John's New Music Blog

Last February we featured the Portland band Blouse, the Depeche Mode/The Cure influenced shoegaze band that released "Into Black." Blouse is back and recently released a new 7" single "Shadow" via Seattle-based indie megalabel Sub Pop.


"Shadow" is a throwback to the early '80's of Human League and OMD, it covers death and despair in with the cloak of summer.


 Blouse - Shadow by subpop

The B side is "Nights & Days," a shoegaze track that highlights the vocals of singer Charlie Hilton with another '80's flashback. The track could have been released in 1983, but it doesn't sound dated like La Roux, but it's a logical progression from Depeche Mode and New Order's early albums to this track.




Blouse is currently in the studio recording their Captured Tracks debut album. "Shadow" and "Nights & Days" is available on vinyl from Sub Pop and for download from Amazon. Their first single, "Into Black" and "Firestarter" is available from iTunes and Amazon.

Today's featured band is Baltimore's Secret Mountains, a sextet consisting of founders Jeffery Silverstein and Kelly Laughlin and over time added Chris Muccioli, Cory Lawrence, Jake Winstanley, and Alex Jones. The band has a lo-fi, shoegaze sound with a good helping of American folk (it took a couple of listens, but it's there). Its as though Tennis started playing with Fleet Foxes and then met up with Company of Thieves to create a unique and inviting sound that will make you ask if you're still listening to the same band.


The first track is the band's new single, "Weeply Little Fingers," a spacey, shoegaze track that gives you a good feeling for the band's sound and Kelly Laughlin's vocal skills.





 Secret Mountains | Ottobar from Michael Muccioli on Vimeo.

The second track is the title track from the band's 2010 EP, Rejoice. This was my first introduction to the band and this is almost two songs in one. The first part is psych-rock and the second part is part Catatonia and part Belle and Sebastian twee indie pop.


 Secret Mountains - Rejoice from john andrews on Vimeo. 
Rejoice is available for download from Baltimore based Friends Records and the band's first EP, Kaddish, is available from Baltimore's Fall Records, iTunes and Amazon. Secret Mountains is playing at The Mausoleum in Philadelphia on August 12th (details to follow).

(H/T: Beat the Indie Drum)

The June installment of the Radio 104.5 Summer Block Party brought two really excellent bands to town, She Wants Revenge and Company of Thieves for the low, low price of free. I've been a fan of She Wants Revenge since I heard their self-titled debut album and swore they were from Manchester and not really from Los Angeles and The New York Post called the album "...an inadvertent Joy Division tribute album." They have toured with Depeche Mode and Placebo and are currently touring in support of their third album Valleyheart. Here are some pictures of Justin Warfield and Adam Bravin on stage at The Piazza at Schmidts in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia.
















The next band was Chicago's Company of Thieves, touring in support of their new album, Running From a Gamble. The band shot to critical and commercial success with their first album, Ordinary Riches and the singles, "Oscar Wilde" and "Pressure." I apologize for so many pictures of frontwoman Genevieve Schatz, she was the only member of the band consistently in my line of sight and she was very, very easy to photograph.

 



































She Wants Revenge's new album, Valleyheart, is available from the band, iTunes and Amazon. Company of Thieves' Running From a Gamble is available from the band, iTunes and Amazon.

A big thank you to Radio 104.5 for putting on the Summer Block Parties and bringing in great bands, The Naked and Famous and The Airborne Toxic Event  are in town on August 6.