Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Minor Leagues Are Back


Some time ago, about two years three months to be precise we posted about The Minor Leagues. A lot has happened since that post eons ago. This is what we said then… Ben Walpole wishes he were British, fronting Pulp in 1995. Patrick Helmes wishes he were playing lead for Megadeth in 1988. But cruel fate has instead placed them both in the Minor Leagues, playing insidiously catchy indiepop for most of the last decade from their Cincinnati, Ohio homebase.

Since that time the band has been busy but has apparently forgotten to let us know. So while we’ve been wondering like a lonely parent, the band has been touring, recording, having fun and not letting us share in the joy. Until now. Guess who just happened to pop up in our in box. The Minor Leagues. And believe it or not, they’ve not gone Major. They’ve kept it real and kept that strange amalgamation of darkness and light going and recorded another album.

North College Hill is the new album from The Minor Leagues, the latest in a string of releases from the Cincinnati seven-piece to pair stinging melancholy with insidiously catchy melodies. The Leagues' last two records covered the end of a relationship and the end of the world in overblown concept-album fashion, and this new album continues the streak with ten songs of bittersweet rust-pop about North College Hill, lead singer Ben Walpole's crumbling Midwestern hometown. The band paints a baroque portrait of the neighborhood-as-history, detailing childhood memories in a faded palette of strings, bells, and guitar jangle.

Download: Ghost Maps
Download: Please Don't Throw My Love Away
Download: Secret Codes

2 Bears Head To Work


2 Bears 
are a London production duo made up of Joe Goddard of Hot Chip and Raf Daddy.  These two odd dudes have thrown on a couple of bear suits, dug out all their favorite 80's and 90's Chicago house records and made one heck of a tribute to it on their new album Be Strong.

An album laden with incessant mind numbingly sexy grooves, Be Strong harks back to the days when dancing was fun and when dance music was about energy and movement not excessive noise and wobble. While influenced by the Chicago and New York scenes, the album is most definitely rooted in the London underground scene and you can tell. Ridiculously deep at times and so upfront at others this is a record that weaves and bobs around sub genres faster than an Intercity 125. Garage, electro, piano house, disco house, deep house, it's all here and represented so well that you can't help but throw your hands up in the air and just move.

In addition to the ridiculously addictive grooves that are so persistent the album works because the 2 Bears are able to write instantly memorable lyrics that pump along to the rhythm and drill themselves into your subconscious. Even at their deepest and most chilled moments Be Strong remains, um, strong. Pretty much the party album of 2012 thus far, the 2 Bears have brought proper house, electro, and garage back and pumped it up a few notches. This record is so flawless and so filled with banger after banger that it couldn't not fill a dancefloor if it tried. Essential.

Download: Work (St. Etienne Remix)

Friday, January 27, 2012

Young Magic Cast's It's Spell


Although now firmly settled in New York City, Young Magic's three members came together through equal helpings of openness and fortuity. In 2010, singer and producer Isaac Emmanuel had left his home continent of Australia to travel across Europe, over to New York, and down through Mexico, all the while creating and recording music with whatever instruments he found along the way. While in Mexico, Emmanuel kept a tight correspondence with fellow Australian expat Michael Italia, who for months had been similarly traveling across Europe and South America with portable recording gear in tow. They decided to meet up in New York, where their good friend from a few years prior, Indonesian-born vocalist Melati Malay, had been living and making her own recordings. In early 2011 the three friends, who had initially bonded over their broad musical palettes, began recording together and contributing songs to the record, culling influences and finding their own footing among them.

The immediately fruitful collaboration brought forth singles "Sparkly", "You With Air" and "Night In The Ocean," all of which were fitting indicators of the band's chameleonic sound, heavily informed by West African rhythms, Brainfeeder hip-hop, UK bass, and 60s psychedelic soul. Young Magic's full-length debut, Melt, comprises both of these tracks-as well as their B-sides-and expands on their varied aesthetic, at once electronically sequenced and completely organic.

Young Magic's debut album, Melt, is out on Feb. 14 on Carpark.

Download: Sparkly (MatthewDavid's Odyssey Remix)
Watch: Night In The Ocean

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Just Barelys

Stephen Kelly and Eleanor King are The Just Barelys. A two-piece art/pop project focused on the basics of danceable beats, thoughtful guitar playing, slanted lyrics, and poppy vocal harmonies. Independently recording and releasing three albums and a variety of singles since 2001, JB’s home recordings feature King on drums and Kelly on guitar, and incorporate a wide variety of instruments, computer manipulations and home-made noise devices.

