Cool Sounds - Dance Moves

For me, Dance Moves is an intensely evocative album.  It brings to mind the times in my life where I'm going to a specific place on a summer evening.  The sun is no longer high in the sky, but it isn't yet below the horizon.  The heat of the day is dissipating, and the breeze is refreshing.  I'm excited about my destination, whether it is a backyard party, a gathering on the beach, or a club with an open deck overlooking the water, but I'm enjoying the drive and savoring the anticipation and the journey.  Dance Moves could be playing in the car, but if it isn't, it is playing in my head.

Melbourne's Cool Sounds refers to their music as "jazz-gaze", but you'll probably need a bit more of a description.  The melodies are relaxed, the bass up-front and teasing.  The vocals and synths are warm and yearning, and the horns add the perfect layer of polish.  The vibe is chill from start to finish.  I feel comfortable suggesting that this is an album you will like more each time you hear it.  And I'm a current expert on the subject as I've listened to it five times today.  When I press publish on this post, I will relax and reward myself with a sixth.

This one is highly recommended for your summer transport soundtrack folks, and at home I would pair it with any fine beverage.  It is out now via Deaf Ambitions.






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PAWS - No Grace

Phillip, Josh and Ryan, the trio that comprises Glasgow's PAWS, have spent much of their recent lives on the road.  That kind of schedule can fuse the members together, or drive them apart.  In the case of this band, it appears to have made them closer.  2016 PAWS are a well oiled and A+ maintained rock machine, and they prove it without question on their new album, No Grace.  The pop punk delivery that thrilled us on their prior records  remains, but on this album there is a bit more polish.  The sound is big and bold, initially demanding your attention, and ultimately justifying the time spent listening.  Many records can give us pleasure, but the best give us songwriting that pulls no punches, and performances that evince utter conviction.  No Grace is such a record.  For us, a perfect triple bill right now would be PAWS, Royal Headache, and Blank Realm.  But until that happens, get this record.

No Grace is out now via FatCat Records.




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"Faufile" by Charlotte Cardin

Young French-Canadian talent Charlotte Cardin shares another gem of her art with "Faufile", which will be included on her debut EP, Big Boy.  Cardin's fusion of electronic production and her retro pop/jazz style give her a timeless appeal.


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Sunny & The Sunsets - Moods Baby Moods

Sonny & The Sunsets don't permanently attach themselves to any specific style, but they always provide compelling, if unquestionably off-beat, stories and high quality performances.  For Moods Baby Moods, their sixth album, Sonny Smith's San Francisco outfit gives us drum machines and woozy synths.  But characteristically defying typecasting, the new wave sensibilities are leavened with funk and a variety of technological bells and whistles.  And, of course, there are spoken word sections from various characters.  The vivid stories mine the weirdness of modern life, with characters who live on the edge, fantastical settings, a space alien or two, and the other facets of every day life in the city by the Bay.  At times it plays like a mostly musical old time radio show, but the angst, uncertainty and weirdness of modern life is always engagingly and entertainingly set forth.

The arrival of a new album from Sonny & The Sunsets has always been cause for celebration around WYMA, and this album is no exception.  You can never predict where the journey will take you, you just know it will be worth your time.  Moods Baby Moods is out now via Polyvinyl Records.








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"It's Tomorrow Now" by Flyying Colours

For five years Melbourne's Brodie J. Brummer, Gemma O'Connor, Melanie Barbaro, and Andy Lloyd Russell have been delivering satisfying chunks of well-crafted, pop and psych-glazed shoegaze under the name Flyying Colours.  September will bring Mindfullness, their new LP for Club AC30.  The lead track has just hit the airwaves, and you can stream it below.  To our ears it is big and rumbling head-banger, and it suggests that Mindfullness may be the band's best work to date.


