Once you start to explore new music beyond what’s readily listenable on Spotify or terrestrial radio, it’s easy to lose yourself in related link clicks all the way to discovering entire scenes. Such has been the case for me recently when uncovering the variety of great bands in Melbourne, Australia, one of whom (Dick Diver) I was lucky to see live recently among a small crowd in the lobby area of the Vera Project here in Seattle. Heard of the bands Cool Sounds, Teaser Pony, The Shifters or Ciggie Witch? Well, I certainly hadn’t. They’re all from Melbourne, and all in my new summer 2015 music mix.
Turns out that when you spend the past few months opening a new browser tab anytime you run across an interesting-sounding music link, you end up with a ridiculous amount of bands and songs to check out. And that’s not counting the 20+ bands I saw at this year’s NYC Popfest.
Anyway, I managed to winnow down selections from 50-odd bands to a still-large 28 tracks total – none of which have (yet) worn out their welcome in my headphones on my daily commute.
As with my spring playlist, I’ve written the tiniest capsule review of each song, with band origin, release date and label info, as available. This time I lost track of where I found each song (I really let the browser tabs pile up). However, numerous hat tips must be directed to those Twitter accounts/blogs/people of good taste and generosity of music-sharing spirit who sourced some of these, including: IndiePopSavedMyLife (@indiepopSML), Toby (@finestkiss), When You Motor Away (@WYMAblog), Ben (@didnotchart), Fuzzed Out Bliss (@PostpunkRadio) and Tim Sendra.
Hoping to share a little new-song-discovery thrill with you, here are my picks:
Double Summer
A Summer 2015 new music mix
The Airplanes – Where You Are Now
Charmingly-earnest fuzzpop bliss.
Cool Sounds – Control
Enchantingly-moody throb and jangle.
Ciggie Witch – Look of Pain
Moseying slide guitar and shuffle with a sweet pop core.
Dick Diver – Waste the Alphabet
Taut pop chug that levels up when all the guitars and vocals kick in.
The Chills – America Says Hello
Hello again to the finest purveyors of crystalline pure pop.
Seapony – Saw the Light
Gossamer guitar confection.
Presents For Sally – Wishawaytoday
Bringing back early 90s-style shoegaze / Manchester beat pop in style.
Westkust – Swirl
Truth in song title advertising, cresting wave after wave.
The Cairo Gang – Ice Fishing
Byrds-song in a mod pop wrapper.
The Golden Eaves – No Other
Sun-dappled and swinging guitar pickings.
The Chandler Estate – Spies (No more)
Pensive and gently bopping.
Joanna Gruesome – Honestly Do Yr Worst
Sweet and tart, lilting vox & shouts, guitar snarl and strum.
Spring King – City
Pinballing post-punk stomper.
SHOPPING – Why Wait?
Mind your own business (on the dance floor).
The Shifters – Algeria
Pay your rates-UH! Or homage to none other than Mark E.
Teaser Pony – Champion Fullback
Sparkling ballad of a disenchanted sports hero.
Dirty Sidewalks – It’s Getting Better
Covered with bubblegum and a little grit.
Eternal Summers – Together or Alone
Raises its head from its shoes long enough to shout it out.
Lorna – Bigger Than Sound (And Greater Than Us)
Enveloped in a gently chiming pop undertow.
No Joy – Hollywood Teeth
Tuneful distortion, like their similarly loveless predecessors.
Vaadat Charigim – Hadavar Haamiti
Echo-ey and slightly mysterious thundercloud of guitars.
Linden – Rest and Be Thankful
Horn-accented Sunday strolling.
The Orange Peels – 9
Unwinds as the highway, sunny and meandering.
Ultimate Painting – (I’ve Got the) Sanctioned Blues
Still picking and twanging, riding a rail.
MERCURY GIRLS – Golden (demo)
Blurry blast of ba-ba-ba-das.
The American Peasantry – Don’t Let Your Heart Go Wandering
Bouncing a Postcard through a blender.
Treasures of Mexico – Optimism
A very pretty minor key meditation.
Stephen Hero – Golden
Lush and hushed guitar shimmer.