North Highlands - North Highlands (2015)

It's a bit of a shock that Brooklyn powerpop quintet North Highlands' follow up to their 2011 debut full length Wild One arrived almost entirely without ceremony. After premiering the first single "Shade" the first week of February, a stream soon went up a week later followed almost instantaneously by the official album release. But North Highlands have never been ones for hype and playing their final show in March, it makes sense that they'd keep to that method of relying far more on word of mouth from dedicated friends and newly converted fans to drum up interest than engaging in much of the music industry game.

Building off of 2013's "I'll Do My Best"/"Halo" 7", North Highlands have refined a bit of the more nebulous parts of their sound. Gone are the folkier and chamber pop-esque elements as Andy Kasperbaeur shelves his violin for guitar and Brenda Malvini leans harder into the use of various synth tones. However that's all that's been carried over from the one-off single, the surf-pop aesthetic abandoned for something far truer to North Highlands' elected home. North Highlands have always reveled in a sense of nostalgia - the sincere pining for hometowns long since abandoned aiding their whimsical, lilting brand of dream pop on Wild One and their self-titled is no different. However on North Highlands, the band longs for days on the road, for cities left behind, and the New York City they once loved.

Rather like their debut record, North Highlands never offers these devastating takeaways point blank. Malvini retains her delicate, inviting coo and the band are in rare form shuffling through an impressive amount of ear-catching musical moments and a dazzling array  of textures. Each song on their sophomore has at the very least two moments that you're basically guaranteed to return to from the shimmering shuffle of "Axelrod" to the soft-focus guitar pop of "That's So Good"; the soaring, ecstatic heights of "Quitter" to the sweeping harmonies of "Shade" North Highlands are on their A game - taking each music idea to its logical conclusion and pushing it forward into something interestingly different.

North Highlands is a pretty accurate summation of the band delivered at their absolute peak. After spending much of their career settling into a characteristic sound they've finally achieved it - capturing perfectly the subtle way they feed off of each other live to tape. The fact that they can shuffle so seamless from music idea to music idea in a way that doesn't just seem like they're grasping at straws is indicative of that. The album's a full band effort; all hands in the pot and that's evident in the way the melodies - swirling synths, Malvini's feathery light vocals, the guitar interplay built upon Jasper Berg's steady but skillful percussion.

North Highlands approaches the band's growing sense of malaise with a surprising lack of fire. Malvini's vocals aren't emotionally detached but she handles falling out of love with an impressive amount of decorum. It's an amicable break but one which North Highlands ushers in a manner that's downright celebratory. All of the energy reserved for fighting transmuted into an acceptance of what the band sees as an inevitable end that simply won't deter their fun. The irony of course that the self-titled is the more down tempo of their two records and yet, even at its most languorous there's the persistence of infectious melodies. That's the real takeaway. Released nearly a year after the band have officially called it quits (or gone on an indefinite hiatus and scattered across the US), North Highlands never lose their comforting sense of persistence. Their melodies are as catchy as they've ever been even as they reach emotional depths Wild One only hinted at. Where Brenda Malvini held listeners lyrically at arms length on Wild One, she's shortened the distance here, bringing the arms in as the band give us one last dance before the lights go up.

North Highlands is out now and available to buy digitally now. Stream the album in full via NME or on Spotify.

All Around Sound's Favorite Tracks of 2013

While 2013 turned out to be an off year for many of my favorite bands, there was surprisingly no shortage of new music from them anyway. While every year I seem to lament the decline of the album as a cohesive narrative and more as a home for a single or two, 2013 proved me wrong in that regard - many of my favorite songs (the songs that stuck with me long after I put down my headphones, etc.) happened to be from my favorite albums but when making this list I have only two rules: 1) No songs from my favorite albums should be on the favorite tracks list. 2) No repeat appearances by the same artist. This year more than any other it was harder than ever to stick to these rules (I've broken them in the past but not this year! I promised myself.) So without further delay, here's some of my favorite tracks of this year in no particular order other than release date.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - "Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)", II
I'm ashamed to admit that I essentially forgot all about this tune/this year's latest UMO record until right around Best Of season. While the majority of II sounds rather like it could've easily been included UMO's self-titled debut, "Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)" stuck out as one of those tunes that's so remarkably distinctive. Much of Unknown Mortal Orchesta's songwriting aesthetic involves such heavy repetition that it's hard to remember that it's actually pretty damn inventive. Take "Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)" whose lyrics I never really took note of until UMO released their acoustic Blue Record - manages to spin a whole delicate yarn out of a fun fact about sharks. It also really highlights Ruban Nielsen's vocals in a way I never appreciated them before - soft and supple, even as the track pulses forward unrelentingly.