Their most recent output Mad Bits was crafted slowly over a couple of years, developed playfully with constant additions and subtractions. The album is neither a document of their live shows nor a studio creation. It sits somewhere in between, like a distant blurred memory or a dream about the future. You’ll find songs about software problems in the patriot missile, working out and building muscle, skateboarding legends, and missing home. When The Just Barelys aren’t making music, they each spend their time on separate art practices, producing installations throughout Canada and abroad.

The Just Barelys release their long awaited new album Mad Bits on Tuesday, February 14.

Download: Lions

The Rising Milano Sun


Milano Sun
are 3 guys from Gothenburg, Sweden, who formed a band after they met on an escapism trip around Europe in 2010.  As you might guess Milan, Italy was amongst the many stops along the way. They all had long connections within the Swedish music scene as session musicians and felt they had their own sound and something different to contribute.  So what better way to contribute than to form a new band.

During 2011 they started to record an album which has just recently been completed.  With a Balearic soundscape that evokes the sea, cliffs, wind and a clear sky, the trio express their feelings in songs about love, loss, regret, betrayal and fear, and well, how to handle (or fail to handle) life as a teenager on the run.  A post trip autobiographical story in a sense, "Already Gone," is a hint at things to come.

Download: Already Gone

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Josh And Mer Are From Planet Music


Soon after meeting in their home state of Oregon, Josh Schroeder and Meredith Adelaide discovered that they share common ideas about music, art, life, and their love of the beautiful Pacific Northwest. This connection fostered a creative match that quickly evolved into a musical project as Josh and Mer.

Their debut album, Planet Music, was recorded with producer Jason Carter (Frank Black, Pete Yorn, Art Brut) and evokes a dreamy, experimental indie rock sound. The Portland duo furthered their artistic vision by filming and photographing elements of their collaborative process. "We each bring something to the table that we otherwise couldn't do alone, and I think that's why it works," says Josh, while Meredith adds, “We're always trying to one-up each other with concepts, visuals, and sounds." You can hear that on their single, "From The Sea."

Planet Music, the debut LP comes out February 14th as a free download.

Download: From The Sea

Monday, January 23, 2012

Head To The Weatherhouse


George Cochrane met Christopher Vick in the wee hours at a San Francisco house party. George, an electronic music producer, DJ, and label owner, and Christopher, a disco evangelist and party thrower, spent much of the night talking Disco, and became fast friends. Soon enough, Chris moved to Los Angeles, forming a tropical goth band and a clothing company, while George continued his electronic music career.

A "Hey, we should make music sometime" chat eventually became reality, and before long, Chris and George began to collaborate long-distance as Weatherhouse, creating the blueprint album for their new sound, 2011's E Pluribus Calo Disco.

Single handedly creating a new sub genre, Calo Disco is everything you'd expect from someone from California; sun drenched, chilled, and gorgeous. 

As for what 2012 holds for Weatherhouse,  that's easy.  More EPs, a gang of remixes, and a growing list of live and DJ bookings are in store for 2012. Wax the starship and sequin up the space suits, crank up the sunshine and lets get Balearic.

Download: Koala
Download: Discasio

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Kishi Bashi Isn't Wishy Washy


As a member in of Montreal, Kishi Bashi not only played strings on the band's new album, Paralytic Stalks, but collaborated with Kevin Barnes as a producer as well - an experience which heavily influenced 151a, with Barnes pushing him to new heights of creativity and broader use of violin.

The result of this push is Kishi Bashi's debut full-length, 151a,   The album is set to be released on April 10, 2012 via Joyful Noise Recordings. The follow-up to his summer 2011 Room For Dream EP, 151a is a bright and soaring avant pop record written primarily on violin - Kishi Bashi's main instrument which has brought him to record and tour with the likes of Regina Spector, Sondre Lerche, Alexi Murdoch, of Montreal and more.

