We’re pleased to announce that Oakland’s Salami Rose Joe Louis has a new album and it is an ear feast for anyone down to let go and drift off into the octave-melting abyss. Zdenka 2080 (out on Brainfeeder) has jazz and synth, whispering poetry (“Octagonal Room”); there’s warm space vibes and distorted R&B moments. Sit back and drift off and come see ‘em at The Uptown for their album release show. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

Last week Alex Lahey came out to The Independent last week and it was just the show we were hoping for. Lahey’s got an approachable and fun energy. Her songs are youthful rock n’ roll with some feels like that early 2000’s rock but with messages that are more current. There’s something empowering and solid about the music and their delivery. The crowd bumping and jumping along to songs like “Am I Doing it Right?” Lahey is on tour now and we suggest fans of power pop fun go check her out while she’s around these parts. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

In honor of World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10), Step Children released their latest single, “Hot-Wired Cars.” Band member Derek Shaw says the song is “…full of memories, regret and hope…people who are hurting that badly so their best to hide what’s really happening.” The song is a tribute to several friends who have recently taken their own lives. Sonically, the song has a touch of Elton John, some twang and pop. We’re always down for a tune that helps raise awareness and reminds us to love each other and listen to each other. – Lucille Faulkner

Photo credit: Derek Shaw

Today Barrio Manouche released “La Leyenda Del Tiempo” with its accompanying, dizzying video. The vibrant and electric flamenco jazz fusion septet provides a tremendous listening experience and live? They’re in a whole other world. Look around the room and at a Barrio Manouche show and you’ll see shoulders, toes, legs, hands, eyes, dancing in rhythm together. And that’s exactly what their music is meant to do: bond people from across cultures and rhythms and create fusions that are otherworldly. “La Leyenda Del Tiempo” was written and made famous by Camarón de La Isla and is now in a fresh rendition. Enjoy their video here and check them at The New Parish on October 26, where they’ll be releasing their next album. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

We want more Baybs! Folk rock dreampop duo is a sight for sore ears. We’ve got our hands on the first two singles and we are waiting ever-so-patiently for some more. If the lyrics below don’t give you a sweet little feeling, tune into their single "You’re The Only One" for some lovely harmonies, poppy good rockness and a solid time.

"Ocean eyed angel, kiss me on my trembling lips

How the beat of your heart, electrifies my fingertips

When stars collide they burn, burn like the sun

And you and I could purr, roar like thunder"

As we reach the end of summer, we are proud to premiere the fittingly titled “Summer’s Edge,” by San Francisco-based Leon Rosen. Rosen feels like a Rufus Wainwright and a Jeff Buckley with the smallest touch of twang and the piano work to match. Rosen’s intimate piano pop is stunning and soothing. “Summer’s Edge” is a beautifully mixed and mastered tune with the right kind of warmth to make us feel like we’re in the room with him. And we’re pleased to know that we can be, soon. He’s playing this Friday, August 30 at Neck of the Woods to debut this and other tracks off his forthcoming album (on F Pop Records). Of “Summer’s Edge,” Rosen says it is “…a gentle sendoff of sorts, saying goodby to summer camp, summer romance, summer nostalgia or perhaps returning to a summer lost–a place where an era ended, at a new time of change.” What a refreshing find. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

Oh man, we’re pleased to have found The Pendeltons’ funky sweetness. What is going on with these keys, these snapping fingers, the harmonies? Solid goodness. Pendeltons (on Bastard Jazz) are perfect to jam with after a long day or at a start of a fresh one: they bring that shoulder moving, positive feeling that we appreciate. They’ve got that soul, boogie vibe while keeping that modern feel. Highly recommend. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

We’re pleased to share some tunes from San Francisco’s own Mr. Andrew. Aptly described as folk punk, Mr. Andrew embodies a lot of things we love: laughter, sarcasm, frustrations. He seems like a cool dude to go camping with. For enjoyers of the Mountain Goats, Neil Young, Mac DeMarco and some early 2000’s alternative. Listen for yourself and hey, Mr. Andrew, we’re ready for more shows! – Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

Oakland’s Bam! Bam! just released a video for their song "Literary Hoax" and it is old school style with weird imagery that matches well with their vibe. Energy, slamming guitars and all the glory of post punk and pop punk, these ladies are holding it down. They are playing Bandcamp’s Oakland record store and performance space on Friday, September 13. Check them out. – Lucille Faulkner

“Contact,” the latest from San Francisco-based alt hip hop artist Morsifire, is a painful song about loss and coping. Raised with a mother suffering from addiction and in a household full of trauma, the artist wrote “Contact” as an emotional reaction to the loss of his sister. He says, "This song is about the immediate aftermath of my sister’s death and everything that came with it. By the end of the song I’m actually addressing her, wherever she is. It’s a raw song, an open wound…"

The track features indie pop singer Emily Afton, who helps infuse and soften the song with her spellbinding voice. "Contact" reminds us of that Eminem track with Dido, and accomplishes a similar feat: a wounded rapper’s anger and pain softened by powerful female vocals. Stay tuned for Morsifire’s live shows in San Francisco and beyond.

–Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

Boy Scouts just released their latest video for "Hate Ya 2" and it’s a captivating animated creation. What an amazing blend of visual mediums that pairs so nicely with the sad and lovely tune. Shout out to that fly, the balloon, all of it. Boy Scouts’ new album Free Company is out September 30 on Anti Records. Fall tour dates (with Jay Som!) start September 11. 

Says Vicks, "”Hate Ya 2” is about trying to grapple with conflicting feelings. When you still have love for someone who can also make you feel undervalued and hurt, and how confusing that experience can be. The process of recording this song felt very cathartic. Stephen [Steinbrink] and I drove out to my parent’s house with my friend Rose Droll to have her record piano on a few songs from the record, and when she played along to this one we tracked a few takes of her improvising. It added such a beautiful melancholic element, in true Rose Droll fashion.” 

When we asked Boy Scouts’ front person Taylor Vicks why their music has a "golden retriever" classification on Bandcamp, they said, simply, "I really like golden retrievers." A fine, fine reason. Well, we really like you. Give this tune a listen and be damned if you don’t listen to the rest of the album, too. 

– Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor

If you feel the need to be soothed today, take a little listen to the latest by Suzanne Vallie. Any song off the album is equally as pleasing as the last. Tracks feel like folk lullabies: gentle guitar plucking, Vallie’s sweet voice, soft harmonies. Based out of Big Sur–and maybe that’s where the nature-inspired songs come from–Vallie pops in and out of the Bay Area for shows with different bands, including Range of Light Wilderness, and her solo works. In fact, she’ll be playing Hotel Utah this August 14. Come in for some soothing purity. –Michelle Kicherer, Associate Editor