Geographer – The Guest
Where the songs on Geographer‘s 2012 release Myths had a swinging angularity, new single “The Guest” has a pillowy build. Strings and horns crescendo in a way that makes the track worthy of an end-credits roll on a movie where you were actually rooting for the happy ending instead of rolling your eyes at its predictability.
Geographer’s third LP Ghost Modern drops today.
The Rebel Light – Be My Baby
The Rebel Light is having a lot of fun in California, and it shines through on this cover of “Be My Baby.” Straight off, the vocals grab your attention, achieving their Spector-like sound by being recorded in a bathroom (a smart move that was employed by Stax Records on many of their recordings). The cover remains true to the original, but the phrasing and delivery of the chorus makes it unique and keeps your brain from just lulling into the original you’ve heard hundreds of times before. Download the track above and have fun singing along while you cruise around with your windows down.
On their debut EP, Young at Love and Life, San Francisco duo Dominant Legs encapsulates the sound of the city, mixing danceable synths and a folky earthiness to pleasing effect.
Ryan Lynch heads up lead vocals on the four-song set, while Hannah Hunt provides dreamy backing vocals that are as integral to the sound structure as the synthesizers and guitars. The self-titled opening track hints at being reared on the Beach Boys and teenage experimentation with psychedelia, while the equally synth-heavy “About My Girls” trends toward funk and Prince.
“Clawing Out at the Walls” simplifies things, employing bongos and acoustic guitar. There’s a sense of earnestness about the song, Lynch questioning, “don’t you think that we’re hard enough on ourselves? / We believe that we do it all on our own.” Dominant Legs brings the EP to a close by infusing electronic elements into the acoustic setup on “Run Like Hell for Leather”, letting a beautiful acoustic guitar riff shine where synthesizers blast away on other tracks.
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Young at Love and Life EP dropped 08.17.10.
You can listen to most of the EP at the Dominant Legs MySpace page.
You can download “Clawing Out at the Walls” here.
Mixtapes|Heartbreaks 