The Most Definitely » The Most Definitely | » indie pop

Sleigh Bells ring, are you listening?

Felipe — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 17:19:03 +0000

After a three-year hiatus, the aggro/noise pop duo, Sleigh Bells, with their distinctive and fervently copied sound, are back with a new album. The hiatus seems to have served them well – after releasing three album in as many years – as this new album is pretty solid and reminds you of why you liked Sleigh Bells back in 2011/2012 to begin with (if you didn’t, well, that’s on you I guess). During their extended leave of absence (albeit Brand New still has them beat when it comes to time between records…), we witnessed the outbreak and global infection of “indie pop.” Bands like CHVRCHES, Grimes, BROODS, MS MR, Lights, and Phantogram (etc) permeated all aspects of life (tv, film, ads, mags, oh my!) with the infectious speed in World War Z, blended with the pop-culture-addiction and resilience of The Walking Dead. By late 2015/early 2016 we reached full blown indie-pop epidemic status, and then, right at the brink of disaster, when you think the zombies in I Am Legend are gonna get Will Smith in his basement, miraculously, something changes (director’s cut, not the theatrical version), and the winds alter their course, temporarily relieving us of our presumed demise through Dante’s 7 stages of indie pop hell: the indie a-pop-calypse.

Rewind to 2010 and Sleigh Bells’ debut album Treats, and you’ll notice it still sounds like nothing else. They then followed it up with Reign of Terror, which was awesome IMO, albeit simply a more polished and produced version of Treats: no reinventing the wheel, but certainly doing good things. After tracks like “Infinity Guitars” and “Comeback Kid” setting the groundwork for a synth + electronic + soft-female-vocals pandemic – similar to the monkey in Dustin Hoffman’s Outbreak spitting in to that dude’s mouth – it made sense that tons of folks wanted to do what they did. Now we’re closing up 2016 and Sleigh Bells is back at it again, and I find myself not only not minding, but enjoying myself quite a bit. Must be a Christmas Miracle.

Sleigh Bells ring, are you FeliSaysListening?

Throwing SHAED

Ashley — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 05:30:39 +0000

SHAED is a DC based electronic trio comprised of lead singer Chelsea Lee and twin brothers Max and Spencer Ernst. Formerly known as The Walking Sticks, SHAED has amped up the synths this time around, which serve as the perfect backdrop to showcase Lee’s strong and sultry vocals. With a new name also comes a new, elevated sound. The trio has traded in a more indie-pop aesthetic for one that runs a synthy + R&B course. Don’t be surprised if one of their songs gets a club remix, and then ends up in heavy rotation on your favorite spin instructor’s dance/club/R&B playlist.

The band has three singles currently on SoundCloud; “Just Wanna See,” “The News,” and “Thunder,” the latter of which is a song in support of Bernie Sanders.

You can catch SHAED at School Night in Brooklyn on June 20th and at Warby Parker Sound Sessions in DC on August 4th.

Valerie Broussard, [mi] picante diablo, “Wicked”

Gaby — Sun, 13 Mar 2016 19:52:15 +0000

“Won’t you come on over, stop making a fool out of me… Why don’t you come over Valerie.”

Te quiero para siempre, Amy; but oh, look what we have here…

“No one calls you honey when you’re sitting on a throne”… snap, yes!

Valerie; I can’t help the chills for yet another mysteriously delectable Valerie. Winehouse immortalized the mystical Val; yet, Broussard grounds the sound of “Wicked” in, am I hearing this right? Westernized cabaret soul… adorned with a smooooth beat.

Local to New York & Philadelphia [incredibly hot music spots right now] Valerie showcases a range of talents on her Sound Cloud, revealing a diverse & qualified musician. Her deliberate and precise execution of theory is evident in her musical portfolio thus revealing a singer/songwriter dedicated to the rhythm within her. Eloquently written in her biography, Broussard’s “haunting lyrics and sweeping melodies…” attribute to her luxurious mystique. Budding from a frequently featured artist into a confident soloist, Valerie Broussard’s talents display refreshing and powerful purpose.

