On the Pulse Vol. 2

Neon Indian

Neon Indian
Alam Polamo is Neon Indian, and his head dress is synth-pop fuzzy, his arrows are piercing hooks that slice through the midnight glow. Polamo makes overdriven soundtracks that are cartoonish and danceable, and although overtly kooky, the addictiveness is palpable. Polamo as Neon Indian begins a tour on October 2 in celebration of his newest release, Psychic Chasms, which drops on October 13.

Neon Indian - Terminally Chill

Twin Tigers
Athens, Georgia. Need I say more? Probably, since a town this creative has potential to jump off the ledge at times (The Dictatortots ... you get the picture). But Twin Tigers are a collective that will bolster the legacy of this college town/music mecca as one stimulated beyond its small town slumber. The frenetic, spiraling amalgam of jagged guitars and sub-surface vocals drive a carnivalesque temperament that is as dangerous as swinging from the trapeze without a safety net. Twin Tigers is on currently on a cross-country tour with Minus the Bear.

Twin Tigers - Grey Waves

The Dustys
Young and polished, Arlington, Virgina's The Dustys were barely out of the garage before The Bravery discovered their debut eponymous EP. Its follow up EP, Sticky Blood, is released this month. Now, the trio is hitting the road in support of their mentors, bringing their sterling, momentous sound and introspective songwriting to stages across the country. Check out the tour dates here.

The Dustys - Dangerous Little Signs

SeepeopleS Volume II

Will Bradford is a lifer.

The frontman and creative voice behind SeepeopleS and Freepeoples Frequency can't help but stay busy and simply can't stay away from music. When not on the stage, on the road, or in the studio, he is immersed in his own music public relations firm, bolstering the careers of some of the Southeast's burgeoning musicians.

But Bradford is truly in his element with SeepeopleS, joined by Matt McDonald (keys), Tim Haney (drums), and Ben Riva (bass). The group released its third full-length, Apocalypse Cow Vol. I, in spring 2007, garnering critical acclaim and stoking a sound that has been simmering since the band's inception nearly a decade a go and is now approaching full boil; a crisp, indie resonance full of clever melodies and spirited song-structures. Shortly after SeepeopleS announced Vol. I, Bradford reported - with excitement - that work on the second volume was underway. After two-and-a-half years, Apocalypse Cow Vol. II has been released, and as a gift from the band, the 12-track version is available for free for six months through www.seepeoples.com. A 17-track hard-copy version will be released in Spring 2010.

It's been a long time since something free sounded so good. Merging its indie and electronic roots with an approach that embraces a solid, sweet pop hook, Bradford and company revel in the studio environment, continuously layering on the lacquer and polishing it to a sparkling sheen. In a business when where "polish" has been the death knell of many a promising album, Apocalypse Now Vol. II (along with its predecessor) expose the band's acute studio prowess, building each track to the brim without spilling over.

SeepeopleS will be hitting the road this fall for a select series of shows.

SeepeopleS on tour
Sept. 26 - Green Mountain Eco Fest, Eldridge, MO
Oct. 22 - Old Rock House, St. Louis, MO
Oct. 23 - Outland Ballroom, Springfield, MO
Oct. 24 - Mojo's, Columbia, MO

Learn:
SeepeopleS Online

Listen:
1 - What Makes It Go
2 - These Games
3 - Big Heart (Modern Love Song)
4 - Round 12

Buy:
SeepeopleS Store

On the Pulse Vol. I

Mount Eerie

This marks the introduction of a new feature on Showered and Blue-Blazered, On The Pulse. The weekly installment will spotlight several musicians who are turning up the volume, offering a few words and more music. Let me know what you think, and please don't hesitate to send along any sounds that might make a good fit. - Jamie

Ha Ha Tonka
Springfield, Mo.'s Ha Ha Tonka wear their roots on their pearl-snapped shirts, the southern soil dusted across the rusty strings and creaking porches of 2007's Buckle in the Bible and this year's Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South. The quartet will embark on a cross-country tour beginning September 16.