Check out the first track below and catch Kishi Bashi  opening up for his day job this Spring...
Mar. 07 -- Jacksonville, FL -- Freebird Live *
Mar. 08 -- Orlando, FL -- The Plaza Live *
Mar. 09 -- Mobile, AL -- Alabama Music Box *
Mar. 10 -- New Orleans, LA -- Howlin Wolf *
Mar. 11 -- Houston, TX -- Fitzgeralds *%
Mar. 12 -- Oklahoma City, OK -- ACM @ UCO Performance Lab *
Mar. 13 -- Dallas, TX -- Tree's *
Mar. 18 -- El Paso, TX -- Tricky Falls *#
Mar. 19 -- Tucson, AZ -- Rialto *#
Mar. 20 -- Los Angeles, CA -- The Wiltern *#
Mar. 21 -- San Francisco, CA -- Slim's *#
Mar. 22 -- San Francisco, CA -- The Fillmore *#
Mar. 23 -- Portland, OR -- Crystal Ballroom *#
Mar. 24 -- Seattle, WA -- Showbox at the Market *#
Mar. 27 -- Minneapolis, MN -- First Avenue * ≈
Mar. 28 -- Chicago, IL -- Metro * ≈
Mar. 29 -- Cleveland, OH -- Beachland Ballroom * ≈
Mar. 30 -- New York, NY -- Webster Hall ¥ !
Mar. 31 -- New York, NY -- Webster Hall * ≈
Apr. 01 -- Boston, MA -- The Paradise * ≈
Apr. 02 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Union Transfer * ≈
Apr. 03 -- Washington, DC -- 9:30 Club * ≈
Apr. 04 -- Carrboro, NC -- Cat's Cradle * ≈
Apr. 05 -- Asheville, NC -- Orange Peel * ≈
Apr. 06 -- Chattanooga, TN -- Track 29 * ≈
Apr. 07 -- Atlanta, GA -- Variety Playhouse * ≈

* w/ of Montreal

# w/ Deerhoof
% w/ Cults
≈ w/ Loney Dear
! w/ Computer Magic
¥ w/ Hard Nips

Download: It All Began With A Burst

It's All Ad Ventury Like


After being introduced by a mutual friend, Heddy and Charles joined forces in 2011. Like two atoms colliding, Ventury was born out of an explosion, creating new life, breathing fresh air into the faltering electro scene. But, as Isaac Newton will tell you, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Something monstrous was born. Something terrible. And now that dreadful force called Ventury has come to destroy everything as you now know it

With Volcano they might just level it all.  Exploding in a fiery blast of beats, hard synths, and screaming Ventury hits hard and hits fast.  Reminding us of Does It Offend You, Yeah? (think Lets Make Out) the tune is all aggressive funk and brilliant beats that rips your ear drums out and hand them back to you.  When you name your single Volcano anything less would be disappointing.

This tune does not disappoint, it destroys and that's what's so great about it.  It's "heavy," but it still has enough a tune about it to never let you forget it.  And why would you...

Download: Volcano

Friday, January 20, 2012

Kid Blue And BIINX Team Up


Sturdy 004, My Lovin smashes forward on the hype of London’s Kid Blue. Hailing from the LOT49 stable, his talents have placed him as a pinnacle above a sea of mediocrity. With some of the thickest kicks in his arsenal, his arpeggiator lines blur the limits between a disco and a rave. Delivered with a classic vocal stab, wrapping up into a tripling, pecu­lating arp, with a squelchy monster acid bubblebath breakdown, Sturdy 004 promises to be a dance floor smasher among the party rocking tech funk masses.

BIINX, a promising new duo, present a remix with effective use of the original, adding their own flavor to synth elements during the break­down, while pushing the upper register in a screaming effort. Be on the lookout for this driven young duo.

Download: My Lovin (BIINX Remix)

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Francis Harris Pays Tribute To His Dad With Leland


Brooklyn-based Francis Harris recently announced Leland, his forthcoming full length album on his new imprint Scissor & Thread. The album and project is a very personal one, as Harris composed the album as a requiem for his father. With the approaching 2 year anniversary of his father's passing coming up on February 25th, Harris has pushed back the Leland album release to the adjusted date of February 28th (it was originally set for a February 7th release), now in closest proximity to the life-marking event. The album itself is poignant, reflective, and moving, providing enough of a contrast to his dance alias Adultnapper that allowed Harris to release the album under his actual name (his first release as such in many years).

