Exitmusic + Slow Magic

Last year we first heard of Exitmusic by way of their incredible EP From Silence. Now about half a year later Exitmusic has put out their debut full length album titled, Passage. Much like the EP, Passage is an epic album of dark themes, yet Aleksa Polladino's voice has this great haunting yet uplifting timbre to it that sends chills down my spine, in a good way. It is a brilliantly well put together album that is stunningly beautiful and can be listened to here.
On an entirely different note, Slow Magic is awesome music "created by your imaginary friend." The full length album, Triangle, fits in well to the glo-fi genre with the likes of Washed Out, Neon Indian, and Shades. Though the album is mostly instrumental, it is super chill and makes everyone listening to it go into a groovy zoned out state of mind. I imagine myself camping on the beach with friends while listening to this album as the sun is setting and the camp-fire is getting bigger. You can purchase the album on itunes or their website here or you can just listen to it below.



Jeff The Brotherhood put up their Hypnotic Nights EP on iTunes this week as well. Though it won't be available for CD or vinyl until July, I highly recommend checking it out. Dan Auerbach from Black Keys helped produce the album. You can download the single "Sixpack" here.

Coast Jumper + Fanno Creek

Got a couple of new bands to share with you all today. First up is San Fransico band Coast Jumper. Drawing on several influences from chill pop to heavy rock Coast Jumper has a great rock 'n' pop sound that can be enjoyed by anyone. This five piece band puts out a lot of great noise with head banging tracks like "Disabler" to a Beach House/Real Estate feel with "For Youth" to the noise-rock track "Sutures ii." Coast Jumper's debut album Grand Opening is available for name your own price on their website here. You can also listen to it below.



Another great pop-rock band is local Portland, Oregon's Fanno Creek. More on the folky side of rock this three piece band has a great six-track release, Green Houses, for free download on their website here. With great songwriting and harmonic skills this band puts out some really catchy tracks. My favorites include "Green Back" and "I Am Learning." Listen to them below.

The D Is Back!

What a great release day it is! Tenacious D is back and more awesomer than before. With their newest release Rize Of The Fenix, Tenacious D puts themselves into the upper plateau of the rock gods. With songs about how low hanging fruits taste good to the life of a roadie, this 41 minute pure rock album will not only blow your minds into a state of pure other dimensional bliss but it has the potential to solve every dilemma of man since the dawn of time. You can listen to the entire album below after the great video.





Not only did that album come out today but two other great ones came out as well. Starting with the duo band Best Coast and their second full length titled, The Only Place. This album sounds great, and though Best Coast has moved more to a more polished quality finish, their songwriting remains very much the same. They move away from the DIY surf pop to a more pop rock kind of style. Still a really good album you guys, check it out over at NPR.
Last but not least is the highly anticipated fourth full length release of Baltimore, MD band Beach House's Bloom. I have had the singles "Myth" and "Lazuli" on repeat for the last couple of weeks and the rest of the album does not disappoint. I really enjoy this album a lot, it flows together really nicely and I feel like I get lost in the super chill sound of Beach House. Check out the album in its entirety here.

Cool Portland Bands

Got a couple more great local Portland, OR bands for you all today. First up is Tango Alpha Tango. They will be coming out with their newest full length album in the next couple months, but until then this rock 'n' roll band has a really great 3-track release that you can listen to below. Tango Alpha Tango has a great mix of blues, folk, and rock and roll. I'm really excited to hear more from this band in the up coming months. You can download the first track "Kill & Haight" for free here.



Next up is a band that has been featured as one of the best new bands in Portland, they are Pure Bathing Culture. This pop band duo has a really chill sounding vibe that has great vocals and a semi 80s touch to their tunes. Their debut EP is set to come out on May 22nd and you can pre-order it here. You can hear some of their tracks below.

New Music Galore

Today is a great day! Also there is some great music that got released yesterday. New PS I Love You, Here We Go Magic, Dana Buoy, and Silversun Pickups. PS I Love You's second full length album Death Dreams is another great release for this Canadian duo. Like the last album there is the ever present guitars blasting through your speakers, yet there are some tracks that slow down and have more a melody style to it, such as "Don't Go" and "How Do You." You can listen to the entire album over at Paste Magazine, make sure you listen to "Sentimental Dishes" and "Saskatoon."
Next up is Here We Go Magic with their third full length album titled, A Different Ship. I feel like this is the kind of album you put on your iPod and walk around outside on a summer day, then you find yourself dancing along with it and you decide that you don't really care if people look at you funny. It has a cool blend of indie folk rock with driving drum beats. I really enjoy the single "How Do I Know," it really is a good example of the whole album. Check it out below.



Dana Buoy (Akron Family) has released his first solo album called Summer Bodies. This album is really cool, elements of pop, rock, dance, and some electro. He describes his album as "Tropicore" which I agree full heartily. My favorite tracks are below.





Last up is the Silversun Pickups. I was disappointed with their Swoon album to be honest, but the new album Neck Of the Woods sounds fantastic. I believe they have matured as a band and are developing into the sound that they want to put out into the world. Though I still have a special place for their first album Carnavas, I really dig this new album. They have a couple of tracks that mess around with time signature and as always have some great syncopated drumming rhythms. Overall this album is pretty good, SSPU puts in some new elements like synthesizers and shredding solos. Though I would like to hear more driving bass lines, I think Neck Of The Woods came out pretty well. Decide for yourself below.

Baby Island + Memory Boys

Some great new music for you all today with a couple of Northwest bands. From Whidbey Island, WA comes the band Baby Island. This band is super chill pop 'n' roll summer music that reminds me vaguely of the likes of Real Estate and Throw Me The Statue. They just released their self-titled debut album and you can either buy it on cassette or as mp3s here. Also stream it for free below. I like the tracks "King's Crossing" and "Backwards and Forwards."



Memory Boys is a band from Portland, OR and is actually associated with Baby Island as well. They recorded their albums at the same time together. Though where Baby Island is more carefree and upbeat, Memory Boys have a more minimalist Velvet Underground sound to them with some Yuck influence as well. Check out their latest album Send It Across To Me down below then go buy it or listen to older recordings here.

Live at Rotture: Gauntlet Hair + Yukon Blonde + Dana Buoy

What a great night last night with Gauntlet Hair and friends. Even with a less than substantial crowd at Rotture's all the bands played a great show. The night started off with Dana Buoy from Akron Family. He's got a cool sound with great rumbling bass lines and tribal drum loops and some guitar riffs as well. Definitely along the lines of tribal pop. Check it out below.

After Dana Buoy was the band Yukon Blonde from Vancouver, BC. They just came out with their second full length called Tiger Talk back in March. They are a punk influenced pop-rock band that put on an excellent live show. Check out some of their stuff below.

Gauntlet Hair was finally up to conclude the night with a great set. They played all the good songs from their debut album plus a couple of new songs like "Keep Time" and "Top Bunk." They had a really fantastic show. A couple of us even got up on stage and danced for a song.

Gauntlet Hair - Gauntlet Hair by Dead Oceans