Download: Brilliant Colors – “English Cities”

(from Introducing Brilliant Colors out now on Slumberland Records)

Don’t be discouraged by the lackluster cover art, a watery-looking band photo topped with the album title in scribbly font–San Francisco’s Brilliant Colors triumphantly deliver ten noise-pop nuggets on their debut album Introducing Brilliant Colors.  Taking cues from C86-era British outfits like The Shop Assistants and The Flatmates, singer/guitarist Jess Scott layers pretty (but not afraid to be fierce) female vocals under plenty of reverb and fuzzy guitar. Diane Anastasio (drums) and Michelle Hill (bass) anchor Scott’s buried vocals and blissed-out guitar wash with their combination of tight, rhythmic beats and hooky bass lines. My favorite track on the album, “English Cities,” blends edgy and angular guitar pop in equal proportions,  suitable for both disaffected former riot grrrls and postpunk DJs alike. Other standout tracks include “Short Sleeves at Night” (my vote for indie pop song title of the year) and “Over There,” the latter reminding me that you should never need more than two or three chords to write a great song.

Comparisons to fellow contemporary C86-inspired ladies the Vivian Girls will undoubtedly crop up for Brilliant Colors. While both bands employ similar sound textures and production styles (think Creation Records circa 1991), Brilliant Colors’ songwriting prowess stands out amongst the other Girls. Beneath all the echo and fuzz you still need a well-crafted melody to keep the listener engaged, and Brilliant Colors get this.  Introducing Brilliant Colors is an impressive full-length debut.

-Natalie Hill

 Download: The Champagne Socialists
“Blue Genes”

(from “Blue Genes” 7″ available now from Slumberland Records)

The new Champagne Socialists “Blue Genes” 7” is only two songs, but the band maximizes their six minutes of bouncy, punk-infused ’60s pop. It’s just sugary enough, and the lazy-slash-sunny California tinge eliminates any pretension that tends to bog down a lot of Spector wannabes these days. The simplicity is deceiving too, in that the tone of the mics and the amps really acts as another member of the band. A-side “Blue Genes”—a stomper with a funky bassline—is the happier track of the two and should be included on any of your fall dance mixtapes. The teenage love-lust of the B-side, “The Young Runaways,” is a typical subject, but it still manages to paint a neat picture of misunderstood youth in a time long passed. Slumberland has found a sharp little band with these guys. I’ll be excited to hear a full-length when it’s time.

—James T. Cartwright

Download: Devon Williams “Sufferer”

(from the “Sufferer” 7″ out Sept. 22 on Slumberland)

An extension of last year’s Carefree LP, the “Sufferer” EP contains two songs—the bouncy title track and a slow-builder B-side called “Who Cares About Forever?” Williams plays a brand of pop music that is hard to categorize—his melodies are the crux of the songs, but the subtle augmented instrumentation and the soaring guitars are what sets him apart from contemporaries. The pop comparisons to Nilsson and Clifford Ward can definitely be heard in Williams’ songwriting and it excites me that Los Angeles has someone that is playing a modern twist on these kinds of tunes on a regular basis. On “Sufferer,” Williams turns up the intensity on his tremolo and plays along to a chugging drum pattern. This is my preference of the two and would have fit right in on the Carefree full length—one of my favorite LPs of 2008. The breakdown/chorus that Williams often employs is perfect to showcase the vocals and melody on this gem. “Who Cares About Forever?” contains another carefully plotted melody with sparse instrumental flourishes. The song has a timeless, familiar feel—like it could have been released in any of the last three or four decades. And actually, that’s a good way to sum up Devon himself.

—James Cartwright