Yeah Cool: Everything’s Falling Apart/Expire

Yeah Cool is an indie rock band from Virginia. Sad music with poppy, uplifting hooks have always had a real impact on me. It’s emotional, but in a realistic way. There’s a feeling it brings out in my mind, the empty sort of feeling that comes from knowing exactly what’s wrong in a given situation and being powerless to fix it. Life’s rough, this house is fucked and that’s how it’s going to stay.

In the mainstream, there’s a tendency of ignoring the darker points of life and excessive focus on the positive. It sends the message that we all just need to feel good, ignore the negative aspects of our lives and just live in the moment. That may work for some people, but as I was maturing it just made me feel more isolated. The highs and lows of life, the great successes and damaging failures need to be expressed. The world needs more sincerity, it needs the raucous, unrestrained truth of Yeah Cool.

It’s hard not to admire Yeah Cool in their writing talent. It takes a lot to put the guitar tones, vocals, and song structures together in a way that has a really classic sound while still being new and exciting. If you’re a fan of bands like Dinosaur Jr,  Built To Spill, and Sonic Youth, these artists influence and work their way within and throughout both of these tracks. It’s a new sound built on a solid foundation of disillusion and distortion. I’ve been missing this sound. Yeah, Cool is working on a new album and I can’t wait to see what else is in store. Right now their two singles are available as free downloads, so there’s no better time than now to listen for yourself.

Check them out here:   https://yeahcool.bandcamp.com/

Fovea: Fear Of

Fovea is an electronic dream pop psych rock band from New York, New York. A little on the lounge-y side, a little on the jazzy side, Fovea’s summer 2016 release is well composed and a joy to listen to. It’s engaging, with its delicate guitar layers and angelic vocal harmonies. It’s subtle in it’s percussive expression, never stepping out of place but always keeping perfect time. Not to say there isn’t some amazing drum tracking here, there really is. The bass and drums hold the wild keyboards and synth. The back and forth between the male and female singer is refreshingly new and exciting.

This is the kind of pop music sound that I always find myself in admiration of. The catchy, creative melodic flow of Fovea is just on another level than can be found in mainstream music. It’s got all of the fun and happy pop sound without a lack of content, Fear Of is practically bursting with artistic merit. I keep coming back to the word art, I think that’s what this album is to me. The way the sounds layer over each other, especially in the song. “TAIW.” It’s masterful, carried throughout by the skilled guitar and synth playing. Every part of Fovea comes together to create a otherworldly, magical whole.

A statue of sound, a monument of creativity and true expression that will easily stand the test of time. Fovea is different, different from anything I’ve ever heard before. With all the musicians in the world, we must remember that our songs are still unwritten. Only we can write them, and they are still important. You, the musician, artist, creator, whatever it is that drives you is important. The work of your hands and mind is significant, and I am reminded of this more and more with each new amazing band I am fortunate enough to hear. Fovea knows how to make a good album, and I can’t recommend it enough.

 

Check it out here:https://foveaband.bandcamp.com/album/fear-of

It’s Over, It’s Under : Moonflower

Moonflower is a grunge band from Kent County, Delaware. This album starts out strong, not only in the heavy drums and overdriven guitar, but in the direct and confessional content of the lyrics. Moonflower has no pretensions or vague metaphors expressing feelings. It’s very raw, and in that way very relatable. It takes a talented writer to get so personal, it takes a lot of courage to write in such an exposed way. Apologetic, angry, full of regret and amazing lines, this is an experience. “Daze,” is the track that really stood out to me the most.

It’s astonishing the way that Moonflower can capture a moment that I’ve felt in my own life. There’s a certain kind of emotion that this album captures, but I wound’t know the right word for it. It’s some kind of combination between sadness, frustration, longing and melancholy. Not any of those more than another, but all of those feeling simultaneously. It’s kind of like laying awake, or just with your eyes closed, contemplating all of the things you should have said. The way all of your memories cascade around your mind, it can be overwhelming. Moonflower has clearly put a lot of themselves into this release. I have barely talked about the instrumentals, they are incredible on every track.

The album has a fantastic flow, the arrangement of every track blends well, nothing feels out of place. The drumming is tasteful when it needs to be and explosive at the right moments. That’s the thing about this album, it just has all of these amazing moments. Whether it’s a line that hits close to home, an explosive chorus, or an entire song. It’s Over, It’s Under is inspirational, real, and very sad. I love it. There’s power in being sad.

Check it out here:https://moonfloweralt.bandcamp.com/album/its-over-its-under