthpop aesthetic.  For all the sheen though, there is an underlying post-punk current that adds a nice heavy counterpoint to the waves of synths. further defines its own sonic terrain with a dance  pop vibe that seduces the head rush. Watch the video for non-album track beacon and then stream and buy further at the link below.

 

 

ERAAS: Initiation

 

Initiation is the new album from Brooklyn synthpop artists ERAAS. Initiation is many things musically, but cool seems to be the best descriptor. The album shimmers like a back ally streetlight, with massive reverb vocals wrapped in lush synthpads, coupled to some nice field recording touches. ERAAS have a theatrical flair, delivering a stunning work that bring new originality and depth to the genre. Stream and buy Initiation in digital CD or Vinyl at the link below.

 



Clockwork Noise: Weathermachines

 

Very few bands nowadays dare to tread in the realm called progressive rock. Decades of both excellence and excess have made the bar for admittance high. Weathermachines, the debut album from Irish rockers Clockwork Noise confronts this challenge as a mere nuisance. The band of Robert Maguire,  Blathnaid Healy,  Dylan Nolan,  Chris O’Connor and  Michael Fenton flawlessly perform and produce music, phrased with surgical precision. The nine tracks stand as a new watermark for progressive albums. This is another must have. Watch the video for the track The Tourists and then stream and download Weathermachines at the link below.

 

Crystal Shipsss: I Had A Friend Video

FZB favorite Crystal Shipsss and our friends at Mouca Records bring you a new video for the track I Had a Friend from Crystal Shipsss' stellar album Dirty Dancer, Watch it below.

Monozid: A Splinter for the Pure

 

Leipzig post-punk band Monozid last released an LP in December 2012. That album is A Splinter for the Pure. The ten tracks are transcendent punk anthems that have a hypnotic groove and edgy power, that channels great bands from The Clash to Television to Devo. This record has stood its ground for a year now as a seminal DIY work that needs to be discovered by a wider audience.  Watch the original album trailer video below and  then stream and download A Splinter for the Pure at the link below.

 

Jesse Turits: Rumble Strips

 

NYC collective Mama Coco's Funky Kitchen have released another winner with Jesse Turits' new album, Rumble Strips. Produced by Oliver Ignatius, singer/songwriter Turits delivers twelve tracks of folk laden pop that could have been born of riding the rails. The album harkens back to a time when Colin Meloy, Jeff Mangum and Ben Gibbard were cutting their chops. The album shows a troubadour with a Dylanesque heritage, that eschews pretense and just grabs a guitar and knocks one out on an east Village street. Stream and download Rumble Strips at the link below.



 



Kurt von Stetten: Broken, But Not Undone

 

Broken, But Not Undone is the eighth full length from Boston garage savant Kurt von Steffen. With many great releases this year from the likes of genre champion Ty Segall, it is hard to think of the mantle passing. Yet, Kurt von Steffen clearly assumes the throne with this altogether perfect record. With every element perfectly placed, but retaining enough edge for a Soho street, Broken, But Not Undone is the singular must have of the fall. The release is out today on Static Motor Recordings. Stream and buy Broken, But Not Undone at the link below.

 



FZB Top Artists of 2013