If “Time Travel,” one of the more delightfully sinister tracks on Blouse's self-titled debut, is to be believed, the band has the ability to fluidly travel between present, past, and future. The album (out now on Captured Tracks), which sounds nostalgic and fresh all at once, confirms this assertion. Charlie Hilton’s lead vocals hover somewhere between Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier and Beach House’s Victoria ... Read More

Despite the title, Brite Futures’ new album Dark Past (out now on Turnout) is anything but gloomy. The Seattle-based band (formerly known as Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head) split from Warner Bros. and have since moved on to indie label Turnout, a move that underlies some songs on the new record. The quintet of Claire England, Shaun Libman, Luke Smith, David Price, and Conor Sisk may have a new name, but they can still bring us an ... Read More

Motherhood seems to have been quite an influential force on Kimya Dawson’s new album Thunder Thighs (out now on her label Great Crap Factory). Many of the songs--as well as the Sesame-Street-on-acid album cover--evoke whimsical sensibilities that wouldn’t be out of place in a hip kindergarten classroom. Dawson’s desire to create music she can share with her now five-year-old daughter reached an apex on 2008’s ... Read More

While all of the easy Daft Punk comparisons were flying around when Justice released 2007's Cross, there was something else going on: oh, the dreaded word “prog!” But at this point, with even Kanye bumping King Crimson, it’s safe for Justice to come out of the closet. On Audio, Video, Disco (out now on Ed Banger/Because), instead of isolated moments that sound like a '70s Italian zombie soundtrack, you’ve got an ... Read More

Some embrace the crisp autumn like a sudden shower during a steamy summer day, but to others, the arrival of fall means the tragic end of sun-soaked days at the beach. It’s no wonder that moody trip-hop is in season. Husband and wife duo Aleksa Palladino and Devon Church of Exitmusic know all too well what seasonal changes do to people--they’re based in New York, a city currently dealing with an indecisive Mother Nature. Perhaps ... Read More