Local Natives - "Breakers", Hummingbird
It's no coincidence that my favorite track from Local Natives' triumphant sophomore effort is the first single. While Hummingbird is unfettered emotional flood, "Breakers", curtails a little bit of that in favor of a subtle build and noticeable pop sensibility much like a port in the storm. It's no coincidence that it's smack dab in the middle of the album either. It's a refreshing breath of exactly why you should like Local Natives and delightfully so. The swooping, craning vocals, the intense drumming, the surging melodies and atypical songwriting structure, these are all undeniable parts of not only what makes "Breakers" work but also Local Natives' own strengths. "Breakers" is Local Natives operating at peak performance. Maturing between albums but still creating something not wholly unfamiliar with just the right influx of new ideas, "Breakers" is a track that has dominated an insane amount of my time since its initial release and rightly so - it's an utterly captivating piece of pop songcraft while serving an important purpose in the context of its album. It's great - no ifs and or buts about it.  




The Cave Singers - "Have to Pretend", Naomi
A very special (one-sided) relationship formed between the Cave Singers and I when they opened for Fleet Foxes at United Palace. Despite being absolutely incredible, when they played a dancier number ("Black Leaf" and invited the audience to leave their seats to rock out with them, no one did. It was tragic and in retrospect I should've gotten up and made a total goof of myself if only to validate the band's awesomeness. "Have to Pretend" is essentially another go at infectious dance music for the folk rock band and it's a rather valiant effort. The kind of song that'd probably move a venue full of jaded/lazy New Yorkers easy that manages encapsulate what makes Cave Singers so damn enjoyable. The band continue to demonstrate a charming familiarity in creating ear catching folk rambles and Peter Quirk remains a consummate front man his rasp adding a bit of grit to easy breezy melodies of "Have to Pretend".




Night Beds - "Ramona", Country Sleep
My introduction to Nashville based singer/songwriter Winston Yellen aka Night Beds was in "Even If We Try", a emotive little ditty that made ample use of the man's golden immaculate falsetto. Little did I know a song like "Ramona" could come from such a man. That's not to say the two songs are that remarkably different - Yellen's lyricism is still top notch as are his vocals but "Ramona" far more faster paced than I expected from the man whose vocals flourished at such a slow crawl. Unsurprisingly, "Ramona" marked the end of Yellen's sole proprietorship of Night Beds and shift towards that as band leader, lead vocalist, and songwriter. "Ramona" is an entirely different breed of song but one that ultimately still finds displays what's so endearing about Yellen. Even finding room for his falsetto at the song's apex.



Born Ruffians - "Needle", Birthmarks
In terms of a contender for outright best track from an indie pop group released in 2013, Born Ruffians would win that coveted honor. There really is no arguing that fact. In addition to being an absolutely brilliant album opener, it's got big pop hooks which is sort of casually slides into. It's not big from the get go. No, instead Born Ruffians perform a magnificent slow build that cements the track's complete and utter pop decimation. The band is firing on all cylinders after the triumphant return and it shows. "Needle" is a pretty much immaculate piece of songcraft that pretty much transcends Birthmarks. Normally that might be a bit of a bad thing but here's it's quite good and hopefully a sign of things to come. The bar has been set and Born Ruffian pretty much have only themselves to beat.



Night Panther - "Fire", Shaking Through Vol. 4
It's always a good sign when the live version of a song is favored above the recorded version and that's the case with Night Panther's "Fire". Already a favorite cut on their self-titled debut record they released this year, there's a certain magic of the group that's thankfully been captured by those dedicated engineers over at Weathervane Music and their Shaking Through sessions. "Fire" is perhaps the best introduction to Night Panther for the tragically uninitiated featuring their trademark sassy dance pop and creamy falsettos which is guaranteed to make you want to dance - unless you're dead.



Empress Of - "Tristeza", Systems EP
Empress Of's "Tristeza" is a testament to how you can be completely consumed by a piece of music by feel alone. The emotive gem is in Spanish and yet is so beautifully sung and played that you don't even really understand what she's singing to be utterly captivated by her words. There's very little else to focus on besides the words but even despite the language barrier - enough of its meaning can be gleaned from tone. That and Rodriguez's brilliant vocal choices as she mimics the intense intakes of breath that occur during an extreme cry session.



Thin Hymns - "Lady Mountain", Black Water EP
While Thin Hymns had essentially won me over with their Logic & Theory EP, this year's Black Water EP was beast of an entirely different breed. Where Logic & Theory was more experimental than it was pop, Black Water carried no such distinction. That's not to say that they hung up their tonal shifts and textural interplay entirely but Black Water took Thin Hymns propensity for complex soundscapes and pinned them to melodies whose poppy tendencies were far more immediate. "Lady Mountain", arguably the most stellar of Black Water's four tracks, is the perfect blend of Thin Hymns experimental proclivities and a noticeable forward momentum. It's expansive - clocking in at 6 minutes and change but never suffers even an instant of lethargy. It rolls forward pretty much unceasingly while the band interlocks in a multitude in an interesting array of formations.



BRAIDS - "Amends", Flourish//Perish
While Montreal art pop trio BRAIDS create the kind of albums that not only follow a cohesive flow but seems to take organic songcraft to its very limits, there's always a song tucked in their that I manage to love more than the others. On Native Speaker it was "Plath Heart" and on Flourish//Perish, it turned out to be the very first single "Amends". While not officially a dance band everything about "Amends" lends itself towards that reaction. From its steady (though syrupy) pulse, to its wide expanse, it's not only serves a dance fodder but it's also one of those tracks (especially live) where BRAIDS sophisticated polish is entirely responsible for that effect. Each layer is regarded with an exceptional amount of care like the assembly of a stain glass window and the combined effect is way more impressive than all of its various moving parts.



