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Kill The Lights

Tony Molina

With his brilliant new album "Kill The Lights," West Bay native Tony Molina continues his artistic evolution, steadily moving away from raging Weezer/Teenage Fanclub-style power-pop nuggets fueled by shredding guitar pyrotechnics and Tony's ironclad DIY HC roots to mostly acoustic arrangements that owe as much to "Horizontal"-era Bee Gees and the Fanclub's mellower moments as they do to Georges Harrison and Martin. From the Byrds-y opener "Nothing I Can Say" to the subtly wrenching "Wrong Town" and the gorgeous folk-picking of "Now That She's Gone" we hear Tony synthesizing his influences with great skill and intention These classic folk and pop styles are being employed in the service of stellar songs and universal lyrical truths, reflecting a dedication to craft combined with an intense commitment to self-expression that transcends simplistic genre boundaries and is totally true to Tony's DIY punk roots.

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Used To Yesterday

Smokescreens

LA's Smokescreens began as a couple of pals (Chris Rosi from Plateaus, Corey Cunningham from Terry Malts) paying tribute to the seminal 80s sounds of New Zealand's Flying Nun label and has grown to be so much more. Since their self-titled 2017 the band has expanded to a four piece and honed their tunes with constant SoCal gigging. Their new album "Used To Yesterday" continues Smokescreen's zeal for New Zealand pop but also incorporates influences from the more melodic side of Messthetics-era DIY pop and expands into classic indie pop territory, a natural fit for the Slumberland Records roster. From the NZ-meets-Athens GA single "The Lost Song" through the 12-string driven "Waiting For The Summer" to the Paisley Underground-tinged closer "Falling Down," Smokescreens really excel in the quality of their songwriting and their ability to incorporate a disparate set of influences while still forging their own sound and identity.

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Isn't It Obvious?

D.A. Stern

D.A. Stern's new single "Isn't It Obvious?" is a sparkling slice of power-pop that examines a doomed asymmetrical relationship with a tune that hearkens back to the classic jangle of Dwight Twilley, The Records and Shoes. Relentlessly upbeat and catchy as a box of fishhooks, it's the sort of three minute pop song that screams "summer" and "play it again." To complement "Isn't It Obvious?" on this EP Stern chose to cover two songs that resonate with him artistically while approaching writing from different angles. Frankie Cosmos' "Art School" gets a feedback-drenched treatment, countering the songs fragility with a haunting, noisy arrangement. Mannequin Pussy's 'My Baby (Axe Nice)" is tough pop confection that gets a suitably energetic workout here, complete with farfisa organ. "My Baby" segues straight into "Tenafly Cop," a Stern original that puts his own unique twist on surf/rock and wraps up the EP in winning fashion.

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Aloha Hola

D.A. Stern

D.A. Stern, the solo project of David Aaron Stern, is the musical amalgamation of crossword puzzle obsession, backgammon playing, and working as a recording engineer at Beastie Boy Adam Yauch's (aka MCA) studio. Stern's laid back, tongue-in-cheek lyrics effortlessly complement his dreamy pop rock arrangements of dense guitars and swirling organs. The music of D.A. Stern, who is more inspired by filmmakers Albert Brooks and Mel Brooks than any songwriter, could be compared to contemporaries Deerhunter, Real Estate and Yo La Tengo but with the timelessness of Paul Westerberg or the classicist bent of Harry Nilsson. "Aloha Hola" is Stern's debut and it's an assured set of classic pop songs that flirt with folk-pop, power-pop and indiepop while remaining comfortably outside of easy genre categorization. Stern's songwriting talent is in ample evidence on earworm singles like "Am I Ever On Your Mind?" and "Bluedgenes," packed with smart lyrics, chiming guitars and indelible hooks.

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Could It Be Different?

The Spook School

Glasgow's The Spook School are like indiepop super heroes, conjuring up some of the most infectious pop tunes we've heard in years, rocking crowds around the world, smashing at the gender binary while grappling with obstacles personal and political -- and having a marvelous time while doing it. Could It Be Different?, the band's third long-player, is a collaborative album of personal storytelling that works through life's hardships with positivity — even at their most beaten down, The Spook School manage to find hope, free of naivety. It's a record full of the insecurities and anxiety that arrive after self-awareness, in learning something new and potentially frightening about yourself. But at it's heart is joy — there's no desolation on the LP, because The Spook School manage to find light in moments of darkness. Why cry when you can dance?

