Swell EP: Monogold - This Bloom [psych pop / indie pop / experimental]

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One of my greatest discoveries of 2011, Brooklyn's very own experimental psych-pop trio Monogold, is finally back in my life with new music. Not unlike The Softest Glow (their amazing LP that initially caught my ear) and the debut We Animals EP before that, the recently released This Bloom EP is by no means lacking in the hook department and is damn sure to make you shake something. Brimming with bouncy beats, soaring falsetto harmonies, tropical guitar licks, kaleidoscopic looping and sampling, and most importantly, positive vibes, these endorphin-inducing sound collages establish Monogold's This Bloom as the go-to pick-me-up record this fall to keep us from slipping into winter hibernation while making the arrival of spring seem within our grasp. 

It may have taken them a while to put out some new jams, but I'm psyched to hear that they are already working on an acoustic followup release called Good Heavens, and sometime next year, they will be gracing us with a full-length record!

Stream and purchase Monogold's entire new EP below and watch a video of the band doing a live acoustic performance of "Holograms" at NYLON Studios in NYC, which may be a bit more autumn-appropriate, so make sure to check out their first two releases on their BandCamp page to get your blood pumping again.

Just Rolled In: Denpasar - "Dumb Fun" / "Old Enough" [indie pop / indie rock]

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As I tend to do in my spare time, I was spending the evening clicking through SoundCloud pages on my endless search for new music when I came across something that immediately stood out: the instantly gratifying and catchy-as-hell indie pop song "Dumb Fun" by Brisbane, Australia duo Denpasar (off their upcoming Joy EP). In the same vein as the snarly San Diego surf punks Wavves, Ben Fahey (who composed the song and seems to be the primary singer of the band) along with his production-savvy counterpart Alex L'Estrange pummel through this addictive track tirelessly, winding up just under the two-and-a-half minute mark, and with Fahey hardly having taken a breath.

Another pick from Denpasar's Joy EP, "Old Enough", caught my ear with its shimmery guitars, complex structure, and glossier indie pop finish. This one was composed by L'Estrange and rolls along at a more leisurely pace, but is unfortunately even shorter than "Dumb Fun". The slightly snotty vocals of the previous track are traded for more dreamy-sounding ones on "Old Enough", which makes for more of a euphoric listen.

The Joy EP was slated to be out mid-2014, but I haven't been able to locate it online, so check Denpasar's Facebook page for updates.

Stream the two songs below, along with a couple great tracks from Fahey and L'Estrange's previous indie rock band Don Koyote and a recent song from another one of L'Estrange's current projects – Bilby.

Just Rolled In: Wilder Maker - "Hope Springs" [americana / indie folk]

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Boston-born, Brooklyn-dwelling Gabriel Birnbaum is the songwriter behind the Americana/folk rock band Wilder Maker, which used to be known as Boy Without God and already has a couple records out, but his credits don't stop there. Whether on stage or in the studio, the twenty-eight-year-old musician has played with the likes of Sharon Van Etten, Jens Lekman, Akron/Family, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, DeVotchKa, Landlady, and SKATERS. He is also a member of the Ethiopian pop group Debo Band who released a critically-acclaimed full length back in 2012 via Sub Pop Records.

With this extensive résumé and the release of the lead single, "Hope Springs", from the first volume of Wilder Maker's upcoming Everyday Crimes Against Objects of Desire series, Gabriel Birnbaum is on the right track to making a name for himself and putting his band on the map. The song floats along at a leisurely pace with wispy guitars, dreamy organs, and beautiful boy/girl vocal harmonies, but the most standout characteristics of the track are Birnbaum's blues-y baritone (much like Bill Callahan's voice, or Justin Vernon's, when he's not hitting falsettos or tweaking the AutoTune knob) and the contradictory echo of the word "die" during the hopeful choruses. However, considering that Everyday Crimes... is a conceptual series of three EPs dealing with the tribulations of a rough breakup, the mixed emotions of the choruses make sense, and when bandmate Katie Von Schleicher chimes in with Birnbaum on the choruses just after he finishes reminiscing over his lost love in the verses, it effectively adds a realness to the melancholic situation of which we have just scratched the surface with "Hope Springs".

Pre-order a copy of Everyday Crimes Against Objects of Desire, Vol. I here or get your hands on it when it's released November 18 via Bleaksploitation Records. Enjoy the first single "Hope Springs" from Wilder Maker's three-part EP series below, as well as an excellent track from their 2013 album Year of Endless Light.