R3vi3w Tim3s 2: Woodsman - Indoor Days / King Kong Ding Dong - Youth Culture Index

In light of recent events, we are doing 2 semi-late R3vi3ws today! Read em, after the jump.

New: Tan Dollar - Tan Dollar

Our buddy's 'Tan Dollar' have released a new mp3 and guess what? It's pretty fantastic. "Tan Dollar," the self titled mp3, has a amazing piano part that is backed up by some crazy percussion and an incredible bass line. It feels somewhat different than their other stuff but in a good way. Snag the S/T track and check the dates, after the jump.

De Rol Le'

It's fall, so what? Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner(Ugh), whatever. Doesn't mean we can't wish this "Sno-Fi" would just go away and stay away. Need some tropical vibes asap? Look no further, 'De Rol Le'' has got you covered. On some aspects you could say 'De' is yet another great chill-wave act but you would be oh so wrong. This guy is the best of the best. He doesn't just make amazing islands jams, he's got some incredible ambient tracks as well. "Beach Cassette Jam," my favorite song, is a perfect example of 'De's' talents. It's sunny looped vocals and warm guitar part beckon, if not summer then the tropics. Check out "Beach Cassette Jam," "Summerflocking," and "November," after the jump.

Chrome Wings

Hey guyz, we back! Midterms were rough but we got through em' aight. Anyway I've got some great stuff for y'all today. 'Chrome Wings' is an amazing ambient pop outfit from Portland, Oregon. Other than putting out some great jams, these guys are the nicest of people. The process of getting the mp3's to our ears was annoying, to say the least. After about six or seven failed Sendspace attempts and one failed Mediafire account, I finally got the songs. Through the whole agonizing process, Jon (1/2 of 'CW') couldn't have been nicer or tried harder to send me the jams, because he's the best. So, much love and all that. Anyway back to the music. "New Legs," a what seems to be a tribute to old Gameboy sound effects is just incredible. Subtle tones and a hint of melody trickle through the song and create something both beautiful and haunting, picture a Double Dragons cut but remixed into something ten times better. It also doesn't hurt that there are some great vocals too. Snag "New Legs," "Boppin Gophers," and peep the dates, after the jump.

New: Cat Killer - And Your Heart Beats

Our good buddy and SE fav, 'Cat Killer' has a new tape coming out this Friday and has released a new song in light of it. "And Your Heart Beats" is a stellar fall jam, that is just in time to soundtrack, pumpkin pie eatin' and maple leaf crushin'. Snag "And Your Heart Beats," after the jump.

R3vi3w: Eachothers - Elopement

Byrds Of Paradise

'Byrds Of Paradise' was first introduced to us by the coolest of dudes, over at ye ol' Friendship Bracelet. 'Byrds' has been blowing up all over our buddy's sites, and rightfully so, these guy's put out the jams. Brilliant guitar work and gleaming vocals are 'Byrds' main attributes. "Paradise DC," lo-fi pop wise, is one of the best pop anthems, I've heard all year. The guitar part in this song is so amazing. I find that music becomes increasingly genuine the simpler it gets, you honestly don't need much to create great tunes. This group exemplifies originality, what this outfit can do with a couple guitars, a bass, and some drums, is in a word, exceptional. Snag "Paradise, DC," "Kids In The Hall" and peep the dates, after the jump.

Air Waves

If you're in Seattle right now you know that it's pouring, luckily I've got the perfect cure for the rainy day blues. 'Air Waves' were kind enough to hook it up with a couple new tracks. 'Air Waves' has been on our radar for a while now, with songs like "Shine On" and "Knockout" blowing up on the headquarters of our blogging buddy's, it's been hard to avoid the amazing surf folk. With the low amount of vitamin d around here during the winter, it's nice to have a band that can cheer you up, once and a while. "Lightning," a gorgeous love song that rivals any 'Magnetic Fields' jam, echos with a gauzy acoustic strum and a lush electric pick. Grab "Lightning," "Kingdom," "Shine On," and peep the dates, after the jump.

Tom Croose

'Beirut,' you can't really get any better than that sweet Balkan chill. That is until you get someone like 'Tom Croose' to remix it. 'Tom Croose,' is a chill-wave artist from, where else but Brooklyn. This guy prduces some amazing remixes. Take 'Beirut's,' "Venice," for instance, originally this song was great but 'Croose' takes it over the edge. Tropical drums and the keyboards are shuffled to create easily my favorite 'Beirut" remix. Snag a copy of "Venice (Tom Croose City of Water Edit)" after the jump.

Haunted Houses

Will lo-fi ever get old? Probably not as long as we have bands like 'Haunted Houses' around to keep us goons in line. Dude makes the jams. If I could soundtrack my life, I'd probably ask 'HH' to do it. Although the project is pretty bedroom rock, it's not the ears-bleed-core stuff we're used to hearing these days. It's far more delicate, extremely well put together dreamy jams. The song crafting is some of the best I've heard in a long time. While some of the songs are instrumentals, the vocals are simply put, prodigious. "Day After Hospital Part III" showcases these two attributes the best. Rainy guitar and heartsick vocals, make the song almost a perfect soundtrack to life's low points. Snag "Day After Hospital Part III" and four bonus Mp3's, after the jump.

Obsidian Pond

Tropical repetition has become sort of a standby for people these days. From 'Dog Bite' to 'Panda Bear' the "blogosphere(sorry)" seems to just eat this stuff up. Which makes it all the more difficult to find something fresh in the genre. With that being said, 'Obsidian Pond,' a glo-fi outfit out of the UK, creates some mad temperate melody's. Luckily I was able to get my hands on three outstanding tracks, the first being "Sundog Sinners." Let me just start by saying this is the jam, sunny guitar strums, and Spanish percussion course throughout the song making it a candidate for our year end lists. Snag "Sundog Sinners," two bonus tracks, and peep a brand new video for "Sundog Sinners," after the jump.

