“Act on Impulse,” the first track from We Were Promised Jetpacks’ sophomore release, shows the Scottish noise-makers further developing their sound which at first came off as a welcome, albeit, slightly redundant take on agitated indie-rock, punk and early emo. Here, with a patient, two-minute instrumental build-up, and a second, two minute build before the noise comes, they’ve increased the effectiveness of their good, old-fashioned guitar swarm without sacrificing any of their edge. We Were Promised Jetpacks’ second album, In the Pit of the Stomach, will be released October 3rd on Fat Cat Records.
MP3: We Were Promised Jetpacks – Act On Impulse
If lead single, “Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name) is any indication of what’s to follow, Cymbals Eat Guitars’ upcoming release for Barsuk Records has the potential to either be epic or an epic mess, with little in between. During the eight-and-a-half minutes of “Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name)” the band covers jam-style, indie rock (Think Built to Spill), ’90s post-hardcore, and the sprawling, cathartic and unpredictable work of Jane’s Addiction. Somehow it works. Could they possibly make a successful album from this template? We’ll see. Lenses Alien by Cymbals Eat Guitars will be available via Barsuk Records on August 30th.
MP3: Cymbals Eat Guitars – Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name)
It’s difficult to have a ballad named “Vomit,” then sing about being down and lookin’ for love without coming off trite, or cliche, or sounding like pages ripped from a teenager’s diary. Christopher Owens and his band Girls have a solution and that solution comes around the two-and-a-half minute mark in the form of an absolutely shredding solo. Now, with the cliched teenage nightmare gone, one can fully take in the patience, care, and studiousness with which Owens has surrounded his pain, for rarely do indie bands do grand so tastefully as Owens does here. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost will be out September 13th on True Panther/Matador.
MP3: Girls – Vomit
Jesse Sykes already possesses a voice that can make time stand still – An equal mix of Joplin’s rough-edged, soul and quaint, home-spun folksiness, and with an album, gaining strong pre-release praise, she may now have a work to match the stature of her voice. The first teaser single, “Come to Mary,” incorporates vintage, psychedelic rock with her well-worn, alt-country stylings, with promise to only get deeper and darker from there. Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter’s self-released album, Marble Son, will be out on August 2nd.
MP3: Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter – Come to Mary