Like Adultnapper, the dancefloor friendly micro-rhythms are intact here with the Francis Harris material, but only representing part of what's really going on. At other points in the album, Harris injects live cellos, trumpet, piano, guitar and vocals throughout, creating a cohesive and captivating listen that is wholly unique.

Download: Pharoah In The Morning

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Now Now Soon To Be Now On Tour


Trans- Records and Now, Now are happy to announce dates for a month long tour this spring with The Naked And Famous. The tour will come on the heels of the release of Threads March 6th, and an appearance at SXSW 2012.

This past June, Now, Now, composed of Cacie Dalager (Vocals, Guitar), Jess Abbott (Vocals, Guitar), and Brad Hale (Drums, Synth) packed up their van and drove 1800 miles across North America to record with Redekopp in Vancouver, BC. During the recording the band could tell they were hitting their stride for the first time. "We killed ourselves over Threads," notes Dalager. "That sounds dramatic, but everything about it was excruciating in a good way. Every little idea was worked to its best." It was earlier that spring that they'd begun to solidify a relationship with Trans- Records founder and Death Cab For Cutie guitarist/producer Chris Walla, who had become a fan of the band through their earlier releases after San Francisco's John Vanderslice recommended he listen to the band's debut album Cars.

With the help of Trans- Now, Now are excited for excited at the prospects of reaching new fans and new heights in 2012.

Their tour dates are as follows...
MARCH
* = w/ The Naked & Famous, Vacationer
13-18 - SXSW 2012
23 - Austin, TX - Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheatre*
24 - Houston, TX - House of Blues*
25 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues*
27 - Orlando, FL - The Plaza Live*
28 - St. Petersburg, FL - State Theatre*
30 - Miami, FL - Grand Central*
31 - Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club*

APRIL
01 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle*
02 - Richmond, VA - The National*
06 - Pontiac, MI - The Crofoot*
09 - Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue*
10 - Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge*
12 - St. Louis, MO - The Gargoyle (Wash U)*
13 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom*
14 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre*
17 - Kansas City, MO - The Midland Theatre*
19 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot*

Download: School Friends

Crossing The Pond


Ok..I have to admit when I saw an email with the words POND on it, I just about had a heart attack. Yeah, I went there...I thought the old Sub Pop band was back. How awesome was would that have been. I guess a little too awesome because it wasn't to be. This POND comes to us from across one and hails from Down Under.

While not the original, this POND are a pleasant surprise. Quite good in that noisy 90's indie rock mixed with psyche pop kind of way they might just make you forget of their older twin. With fuzzy guitars, kind of screamy vocals and a quick pace these guys fully embrace the indie RAWK philosophy.

Mixed by Kevin Parker (Tame Impala) and Rob Grant at Poon's Head Studio in Perth, Beard, Wives, Denim is an audio diary of ten friends' strange, terrible and blissful time in the country trying in vain to be a wholesome family band. It sounds just like it, distorted and woozy and fractured and ultimately nostalgic and loving and coming to your closest hip and with it record vendor in 2012, through Modular Recordings.

Download: Fantastic Explosion of Time

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Ida Long Crashes


The Swedish singer Ida Long’s new release Crash is taken from her upcoming debut album Walk Into The Fire. Crash started out as a dark winter poem in Ida Long’s personal diary (”it’s kind of cold out there…”), but on a sunny summer day in Spain Ida Long embellished the lyrics with the bright melodies of the kaleidoscopic pop song.

Last year Ida Long was noted for her highly acclaimed interpretation of the song Mad World in the award winning trailer for the American TV series Mad Men (4th season). Since her first solo performances in New York City in the summer of 2010, Ida Long has toured extensively all over Europe, where she’s been compared to Kate Bush, Tori Amos, Lykke Li, Feist, and Björk. In Sweden her first release – the ambitious CD/DVD project Into Dark Woods EP – topped the official Swedish sales chart in November 2011.

Ida Long is also singer in the Swedish indietronica project Baron Bane, whose album LPTO was awarded a 4/5-review in the January 2012 issue of the British music magazine Uncut: ”Ida Long edges towards Madonna-style disco ecstasy”.

Her first solo album Walk Into The Fire will be released internationally in April-May 2012.

Download: Crash (single version)

More Gross Relations

It's been a while since we've heard from Brooklyn's Gross Relations. We first posted them on the blog way back in April of 2011 and haven't heard anything from them until today!

