Some of my personal favorite rokker doods, Bass Drum of Death, recently took off for a tour in Australia, but not without leaving out a bowl of steaming hot rock ‘n’ roll soup for the folks back home. They’re the rock ‘n’ roll soupermen (get it?). This song is a part of a 7″ they’re releasing pretty soon and it’s, in two words, bad ass. It rocked my world, then I clicked the repeat button and turned it way up. I sure hope my neighbors like this song because they won’t be hearing much else for a little while.

I Wanna Be Forgotten – Bass Drum of Death by 3qtr

North Carolina-based duo Bowerbirds craft the indie-folk equivalent of origami: delicate things, an image of nature, folded out of pretty pieces of scrap paper. Though of course they do it with violins, cellos, trombones, and organs and harmoniously polished vocals. Their most recent release The Clearing, is chillingly beautiful. It is a perfect composition for spring. They sing about pretty things, too, like nature and love and fear of the dark. It’s rejuvenating. It is not without moments of darkness though. It bears many of the struggles and pangs of growing up and falling out of love and other confusing things like death. But they provide solace in the reminder that the struggles they sing of are universal and “you’re not alone.” If it bears an eery resemblance to Bon Iver (which it does) it’s because it was recorded with Brian Joseph, who has worked prominently with Bon Iver as well. This is an album to dwell on.

Tracklist

1. Tuck the Darkness In
2. In the Yard
3. Walk the Furrows
4. Stitch the Hem
5. This Year
6. Brave World
7. Hush
8. Overcome with Light
9. Sweet Moment
10. Death Wish
11. Now We Hurry On

CoachellAltDelight brings attention to special artists that will be featured in Indio come April.
Some we love. Some we just discovered. All good stuff.
Click here for more from this series.
16 (23) Days

Santa Barbara’s Gardens & Villa have their own brand of cool. Indie synth that feels like body surfing to another universe, their psychedelia is the kind of stuff you want to get lost in all summer. Their debut album came out last year, while they toured with breakout sensations Foster the People. These guys are going to be big, too. They’ve got their own thing going on and it would make for a really wacky/trippy live performance. Keep an eye out for them on Sunday if you wanna give your ears/dancing shoes a rest from all the electronic acts that dominate that day. They’re a guaranteed good time.

Gardens & Villa – Black Hills
Gardens & Villa – Neon Dove
Gardens & Villa – Orange Blossom
Gardens & Villa – Spacetime

CoachellAltDelight brings attention to special artists that will be featured in Indio come April.
Some we love. Some we just discovered. All good stuff.
Click here for more from this series.
21 (28) Days

Noel and Liam Gallagher, frontmen of multiplatnum rock outfit Oasis, are some of the most musically gifted assholes out there. Oasis has really come to represent a generation for me. The clashing ruckus of the idleness of youth with the intensity of growing up, compressed into sweepingly beautiful rock melodies. Everything, aside from their notorious dick attitudes, was wondrously constructed. To this day, few bands are able to impart the degree of nostalgia associated with Oasis. What’s more, they’ve been cited as influence for many prominent musicians today, but really, their music is timeless.

Oasis-Don’t Look Back In Anger (Acoustic)

After Oasis split-up, Noel and Liam went off and started their own side-projects, Noel’s arguably gaining more attention. Of the two brothers, Noel tended to take the backstage more. This is evident in the lyrical construction of his self-titled debut, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. The album is refined but honest, generally recalling the glory and pitfalls of the rock and roll lifestyle. Yet it’s surprisingly unpretentious. It’s the kind of stuff that would make for a great live performance. He’s taking the stage at Coachella on Saturday. I wouldn’t recommend missing him.

Noel Gallagher-If I Had a Gun
Noel Gallagher-AKA….What a Life

If Miles Kane isn’t already on your radar he should be, especially if you’re into British rock or 1960’s inspired rock. And especially if you’re into good music. He’s the chap that plays along side Arctic Monkeys headman Alex Turner in The Last Shadow Puppets (among other things) and he recently released his debut album, “The Colour of the Trap.” His debut was all things stunning–shimmering rock nostalgia. He’s set to release a followup EP next month (actually, on the same day that Arctic Monkeys are releasing their final b-side from Suck It an See). My calendar is marked. But in the meantime, he released a song the other day to tide us over. It’s amazing. It left me speechless. Take a listen:

Miles Kane – First of My Kind by Miles Kane

Do I Want You? by Miles Kane
The Meeting Place by the Last Shadow Puppets

Fanfarlo’s follow-up to their highly acclaimed 2009 debut, Reservoir, is an experimental stride forward, clear past the sophomoric slump that so many bands face. Naturally, Rooms Filled With Light maintains their original dreamy, raw-voiced orchestral pop, but something about it is bigger. It’s more expansive, like they opened up the doors and let their potentials run around in the sun a bit. It manages to be both foreboding and charming, an odd but delightful mixture. It’s full of pent-up energy and urgency. The marriage of synth and orchestra yanks their sound from the dusty crevices of the past and makes it far more modern than their previous album. It’s a very well-composed album–harmonious and optimistic. It lives up to its title. I love its underlying message. Good stuff.

Tracklist

1. Replicate
2. Deconstruction
3. Lenslife
4. Shiny Things
5. Tunguska
6. Everything Turns
7. Tightropes
8. Feathers
9. Bones
10. Dig
11. A Flood
12. Everything Resolves

Free Candy

Harold T. Wilkins or How to Wait For a Very Long Time

CoachellAltDelight brings attention to special artists that will be featured in Indio come April.
Some we love. Some we just discovered. All good stuff.
Click here for more from this series.
33 (40) Days

To be honest, I had a minor heart-attack when I saw Kasabian on the Coachella 2012 line-up. Probably because they’re one of my all-time favorite bands and I’ve been dying to see them live for quite some time. Simply put, they’re just cool. Some of the coolest, actually. No one does rock and roll like them. And their live performance would be an other-worldly experience. They released their fourth album, Velociraptor! last year. In true Kasabian form, it was awesome. You’re not going to want to miss these guys on Saturday, trust me.

Goodbye Kiss
Happiness
Processed Beats
Shoot the Runner
Underdog