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Bubblegum Lemonade - Beard On A Bike EP

Today is the birthday of Laz McCluskey, a Glasgow musician and songwriter who records and performs under the name Bubblegum Lemonade, as well as part of the duo Strawberry Whiplash.  Making his week even more special is his upcoming Bubblegum Lemonade EP, Beard On A Bike.  The EP features four songs of bubblegum pop, with jangle, plenty of reverb and a dose of western twang.  Touchstones are early Primal Scream, The Jesus And Mary Chain and a number of your favorite '60s bands.  The title track is a jaunty tale of a psychopath on a bike path -- happy dreams!  The tempo slows for the Rickenbacker-driven "Golden Afternoon".  "Saturday Girl" is an upbeat jangle pop joy, and "Looking Out For You" ends the EP with a warm, '60s-infused tug on your heartstrings.  We assure you, Bubblegum Lemonade is both our favorite flavor of gum and our favorite brand of lemonade, it is that good!

"Beard On A Bike" will be on Bubblegum Lemonade's next album, The Great Leap Backward, which will be out later this year.  But you'll need to buy this record to get the other three songs.  And you can do so either as a digital download or CD via Matinee Recordings.




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"My Twin Sister" by Cruising

Neil, Benni, Claire and Sarah, who variously are members of Sea Pinks Logikparty, Girls Names and September Girls, all too infrequently put our music as the Ireland/Northern Ireland band Cruising.  Their latest is the swaggering "My Twin Sister", a digital release which is available to purchase, but is free if you buy a Cruising tote bag.  Both are offered at the Bandcamp link at the bottom of the post.




And just because it is such an awesome blast of music, here one of their prior releases, "You Made Me Do That".




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Scott & Charlene's Wedding - Delivered EP

On Fridays we here an WYMA world headquarters like our indie rock loud, scrappy, and enthusiastic.  You know, the prefect soundtrack for Friday activities such as a few minutes of editing, a few minutes of glancing at the mail, a few minutes depositing the bribes from all the big labels, and a couple of hours of cleaning up empties and pizza boxes.  Now, we don't mean to suggest the the Delivered EP by Scott & Charlene's Wedding is only good for such Fridays, because it works very well driving, at backyard keggers, and working out.  Trust me, I'm a professional and have played it in all those situations.  But it is one of many perfect times for this EP.

The Delivered EP bridges the gap between the band's well-received Any Port In A Storm LP from a couple of years ago and the follow up album set for release this fall, and displays the first-take immediacy that is the essential element of good garage rock.  The title track, which will be on the upcoming album, is a hard and jagged ode to happy substances with Craig Dermody's shouted vocals giving the tune a sense of urgency.  The following tunes continue the garage rock vein with a bit more jangle.  The closer is a turn-it-up-to-11 cover of Elton's "Bennie and the Jets".  Good stuff, and you can stream the entire EP at the Bandcamp link below.



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"Sticky Leaves" by Linying

With the voice of an angel, and an undeniable talent for songwriting, we think Singapore's Linying has got a bright future in music world.  Her melodies have met an enthusiastic reception with DJs around the globe, and it is time for her to be more widely recognized.  Press play on her debut single below, close your eyes and dream.



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Fear Of Men - Fall Forever

We first featured Brighton's Fear of Men here in 2011, and it has been a pleasure to watch the band develop since then.  The recently released Fall Forever is their second LP, following several singles, EPs and an album compiling several of those shorter releases.  The band was, and is, intensely melodic.  The defining characteristic in the band's sound remains the pristine tone and melancholic delivery of Jess Weiss's vocals, but the growth of the band features increased use of electronic instrumentation to feature the previously more lo-fi guitar pop set up.  The sound is denser, although the strong melodies allow manage to give the album a sense of space and breadth.  However, the real triumph in Fall Forever is not the adept and more fulsome instrumentation, or the band's obvious comfort in its own skin and mutual trust of each other's instinct to experiment, although both are impressive.  The triumph is that lyrically Fear Of Men may now be the perfect dark pop band.  The songs reveal exposed nerves, regrets, anxieties, failures, disappointments, fears, and injuries -- and all in a direct, vivid manner with concise but clever songwriting.  The delivery eschews showy emotions or pleas for sympathy, and thus, Weiss' trauma becomes more universal and accessible.