I think I found my Valerie…

Moon Walkers – Charmé[d] to meet ya.

Gaby — Mon, 07 Mar 2016 01:05:33 +0000

I present to you, Moon Walkers for some 2016 charmé[d] (tenses: ing, s, ed) listening. The name comes from what I can envision would be the perfect (not to everyone) playlist for my first walk on the moon. Don’t make me wait too long, Branson.

2016 just keeps throwing curve balls our way, so why not take ourselves out of the present, and think for a moment. Thank you and R.I.P. Don Addis for our adapted image.

Playlist Skim:

– Highlighted artist: Raleigh Ritchie a.k.a. hip, hip, hurrah – Jacob Anderson! I am thoroughly enjoying the hype of his sound.

– Watching Miike Snow’s come back has been lush! He’s on tour currently, ahem.

– Throwing it back to Beautiful Girls has sparked my fantasy of quitting my job, moving to Australia, and becoming a surf instructor. 2016 goals? Anyone with me?

– You like eclectic, eh? You’ll like this; listen and think.

New Portals

Ashley — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 16:00:08 +0000

Like any normal person addicted to social media, the first thing I do every morning (besides hitting snooze a few too many times) is check my email and all of my social media apps. Imagine my delight when I opened Instagram this past Saturday morning (after a “I’m totally not staying out late and will only have, like, 2 drinks” Friday night. You all know how those nights really end up…) and saw a notification that a user by the name of New Portals had bestowed a <3 on one of my photos. Naturally, my interest was piqued, and I decided to do some digging. Next thing I knew, 45 minutes had passed and I realized I was in the throes of yet another accidental spiral into Instagram madness. Oops.

Fortunately, after all of that perusing, I can tell you guys this: New Portals is the new project from adorable Northern Irish husband and wife duo Michael and Ruth Aicken of The Jepettos. Unlike The Jepettos (folksy-pop music), New Portals’ sound is piano driven, indie electro-pop with a catchy disco beat…totally a sound I can get on board with. Though they only have 3 songs on their Soundcloud and Spotify pages, all 3 are alluring, dazzling, and will gently shake you out of any “morning after imbibing in one too many drinks” stupor and get you ready to take on the day.

Bad Bad Hats

Ashley — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 16:30:39 +0000

When going to shows, I try really hard to get there in time to check out the opener. 1) Because you never know what magical music you might stumble upon and 2) I’m short, so if I want a fighting chance at being able to see the band playing, I need to stake out a spot close to the stage, but not so close that I have to deal with teen fan craziness.

That being said, I was in for quite the treat when I showed up early to the Hippo Campus show in DC last week. They played the back room at the Black Cat which is an intimate space to catch a show. While I have been a huge fan of Hippo Campus since the beginning, I had never heard of their Minnesotan pals, Bad Bad Hats. I went into their set with absolutely zero expectations.

Well, I’m now crushing hard on Bad Bad Hats. The set from this Minneapolis trio was fairly typical for a young, hip, indie band–in between songs, lead singer/guitarist Kerry Alexander peppered the crowd with slightly awkward stage banter (Netflix and chill? She half jokingly said that she would rather Netflix and alone…not totally alone though because SNACKS). Girl, I feel you. What stood out to me though, besides the likable, slightly left of center personality Alexander embodies, is her amazing voice. Her voice is sweet, delicate, and pure, but she delivers the lyrics with such unwavering honesty and self-awareness that you are instantly pulled into her stories about relationships, life, and love.

Her ability to translate her own experiences into relatable stories is evident on the tracks of the band’s latest LP, Psychic Reader. While their first full-length album came out in July, they released a handful of singles back in 2013. Since the release of Psychic Reader the band has slowly been garnering buzz with supporting gigs on the Mynabirds tour and now with Hippo Campus through November.

After their set was over, I went to chat with the band and ended up buying a CD because a) I still buy CDs because b) my car has a 6 CD changer and no outlet for me to plug my iPhone in to stream tunes. That being said, I have not stopped listening to Psychic Reader since this past Wednesday. I listen to it in my car while stuck in rush hour traffic going to and from work. I listen to it on Spotify while I’m at work (Sorry I’m not sorry co-workers. You’ll learn to love this band, too.). When I’m this drawn to an album/song I tend to listen obsessively to really suss out every element of each song (lyrics, instruments, arrangement, how it makes me feel at any given time).