San Fermin - "Sonsick", San Fermin
If I'm being completely honest, almost any off the San Fermin record featuring the lovely ladies could probably ended up on a list like this. While San Fermin in its whole is a complicated, varied, and potentially polarizing record there's no doubt to anyone who hears say "Crueler Kind", "Sonsick", "Oh Darling", or even "Daedalus (What We Have)" that while Ellis Ludwig-Leone is a talented composer, he can write an exceptional pop hook. And yet, the success of that is certainly due in part to the appearance and delivery of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig. Their vocals are bold, brassy, and immaculate. What separates "Sonsick" from San Fermin's other brushes with pop however is in the just-so way everything comes together in it. The brass, the lyrics that resonate outside of the album's concept, the way that slowly rises into triumphant splendor - not as an ebb and flow but as flood of heartwarming emotion.



Son Lux - "TEAR Part 1"/"TEAR Part 2", TEAR
Son Lux has a had a pretty exceptional year. Working with yMusic on their new album, as well as with Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti on their collaboration Sisyphus (formerly s/s/s), it's hard to imagine Ryan Lott has any time for his own music and yet, he certainly has. While 2013 saw the release of another full length in Lanterns, Lott's experimental piece TEAR is more than worthy of its own praise. A song in two parts, TEAR does precisely what Son Lux does so well - takes a song apart at its very foundations and plays around with all the various combination those parts can make when paired differently. It's a nifty enough idea in theory but even more impressive is how Son Lux can pull such a thing off without revealing his hand. By inviting you into to his creative method somewhat, he shines a light on his own brilliance but also obscuring the truly important bits of what he's doing by music sleight of hand.



Mister Lies - "Magichour" ft KNOWER
While the summation of his debut record Mowgli did very little for me, "Dionsyian" and the constant almost unrelenting praise from mutual friends has essentially insured that I approach each Mister Lies release from now until pretty much forever with an open mind and a trusting heart. This approach was rewarded quite quickly with "Magichour". Featuring Los Angeles duo KNOWER's Genevieve Artadi on vocals, "Magichour" is like a rocket ride. Slow and methodical as the gear is checked and everyone prepares for lift off before everything gels in the most magical way. It's the kind of track where absolutely everything about the track works to its favor. Mister Lies' own touches in the form of the arrangements and construction and even the little experimental flourishes create a unique and engaging path while Artadi's vocals light and feathery serves to illuminate that path and all it's wonderful curves and bends.




Hop Along - "Sister Cities", Shaking Through Vol. 4
Frances Quinlan is the kind of frontwoman every rock band should have - articulate both in her songwriting and vocal delivery, openly emotive with a punky edge "Sister Cities" spotlights all Quinlan's strengths without sidelining the rest of band.  Probably Hop Along's best song thus far, "Sister Cities" takes everything that worked so well on Hop Along's 2012 debut Get Disowned and distilled them into a single song. Quinlan's narrative voice is clearer and sharper, the band tighter and fiercer when the need arises. There's none of the genre-suspension of Get Disowned but that's hardly necessary. Instead " Sister Cities" is content to be the sort of intelligent rock song that keeps you coming back over and over again. In that it succeeds in spades.



The Shakin' Babies - "Easy Meal", Stoked Casual
While I was almost instantly charmed by Minnesota doo wop/garage rock hybrid The Shakin' Babies at this year's FMLY Fest Brooklyn, it wasn't until I was home curled up with their excellent debut record Stoked Casual that I realized just how many levels the band operate on. Songs like "Mary Wants to Rock" sounded like your standard rock 'n roll jam but as I listened to deeper cuts The Shakin' Babies revealed themselves are clever and occasionally humorous songwriters hiding tales of devil worship and drug addiction under sugary sweet melodies. "Easy Meal" just happens to be my favorite of those dual operating tracks. Lyrically describing a shark attack I was at a loss for whether it was an elaborate metaphor or if it was really just that. The correct answer may never be known (I suspect it's both) but the track is downright infectious - a perfect demonstration of the bands 60s inspired garage pop.  



North Highlands - "Halo", "I'll Do My Best"/"Halo" 7"
When news that Brooklyn indie pop outfit North Highlands had new songs in the works I could hardly contain my excitement. Their debut album Wild One was a surefire favorite and an eclectic blend of styles that converged into this interesting folk-inspired dance-pop played on rock instruments. No one could accuse North Highlands of copying their style. On their latest release the "I'll Do My Best"/"Halo" 7", North Highlands didn't pick up where they left of. No, instead they turned their sights toward surf rock. But North Highlands are nothing if not creative and their dip into summery beach pop was anything but typical. "Halo", surprisingly doesn't sound like North Highlands jumping the shark and trying a new genre on for size. Instead "Halo" (and "I'll Do My Best") is their own take still featuring their sweetly sung, dance inducing brand of indie pop goodness. A slightly new look for North Highlands sure but not one that incredibly far removed from their Wild One days.