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Cage Tropical

Frankie Rose

After 2013's "Hereinwild" Frankie Rose relocated to Los Angeles for what turned out to be a journey of frustration, setbacks and ultimately artistic rejuvenation as Frankie moved back to Brooklyn and hit the studio with renewed vigor and purpose. The result of this existential odyssey is Cage Tropical, Frankie's 4th album. It is awash with vintage synths, painterly effects pedals, upside-down atmosphere and reverberating vocals. It evokes a new wave paranormality of sorts that drifts beyond the songs themselves. From with the shimmery, cinematic and percussive sparkling of the album's opening track "Love in Rockets" to the motorik groove of first single "Trouble" to the epic closer "Decontrol," Cage Tropical is a bold and beautiful statement of purpose from an artist who is once again 100% in control of her music. Mysterious but focused, it is personal redemption turned into fine art.

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Frank Infatuation

Real Numbers

Real Numbers follow up their future-classic album Wordless Wonder with this terrific new single. The A-side features a new version of album favorite "Frank Infatuation" - a delirious slice of DIY pop that'd make any fan of early TVPs, The McTells or Cause Co-Motion sit up and take notice. The B-side slows things down for the Pastels-esque ballad "Leave It Behind." Lovely.

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Traumatic

Young Guv

After a rather twisted 2016 of travel, change and discovery, Young Guv is back with this new single "Traumatic." Recorded at home on trusty 1/4" analog tape, it's a self-reflective and personal audio snapshot that contrasts nicely with the loud 'n' gritty Ripe 4 Luv. "Traumatic" rides a bubbling programmed groove, blending echo-laden vocals with understated rhythm guitar and a catchy synth hook into a magical new wave roots-pop amalgam. "It Could Be Me" is a classic major chord confection, hearkening back to that cusp-of-the-80s genius of Shoes, Dwight Twilley and Phil Seymour. As always the songs are stuffed with lovely harmonies and heart-stopping melodies, never losing site of power-pop's roots in Buddy Holly, The Beatles and Big Star.

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It's Not Me

Terry Malts

The cops haven't been called to the Terry Malts party just yet. After releasing their Lost At The Party album via Slumberland Records and touring the East Coast late last year, the band are continuing their carousing with an all-out US tour and a new single from the album. The single, "It's Not Me," is an uncut punch-up of power-pop in the Flamin' Groovies/Dwight Twilley mold.

Accompanying the album version of "It's Not Me" are three demos recorded by the band's guitarist, Corey Cunningham, prior to the sessions for Lost At The Party. "The demos are a great look into the evolution of our sound for the third album," singer/bassist Phil Benson said. "They're pretty heavy-sounding compared to the more refined versions on the album."

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Foxhole

The Proper Ornaments

Foxhole LP/CD

Proper Ornaments is the project of James Hoare (Ultimate Painting, Veronica Falls) and Max Oscarnold (Toy, Pink Flames). Their chance meeting blossomed into an epicurean riot of luminous highs and cold, dismal crashes that conversely produced music that was very well ordered and faintly angelic. While 2014's "Wooden Head" was fuzzy and driving, on "Foxhole" they've sliced away a whole stratum of their sound, removing some distortion and lowering the frequency of plectrum strokes to allow more nuanced, piano-led ideas to emerge. The mood is dreamlike and pastoral, poetic and warmly expressive. Reference points of Velvet Underground and The Jesus & Mary Chain only tell part of the story - there is a cracked, wasted depth to "Foxhole" that draws you deep into the album's soundworld. Crucial.

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Confront The Truth

Tony Molina

Confront The Truth 12" vinyl

We've all been waiting WAY too long for a new Tony Molina record, and this here eight song EP delivers in spades. Leaving the guitar crunch behind, Tony spotlights his formidable songwriting with spare, mostly acoustic arrangements that owe as much to early Bee Gees and Teenage Fanclub's mellower moments as they do to Georges Harrison and Martin. The sadness of this music has precedents in pop's past indeed, but in these songs you hear exactly what Tony found in those influences that shaped his experience -- years upon years of focus and isolation in developing his guitar and writing skills to speak to these truths. The main difference here is that where Tony's previous works felt casual and easy to digest, here we feel the full weight of his emotional needs pressed against the gentlest and most careful music of his career. The record's coda, a highlight reel of Thin Lizzy's "Banshee," indicates that the Tony you knew is still in there, but the game has changed, and the rules are entirely his own. Tony Molina is in complete control of his own destiny, and we should all care about where he's going.

