Cool Hunting
With a breakout summer single – Hey Now Now – The Cloud Room is the latest indie band from the Brooklyn art rock scene to capture my attention. With a sound that nods toward Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie and Joy Division, the Cloud Room may get lumped into the new wave of new wave bands but their music has more edge, more heart and possibly more soul. In the same way that Franz Ferdinand plays hyper fast yet melodic and beautiful music, Cloud Room grabs your attention right away – and holds on to it. I can’t tell you how many CDs I’ve listened to lately that get me excited in the first 30 seconds and then completely suck the rest of the album. Not the case with the Cloud Room’s self-titled dreamy, dreary CD. The songs are at times lofty and gorgeous while at other times dark and mysterious. Everyone’s been talking about Hey Now Now, which is a great track, but I think the poppy syncopation of Blackout! and stretched out vocals and plucky guitars of We Sleep in the Ocean both show a wider and stronger range –signaling good things to come for the band.
|
previous entry if.psfk.com: Interview With Josh Rubin, Mr. Cool Hunter |
next entry SF Ferry Building's Thursday Night Market |
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is the five-piece Brooklyn band making internet waves with their 80s-tinged indie pop. Synth melodies, warm basslines, and tight backbeats are a perfect foundation for lead singer Alec Ounsworth's David Byrne-esque lilt. Plus their self-released album is making the term "independent" meaningful again. Thanks to Teva for the heads-up on the dreamy new eponymous album available from Insound. You...
The third album for Papercuts, You Can Have What You Want, highlights a strongly maturing Jason Robert Quever, who's still a nostalgic songwriter but is bringing a new level of mastery to his trademark sound in good form. Looking back to the first impression of the SF band in 2004, the lo-fi aesthetic of Mockingbird was a hazy and modern take on the old....
The bond between brothers can be a tumultuous one, but the musical fruits are plentiful. Just ask the Kinks' Davies brothers, the Greenwoods of Radiohead or the National, who can claim two sets of brothers. This grand tradition extends to Brooklyn-via-Jersey siblings Edward and Jeff Nazareno, who perform under the moniker pow wow! The two have been playing music independently for more than 11...
If one were to throw a rock in the western part of Brooklyn, it'd likely hit the supporting member of some transplanted indie rock band. With everyone and their mother's band relocating to the borough, it presents a problem for a five-piece, guitar-driven rock band like Harlem Shakes to rise above the fray. They may get their chance with "Technicolor Health", the band's debut...
Since its recent release, we've had the new TV on The Radio album Dear Science on repeat at CH Headquarters. You'd think that between putting out the new album and flexing his thespian muscles in Rachel Getting Married, TV's own Tunde Adebimpe would have little time for anything else. But luckily this isn't the case, as Tunde found the time and inspiration to design...
Though they formed last year in Brooklyn, The Kiss Off could easily pass as Manchester natives from the early '80s. The band was founded by guitarist Adam De Rosa and bassist Nathan Lithgow, who lay distorted melodies over catchy drumming and synth drones. Sam Tyndall's vocals complete the band, which sounds something like a better-produced Joy Division or a more brooding Franz Ferdinand. The...
