Patterns is the first LP (released Oct.'12) from the VA based indietronica artist So Spirited. It reminds me a little of M83's earliest works before he went all hippy-dippy-sleepytime-lullaby-shit.  Not to stray from the point, Patterns is 10 well crafted tracks of ambient glitchtasticness. 

This is one of those rare albums where an entire listen through can be successfully achieved without hitting the next button. I was lost in a sea of synths, and loved every second of it.  Tracks that highlighted that journey include "Myths", "SmokeSignal", and "WildLives."   

I expect to hear more from this artist in the coming year, and hope to see a residency for 'em at U Hall perhaps?  -Dawn

With the weather causing chaos across the coast and the continuous onslaught of headache inducing fucking political ads, stress needs relief ASAP, and I got it in one listen to DC's the Sea Life's latest In Basements. These indie-poppers produced 10 tracks worthy of pausing your hectic life to relax in the warmth of layers of dream pop shoegaze and fuzz.

The track "The Collector" is a total standout, with chill guitar pluckage and a chorus of oohs & aahs in the background while lyrics say "Well I cant find another way out, I change my mind, I lost my patience..."

"Sex Appeal Pt. 1" is a gorgeous instrumental piece that inevitably had me succombed to a reclined state of mind before bleeding into "Body Language Pt. 2" a nod to 90's college radio nostalgia. Most excellent.

And "Magic Weapon" is one of those classic dreampop tracks that leads into an epic build-up of splendor and super clean feedback. -Dawn

Baltimore's perveyor of indie pop noise, Heart of Hearts (Greg Hatem's solo project,) create soundscapes of ethereal tinged notes and lush air in his debut September release My Society (also available on glorious vinyl.)  It's a great soundtrack for this new gloomy sky we have above us.  So turn on the heat, open a natty bo, and hit play for a relaxing ride into the impending winter.

One of my favorite tracks is definitely "Owls Grow Up," which full on showcases Hatem's flair for layered keys in a futuristic shoegaze atmosphere. 

"You're My Sister" takes a psychedelic journey into more experimental territory, with warbly sci-fi synths and cleverly placed background tones that sound like a chorus of extra terrestrials chiming in.

"Grass Mask" gets uber dark, with Suicide-ish keys booming throughout, and paired with lyrics "I can't mask how I feel. Don't ask how I feel." But before you get caught up in the horror score of it, Hatem ends on a 'happier' note with the title track "My Society" pumping a steady oompa bass beat that harkens on 80's electro and shoegazey electro vocals. -Dawn

 APE! has come from the past to save our future. 1991, their newest release, with a blurb labeling the band as a NASA time travel project gone wrong, is ripe with proto-punk sleaze and grit. In all honesty, 1969 might have been a better title, were it not already taken. Their newest release is self-produced, and available digitally or on 12" vinyl.

Straddling genres can be a messy business, but APE! handles their time-hopping seamlessly, by combining classic rock riffs with hardcore screams and the aforementioned proto-punk attitude. The eponymous title track is a blissed out instrumental nod to psychedelia, while "Vile English," which appears later on the album, is a noisy clamor of aggression, heavy metal guitar work and frenetic drumming.  

The conjoining thread of the album is energy and a refusal to take themselves too seriously. Which, in this day and age, is a sentiment that is often hard to come by. -allison

Putting Harrisonburg, VA on the map is the dark synthpop duo Mirror Kisses who's latest LP Bad Dreams (also available on cassette) blows whatever you've claimed to be the anthem of summer away. This here is New Order and Less Than Zero dripping in sex on the dance floor. Pull those delorean doors down and get ready to go back to the 80's inspired future of new wave as MK's George Clanton and Doug Sexton lead the way.

Enter "Proud", a track that's kicked off with the ultimate lo-fi teaser before the whoa moment whooshes in. Full of booming bass beats, synths and claps are layerd on as powerful vocals shout out "I couldn't be prouder without you tonight." Should this have been the song to close out the film Drive? Yes.

