Saintseneca, Saintseneca EP

Saintseneca are an indie folk band from the Columbus, Ohio music scene. They put out their first album at the beginning of 2009 and a new four track, the self-titled Saintseneca EP, on September 1st. They play fast paced banjo/guitar folk music with handclaps and twee vocals, with stomping singalong chorusses and simple vocal melodies to match. According to the myspace, they'll play anywhere that 'it echoes, and there's a good floor to stomp on.'

They are currently on mini-tour around Ohio in support of the EP, which now available on Itunes (at full price) and on Paper Brigade, where you can name your own. Promo single God Bones is gorgeously catchy - twee folk at its finest. Furious high pitched strumming starts off the song at a high tempo, before huge percussion and violins present both a folk music anthem and a clear cut lead single from the EP. At two and a half minutes, it captures everything Saintseneca are about, tight strumming, fluid vocals, great lyrics and an endless repertoire of instruments.


Saintseneca - God Bones (live)

Saintseneca are definitely a band to keep watch on. You can stream, or buy, the full EP from Paper Brigade Digital, and hear the rest of their music at the myspace page. You can download a collection of their material from earlier this year in RAR format from OHYM.

Saintseneca EP from Amazon.

Saintseneca - God Bones (MP3) (from the Saintseneca EP)
Saintseneca - Coldwater History (MP3)

The Drums

photo via BrooklynVegan.com, live at Bowery Ballroom.

The Drums is a name that has been kicking around my head to the point that i've been on the brink of listening to them for a couple of months now - and having just seen them confirmed on the NME tour alongside The Big Pink, The Maccabees and Bombay Bicycle Club, the time really has come for me to put some sort of post together.

The Drums formed from the ashes of the two New Yorker's earlier projects - Elkland and HORSE SHOES. Jonathan Pierce (vocals) and Jacob Graham (lead guitar) had been playing music together as far back as 2003, back in the days when their electropop project was known as the Goat Explosion. They never really succeeded under this moniker, and after considerable time playing as Elkland, and subsequently a year or so out from music, Pierce and Graham changed their name to The Drums at the end of 2008 and released two new tracks. This time around, they were infinitely more successful.



They have all the laid back attitude of Vampire Weekend, and a very similar voice to match - 60s basslines and steady leads accompany a fast, clicky and dubbed down set of drumming, giving not only a fast paced, but also an extremely laid back feel to their music. Some tracks have quite a synthpop side to them, and parts even dip into powerpop, other songs are much more pop and post-punk influenced. They are not afraid to sing either, quite often their songs end up with finger clicks, handclaps and whistling to accompany their well-frequented two part harmonies. Ultimately, The Drums are rather erratic indie dance band, but to be honest, putting a finger on the exact genre is a difficult task. Have a listen for yourself below, and catch the video to Let's Go Surfing above.

They have a massive amount of shows booked in for February next year on the NME 2010 Tour, and their Summertime EP came out in October. They are soon to set about completing the full album, before a sure-fire jam-packed festival season ahead of them next year.

The Drums - Let's Go Surfing (MP3)
The Drums - Don't Be A Jerk, Jonny (MP3)
The Drums - I Felt Stupid (MP3)

Buy the Summertime Ep (Amazon)

The Drums on MYSPACE.

Best Coast

Best Coast is the latest project of Los Angeles musician, and former member of Pocahaunted, Bethany Cosentino. In her first musical endeavour since her work with the latter, Best Coast marks her return to California after a year in New York with a total change in sound - from the depths of ambient experimental rock (which incidentally saw her support Sonic Youth in 2007), into beach punk and reverb soaked California roots music. She particularly impressed at this years CMJ Marathon in NYC, and saw the latest in a long line of 7" singles, the Make You Mine 7-inch, come out on Black Iris records last week.

She makes 60s inspired pop songs around the 2 minute mark, taking parts of the timeless Beach Boys formula and combining them with lo-fi overdriven rock. The new record, and subsequent album is being produced by Fool's Gold's Lewis Pesacov (MYSPACE), and her and her new musical partner Bob Brunn have said goodbye to Dum Dum Girls' and Graffiti Island's Art Fag and jumped ship over to Black Iris.

She's played a series of support dates since summer, including some with good friend Nathan William's Wavves, and has built up a whirlwind of hype after her shows in recent months. With a large number of pre-existing industry connections, an eager record label, and loads of fantastic material and performing experience behind her - it's going to be a busy 2010 for Cosentino. Dates on her calendar include shows with No Age at the Art Fag fest before the end of the month as well as a date with Spaceland in December. She's recording material for a debut album sometime next year, and constantly putting out more and more material.

