pop

The Warm Fuzzies: Fuzz of the Month

So, what’s the ‘fuzz’ of the month all about? Why, it’s no other than The Warm Fuzzies’ geek-tastic EP! Released in 2011, The Fuzz of the Month is the band’s planned year-long project, where they release one track per month. However, the holiday seasons must have kept them fuzzy in the pj’s, so the EP fell short of 2 tracks; the released 10 are still great, though.

Camden: Totally Fine

Totally Fine is ‘totally’ ramped up compared to their previous EP and it ‘totally’ works. Three very strong tracks guide this EP straight to the repeat setting. Although Camden’s sound can simply be thrown into a the indie alternative rock genre, there’s something that sets Camden aside. Perhaps it’s their ability to blend everything just right, I can almost see the sound waves dancing away together as if it were their high school prom.

TenPenny Joke: Ambush On All Sides

‘TenPenny Joke’ are a Pop Rock band from Australia and prior to their current hiatus, the band had been playing and writing for over ten years. On top of this achievement, the band has been played regularly on Australian radio and has even appeared on television a number of times. The album ‘Ambush on All Sides’ brings a quality that can be expected from 10 years of experience and its mainstream style reveals an attempt to connect with a larger audience. In regards to this album, ‘TenPenny Joke’ have promised ‘15 original, killer tracks with diverse shades and roaring guitars’ and its success on both internet polls and radio shows suggests that this is a fair call.

Zoe.LeelA’s Queendom Come – vibrant electro-pop

German pop songstress Zoe.LeelA describes her music as "New Plastic Soul," and to be honest I can't think of a better category to put it in. This 6-song EP, appropriately titled Queendom Come, is a bold statement of feminist energy and sexual tension. Zoe already has quite a following in Germany and France, but it remains to be seen whether her very European sound will translate well across the pond.

Duwende – taking a cappella to the next level

I grew up with a cappella music. I was in choirs from a very young age, and when it comes to innovative vocals, I thought I'd pretty much heard it all. But Duwende still manage to be different, even within the recent trend of vocal groups trying to be more outlandish and original than each other. And the difference has nothing to do with cheesy gimmicks or contrived tricks - Duwende simply make solid music that doesn't come off as choir-like.

netBloc 13

"Color in a world of monochrome" is the tagline for the thirteenth netBloc compilation release from blocSonic, and there couldn't be a more appropriate way to describe this collection of photos, artwork, and of course fantastic free music. A feast of visual and audio delights, there's more than enough here to keep you interested for the long haul, and to make you want more.

Erdbeerschnitzel helps clean out your ears with Pathetik Party

A lot has happened in recent years that is making me give electropop another chance. You might think there's only so much that can be done with dancey club-type music, but the advent of IDM as a distinct "listening" genre (i.e. stuff you might actually play at home) has really opened doors for musicians like Tim Keiling, also known as Erdbeerschnitzel, to spread their wings and explore a bit.