Your Listening Pleasure
Moving Units, Gravenhurst and Grand Ole Party grace us with their musical presence this week.
Moving Units - Dark Walls [MP3] - What do you do when you hate your local scene? You do what the Los Angeles-based men of Moving Units did, and create a compelling brand of post-punk and dance rock that draws just as much influence from Joy Division's keyboards and bass as Gang of Four's upbeat angular, yet catchy riffs. "Dark Walls" falls more into the former category, substituting Ian Curtis' depressingly deep voice with guitarist Blake Miller's mid-range vocals, all without losing the desperate longing of Joy Division of their best.
Hexes For Exes will come out on October 9th on Metropolis Records.
Gravenhurst – Hollow Men [MP3] - Blending elements of space rock and lo-fi pop, Gravenhurst creates a dark and ethereal, yet rocking soundscape not unlike …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead or Planes Mistaken For Stars. With "Hollow Men", the band displays their range quite well. The song is driven with an upbeat riff, while vocalist/guitarist Nick Talbot conjures up images of death and despair with lines such as "cut her up cut her out/crush her will before she finds it." The song breaks into a brief Sonic Youth-style noise burst, but picks back up with a minute to spare.
The Western Lands is out now on Warp Records.
Grand Ole Party – Insane [MP3] - You could hail this trio as the next White Stripes, the next Yeah Yeah Yeahs, or the next Be Your Own Pet. Or you could just hail the trio for crafting a fine set of funky, energetic tunes, all with a bluesy swagger - due especially in part to drummer Kristen Gundred's raw, powerful Arethra Franklin/Patti Smith influenced vocals. The song addresses pessimism with the world with lines like "I've been thinking about moonshine/ I've been thinking about rain/ I've been thinking about hanging up a sign/ that reads INSANE." This Blake Sennett (of Rilo Kiley and The Elected) -produced debut fully captures the energy and magic of a band that I imagine has one hell of a live show.
Humanimals is out now on DH Records.
Posted by Jason Prechtel on Sep 25, 2007 @ 12:00 am