Ha Ha Tonka - Hold Your Feet to the Fire

Mount Eerie
The sound that blows from Mount Eerie is far larger than its sole member. Recorded at various locations around Phil Elverum's hometown of Anacortes, Washington, the lush, often abstract scapes ebb and flow at the whim of this musical mad scientist and his artfully talented friends. Wind's Poem, Mount Eerie's third release, hit the streets on August 18 on P.W. Elverum & Sun, Ltd.

Mount Eerie - Stone's Ode

Princeton
Princeton wasted little time exposing its intellectual side on Bloomsbury, a four-song concept EP based upon the intellectual circle of English novelist Virgina Woolf. The high falutin themes were tempered by clever rock hooks, foreshadowing the debut long-player from the Los Angeles quartet, Cocoon of Love. Cocoon of Love is out now on Kanine, and the band is on the road with Ra Ra Riot.

Princeton - Calypso Gold

Return of The Clean

Merge Records has done it again. After 20 years, their finger is more solidly on the pulse of music than ever. But The Clean are not a discovery, rather a rediscovery of a trio of Kiwis that came together in 1978. That rediscovery is capped by Mister Pop, the band's first album in eight years and a collection of tracks that plays out with youthful vigor.

Over the course of 10 brisk tracks (most of which don't break the four minute mark), the band courses through instrumental interludes ("Loog" and "Moonjumper") and hook-laden anthems ("Are You Really On Drugs?" and "Tensile") that boast wiry, surf-rock guitar and low-fi presence. The energy seems brewed in the garage, with an innocence that defies the tenure of The Clean in the music landscape.

While Mister Pop marks a rediscovery of sorts, those uninitiated can count on a proper and worthy introduction to The Clean. After 30 years, it it long overdue.

Learn:
The Clean on Myspace

Listen:
Track 1 - Tensile

Buy:
Merge Records

Mark Lanegan is a Soulsaver

Photo by Steve Gullick

Alignment with an electro-duo in the late '80s and early '90s would have have been career suicide for Mark Lanegan, frontman of the "godfathers of grunge," The Screaming Trees. But times have changed, and so has Lanegan.

Whether it is maturity or conscious redirection, Lanegan is yet another example of life after the grunge revolution, and his whiskey-burned vocals are now at the forefront of Soulsavers, a collaborative founded by the production team of Rich Machin and Ian Glover. Lanegan's weathered range is right at home in the lush,swelling instrumentation of "Sunrise" and the sparse, plunking "You'll Miss Me When I Burn" off of Soulsavers third release, Broken.

Broken is further enhanced by a roster of notable names, including Spiritualized's Jason Pierce, Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers, and Faith No More frontman, Mike Patton. Also appearing on the album are bassist Martyn LeNoble (Porno for Pyros, Janes Addiction), Red Ghost (aka Rosa Agostino), and Richard Hawley. Will Oldham, infamously known as Bonnie "Prince" Billy, penned the aforementioned "You'll Miss Me When I Burn" and adds vocals to another track on the release.

Soulsavers will be on the road this fall, comprised of Rich Machin, Mark Lanegan, Red Ghost, Martyn LeNoble and Rich Warren (Spiritualized).

Soulsavers Tour Dates:
09-06-09 -- Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
09-07-09 -- Tacoma, WA @ Bumbershoot
09-09-09 -- San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
09-10-09 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
09-12-09 -- San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
09-15-09 -- Austin, TX @ Stubb's
09-16-09 -- Dallas, TX @ House of Blues Dallas
09-18-09 -- New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
09-19-09 -- Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
09-21-09 -- Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
09-22-09 -- New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
09-23-09 -- Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
09-25-09 -- Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
09-26-09 -- Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
09-27-09 -- Chicago, IL @ Double Door

Learn:
Soulsavers Online
Mark Lanegan Online

Listen:
Track 1 - Sunrise
Track 2 - You'll Miss Me When I Burn

Buy:
Soulsavers at Amazon