Indie rock essentials Free Energy are a favorite of mine. Their 2009 debut Stuck On Nothing quickly became an obsession of mine and I’ve never gotten sick of it so naturally I’ve been on the lookout for their followup. They’ve been dangling some teaser tracks in front of our noses for the past few weeks in anticipation of their 2013 sophomore album. So far so good, the new stuff is showing definite promise. Their one of those bands that actually earns their name. It’s actually impossible to be sad listening to their music. I’ve tried. Paul Sprangers has the voice of an angel. Basically, I just really hope that the world doesn’t end before this album comes out.

The Minnesota quartet released this video for their recently released “Electric Fever” a few days ago and it’s nothing but fun. I like when music doesn’t try to prove anything. I think it was filmed in a super shitty carwash. Check it out.

FREE ENERGY – ELECTRIC FEVER (Official Video) from Free Energy on Vimeo.

Free Candy

I’m Going Down
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/FREE%20ENERGYYY/01%20I%27m%20Going%20Down.mp3]
Dance All Night
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/FREE%20ENERGYYY/Free-Energy-Dance-All-Night.mp3]
Something In Common
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/FREE%20ENERGYYY/Something%20In%20Common.mp3]

12FV

Fall is by far my favorite season. There’s something so nostalgic about the smell of dying plants (sounds creepy but you know it’s true) and every year I inevitably dig myself into the same hole of listening to the same handful of bands on repeat. There’s a simplicity about this time of year, even as we are hurled into the maddening blackhole that is holiday season. Fall as a season brings about a certain melancholia I find myself sinking into each year that’s only heightened by these acoustic-picked melodies. This time of year I really only want to listen to simple tunes that tell a story. Really, if it doesn’t make me slightly sad but in a good way or it’s not Born Ruffians chances are I don’t want to hear it. It makes sense when you don’t think about it. Check out the choons after the jump. I hope you don’t get caught in the same vortex as me.

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PC: OC Weekly

The Growlers | Tijuana Panthers

Psychedelic rock lovers and hipsters in Halloween costumes alike packed into Santa Ana’s Observatory last week for a stacked line up, featuring Tijuana Panther’s and OC five piece, The Growlers. I can’t say I’ve ever seen the Observatory this jam packed before. There was hardly any wiggle room coming in the door which translated to a festering cesspool of indie rock fan nastiness as soon as we got into the Constellation room to see Tijuana Panthers. Everyone in that little room was family for that set and I don’t mean that in a we-love-the-same-music-let’s-boogie family kinda way, I mean that in a biological sense. Your sweat was my sweat. Needless to say it was worth the suffocation and the stank because Tijuana Panthers were on fire. They’ve got that kinda energy that makes you wanna shove the guy next to you but in a good way. It’s always great to see a band with even talent across the board. All three dudes took turns with the lead vocals, including the drummer, which I always think is awesome. Drummers are cool. Shout out to the guy in the banana costume.

The Growlers played hard to get before coming on stage a little after 11. They got into the spirit of the season with freaky face paint and silly hats and a creepy rotating monkey on their set. They played a good blend of their old songs and their new songs. They’re one of those bands that sounds almost exactly the same live as they do on record. Everyone was really into it, as is expected at one of their shows. People were climbing on things/each other and jumping off of things/each other the entire time and singing along with all of their classics. I’ve heard a lot about their live shows for years so it was great (understatement) to finally experience it. The only downer of the night was the overflux of hipsters in costume (lots of dudes dressed like chicks with nicer legs than me) who didn’t seem all that into the music but were more there to do drugs in a tee-pee before their parents picked them up at curfew. But that’s beside the point; it was some great music by some great bands. I’ll be seeing them again.

The Growlers – A Man With No God
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/YOLO79/02%20A%20Man%20With%20No%20God.mp3]
The Growlers – Old Cold River (Surf Rock)
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Music/YOLO91/05%20Old%20Cold%20River.mp3]
Tijuana Panthers – Redheaded Girl
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/Redheaded%20Girl.mp3]

12FV

The music gods are pouring down their blessings this month in the form of new releases from indie essentials across the musical spectrum, from the fuzzy folktronica of Blackbird Blackbird to the garage rock grittiness of Thee Oh Sees. No matter where they fall on the spectrum, these songs have my ears buzzing. Most of these songs are promising teasers for upcoming followup albums. Free Energy, for instance, is set to release their followup this January. Download the tracks below, whet your ear buds, enjoy.