Fall Forever is out now via Kanine Records in digital, CD and vinyl formats.  Fear of Men are touring in North America until late July, and then in Europe into September.






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Ette - Attack of the Glam Soul Cheerleaders (parts 1 & 2)

On most days, Carla Easton is the lead vocalist for indie pop band TeenCanteen, and Joe Kane plys his musical trade with Dr Cosmos Tapelab.  But on some days Carla and Joe are Ette.  And on one of those days (well, maybe a couple, I wasn't there to count), Ette laid down the tracks that became the single Attack of the Glam Soul Cheerleaders (parts 1 & 2).  The release includes the title track - a throwback sing-a-long with echos of Motown, plus the slower tempo electropop "Fireworks (Joe Kane Disco Dub)", and it it available as a digital download for the ever popular "name your price".  The lead track is to be included on Homemade Lemonade, Ette's debut LP which will be released by Olive Grove Records on July 22.




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"Let It Out" by Janski

Jan Lindvaag is an experienced producer and has been in several bands.  The Norwegian musician has decided that the time is right to launch his solo career under the name Janski.  His first offering is the banging, late-night house song "Let It Out".  Enjoy the stream below, and look for the digital release later this summer.

Warning -- you may want to dance and turn the room lights on and off rapidly during this song.



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Blue Jeans - Songs Are Easy

Blue Jeans may be taunting me with the title of their new album -- Songs Are Easy.  Maybe creating catchy songs is easy for Tim Sendra, Heather Phares, David Serra, and Justin Dykehouse, with Fred Thomas (Saturday Looks Good To Me) at the engineering controls and playing a few instruments, while most of us can only watch with envy.  But I'm not a guy who is going to dwell on my own deficiencies, and certainly not when such a great set of summer songs is available.  Kicking off with a pop-smeared J&MC style "Kara Keely", and then sliding into the indie romp "Ratz Revenge", which in turn is followed by the perfect bubblegum rock of "Make Up ll Make Up", this album shouldered its way into my "take anywhere" list.  It now resides on my home computer, my phone, my laptop, and my car's CD player.

The songs are concise, sweet - even cute, with some touches of bratty attitude, '60s sensibilities, and surf rock flair.   Male and female vocals tell the stories and the rhythm section keeps the party bouncing along at a brisk pace.  The album is over in about a half hour, and then you press "replay".  It likely will happen without thinking.  Don't worry, you aren't alone.

The bottom line is that many folks waste time that could be better spent soaking sunshine, making out, or downing beers just trying to make a good summer playlist.  Tim, Heather and company have hacked the problem -- just get Songs Are Easy and get on with your summer.







Songs Are Easy is out now in digital and CD formats via Jigsaw Records.  By the way, Blue Jeans formerly was known as Santa Monica Swim and Dive Club.  In the early '90s, Tim Sendra was a member of Veronica Lake.

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"I'm In Love" by Teenage Fanclub

One band that should need no introduction to guitar pop fans is Glasgow's Teenage Fanclub.  Well into their third decade as a band, prolific as a group as well as with individual projects, they have announced the September 9 release of new album Here.  It is their tenth studio album and their first in six years.  Pre-orders are available now from PeMa/Republic of Music and (in North America) Merge Records.  And you don't even have to order without hearing a note, although many fans, teenage and otherwise, will do so, because the lead track is available to stream below.

The band will be touring in the UK and Europe in support of the album September-December.  Ten of the twenty-two scheduled shows are already sole out.


For Here Teenage Fanclub are Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley, Gerard Love, Francis Macdonald, and Dave McGowan.  Core members Blake, McGinley, and Love each contributed four songs to the album.

