Listen: Art Decade - "No One's Waiting"

Boston symphonic rock outfit Art Decade may have just released their debut full length Western Sunrise last year but that doesn't seem to have stopped them from getting back to work on a follow up. "No One's Waiting", the first peek at a forthcoming record finds Art Decade right where they left off - out of bristly forest of the punky rock jams and back among a blanket of glistening string arrangements.

Rather like "Western Sunrise" or "The Impossible", "No One's Waiting" vocals are downright anthemic, building from a subtle climb that slowly incorporates the strings with it's driving drums. Another example of Talmi's genre-straddling abilities, "No One's Waiting" doesn't rely strongly on either the indie rock growl or the orchestral pop flair, taking what's necessary from both and balancing them alongside each other. The result is a sort of ebb and flow that always returns to the middle ground but plays with that balance in interesting ways before embarking on a climactic rise that walks both influences hand and hand to a rather cathartic release.
  

Listen: Son Lux - "Lost It To Trying"

A few short months ago when experimental composer/producer Ryan Lott aka Son Lux signed to Joyful Noise Recordings, we got a little taste of what that team up could result in with the beautiful one-off single "TEAR" in anticipation of a forthcoming full length. Now, with Son Lux' Lanterns finally completed we're getting a peak at the sure-fire masterpiece with "Lost It To Trying".

Built on fluttering flutes, "Lost It To Trying" features the vocals of Indiana sister duo Lily & Madeleine and continues Lott's fascination with the juxtaposition of opposites. Pristine melodic lines inlaid with seemingly random swatches of chaotic turbulence. It's a blend of heavenly orchestral pop with just the right amount of updating with electronic sounds and drum pads infusing a pseudo R&B flavor. All the while the ladies' lovely vocals float unfettered and undisturbed above the multi-layered textual labyrinth of Lott's creation.



Son Lux's third full length and Joyful Noise debut Lanterns is out October 29th. You can now pre-order limited edition clear and black vinyl as well as standard black, CDs, and mp3 over at Joyful Noise.

Golden Suits - Golden Suits (2013)

During the press cycle for Daniel Rossen's Silent Hour/Golden Mile EP last year, Rossen let slip that he'd been helping former Department of Eagles band member Fred Nicolaus with his upcoming solo record. In an instant my hopes of an Department of Eagles reunion were reignited after years of lying mostly dormant. To what extent that aid was was left unclear and it wasn't until well over a year later that the first peak what Nicolaus had been brewing made it's way out in first single "Didn't I Warn You"

With Daniel Rossen functioning mostly as the megaphone of Department of Eagles, it's rather easy to relegate Fred Nicolaus to the role of background player but on his first solo venture, under the moniker Golden Suits, Nicolaus makes his own voice heard in a big way. While Rossen's vocals often accompany a sense of emotional urgency, Nicolaus' flexes his with practiced calm. Where Rossen's are swathed in intricately layered arrangements, Nicolaus' vocals roam wild and free. But Golden Suits is more than just your standard "he did this so I'll do that" kind of record - rather for the first time, we get to see what Fred Nicolaus can do when only relying on his former collaborators for finishing touches.

The result is an album that takes it's time - softly treading, lightly weaving, and effortlessly steered. Nicolaus' melodic power comes predominantly from his ever spotlighted vocals and his lyricism is spry and clever while given ample time to take root. Though almost every one of Nicolaus' Department of Eagles conspirators are present, Golden Suits is far from a Department of Eagles record and their influence is subtle if anything. The only audible instance of Daniel Rossen's vocals is in the harmonies of album closer "Dearly Beloved".

Golden Suits is clearly Nicolaus', recounting his own tales of woe and upheaval distilled into a sense of offbeat pop that allows them to be more than melancholic musings. They're not quite elevated to the level of humor but infused with just enough pep and light-heartedness to be utterly enjoyable, relatable, charming, and not as insufferable as an album of "Woe is me" songs has the potential to be.

While it may have been a bit of unintentional misdirection that lead me to Golden Suits, I'm certainly glad it did. Not only does the album spotlight Fred Nicolaus as a dear melodic yarn-spinner but paints a far clearer perspective of Nicolaus' strengths as musician in ways a late arrival to Department of Eagles might not really indicate. Fred Nicolaus might be the least famous of his Grizzly Bear cohorts but Golden Suits proves it's not for lack of talent and Nicolaus should be well on his way to selling out venues soon enough.