Salt Cathedral - "Fields", Salt Cathedral EP
Arguably one of my favorite discoveries of 2013, Salt Cathedral are a band that appeal to virtually ever part of music-loving ways - a fantastic live band with intricate yet accessible song composition and real sense of original vision, Salt Cathedral (formerly il Abanico) are hopefully destined for big things. To the great benefit of the Brooklyn via Columbia band, pretty much any song from the sextet's EP could've ended up here but "Fields" with its radiant, sunny sheen just happens to properly articulate what's to love about the band. The progressive rock recalling layering, the rhythmic complexity,the soaring emotive and deeply felt vocals - it's all there, masterfully doled out and interlocked into a heady rush of pure elation that is "Fields"



Kishi Bashi - "Philosophize In It! Chemicalize With It!"
There really is no denying Kishi Bashi's unique talent for layers. Which seems unsurprising considering it's the main method of his song composition but K. has an ability to exceed above and beyond your expectations there. Another one of K.'s fantastic psychedelic trips, "Philosophize In It! Chemicalize With It" takes flight almost immediately with its vibrant, soaring melodies. Kishi Bashi always seems to be at his most innovative when dreaming up unique ways to dress up love songs and there's certainly no shortage of creativity here. "Philosophize With It! Chemicalize With It!" is a wildly enjoyable flight of fancy that finds the perfect balance between its high energy and an emotive core. K.'s words ring true but they also shimmer and glide while they do so. They're a fresh take on an age-old idea that Kishi Bashi finds a way to make extra resonant.



Gracie - "Jackson II"
Gracie is anything but a conventional artist and that's probably most apparent on "Jackson II" a track for the mixed media project for Kai Flanders' novella 'The Red Bicycle'. Inspired by/accompanying the novella's first chapter Gracie makes pretty inventive use of the chapter's two most important elements - a plane and the titular red bicycle. But they're subtle touches - not utilized to excess while the track bops along at it's leisurely pace on just the right side of dance-y. It's the kind of track the even separate from 'The Red Bicycle' soundtrack manages to be delightfully engaging and charmingly clever.



The Debauchees - "I've Got Energy", Big Machines and Peculiar Beings
What can I say about The Debauchees that I haven't already said before? I've written about them a bunch of times in their rather short band life and they continue to amaze. On "I've Got Energy" they put their absolute best foot forward allowing their music to speak for what could've been an agonizing/annoying gimmick. Teaching themselves their instruments after deciding to be in a band, being young with clearly classic music tastes, the single ahead of their excellent debut album Big Machines and Peculiar Beings combines fiery intensity with Sydney Chadwick's cool purr. The Debauchees offer up the kind of tunes that'd make any rock purist proud and rightly so.



ARMS - "Sleepwalker", EP2
Truth be told, a large part of my excitement concerning the release date of ARMS Summer Skills follow up EP2 was purely based on my ability to own and listen to "Sleepwalker" whenever I damn well pleased. I had spent over a year hearing the track at every ARMS show I attended (which happened to be A LOT) and it always stuck out to me the best display of Todd Goldstein's pop chops and my new favorite ARMS songs. That's not to say the other songs weren't enjoyable in their own ways but "Sleepwalker" was at the forefront of my memory and the wait for their EP to find a home was made all the more laborious due to its absence from my collection of dangerously repeated tracks. While Goldstein set out to tell stories outside/separate of ARMS supernatural thriller Summer Skills, "Sleepwalker" delivered where no other EP2 cut did. Invoking a visceral reaction due not only to Goldstein's intelligent, descriptive lyricism but also the track's moments of pop mastery. When Goldstein sings "I want you always", it's evidently the track's climax, the tipping point where the track finally lets loose all its built up energy and the result is nothing short of deeply enjoyable. It doesn't barrel forward to the end like such a dam burst is to wont to do but there's no more build up, the track unravels and marvelously so. "Sleepwalker" succeeds where no other EP2 track does because it pairs arresting musical moments with the frenetic energy ARMS reserves mostly for their live sets. Goldstein still retains the knack for building these engaging little worlds but the charm of "Sleepwalker" is in its domino effect as Goldstein's meticulous world building crumbles in ts frantic finish.
  


Chris Holm - "Sealed", Kilos
Chris Holm's solo record Kilos, his first stepping out from bands Young Dreams and Bloody Beach (and a multitude of others, I'm sure), happens to be an album of experiments. That sounds a little like Holm putters around unsure of what he's doing but he does that much is exceptionally clear. The album is a blend of Holm's varying influences and inspirations that somehow managed to be stay moored by his passions in them. From the sort of tropicalia hip-hop hybrid of "H.A.A.R.P." to the psychedelic rock stylings of "Raleigh's Peak", it's an album of unprecedented musical exploration. Each song is special and good in its own way but, and forgive me if I'm gushing, "Sealed" is a real standout. It's Chris Holm's try at singer/songwriter pop game like pals Sondre Lerche and Matias Tellez but it's uniquely his own, making extensive use of layers and textures and this sound and that in a way that embellishes not distracts from Holm's songwriting. There's some poignant lyricism crafted here that definitely establishes Holm's solo talents and not just his talents are an ensemble artist. "Sealed" is the moment I realized Kilos would not be enough. Holm's needs to make more solo music and often. Here's hoping he does so.



