The CoachellAltDelight series will put focus on the low key Coachella
artists that we at C+A+D feel like you should know about.
Less than a week til we’re all together!

Formed in Sweden in the mid-1990s, The Radio Dept. sounds like something out of a dream…within a dream. Amidst digitalized drums and ethereal vocals, the band manages to channel the likes of The Smiths in a sort of hazy, downplayed manner. The overall energy they bring is calm–the sort of vibes you’ll want on the second day of Coachella, giving you a rest before the inevitable madness that will be day three; i.e., The Radio Dept. will give your throbbing ear drums a break but still put on a great show. If you’re looking for an awesome band with a lesser crowd, I’d suggest checking these guys out.

The Radio Dept.

The Radio Dept.-Heaven’s On Fire
The Radio Dept.-Domestic Scene

Last year, Cloud Nothings frontman Dylan Baldi released his basement scuzz debut Turning On. It was a brooding stew of lo-fi growing pains and the typical adolescent woahs of suburban life. Baldi quickly moved from the thick fog of his parents’ basement to the ever-so resourceful recording studio to deliver his self-titled sophomore album. It seems though that more than just the recording locale has changed for Baldi and what we’re left with is something that sounds like it could have been made by another artist entirely. Punchy, poppy and in your face, this album is a sugary confection of fast paced, frenetic beats that roll over like a high-speed merry-go-round. It sounds like something Nathan Williams of Wavves would make on laughing gas. It’s the sort of head bouncy pop that perfectly suits a disgustingly good mood; otherwise, its jumpy repetition has a tendency to sound like a bouncing, attention starved toddler. Like anything ultra-sweet, this is best in small servings otherwise you’ll get a headache.

-Witler

Tracklist

1. Understand At All
2. Not Important
3. Should Have
4. Forget You All the Time
5. Nothing’s Wrong
6. Heartbeat
7. Rock
8. You’re Not That Good At Anything
9. Been Through
10. On the Radio
11. All the Time

Free Candy

For No Reason

Listening to New Orleans indie-pop duo The Generationals’ sophomore album “Actor-Caster” is something like flipping through an old photo album, peering into a lost time. The album borrows from a variety of influences, like looking back at photos from over the decades and lamenting over the different styles of dress and hair, but without the “what were they thinking?” feel. This is pure nostalgia, almost to the point where it feels wrong listening to it from an iPod. It’s a sort of dusty, beat-heavy pop that makes the most sense coming from turntables. This, however, isn’t a record for the shelf; it’s got just enough synth and charm to remain relevant to the times.

-Witler

Tracklist

1. Ten-Twenty-Ten
2. I Promise
3. Yours Forever
4. You Say It Too
5. Goose & Gander
6. Dirty Mister Dirty
7. Black and White
8. Tell Me Now
9. Greenleaf
10. Please Be It
11. U Say It 2 (Bonus Track)

Free Candy

Say For Certain

You know that feeling when you step outside and the sky is blue and the air smells like fresh-cut grass and pollen and you realize for the first time in months that summer’s on its way? That’s the best way I know how to describe the sentiment attached to Brown Recluse debut “Evening Tapestry.” It’s a delightful blend of psych-pop and 1960’s-inspired indie that could provide the perfect ambiance for a summertime road trip with the windows down and the ocean in view.

Appeals to fans of: Of Montreal, Maritime

-Witler

Tracklist

1. Hobble to Your Tomb
2. Impressions of a City Morning
3. Statue Garden
4. Summer Showers
5. Wooden Fingers
6. Beautiful Light
7. Monday Moon
8. At Last
9. Golden Sun
10. Paisley Tears
11. March to Your Tomb

Free Candy

Notorious

From the ruble of yet another broken relationship (recall Stu McLamb’s The Love Language) comes the sophomore album of one-man-show, Telekinesis. A year following his debut, Telekinesis!, Michael Benjamin Lerner has dusted the dirt off his back to deliver 12 equally catchy pop jams in 12 Desperate Straight Lines. Yet the acrimony lingers.

As you’d expect from any band formed in the wake of an ugly breakup, this album like the last is heaving with bitterness and a sort of despondency that echoes through the lyrics and is ever present in tracks like “50 Ways” and “Fever Chill.” The melodies are consistently hooky and sunny in a way that ironically makes a beautiful contrast with the lyrics. “We fell in love in the summer/by the spring time we were done/is it any wonder that I didn’t run?/and though I’m out of equations to tell you what when wrong/ I can see straight through you/you turn clear in the sun” open the album and establish its territory; Lerner isn’t over it and probably won’t be for some time.

