Listen: Night Moves - "Carl Sagan"

With all the bands inspired by Carl Sagan's Cosmos (Yellow Ostrich's appropriately named final album Cosmos springs immediately to mind), it's hardly surprising to find that Minneapolis outfit Night Moves are among them.  Album opener "Carl Sagan", the second single from their upcoming sophomore record Pennied Days, continues in Night Moves twangy, swaggering take on indie rock by taking things down a notch or two from "Denise, Don't Wanna See You Cry". While the first single set its lovelorn pining at a quick step, "Carl Sagan" proceeds in increments and questions seemingly without answer.

"Am I fool to ignore them? How else shall I go on? Am I a fool to expect that someday I'm gonna be be gone?" John Pelant croons and it's easy to see how those questions apply both on a smaller and grander, more cosmic scale. Inspired by Pelant and Micky Alfano going through a Cosmos phase, Pelant uses the metaphor loosely giving it a sense of universal appeal. Pelant's songwriting here errs on the side of minimalism, engaged in a sort of lyrical Tetris that finds him subbing in seemingly unimportant words in a surprisingly effective manner. The lyrical sleight of hand is aided by the extensive amount of instrumental breaks Night Moves indulge in on "Carl Sagan" as they pair slide guitar with immersive organ and synth textures that updates the band's take on 70s psychedelic folk rock.



Night Moves' sophomore record is out March 25th on Domino. You can pre-order the album digitally here or on CD/LP here which comes with a bonus EP. Also, they'll be embarking on a pretty expansive US tour so make sure to catch them play the new cuts live and in person. Most dates are available for pre-order this Friday.

Night Moves US Tour Dates
Thurs April 14 || Minneapolis, MN || First Ave
Sat April 16 || Chicago, IL || Schubas Tavern
Mon April 18 ||Toronto, ON || Drake Hotel
Tues April 19 || Montreal, QC || Le Divan Orange
Thurs April 21 || Philadelphia, PA || Boot & Saddle
Fri April 22 || Brooklyn, NY || Rough Trade
Sat April 23 || Boston, MA || Great Scott
Sun April 24 || Washington, DC || DC9
Mon April 25 || Columbus, OH || Rumba Cafe
Tues April 26 || Indianapolis, IN || The Hi-Fi
Wed April 27 || Madison, WI || The Frequency
Fri May 6 || Seattle, WA || Sunset Tavern
Sat May 7 || Portland, OR || Doug Fir Lounge
Tues May 10 || San Francisco, CA || Rickshaw Stop
Wed May 11 || Santa Barbara, CA || Velvet Lounge
Thurs May 12 || Los Angeles, CA || The Echo
Fri May 13 || San Diego, CA || Casbah
Sat May 14 || Phoenix, AZ || Rebel Lounge
Wed May 18 || Austin, TX || Sidewinder
Thurs May 19 || Houston, TX || Rudyards British Pub
Fri May 20 || Dallas, TX || Double Wide
Sat May 21 || Kansas City, MO || Tank Room
Sun May 22 || Omaha, NE || Reverb Lounge

Listen: Bruising - "Honey"

Depending on what you're expecting Soundcloud's related artists algorithm can either be wonderfully inspired or woefully off base. And yet whichever one the algorithm decides to be that day, there's no denying that there lies a potential to find something completely unexpected but exactly what you were looking for. And that is exactly how I stumbled upon Leeds duo turned quartet Bruising.

Bruising are a considerably young band, forming after guitarists Ben Lewis and Naomi Baguley bonded over a mutual love Perfect Pussy and subsequently expanding into a full band only last year but they've already managed to release what's bound to be one of my favorite songs of their career in the Beech Coma released double AA side "Emo Friends"/"Honey". While the bands have a couple other songs to their name, "Honey" is perhaps the most indicative of their potential. Gritty garage rock licks brush shoulders with Baguley's sweetly sung vocals in a sort of balancing act that pits the fiery guitars against the slow and steady vocal delivery. And yet there's a lot more at play than your standard messy rock jam - the guitar harmonizing with the vocals, the sudden pushes and pulls in tempo and mood. Bruising may be young but they're very clearly a sense of musicianship informing how only how they play together but arrange their songs. There's a surface catchiness to their songs but the additional layering of harmonies is the sort of thing that'll endure and hopefully carry on into their future endeavors.