The Young Friends

It doesn't get much better, daydream wise, than 'The Young Friends,' their catchy pop tunes kept playing over and over, while in class today. You just can't deny the catchyness(?) of this band. The incredible "North End / South End EP," that's free I might add, is quickly becoming on of my favorite EP's of this year. On "Make Out Point," jangly guitar hooks mash with the moan of simple yet perfect lyrics, "New girl came from out of town, know this time I'll come around. Lonely boy you've done it now, go ahead and ask her out." Snag "Make Out Point," "North End," and check the dates, after the jump.

The Choir Quit

I can not stop listening to this new jam I just got from 'The Choir Quit,' it is honestly the perfect soundtrack for the weekend. 'The Choir Quit,' is a new lo-fi band from South Carolina. The tunes are mostly guitar based anthems with hints of summer. Sunny vocals and fuzzy instrumentals make 'TCQ' a great addition to this years rising trend, of lo-fi acts. "Saturday Night," the bands most catchiest of tunes, is a blissed out gem thats just dying to be danced to. Snag "Saturday Night," "Mbur///" and peep the dates, after the jump.

Meth Dad

'Meth Dad' isn't your usual run of the mill freak folk no this is something different, something much more ethereal. I'm not sure this can even be put in the genre. 'MD' is a Tennessee outfit based more in freak than folk, that utilizes odd and alluring sounds to create some pretty chill jams. "Tars," my personal favorite song on the awesome "All Beached Out EP," is just straight incredible. It starts out as any other lo-fi song would but takes a turn for the awesome, around twenty two seconds or so. Snag a copy of "Tars," "Wonderful Waters," "Why We Wait," and peep the dates, after the jump!

Ocean Bump!

Ambient music has become a recent staple for me these days, between 'Pink Priest' and 'Cough Cool' I've been pretty satisfied. That is until I heard 'Ocean Bump!' This project is on the same level as the aforementioned 'PP/CC,' sunny, balmy, just a all around great listen. Take "Weathered Film" for instance, every time I play this song I feel like I could break it, the melody's are so delicate that the smallest noise could ruin the whole jam for you. Grab a copy of both "Weathered Film" and "Buried," after the jump.

Technoir MA

Well it should come as no surprise to you guys that we love some good pop music round here and today we've got something super special for yall. 'Technoir MA,' a Massachusetts based outfit produces some of the most epic guitar pop that I've heard since 'Pains.' Seriously, how these guys haven't just blown up is a complete mystery. The vocals sound like Jan Scott Wilkinson and Bernard Sumner had a love child. "Roundabout," the bands first song off their amazing three jam EP, is a straight up revival of Joy Division, New Order era pop punk. The guitar parts are indescribable. Snag "Roundabout," the rest of the EP, and peep the dates, after the jump!

Ghost Wave

A while back I took a trip to Mexico and the whole time I was there I was wishing I could have some good tropical music to go along with it. Luckily I snagged some 'El Guincho' and 'Coconot'. But still there needed to be more, I could only listen to "Alegranza" so many times. If only I had discovered "Ghost Wave" before hand. This is the pinnacle of the tropical, lo-fi movement. Yes, sipping cerveza and listening to 'GW,' by the bright, blue pacific would have been ideal. Who am I to complain though, It was Mexico. "One By One," my personal favorite song off of 'GW's' three song sampler, is a gorgeous, well put together piece. Damp vocals, Latin inspired guitar, and a simple snare are crafted into one of this years best tropical jams. Snag a copy of both "One By One" and "Sooli," after the jump.

Kid Trails

I relate listening to this next outfit with drinking a good cup of coffee in the morning. It wakes you up and makes you realize how great life actually is. Simply put, it's refreshing. "813 Food," the amazing new single by South Carolina's 'Kid Trails', is by far one of the most creative lo-fi songs of this year. Using what sounds like sticks and a bench for percussion 'KT' produces a pretty heartbreaking jam. Check out "813 Food" and (the recorded earlier today) "All Yr Throat," after the jump.

Boneless

At the risk of getting in trouble, I'm going to say, there are only about twenty projects in the world that can use samplers properly. Nevada's, 'Boneless' are in the top five. Thanks to our buddy's over at Get Off The Coast, 'Boneless' was brought to our attention earlier this week. For the past few days, I have been going to school, casually listening to the three tracks that were posted on GOTC, trying to think of the words to describe this outfit. It's best described as some of the best use of sampling I've heard all year. Take for instance "Breathless," this track is incredible, it's hard to imagine that ohhs and ahhs, with a couple of guitar chords could ever come close to sounding this good. Snag "Breathless" and two bonus tracks, after the jump.

Summer Blondes

Oh teenage angst, is there anything quite like it, no I think not. Yes, high schools forever, your parents don't "get" you, these are the best times of your life, etc. Let's face it, even John Hughes would be envious of your high school career. OK, maybe not, but this next outfit is the perfect soundtrack to remind you of the best or in some cases worst, times of your life. 'Summer Blondes,' produce some the best somber lo-fi that we've heard in a while. Somehow they've successfully woven surf rock with good old fashion blues. "Trash'n USA" is the perfect example of this bands talents. The vocals though woeful, properly accompany the instrumentals, with just the right amount of howling. It brings you back to a time where pep rally's and football games were your only plans for a frigid Friday night. Grab "Trash'n USA," "Hangin' Ten With Mr. Cooper," and "Underager Rager!," all after the jump.