Vir, an Oakland-based post-punk, shoegaze trio, has released its third album Engineers, streaming below and here. Inspired by My Bloody Valentine and Doves, the band also cites New Zealand post-punk such as the Gordons, Bailter Space and HDU as a major influence. Spaced out, dark, psychedelic and avant garde, Vir is another one to watch in the experimental Oakland scene.

San Francisco’s Trevor Montgomery, who moonlights as Young Moon in addition to his tile-setter day job, previews his second album with single “Winds Light.” The song flourishes in the purity of Montgomery’s somber drumming and openness of his deep voice. Montgomery will open your heart with his honesty and proceed to fill it with his synth-pop melodies, unleashing lyrics of heartbreak and remorse. The album Navigated Like the Swan comes out July 24 on Western Vinyl.

–Leah Roh

Stuck in the city over the three-day weekend? Quit pining for warm beaches, throw on a sweater and hit up these awesome local shows.

Tonight, Saturday, May 26 at the Great American Music Hall discover some great bands at "Sean Healy Presents: Steer the Stars CD Release Party with the Bay’s Best Unsigned Bands!" Steer the Stars, Debbie Neigher, Handshake and The Deli SF’s very own Artist of the Month, HUFF THIS! All guests who purchase presale tickets will receive entry into an intimate house show/after celebration on June 9 where all the bands will cook dinner for attendees. Tickets available here. 

Tonight is your second-to-last chance to catch indie rocker Boy in the Bubble before the "boy" Josh Seidenfeld moves to Durham, NC. It’s an early show at the Make-Out Room at 7:30 PM and another on Thursday, July 5 at 6:00 pm at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden Redwood Grove Amphitheater. Download his album "The King" for free here.

On Sunday, May 27, don’t miss a first look at music videos from WATERS, Mist Giant, Elle Niño, William Ryan Fritch, French Cassettes, The 21st Century, Cormorant, Conspiracy of Venus, Vandella, Seatraffic, The Hot Toddies, Cash Pony, C H U R C H E S, doppio, Le VICE and Big Light. The Music Video Race Screening Party will also have live performances by doppio, Le VICE, and Big Light. Tickets available here and at the door.

Monday, well, you’ll likely need a day to recover.

–Whitney Phaneuf

San Francisco’s indie-folk outfit Adios Amigo is back with new single, “Chicken,” off the forthcoming EP dos. Download "Chicken" via Prefixmag and listen as Johnny Major channels Elliott Smith with a nostalgic, angst-ridden result.

Don’t miss Adios Amigo’s EP release show on Friday, June 1 at Cafe du Nord with Her OSHEN, Al Lover & The Haters, My Second Surprise. 

–Leah Roh

Long-lost and reunited friends Robin Landy and Eric Kuhn formed Silian Rail six years ago and settled in Oakland by way of North Carolina. The instrumental duo fits perfectly in the experimental East Bay scene with a sound that combines soft ambiance and jarring post-rock noise.

Listen below or here to Silian Rail’s new, third album each/other, an evolution in composition and technical craftsmanship. Maintaining the melodically dense, open-tuned guitar and criss-crossed drumming of previous releases, each/other adds in melancholic piano, lush strings and noisy percussion, feedback and viola. The band credits engineer and co-producer Robert Cheek for the enhanced sonic sounds, as well as the addition of local artists Dina Maccabee (of Ramon & Jessica) and Lynne Angel (of Tartufi). Both vinyl and CD versions of each/other are available.

Check out this cool fan video, Taiwan: You Can’t Go Home Again, by Brian Chu featuring two songs from each/other, "A Nothing Summer" and "A Fit or a Fever."

–Whitney Phaneuf

Indie pop favorites Billy & Dolly (aka Bill Rousseau and Dahlia Gallin Ramirez formerly of the heavy 00s band Monolith) today released new album Dally Bon Idyll. Treading familiar territory, Dally Bon Idyll features powerful, yearning vocals telling intimate stories of love gone wrong.

Download the playful single "Gold," reminiscent of the duo’s inspirations Donovan, Simon & Garfunkel and Dolly Parton, and watch the video for "Oh Yeah" below.

–Amanda Dissinger

Mysterious avant-noise project Id Loom originated in Berkeley, CA sometime in 2002 and began releasing its material in April 2012.

We sat down with Id Loom to discuss this project a decade in the making. Read more here.

–Whitney Phaneuf

Dividing its time between Northern California and New York City, we’re lucky enough to call HUFF THIS! our very own all summer and through Burning Man. Clearly fans are happy to have the band in the Bay Area since they just voted HUFF THIS! Artist of the Month.

"One part love, one part flight, one part nervous, one part fearless," HUFF THIS! has made a beautiful album called Tuff Love, which depicts the pain and hardship of love through lush, experimental folk pop songs. The album was made in 2010 by a collaboration between lead singer, keyboardist and guitarist Alison Clancy and electro-acoustic cellist and composer Chrissy Lancaster of the Bill T. Jones Dance Company. The band also features drummer Tony Long and bass player/producer Sonny Ratcliff. 

