Fresh Track: The Spyrals “Lonely Eyes”
If you listen to music every day, you start reaching for different flavors on different occasions. Each album and band serves a purpose. Sometimes, I’m looking to be challenged by the music that I’m listening to. More often, though, I listen to music as a release, preferring it wash over me – erasing the serious thoughts of the day.
Garage rock, of the psychedelic San Francisco variety, has remained a reliable friend on the days that I’m looking to zone out. The songs have a tendency to blend together without ever growing dull or sluggish. It proves easy to lose yourself in the distortion. The songs are generally short and lacking in surprises, as if your mind can write the next note without ever having heard the record before. There’s a certain beauty and satisfaction in that dependability.
The latest San Fran outfit to fill this void comes in the form of The Spyrals. The band released their debut, self-titled album on New Year’s Day. However, they kept busy in 2011 releasing a five-track EP entitled Clouds and a 7”. Below you will find a stream for the song “Lonely Eyes.” It is the opening track from the new album. Give it a whirl.
Connect with The Spyrals via Facebook | Bandcamp
Written by Rob Peoni
Video: Tumbleweed Wanderers “Quiver in My Bones”
A while back, we featured the Bay Area’s Tumbleweed Wanderer’s in a Band to Watch post. Their track “Take it Back” from their debut, self-titled EP was immediately relatable and addictive. I thought I had listened to enough new grass bands to last a lifetime in college, but these guys were just too much fun to pass up. Great vocals, solid guitar play and downright danceable tunes. The boys from the Bay are back with more terrific material, albeit in a less foot-stomping fashion than their initial single. The latest bit of goodness comes in the form of a video for the song “Quiver in My Bones” featured below.
Connect with Tumbleweed Wanderers via Facebook | Twitter | Website
Written by Rob Peoni
Album Review: of Architects ‘demo.’
Some of my favorite current music originates with a one-man band. Youth Lagoon, Atlas Sound, and Toro y Moi are the first artists that come to mind. While some of these artists expand their sound by adding a backing band, the foundation is set for me from the initial one-on-one introduction. The music is stripped and the message is personal. There is a special appreciation by discovering one artist who creates a project, by himself, from beginning to end. I get the same feeling when I am reading a good book. After turning the page on chapter 3 I begin to hear the author speak to me on a personal level. The themes become more powerful and the experience becomes more intimate. Oftentimes, we fall in love with these books because of their names or covers. When this shot in the dark selection hits a genuine level of satisfaction, it overpowers me with emotion.
The writer I am referring to I hardly know anything about. A quick link introduced me to of Architects and his project demo.. His name is Adrian, he is from Chicago, and he plays guitar, bass, and percussion. That is all I know about him. As I listen to demo., I not only hear themes of pain and regret, but more importantly I am struck with the sound of desire. Adrian is borderline anonymous, but shares more with me then I deserve. In the song “spirit desire.”, Adrian discloses his fears through out the entirety of the track. Lines like, “I get scared that you’ll leave me soon even though we call each other every afternoon, it’s true” make me feel like I hold the key to the darkest bowels of someone’s inner thought. This is someone I know hardly anything about.
The mystery behind Adrian’s of Architects project will not cause me to go digging any further for information. This is a patient man that is sharing more than we deserve. The acoustic, lo-fidelity framework behind his message is brilliantly put together. Adrian uses “Elephant” as his sounding board as he pulls out his electric guitar. The distortion mixes perfectly with the agony coming from his voice. This is certainly the loudest track on the record and has me wondering whether this album about one love or many? I am not sure, but I am confident in saying the girl in “Elephant” is about the one that slipped away. A painful experience that I am honored to hear.
Of Architects is a dark enigma that wants to be heard, but maybe only once. I am not sure if Adrian will arise and put down the final piece of his puzzle, but I do not think it matters. He is one man that has given us a sneak preview into his darkest secrets. This is a beautifully painful donation for those who will listen.
Connect with of Architects via Facebook | Bandcamp
Written by Brett McGrath
Thought on Tracks 