Gardens & Villa - Black Hills

Gardens & Villa is the project of five college friends from Santa Barbara, formed following the collapse of a noisier post-punk band and a hitch-hiking journey up the west coast. Members Chris Lynch, Adam Rasmussen, Levi Hayden, Shane McKillop began playing as Gardens & Villa in 2008. The name is pulled from the location of their house on Villa Street, and the property's garden to which they tend.

The music they make is very much connected to the coastal city they call home -- the stoney bike rides, dance parties, a scene free of judgment. The band refers to this Santa Barbara feeling as "coco vibes."

For two weeks in the summer of 2010, the band camped behind visionary and now-labelmate Richard Swift's Oregon studio. No shower, no kitchen, but all the magic you could ask for. After taking a band oath to always play all parts live -- a la Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense -- the band added member Dusty Ineman to supremely execute the live incarnation of the band.

Black Hills is taken from their self titled debut album, released this month.



Gardens & Villa @ Myspace, Bandcamp, Facebook

Source: Secretly Canadian

The Kill Van Kulls - Lost and Found

When you think of finely tuned guitar-pop, Stockport, UK is not what necessarily comes to mind as a breeding ground for the next big thing. Indie rockers The Kill Van Kulls - now Manchester-based - have only been together for less than 1 year and have already garnered attention from the likes of XFM and BBC.

What started out as a three piece plus a drum machine, has evolved into a more robust and lush sounding quartet that’s reminiscent of The Doves, The Cure, Simple Minds and pretty much any John Hughes film soundtrack.

Their latest single, Lost and Found, is released this week via the band’s own label, KVK Records.



The Kill Van Kulls @ Soundcloud, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter

Source: Alt Sounds

Burning Hearts - Into the Wilderness

It all started with 2 bands. Le Futur Pompiste, released one album in 2004, Your Stories and Your Thoughts, before the vagaries of adult life scattered them far and wide; and Cats on Fire, whose debut long-player, 2007’s The Province Complains, captivated all who were lucky enough to hear it.

It was inevitable that this pair of bands, whose music shares a poise and sophistication, would find each other. When they did, two members - Cats on Fire drummer and multi-instrumentalist Henry Ojala, and Le Futur Pompiste singer Jessika Rapo - decided to make yet more music on their own. The result is Burning Hearts.

New single Into the Wilderness is taken from their debut album, Aboa Sleeping.



Burning Hearts @ Myspace, Facebook, Soundcloud

Source: LastFM

The War On Drugs - Baby Missiles

The War on Drugs is an American indie rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The band is the creation of a pair of Dylan fans, Adam Granduciel and Kurt Vile, who met at a party in 2003. After several drinks, Granduciel and Vile discovered their shared fascination with the Bard of Minnesota, and began working on songs together. By 2005, the pair had enough material to launch a proper band, and the War on Drugs were born. With Granduciel and Vile fronting the band, a variety of accompanists drifted in and out of the lineup before the War on Drugs settled on a stable lineup of Granduciel, Vile, Charlie Hall, Dave Hartley and Kyle Lloyd.

While they were hesitant to quit their jobs and begin touring extensively, the band became a frequent presence on the Philadelphia music scene. In 2007, they completed their debut EP, called Barrel of Batteries, posted online as a free download. Debut LP, Wagonwheel Blues, was released in 2008.

The lineup underwent several changes, and by the end of 2008, Kurt Vile, Charlie Hall, and Kyle Lloyd had all exited the group. Granduciel and Hartley were joined by drummer Mike Zanghi as the group slimmed to three members.

The long-awaited follow-up to 2008′s Wagonwheel Blues will be released on August 16th.



The War On Drugs @ Myspace, Facebook

Source: Wikipedia, itunes

Blouse - Into black

Blouse is based out of a 6,000 square-foot warehouse in North Portland. The project started in the summer of 2010, after Los Angeles native Charlie Hilton met Patrick Adams in art school. They made a few home recordings and soon began spending nights at the warehouse recording with Jacob Portrait (Producer of Mint Chicks, Dandy Warhols, Starfucker).

Having played music since their teens, the three found that there was something inexplicable in their coming together. After posting two demo tracks to Bandcamp's website, the group was picked up by Captured Tracks. They are currently recording their first LP which has been set for release around July

Into black is Blouse's debut single.



Blouse @ Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Facebook, Twitter

Source: Sub Pop records

Discoverband @ Spotify