Eugene McGuinness, "Eugene McGuinness" (Domino)
Hyped on: Keep Hope Inside; Black Cab Sessions; Stereogum
MySpace
Who: Only 22, the term “precocious” has been swirling around this young Liverpudlian with a big-time vocab, swift turns of phrase and soaring falsetto. True, McGuinness’ songs are highly developed, and pretty wide-ranging in style. Rich jangle pop lives in half the tunes, recalling a young Ray Davies or even the recently reinvented Conor Oberst. The lush arrangements and instrument switches hint at Beirut and Zach Condon’s freakish abilities. But nothing on this sophomore release quite sticks with you as much as these other guys. Not a bad thing! Those other guys are really, really good. And older than 22.
What: The very British post-punk hop, assured vocals and silly lo-fi video on “Fonz” drew us in instantly. Check out Eugene’s hair. Why would a singer from Liverpool do that to himself? Good song. But as mentioned, there is more to this story. “Wendy Wonders” and more so “Disneyfied” are fully Kinksian, similar to Of Montreal’s great mid-career trip to the ‘60s, “Aldhils Arboretum.” With heavy percussion and a ghostly refrain, “Moscow State Circus” makes us think McGuinness should tour the States and open for White Rabbits.
Made for: AMC fans—“Those Old Black and White Movies Were True” is a well-played 1930s pastiche.
X-Factor: McGuinness entered the pop culture universe in 2007, when his trippy video for "Monsters Under the Bed" was promoted on the frontpage of YouTube. Half a million plays later, here we are. – MR
Bowerbirds, "Upper Air" (Dead Oceans)
Hyped on: BBQCHICKENROBOT; Fear of Arthropods; Pop Headwound
MySpace
Who: A nu-folk duo (plus occasional friends), Bowerbirds give flight to their gentle songs from a home nest in North Carolina. Fronted by married couple Phil Moore (guitar/vocals) and Beth Tacular (accordion/keys/vocals), the little band with the softly soaring sound frequently gets musical help on drums, percussion and other instruments when the need arises, on tour or in the studio. But the group’s size is seemingly of little concern, as the pair can enchant a crowd all by themselves, too.
What: Bowerbirds got quickly hyped and then rapidly overlooked when their debut, “Hymns for a Dark Horse,” dropped in 2007. Now the Internet is excited once again for their follow-up LP, the recently released “Upper Air.” Not much has changed in terms of the group’s sound—it’s still mostly just a modern take on very old folk idioms—but the world feels more suited to really embrace this band now for the long-term. Maybe they should thank the Avett Brothers or even She & Him; whatever the cause for the shift in taste, Bowerbirds’ tenderly crafted folk songs featuring boy-girl harmonies and smartly appointed backing tracks sound well-suited to the present times: simple, solid and comforting.
Made for: Indie movie soundtracks. Ben Gibbard’s iPod. Nighttime summer drives through lonely roads and forests. Fans of Mountain Goats and Neil Young’s quiet moments. Freak folks who focus more on the “folk” part.
X-Factor: Moore and Tacular started the band while living in an Airstream trailer and then half-built, half-restored an old barn as a house—all by themselves and without the use of power tools. Given this much D.I.Y. dedication, who knows what the band could undertake next. – KND
General Elektriks, "Good City for Dreamers" (Quannum Projects)
Hyped on: Muzorama; Audio Absinthe; BBQCHICKENROBOT
MySpace
Who: Hervé “RV” Salters is a busy guy. When he’s not turning out delightfully bent pop/soul/hip-hop concoctions as General Elektriks, the French-born, Berkeley-based singer/producer/keyboard whiz is one-third of Bay Area dance-rockers Honeycut, the touring keyboardist for hip-hop group Blackalicious, and a session player for the likes of Lifesavas, Curumin and the Mighty Underdogs. “Good City” makes for his second album under the Elektriks handle.
What: Salters can rock a vintage keyboard like nobody’s business, and his funky Clavinet work is on full display with this album’s fantastic opening one-two punch: “Take Back the Instant” (check the groovy animated video) and “Raid the Radio.” But before you can pigeonhole the man as another Money Mark type with a serious retro jones, things start to get interesting: “You Don’t Listen” is a falsetto-filled slow jam worthy of Jamie Lidell; “Helicopter” comes on like the funkiest “Electric Company” sing-along ever; “Cottons of Inertia” is a psychedelic comedown with gorgeous piano and druggy, Beatlesque strings. It might be premature to put Salters alongside such other postmodern funk soul brothers as Beck and Gnarls Barkley, but he’s well on his way.
Made for: The soundtrack to your next lava lamp–lit, swingin’ bachelor pad party. People who salivate at the words “vintage keyboards.” Anyone who’s ever wondered what a Lewis Taylor/Money Mark collaboration might sound like.
X-Factor: Salters gets political on the album’s final track, “Rebel Sun,” which is about the 2000 conflict in Bolivia over a water privatization scheme. (But don’t worry—it’s still got a groovy beat.) – AH
Blacklist, "Midnight of the Century" (Wierd/RCRD LBL)
Hyped on: Music of the Moment; Sound Bites; The Rich Girls Are Weeping
MySpace
Who: Formed in 2004, this Brooklyn quartet now find themselves as the torchbearers for a revived “cold wave” movement (aka the gloomy post-punk noise that dominated the U.K. in the early ‘80s). The group, and their “scene,” have already been the focus of features in London’s Guardian newspaper and the Village Voice.
What: Can you have a backlash before your breakout? “They kind of sound like every band signed to Beggars Banquet between 1979 and 1983” is how one blog described Blacklist, and it’s pretty apt commentary: after hearing the shimmering guitars, crisp drums and dramatic, Goth-y vocal tics of Josh Strawn on the band’s new single “Flight of the Demoiselles,” you might be tempted to break out the Cult’s old “Love” album—or anything by Bauhaus, which the group’s noisier “Shock in the Hotel Falcon” resembles greatly. While admittedly derivative, it’s hardly different from how Interpol channels Joy Division—and it’s nearly as good.
Made for: Aging Goths and their progeny. New Yorkers needing a new scene post-electroclash/Strokes/Interpol/laptop rock. Art snobs; the band tends to play a lot of gallery shows.
X-Factor: Dig the gloomy sounds? After years of underground and deep-in-Brooklyn parties, Blacklist and their Wierd Records brethren take over New York’s underground bar Home Sweet Home every Wednesday. – KM
