AUDIO: Tree Machines’ “Waiting On The Sun”

After a gentle buzz in the last few years, Tree Machines will finally be releasing their debut album this year called Up For Air and everyone involved will be able to breathe. Check out the first single from it, “Waiting On The Sun” and in time, the sun will arrive to greet the new warmth.

REVIEW: The March Divide’s “Saturdays”

I’ve been listening to Jared Putnam’s music as The March Divide in the last few years and he returns with something new called Saturdays (self-released) which show he continues to do what he does best, and that is to show how much of an artist he is and where he’s willing to go to go to new places. Fourteen songs may sound like a lot one needs to consume but if you’ve been into his style of rock pop, you are going to love each and every track. I still hear different Lenny Kravitz qualities in what he does but I also hear what makes some of Elvis Costello, Dave Grohl, Ben Folds, and Bruno Mars’ music stand out, and that he writes in a way that makes the songs hard to resist. They are well written and have enough qualities that will make you want to sing to its choruses once he sings the second one, only causing you to play the song two more times to be sure you didn’t miss any of the lyrics.

REVIEW: The Queen Annes’ “Released!”

Recorded in 1997 and 1998 and not made available for another 18 years, The Queen Annes have finally released an album that has been in the metaphorical vault until now and we get a chance to hear it. Released! (Green Monkey) is music from a Seattle band that doesn’t sound like your stereotypical Seattle band but then again, when has a Seattle band every sounded like one another? Exactly, and The Queen Annes mix up nice hints of pop with rock to create something that sounds like a mixture of Everclear, Teenage Funclub, The Fastbacks, and Soul Asylum but in songs like “Caught Underneath The Light” and “I Owe You Nothing”, the horn section helps it appeal to Neil Young fans, or at least those Young fans who like it when he mixes up rock with R&B. It’s nice and gritty music you’d expect to hear in a nightclub when you need to be let out of your misery, so you could say the title of the album has a bit of an unintentional double meaning. What is Released! is more than just that, and maybe this is the music in your heart that needs to get out.

VIDEO: The Sloths’ “One Way Out”

There are many artists who have written and released songs with the statement that there is “no way out” by The Sloths want to tell you there is “One Way Out” if you pay attention. The song is from their album released last March called Back from The Grave (Lollipop/Burger), available via Amazon.com by clicking the cover below.

VIDEO: Tracy Bryant’s “Subterranean”

Tracy Bryant found himself lounging at a recording studio in Tucson, Arizona and decided to make his video for “Subterranean” there with director Tony Accosta and here it is. You may know of Bryant for his time with Corners and now he’s also trying out the solo thing. I believe this is more than just a thing, it works quite nicely. The song will be on Bryant’s in-progress project but you may have a listen to his debut album and recent single over at Bandcamp.

AUDIO: Haybaby’s “Elevator Song”

After being signed to Tiny Engines earlier this year, Brooklyn band Haybaby are ready to release their debut album before the end of the year. It will be called Sleepy Kids and you can pre-order it now but first… you want to know how it sounds, right? Then have a listen to a track from it, this entitled, “Elevator Song.” The album will be out digitally in two weeks while vinyl junkies will be able to pick up the record for it later in the year. Vinyl pressings can be pre-ordered by heading to Tiny Engines.

VIDEO: Health’s “Stonefist (Live From Il Duomo)”

Live performances are great, better in person than on TV but sometimes you deal with what you can have and what Health has offered is a video of one of their live performances. This time, it’s for the song “Stonefist”, and may it be an introduction to the band in a life setting, which is perfect since they’re about to hit the road beginning tomorrow. Head there if they are within your vicinity and if not near you, make it near you. It begins in Europe before they return to the United States in November:

October 9… Brussels, Belgium (Bozar)
October 11… Hamburg, Germany (Mojo Club)
October 12… Denmark (Pumpehuset)
October 13… Berlin, Germany (Berghain)
October 16… Krakow, Poland (Unsound Festival)
October 17… Praha 5, Czech Republic (MeetFactory)
October 19… Frankfurt, Germany (Kunstlerhaus Mousonturm)
October 20… Stuttgart, Germany (Im Wizemann)
October 22… Amsterdam, Netherlands (Paradiso Noord)
October 24… Bristol, UK (Simple Things Festival)
October 25… Liverpool, UK (Liverpool Music Week)
October 26… Glasglow, UK (Stereo)
October 27… Manchester, UK (Gorilla)
October 28… London, UK (Heaven)
October 30… Paris, FR (Pitchfork Music Festival)
November 10… San Diego, CA (The Casbah)
November 11… Phoenix, AZ (Crescent Ballroom)
November 13… Austin, TX (Mohawk)
November 14… Dallas, TX (Trees)
November 15… Houston, TX (Warehouse Live)
November 16… New Orleans, LA (One Eyed Jacks)
November 17… Atlanta, GA (The EARL)
November 19… Washington DC (Rock N Roll Hotel)
November 20… Philadelphia, PA (Voyeur)
November 21… Brooklyn, NY (Music Hall of Williamsburg)
November 22… New York, NY (Le Poisson Rouge)
November 24… Boston, MA (Brighton Music Hall)
November 25… Montreal, QC (Bar Le Ritz PDB)
November 26… Toronto, ON (Horseshoe Tavern)
November 27… Pontiac, MI (The Crofoot Ballroom)
November 28… Chicago, IL (Lincoln Hall)
November 29… Minneapolis, MN (The Triple Rock Social Club)
November 30… Omaha, NE (Slowdown)
December 1… Kansas City, MO (Record Bar)
December 3… Denver, CO (Larimer Lounge)
December 4… Salt Lake City, UT (The Complex)
December 5… Boise, ID (Neurolux)
December 7… Vancouver, BC (Biltmore Cabaret)
December 8… Seattle, WA (Neumos)
December 9… Portland, OR (Holocene)
December 11… San Francisco, CA (The Independent)

AUDIO: Historian’s “Fired In The Fog”

What began as a one-man entity for Chris Karman has allowed him to turn Historian into a full on group. His Shelf Life album made people want to understand this self-made entity and they did, but now they’ll be able to hear that mentality expanded to other mentalities, and will be doing more when he and they release a new album on The Record Machine label called Current, to be released at the end of the month. Have a listen to a new statement in pop with “Fired In The Fog”.

VIDEO: Sweet Crisis’ “Fight About Nothing”

Sweet Crisis sound like a cross between Bush and Blue Murder but they want to let you know they are their own band and want to rock it out when the best of them. “Fight About Nothing” will be formally released on July 13th but you can hear (and see) it now.

AUDIO: Gillian’s “Colorize”

Gillian are ready to release their new EP in two weeks called Colorize so if you love your rock with unabashed cheer and strength, then you’ll want to listen to the title track right now. Considerign some of the rock being passed off as hits these days, I think more people will need for the music from Gillian, so take a chance and see why they are worth showing support for.