skatterbrain!

Burning Hearts: "Modern Times" Video

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:09:00 -0500

Here is a brand new video from Burning Hearts for this gentle tuesday! I couldn’t be more pleased with their amazing new record and I’m doubly excited that they’ve now made a video for my favorite song off of it! Fall in love.

Again, if you haven’t yet, grab ‘Extinctions’ from Shelflife!

Modern Charms "When We Get There"

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:22:00 -0500

Well, shit. It’s barely 10am on Monday and I’m pretty sure I’ve already heard the best thing I’ll hear all week. With all of the 90s indierock/shoegaze revivalist bands popping up in the past few years, San Francisco’s Modern Charms are a BIG standout for me. Why? Oh, maybe because they sound like some perfect marriage of Drop Nineteens/Swirlies and I can hardly stop grinning about it. We all know what’s happening here, and yes, it’s unabashedly derivative, but “When We Get There” is just so damn good that I could really care less. More more more, please!

Here another song from the forthcoming record on their Bandcamp!

I really DO try to not get overly excited and praise-crazy about...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:33:00 -0500

I really DO try to not get overly excited and praise-crazy about bands after hearing just one song or whatever, but as anyone who’s read Skatterbrain a few times would be aware, this effort usually proves to be laughably futile. Such is the case with with Novella and their new EP and the new track from it that I just heard for the first time today! I am instantly smitten—infatuated, even—and I’d guess that you might be, too! “Don’t Believe Ayn Rand”, despite it’s display of fuzz and reverb, is an elegant swan of a popsong with echoes of Lush and other dreamy 4AD-esque noisemakers of yore. The memorable chorus melody of “Oh no, she’s lost control” packs the catchiness of “Hypocrite” set against a back drop of something a bit more ‘Spooky.’ Gross. Sorry about that. I am just too excited. And I just can’t hide it. Sorry.

Preorder the EP from Italian Beach Babes now! I don’t expect it to last long!

Hospitality: Epitonic Saki Sessions!

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:37:00 -0500

Hospitality: Epitonic Saki Sessions!:

I haven’t mentioned it much on here yet, but Hospitality’s debut Self-titled LP has been getting more plays than probably any other record I’ve heard so far this year. The band recently recorded a fantastic set for Epitonic’s Saki Sessions—including, among others, a fantastic version of “Sleepover” and older favorite “Monkey”—and you can download the whole thing for free over here!

Up until this point I had remained mostly lukewarm in regards to...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:28:00 -0500

Up until this point I had remained mostly lukewarm in regards to San Francisco’s Young Prisms. Now, I don’t know if it’s this dreadfully overcast morning or the loads of medicine I’m fighting this headache with, but after many repeated listens, “Four Hours (Away)” is still SO perfect. It’s placing me back in bed and back into the dream I had cut short just hours ago. The track comes from their upcoming LP ‘In Between’ (out March 27 on Kanine Records!) and sounds to this sick boy like (careful, over-generalizations ahead) some of my favorite parts of Slowdive and Mazzy Star mushed together, stripped-down and shot out of a dusty, old projector. Listen!

Back in April of last year I fell in love with some fantastic...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:07:00 -0500

Back in April of last year I fell in love with some fantastic demos from a wonderful band named The Birthday Kiss and now they’ve finished their debut single and oh man it is just too good! There’s buzzing synths galore and there’s also some seriously good jangling guitar—but like, not that sunny cupcake jangle, this is the kind of jangle that wears leather and gets in knife fights and eats glass and spits in your face, I’d reckon. This all makes so much sense when you realize The Birthday Kiss hold in their ranks not only Ben from The Lodger(!), but also the wonderful, wonderful vocals of Sarah from The Research! I dare you to get the chorus out of your head after a few listens! I’ve been singing it in my head all night. No word as far as I can tell on how this single will (hopefully) see a physical release, but I’m crossing my fingers for SOON.

The Birthday Kiss on Facebook!

Twerps "Jam Song" Live Session!

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:21:12 -0500

Australia’s Twerps recently played one of my favorite songs—”Jam Song”—from one of my most favorite records of last year on PBS 106.7’s Drive Live show and after watching it five times I felt the need to put it here! If you have yet to have the wildly fortunate experience of seeing Twerps live then this is quite a nice treat! Such fantastic guitar lines all throughout this song!

As I wait and wait for what will probably be one of my personal...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:13:00 -0500

As I wait and wait for what will probably be one of my personal favorite LPs of the year, Evans The Death will very soon be releasing their first single from that very record! “Telling Lies” is another bright and blissful punkpop gem from a band that has currently managed to do absolutely no wrong in my book. The guitars here are fantastic—that stun-guitar solo, YES!—but my utmost fascination with Evans still lies in Katharine Whitaker’s stunning command of vocal melody. The expertly woven melodies are as elegant here as they were on “I’m So Unclean”. It all seems so simple, but it’s those subtle shifts in lines like “What do I take you for? What do I take you for?” that make Evans The Death such a brilliant pop band.

‘Telling Lies’ will be out February 27 on Fortuna Pop! in the UK!
and the following week on Slumberland Records in the US!

Stream the new Maribel record 'Reveries'!

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:44:00 -0500

Stream the new Maribel record 'Reveries'!:

Splendour Records just posted the entirety of the amazing new Maribel LP on Soundcloud a few hours ago. Now I know how I’ll be spending my morning! Also, here is the brand new video for “You Bring The Sadness”!