Without a doubt, Best Coast is one of the most exciting emerging garage pop artists on the scene at the moment - and i've attached mp3s on the bottom of the post for you to have a listen. Sun Was High (So Was I) is airy and reverbial pop song with a catchy melody line, and That's The Way Boys Are is a careless anthem of sunny harmonies and punkish overtones. Her songs range between the airy and the upbeat, but always retain an air of youth and carelessness, and that California 'life goes on attitude' which comes across in everything Cosentino does. These songs will take you away, and make you want to move out there, forever. She's a very talented individual, and at 22, has many years of life on the 'best coast' ahead of her.

One last thing, there's a great June 2009 interview with her HERE via Popsense.com

Best Coast on MYSPACE.

Buy the singles @ Group Tightener.

Best Coast - That's The Way Boys Are (MP3)
Best Coast - Sun Was High (So Was I) (MP3)
Best Coast - When I'm With You (MP3)

Introducing.. Holly Miranda

Holly Miranda is a Michigan born vocalist, guitarist, trumpeter and pianist, famous for her work with the Jealous Girlfriends in New York in 2003 and before that, for her solo work in and around East Village in 2001. It was at this time she recorded her first album, a 20-track 'High Above The City', which was only available at shows. She has also recorded under the moniker of Raven Mayhem, as well as her own name and with the Jealous Girlfriends since dropping out of high school in Michigan at age 16. It is her solo work which is the latest to expand. She released an EP at the start of 2009 called Sleep On Fire, which acts as the precursor to her full-length due in the beginning of 2010.

She signed on to XL Recordings in September, (amazingly, she has spent almost a decade as an unsigned artist) and has already toured with The XX, Wild Beasts and The Antlers as well as Florence & The Machine and Friendly Fires. Not only this, but her songs have been played on Grey's Anatomy and CSI, and she was directly mentioned in a recent blog post from Kanye West. Her new album is being produced by Dave Sitek (Tv On The Radio, Foals, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and her EP has been reviewed by the New York Times and Time Out amongst many others.

Her sound is slightly on the ethereal side, and a lot calmer and folkier than her work with the Jealous Girlfriends. Her voice intertwines beautifully around calm waves of ambient synths, and retains every bit of Massive Attack style grandeur with every note. Underneath all of these effects you can really hear just how good her voice is. Without knocking the Jealous Girlfriends, her talent is brought out in a much clearer way on this project, and her sentimentality in expression is shown far more with these new songs.

She's an artist who's been about to explode on to the scene for several years, and then almost overnight has done it. Touring just about everywhere non-stop throughout 2009, New York City's best-kept secret is finally out the box.

Holly Miranda on MYSPACE.

The Jealous Girlfriends on Amazon

Holly Miranda - Waves (MP3)
Holly Miranda - Everytime I Go To Sleep (MP3)

Four Tet, Love Cry

I always imagine artists in this kind of genre to lock themselves away alone for months when they are writing, and emerge triumphantly at the end of their time down below with their new full-length. I'm pretty sure it doesn't happen at all like that (except maybe in Burial's case), but if I was to emerge from my basement after nearly five years (yes, it's been that long since the last full-length), i'd definitely be proud to emerge with this new track under my arm.

Four Tet has returned with not only news of a new 12", but also with a lovely 9 minute lead single entitled Love Cry, from January 25th's There Is Love In You. It's a repetitive, and at times quite glitchy record, taking elements of his work with Burial and mixing them all down into a semi-ambient, underground dance record. His staccato drums come in after a minute or so and only slightly alter throughout the one build up which takes precedence throughout the entire song. Around half way through the track enters vocals, which manage to take the song over for a good couple of minutes without saying much else other than a seriously manipulated 'Love Cry.'

Hebden's sound pallete is big enough that he never seems to have any issues with creating new sounds - as a result, his songs end up more intriguing than anything else. I tend to find my listening to Four Tet is often more out of the curiousity and respect I have for his music than because i find it particularly catchy or satisfying. At the end of the day, artists who fascinate and liberate rather than simply play what people are always in the mood for are far more creative and talented. 'Love Cry' is in no way inaccessible, but i'm pretty sure some dancefloor remixes will be headed our way in the next couple of months.

Four Tet/Kieran Hebden on MYSPACE.

Everything Ecstatic on Amazon

Four Tet - Love Cry (MP3) (from 2010's There Is Love In You)