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All The Real Girls - Elk City

As album origin stories go, Elk City has one of the more unusual ones.  Singer songwriter, actor, and indie movie director/producer Peter Donovan was in a bar in California, having finished work on the movie Lost On Purpose when he met a chainsmoking woman in her '70s.  Many drinks and many smokes later Peter had an album worth of fantastic stories inspired by the woman's (likely embellished) tales of multiple generations of her extended family in Oklahoma.  Peter the thirsty actor heard the stories, and Peter the writer translated them to song soon thereafter.  And luckily for music fans, Peter also is the frontman for Seattle's All The Real Girls, a band with few actual girls (although on talent alone Shelby Earl should be counted multiple times), but in addition to Donovan and Earl includes Jason McGerr (Death Cab For Cutie), Jim Roth (Built To Spill), Erik Corson (The Long Winters), Steve Fisk (Pell Mell), Erik Howk (The Lashes).  Replete with the sort of Americana instrumentation the stories deserve, and the indie guitar work we crave, Elk City delivers on multiple levels: Great stories; rock guitar shredding; pastoral twang; and top quality performances.  Test drive Elk City with "Lizzie", a tale of loss and regret, and the title track, about the wake on the passing of a loved one.  Other highlights in my opinion include "Massacre At The Mystic", "That King Of The Night", "Three Piece Suit", but all twelve songs truly are gems.  This is the sort of album you discover and play obsessively on your own, and then feel guilty you haven't told all your friends so they can enjoy it too.

Elk City is out now as a digital download.  Check your favorite online retailer.



"Elk City" Music Video - All The Real Girls from All The Real Girls on Vimeo.


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"Roses" and "Summer In The City (Living Is For Someone Else)" by The Legends

I may be wrong, but I get the impression that Stockholm's Johan Angergård gets more done in a week than it do.  Or at least more that is useful.  His bands/projects include The Legends, Acid House Kings, Club 8, Djustin, Eternal Death, and Pallers.  Oh, and he runs Labrador Records, as well.  Today's feature concerns the first band.  The Legends were once touted as a nine piece band, but really has always been a one man project.  His summer plan for The Legends is a series of singles.  The first one was the disco tune "Summer In The City (Living Is For Someone Else)".  The second is the first cover Johan has done, in this instance it is "Roses", originally performed by The Chainsmokers.  In Johan's hands, the song is a smokey electro pop romp.






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"Strip" by Clara Mae

Clara Mae is the new incarnation of Clara Hagman, former member of Swedish pop group Ace of Base.  She released a well-received song titled "Avalon" last year, and now has followed it with the smashing "Strip".  The song features a sultry vocal delivery, emotional content, and a robust instrumental score.  To my happy ears, this is sexy indie pop for grown ups, so we are happy to welcome Clara Mae.  Give us more.




"Strip" is a collaboration of Clara, Lina Hansson and Kristoffer Eriksson.  It is out now as a digital release.

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Red Sleeping Beauty - Kristina

It has been 27 years since Red Sleeping Beauty was formed in Stockholm, and 19 years since their last album, although some of its members also worked with other projects such as Acid House Kings and The Shermans during those years.  But the band's return with Kristina reveals that they have lost none of the qualities that make them a premier pop band.  Using analog electronic equipment and a guitar to illustrate their sharp songwriting and warm, yearning vocals, this band delivers the kind of pristine synth pop that justifies Scandinavia's reputation for indie pop perfection.  The ten songs on Kristina are tight, bright, sweet, shimmering and soothing.  As Red Sleeping Beauty seems to be its own adorable beast, comparisons to other bands seem inadequate, but envision Depeche Mode channeling the sounds of the best of bands from Sarah Records and the '80s new wave/new romantics movements and you'll be close.  And if that prompts you to ask whether some of the songs are dance-worthy, the answer is "yes".

While providing end-to-end pop pleasure, Kristina also has a celebratory vibe, which is understandable not only because of the band's return to recording, but also the emergence of member Kristina Borg from a fight with cancer.








Red Sleeping Beauty are Niklas Angergård, Kristina Borg, Carl-Johan Näsström, and Mikael Matsson.  Kristina is out now via Shelflife Records and Labrador Records in digital, CD, and limited vinyl formats.

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Video for "But I'm Scared" by The Echo Session

As we said last month, "But I'm Scared" by The Echo Session is one of our favorite songs of the year (link).  The single will be released in August, but is available for pre-order now.  Of course, when you love a song, you want to play it over and over.  And if you write a blog, you look for reasons to feature it again.  Glasgow label Flowers In The Dustbin has given us such a reason -- the new video for "But I'm Scared", by the label's video artist Keith Gerrard.  So here it is.



