Research Vessel - Part of the Charm EP

 

Seattle's Danny Rowland was the songwriter and lead guitarist of our beloved (by us) band Seapony. That project may be retired to a watery pasture, but Danny now helms the similarly nautically-themed band Research Vessel. Danny's sweet spot is jangling guitar pop with quiet vocals and an insistent beat. On the new EP, Part of the Charm, the craftsmanship is evident in the songwriting and arrangements. The vibe is sunny and relaxed, the lyrics evocative rather than narrative. It is only five tracks, but it is a charming set of songs that you can listen to over and over. And if you like it, you can consider the 2024 and 2025 EPs from Research Vessel which also are available via Bandcamp.

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Bandcamp for EP

Tullycraft: "Tarrytown", "Love On The Left Bank" and LP Shoot The Point

 

If we were to consult our carefully curated and updated lists for our favorite twee pop bands, Seattle's Tulleycraft will be floating at the top riding their trademark energy like a helium-filled balloon. The band isn't as active as it once was, but happily they will release a shiny new album titled Shoot The Point at the end of the week. Tullycraft are musicians and craft terrific stories with twists, turns and surprises behind blind corners. They clearly have a lot of fun doing it, and the listeners share in the fun.

But we aren't the kind of meanies who say "something good is coming but you have to wait". Tullycraft has shared songs from the album and we are going to let you listen to them right now. Yes, now. Here are "Tarrytown" and "Love On The Left Bank". However, we will add that we have listened to the entire album (a couple of times already) and it is terrific. If you are the kind of mope who only wants somber music, give it a pass. For everyone else with a pulse, get in line for Shoot The Point.

Shoot The Point is out Friday, August 22, via HHBTM Records.

HHBTM Records · Love On the Left Bank

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Bandcamp for Shoot The Point

"Like Today" by Research Vessel

 

In our earlier days we covered several releases by a jangling Seattle dreampop band called Seapony. Although we haven't heard from them since the middle of the last decade, we recently were contacted by songwriter/guitarist Danny Rowland. Danny has a new project named Research Vessel, and shared his first single form the upcoming EP. "Like Today" is a perfect slice of gentle guitar pop, and we have decided to play it a few times to close out our day. You may want to do the same.

Going Tomorrow EP will be out March 1 in digital and cassette formats via Small Craft Advisory.

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Bandcamp for Going Tomorrow EP

Loose Wing - Miracle Baby

 

We in the Pacific Northwest like to share our musical treasures, so we invite all of our readers to embrace Loose Wing. A rock band with leanings toward pop and country rock, its music is characterized by the essential touchstones of excellent musicianship, affecting vocals and some fearless songwriting. The vocals and songwriting, as well as the lead guitar aspect of the musicianship, are provided by Claire Tucker, who no doubt could carve a path as a country singer if she chose. But her lead guitar clearly places her in the rock camp (she also is the guitarist for local psychedelic garage stalwarts Black Nite Crash). 

The latest album by Loose Wing is the recently released Miracle Baby and we think it is a superb musical statement. It is locked-in and concise, but there is a gritty blue collar, heart on the sleeve swagger that sells every song like they are playing live and getting paid by the volume of the applause at the end. The songs embrace a variety of emotions including consumerism, paternalistic males, job anxiety and isolation. And they do it well without lecturing or turning the proceedings into a downer. On this album Loose Wing proves there still is room for bands that splice together multiple styles. It is all about the execution, and this gang executes.

Loose Wing is Claire Tucker (guitar/vocals/keys), Jack Peters (bass), Aimee Zoe (drums), and Bill Patton (guitar/pedal steel). Miracle Baby is out now in digital, vinyl and CD formats via Drums & Wires Recording.

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Bandcamp for Miracle Baby

Various relevant links

 

Model Shop - Check The Forecast

 

Infused with great hooks, energetic musicianship, and the ineffable joy of making music, Check The Forecast by Model Shop is your feel good pop record of the week. November is Seattle's rainiest month, but you wouldn't know it after listening to the four tracks on this record.  "Easy Winter" is the lead single, but the true sunshine is delivered by the complete EP. Masterful work by this trio and you shouldn't delay treating your ears.

Model Shop is Ethan Jones (vocals/guitar), Jen Fox (bass/vocals), and Kevin Emerson (vocals/drums). Check The Forecast EP is out now in vinyl and digital formats via Meritorio Records.