R. L. Kelly - "Feels Real", Angeltown
Since being introduced to R.L. Kelly's empowering brand melancholy pop at Orchid Tapes' Brooklyn showcase, it's been my utmost pleasure to keep taps on her, watching and hearing her grow her small but powerfully engaging collection of songs. While there's been no shortage of great R.L. Kelly songs this year, my favorite might very well be "Feels Real" which was featured on Orchid Tapes Los Angeles show compilation tape Angeltown. Not quite sparse as "Life's a Bummer" but not as crunchy as "You're Not the Only Monster in Hell. It's a pleasant little number that engages in some absolutely earcatching musical moments with not only the vocals but its guitar melodies.




Lapland - "Metal Lungs", Lapland
Brooklyn based singer/songwriter Josh Mease underwent a bit of a renaissance, reemerging under the moniker Lapland. It takes a particularly gifted songwriter to have not only a song but a whole album engage bases on songwriting talents alone but that's precisely what Mease does with Lapland. "Metal Lungs"combines normal singer/songwriter heartbreak fodder with a rather uplifting take on it. Invoking dusty Midwestern plains, "Metal Lungs" sounds like a rallying cry as Mease's moving, creamy vocals are employed like a cleverly concealed weapon.



Sondre Lerche - "Rejection #5", Public Hi-Fi Sessions #01
Despite the fact that 2013 held all the faint whispers of a full length record in the works from Norwegian popsmith Sondre Lerche, sadly it was not meant to be. Instead it seems like in 2014, Lerche will be doubling down on releases and that suits me just fine. However 2013 wasn't completely without its fair share of Lerche jams and in addition to takes on Scott Walker's "The Plague" and Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball", Sondre Lerche let two songs free from his majestic pharaoh's tomb of an archive in the form of Two Way Monologue era "Rejection #5" and "Screen Door" for Jim Eno's Public Hi-Fi Sessions. The twist being of course that "Rejection #5" was unfinished until recently and was recorded with Eno taking part for the release. Though written around Two Way Monologue it's got a very Phantom Punch era sassiness thrown in for good measure. The fact that it's basically a new track at this point shows that not only has Lerche not lost touch with his roots but that his genre-bending ways aren't long forgotten. "Rejection #5" is a funky little number which manages to bring the past 5 years or so of Lerche's musical career full circle with a clever little reference to George Lazenby. Unexpected collaborations and inspirations abound and the result is a song of pretty much boundless confidence. The kind of song that'd soundtrack Travolta's cocky strut if Saturday Night Fever was remade with modern music for some weird reason. A jam in every sense of the word that's a more than suitable placeholder for Lerche's forthcoming 7th full length.



Honorable Mention:
Alex G - "Joy"

Conveyor - "Pushups", "Mammal Food"/"Pushups" 7"

Daughn Gibson - "Kissin on the Blacktop", Me Moan

Gracie - "Creature Pleaser", Bleeder EP

Hiss Golden Messenger - "The Serpent Is Kind (Compared to Man)", Haw

Incan Abraham - "Tuolumne", "Tuolumne"/"Whidbey" 7"

Listen: North Highlands - "Halo"

About two weeks ago North Highlands signaled the end of their self-imposed hibernation with the a-side "I'll Do My Best" from their two song 7" EP out on July 30th. The b-side "Halo" only solidifies that the Brooklyn quintet is back in a big way.  Unlike the jangly rock-pop of "I'll Do My Best", "Halo" asserts its summery vibes in a different way much more inline with dance-y pop rock of North Highlands' Wild One.

Managing to be bright and sunny without steeping itself in beach rock, "Halo" is strong contender for my favorite North Highlands track and perhaps the strongest of the two new tracks. Nearly twice the length of "I'll Do My Best", "Halo" takes a bunch of unexpected twists and deviations allowing for a plethora of enjoyable musical moments that don't shirk on the toe-tapping body-rocking vibes. Instead of containing its instrumental jam to the last 30 seconds of the song, the whole last minute and change and well as several moments intermittently throughout are devoted toward releasing the beast; unshackled from Brenda Malvini's plush vocal plodding.

Listen: North Highlands - "I'll Do My Best"

It sure has been awhile since we've heard from Brooklyn indie-pop quintet North Highlands. After releasing their debut album Wild One back in 2011 and re-releasing it on vinyl last year, the group have pretty much laid low playing the occasional show and working on new tunes. Which is where this new track comes in. "I'll Do My Best" the A side to a 7" set for a July 30th release is the first new North Highlands we've got in awhile and it's much more abrasive North Highlands than we've encountered before.

Summery to its very core, Brenda Malvini's vocals are still light as a feather but where previously the band shaped itself around complimenting that, this time out they're not quite so concerned. They don't ever run the risk of overwhelming her; that would be amateurish. Instead though on the swaggering beachy track the band really lays into it's rock edge. Not all at once though. There's an angular jangle that steadily mounts toward a brief but satisfying cacophonous conclusion.