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"West Coast" by Pretty Sister

Producer, performer, DJ and songwriter Pretty Sister (otherwise sometimes known as Zak Waters) has released one of the slickest songs of the summer so far.  "West Coast" has an R&B vibe with a touch of funk.  It is perfect for those moments when a memorable summer night slides into the early dawn of the next day; full of head-on-the-shoulder sentiment and the promise of a new day.  I suggest putting it on repeat and letting it seep in.  Available at the usual digital outlets.


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"Muted Colours" by Chain Wallet

Here is your first taste of Bergen, Norway's Chain Wallet, a band I expect to feature again in the future, and certainly this fall when their album is released.  But for today, you can listen to their single "Muted Colours", which is available as of June 17 on Norwegian indie label Jansen Plateproduksjon .  The song showcases the trio's accessible psychedelic pop and knack for an ear-friendly hook.

Chain Wallet is Stian Iversen, Christian Line and Frode Boris.




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"Schmuck" by Betty & Oswald

How about some indie pop sass from Betty & Oswald?  And learning of the title of the song, they may even be talking about me.  Wait until I tell everyone at the club I'm famous (assuming the Roanoke Inn down the street is a "club" and being called "schmuck" on the airwaves is "fame").  But enough about me -- this band shows some real talent and a welcome does of attitude.



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Whitney Houston's Crypt EP 7"

Yesterday we offered releases that were gentle or slick.  Today's first offering is the self-titled 7" from a band named Whitney Houston's Crypt, so you can assume that today will be a bit noisier and a touch more abrasive.  O.K., more than a touch more abrasive, but a good life demands variety.  Three songs with massive percussion, two guitars that tease with a hint of groove and then join the percussionist in hammering your head, and screamed vocals that take you to the brink of catharsis.  The perpetrators are Ev, Neika, Scott, Tom, and Zoe, and they mean to scare you and thrill you in equal measure.  While I suspect that this act is well worth seeing live, their Australian location means that most of us will have to settle for the record, which does its part as great jump start to your day.  Whitney Houston's Crypt 7" is out now on Vacant Valley -- see the Bandcamp link below.



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"Sexual" by Neiked Collective

Whether it is late at night or early in the morning, you deserve a dose of sexy, R&B drenched pop from Neiked Collective, headed by Victor Rådström.  It is summertime, and everyone deserves to feel good.



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Zone Out - Transience

Tune it to zone out.  Tune in to zone out. Tune in to zone .... oh, excuse me, I was deep into a blissful trance and didn't notice you all out there.  Melbourne duo Zone Out will do that to you.  With the intriguing production of Dove Bailey (also of garage outfit Scotdrakula) and the lovely but somehow charmingly biting vocals of Ashley Bundang (also of Totally Mild, Sui Zhen, and Ciggie Witch), their new LP Transience is the sort of delightfully fragile bedroom pop that should generate a wealth of obsessed fans.  Among the impressive elements are Ashley and Dove's ability to infuse the songs with emotion and detail while still exercising restraint.  Nothing hits you over the head, but rather the songs seep into your brain and leave little time release pleasure bombs that deliver long after the music fades.  This is shimmering, late night dream pop for people who want their observations delivered honestly, but won't complain if their is a bit of sugar to make the truth go down better.

Anxiety, heartbreak, ennui and resignation never sounded so damn good before.  Transience is out now in digital and vinyl via Deaf Ambitions.







