Kittyhawk’s Debut EP

About a month back Kittyhawk (including members from Dowsing and The Island of Misfit Toys) released ONE song. It was the greatest song and I listened to it nonstop waiting for the full EP to come out. Yesterday it finally did! Older/Wiser was the early release and now I know the rest of the tracks live up to it’s promise. It’s got me thinking, how many strictly emo bands have female vocalists? I really can’t think of many, which is probably why this one is killing it so hard. MORE FEMALE EMO. There’s 1905 and Circle Takes the Square, but that’s SCREAMO, ya know? Anyway, you go Kate Grube! Listening to Kittyhawk’s S/T debut is the best way you could possibly spend the next 15 minutes. Plus it’s available on their bandcamp! If you’re in Chicago keep your eye out. They’ve been playing shows every few weeks up there.

Infinity Girl – Stop Being On My Side

Six months ago four Boston dude teamed up to create the band Infinity Girl. Last month they quietly released their first album Stop Being On My Side. It’s 11 songs long and a pretty undeniably great noise rock/shoegaze debut. Nolan Eley perfects the dreamy vocals and is occasionally joined by Samira Winter, for example in the the tracks By Now (which is really good, but a lot like My Bloody Valentine) or Even If (also a favorite, but so much like Yo La Tengo.)

If you like 90’s indie rock and shoegaze you should name your price for their album on bandcamp (whether you download or not By Now is worth a listen) and if you’re in Boston you can see them later this week at a benefit show in Allston!

Slingshot Dakota – Dark Hearts

Slingshot Dakota’s new album, Dark Hearts is now available to download and pre-order from Topshelf Records. (Official release is november 6th.) If you haven’t heard Slingshot’s first full length Their Dreams are Dead, but Ours is the Golden Ghost you can also purchase that CD from Topshelf now! It’s great. For a preview listen to the song Ohio! (While others sleep to dream we make our dreams come true. While others sleep to dream WE SING IN YR LIVING ROOM!!)

The New York duo is knows for their upbeat pop tunes and Dark Hearts doesn’t disappoint. It’s still poppy as hell, but it’s lyrically darker than their earlier tunes. This is especially apparent in tracks like Disaster and Never Hear. In my opinion Rasta Bacca is the most electronica track on the album and the most reminiscent of Golden Ghost, which I’m into. I’m gonna go ahead and call Never Hear and Light must-listens. Cassette is a pretty great break-up song too.

We’re never gonna get it right cuz you’re taking your damn time and I can’t make you say all of the things I want to hear.

Slingshot Dakota is finishing up their fall tour now and are in the process of booking a longer tour. Keep and eye here for details!

Fay Wray — S/T

So this album came out in 1998 on No Idea Records, but I’m still going to write about this erstwhile band because … they deserve it.  This 12 song record clocks in at just under 30 minutes, which means they are probably doing something right, pop punk-wise. Hailing from South Florida, this band has a little bit of a Hot Water Music/Clairmel  sound going on, but their vocals have their own vibes, perfect at shouting & singing. The lyrics are at times funny, honest, or both. Baywatch is a great one about going crazy watching shitty TV. Amanda is probably my favorite, but maybe just because it’s the token love song.

This album isn’t available anymore from the record label, so I’ve uploaded it here for you to download. Apparently No Idea is selling Bright Eyes albums now?

joyride!

joyride! is a pop-punk band from San Francisco. As far as I can tell, that is all the available information about them. Singer Jenna is hard at work exposing the feelings you never knew how to express in raucous, pithy tunes. I’m not mad, I just feel like dying. So far I would recommend the Bitpart split over the “I Think You’re Doing It Wrong” LP, but they’re both amazing.

They don’t appear to be touring, but listen to their music and keep an eye out if you’re a west coaster on their site!

As a bonus, there’s definitely a potential that you’re interested in the other band Jenna is in, Salt Flat. It’s way more mellow but also awesome!

Tawny Peaks

Tawny Peaks is a group of teenagers in New Jersey making emo music together. Over this past summer they put out a full-length, self-recorded, self-released, self-titled record which they posted for free on their bandcamp, along with their first EP from last year. Tawny Peaks is a classic emo revival album with a little bit of twinklecore mixed in. Some tracks, namely Collect Calling and the acoustic March Sadness, include female vocals, which by now you probably know I love. The first and last tracks are the highlights. Beautiful, clean guitar throughout and lovely harmonies. I really want to see this band live, performing these songs with high energy. Tour, tour, tour!

 

CANDY HEARTS

 

We started this blog a little over three months ago, and a little over three months ago I decided not to write about the Candy Hearts. I figured that they were already pretty popular and that many of my readers would already have and love their songs. I didn’t want to seem like a bore! BUT I do love the Candy Hearts so when they came to town last week I went to see them. They played in a tiny dive bar for a crowd of about 10. I couldn’t believe it! Where were you guys!? I’m just gonna assume that Candy Hearts aren’t as popular as I thought and that people just don’t know how great they are. You can download their first album for free from IYMI. This is how I first heard Ripped Up Jeans and Silly Dreams. I listened to it as background music for a while in the vein of Lemuria or Cheeky– pop punk that’s fun, but doesn’t bowl me over lyrically. One day I put on Candy Hearts at the library where I basically couldn’t ignore it and I realized it was beyond incredible. I started each song over again as it ended and must have listened to the whole album two or three times that night. I was thinking of going through the track list and  listing my favorite lines from each song, but I don’t want to ruin them for you. They have written some of the poppiest, punkiest pop punk I’ve ever heard and it’s perfect for sing-a-longs. Mariel Loveland, of Ramsey, NJ, is a total genius. I seriously love every song on Ripped Up Jeans so plz download it! Their second album, Everything’s Amazing & Nobody’s Happy, came out in 2011. I haven’t listened to it as much as their first, but I know some people around Sharp Corners think it’s even better! PLUS there will be a new EP out on November 6th. You can listen to an early released song or pre-order the record HERE! And check out tour dates HERE!

Watch Mariel cover Jawbreaker’s Bad Scene:

The Holden Brothers, or Legs Like Tree Trunks, Little Kingdoms, and Weed Debts

In this day and age I suppose these bands would be considered “twinkly” emo. Both from Pennsylvania, Matt Holden fronts Legs Like Tree Trunks, and his brother, Jake, fronts Little Pirouettes and co-fronts Little Kingdoms. I was immediately taken with LLTT’s self-titled 2011 EP when they started singing about Franzia love affairs in the song Winter. I put it on a mix CD when I drove from Pittsburgh to Ohio last December and it was an absolute gem. They dropped some great new tracks last month that you can download on their bandcamp and name yr own price. Their vocals are a little bit on the folksy side, but the music is decidedly math rock. It’s a great combo. Hoods Up is probably my favorite.

Jake’s bands are equally amazing. You may recognize Little Kingdoms from the first Sharp Corners mixtape. F’in Rad and Home are their masterpieces. Their songs are SO musically beautiful and the vocals are perfectly arranged. F’in Rad is actually the most played song in my iTunes because I never want it to end and because I put it on mad mix CDs. I found out today that as I’ve been waiting for them to release more music Jake snuck off and formed the new band Little Pirouettes whose first EP, Weed Debt, came out last month. I only just downloaded it, but I’m already kind of obsessed. It’s like a perfect mix of Little Kingdoms and Legs Like Tree Trunks. It’s a little on the faster side than the others, but it’s totally catchy!