While Bruising have essentially holed away to write more songs, here's hoping there's more where these came from. Until then, get ready to begin the ove affair with their double AA "Emo Friends"/"Honey" single released late last year.

Listen: Living - "Cerulean"

photo by Simen Peder Aksnes Aarli

There's something about the Bergen's climate - it's snowy winters, it's rainy every time else, that seems to inspire in more than one band, an overwhelming need to recall anywhere else. This sort of musical escapism is nothing new just look at artists like Chris Holm, Sondre Lerche, or Young Dreams whose music outright rejects that wintry chill for warmer textures. Bergen trio Living may just seem like another Scandinavian band dreaming of balmier climates but the lushness of their musical world-building make it clear this band dreams bigger than most.

"Cerulean" may only be the third single from the project helmed by producer Lucas de Almeida but arrives as fully realized and full of bliss-inspiring layering as the most seasoned dream pop purveyor. Similarly to Young Dreams' Matias Tellez, de Almeida draws from South American roots to authentically inform the tropicalia feel of "Cerulean" without relying wholly on it. de Almeida is no doubt a talented producer as he effortless blends samples with more organic sounds in a way where you're not really sure which is which while his vocals seem wonderfully suited to Living's vibrant color palette.



"Cerulean" is out now on Brilliance Records. Listen to their previous single "Florahedron" out late last year via Diamond Club.

Listen: Salt Cathedral - "No Ordinary Man"

It's been awhile since we've heard anything from Brooklyn via Colombia duo Julia Ronderos and Nicolas Losada of Salt Cathedral. Back in 2014, the duo rang in the year with b-side "Rainy Days" that both ushered in their shift from the rhythmically complex, experimental rock pop left over from their days as il abanico, introducing the newly pared down lineup, as well as wetting fans appetites for a brand new EP of songs they release later that year.

Which more or less bring us to now. Salt Cathedral have mainly stuck to playing shows since the release of their OOM VELT EP with very little promised in the way of new music. Until earlier this year when they announced a brand new song would be coming. "No Ordinary Man", the latest single from Salt Cathedral pretty much follows directly after pretty much any of the OOM VELT cuts in terms of production. But unlike the infectious, skittering "Tease", "No Ordinary Man" instead pulls both from the balladry and minimalism of "Holy Soul" and "Good Winds". Ronderos' emotive vocals has been the one constant through Salt Cathedral's various incarnations and they're rightfully spotlighted on the new track. Simplicity is the name of the game as the textural layering is kept to an absolute minimum, providing a harmonic bed of synths for Ronderos' vocals to soar over. That's not to say the band don't make the most of their newfound electronic leanings. Their touch is impressive light - going from lilting big drum beats to a quicker shuffling figures and subtle glitch effects in gradual shifts that doesn't draw attention from the vocal melodies.

"No Ordinary Man" is another pitch-perfect example of Salt Cathedral being able to embody the best aspects of electronic music in a way that's beyond simple copycatting. The band aims more at creating resonating musical moments than electronic grandstanding which helps root their genre shifts in sincerity and not just an attempt at trend chasing. Salt Cathedral has always excelled in balladry but here's hoping the ability to create interesting moments from simple arrangements follows continues past "No Ordinary Man" as the band hopefully release more new music this year.

Listen: Caveman - "Never Going Back"

photo by Philip Di Fiore

Brooklyn foursome Caveman have from their inception made music diametrically opposed to their chose band name. Where caveman recalls a rough around the edges, abrasive sound, Caveman are anything but; smooth undulating melodies, languid plod, and generally chill vibes. And maybe that's why "Never Going Back", the first single from their upcoming third album Otero War, hits so hard.