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Maria Usbeck - Amparo

Maria Usbeck, who in the past has thrilled us as the vocalist for Selebrities, has now given us one of the prettiest albums of the year in Amparo.  It is light, playful, warm, highly rhythmic, and exotic.  While Maria lives in New York, where the album was recorded, she wrote the album while traveling in Buenos Aires, Santiago, Barcelona, Lisbon, Easter Island, Costa Rica, Florida, L.A. and her native Ecuador, as well as her adopted home.  And the circumstances of the songs' creation influences the listener's experience.  Cue up the album, close your eyes, and you can imagine you are watching a high quality travelogue of the locales visited by Maria, watching the sunlight dance on the waves, the clouds race through blue skies, and the warm and welcoming faces of the residents for faraway lands.  The lyrics are mostly in Spanish, with bits of other languages from the countries where the songs were composed, and all in languages that I don't speak or read.  But quite frankly I found that aspect of the recording to enhance, rather than lessen, my listening experience.  Other delightful touches are unusual percussion and snippets of field recordings.

Regardless of your usual musical taste, we highly recommend Amparo.  It is out now via Labrador in Europe and Cascine in North America.





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"Sometimes" by Chook Race

Chook Race has been all too quiet on the recording front for a few years, but that is about to change.  In September, Trouble In Mind (US) and Tenth Court (Australia) will release the new LP Around The House.  I suspect -- and very much hope -- we'll be treated to boy-girl vocals, sweet harmonies and breezy tunes that linger in your head long after the songs end.  In the meantime, we can catch the jangling vibe on album track "Sometimes".

The Melbourne trio consists of Matthew Liveriadis (bass), Carolyn Hawkins (vocals/drums), and Rob Remedios (vocals/guitar).



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Math and Physics Club - In This Together

Math and Physics Club are a Pacific Northwest treasure.  Their brand of jangling, melancholy guitar pop echos the work of The Lucksmiths, The Go-Betweens, and Belle and Sebastian, but with varying shades of attitude and nerdy self-awareness they manage to create a distinctive sound.  Their songs are airy and melodic while still sounding focused and sincere.  In the past eleven years they have released several LPs, as well as singles and EPs.  A number of their best songs were released only on singles and EPs which are no longer available, which has made appreciation of the band difficult for all but the most devoted fan who collected all of their work as released.  However, Matinee Recordings and Fika Recordings have stepped in with In This Together to help indie pop fans complete their collection.  The compilation collects Math and Physics Club songs that were released on EPs or singles, but never appeared on an album, and presents them in reverse chronological order.  Although it isn't billed as a greatest hits album, it comes close to serving as one and should become a favorite album for old and new fans alike.  I've had it on repeat for several days now, and it is like having a welcome old friend drop in for an extended stay.  Break out the good wine!

The band on the various recordings is Charles Bert, James Werle, Ethan Jones, Kevin Emerson, and Saundrah Humphrey.


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Tourist Dollars - Tourist Dollars EP

Have you made a list of things to accomplish this weekend?  I'll give you something to add to the list: Get the new Tourist Dollars EP.  Do so, and you will have four tracks of timeless, wide-scope pop to make everything else better.  Featuring soaring harmonies, an extra dose of reverb, a classic crooner's lead vocals and a Roy Orbison-like knack for make the song seem to reach  from the eastern horizon to the western horizon.  Previously, Tourist Dollars have only released a few singles, but on this record they sound like a band that has been perfecting their sound together for years.

Tourist Dollars EP is available now in digital and CD formats from Deaf Ambitions -- see the link below.





Tourist Dollars are Jesse McCormack, Dave McMillan, and Aiden McMillan.

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"Wherever You Live" by Heliotropes

Heliotropes will release their new album, Over There That Way, on July 15 via The End Records, but this week have unveiled their third single from the LP.  "Wherever You Live" reveals a confident, even swaggering, rock outfit with sharp composition and even sharper performance.  And as always, Jessica Numsuwankijkul provides the sort of compelling vocal performance that most rockers can only dream of.  Oh, I should mention the saxophone.  I played the sax in school, and I love it when it pops up in rock songs.



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"How Can You Find Someone To Love" / "Bridges" by Citizen Helene

How does it work to be a singer-songwriter, folky, indie pop artist with the call of disco pulling at your heartstrings?  Well, in the case of Citizen Helene, it works very well, thank you very much.  Cue up "How Can You Find Someone To Love", the lead song on her new single, and feel the warm, tropics-infused vibe.  Your hips may start to sway whether you want them to or not, and you won't mind at all.  The second song is "Bridges", a wistful pop tune with psychedelic and jazz touches that also prances along at a danceable tempo.  The record ends with a six-and-a-half minute disco mix of the lead track.  And how does that make us feel?  It makes us feel like we got a big cake in one of our favorite flavors only to find another cake inside in our absolute favorite.