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Virgin of the Birds - Viper Summer EP

 

We know that when we have pressed "play" on a recording with the intent of making notes and discussing the tracks in turn, but instead listen to the entire recording twice without pause or discussion, we have our hands an a very good recording. And that has been our reintroduction to the world of Virgin of the Birds via their new EP Viper Summer. VotB is the sometimes solo, sometimes group, project of Jon Rooney,  serving as an entrancing vehicle for Jon's literate and poetically drawn stories and observations. Whether creating a fable, twisting history or reinterpreting a former relationship, the songs take us to another place. For instance, track 4 is an upbeat romp about Pope Clement VI hanging our in Avignon, France to avoid the Black Plague outbreak in Rome. other tracks touch on a giantess, a mermaid, a poet, and the loneliness. This is music that can make you feel, make you think, and make you laugh. For us, that adds up to a winner.

For this EP VotB was Jon Rooney, Colin J. Nelson, Ken Nottingham and Paul Beaudry. Contributions also were made by Faith Elliot and Sophie Dodds and Reuben Taylor of Scottish band Storm the Palace. Viper Summer is out now as a digital download.

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"Cellar" by Lemon Sea

 

We extend a warn welcome to Seattle singer-songwriter Natalie Lew. Recording and performing as Lemon Sea (named after local sea slugs), she released the Close Up EP last year. She now has signed to Luminelle Records and release a new single titled "Celler". It is a dense dreampop song that reflects the composer's love of horror films. We look forward to more from this talented lady.

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Bandcamp for "Cellar"

Various links for "Cellar"

Luminelle Records

Spirit Award - The Fear

 

Some of us may reside in Seattle, but that doesn't mean that we have comprehensive knowledge of the city's wide and vibrant music scene. An example is the subject of this post, Spirit Award. A week ago this band was unknown to me. But while driving to pick up some skis which needed an end of the season tune up, I heard a live performance on KEXP. I pulled over and listened to several songs, captivated by the guitar work and atmospherics. I researched the band when I got home and discovered that they were releasing new album Fear last Friday. So that chance encounter over the airwaves results in tonight's post about a captivating record.

The songs are intense explorations of emotions, states of mind, and alternative perspectives. There are elements of psychedelia, dreampop, post punk and even, to my ears, a tough of surf. But I can't fit it into any specific boxes. It isn't like anything else I've heard this year, and I'm glad I discovered it.

Spirit Award's main man in Daniel Lyon (songwriting/vocals/guitar). Drums were by Andrew King and bass by Chris Jordan. Fear is available in digital and vinyl formats.

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Bandcamp for The Fear

Various links for Spirit Award

The National Honor Society - To All The Distance Between Us

 

Playing a brand of indie/dream pop with big college rock hooks and a post punk urgency, The National Honor Society clearly takes top honors in their channel. The Seattle quartet drives the songs forward with assured rhythms and lush arrangements, and manage to blend guitar solos and shimmer with no dissonance. But that is to be expected from a band that displays many facets of guitar pop in a single album, executing all of them well and never sounding like anything other than The National Honor Society. Somewhat embarrassingly as Seattle residents, this is our first encounter with the band. It won't be the last. 

National Honor Society are Coulter Leslie, Jerry Peerson, Andrew Gaskin, and Will Hallauer. All The Distance Between Us is out April now in vinyl, digital and CD formats via Shelflife, Discos de Kirlian, and Subjangle. Check for your 'local' label among those to save shipping costs.

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TV Star - Hallucinate Me

 

In our eagerness to look beyond our borders for new music, we sometimes forget that excellence is found close to home as well. So here we present a local Seattle band.

Just before the pandemic, Seattle musicians Bryan Coats and Che Hise-Gattone formed TV Star. Starting a band just as the country goes into lockdown inevitably delays the launch of a project that relies, at least to some extent, on  practicing together and performing in public. But Bryan (guitars/percussion/vocals) and Che (guitars), augmented by Ashlyn Nagel (vocals), KTB (bass/vocals) and Waylon Trim (drums), persevered and began recording. Two-track singles were released in 2021 and 2022, and now they are the proud birthing people of the 6-track mini-album Hallucinate Me. For this outing the band is delivering some delicious psychedelia, with hooks, jangles and riffs. We suggest you treat your ears to a listen.

Hallucinate Me is out now in digital, vinyl, cassette and CD formats.

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Bandcamp for Hallucinate Me

"Please Fall In Love With Me (Booth and the bad angel)" by Lotte Kestner

 

A Seattle artist that deserves more press -- from us as well as others -- is Anna-Lynne Williams. Recording and performing as Lotte Kestner, she creates intricate and delicate folk-pop songs that tickle the brain and massage the heart. Today we feature the stunning take on "Please Fall In Love With Me (Booth and the bad angel)". If this stirs your interest, please click on the Bandcamp link below and check out her early 2022 album Lost Songs, which seems to us a good place to begin a deep dive.

Ann-Lynne was the vocalist and songwriter for Trespassers William, and also has collaborated with other artists.