After two albums of gentle, dream pop, the harshness of the drum hits and guitar solo feels like a real invigorating step for the band. The band don't completely demolish their past work - "Never Going Back" slowly builds on the softly introduced introductory melody and the synths that characterized much of Caveman aren't far from the fray. But there's no denying a freshness in the band's newfound fervor, the band rushing forward instead of its normal expansive creep. There's no telling just yet if the band continue this way for the rest of the record but "Never Going Back" is at the very least an exciting step in a direction no one really asked the band to take; fusing what worked well for them in the increment growth between CoCo Beware and Caveman and lighting a bit of a fire underneath themselves. It's enough to peak my interest in the new album and hopefully yours too and hopefully it's not too long before the foursome reveal more cuts from the third album.



Caveman's third album Otero War will out this summer.

Listen: Left With Pictures - "Terra Firma"

photo by Jonathan Hyde

Well it's about damn time! After being consumed for the entirety of 2010 with their In Time project that saw British orchestra pop purveyors Left With Pictures writing/recording, and creating music videos for a brand new song a month and the subsequent release of the songs as an album, Left With Pictures essentially disappeared. Not entirely because they were active on social media (mainly to share thoughts of other's musical happenings they were excited about) and the odd show here or there while they worked on an all new album of songs. Finally 5 years later, they have an offering in the form of Afterlife.

While still not entirely certain of what happened in that five year span, "Terra Firma" sees Left With Pictures making a surprising leap into rarely charted territory - namely stripping away the strings that characterized their sound. If you're used to Left With Pictures vibrant melodies and orchestral flourishes "Terra Firma" is sure to be a shock to the system to find strings replaced entirely with synths. Unlike Left With Pictures past foray into synth pop "This Light", "Terra Firma" is a much more somber affair complimented by founding member Toby Knowles' bartitone.

And then halfway through the sparsely textured tale of loss, things take a turn. A synth return in place of the piano, the strings enter, and harmonies brighten up the rather dour narrative. It's due to this sudden forceful brightening; of harmonic, stratospheric highs that give the last verse the entirety of its power. Left With Pictures have always balanced artful arrangement with intelligent lyricism but "Terra Firma" seems like a leveling up of both for them. They're so concerned with the tale that they're weaving that pop hooks don't really occur but they're competent at not only songwriting but composition that the instrumental informs the lyrics before they even happen. The last minute or so of "Terra Firma" reward the patient listener with winsome moments of not-quite pop but enjoyable melodic/harmonic work nevertheless.

It may have been five years since their last batch of new tunes but "Terra Firma" displays that it's been five years well spent as Left With Pictures now marry the acoustic with the newfound interest in the electronic while also staying true to their smart chamber pop that got them noticed in the first place. Welcome back, Left With Pictures, we've missed you.



Left With Pictures third full length record Afterlife is due April 29th on Organ Grinder Records.

Listen: Laura Gibson - "The Cause"

A lot has changed in singer/songwriter Laura Gibson's life since the release of previous record La Grande nearly four years ago. Most notably Gibson's cross-country move from Portland to New York City by train to pursue a degree in fiction writing. It's the sort of stuff records are inspired by and luckily for us, it was. Her new record Empire Builder, though recorded with Portland friends Dave Tepper, Dan Hunt, Peter Broderick, and co-producer John Askew, draws more on the changes Gibson has made in the life (the album's title being the than she took from Portland to Chicago on the first leg of her trip) than the place it was recorded.

Considering her self-afflicted uprooting to busier, more boisterous environs, "The Cause" remains as peaceful as Gibson's past efforts. And yet beneath that surface calm Gibson's lyrics are more agitated than Gibson's calm delivery would have you believe.  Gibson tackes both love and self-sacrifice in equal measure - tossing and turning between the idea of belonging to the self versus serving others in a way that's properly thrilling. "You belong to the cause, you belong to us" Laura Gibson sings and it often feels like a reminder, as she balances "selfish" desires with that intimate self-knowledge. Gibson manages to marry the philosophical/psychological to a cohesive narrative in order to craft a complex but enjoyable feat of songwriting skill.



Laura Gibson's forthcoming fourth album Empire Builder is out April 1st on Barsuk (US)/City Slang (EU/UK). Pre-order is available now.