Peter Hook Sees The Light

Unless you live under a rock you should know who Peter Hook is. His legendary bass lines and playing style are known the world over as some of the most influential in modern pop music. Hookie has been a busy guy the last couple of years with various projects, tours and the like and his latest project is a team up with Happy Monday's back up vocalist Rowetta. Known as The Light he and Rowetta have taken a few classic Joy Division anthems and even completed an unfinished work for their EP 1102/2011.

While the original versions of each of the three complete Joy Division songs could never be beat, Rowetta's vocals give each of the covers a sense of drama and near operatic presence that the originals didn't have. I prefer to think of them as completely different interpretations of the songs rather than a tribute. While musically they sound similar, Rowetta's vocals really make them completely different and take them in a far darker and moodier direction, if that's even possible. Her soaring vocals cast a shadow over the songs which allow them to be grimmer than the originals.

Perhaps the biggest draw of this EP though is the unearthed and unreleased track, "Pictures In My Mind." Essentially a spiky, jumpy post punk tune Peter Hook finished the tune off by thrashing it out a bit, making it a bit rambunctious and less atmospheric than other Joy Division songs. Whether or not it could have ever been an A-side to a single is up for debate as it even appears as track two here. It is a good song though and like the punky energy that's been brought to it. Hookie has done a good job of flushing it all out and the vocalist who sings the tune so successfully taps into his inner Ian it had me wondering whether or not the vocals were actually pre-recorded.

If you're a Madchester fan, a Joy Division fan, or a Monday's fan you'll find 1102/2011 a worthy investment. Featuring a communal vibe and new material what Joy Division fan wouldn't want this? Here's hoping that if The Light continues maybe they'll develop some new material not tied to either band...lord knows they've got the talent to pull it off.

Those Lavender Whales Throw The Tomahawk Of Praise

Those Lavender Whales are a group of South Caroline-ans who create music for lazy rivers, sunshiny days, spring mornings, and long walks. Their album Tomahawk of Praise is a indie pop gem that takes rustic influences and cheers them up a bit. It's a shy and relatively fragile record that sounds as if it were so delicately assembled and so bashfully played that it's as if Those Lavender Whales were hiding when they recorded it.

All that being said, Tomahawk of Praise, is quite worthy of praise. It's a fantastic record of jangly indie pop that utilizes banjos, pianos, and boy/girl harmonies so well that it's guaranteed to put a smile on your face. It may be shy and fragile, but the record is ridiculously upbeat and adorable. This is such a huggable record that the arms on the record cover could probably reach out and give you one...and if they can't they should. If ever a record was twee and cute this would be it. The innocence, the apprehension, and timidity that permeate every song make Tomahawk of Praise incredibly likeable. This is a humble little record wants to be your friend and Those Lavender Whales really want to share it's whimsy with you.

Tomahawk of Praise is a great record. Those Lavender Whales have created a syrupy sweet record that's so sugary and so good that you'll find yourself wanting it near at all times. This is the kind of record that could put a smile on even the most bitter of individuals. Happy, modest, rustic, quirky, jangly, and most importantly, fun there's really nothing bad you can say about Tomahawk of Praise. It's fragility and constant upbeat nature makes it worthy of heaping praise up on it and it's fantastic and catchy songs make it worthy of many, many listens.

The Irrelevant Future Of Estrogen Highs

The Estrogen Highs are not a group of girls who get per-menstrual with their guitars,oh no, this is actually a bunch of guys who aren't even on HRT but somehow have come up with a most feminine name. The band, in all seriousness, is a garage punk outfit who detune their guitars, amp up their riffs, and throw out songs like yesterday's trash. Their album Irrelevant Future is a raw, under produced stumble through a three chord neighborhood where technicality is replaced by never ending energy.

They may not be jazz musicians or even know who Miles Davis is, but Estrogen Highs have a level of rambunctiousness and honesty that powers them through any musical difficulties they might have. They've got the three chord thing down pat and they beat the heck out of every three chords they play with the result being a twisted heap of punk rock that's spiky, catchy, and a bit sentimental. Irrelevant Future might seem to have a depressing overtone to it, but the music keeps things upbeat, speedy, and a lot of fun. This is raw rock and roll unleashed on the world and let alone to run rampant.

Irrelevant Future is an enjoyable listen of sloppy, spazzy, jangly, aggressive pop music that sounds as if it were recorded in a living room with a Tascam four track. It's great stuff whose purity and honesty is a refreshing change of pace. There's no posturing, no hipster preening; it's just pure energetic rock and roll and it might just kill you. Estrogen Highs might have a confusing name but they write easy to figure out stuff and it's done so well that it's impossible not to like. They may think they have an Irrelevant Future but the actuality of it all is that their future is looking pretty bright.

Coast Jumper Hold A Grand Opening

The name Coast Jumper has all sorts of suicidal connotations attached to it. It sounds like a grim name if you ask me, but the weird thing about that is that it's about the darkest thing about the band. Combining ethereal guitar work, distortion, and a sense of being off center, Coast Jumper create a strange sort of worldy indie surf rock vibe. It essentially sounds like the sun rising over the California coastline and then crashing into the sea. Their album Grand Opening is a study in quiet loud fluctuations, lush harmonics vs wrangled guitars, and strange songs that are wispy and noisy.