The record is available now in digital and vinyl formats via our favorite singles club, London's wiaiwya-7777777.  See the Bandcamp link for details.  And note that this is the label's third single in its 2016 series, so you should check out the others if you haven't already.



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The Getdowns - Run Away From The Night

Good old road house rock and roll -- the sound of good times, or forgetting bad times, or night time on the open road, or maybe just your usual Tuesday night (you lucky dog!).  We have the soundtrack for you, courtesy of South Bend, Indiana's The Getdowns.  And getting down is what The Getdowns do, over the course of the 15 songs of Run Away From The Night (with a few slower tunes just to show their sensitive side).  The performances are tight, the vocals clear and convincing, and the production excellent.  And it all is available as a digital download for zero dollars and zero cents.  That's right, these guys don't even require you to pull out your wallet, just listen to their music.  Do your part, folks, get your copy of Run Away From The Night and play it for your friends.




The Getdowns are Mike Frank (guitar/vocals), Sean Little (bass), Trey Gray (drums), Mike Davis (guitar/lap steel), Kevin DeCloedt (guitar), Rod Martin (keys/vocal/percussion), Wendy Martin (vocals), Dane Bryant (keys/organ), and Smith Curry (lap steel).

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Sløtface - Sponge State EP

My work week started a day late as I was bike camping for a few days.  In looking through my library of new music to jump start my energy to professional level, I chose Stravanger, Norway four-piece Sløtface.  Formerly known by the somewhat less marketable name "Slutface", the band's sweet spot spans punk pop to noise pop, characterized by a knack for uplifting melodies and a big dose of youthful energy.  Their latest offering is the Sponge State EP, which is out now via Propeller Recordings, and the four tracks proved the perfect way to start my day.  The EP begins with the most punk-oriented offering, "Get My Own", and then slides into three perfect, uptempo guitar pop songs, including the two I've provided below.  Get to know Sløtface, it is like legal drugs.




Sløtface are Haley Shea (vocals), Lasse Lokoy (bass), Halvard Skeie Wiencke (drums), and Tor-Arne Vikingstad (guitar).

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"Sundial" by Cool Ghouls

Unlike other music sites, which are likely to bring you any old ghouls, WYMA only brings you the best, the Cool Ghouls.  People -- people who know such things -- always tell me, those guys have the coolest ghouls on their site.  Coverage better than the other sites, which are all pathetic. So sad. /s/ guest writer Donald "the German" Trump

Well, um, thank you very much Donald, I guess.  I'm sure that was the best of your best words.  But the Donald is right about one thing, San Francisco's Cool Ghouls are one of the best indie rock bands in America.  They will hit us with a new album called Animal Races later this summer via Empty Cellar Records in the US and Melodic Records in the UK/Europe.  Our first earworm is the wonderfully jangling "Sundial".



Cool Ghouls are Pat Thomas, Ryan Wong, Pat McDonald, and Alex Feshman.

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Empty Cellar Records' Bandcamp page for Animal Races

Methyl Ethel - Oh Inhuman Spectacle

On Oh Inhuman Spectacle, Jake Webb of Methyl Ethel weaves dream pop that doesn't fit the hazy, sunny pop that such term typically calls to mind.  Rather, Webb's creations the bedtime to dawn fractured dreams of the over-tired, semi-awake, mentally over-active or fevered.  Accordingly, the album cycles through stages of restfulness, twitchy hyperactivity, calm, and tension.  The textures are varied, fully detailed and, at times, lush.  And such depth may need some time to fully appreciate.  When I first listened to this album I thought it was very interesting, with several great songs.  After the second listen I upped my grade to "very good" overall.  After the third time, I rank this album as one of my top 15 of the year so far, and I'm recommending it to all my friends.  Or at least to all my friends that don't think that music stopped evolving with U2, because such people are hopeless.