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Wordless Wonder

Real Numbers

Finally! We're excited to bring you the brilliant debut album from this Minneapolis band whose string of excellent singles and EPs have been staples on the SLR turntable. Well-crafted crash-pop is the order of the day, with echoes of such greats at Television Personalities, The McTells and Cause Co-Motion adding historical color to these great songs. Wordless Wonder's ten tunes are brief and perfectly-formed, benefitting from thoughtful production that expands the band's DIY approach into rich new areas. Cut at 45rpm for maximum oomph, this great album is guaranteed to take a stake out a permanent spot in your "now playing" pile.

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Lost At The Party

Terry Malts

Our punk heroes Terry Malts are back with their third album and it's their boldest pop statement yet. There's always been a melodic core to the Malts sound, but this time around the band has decided to focus on it, using enhanced studio techniques to emphasize the POP. The band's influences have always included flavors like the Flying Nun sound and classic power-pop, and now they put their augmented sonic palette in the service of some of their strongest tunes yet. It's still plenty punk, but also their most sophisticated outing yet.

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Continental Drift

various artists

Continental Drift LP/CD/cassette

Four great bands, two great labels and two continents meet on this stellar mini-LP. Frequent collaborators Slumberland Records and Fortuna POP! team up to bring you "Continental Drift," a smashing eight song sampler of some of the finest pop out there in 2016. Featuring new songs from Mercury Girls, The Spook School, Tigercats and Wildhoney, "Continental Drift," is a stellar survey of the state of independent pop in all its colors: tuneful, noisy, passionate and above all FUN.

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Pretty Fucking Sick (Of It All)

Joanna Gruesome

Joanna Gruesome release their first material since the departure of vocalist Alanna McArdle and it shows the band turning the page in a most authoritative fashion. Following a chance meeting in an occult bookshop, the band's new line up features two amazing and inspiring women, Kate Stonestreet (formerly of queer punks Pennycress) on melodic vocals/shouting/screaming and Roxy Brennan (of Two White Cranes and Grubs) on melodic vocals/keyboard, joining Owen Williams (guitar/vocals), George Nicholls (guitar), Max Warren (bass) and Dave Sandford (drums).

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Wolves of Want

Bent Shapes

Bent Shapes' second album sees them taking their angular, literate indie rock in bold directions. Catchier, tougher and more focused then their debut, Wolves of Want marries smart songwriting to infectious, energetic playing and comes out a winner. With echoes of everyone from The Feelies to The Wedding Present and Unrest, this Boston band knows their history but also knows how to write great tunes, and this is a taut, expertly-written album that is at once personal and universal, reinvigorating indie rock with fresh relevance.

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Spilt Milk

Pete Astor

"Spilt Milk" is the brand new album from indie auteur Pete Astor, previously of The Loft, The Weather Prophets, and other esteemed acts. It was recorded onto 1/2 inch tape at the home studio of James Hoare of Ultimate Painting, The Proper Ornaments and Veronica Falls, with James playing guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and singing backing vocals. "He was", says Astor, "an amazing band." Other contributions came from members of Astor's live band, with Pam Berry (Black Tambourine, Withered Hand) supplying vocals, Jack Hayter (Hefner) on pedal steel, Alison Cotton (The Left Outsides) on viola, and Robin Christian (Male Bonding) and Susan Milanovic (Feathers) on drums.
ʉ۬The album has all the hallmarks of a future Pete Astor classic, drawing together key strands and tributaries of his work over the years, blending intuitive songwriting, acute lyrics and incisive melodies. After many years making more experimental, electronic music Astor has come full circle to the sound that made his name.

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Bones

Linden

The second single from critically acclaimed album Rest And Be Thankful is an old school double A-side: "Broken Glass" and brand new track "Bones," featuring the lo-fi traditional skronk of young upstarts JR Green. "Bones" was written one wintery morning at the window of Inver Cottage, an old fisherman's croft on the shores of Loch Fyne. In December 2015 _Linden (Joe, Marco, Eric and Stuart) went to The Barne Studio in Duntocher with the wonderful JR Green; rehearsed, recorded and mixed the track on the same day. . . old skool! The day was beautifully captured by film-maker and Young Bafta winner Iain Henderson.

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now viewing: albums
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