Bipolar Explorer are a two-person band out of New York. I came across this one online and was pleasantly surprised that there are still bands doing dream pop and mixing it with a feel that touches on genres like neofolk and lo-fi indie music.
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From the venerable Slicing Up Eyeballs: “Minnesota Public Radio’s The Current has just launched a five-part documentary podcast series called “Do You Remember?” that promises to trace the formative years and legacy of Hüsker Dü through interviews with those who were there as well as the three band members themselves — including Grant Hart, who was interviewed in August, weeks before his death. The series comes at a time of heightened awareness for the pioneering hardcore-punk trio following Hart’s September death and the release of Numero Group’s highly anticipated Savage Young Dü box set, believed to be the first in a series…
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The legendary goth-rock band And Also The Trees have been around since 1979, and are still recording elegant post-punk music that is richly produced with acoustic instruments, drones and electronics. Fine listening.
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I don’t do top tens, but if I did, this album might be EP of the year. It’s that good. Imagine early Brian Eno or Tuxedomoon with a sound updated for the 2020’s. Yes, these names are the ones I’m happy to drop for this release. From Floreana’s Bandcamp site: “Floreana One, is the first installment of a three-part series, captures tones reminiscent of early Kraftwerk and Brian Eno, exploring themes of isolation and idealism through tape-saturated woodwinds, hazy synthesizers, and vintage drum machines. Features appearances from her father- David Mordoch, John Carroll Kirby, Nico Georis, Shags Chamberlain, and Daryl…
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This is the first time I had the pleasure of reviewing something from Start-Track, a fine small label run by our friend Filip Zemčík. Porch Kiss’ music is sparse and lo-fi, reminding me of a lot of British indie band from the 1980s with lower production values and fine songwriting. Pensive music, and a great listen.
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Maybe Mars Records out of my new home city of Beijing (I have to meet these guys one day) put out an indie rock album in 2019 that sounds as good as anything the early Cure ever put out. Brilliant work by Future Orients, indeed!
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We haven’t featured a band from Thailand in quite a few months, so it’s time to rectify this. Death of Heather are from Bangkok and offer a really well-done take on dreampop.
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One of the benefits of being in Beijing at a high-grade academy is that I run into some rather brilliant young minds who are turning me on to great local music, case in point being Mimik Banka, who listeners would compare their music favorably to acts like dream pop and pop-psych bands like Dream Academy during their less somber moments and Khruangbin in places, and something radically their own in other spots. Perhaps my new favorite Chinese indie band at the moment.
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This is some of the most fun, poppy, Beatlesque music I’ve heard in a while. Say Sue Me 세이수미 hail from Busan, South Korea, yet I would have believed it if someone told me they were out of London or Liverpool. Well done, folks.
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Rural Track are a band out of Japan who do heavy shoegaze rock, so those of you who miss My Bloody Valentine’s peak moments would do well to check this track out.