North Highlands' "I'll Do My Best"/"Halo" 7" is out July 30th

Watch: North Highlands - "Fre$ca"

Well, this is a bit embarrassing. Last year, I began my love affair with Brooklyn quintet North Highlands and their debut album Wild One was a definitely favorite. Since that first concert when I met them, I've followed their comings and goings pretty closely and yet, somehow I missed that they released a brand new video about two-ish months ago. Whoops. Worse still, the video was for my one of my favorite tracks off of Wild One "Fre$ca".

The fact that I love "Fre$ca" might seem a little farfetched to anyone who loves North Highlands. It has none of the bands' established draw. The dance-able folk-inspired chamber pop is stripped entirely from it. Instead it's a sparse track that serves pretty much to highlight frontwoman Brenda Malvini's ethereal coo. And maybe that's why I like it. Because it's not really anything like the band while still feeling very much in character. While the band does it's darnedest and succeeds at placing Malvini's delicate vocals at the forefront, "Fre$ca" doesn't require the pulling of any punches performance-wise. Malvini's front and center throughout as the only real focus and it works.

The video for the track is actually a bit of stop-motion animation by Laila Lott and Alicia Millar featuring the exploits of a willy, hungry fox-like beast on a deserted volcanic island - a magical place where donuts grow from flowers and the aforementioned volcano turns out to be filled with icing. He travels around the island collecting foodstuffs from the plants, placing them in his little fanny-pack pouch at the front of his pants before he realizing none of the pastries are iced like the donut he saw and couldn't reach. Which sets forth a sequence of events that cause the volcano to blow and overrun the majority of the island with it's gooey frosting lava. It's a rather cute video with a knowing wink to the band's own donut infatuation. Just the thing to accompany the slowest track in North Highlands' rep.

Watch the video for "Fre$ca" and also, you can now pre-order North Highlands brilliant debut album on vinyl. Out officially on November 27th.

Hospitality - Hospitality (2012)

It’s a kind of strange coincidence that at their Mercury Lounge show last July, Brooklyn bands Hospitality, ARMS, and North Highlands played in an order the exact opposite to their album’s release times. A unifying factor between all of the bands that night was that each was sitting on a mostly finished album awaiting release when the time was right. North Highlands was first, self-released on the first day of CMJ, ARMS next also opting to self-release, and Hospitality one-upped them all by signing to Merge Records and getting a release date months away.

While it’s no doubt due to my ongoing obsessive love with ARMS that I was even remotely aware of Hospitality’s existence, the other reason I mention the aforementioned show at Mercury Lounge is because, surprisingly North Highlands and Hospitality are similar. One plays dance-y genre-dodging blend of high energy tunes, the latter intelligent, well-paced pop with touches of rock where it matters most. But Hospitality, like North Highlands’ Brenda Malvini, triumphs through the focus on Amber Papini’s delicate vocals. In fact, they’re far more subdued than Malvini’s, who occasionally raises it for rousing shouts.  But they’re by no means lifeless or passable, no, Papini’s the embodiment of that oft quoted Theodore Roosevelt saying: “Speak softly and carry a big stick”. Her stick of sorts is her winding tales of metropolitan life that imbue seemingly unimportant people and events with an endearing importance like “Betty Wang”. That and her band – Brian Betancourt and Nathan Michel bring Papini’s stories to greater life with their mindful arrangements and simplistic dressings that end up making the song (“Friends of Friends” outro in particular comes to mind).  Hospitality’s songs are the kind that remain largely unexpected and delightful regardless of how many times you’ve sat down with the record, no doubt a testament to Papini’s deft songwriting and her bands thoughtful assistance.  Several tracks you may have heard before, on the group’s debut EP way back in 2008, are given updates, transforming from lo-fi folksy pop numbers  into higher quality tracks with a rock edge while retaining the same charm that led you to love them in the first place.    

Though they may be the last from that fateful show to release their record, the wait was no doubt worth it. Each song on Hospitality has its place, wonderfully adorned with care and affection, what they lack in emotional vulnerability (a similar characteristic in North Highlands’ lyricism) they more than make up for in properly channeled talent and ability to just be darn good. Hospitality is downright enjoyable with just a hint of underlying quirk that’s just right regardless of mood. It’s poppy without being throwaway, smart without being bookish, and even manages to pack in a couple of cute moments into it. Hospitality’s is a record worth having – a surefire go-to when you’re looking for something just right. 

Get a taste of Hospitality with "Friends of Friends" and listen to their self-titled debut on Spotify.

 Hospitality - Friends of Friends by MergeRecords 

All Around Sound's Favorite Albums of 2011

This year I got more in sync with music than I think I ever did, with follow ups from established acts like Blind Pilot, Bon Iver, and Feist, the majority of my favorite came from bands and artists I had little to no knowledge to in years prior (with some noteable exceptions). Below are some of my favorite releases of this year that I feel really took the concept of an album to heart.


