Dec 10th, 2008 · Evangelicals, a trio from Norman, Okla., make trippy rock with the warm wash of sound typical of neo-psychedelia, and the infectious melodies and rhythms of more upbeat indie-pop. It's a potent mix. On their sophomore release, The Evening Descends, the group deftly blends shimmering guitars with assorted background noises and atmospherics, set against singer Josh Jones' anguished voice. The album has an entirely mesmerizing texture without being overly produced or drowned in sound.
Keywords: Evangelical · indie · Upbeat · Singer · Norman · Okla · album · Skeleton · melodies · trio · guitar · rhythm
Nov 26th, 2008 · Minneapolis-based quintet One for the Team offers a healthy dose of sunshine on its sophomore album, Build It Up. The album, which first dropped this past summer, serves up a dozen tracks of jangly power pop, with glimmering unisex harmonies that offer a welcome balm to the wintry weather.
Keywords: Weather · actor · album · Harmonies · Quintet · Healthy · glimmers · balm · Minneapolis · sophomore · Welcome · jangly
Nov 7th, 2008 · Real Blasty, the sophomore full-length release from Chicago-born Kyle Andrews, is an upbeat album for sad people who just want to dance. A lesser artist could get weighed down by the broody lyrics covering unrequited love, insecurities and general enui. But Andrews pulls it off by pairing his angst with bright electro-pop rhythms and irresistible hooks.
Keywords: Chicago · artists · Upbeat · album · angst · insecure · Lesser · rhythm · irresistible · Andrew · sushi · sophomore
Nov 6th, 2008 · The most immediately striking thing about London-based pop quintet Absentee is singer Dan Michaelson's deep and gravelly voice. A little bit Leonard Cohen, a little bit Johnny Cash, Michaelson immediately takes hold of listeners on Victory Shorts, the band's sophomore album which navigates the flurry of emotions following failed relationships.
Keywords: London · Johnny Cash · Singer · emotional · Shortness · navigating · album · Quintet · sophomore · Absentee · Leonard Cohen · Dan Michaelson
Oct 27th, 2008 · Chop Chop is, for the most part, the work of songwriter Catherine Cavanagh. For Screens, her upcoming sophomore release, Cavanagh wrote each song, provided vocals and also performed many of the instruments by herself. She did receive help from her friends and family, though, including her brother and U.S. military sergeant Frank Cavanagh, who was once the bassist for Ohio-based band Filter.
Keywords: military · Ohio · Family · songs · songwriter · friends · instrumentation · sergeant · bassist · sophomore · Catherine Cavanagh · emScreens
Oct 2nd, 2008 · For his follow-up to 2004's Of What Lies Beneath, Austin, TX resident Dan Dyer draws from gospel, Bossa Nova and even ragtime for a contemporary homage of pulsating grooves. His selt-titled sophomore release, which dropped in late August, begins with the soulful "Love Chain," featuring members of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church Choir backing Dyer's own Stevie Wonder-inspired tenor. It's a passionate and stunning opener, showcasing much of the musical styles Dyer grew up on.
Keywords: Danes · residents · contemporary · music · 2004 · soul · TX · gospel · Austin · passion · ragtime · bossa
Sep 23rd, 2008 · Cold War Kids' sophomore effort, Loyalty to Loyalty, is based on the work of a little-known philosopher named Josiah Royce who was calling Nietzsche out in the early 1900s. The art-pop band straddles the line between both philosophies in atypical rock fashion.
Keywords: Fashion · politics · Philosopher · Nietzsche · atypical · 1900 · sophomore · loyalty · philosophies · War Kids · emLoyalty · Josiah Royce
Sep 22nd, 2008 · Until recently, Portland, Oregon-based musician Jared Mees had no band to call his own. But for his sophomore album, Caffeine, Alcohol, Sunshine Money, Mees gathered over a dozen musicians, known as The Grown Children, to formally back him in his quirky pop endeavor.
Keywords: children · music · Alcohol · Portland · Oregon · album · quirky · sophomore · bees · endeavor · Mees · Jared Mees
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