Hear This...Guards- New Single "Do It Again" / "Swimming After Dark"

In the process of trying to fully understand the term 'pop wave doom,' I came across a new single from NY rockers Guards called 'Do It Again.'  As the seasons change and us in the USA have begun to adjust to the harsh realities of winter, this song can do nothing but bring us back to the warm feeling of summer with its catchy melodies and sing along mentality.  While it's definitely a killer, upbeat track, I'm not exactly sure how well it qualifies as pop wave doom.  So how can you define these guys? Fortunately, I came across another track of theirs, 'Swimming After Dark' which came out about the same time as previously posted ‘I See It Coming.’ After giving it a listen, I assured that it might point me back towards this mysterious genre. With a similar sound to their song 'I See It Coming,' ‘Swimming After Dark’ is definitely a great track complete with its own orchestral pieces giving the song a beautiful and rich sound differentiating it from other NYC mod-rock songs.

Audiovisuals...Watch Guards and the Magik Magik Orchestra perform "I See It Coming"

      Fishing the web for music in lieu of my final exams, I came across this stunning orchestral rendition of Guards' song "I See It Coming."  Coming across this song about a year ago, I instantly became a fan of this band's style- that of which I couldn't exactly put my finger on.  They were distinct enough from general rock n roll, but to the point were all their songs sort of carried something similar. I know, huge help with that last remark.  "A song like this one only brings to mind a collection of words like 'joyful pain,' or 'dark beauty.'" Still unclear, one site tags their music as 'pop wave doom.' "Perfect!" And that was enough to call me a fan.

      And finally to the point- I came across this adaptation of "I See It Coming" and thought it worth posting.  Its definitely a cool version, and this case, a rarity amongst renditions to be on par with its predecessor.  I quickly came to know it as the perfect farewell/conclusion/finale song song ever.  Its shouted towards you as if to be a poem of protest, shaking off the bleakness and disparity of life.  "Calling the living to go out and live"....I don't know exactly.

      Placing it under the term 'Audiovisual', I go out on a limb and imply that there's also some superior visual quality that deserves not to be ignored- hence the term. For this song, what you see is what you hear. Its nothing quite special. Preformed in front of a quaint symphony of brass, string and piano alongside a real live choir, all amidst the eerie backdrop of a Church, that of which bears the presence of  hazy morning light all around its inside. Oh and by the way, its filmed in black and white. What more can I say to it? Check it out.

Hear This...The Black Keys- Run Right Back

On the eve of their highly anticipated 7th full length album, El Camino, the Black Keys released a fantastic new track 'Lonely Boy' alongside a similarly fantastic video showcasing some of the best dance moves I've ever seen.  On that note, listeners were given another single of the new album titled 'Run Right Back.' With a similar upbeat tempo to 'Lonely Boy' and in contrast to some of their previous work, we can get a sense that the new album will be something a little different. But with these two singles to show for what's ahead, I don't see this as a bad thing at all. Unfortunately, no new video for this one.

Useless Clatter...Mysterious Black Keys Dancer Revealed

A few weeks ago I posted the Black Key's new single 'Lonely Boy' with a goofy video of a man dancing and lip singing the entire song to perfection. Well fame arose from this man's moves as he appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show recently for an interview and dance demo with Ellen. His name is Derrick Tuggle and apparently he is a struggling actor pursuing his dreams and trying to make it big in Hollywood- quite a guy. I still say he's an excellent dancer. See for yourself.

Hear This [Audiovisuals]...Foster the People "Call It What You Want" | "Helena Beat"

I'll admit to being late on these two, but if you haven't already heard, Foster the People came out with two new singles earlier this week. After the big buzz that formed behind "Pumped Up Kicks"  and "Houdini" earlier this year, I'm not surprised how similar these songs are to the two previous singles.  But why fix what's not broken?  There's no doubt everyone will be pleased with these tracks, so take a listen and watch the official music videos too.

"Call It What You Want"


"Helena Beat"

Hear This...Blouse- Blouse

Check out the debut feature from Blouse, a dream pop trio from Portland, Oregon.  Released by Captured Tracks last Tuesday (11/1), the LP has been given stellar reviews thus far. (7.4- Pitchfork) Give it a listen below.

Blouse's S/T LP by The FADER

Hear This [Audiovisuals]...The Black Keys "Lonley Boy"

Here's the latest single from The Black Keys titled "Lonely Boy."  This is their first release since the highly-acclaimed Brothers album came out in May of last year landing itself in the top tier of most "Best of the Year" lists (always behind My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy- no grudges though) .  Its been a while since we've heard these guys but this song was well worth the wait.  "Lonely Boy" is the first single off their seventh album, titled El Camino, due out on December 6th.   Its much like the same edgy, blues sound the Black Keys are known for, but with a faster tempo.  Overall I love the song and think its just the right amount of new that these guys needed.  Lastly, rumor has it there's one more single to be released before off the album before 12/6 titled "Little Black Submarine," so be on the look out.

+ need new dance moves? look no further