What Else Is There?

..:: Portugal. The Man - Sleep Forever ::..

After a listen to “Sleep Forever”, one might not be too surprised to hear that frontman John Gourley was raised in rural Alaska by a pair of dog sled mushers. The lush instrumentation that unfurls behind him certainly seems inspired by long stretches of harsh cold and darkness. Yet with each recurring instance of the chorus, Gourley stands confidently and defiant about thoughts of his eventual death. By the time it’s over, I feel as though I could face my end as well, at peace and with a slight smile on my face.

..:: Tom Vek - A Chore ::..

They come in one at a time. First the stammering, echoing synths. Then a lonely drumset. Next creeps in the bass, mirroring the path forged by keys and kickdrum. Finally Mr. Vek himself shows up, filling the gaps in the syncopated rhythm with his somber realization that sometimes life isn’t always sunshine and roses. But when everything all comes together, it feels good. Somehow.

..:: Fungi Girls - Lucie ::..

Garage rock/shoegaze wunderkind trio Fungi Girls (note: not actually girls) have recently crafted themselves a very solid album in Some Easy Magic. ”Lucie” brings the fuzz in a major way, but the girls aren’t content to stop there. The trick to making things really pop is when they contrast the buzzy rhythms and muddy snares with just the right amount of jagged, prickly guitar. Finally, they top it all off with some perfectly placed oohs at the end, and we’ve got ourselves a song that “takes us there”.

..:: Dumbo Gets Mad - Plumy Tale ::..

Recent Italy to LA transplants Dumbo Gets Mad made a resolution when working on their debut album Elephants At The Door: ”No matter what it sounds like, it has to be psychedelic!” And psychedelic it is. The squeaky 60’s-styled organ in “Plumy Tale” sounds as if it was constructed out of bright yellow sunflowers before given a once over by sparkling rainbow paint. Just in case someone thinks we’re actually in the swingin’ decade, a series of 8-bit bleeps and bloops are lightly sprinkled throughout, giving the song a dash of 2011. The summer of love meets the information age? Pass me my LED hula hoop.

..:: Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - Two Against One ::..

Danger Mouse still can’t stop making music. Not content to simply tour with Broken Bells this past year, he’s added yet another project to his ever-growing list of collaborations. This time he’s teamed up with Italian composer Daniele Luppi to create an album that sounds like an old spaghetti western soundtrack. Jack White stops by to play the down on his luck cowboy on “Two Against One”. His apprehensive observations blend perfectly with Danger and Daniele’s ominous acoustic backdrop.

..:: LILAC - So Young ::..

San Francisco locals LILAC may only have one EP and a handful of singles floating around at the moment but they seem to be well on their way to making some serious waves. They’ve paired their drone-y organ and angst-filled guitars with plenty of the perfect counterpart - distant male/female harmonies. This is the type of music usually found in a garage or basement and best enjoyed while sipping cheap beer out of a plastic cup.