"She's Gone" gets an electro boost with swirls of keys, clap echoes, and a tinge of gloom in the lyrics "I waited til she's gone, forever and ever." Before you know it, you'll forget what decade this really is, and that's a good thing. "Call Me Now" dare I say enters the epic arena (epic is a word I try to keep to a minimum, but I can't escape it's use in this description.) A slight dose of sci-fi-ish keys and layers of droned out backing vocals come together in a galactic hum.

And that's just the first three tracks. Basically, these are the 80's cool kids that Bret Easton Ellis should party with. -Dawn

Putting Harrisonburg, VA on the map is the dark synthpop duo Mirror Kisses who's latest LP Bad Dreams (also available on cassette) blows whatever you've claimed to be the anthem of summer away. This here is New Order and Less Than Zero dripping in sex on the dance floor. Pull those delorean doors down and get ready to go back to the 80's inspired future of new wave as MK's George Clanton and Doug Sexton lead the way.

Enter "Proud", a track that's kicked off with the ultimate lo-fi teaser before the whoa moment whooshes in. Full of booming bass beats, synths and claps are layerd on as powerful vocals shout out "I couldn't be prouder without you tonight." Should this have been the song to close out the film Drive? Yes.

"She's Gone" gets an electro boost with swirls of keys, clap echoes, and a tinge of gloom in the lyrics "I waited til she's gone, forever and ever." Before you know it, you'll forget what decade this really is, and that's a good thing. "Call Me Now" dare I say enters the epic arena (epic is a word I try to keep to a minimum, but I can't escape it's use in this description.) A slight dose of sci-fi-ish keys and layers of droned out backing vocals come together in a galactic hum.

And that's just the first three tracks. Basically, these are the 80's cool kids that Bret Easton Ellis should party with.

“Well, that was not what I expected to hear.” That was my first thought as the brand new, self-titled LP from Fire and the Wheel started playing in my headphones. You are immediately pulled into layers upon layers of a wall of sound that marries an electronic rock groove with a bold trumpet declaration reminiscent somehow of an American western; an aura of Clint Eastwood, if you will.

And then, out of nowhere, the beat takes a groovy turn that makes you want to get up and dance and you’ve moved into the second track of the album without even noticing the change. This pattern continues, each song blending seamlessly into the next. To me, it’s very refreshing to hear an album written for listeners to digest as complete body of work in today’s world of iTunes singles.

The album is relentless and is meant to be listened to over and over, beginning to end. There’s a lot to appreciate in the musicianship and care that went into each of these songs. The influences on this record are many and I could try to list them all, but the truth is that as the record plays, instead of a particular artist, what you will hear is a homage soundtrack to many of the fundamental creations that have made rock music great for the last several decades. (With no shortage of epic drama, to be sure.)

To me, that’s exactly the spirit I would hope for from a band whose name reflects those fundamental inventions that first put humanity in place to take over the world with greatness. -Jarrett

Nootropics is an album built like a glacier. Layers of chill slowly fall upon one another, blending into the last section, over and over, until collectively they form something striking. The latest effort of Baltimore-based band Lower Dens, Nootropics presents a similar atmosphere to another Baltimore-based band – Beach House. On the opening track, "Alphabet Song," vocalist Jana Hunter could easily be mistaken for Victoria Legrand. The album itself is a slow ride, tracks sliding into each other, swirling with drones and simple guitar work. According to Hunter, "Alphabet Song," "and singles "Brains" and "Propogation" exemplify the theme of the album, which is the both the betterment and deterioration of humanity through science and change. Nootropics captures that dichotomy by conveying a myriad of quiet emotions. – allison levin

The Onion AV Club nailed it when they described DC's indie psyche sludge post-punk trio Caustic Casanova as "uniquely brainy hard rock, heavy yet clever in a Torche meets Dismemberment Plan kind of way." That sound clearly eminates on their recent release Someday You Will Be Proven Correct (Mad Love Records) with 12 tracks drawing in numerous elements of rock. 

