Genders - EP (2012)

When the news broke that Portland quartet Youth were breaking up, my heart was broken. They had just released a pretty great EP and had already released one of my favorite songs ("Want You to Know") and suddenly that would be no more. However there was a bit of good news with the band, instead of one band Youth would be splitting into two: Maggie Morris, Stephen Leisy went on to form Genders drafting Katherine Paul and Matthew Hall  into the fold and Elec Morin would be setting out solo.

Considering the rather slow pacing of Youth's releases, I'm pretty impressed with the fact that Genders managed to put out an EP this year. The band formed in April and in this short 3 song EP have already managed to completely eclipse the potential and promise of their former band. Maggie's taken the helm and proves to be an excellent frontwoman. The EP may only be a small taste of the band at play (unless you're lucky enough to live on the northwest coast where you can catch the occasional live set) but it shows a versatility untapped in their previous incarnation. Sure there's the summer beach-rock that colored Youth's best songs and made June so fun but there's more than that at work here. From the very Givers-eque introduction of "Golden State" to the dark electro-pop lean of "Twin Peaks" (which sounds astonishingly similar to The Pass' "Without Warning")

The EP are three very different on Genders' psychedelic beachy pop rock an yet none of them seem at all out of place. Showing off varying skills without displacing any of the established others. Each are jams in their own way, from sort of back-beat heavy pop influence to straight-forward Bay area rock, each is handled in just the right way to make you love it. Who would've thought that a change in artistic direction was all Genders needed to kick it into high gear. While the lazy day summer rock of Youth was certainly pleasant and full of charm, the blistering tempi and tight-knit precision  are definite winners. On their EP, Genders show us all why they're worthy of sticking around. Capitalizing on their likes and what they learned in Youth and expanding it to reach a level of musicianship I was wholly unexpecting. Here's hoping there's more to come from Genders because anything else would be an utter crime.

Get a listen to their three-song EP and fall in love with Genders.

Givers - Meantime" video

Earlier today, Louisiana pop outfit Givers released a brand new video for their track "Meantime" off recently release debut album In Light.

I'll be honest with you. I have no idea what the plot is for this video. One minute the band is entering an abandoned house in true Scooby-Doo fashion, then they revert to their childhood forms with blanket forts and the like, followed by a crazy confetti-laden house party with the band as the musical guests. That's it. Sure there's random colorful silhouette visuals and enough flashing lights to send you into an epileptic seizure but really that's it. And yet I liked it enough to watch it again. Maybe it was just for the opportunity to hear the song again in new context or just the group's infectious energy but I strangely enjoyed the almost plot-less video.

Watch the video for "Meantime":

GIVERS release debut music video

Hot off the heels of the release of their debut album, In Light, Louisiana's GIVERS have released their first ever official music video for bouncy, fun "Up Up Up". The video is rather simple, featuring the band performing in between rather artistic shots of the city, and the band members walking around said artistically shot city. And then things get a little weird. After stumbling upon a key, gravity all of a sudden gets turned off and delightful chaos ensues. Check out the video for "Up Up Up":

GIVERS - In Light (2011)

I shouldn't be surprised that I hadn't heard of Lousiana pop outfit GIVERS because, well, there's a lot of music out there. In fact I wouldn't have known about them at all if not for MiddleClassWhiteNoise so thanks are in order. Why? Because GIVERS' debut full length In Light is an exuberant pop tour de force; a sunny, casual, ear-catching endeavor worthy of millions of ears.

From opener "Up Up Up", which hits you with the sonic equivalent of a freight train, In Light is a nonstop thrill ride of vibrant, lush, unflinchingly brazen pop goodness. The brazenness is due mostly in part to the band's reliance on percussion than any hard-hitting emotive lyricism but that's hardly a problem. Especially when you're treated with such ferociously infectious optimism and unbridled joy as these talented Louisianans muster.

In Light comes out this upcoming Tuesday, June 4th on Glassnote Records but you can stream the album in it's entirety until it's release on NPR here.