FIVE SONGS TO KICK OFF YOUR SPRING SEASON

Review by: Sean Kayden

Coasts – “Oceans” – Coasts, newcomers hailing from Bristol, have burst onto the scene with their infectious single called “Oceans”. It’s utterly electric from start to finish. It draws you in and is simply a razor sharp, dance worthy tune. In April, Coasts will release their debut 4-song EP titled, “Paradise.” If the other songs sound like this, the name of the record will be aptly titled indeed.

Hotel Mexico – “A.I. In Dreams” – Japanese dream rockers recently released a new album called “Her Decorated Post Love.” The first single is “A.I. In Dreams”—a woozy, shoegazing induced track with 80s style vocals. It puts you into a state of euphoria with swirling, airy guitar riffs, and new wave influences. With dream pop tendencies and ultra cool vibes at the heart and soul of this song, you’ll find yourself putting this tune on repeat despite the indiscernible lyrics at times.

Local Channel – “Arctic” - The 3-piece band from SIlverlake, CA demonstrates a proclivity toward a traditional indie rock sound. “Arctic,” the band’s debut single, starts off slow and composed. There is a sort of mist layered over the rhythmic guitars. After about two and a half minutes it kicks it up a notch or two and explodes into a fully gripping jam. Ultimately, it almost feels like two songs, but “Arctic” is simply the work of a band with many faces that know no dimensions. Local Channel’s debut EP will be out this month.

Caveman – “In The City” – For their upcoming self-titled sophomore album, New York City indie rockers Caveman raise their own bar with a lush, provocative, anthemic single. What is shaping up to be an album that increases the sonic soundscape of the band, “Caveman” have crafted a song that displays lead singer Matthew Iwanusa unexpected rich vocals (not really found on their debut record). With so much going on with the arrangements, the vocals really shine on this one. If the rest of the album does this as well, there’s no telling how great Caveman’s second record will be when it arrives this April.

Foals – “Bad Habit” – Foals’ latest endeavor, “Holy Fire” dropped last month. A particular song on the record called “Bad Habit” is one of the finest tunes of 2013. It’s a multi-dimensional, deliberately paced piece of music and like ocean waves has moments of calmness followed by eruption. While “Bad Habit” never fully explodes out of proportion, it does have many elements to it making it a clever, nearly unexpected track from a band like Foals. It’s definitely one of their most pop driven songs to date. However, it’s nothing to shun when it sounds this intuitive and purely this good.



Published by Mountain Views News on March 9th, 2013
http://mtnviewsnews.com/v07/htm/n10/p11.htm