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THE ENVY CORPS
06.13.08
The Envy Corps were formed in October 2001 by Luke Pettipoole and David Yoshimura, who met at Iowa State University in early 2002. The band forged their sound in the coming years playing around the Midwest and featured many lineup changes. In 2004, after the release of their now rare debut Soviet Reunion, Yoshimura switched to bass guitar, his brother Scott took position behind the drumkit and former To My Surprise frontman Brandon Darner was conscripted as the new lead guitarist.
The band spent 2005 working feverishly on the first fruits of the new lineup. I Will Write You Love Letters If You Tell Me To EP was self-released in April 2006. The album garnered them lavish press and an extended stay on the CMJ Top 200 chart, as well as an opening slot for The Killers on their fall US tour. Based on the success of the EP, the band signed with the Mercury Records imprint Vertigo. In March 2007, the Story Problem EP was released on iTunes and double 7" in the UK, culling four tracks from Love Letters and serving as a teaser for the upcoming album. The band spent several months in 2007 working on their major label debut, Dwell, at a studio tucked away in the remote farmland of their home state. The album was released in the UK on April 28, 2008.
Compared to: Radiohead, Doves, New Order and Modest Mouse
Favorite Track: “Wires & Wool”
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THE REPUBLIC TIGERS
06.09.08
Emerging from a curious indie-rock-meets-new-age fog, located somewhere between Enya, Bright Eyes, and Air, The Republic Tigers debut album Keep Color is an excellent collection of acoustic guitars, backing ooohhhs and aaahhhs, sailing keys, and frontman Kenn Jankowski's hushed vocals, all covered in a ethereal, smooth production. And album opener "Buildings & Mountains" is an apt mission statement, with its digi-filtered instrumentation, sputtering progressions, and otherworldly transcendence. Tune in and -- in the word's of Enya -- "sail away." (SPIN Magazine)
The band was formed in Kansas City, Missouri by Kenn Jankowski (Formerly of The Golden Republic) and Adam McGill. The band is signed to Chop Shop Records.
They are currently on tour with Nada Surf. Their song “Fight Song” was featured on Gossip Girl in May. They had their first television appearance on David Letterman on May 22nd.
Favorite song: “Buildings and Mountains”
http://www.myspace.com/therepublictigers |
FOR EMMA, FOREVER AGO
06.02.08
Fans of Devandra Banhart and Little Wings are discovering Bon Iver, the musical id of Justin Vernon, who recorded the basic tracks of his solo debut at his father’s hunting cabin deep in the Wisconsin woods. Camped out with a guitar and a desire for isolation and clear-eyed focus, he lived there alone for three months, filling his days with wood splitting and other chores around the land. This special time slowly began feeding a bold, uninhibited new musical focus.
The sound of Bon Iver (pronounced as would the French for “good winter”) puts the listener right there in the North woods of Wisconsin, deep into a snowy winter.
You may have heard his song “Wolves (Act 1 & 2) on “Gray’s Anatomy” that aired May 15th.
His debut album For Emma, Forever Ago is released on Jagjaguwar.
Favorite Tracks: Skinny Love, Re: Stacks
Check him out when he comes to the Troubadour on August 25th!
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ELBOW
05.14.08
Often compared to Radiohead, Doves and Catherine Wheel, Elbow's debut record was a finalist for the Mercury Music Prize in 2001. Despite having released three solid albums since, the band remains releatively unknown. Their most recent release, "The Seldom Seen Kid," continues their streak of consistently good work, interweaving lush textures of Brit pop with jazz, flamenco, and melodrama-- one of those rare albums equally suitable for chilling, or reveling, to. Check it.... |
THE HEAVY THROW DOWN
05.08.08
Touring the US on Playboy's Rock the Rabbit circuit, The Heavy's live show should not be missed!
“If you want your soul revival as funky as Amy Winehouse or Sharon Jones and the dap-kings but with just a little more fuzz, this British five-piece has you covered” - Rolling Stone
http://www.myspace.com/theheavy73
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THE WISHES AND THE GLITCH
04.28.08
Formerly known as Say Hi to Your Mom, Say Hi drops the last three words and makes a smash of an album for the fifth go around. With songs like Northwestern Girls and Zero to Love expect this cult of an indie-rock band to grow beyond their native city of Seattle. |
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