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Bandcamp for Lotte Kestner's releases

Coral Grief - Daydrops

 

Some bands achieve their dreampop sound with haze and pastel arrangements. It seems to us that Seattle band Coral Grief takes a different route, achieving a dreamy sound via dreamy, wistful vocals and distinct but layered instrumentation. The result walks the line between dreampop and post punk, but it does so with a well-earned confidence. The six songs on their new EP Daydrops are uniformly polished and produced many approving sighs from our review panel.

Coral Grief are Lena Farr-Morrisey (vocals/bass/synth/guitar), Sam Fason (guitar/synth/samples), and Cam Hancock (drums/percussion). Daydrops is out now in digital and cassette formats via Den Tapes.

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Bandcamp for Daydrops

"In Your Eyes" by National Honor Society

 

We spend a lot of time scouring the world (and wading through our email) to find indie music to showcase here. So it is slightly unnerving to be send music from a band that lives in our town but has heretofore been unknown to us. So we will welcome Seattle's National Honor Society to these pages at the same time that our millions of worldwide readers do. Please sample their dynamic and well polished pop song "In Your Eyes" below. It is taken from their upcoming LP All The Distance Between Us.

National Honor Society are Coulter Leslie, Jerry Peerson, Andrew Gaskin, and Will Hallauer. All The Distance Between Us will be out April 21 via Shelflife, Discos de Kirlian, and Subjangle. Check for your 'local' label among those to save shipping costs.

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"The Voyeur" by Megadose

 

This month we get a megadose of Seattle musical goodness. Specifically, we get Heating Up by Seattle four-piece Megadose. The album is the band's second, and listeners can expect intriguing lyrics and plenty of hooks. Take a aural peek via the lyric video for the album closer, "The Voyeur". Two previous singles can be streamed at the Bandcamp link below. Based on the evidence to date, we think Heating Up will be a winner. 

Heating Up will be self-released by the band on January 20, and is available in digital and vinyl formats.

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Bandcamp got Heating Up

Model Shop - Love Interest

 

Whether the message of the songs on Love Interest are happy, sad, melancholy or joyous, nothing therein is too heavy to not euphorically rise to the skies on the glorious music created by Model Shop. The Seattle trio has earned their stripes over the year in various projects (including Math & Physics Club for Kevin and Ethan), but this current combination has the feel of the graduate thesis after years of work. Why? Well, the simple answer is that it clicks on all fronts and in all presented styles. The guitars are direct and bright and the choruses are simply superb.  Model Shop can do a slow burner and rock out, but they shine the brightest on the uptempo pop songs such as "Lucky", "Letters to Melissa", Compilation Tape", "I Was Told This Would Be Easy", and "The Greatest Only"

Model Shop are Kevin Emerson (vocals/drums), Jen Fox (bass), and Ethan Jones (vocals/guitar). Love Interest is out now in digital and vinyl formats via Madrid's Meritorio Records. However, vinyl will be shipped to US purchasers from Portland, Oregon, which will save shipping costs.

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Bandcamp for Love Interest

Meritorio Records link for Love Interest

"Lucky" by Model Shop

Seattle trio Model Shop opens our nostalgia floodgates. Before we discovered girls, we frequented model shops to buy and build plastic playthings. Then we developed love interests and model shops became a thing of the past. But Model Shop promises to call to mind both of those segments of our lives with their upcoming LP Love Interest, and to do so with the jangling, sparkling indie pop that we have loved for our adult lives. Take a taste with irrepressible new single "Lucky" and look back in our archives for our posts about previous singles "Compilation Tape" and "Letters to Melissa" (or take the efficient approach and just hit the album Bandcamp link below). 

The album will be released November 25 via Spanish label Meritorio Records. Note that US orders will shop from Portland, thus avoiding expensive shipping charges.

Model Shop are Kevin Emerson (vocals/drums), Jen Fox (Bass), and Ethan Jones (vocals/guitar). Kevin and Ethan were members of Math & Physics Club.

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Bandcamp for Love Interest

Meritorio Records link for Love Interest

Cozy Slippers - Cozy Slippers

 

Last night when we allowed ourselves to follow the Twitter rabbit hole, we read a tweet that said something like this: 'Look at your last Google search - that is what kills you'. That is relevant to this post, because our immediately prior Google search was "Cozy Slippers". Now, if I we were hard working and focused music writers we would have taken the reminder to get back to writing about the new self-titled album by Cozy Slippers. However, as we were not in a hard working and focused frame of mind we spent time musing about just what death-by-cozy-slipper would entail. Choking on a slipper while trying to eat it? Being beaten by a cozy slipper until dead (would seem to take a really long time)? Or perhaps the three members of this Seattle-based band wreaking vengeance for a bad review? Hmmm, thinking about the last one prompts us to get back to work. We mean, they seem like nice people, but why take chances?

