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Tankfarm Future Sounds 28th installment features artists close
to the company's home base of San Francisco and from as far away as Wimbledon,
England, Perth, Australia, and Skive, Denmark. The disc compiles indie-pop's
up and coming trend setters. This month's edition features:
The Magic Bullets (www.mbullets.com) whose song "Heartstroke"
is an indie pop alloy of cruising riffs and emo-soaked vocals reflective
of Voxtrot and Cold War Kids. This folk-pop sextet from
San Francisco, California is excited about their single "Heartstroke"
making its public premier on the Scott Prendergast film Kabluey
starring Lisa Kudrow.
"The Plot" by New York City's sextet White Rabbits (www.whiterabbitsmusic.com)
has an urgent beat and entangling vocals that make for a snappy melody.
They have made appearances on The Late Show With David Letterman, the
CMJ Showcase, the Siren Festival and most recently Lollapalooza.
Solo artist Vivek Shraya (www.vivekshraya.com) from Toronto, Canada
provides bouncy grooves and syrupy vocal streaks likened to Rooney
and The White Stripes on his song "Fevered" from his
fourth album If We're Not Talking which was produced by Meghan
Toohey and features a guest appearance by Sara Quin of Tegan
And Sara.
The indie synth-pop foursome Snowman (www.thesnowmanempire.com)
from Perth, Australia offers '60s style psychedelic inflections on their
song "You Are A Casino." The vocals and guitar rotations are
encircled in jangly tambourines which supply an ambient vibe through the
tune and casting trance-pop shimmers.
Los Angeles, California's quartet Dirty Little Secret (www.dirtylittlesecret.biz)
has quirky electro-pop glistens on their track "Feeling Burned"
which have similarities to Hot Chip. The deep toned vocals and
twisting guitar riffs are turned low as a choir of voices sings through
the bridge. It's a cool touch to the track.
Wimbledon, London's solo artist Jamie T. (http://www.jamie-t.com)
offers tribal beats on his single "Salvador" while the rhythmic
vocals embed a chanting "Hoo-Ha" along the melodic channels.
His vocals have a Brit-pop romantic hue to them which bodes well with
the Latin-accents. Jamie T. is on a worldwide tour and will be hitting
the Reading Festival in England and the V Festival in Toronto, Canada.
The 7-piece ensemble Dune (www.dune.de) from Skive, Denmark excite
the charming melodic flow of "No Speed" with softly stroking
vocals smoothing over ebullient guitar cuts and cozy synth-pop excursions.
It's a gorgeous tune and hard to believe that all 7 members of this band
are still in high school.
The indie rock trio of Until June (www.untiljune.com) complements
their tender guitar expressions on "Sleepless" with emo-plaque
vocals. The melodic coils have a gentle shattering effect which makes
this song reverberate beautifully. Based in Hollywood, California, Until
June have a folk-rock sound aligned with Josh Kelley and Augustana.
The foursome Expatriate (www.expatriateband.com) from Sydney,
Australia have a nu wave feel in their sound likened to She Wants Revenge
and Motion City Soundtrack. The band's producer John Goodmanson
(Wu Tang Clan, Sleater Kinney, Hot Hot Heat) brought
out pouty vocals and pop/rock oriented riffs on the band's single "Crazy."
Expatriate are currently opening for Silverchair.
"You're A Wolf" from Los Angeles, California's sextet Sea
Wolf (www.seawolfmusic.com) binds soft wiggling keyboards with smooth
coasting rhythms and relaxing guitar sequences. The folk musings of the
vocals are interwoven with comfy string passages. The band played at Toronto's
North By Northwest Festival and will be releasing their current album
in September 2007.
The 3-piece neo roots rock combo The Whigs (www.thewhigs.com)
display very airy jaunts on their track "Written Invitation."
From Athens, Georgia, the band favors delicacy in their movements and
crisscrossing vocals that float with a feather-light touch. The Whigs
are embarking on a lengthy tour this Fall.
The 4-man crew of The Frail (www.myspace.com/thefrailsf) can be
described as matadors of electro-punk with dance-pop beats and crinkling
synths reminiscent of Monsters Are Waiting and The Faint.
A San Francisco band, their song "Count On This" is a catchy
melody perfect for house parties.
Huntington Beach, California's quartet Venus Infers (www.myspace.com/venusinfers)
decks Dylan-esque vocal registers with a retro rock groove liken
to old Rolling Stones on their track "Sake In Osaka."
It's melody making at its basics and still very likeable.
"Lay It Down" from New York City's quintet The Midnight
Hours (www.myspace.com/midnighthoursband) has a soft pop palette and
marching band drumming with a fundamental rock feel. The throbbing vocals
have a personalized style and the cool southern rock texturing crenellates
their current release The Five Believers EP.
The Mint Chicks (www.themintchicks.com) song "Crazy! Yes!
Dumb! No!" benchmarks this rock quartet from Auckland, New Zealand
in the indie-pop sect with warm-crushed vocals set in a soft flowy melody
reflective of Unicorn, The Walkmen, and Stereolab.
The track tops the compilation off with a comfy indie-pop melody.
The compilation is uniform and yet each song has its own intricacies.
The multiple flavors of indie-pop on Tankfarm Future Sounds #28
hit more synth-pop bands and some roots rock numbers, showing trends toward
ambient and folk rock.
-Susan Frances
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