Grand Opening is an intriguing listen because of Coast Jumper's strange band dynamics. This is a band who for the most part sound as if they're asleep and only occasionally wake up in a startled fit of guitar pyrotechnics and noise. It's all good though because whether loud or muted the songs here are hazy and gauzy delights. This is a Sunday morning set to music with a dose of panic thrown in to make it all a bit exciting. Guitars seemingly wind their way through songs, vocals sigh their way through and drums seem brushed and barely played. It's only when the band goes into a fit that things get rambunctious and chaotic; at that point it's like a sheet of distortion falling on top of you.

Coast Jumper is a nice album of contrasting sounds and styles battling for control. Ethereal or distorted, quiet vs. loud, peace vs. chaos it's an endless struggle on Grand Opening as both seem to come to a draw. For the most part Grand Opening is a pretty good record of jumpy, strange, whacked out indie rock that may or may not be suffering from continual nightmares. If you like a jumble sale of a record then Coast Jumper have created the ideal recording with Grand Opening; it's a roller coaster ride of loud and soft gone off the deep end.

Rhye Come Out Of Nowhere

Rhye is a band that I know little about. Sometimes things come across your desk and you don't really pay attention and then when you listen to them you're like, "Wow. Who the heck is this? Where have you been my entire life?" That would be Rhye in a nutshell. I'm still not sure who they are but I'm glad they're in my life and their debut EP is an absolutely gorgeous surprise that nearly blew me away.

In an age where no one has seen hide nor hare of Everything But The Girl, Rhye has happily moved into their space and released a lush, chilled, housey EP that would make Tracy Thorn blush. Chilled vibes cascade over beautiful vocals, while sumptuous synths layer themselves together to create a sensual atmosphere that's opulent and cool. This is the sort of stuff the world needs more of; it's lavish sounds are a mood changer and a de-stresser and lord knows that's a good thing.

Pop music doesn't get more luxuriant than this and it's as simple as that. Rhye may have come out of nowhere but they deserve to be everywhere. For a debut EP, they've knocked it out of the ball park here and if this EP is any hint of what's in store for their debut album we're in for a treat. As it stands now the Rhye EP has got to be one of the best single's I've heard in 2012 and will leave you breathless wishing for more.

The Just Barelys Mad Bits

The Just Barelys are a Canadian outfit who consist of just two members; Stephen Kelly & Eleanor King. This dynamic duo write jumpy indie pop that brings to mind memories of classic Teen Beat records from the mid to late 90's. Focused on charming boy / girl harmonies, jangly and jumpy guitars, and danceable beats the band have tapped into their inner jangle pop gods and created one heck of a record with Mad Bits.

Far from mad but close to being perfect Mad Bits is a fizzy pop treat that's kind of like Mates of State if Kory played guitar in stead of keyboards. The record is all sunshine and happiness despite their slanted lyrics and it's about as catchy as SARS. The Just Barelys are an awesome band and their effervescence is so contagious that if you're not grinning from ear to ear by the end of the record you should probably go see a doctor. With just two members and just two instruments the fact that they are able to pull this off and do it so well is a tribute to their heart and their ability.

Constantly upbeat, consistently catchy, ridiculously jangly and about as light as air Mad Bits is indie pop brilliance put on repeat. The Just Barelys are far from barely being good, in fact I think it's easy to say that Stephen and Eleanor are just about as good as you can get. Simple, to the point, fun, and just quirky enough to seem odd The Just Barely's are a duo worthy of praise. Mad Bits is a smile the size of Texas, it's a jolly romp through a field of classic indie pop sounds and quite honestly one of my favorite records this year.

Louise Burns And Her Mellow Drama

Canadian singer songwriter Louise Burns harks back to a time with singer songwriters had a spring in their step and female indie rocker's were everywhere. Whether intentional or not, if you can imagine someone like Juliana Hatfield or Kristen Hersh in like 1995 you have idea of where Louise Burns is coming from. Her latest album, Mellow Drama, is a jangly, poppy affair that has more sassyness and spunk than most of her contemporaries combined.

Mellow Drama is a bit personal and introspective but far from being down, negative, slow, or depressing. Oh no, Mellow Drama isn't even really mellow, rather, it's an upbeat sounding record that was pretty much put together by Louise herself. While Louise might label herself as a singer songwriter, nothing about Mellow Drama would indicate this. The songs here are rich, feature loads of sounds, and stays about as far away from being folk music as the distance from Vancouver to Florida. As a result, this is far from a boring album and the fact that she embraces her inner 90's girl so well is awesome.

Complete with piano, strings, brushed drums, spooky songs, jangly pop, introspective lyrics, jumpy guitars, and tons of originality Louise Burns has created a singer songwriter album that it's more than OK to like. Mellow Drama is a rich tapestry of sound and creativity and the fact that Louise played this all by herself is a testament to the fact that she's more than just a girl with a guitar. If there's one singer songwriter album you buy this year, I'd invest some money in Louise Burns' Mellow Drama.