Ww just stumbled upon this very pretty video (directed by Miranda Javid) by the Baltimore based duo, Peals, comprised by William Cashion (Future Islands) and Bruce Willen (Post Typography/Double Dagger). "Become Younger" is the first single from the new album "Honey," the bands’ sophomore album dropping today. The band will celebrate with a release party at the Compound, do not miss!

We called Brooklyn’s Uni Ika Ai (pronounced: oo-knee ee-kuh eye) "dream pop’ in July, but their new single ‘Soft in Ice,’ whose video we are streaming below, paints a more complex picture, one of a band not afraid to experiment with not so popular BPMs (the plodding "mid tempo") and harmonic content (dissonance, noise, and an initial melody that’s not exactly a ray of sunshine), but still able to resolve these dark tensions through a chorus that delivers a big "prog-chestral" melodic opening, leading to a dissonant distorted sax solo that David Bowie would have loved to hear. The black and white (but mostly black) visuals beautifully underline the existential content of the lyrics. This would definitely be a candidate to be our video of the month if we only had such a thing!

With a name bound to trigger confusion (not only with a similarly named bands from the ’60s… check out this Spotify profile!), Brooklyn’s Birds channel a sound more than slightly influenced by the imaginative ’90s psych rock of The Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev, bands that for truly incomprehensible reasons have been left behind in the recent ’90s rock revival (for the unaware, at the time The Flaming Lips were a different band than they are now). The crooked distorted sliding guitars and bizarre vocal melodies of tracks like Fade (streaming) or Behind You immediately brought smiles to our faces, sending us on a mental journey back to our vynil filled early twenties. If it’s true that all new music is a re-elaboration of music of the past (and true it is) Birds can enjoy the advantage of a sound influenced by great records not many other current emerging bands seem fond of. And that’s one reason why we are so excited about them. Check them out live at Union Pool on October 9th.

Can’t say goodbye to the warm summer breeze and cool ocean waves? Just put on those headphones and turn up Run Koko, Hey Anna’s sunny, nostalgic indie-pop album from 2015. In just a few seconds, a reverb-drenched guitar will open up the sky, spacey synths will sparkle like sun on waves, drums and bass will paint the horizon with a delicate, eclectic groove, and dreamy mezzo vocals will flux and flow like the sea – and if you need help visualizing that look no further than the video for opening track "Island." We are streaming below their darker one (and set in a more familiar city environment) for shoegazy single ‘Anaphaze.". Get a taste of the band’s soothing soundscape on September 24 at the Mercury Lounge, before they sail off on a three week, fall US tour with The Boxer Rebellion.

Some of the most imaginative music is created when musical instruments are treated like toys, rather than serious objects that require a lot of practicing to be mastered, implying that conventional instrumental technique might actually harness creativity. If that’s the philosophical premise of punk and post punk, since the late ’90s the DIY movement has been slowly extending its influence to other musical genres. NYC songwriter and programmer Emily Reo seem to share this approach, crafting whimsical pop songs based on simple but carefully chosen programmed sounds and drum beats, and featuring melodic vocals that, more often than not, are filtered through electronic harmonizers. The result is rather peculiar: her music is playful and ethereal to the point of sounding almost abstract – so much so that we are tempted to label it "Rainbow Pop."
Even though Reo hasn’t released any new material in three years, she’ll have a rather prestigious show at Baby’s All Right on October 6th. Check out the video for aptly named single ‘Rainbow Road.’