9) BELL – DIAMONITE
Despite my fastidious allegiance to the format of an album as a means to tell a story, there comes a time when an album can just be a collection of songs and still be okay in my book. This works in the case of BELL’s debut album DIAMONITE based on the cohesive nature of the tracks. Each of Olga Bell’s tracks contain a similar quality that makes them fit together like perfect puzzle pieces and even when she goes off in zany unexpected directions, like the folksy interlude in “Charlie”, they manage to remain a part of the sound and feel of her other songs. Those random moments where she zigs instead of zags breathe life into the album and keep things from getting too stale (not that they were all that much of danger of that to begin with).

8) The Head and the Heart – The Head and the Heart
The Seattle sextet’s debut album has all the making of a great album, that I was kind of surprised not to find it on more best of lists. From the slowly unfurling intro of “Cats and Dogs” that incorporates each member of the ensemble before a heartwarmingly grand unified tutti moment, to how that track leads directly into “Coeur D’alene” there’s no shortage of great musical moments. There’s a wealth of talent contained within the band’s ranks and on the debut each member gets their moment- violinist Charity Rose Thielen often sneaking up on you with brazenly soulful solos that manages to surprise you no matter how much you listen, guitarists/vocalists Jonathan Russell and Josiah Johnson trading off seamlessly, and Kenny Hensley mind-bending piano chops. It all comes together into The Head and the Heart’s folk pop gumbo alongside a smorgasbord of resonating lyricism that doesn’t try too hard.
 The Head and the Heart - Lost In My Mind by subpop

7) North Highlands – Wild One
There’s a major different between a lot of the albums on my list and North Highlands’. The wide majority of them made an impact due to stellar lyricism, North Highlands didn’t do and that’s fine. Wild One is an example of a more “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it” approach that doesn’t get nearly enough love. Brenda Malvini’s delivery is part of what makes Wild One such a treat. Repeated lyrics empowered like a command or chant and no matter how many times she repeats a phrase or word – it doesn’t get old. But Malvini’s isn’t the band and it’s due to the effort of the whole that Wild One is the success it is. The group’s playing is tight and diverse, swaggering and bustling to create an enjoyable romp that lasts the whole album – even in downbeat numbers like “Fre$ca” and “Best Part”. North Highlands might keep you emotionally at arm’s length but in doing so they make sure you have plenty of space to listen and more importantly to dance.

6) Marissa Nadler – Marissa Nadler
Considering how recently I got into Marissa Nadler’s latest album, her self-titled sixth, it’s kind of surprising that the album can be one of my favorites of the year and yet it is. Marissa Nadler has managed to positively consume my life from the first listen, no doubt due to Nadler’s crystalline vocals, delicate intricate arrangements resulting from Nadler’s arresting attention to detail, and poetic storytelling.

5) Laura Marling – A Creature I Don’t Know
While a bit of a far-cry from her sophomore I Speak Because I Can in terms of emotional intensity and rich moving narrative, Laura Marling continued with her more mature, less conventional songwriting style that revolved around a single driving theme. While I Speak focused on responsibility and womanly duty, A Creature I Don’t Know explored the intense dark emotions that her previous album mostly hinted at. And while album centerpiece “The Beast” falls a bit flat (or needs more time to properly digest), Marling still manages to put together a stunning batch of songs that work exceptionally well together. Marling’s most remarkable tracks are in fact the ones with seemingly the least amount to say “Don’t Ask Me Why”, “Salinas”, and “Sophia”. Rather than trying to drive home her themes like “The Beast” or “All My Rage”, the other songs are small peeks into the mind and psyche of Marling’s characters. While it’s never quite explained why they do what they do, that’s somehow okay. With the exception of “My Friends”, Marling doesn’t ever try to make them accountable for their actions merely to present them in a rich and engaging manner in which she earnestly succeeds.
 Laura Marling - Sophia by ListenBeforeYouBuy


4) Sondre Lerche – Sondre Lerche
Every time Sondre Lerche reemerges from a recording-related hibernation I know the result is going to be something special and dear to my heart. Sondre Lerche’s eponymous sixth album was no different. While not quite as near or dear as Heartbeat Radio (most likely due to the time I’ve spent with the latter), Lerche certainly brings his a-game and manages to both Lerche’s jazzy-pop rock stylings and also tread new ground. It’s an album brimming with brilliant songcraft and arrangements but also Lerche’s exceptional lyricism. On his self-titled, Lerche combines elements from his previous albums like Phantom Punch’s hard rock fizz but takes things to riskier level when Lerche steps out of his comfort zone of singing pseudo-confessional type songs and embraces a broader songwriting style that still manages to sound personal and engaging.
 Go Right Ahead by sondrelerche

3) Anna Calvi – Anna Calvi
Anna Calvi’s self-titled debut beginning strains transports you to a smoky, dark cabaret club and there you remain until “Love Won’t Be Leaving” fades out gingerly. Anna Calvi lays all the cards out on the table: ninety percent of the album’s songs are about sex or of a sexual nature (“No More Words”, “Desire”, “First We Kiss”) and yet Anna Calvi presents it in such a classy refined manner that you can both relate and appreciate and enthusiastically share with others. Her passion is felt more than stated, her vocals practically exploding from her at precise the perfect time to make its effects most immediate. While Calvi’s exploration of the primal is nothing new, both Wild Beasts and Laura Marling releasing albums doing that same thing this same year, what catches is Calvi’s total allegiance to the world she creates in her exploration of sounds and textures.
 Anna Calvi 'Anna Calvi' by Anna Calvi


2) Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
I could go on and on about how Fleet Foxes almost didn’t release this album and how we’re all lucky to be able to it and that’d be true. But Robin Pecknold’s neurotic perfectionism has resulted in one of the single most beautiful albums of the year. If an album has a weak track or two, that’s expected and not really cause for alarm but what do you do when an each and every track on an album is utter perfection? It’s something to be celebrated. That’s no easy feat and Fleet Foxes have managed to do this on their sophomore record and with an effortlessness that belies the frustration its member most likely felt making it.
 Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues by subpop

1) ARMS – Summer Skills
In a year where I found several eagerly anticipated follow up albums to be flops, ARMS is one of the few bands that not only delivered but exceeded all my wildest expectations. Summer Skills, with its supernatural break up album concept, delivered not only a boldly innovative idea but presented it in a way that was exceptionally mindful of itself and charmingly catchy. Todd Goldstein achieves an elegant balance between grizzly detail and imagination-fuelling vagueness in his songwriting that only helps to enrich the album’s miscellaneous stories. Each song pits the two main characters in a new predicament which Todd Goldstein’s deft songwriting and the band’s startlingly precision underscore and navigate you through. Summer Skills is labyrinthine and yet wholly accessible, an album with nearly as many instantaneous rewards as its hidden treasures.

Honorable Mentions:

The Antlers - Burst Apart 

Caveman - CoCo Beware 

The Deloreans - "American Craze"
Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers - On Being

The Dodos - No Color 

Left With Pictures - In Time 

tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L

North Highlands - "Benefits" video

When North Highlands released their debut album last month, there was far less of a big hurrah than I expected. The group kept busy playing various CMJ shows but there was no real record release, no press push, and that kind of saddened me.

But North Highlands' brand new video for "Benefits" kind of makes up for all that. It's one of the most entrancing videos without a plot I've ever seen. Directed by Nate Buchik, the video features a flickering image of the band's singer Brenda Malvini before small bits of the band playing get superimposed and thrown into the mix. It's some pretty artsy handling on a pretty hypnotic track.

Watch the video for "Benefits":


And don't forget you can still preview/buy North Highlands' debut album Wild One on their bandcamp here.

North Highlands - Wild One (2011)

From the second I was introduced to Brooklyn quintet North Highlands at their co-headlining show with ARMS this summer, the news of their album has been constantly on my brain. How would their dance-y brand of chamber pop translate from the stage to an album? The answer is surprisingly well. Which is not surprising given they’ve been sitting on the album for a bit.

While Brenda Malvini’s vocals aren’t all that commanding, in fact barely registering louder than a delicate coo, that’s their strength. She could be screeching and wailing for your attention but instead she softly and sneakily wins your heart and the band makes sure to always keep her as the focus. No matter how busy the parts are, there’s always a pocket for Malvini’s soft, dreamy vocals.

Wild One is kind of a misnomer. Though it gets its name from its most raucous track “Roundhouse”, the album’s energy is a lot more subtle. Instead the songs are given room to flex and grow in this way that I wish more songwriters utilized. Their debut is downright balmy- recalling the sort of musical sight-seeing artists like Lord Huron invoke despite the fact that the album was written and recorded in bustling cities like New York and Philadelphia. The warm, inviting organic metamorphosis packs the album with these spectacular moments that’s the direct result of having such talented members all share the spotlight and keeps all the songs fresh and exciting. Wild One is no doubt a labor of love, talent, and a wonderful debut from a band that deserves to have more music out that it currently does. Here’s hoping North Highlands are already prepping a follow up because as satisfying as Wild One is, it only makes you crave more.

You can listen to their whole debut at their Bandcamp:

North Highlands premiere new track "Benefits"

After seeing them live last month, I've been fiending for more music from the New York quintet North Highlands. Especially more of their rhythmic dance-y chamber pop that I was privy to that night. While being teased with un-remixed edits of "Hiking" and "Steady, Steady", now North Highlands have released a new track "Benefits" in all it's eventual album glory.




Their new album, Wild One, can't come out soon enough.

Pitstop: North Highlands

Last night I had a incredible honor of being able to see ARMS live. And yet as amazed and awestruck I was to see the objects of my months of obsession up close and in person, one of the night's most delightful surprises was co-headliner North Highlands. From the moment the precocious five-piece took the stage, the hall was full of good vibes, beautiful music, and concert-goers dancing with reckless abandon. And for all the good reasons. The gentlemen and lady of North Highlands were good-natured, talented, and their songs were so dance-able they should be illegal. Many of their songs were composed of multiple parts, dramatic shifts in groove, and were all linked by a deep sense of primal joy. North Highlands; music style is hard to describe exactly. Equal parts afro-pop rhythms, twee melodies, unassuming indie dance-pop, and circumstantial chamber folk.

Last night North Highlands announced an upcoming album Wild One which I hope will be out soon. It's bound to be an instant favorite.

Don't believe me? Check out some of their newest tunes "Steady Steady" and "Hiking".