Come and Share This Jam with Me

Probably one of my favorite songs of all-time, from one of my favorite albums of all-time, Farm   released in 2009 ,  "See You" is right at the beginning of Rock and Roll's movement to a more relaxed and vibe-oriented sound, essentially, the dream pop movement. Although not thought of as a calming and spacious group, on Farm Dinosaur Jr combined elements of skater-rock from the 90's with jam-band motifs to create an addictive sound that connected the bridge between indie rock and jam-band lovers. Although the song gained less notoriety than other pioneers of this sound such as  Mac DeMarco -who would release his launching-off Ep, Rock and Roll Night Club   the following year -" See You ,"  is the epitome of what dream pop would soon become, a focus on beautiful and lucid instrumentals, but with subtle vocals that emphasizes the central feeling or theme. To reiterate, "See You" and Farm in general doesn't adhere to a dream pop label but i...

Do you know that feeling you get when you're given the DJ role in the car? Not only are you ridden with anxiety but that first song you play is crucial and one of the biggest moments of your life. That song has to be perfect, it sets the mood for the drive, the rest of the day, and you are immediately judged by your supposed "buddy." Fortunately, you don't need to fret about that anymore because I have the perfect song for you to use, "Mokase."  Probably the coolest song of the year, Dream Coterie's "Mokase" is rife with what makes Dream Pop an incredibly lucid, evocative, chill and a badass genre. Taking a feeling and expanding on its facets allows for the genre to stand on its own and expand in popularity, and "Mokase" is a particular that follows this formula to an expert extent. Growing as a person while moving on from a relationship causes insecurities, mixed emotions and a general lack of consistency, which is a famili...

Welcome to the first entry of my "Throwback Thursday" installation! Normally, this occasion is synonymous with replaying old and popular bangers but, I don't want to do any of that. My throwback's will bring light to old, under-appreciated songs that deserve recognition either for its contributions to music or the fact that it's dope. To get this bi-weekly holiday started, let's revisit Jonathan Fire* Eater's "Give Me Daughters." Jonathan Fire* Eater was the band that set the New York City rock scene aflame as groups such as The Strokes , Interpol and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs  would soon follow in their footsteps. The story of Jonathan Fire* Eater can be summed up with one line, they're the greatest band you've never heard of. With the release of their EP, Tremble Under Boom Lights , which features "Give Me Daughters,"   Jonathan Fire* Eater was set to blow up   and even signed a record deal with DreamWorks, which was unheard o...

Released on March 1st of this year, "All I've Got" is a groovy, future summer-banger track with production elements not too common with new-era-jive such as samples of distorted dialogue and reversed guitar loops. However, what is consistent and attainable from this song is the need to groove! Published on March 19th of yesterday on the ever so wonderful YouTube channel, TheLazylazyme , I found this track after being exposed to redundant songs for a week. Songs that just go through one ear and out the other without any distinction; just the common dreamy licks and soft vocals of the dream pop genre. It's not to say that it is really a bad thing, but so many bands and artists are using this formula which comes off as a copy rather than inspiration. I will say the new Courtney Barnett song, " Need a Little Time " is another interesting song to come from the upcoming Tell Me How You Really Feel. Much like her " Nameless/Faceless ," the song is ...

Clairo has just released her first official music video for "Flaming Hot Cheetos" with help from YouTube Music and Fader Label . Clairo had released solely the audio for "Flaming Hot Cheetos" on her YouTube  channel  roughly 9 months ago, but its growing popularity, and Clairo's personal popularity as an artist, has prompted an accompanying video. A niche burger joint, anthropomorphized Cheetos, a cool, diverse looking crew, subtle hip-shaking and an overall feeling free expression...yeah, pretty much what one would think a Clairo music video would look like.  The song in question is an adolescent and innocent look of love and the romantic longing for companionship and feeling wanted or loved by the person you love as a bare essential. Unrequited love, but with a low-fi mix works not only as a poignant and evocative song but a song to really sit back and marinate to. What we see in the music video is the notion of innocence, or at the very least subtly...

The New and Notable section of Bandcamp  never fails. "Baby C4" is the first single to come from The Buttertones ' upcoming fourth studio album, Midnight in a Moonless Dream, foreshadowing a collection of gothic, manic, unfiltered rock. Reminiscent of the late-90's, early-2000's period of rock and roll in New York with the likes of Jonathan Fire* Eater , Interpol , and The Strokes  and the current west coast works of nuanced groups such as, Sports Coach  or Spooky Mansion , The Buttertones is able to somehow aesthetically connect the dots from coast to coast, clearly heightened in "Baby C4." For the past few years The Buttertones have been making some noise in L.A accumulating a tight-nit and local following but I have a feeling the release of Midnight in a Moonless Dream will spread the fire from LA to the East Coast and "Baby C4" is the crossover spark to send The Buttertones wild. Evident in it's off-key piano chords, stern descen...

With  Parquet Courts ' sixth studio album, Wide Awake! , scheduled to release   on May 18th, the foursome has decided to drop their first single, "Almost Had to Start a Fight / In and Out of Patience," and it's a fiery punch to the gut. When I saw Parquet Courts at the Grog Shop  back in November not only was it a banger but we were blessed to get a first-listen to "Almost Had to Start a Fight / In and Out of Patience," and shortly after the show I was scouring the internet to see if it leaked anywhere because holy shit.  Andrew Savage's fiesty and throat-bleeding vocals, the sharp and aggressive riffs and pounding beat clenches the muscles in your body like you're about to get into a fight. Like any good punk rock song it's raw without any real notion of polished production. That's not to say it sounds sloppy and is just a mindless head-banger. The transitioning deep echo of the drums in particular are fantastic, but what is really c...