Playing this set of songs from start to finish is like looking through a richly illustrated children's book, with colorful psychedelic coloring, pop ups, hidden sound buttons and playful stories.  With some tracks I found myself musing "this could have been on the White Album", and at other times a similar thought about Pet Sounds.  Telling you which songs are the best isn't a useful endeavor, as with this album, more than others, it will depend on your taste and your mood at the time you listen.  After all, this is an album of moods.  But "Twilight Driving" has earned broad recognition at a top track from this album, and I agree with the consensus thinking: It is magnificent.

Oh Inhuman Spectacle was written and performed by Webb, with some assistance from studio engineer Chris Wright.  For live performances Wright plays drums and Thom Stewart plays bass.  The album was released in Australia in 2014, but is now getting a deserved world-wide rollout via 4AD.






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"Souvenir Shop Rock" by Savoy Motel

Funky, ragged-edged rock with a deep groove and a chugging '70s riff.  My God, we love this stuff!  "Souvenir Shop Rock" is the latest gem from up-and-coming Nashville four-piece Savoy Motel.  Mining glam, blues, funk, boogie, and garage, and wrapping it up with a free-wheeling vibe, this band's couple of available songs may keep me up for another hour or so tonight.

Savoy Motel has one single, "Hot One" / "Souvenir Shop Rock".  Apparently, they are paired on a promotional 7" that isn't commercially available.  "Souvenir Shop Rock" was just aired, while "Hot One" was getting play a bit earlier.  Supposedly both will be on the band's first LP, which will be available later than we wish it were, even if it comes out next week.  Which, of course, it won't.





Savoy Motel are Jeffrey Novak (bass/vocals), Jessica McFarland (drums/vocals), Mimi Galbierz (guitar/vocals), and Dillon Watson (guitar).

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Whats Your Rupture

"Amnesia" by Bloom Twins

Feast your ears on the dark pop of Bloom Twins.  Nineteen-years-old Sonia and Anna Kuprienko are, indeed, identical twins, originally from the Ukraine and now living in London.  Their music is attracting attention, and it seems to us that it is for the right reasons.  Here is their latest single, taken from their first album which will follow later this year.




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California Snow Story - Some Other Places

California Snow Story was formed in 2001 by David Skirving, who was an original member of Glasgow's Camera Obscura.  In addition to Skirving, the band includes Spanish vocalist Sandra Belda Martanez  and Japanese keyboardist Madoka Fukushima. The early years of the band featured an EP, and an LP followed in 2007.    The band then drifted into hiatus for several years, with occasional shows by no recorded output.  The realities of life and living on different continents will do that, but it was unfortunate because Skirving is a talented songwriter, with a knack for penning songs in the neighborhood of the indie pop landscape that welcomes relaxed melodies, gentle hooks, soft male and female vocals, and some tropical, jazz and surf touches.

Fortunately, Skirving decided that the project had more life in it, and has released a new LP titled Some Other Places via Shelflife Records.  The album features ten tracks of what California Snow Story does so well.  The pace is never hurried, the atmosphere is warm and sunny, with a bit of haze and shadings of nostalgia and melancholy.  Skirving's songwriting is in top form, and his creations are even more thoroughly adorned as the original band is supplemented with contributions from Melanie Whittle (the Hermit Crabs), Lupe Nunez-Fernandez (Pipas and Amor De Diaz), and Kristoffer Solvang (The Loch Ness Mouse) on various tracks.  The entire album provides a perfect soundtrack for a sunny afternoon or an evening relaxing on a gentle breeze.  Nevertheless, there are standouts for me, such as the jangling "Our New Sun" and "You'll Go Places" (the latter reminds me of Camera Obscura), the tropical "Outliers", the retro teen-angelic "Over The View", and the closing "Don't Ever Go".

This may well be the summer album you need for those unhurried times in your life.  It is relaxing and is sure to put a smile on your face and peace in your heart.  Some Other Places is out now as a digital download via Shelflife Records.




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Shelflife Records page for Some Other Places