Warm on the heels of the bedroom fuzzpop groundswell that was...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:24:00 -0500

Warm on the heels of the bedroom fuzzpop groundswell that was the ‘Kool Gawd’ 7”, Mr. Kevin Alvir aka The Hairs is/are back in tip-top shape with a new single on WeePOP! Records! Led by the rush of mechanized drums and fuzzsaw guitars, Kevin happily informs us that “[he’s] been working out, and [he’s] gonna make jesus proud.” And he’s right you know, the only thing jesus loves more than muscles is a quick and dirty pop gem.

Buy it from WeePOP! Records!

10,000 Maniacs "Can't Ignore The Train"

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:31:15 -0500

I think maybe I’ll just listen to this over and over today. Perhaps you should, too. There is also a pretty fantastic cover by The Popguns that is also quite worth hearing!

Tickets are now on sale for the two DC Chickfactor shows!

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:55:00 -0500

Tickets are now on sale for the two DC Chickfactor shows!:

Get on it! See you there!

Denver, Colorado’s self-professed “No Coast Surf...

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:18:00 -0500

Denver, Colorado’s self-professed “No Coast Surf Punx” Sauna make sweet, surfy pop jams from the most unlikely of places. Their ‘Teen Angst Tape’ EP is brief sugary stroll of sparkling leads and breezy female vocal melodies with more than a dash of reverb and catchiness! “Please Don’t Go Away” is a welcome Winter oasis that’ll probably be even nicer when the Springtime hits. For now, just let it shake off those Winter blues!

Sauna on Facebook!

A Monthly Mix: February 2012!

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:20:28 -0500

Hey! It’s monthly mix time again and this month’s is a good one! February is a cold and contemplative month—I think—which led to the inclusion of some pretty weepy gems from The Clientele, Cannanes + Steward, and Weekend, but I tried my best to keep it from turning into bummerfest 2012! With the help of some super good, newer jams from Eux Autres, Burning Hearts, Fear Of Men, The Pipers, and Hospitality everything balances out quite nicely! Also, I’ve always wanted to start a mix with that St. Christopher song. Those opening drums—so perfect! Listen and enjoy! Oh, and wish for snow!

FEBRUARY DOWNLOAD FIESTA!

Tracklist:
01. St. Christopher “Forevermore Starts Here”
02. Je Suis Animal “Dominating Spot In The Room”
03. Burning Hearts “Burn Burn Burn”
04. Felt “My Darkest Light Will Shine”
05. The Clientele “North School Drive”
06. Hospitality “Sleepover”
07. The Pipers “Cold Winds”
08. #Poundsign# “The Best Day”
09. Eux Autres “Right Again”
10. Cannanes + Steward “Not Quite Right”
11. Weekend “Nostalgia” (Demo)
12. Fear Of Men “Doldrums”
13. The Cat’s Miaow “Shoot The Moon”
14. Secret Shine “Temporal”
15. Heartworms “There You Go”
16. The Spinanes “Winter On Ice”
17. The Sparklers “Secret Snow”
18. Panda Riot “Suspense Kiss”

YAY New Shrag!!! These lovely folks from Brighton/London will...

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:53:00 -0500

YAY New Shrag!!! These lovely folks from Brighton/London will release their third LP, ‘Canines’ later this year on WIAIWYA/Fortuna POP! and here’s a new one from it! “Chasing Consummations” is Shrag at their lushest and daydreamiest (think “Coda” or “Furnishings” from the last record) and it’s a glittering prize of a song! If you know Shrag, you know the loads of energy bubbling JUST below the surface here must certainly be hinting at dancier things to come later this year on ‘Canines’! If you don’t know Shrag, “Rabbit Kids”!

Get excited! And go see them play with Tunabunny if you’re able!!!

Las Robertas cover Daniel Johnston!

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:33:05 -0500

Las Robertas cover Daniel Johnston!:

Head to bandcamp to hear Las Robertas’ haunting and wonderful cover of “True Love Will Find You In The End” for the Daniel Johnston tribute comp ‘Coloreando A Daniel Johnston’! Reina Republicana—another favorite of mine—also make a fantastic appearance with their cover of “Worried Shoes”! Read more about the compilation on facebook.

Exlovers "Starlight, Starlight" Video

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:44:00 -0500

London’s Exlovers play beautiful, driving dreampop that sends your heart soaring and your feet tapping! “Starlight, Starlight” comes from their debut LP ‘Moth’, which should be out sometime this Spring! Incidentally, I’d highly recommend sharing Exlovers with someone you love. I feel like this band could really be a big part of my year, I’m so excited to hear the LP! Listen! And listen again!!!

On February 21st Wild Nothing will release their first new...

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:57:00 -0500

On February 21st Wild Nothing will release their first new recordings since 2010’s amazing ‘Gemini’ int he form of a new 7” single! The record’s a-side “Nowhere”, featuring vocals from the very lovely Andrea Estella of Twin Sister, does indeed tread a similar path as Jack Tatum and Co.’s previous recordings, but why shouldn’t it? It’s beautiful, it’s now, it’s making me smile, and frankly that’s all that really matters. Stream the song over on Soundcloud!

Liechtenstein’s second LP ‘Fast Forward’ is...

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:34:00 -0500

Liechtenstein’s second LP ‘Fast Forward’ is out TODAY RIGHT NOW AT THIS VERY MOMENT care of the the very lovely Fraction Discs of Sweden! I posted the video for “Strange Ideas” a few weeks back and now here’s another from the new LP “Ambitions”. If you’re still not convinced that you need to preorder ‘Fast Forward’ immediately then you simply don’t belong around these parts. And look at that beautiful cover art!

hey do you take submissions?

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:31:21 -0500

Yes, I do, but before submitting you may want to take a look at the type of stuff I post and see if it’s something that might fit in! If it seems like it might, then by all means send it my way, but I can’t guarantee that it’ll ever end up here. But it might! Any submissions can be sent to skatterbrainpop at gmail dot com!