The highlights of the album are easily “Please Ask For Help,” “Dirty Thing,” and “Car Crash.” Despite lyrics embittered lyrics like “Love comes and goes/and everything flows till you feel so lonely/you still feel so broken/it’s a chemical reaction/based on attraction,” 12 Desperate Straight Lines has the same kind of worriless atmosphere as a poolside day in the ‘90s. It’s got just enough pop and fizz to catch your attention and just enough rough-edge and fuzz to keep you from going crazy.

-Witler

Tracklist

1. You Turn Clear In the Sun
2. Please Ask For Help
3. 50 Ways
4. I Cannot Love You
5. Dirty Thing
6. Car Crash
7. Palm of Your Hand
8. I Got You
9. Fever Chill
10. Country Lane
11. Patterns
12. Gotta Get It Right Now

Free Candy

Tokyo

I have a theory that this whole new subfield of music is fueled by indecision; artists can’t quite decide what genre they fit into so they just sprawl all the way across the board of genres. A prominent face of this hypothetic “genre” if you will is Philadelphia native Evan Voytas. Voytas, to put it simply, loves music and has pursued obsessions with genres ranging from acid jazz,‘70s funk to newage soul. This overwhelming range of influence leads to a sound that is generally difficult to pinpoint; it’s like he’s created a new sound entirely. What we’re left with a funky vigor that you might want to get used to…this could very well be the wave of the future.

-Witler

Evan Voytas (Samples from various EPs, Listed With Track Names)

1.Tomorrow Night We’ll Go Anywhere-Tomorrow Night We’ll Go Anywhere
2. The New Dynamic Sound of Evan Voytas-Getting Higher
3. The New Dynamic Sound of Evan Voytas-Give It Back
4. Introducing Evan Voytas-Bad Attitude
5.Tomorrow Night We’ll Go Anywhere-We’ll Go Far
6.I Run With You Spirit Animal-I Run With You, Spirit Animal

I recently caught wind of a little English comedy called “Submarine” about a kid desperately trying to lose his virginity. It wasn’t the plot or anything cinematic for that matter that caught my attention, but rather that Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys had a prominent role in the soundtrack.

Turner’s development as a musician has been very interesting to me for some reason. When he first hit the scene, he was scruffy kid from Sheffield who sang infectious songs about getting kicked out of clubs and moody girlfriends; amongst pummeling drums and heavy guitar riffs, the sound and affect they delivered was chockfull of youthful observation, but seldom more.

Favourite Worst Nightmare offered a degree of maturity with its slower, moodier songs like “Do Me A Favour” and “Only Ones Who Know” that put on display Turner’s ability to write not only pop jams but captivatingly depressing ballads as well. These proved to be the strength of the album, a strong suit for Turner. There was something desolately beautiful that made us think, “hey, maybe there’s more to these guys.”

Turner eventually teamed up briefly with Miles Kane of The Rascals for a Beatles-esque side-project called The Last Shadow Puppets. While they definitely put out a good track or two, most songs blurred together and sounded for the most part like it belonged in the end credits of a Bond film.

When Arctics released Humbug in 2009, fans were disappointed for the most part. Definitely an acquired taste, the album channeled something much more foreboding, yearning to be darkly philosophical. For the most part, it missed its mark because it wasn’t overtly relatable. In its defense (I actually rather enjoyed the album), it did prove that Arctics were growing up; a band can only sing about being young for so long.

Back to Submarine. This EP is proof of the songwriting talent Turner possess. It’s beautiful in all aspects; melodically understated yet solid and lyrically flawless. Turner can write. And he’s good.

Arctics are scheduled to drop their fourth album Suck It and See this summer. It will be interesting to see how the band redeems itself after a largely ill-received third album. Yet I have faith.

-Witler

Alex Turner

1. Arctic Moneys-The Bakery
2. Arctic Monkeys-Too Much To Ask
3. Arctic Monkeys-Only Ones Who Know
4. Arctic Monkeys-Cornerstone
5. The Last Shadow Puppets-My Mistakes Were Made For You
6. Alex Turner-Stuck On the Puzzle
7. Alex Turner-Piledriver Walz
8. Arctic Monkeys-Brick By Brick