Featured Artists: Sea Wolf, Free Energy, Kisses, Thee Oh Sees, Blackbird Blackbird

Sea Wolf – Old Friend
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/NEWWWW%20/01%20Old%20Friend.mp3]
Free Energy – Dance All Night
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/NEWWWW%20/Free-Energy-Dance-All-Night.mp3]
Kisses – Funny Heartbeat
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/NEWWWW%20/Funny%20Heartbeat.mp3]
Thee Oh Sees – Wait Let’s Go
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/NEWWWW%20/01%20Thee%20Oh%20Sees%20-%20Wait%20Lets%20Go.mp3]
Blackbird Blackbird – All
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/NEWWWW%20/All.mp3]

Ladyhawke FaceBook | Buy LADYHAWKE on itunes

I had the distinct pleasure of snagging press passes to the Ladyhawke show in LA’s Echoplex recently. I wasn’t entirely what to expect, given I was new to her music and my camera was busted. But I rolled up any way, with relatively low expectations and a crummy disposable camera. Needless to say it was one of the best shows I’ve been to in a while. Los Angeles three-piece American Royalty got the crowd warmed up with a delightful set of distorted dance jams. They’re young, talented dudes with a lot of passion for what they’re doing and that really shows in their live performances. They were very energetic, bouncing around all corners of the tiny stage and vamping the audience with each stirring electronic pulse.

Phillipa Brown aka Ladyhawke took the stage with her crew shortly after American Royalty cleared their set. I haven’t seen a crowd so in love with a musician in a long time. She deserves it, though. I would go so far as to say that, while stellar on record, her music is much better live. A lot of the electronic, synthetic flourishes that seem evident in her recorded music are replaced with a rock and roll edge in her live shows. She’s a real rock star, which is especially rare in a female of her genre. She played a good blend of new stuff and old stuff, the audience singing along with her/shouting “I love you Phillipa!” the entire time. Even with the talent that she has, she is very humble. Despite the horrible pictures I got from it, I’m very glad to have been able to witness live the marvel that is Ladyhawke.

Philip Mendoza

The Shins FaceBook | Event Photos | Buy PORT OF MORROW

We had the opportunity to snag tickets last week to the Shins performance at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles. We got there just in time to see Washed Out play Amor Fati, closing up his opening act. The Shins took the stage shortly after. I must admit I wasn’t sure what to expect, having never seen an indie band play at such a large venue before. The New Mexico five-piece delivered a stellar performance from beginning to end. They opened with Caring Is Creepy and closed with Sleeping Lessons, returning to the stage for a three-song encore. Their set was a healthy blend of new songs and old classics including Phantom Limb, Kissing the Lipless, Girl Sailor, The Rifle’s Spiral, Australia, Simple Song and It’s Only Life.

The Shins possess the kind of synergy and raw talent it takes to make for a great live performance. Their energy was contagious throughout the entire show; it was great to see an audience of that size so into the music. With the kind of skill they have as a band, it is not a surprise that they are such a commanding stage presence. The title track from their most recent release Port of Morrow was chill-inducing, with an ethereal vibe that filled the entire theater. Sleeping Lessons and New Slang were arguably the highlights of the show. It’s great to see a band of their caliber still going strong after so many years. Many of us can agree, The Shins were a gate-way drug into great music.

Australia
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/ze%20shinz/02%20Australia.mp3]
Bait and Switch
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/ze%20shinz/04%20Bait%20And%20Switch.mp3]
Phantom Limb
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/ze%20shinz/04%20Phantom%20Limb.mp3]
Turn On Me
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/ze%20shinz/07%20Turn%20On%20Me.mp3]

There’s a sort of confidence to be garnered when age-old piano melodies make even the dustiest sentiments sound like truth. Minneapolis chamber-folk sextet Dark Dark Dark are set to drop their next album “Who Needs Who” October 2 via Supply and Demand and it’s sure to be full to the brim with the musical equivalent of antique photos from a seemingly more romantic time. “How It Went Down” is a haunting preview of what’s to come, much like a trailer for some heart wrenching unreleased film from when your parents were kids. Or that’s how I see it. Comparisons like this are bound to be made all over the place. There’s something idealized in it, even if it does offer truth, a feeling that everything will work out in the third and final act. The song’s delicately graceful buildup offers a sense of escape behind a painful reminder that nothing really changes.

Dark Dark Dark – How It Went Down
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/dark%20dark%20dark/How%20It%20Went%20Down.mp3]