NPR First Listen of New Beach House Album

Beach House's new album, Bloom, coming out on Tuesday, May 15th. While browsing the racks of Schoolkids Records, Myth started playing, followed by a few others from the album. I enjoyed listening to Bloom so much that I wanted to stay and listen to the whole album. I did find out that NPR is already hosting a Free Listen of the entire album on its website and it is fantastic. Have a listen for yourself.

Artist Review (Forecastle Preview Edition): Wye Oak

Fans of Walking Dead might recognize Wye Oak. Their single "Civilian" from their 2011 LP, Civilian, was played during the trailer of the show's second season. However, for those who don't watch The Walking Dead, this band might be new to you, as they were new to me until I saw them on the Forecastle lineup.

Wye Oak is a duo indie folk/rock band out of Baltimore, MD consisting of Andy Stack (drums, keyboards, and backup vocals) and Jenn Wasner (vocals and guitar). Wasner's vocals and guitar playing style reminds me a lot of bands, such as Beach House and Modest Mouse. The overall genre is reminiscent of Pavement, Wilco, Sonic Youth, and The Pixies. So, if you like soft vocals, heavy guitar, and catchy drum beats mixed with early indie rock influence, this band is for you.

This band likely already has a strong fan base and after checking out Civilian, I am hoping to get a chance to see their live performance if I can squeeze them into what is already a packed Saturday during Forecastle.

Holy Holy

Dog Eyes

Civilian

Doubt

Artist Review (Forecastle Preview Edition): Justin Townes Earle

As my first pick for the "Artist Review" Forecastle edition I chose a newly discovered (for me, at least) Americana/Country singer, Justin Townes Earle. Set to play the second day of Forecastle (Saturday), Earle has a traditional Country/ Folk sound with strong, heartfelt lyrics similar to that of Country legends (Merle Haggard, Kriss Kristofferson, and Steve Earle).

The son of Steve Earle, Justin was born into the music lifestyle and grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, so naturally Justin has strong roots with traditional country music. However, unlike Steve Earle's Texas-style country music, Justin's style is more mixed with folk, blues, and southern rock. This fusion of genres is what makes Earle's music appealing to me and although he has had rough patches in his music career, I am looking forward to seeing him live on a warm mid-summer day.

Harlem River Blues

One More Night In Brooklyn

Wanderin

Slippin' and Slidin'