Apparently they've been busy working on their latest single and it marks the first time they've actually recorded in a studio. A pretty momentous occasion for a bedroom pop band. Called, "Cut The Final Scene," it continues the band's legacy of fizzy lo fi (albeit a bit more hi fi) pop that's irresistible while remaining lackadaisically good.

Think Beat Happening meets the Raveonettes meets Brooklyn meets T-Shirt Time and you kind of have an idea where Gross Relations are coming from.

About to head into the studio once again, to begin work on their debut album, this might be the last of GR we hear for a while.

Download: Cut The Final Scene

Monday, January 16, 2012

We Paid Standard Fare


Limbo. It's a funny place to be, but it provided inspiration for the second album from Standard Fare, the Sheffield-based indie-pop power trio who debuted with 2010's The Noyelle Beat, their lovelorn, melodic songs and male/female vocals making them the new darlings of the indie-pop scene. "We're now in our mid twenties - not young and not old, not yet with kids but starting to earn money, starting to see how we fit into the wider world and how we feel about this," says singer/bassist Emma Cooper. "The album's lyrics are a bit more mature than our debut - we didn't want to just write about our romantic failures and frustrations, although they're hard to avoid!"

These 12 tracks, then, concern subject matter as varied as the Holocaust (recent single "Suitcase," written about a survivor and friend of Emma's family who recently passed away), bitterness ("Kicking Puddles"), frustration ("Dead Future"), divided families ("Half Sister") and unfaithfulness ("Early That Night"). With the widening lyrical scope, the album's texture has become more diverse too, with a greater contrast between heavy and light, fast and slow, dancefloor and bedroom. The guitars are beefed up, the melodies are unbeatable and the words are flecked with wicked humour.

Download: Suitcase

The Holiday Crowd Head Over The Bluffs...


Someone should really tell Morrissey that he doesn’t need to be in another band. I mean seriously, he's already been in the Smiths and he has his solo career to worry about so why in the world is he in The Holiday Crowd? What? You mean that isn't Morrissey? Holy heck...well whoever it is has made The Holiday Crowd sound like the best Smithsian tribute band with original tunes on the planet. Seriously.

The Holiday Crowd's album, Over The Bluffs is so possessed by the spirit of the Smiths that somewhere right now Morrissey and Marr are consulting lawyers for being a little too close for comfort. Jangly, dramatic, and frickin' amazing, Over The Bluffs is the best record from 1986 recorded in 2012 that you will hear this year. With sweeping vocals soaring to the heavens, jangly guitars lilting across songs with a bit of depression, and melodies so memorable you'll swear you've heard every one of these songs before this album is a seven song blast of indie pop the way it was meant to be played.

The sheer moodiness of the songs, the potential for collapsing and crying, the dreamy guitars and vocals all add up to one awesome little record. There simply is not one bad song here and the songs are so well written and so well sung and played that it's hard to find fault with anything. It's just not possible. While undoubtedly The Holiday Crowd would like to be recognized for their own merits, it's going to be impossible to ignore the Smiths-like similarities between the two bands. My suggestion is embrace it and run with it. Hell, the band should buy some gladiolas and put them in their back pockets when the play live.

Download: Never Speak Of It Again

Thursday, January 12, 2012

San (Fran) Cisco


When one thinks of Australia one generally thinks of Melbourne and Sydney, but very rarely does someone mention the WEST coast of Down Under. Yet it's out there big, massive, and teaming with life. Well that's where San Cisco come into play. This rather quirky pop group comes to us from the less than bustling Fremantle Western Australia.

Taking their own path (and a bit of a roundabout one at that) to pop stardom the band has developed a natural chemistry that helped shaped their second album, Awkward.  Quirky, fun, and good the band are quickly developing into something bigger than the frontier of their hometown. 

Penned in the studio one afternoon, lead single "Awkward" is an unmistakable pop gem featuring the vocal talents of both Jordi Davieson and drummer, Scarlett Stevens.  It's a sugary pop thrill that's unforgettable and as I sit here and type this I can still hear the chorus ringing in my ears.  The EP features five tracks of indie pop goodness, showcasing Jordi’s turn of phrase and Josh Biondillo’s varied influences in his music writing. In its entirety it is an eclectic mix of indie pop with dashes of rock and slashes of synth.

The Awkward EP is slated for a digital release in the U.S. on February 7th through their own record label Island City Records independently through MGM.