Listen: The Debauchees - "I've Got Energy"

Louisville trio The Debauchees are young - let's get that bit out of the way right now. It's a point that'll be brought up time and time again and like similar young adult bands Avi Buffalo, Balkans, and Out Go the Lights, it might begin to obscure the very nature of the music they're making. Consisting of three sprightly twenty year olds, The Debauchees are a band of considerable talent and precision.

The biggest counterpoint to their youth might very well be in the sultry purr of vocalist/guitarist Sydney Chadwick. Well at least it starts out that way before rising to a tuneful punky wail at the most climactic moments. It's a delivery that requires a lot more confidence and self awareness than your standard twenty something and yet comes off without the slightest bit of insincerity. And the same can be said of the band as a whole invoking the sort of rebellious rock n' roll spirit you usually don't encounter at all in indie rock. It's far from trying to invoke records they grew up listening to and decided they wanted to incorporate, it's raw influence emblazoned on their sleeves and galvanizing their every musical decision. They don't need much more to spice up their music than that. "I've Got Energy", the lead single from their upcoming Big Machines and Peculiar Beings seems like it could very well have been a live take sort of a thing.

It may be too soon to say but The Debauchees are a band of contradictions: young in actual age but old in spirit and influence, polished but not wholly without grit, "I've Got Energy" is insanely catchy without relying the least bit on pop conventions. They're not reinventing the wheel but they don't have to - they're setting the whole damn thing on fire.



The Debauchees' Big Machines and Peculiar Beings is out November 12th on sonaBLAST! Records.

Listen: The Lost Cavalry - "Telescope"

Considering "Stars Are Ripe" has technically been available for a month or so before releasing the stream, British chamber poppers The Lost Cavalry decided they owed us another single and I for one am not complaining. While I mentioned "Stars Are Ripe" is more of a continuation of the The Lost Cavalry we've come to know, "Telescope" isn't quite so familiar sounding. Sure, it features Mark West's sleepy vocals but other than that it doesn't feature The Lost Cavalry's infectious, moving folk pop sound.

That's not to say "Telescope" is stagnant but there's considerably a lot less going on it in than songs past. Where you could listen to any previous Lost Cavalry song and point out any of its multitude of members (there's six), "Telescope" sounds very much like ringleader Mark West could perform it solo. There's little ornamental flourishes but other than it's a rather straight forward, blossoming simple vocal showcasing folk tune.



The Lost Cavalry's debut full length Three Cheers for the Undertaker is out September 16th on Folkroom Records.

Listen: Chris Holm - "H.A.A.R.P"

If you follow the actions of Norwegian orchestral pop sextet Young Dreams, you might've heard guitarist/vocalist Chris Holm's "H.A.A.R.P" before. Awhile back they created a mix for Under the Radar's artist mixtape series and they slipped this little gem on there. And hopefully you've heard of Chris Holm before - besides being Young Dreams gritty rock guy, he's been a member of Sondre Lerche's backing band and even had the first single for his upcoming solo debut record Kilos directed by Sondre Leche's wife Mona.

And while the first single "When I Die" was every bit of a gritty rock jam, opening track "H.A.A.R.P" shows you really can pin Chris Holm down. Featuring hip hop samples almost extensively about halfway through that all changes and the sort of tropical leaning sound reminiscent to Young Dreams shine through. It makes  a strange sort of sense and even Holm's pillowy soft vocals carry a message befitting of the rap selection that preceded them.



It's enough to make me just kind of shrug when attempting to figure out what sort of record Kilos is going to be. Luckily that won't be too long as Kilos will be out everywhere digitally on September 20th.

Listen: Lucius - "Tempest"

It kind of goes without saying but Brooklyn indie pop quintet Lucius' upcoming debut full length album is without a doubt one of my most anticipated albums of this year. Since discovering them last year, it's been a marvel to watch them only get better and better and "Tempest", the next single from the forthcoming Wildewoman just shows more of that.

Unlike the playful narrative flavor of "Hey, Doreen", "Tempest" plunks Lucius right back in the emotional hot seat of the songs from the self-titled EP. Only instead of the questing, pondering  "Don't Just Sit There" or the sassy and rebellious "Go Home", "Tempest" recalls the most violent conflicts in a relationship. But rather than pointing fingers, they willfully acknowledge their own culpability in surprisingly calmly delivered lines. It's a piece of delicately plotted beauty that runs the gamut of heartfelt appeal and soothing rationalization filled with those powerhouse vocals that are every bit of Lucius' signature.



Lucius' debut full length Wildewoman is out October 15th on Mom + Pop.