The opening track, “Midway” and the title track are my two personal favorites. Give ’em a listen for a proper introduction into the world of Bad Bad Hats. Major hugs to Hippo Campus for bringing your MPSL brethren along for the ride this November. Word to the wise: It’s worth going to scope out the opening bands of your favorite headliners.

[PREMIERE] Best of Friends – Twist Shake Shout

Max — Thu, 22 Oct 2015 14:00:11 +0000

John Keefe, Morgan Dorr and Jamel Hawke are Best of Friends…literally. After a two year hiatus the LA via Boston based alt-pop trio are back with their first single on Vagrant Records. Produced by Tim Pagnotta (Walk The Moon, Neon Trees) and mixed by Neal Avron (Walk The Moon, MisterWives), Twist Shake Shout embodies feel good vibes and motivates the listener to do just as the title suggests. Brilliantly reminiscent of 2009, Twist Shake Shout makes a stadium sized move for the dance rock revival, and readers of this blog know I am on board! Look out for a big 2016 from Best of Friends and be sure to follow along on twitter at @bestoffriends.

VÉRITÉ – Colors

Chelsea — Thu, 30 Apr 2015 12:43:10 +0000

By now, it’s quite clear that NY-based singer-songwriter VÉRITÉ is a force to be reckoned with. After catching her at SXSW this past March, her powerful (and packed out!) performance was a true indicator of her immense talent and growing success. With the consistent capacity to churn out killer tracks, as we have seen from songs such as “Wasteland,” “Echo,” and “Weekend,” VÉRITÉ gifts us with “Colors” – a wildly vibrant indie-pop production that is narrated by the songstress’s storytelling.

“Colors,” which is instantly infectious and wildly intriguing, illustrates VÉRITÉ’s knack for crafting complex lyrics and her clear ability to make her mark in the pop music world. The first few moments are entrancing, but as soon as the heavy beat kicks in and VÉRITÉ’s voice sweeps over, you’re hooked. Produced by MSMR’s Zach Nicita, “Colors” possesses a driving rhythm that is completely blown out of the water with her powerful voice. She explains that “lyrically, it has a really complex, convoluted meaning to me that has changed with each iteration of the song.”

Take a listen below and keep your eye out for this one!

Wombats – Give Me A Try

Felipe — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 15:00:52 +0000

Merseyside indie rockers (that’s Liverpool btw – home of legendary LFC), The Wombats, are on the rebound. After a triumphant platinum release, a crazy touring schedule, and unexpected success, they fell in to dark times loaded with vehicular accidents casting gloomy shadows and disrupting their chakra. After lots of hot yoga (true story – drummer Dan Haggis is a yogi), they’re back and groovin’ with their self-described Merseyside Mojo. Fun fact, Sir Paul McCartney offered to produce an album of theirs back in the day and if you throw your jumper to them onstage (sweater for those that don’t speak British), they will try their best to give it back, bc they’re a polite people. Give it a try* : April in NYC and May in LA.

Simon told me to tell you, ok? Feli Says Listen

Sweet Video BTW

Supros – Hush

Felipe — Wed, 11 Mar 2015 15:30:23 +0000

Southwest Florida indie-pop-rockers (not to be confused with those krazy kids addicted to Pop Rocks we knew growing up, cuz those kids grew up and are now called meth heads) Supros, did some crowd funding to get started – but sadly only raised like 45% of their goal. Awww.. But that didn’t deter them! They pressed on. Never give up! Never surrender! They wont RITZ’s 2014 Band Slam series and have opened for all sorts of peeps like Capital Cities (who have praised their live show). They sound like a band that’d be dope live, too. They even have a TAMBOURINE. Who needs cowbell… Choke on that Bruce Dickinson.

It’s been workin’ for Simon… :-/ felisayslisten.com