One-man band Amateur Best (Joe Flory) does it all. Mr. Flory writes, produces and plays all the instruments, and he also handles the details of the visual artwork surrounding his musical projects. I like the DIY approach, and in the case of Amateur Best and the song Pleased the results are quite agreeable to my eardrums. The Amateur Best debut LP No Thrills is out now via Double Denim Records. Peace.

The post amateur best // pleased appeared first on The Earology Dept..

Alt-J is one of the surprise breakout bands of 2012, and there is damn good reason for that without a doubt. Listen to their brand new song “Buffalo” featuring Mountain Man from the original motion picture soundtrack for Silver Linings Playbook. Also, just in case you missed it I included the backwardly interesting video for the song “Breezleblocks.” This is the song and video that put this band on a lot of people’s musical radar. Peace.

The post alt-j // buffalo (ft. mountain man) appeared first on The Earology Dept..

Here’s an awesome track, “Foot In Your Mouth” taken from the U.K. punk rockers The Fades. The band’s forthcoming debut album Ragnarok due out soon. Listening to this song makes me realize just how much people should think before they actually speak. A bit of wisdom set to a bit of raucous punk rock noise! Peace.

The post the fades // foot in your mouth appeared first on The Earology Dept..

I have this to say about the Leeds, UK band Alt-J. Don’t let their debut album An Awesome Wave slip beneath your musical radar for lack of familiarity. You may have heard Alt-J’s totally (but still amazing) out of the box track, “Breezeblocks,” yet this track is only a fragment of a much larger, and conceptually complex puzzle.

Stream the entire album here at www.altjband.com. Available at Amazon and iTunes

Alt – J has so many wonderful things going on it may be difficult to put their sound into words, I’ll do my best. First, there is the unique vocals of lead singer Joe Newman, think one part hip-hop with swirls of some Romanesque bard thrown in for good measure. The music can range from the ardently, and deceptively folkish, to the bubbly sonic shock of punk fornicating with wild abandon with electro. It’s rife with so many genre flourishes and stops, starts and in-betweens. But it is exactly this which makes the band so much fun. Alt-J is simply a wondrous amalgamation of sounds; synths, guitars, and highly imaginative syncopation galore, enough to propel your backbone slipping beyond the furthest reaches of outer space. Yet, the songwriting is tight, imaginative But there is also tender songs of introspection perfect for moments of solemnness. Listen to “Tesselate,” “Matilda,”  “Ms.,” and the haunting sweetness of the track, “Bloodflood”. The latter song is like being kissed by countless scalpels and held tight by a million sutures afterwards. And then there is the hidden track, “Hand Made,” I’ll let you discover it on your own.

With the song “Breezelocks” you get a sense of the mysterious and slightly menacing, like a runaway freight train caroming off the tracks. But without a doubt it is so goddamn groovy! And although the song is filled with rolling fog and brilliant day-glo colors, it has just a bit of Nitrous oxide to keep it light, woozy and likeable. In short, it makes for fun and interesting listening. Peace.

The post alt-j // breezeblocks (video) (our sunday best) appeared first on The Earology Dept..

Nothing like a little dark song to make you feel better, right? The 5-piece band Spring Offensive from Oxford, U.K.  have honed melancholy to a razor’s edge with their latest offering “Carrier.” And not only should you thank lead vocalist Lucas Whitworth for his beautifully maudlin delivery, but video director Nicky Davidson should get a nod too. And if you’re one of our many fans in the U.K. do yourself a huge favor and check them out in person. After the jump you’ll find the latest video and tour schedule. Peace.

 
Spring Offensive Tour Schedule (Expect more dates soon!)
 

The post Spring Offensive // Carrier appeared first on The Earology Dept..