If Jackass comes back around with another sequel, then "Hail Fellow Well Met" should be included on the soundtrack as it sounds like the lovechild of CKY and H.I.M. at times, and kinda makes me want to ride a shopping cart through Occupy K St.  

"Bulwark", the stand-out track in my opinion, has a tinge of 90's alt and a darker undertone compared to the other tracks. Then the breakdowns kick in fuck-yeah style as the lyrics "whether coming or going, I want to be where you are, sleep safe tonight" are crooned and echoed over the piles of scuzz and fuzz.

"17:59",a superb instrumental, is the pivotal sludge build-up track that when played live will most likely get you visiting the merch table, or  walking out of the venue post show with a new local favorite on your mind and a download waiting to happen at home... -Dawn
 

I’ve been following Lightfoot for some time now, so it’s no surprise that I’ve been anxiously awaiting Jessica Dye and company’s first full-length release, Scarlet Sails.

The album includes three brand new songs and new productions (vast improvements with layer upon layer of additional reverberating goodness) of the three songs from their last release, People Who Throw Kisses Are Hopelessly Lazy.

Lightfoot’s music draws heavily on influences of the 50s, 60s, and 70s without specifically pigeonholing themselves into any one era. There are traces of 60s psychedelic garage rock on the opening track, “Pow Wow”, there’s sensible dancehall doo-wop dripping all over the empowered “City Girls”, and “Caged Bird” echoes a version of New Orleans gospel that manages to be lamenting yet remorseless. Ironically, the song least remniscent of the era is titled “1963” in case you somehow missed all the signs along the way.

Jessica Dye’s voice has always been seductive and powerful, but the production of Scarlet Sails and the thoughtfully layered arrangements really bring her vocal emotion to the forefront. Throaty growls, breathy confessions, and belting choruses all find their place on these tracks amidst bold guitar lines, moody brass, and a full spectrum of percussion.

If I have any criticism of the album, it's the brevity – I would have loved a few more songs to develop the album’s mood further. However, as it stands, this is a very strong release from a great, young band. Highly recommended! -Jarrett

MIXTVPE, the second EP from electronica/post-hyphy artist HVZEL  is hands down astonishing.  DC has itself a contender in the witch house race with HVZEL leading the way.  MIXTVPE brings forth 5 booming tracks that ooze eerie keys amongst a haze of intense bass and warbly voices.

"Executioner" nods to the theme of The Exorcist while adding a flair of morbid hip hop beats and speaker blowing keys. "Transfiguration" is the long lost sister of a Salem B-side, haunting and beautiful. "Medium" is a digital explosion, with keys screeching in full on anarchy mode before breaking down into a smooth shoulder swayer.

Crank this EP all the way up- it's fucking awesome! -Dawn

Arlington VA's darkwave duo Screen Vinyl Image emerge again with electronic shoegaze splendor in Strange Behavior (released Dec 2011.) IMO, Kim and Jake Ried are at the top of the leader-board when it comes to their genre, and after a listen- I think the SVI audience would agree.

One could simply spin this entire record at a Goth Prom night and have the place jumping with doom & gloom in SVI's catchy rhythms as heard in "Revival", a gothic boom layered in pumping beats and fuzzy guitars. And "Rx" hits even darker notes, welcoming a good ol'fashioned blood rave.

"Stay Asleep" gets beautiful with lush guitars oozing over that beat that keeps you swaying on the dancefloor, before pushing through into another realm of intoxicating synth swirls and hallucinogenic vocal reverbs. Acoustic guitars come in on "My Confession" as Jake's echoes melt into the atmosphere that remains from "Stay Asleep." Chilling yet soothing, and dark as all hell. -Dawn