Stagnant Pools Temporary Room What I take away from Stagnant Pools Temporary Room is a lot of noise. The music is good, but the slow lackadaisical vocals are buried so far behind the music it’s hard to hear them. Temporary Room has a new wavey rock vibe to it and I really wanted to like it, but I just couldn’t get past the loud fuzz of the music enough to enjoy the vocals. (Polyvinyl Records) State Lines S/T 7” It’s kind of rare for a band to come along and knock your tube socks off twice, especially when you wear sock suspenders, but State Lines has done just that with their latest self-titled 7”. I should mention that I was wearing shoes at the time of knocking off and they were tied tight. That’s just the power of a band like State Lines. Their songs are earnest and make you feel feelings and junk. Insist your friends listen to State Lines, but warn them about potential sock knockage beforehand. It could get real messy if a bunch of them have their socks knocked off at the same time. (Tiny Engines) The Stereo State Crossing Canyons Immediately this band reminded me of a American version of Sweden’s Millencolin with the slightly gruff vocals and the mature punk sound being indicators. Crossing Canyons is a pretty great EP and is recommended for fans of The Loved Ones and Red Collar. (Creator-Destructor Records) Sundials When I Couldn’t Breathe Good bands like Sundials are few and far between. They perfectly blend pop punk with rocking melodies and catchy hooks. They have a sound like Weezer, had Weezer ended after Pinkerton and not released a slew of subpar albums. When I Couldn’t Breathe is an excellent album and I could easily see this band being huge. (Asian Man Records)
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Tawny Peaks Tawny Peaks Tawny Peaks is another one of those bands that I found by searching through Bandcamp an seeing what piques my interest. They have alternating male/female vocals happening at times and it’s always done in good taste and not forced. This self-titled EP is an interesting take on the emo/math rock genre, kind of like The Anniversary at times, but more emo, and I think that once enough people hear this, labels will be offering their services. The band would fit perfect on Count Your Lucky Stars or Flannel Gurl Records. (Self-Released) Toe The Future Is Now I’ve been hearing things about Japan’s Toe for years and every good thing I’ve heard about them is true. They are like a Japanese version of Pele and even released a split with them years ago. If you’re a fan of instrumental math rock/post rock, The Future Is Now is for you. (Topshelf Records) Trebuchet Trebuchet Three of the four members of Trebuchet make up the excellent instrumental outfit Not To Reason Why, but you wouldn’t guess it by Trebuchet’s lush female/male vocals and folksy leanings. The vocals are the main point on this self-titled release. They are warm, intimate and comforting. If you’re looking for some music that is relaxing, then look no further than this release. (Side With Us) Tyler Daniel Bean Longing Here I thought I was getting into some singer/songwriter Oberst wannabe before I listened to Longing. Upon listening, what flowed out of my speakers was a nearly full fleshed band playing some rocking tunes that are in the Oberst spectrum, but maybe a little closer to contemporaries Run, Forever. Give Longing a listen and see how it affects you. (Kat Kat Records)