Tuff Love is a six-song collection of ambitious, passionate songs. Opener "River" features Clancy’s haunting vocals singing "Take me, take me, take me to the river/I want to swim" and sets the theme of yearning for something that you can’t have. "Big Love" is a simple track, with just a simple guitar and Clancy’s voice, and tells the story of a girl with a big heart who will miss her lover’s tender heart that she knows so well. What’s so immediately grabbing about the album is its strings, the layering of voices and soundscapes to create music that makes you feel like you’re in a lovely dream. 

Tuff Love is an album to listen to over and over in order to fully grasp the nostalgic and bittersweet tone of the music and the story of a lost love. Download Tuff Love here or stream below, and watch the music video for "Lovin’ You." –Amanda Dissinger

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Two weeks ago, I was departing for Coachella Weekend 2.  This was the first Coachella I’d ever attended, so I had no expectations except that there’d be a cool hologram if I didn’t melt before the end of the weekend. While I did come close to sweating every morsal of liquid from every pore in my body, I lived (and missed the hologram in order to be back at my job in San Francisco by 9:00 am the following morning).

So although I didn’t get down with Tupac, I did catch three of the Bay Area’s elite and felt quite proud for our little part of the music contributing world.

First up was Oakland’s Wallpaper. The electro-rock fivesome kicked off the festivities in one of the tents and lead singer Ricky Reed was arguably more excited to be there than any of the fans. He gushed about having been an attendee at Coachella for many years past and that it was mind-blowing to have been invited to perform. The synchronized drumming and adorable pink-haired singer were definitely a fun way to get things started (and in my case to begin applying sun block at rapid fire pace).

Later that first day, I struggled to leave the shade to catch San Francisco’s golden boys Girls at one of the outdoor stages. Obviously, I couldn’t miss Mr. Owens and his amazing backup singers, so I dragged my ass to the sun soaked crowded field. I’ve seen Girls before (read my review here) and while I think the backup belters are the best thing going on in that group, I’m pretty sure everyone else in attendance walked away saying it was a favorite from the weekend. Sometimes, I just can’t help but swing against the current, what can I say?

However, when it comes to the East Bay’s tUnE-yArDs, I am part of the in-crowd. I fucking love everything about Merrill Garbus and her saxophonists and her bassist and their whole vibe and their set on the second day was just GREAT. That the band is able to reproduce its sounds so flawlessly live is just WHOA. Plus, she did this really awesome bit where she had the audience close their eyes then turn away from the stage. When she had us open our eyes to the beautiful Indio Mountains that she was viewing from her vantage point, she exclaimed something along the lines of, “Look at where we are! How cool!!” And it was…even if it was anything but cool in temperature.

–Justine Fields

If you’re as excited as we are about Adios Amigo‘s new EP out June 1, the follow up to the band’s stunning debut EP, head to Bottom of the Hill tonight for its show with headliner Oakland’s Kids on a Crime Spree. Also on the bill is Oakland’s James & Evander, who recently released irresistible 7-inch Let’s Go, part vintage 70s soul, part futuristic spaced-out synths. Listen below.

–Whitney Phaneuf

No excuses necessary for rocking out to Excuses For Skipping‘s infectious sound–the band won our 2011 SF Fans Poll. When they’re not banging out the tunes, you’ll find this foursome kicking it in San Francisco’s Mission District. Read more in our Q&A with lead singer Linda Moody.

And don’t miss Excuses for Skipping tonight, April 27, with fellow locals Loquat for its album release party at The Independent.

-Whitney Phaneuf

It’s the classic story: girl meets girl, girl falls in love with girl, life happens and girl changes, girl writes beautiful record about the relationship. This is the story behind Sacramento based Sea of Bees’ (aka Julie Ann Bee) new album Orangefarben out May 1 and streaming now on NPR. Bee sings every word with passion, nostalgic yearning and pain, and while it’s incredibly heartbreaking, it’s also incredible raw and hopeful. 

On "Teeth," Bee sings about her ex’s white and crooked teeth, on “Girl”, she talks about the first time she met her ex and how she was “out of this world," on “Take”, she discusses how her ex needed to just “take take take what she wants." All of us have been through this type of tumultuous relationship, but few can turn something so awful into something so gorgeous.

Orangefarben (named for her nickname for her ex-lover) is a stunning piece about loss, first love and forever pledging your heart to someone. It’s the perfect heartbreak album, it’s the perfect falling in love album. In a word, it’s perfect. 

Watch the video for "Broke" below, shot around the countryside surrounding Bee’s home in Sacramento, and catch her on tour with some great local artists including Sister Crayon, Andy Cabic of Vetiver and Little Wings. Tour dates below.

–Amanda Dissinger

05.12.12 – New Paltz, NY @ Market Market
05.15.12 – Manhattan, NY @ The Mercury Lounge w/ The Loom
05.17.12 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Rock Shop w/ Spinto Band
05.20.12 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe
06.02.12 – Sonoma, CA @ Huichica Music Festival
06.07.12 – Sacramento, CA @ Bows & Arrows w/ Little Wings
06.09.12 – Sacramento, CA @ Luigi’s w/ Sister Crayon
06.10.12 – Sacramento, CA @ Fifth String w/ Andy Cabic of Vetiver
06.11.12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Bardot
06.12.12 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah w/ Sister Crayon
06.13.12 – Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland w/ Sister Crayon
06.16.12 – Visalia, CA @ The Cellar Door w/ Sister Crayon
06.22.12 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill w/ Sister Crayon

Broke from New Canada on Vimeo.