In fact, it is no burden to write nice things about Cozy Slippers. The album is packed with hooky, effervescent guitar pop with plenty of fuzz, jangle, chime and twang. Even when the themes turn a bit dark our heads bobs and our feet are moving. And while this band has no weaknesses and the guitar playing was thrilling, we would be remiss if we didn't mention that this rhythm section rocks our world. We haven't seen Cozy Slippers live yet, but based on the 12 songs on this album, we think it is a show worth seeing. But as seeing the band live won't be a option for may of you, we suggest buying the album, playing it loud, and pretending you are at a show. No one will judge you.

The members of the band are Barbara Barrilleaux, Sarah Engel, and Steven Skelton. Cozy Slippers is out now via Subjangle and Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten.

Cozy Slippers · Haunting Her

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Various links for Cozy Slippers and the album

"Compilation Tape" by Model Shop

 

Like any truly good indie pop song "Compilation Tape" has a solid core of melody and hooks. And this new single by Seattle's Model Shop has that and more. The sweet lyrics, layers of detail and classic arrangement result in a tune that lodges in your brain like it always belonged there. And maybe it does! In any case, if you are a pop fan you won't mind.

"Compilation Tape" is the second single from the band's upcoming debut LP, Love Interest. We recently featured the first single, "Letters to Melissa" (link). The album will be released November 25 via Spanish label Meritorio Records. Note that US orders will shop from Portland, thus avoiding expensive shipping charges.

Model Shop are Kevin Emerson (vocals/drums), Jen Fox (Bass), and Ethan Jones (vocals/guitar).

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Bandcamp for Compilation Tape

Bandcamp for Love Interest

Meritorio Records link for Love Interest

Great Friday Show In Seattle!

 For those looking for great music -- or for an excuse to get out of the house without drinking being listed as the primary reason -- Barboza on Seattle's Capitol Hill (925 E. Pike Street) has a great bill tonight. Quivers are headlining, having traveled all the way from Melbourne just to treat your ears. Support comes from the most excellent Massage from southern California and Seattle's own Zebra Hunt. Now, we aren't going to hype expectations by saying that you will see something unprecedented, such as a quivering zebra getting a massage on stage, but we aren't saying you won't, either. But you will hear enough jangle, pop and chime to make your weekend a success on the first night, so you will have that going for you.

And just look at what top publications are saying about these bands:

Quivers -

"... Quivers passes every test essential to a guitar pop band, and every nonessential test one can think of as well." When You Motor Away

"   [T]he song shimmers and jangles in all the right places, with the warm and sincere vocals balanced by a dynamic arrangement." When You Motor Away

"... [I]t is a terrific slice of life-affirming-in-the-face-of-mortality jangle pop that we look for to fuel our days."  When You Motor Away

Massage -

"... [I]t is a clear demonstration that his band has the chops to be considered on of the best guitar pop bands around." When You Motor Away

"... Still Life by California quintet Massage, truly is one of the better guitar pop albums I have heard in several years." When You Motor Away

"... A chiming, jangling jumble of guitars and synths with wistful vocals and a heart-tugging hooks in the choruses, it is solid gold indie pop." When You Motor Away

Zebra Hunt -

"From the opening notes of "Delaware" City Sighs envelopes you in warm, jangling guitar tones, thick bouncing basslines and crisp percussion.  The band has an excellent feel for the kind of upbeat garage pop tunes that dominate this album, and despite their love of Dunedin bands of the '80s the rumbling, muscular tones make this album sound distinctly American to my ears ...." When You Motor Away

"Welcome to In Phrases. Welcome to the world of Zebra Hunt, a world where energy, melody, deft writing, exquisite timing and a bit of grit, and a bit plus more of jangle, transport you to places that only good music can take you."  When You Motor Away

"[W]e'd like to celebrate the latest album release by When You Motor Away's virtual house band, Seattle's Zebra Hunt.  Titled Trade Desire, the album features eight tracks of the sort of guitar pop that we love." When You Motor Away

"I Just Want To Paint You In Pictures" by Field School

 Well, well, well. This is a banner week for former members of late Seattle band Math and Physics Club. Yesterday we shared the first single from Model Shop, a trio which includes two M&PC alumni. Today we have a single from alum Charles Bert, aka Field School, whose upcoming debut LP When Summer Comes is set for a release this fall. Charles is an ace craftsman of sweet melodies and chiming and jangling guitars, so we expect good things. And based on the debut single "I Just Want To Paint You In Pictures", our expectations will be fulfilled.

When Summer Comes will be out November 18 via Bobo Integral Records.

Bandcamp for single

Various links for single

Bandcamp for When Summer Comes