Under the Radar Magazine Under the Radar | Music Blog for the Indie Music Magazine
Thursday, March 28th, 2024  

Polvo

“Beggar’s Bowl” MP3

Jun 18, 2009

The former Touch and Go/Quarterstick math-rock quartet Polvo signed with Merge recently and they’re prepping their first new album since 1997’s Shapes. In Prism won’t be out until September 8th, but first single, “Beggar’s Bowl,” picks up right where the North Carolina indie-noise rockers’ left off. That means plenty of Slint-like guitar blasts and classic contrapuntal noodling. “Bowl” is the condensed soup version of ‘90s indie intelligentsia.

Japandroids

“Crazy/Forever” and “Heart Sweats” (Live on KEXP) Video

Jun 18, 2009

Watch on YouTube

Vancouver’s Japandroids recently stopped by the Seattle’s KEXP studios to play a few garage-y jams from this year’s excellent Post-Nothing, including “Crazy/Forever” and “Heart Sweats.”

Fever Ray

“Triangle Walks” Video

Jun 18, 2009

Watch on YouTube

Yesterday we posted about the capable remix of “Triangle Walks” by Rex the Dog, and now the third Fever Ray single has its own spooky video, filmed by Mikel Cee Karlsson, who’s collaborated with frequent Knife visual stylist/associate Andreas Nilsson on videos for Bonde do Role and José González. Nilsson will also be designing Fever Ray’s stage show for her North American tour this fall. Like many Knife and Ray videos before it, the setup is hauntingly creepy, with only the light of a few flickering lamps or green lasers. A war-painted Karin sings accordingly. The “Triangle Walks” single is out next week on Mute. There was a feature on Fever Ray in the Spring ‘09 issue of Under the Radar. (via Stereogum)

David Lynch

“Shoot the Works” MP3 Stream

Jun 18, 2009

“Shoot the works” is an old American idiom that means “to spend all your money or to use as much effort as possible to do something.” The same can be said of David Lynch‘s whole-hog approach to filmmaking and now music. Lynch began 2009 strong by contributing vocals and photographs to the recent Danger Mouse/Sparklehorse Dark Night of the Soul compilation and he has another new endeavor coming down the line. Fox Bat Strategy: A Tribute to Dave Jaurequi is a seven-track LP featuring lyrics by Lynch due out June 30th via Rykodisc and David Lynch Music Company. Learn more about it in our news story. Give a listen to the eerie rockabilly ballad “Shoot the Works,” by [1992’s] Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me‘s session-players, Fox Bat Strategy. EW’s website is streaming it now (link is below). The singer is the deceased Dave Jaurequi in the album’s title and he sings Lynch’s dark lyrics in a style the avant-garde director appropriately dubbedit “modern ‘50s music.”

Stream: David Lynch: “Shoot the Works”

Discovery

“Orange Shirt” MP3

Jun 17, 2009

Discovery is Vampire Weekend keyboardist-singer-producer extraordinaire Rostam Batmanglij and Ra Ra Riot frontman Wes Miles. The new tracks on the coyly-named LP, might not be for indie fans that scoff at unapologetic club jams. Auto-Tune, crunchy synths, and monstrous, skittering 808 beats recall early ‘00s radio hits and “Orange Shirt” is not an exception. The track follows the simple tale of majorly crushing lovers sending “so-so serious” texts and the boyfriend trying to sneak out of the house before his main squeeze’s mom wakes up. And it’s actually pretty dang good. You can stream “Orange Shirt” and three other songs from LP on the duo’s website. LP soundtracks your next trip to da club July 7th, via XL. If you recall, Vampire Weekend’s self-titled debut was one of Under the Radar‘s top three albums of 2008.

Fever Ray

“Triangle Walks (Rex the Dog Radio Edit)” MP3

Jun 17, 2009

Rex the Dog‘s slamming reimagining of Fever Ray‘s new single, “Triangle Walks,” from this year’s self-titled debut, doesn’t stray too far from the original’s moodiness. Rex injects the track with some dancefloor shake and a few electronic effects here and there. Karin Dreijer’s voice is thankfully still high up in the mix though. Fever Ray was featured in Under the Radar‘s Spring ‘09 issue. (via PopJustice)

Cocteau Twins

“Cocteau Twins Fever” (September 19, 1985 News Report on WBNS) Video

Jun 17, 2009

Watch on YouTube

When I lose my faith in YouTube and all its finer qualities, it’s hidden gems like this that keeps me coming back. The gem in question this time is a dual September 19, 1985 news report about a Cocteau Twins Newport concert in Columbus, Ohio. In the second broadcast, Mr. Tom Amchorman spends a bit too much time discussing the clothing styles of Cocteau Twins’ fans, but the clip is a perfect time capsule of the era. It’s also intriguing to hear that such an underground band (at least in the States at the time) got a voice from one dude publishing a worldwide newsletter from his hometown. This makes me pine for a CT reunion.

Reverie Sound Revue

“An Anniversary Away” MP3

Jun 16, 2009

“An Anniversary Away” is worth a listen for you Broken Social Scene addicts out there. Calgary, Alberta’s Reverie Sound Revue (killer band name!) is fronted by Lisa Lobsinger of BSS and it has that same wall-of-sound aesthetic. The cooing Lobsinger is joined by the propulsive rhythm section of John Marcel de Waal and Bryce Gracey, and the lounge-y guitar combo of Marc De Pape and Patrick Walls. As a result, “An Anniversary Away” is a pleasant mind meld of Britpop’s melodies and New Wave’s tumult. The fivesome’s self-titled album is due June 23rd on Boompa Records.