Download: Awkward

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Lux Know We Are Not The Same


Seattle based Lux are a dynamic duo who have never played live and aren't sure if they ever want to.  They met and became a band after answering a Craigslist ad.  They were receiving offers for tours before even having a record.  They are self confessed control freaks, they much prefer the confined spaces of a recording studio to the chaos filled stage.

The band is currently prepping their debut album We Are Not The Same for an April release and because of the kindness in their heart they've chosen to give us a sneak peek of said record.  Sharing a bit of distortion and lo-fi production similar to early Raveonettes  recordings with a bit of stark synth pop that might remind you of someone like Fischerspooner meeting the Magnetic Fields the band have a style that's clearly all their own.  What's that all mean?  Well how about we call Lux garage synth?  (How's that for a new sub genre?) 

Raw, melodic, and filled with a sense of ethereal wonder Lux  have created something that's easy to fall in love with and something tells us we won't be the same after hearing the whole album.  

Download: The Window

It's Been Longer Than 120 Days


120 Days
have been playing together since 2001 and their debut took them around the world, from America, where they signed with Vice Records, to Japan, where they played to crowds of 17,000+. It won them two Norwegian Grammys and was not only critically acclaimed but also commercially successful.

Five years on and they've learned a lot, done a lot, and written a lot. And it all shows up on their new record 120 Days II. Darker and a bit tougher than their debut, the new stuff is sure to widen their fan base and wreak some havoc along the way.

Set for a March 6th release with Splendour (of Montreal/Casiokids, His Clancyness/Shimmering Stars) their latest single  Dahle Disco is quite the tune.   When you look up the definition of epic tune, you will see a picture of 120 Days standing next to it with this song in hand.  Unfolding rich layers of synth, the single winds through cosmic soundscapes pulsating just short of an epic ten minutes.

Download: Dahle Disco
Download: Osaka (diskJokke Remix)

Monday, January 9, 2012

The Denzels Are Not From Washington


Still a young group, The Denzels been called “a melting pot of all of New York Cities most successful acts.” Their influences range from Brian Wilson and The Cribs, to The Antlers and The Cure. Most of all, they’re influenced by the bands they see each week all over the city. There is a new Brooklyn sound and it’s changing every night.

Originally named The Goods, the band began playing around Brooklyn and quickly became known for their energetic live shows. In early 2011 the group changed their name to The Denzels and released the Slow Death EP. The songs are a mixture of their surroundings and their upbringing, combining New York style Indie Rock with West Coast beach pop.

Download: Rae Rae
Download: Black Girls

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Escort Head Back To The Space Disco


Despite it being impossible, do you wish that Donna Summer and Georgio Moroder would work together once again? Well say hello to Escort...they're your new disco buddies.  No other band I've heard recently embraces that dynamic duo better than these guys.  Writing songs as if it were still 1980, Escort have a retro-futurist sound that feels like it came from the great big dance floor in the sky.

Escort is a seventeen-member “disco orchestra”, founded by producers Eugene Cho and Dan Balis, and fronted by lead singer Adeline Michèle, features an incredible cast of musicians who have played with everyone from indie-rock titans Arcade Fire to avant-classical luminaries Alarm Will Sound.

Escort’s long-awaited debut LP will be released on vinyl and CD January 31st and is out on iTunes and digitally retailers now through Escort Records. 

Download: Why Oh Why(Pound Sterling Remix)

Ducky Isn't Quackers


Ducky
aka Morgan Neiman, has a producer’s instinct and a powerful voice. She has been making music since she was 13 years old and has played alongside the likes of Japanther, Ninjasonik, Roxy Cottontail, Trouble Andrew and Action Bronson. Her latest release, The Whether EP out February 21, fearlessly explores the sinister side.

While not blatantly dark, her single "Killing Time," sounds like it is all about the weekend and lazy days while subtly being a confession about the the disintegration of a relationship.  Ducky matches a sophisticated pop sensibility to incisive vocals, addressing an absent “friend” with checked ferocity.

It's a gorgeous little tune that hints at folks like Feist, Cat Power, or 100 Target commercials rolled up into one.  And if this song is any indication of how the rest of  The Whether EP is going to be were in for an ethereal, lush, seductive early springtime treat.  Spring has a voice and it's three months early. 

Download: Killing Time