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Monday, July 21, 2014

Just Rolled In: Stolen Jars - "Folded Out" [indie folk / loops / experimental]

Cody Fitzgerald is a 21-year-old student from Montclair, New Jersey studying music and computer science at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. In 2009, after gaining experience playing in various bands, Fitzgerald decided to create his own material from the comfort of his bedroom, which birthed his loop-based experimental folk project Stolen Jars. A couple years later, with the help of some singing friends and a loop pedal, Fitzgerald managed to mesh his guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, and keyboard into a complex arrangement of sounds over busy organic percussion and sugarcoat it with saccharine harmonizing vocals to produce his debut self-titled full-length (available pay-what-you-want-style at BandCamp).

Now, Stolen Jars has incorporated 20-year-old vocalist Molly Grund as a member and is back with the first single "Folded Out" from their upcoming sophomore release Kept. It falls in line with the music on the first album, but this time, they've traded in the computer mic for some professional recording equipment; the percussion, guitar, and other instruments are more defined and the vocals have a more prominent presence. "Folded Out" unfolds, builds, and pushes along like a Delicate Steve or Dan Deacon song and sports a boy/girl vocal dynamic reminiscent of that of Dirty Projectors, only less jaunty, preferring a softer, more heartfelt approach.

Stream and download Stolen Jars' "Folded Out" for free below, as well as their 2011 debut album, and look out for their upcoming sophomore release Kept.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Swell EP: Griff's Room Band - Shut The Case EP [folk rock / pop rock / bluegrass]

Griff's Room Band is a folk rock/pop trio from Virginia that formed in 2011 and earned its street credit (quite literally) by playing to tourists and locals alike on the streets of Colonial Williamsburg. Over the past few years of their existence, the three friends have tightened up their infectious sound, playing numerous shows at and away from their usual bench location (see picture above). They even traveled over to Europe to enliven other historic streets. Recently, they uprooted their two acoustic guitars and fiddle over to Richmond, VA to live and make music together, which led to their first proper recording.

Their debut EP entitled Shut The Case is a 6-song collection of what Griff's Room Band does best: upbeat folk pop with rich acoustic guitar melodies, lively fiddling, and vocal harmonies that are almost too perfect. From the energetic lead-off track "Cornerbooth" and the sincerity of "Could Be" to the bluegrass-leaning "The Fine Line" and complex intertwined guitar picking of "All In", Griff's Room Band's proves to be a band with enough range to please just about any pedestrian and the originality to attract active listeners.

Download the Shut The Case EP at iTunes or BandCamp and stream the whole thing below. If you happen to be in Richmond, VA on July 25, be sure to join Griff's Room Band and their good vibes for their CD Release Show.

—My personal favorites: Could Be, The Fine Line, All In—

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Just Rolled In: Pepa Knight - "Clams" [world / indie pop / tropical]

After making a big splash with his euphoric single "Rahh!" a few months ago, Central Coast, Australia's Pepa Knight is back with another catchy-as-hell single, "Clams", littered with his spirited lead vocals, tribal percussion and chants, Indian-influenced guitar/sitar plucking, and melodic backing vocals, which altogether, make it easy to understand why he describes his uplifting brand of worldly indie pop as 'tipi pop'.

If you're in Australia, you can catch Pepa Knight in concert August 1 in Sydney or August 7 in Melbourne. If not, enjoy the music on his SoundCloud until his debut Hypnotized is released later this year.