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Friday, June 27, 2014

Artist Making Waves: LOW ROAR [dream folk / electronic / ambient pop] ***UPDATED (album stream added)***

I've been listening to LOW ROAR's new singles a lot in the past few months and it's taken me this long to look deep enough into the band to find out that the man behind it all, Ryan Karazija, was the frontman of Oakland, CA's now defunct indie rock band Audrye Sessions. I saw them about 5 years ago in St. Petersburg, FL opening up for Manchester Orchestra with then-overlooked Fun and was really impressed by the band's eerie explosiveness, Ryan Karazija's soaring falsetto, and the way he played the guitar with a cello bow. While Audrye Sessions reminded me of Radiohead's energetic rock songs, LOW ROAR seems to derive influence from their slower, more expansive tracks, creating a dreamy brand of ambient electronic music with orchestral and post-rock elements.

I suppose when I saw that LOW ROAR was a band from Reykjavík, Iceland I simply deduced that its members must also be Icelandic, which was partly correct. Apart from California-native Karazija (pictured above in the center), there are two members from Iceland, and listed as a member on their Facebook page, but not pictured above, is American Grammy-winning producer Andrew Scheps, who contributed keys and programming on LOW ROAR's 2011 self-titled debut album, so it's safe to say he plays a similar role on their upcoming sophomore release entitled 0 (yes, that's a zero).

Moving to Iceland after the dissolution of his previous band, Karazija hoped to find inspiration similar to that of which most Icelandic musicians seem to feed off on the majestic Nordic island, and I'd say he's found it. Its awe-inspiring landscapes have made their way into LOW ROAR's vastly beautiful arrangements enough to have comparisons be drawn to Icelandic post-rock giants, Sigur Rós. Apparently, you don't have to be from Iceland to sound like you're from Iceland; you just have to live there.

Enjoy three dreamy tracks from LOW ROAR's sophomore release 0 below Stream LOW ROAR's new album 0 below, stream the debut album here, and be sure to pick up your own copy of 0 on July 8th.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Swell EP: The Tambourine Girls - The End of Time EP [psychedelic / folk rock / britpop]

The Tambourine Girls is the side project of Simon Relf, the guitarist of Sydney, Australia's psychedelic indie pop band Deep Sea Arcade. With help from some friends and DSA bandmates, Relf has brought us his distinguished debut EP entitled The End of Time via Chugg Music. While it projects the psychedelia and nostalgic 90s Britpop characteristic of his main band's music, The End of Time stands apart with its reverb-heavy spiraling of guitar solos and acoustic strumming, its hazy pace, and its loose adherence to the traditional pop structure. Stream The Tambourine Girls' five-song EP below (purchase it here) and be sure to 'follow' the band to receive news on future tours and releases.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Just Rolled In: FISHING - "Your Mouth (feat. Jonas Nicholls)" [electronic / indie pop / beats]

The Australian electronic duo FISHING from Sydney produces radiant sample-laden electronic music influenced by hip-hop and indie-pop. With their debut LP Shy Glow coming out this week via, and with summer finally here (for most of us) I found it all too appropriate to share the latest sunny single from the record entitled "Your Mouth", featuring Jonas Nicholls of fellow Sydney band SURES on vocals, as well as a couple other songs from the new album. If you're lacking summer vibes I'm sure this will help.