Jerry's Pick: "South"

"South"-Hippo Campus

A couple of things I learned this week...

1. The hippocampus is the name of a small region of the brain that controls memory.

2. Hippo Campus is a Twin Cities-based indy-alternative band made up of four 20-year olds who just released their second collection of songs.

Guitarist Nathan Stocker explained to WRGW, “I was in psychology class one day and I was reading about the brain and was like 'Yo, that’s a cool word,' and split it up into two words and that’s a band name!"

And what-do-ya-know... after just a couple of listens to the new Hippo Campus track "South," my hippocampus had me humming the catchy tune during the days that followed.

A simple, easy-going, infectious opening guitar riff leads into a 30-word stanza that ends with, "Chest hum, a black gun and forty dollars." Huh?! Now, I haven't the slightest idea what they're singing about there, but I do kinda like how that curious line rolls off the tongue.  "Chest hum, a black gun and forty dollars." Righteous.

By the second verse, Jake Luppen's vocals turn raspy taking on an edgier feel while the lyrics become a little bit clearer, apparently coming-of-age lines from a bunch of coming-of-age guys.

'“South' is about growing up, and recognizing where you come from, and the environment that you’ve grown up in, and accepting that that was then... and this, now,” Stocker told The Current's Andrea Swensson.  “It’s about personal growth.”

The band's jangly-guitars may sound more West Coast than Upper Midwest but I also found some similarities to Two Door Cinema Club, Shout Out Louds, Vampire Weekend and maybe the Shins.

For a bunch of nerdy-guys just out of high school I must say they sure do sound like polished recording studio vets. But see what you think. Their music video clip is "South."

Jerry's Pick: "Spotlight"

"SPOTLIGHT"-LEAGUES 

A few weeks ago I discovered an indy-band out of Nashville named Leagues who have just released a single that should be a sound hit later this Spring.  It's a tune that recently received a promotional boost following a spin during season-9, episode-14 of "Grey's Anatomy."

Efficaciously using a catchy groove, jangly guitars and a strong bass-line, their song "Spotlight" will not only get the upper part of your body bopping along to its bouncy beat, but its infectious chorus should also have you taking part in your own little karaoke performance as well. You'll discover that the power of this popalicious pick lies directly in its hook.

Although Leagues is just three song-guys out of Nashville (Thad Cockrell/vocals, Tyler Burkam/guitar, and Jeremy Lutito/drums), "Spotlight" is so nicely produced and solidly layered that you'll assume they must have had lots of assistance in the studio.

Definitely danceable, "Spotlight" is a track that could have easily been recorded by Two Door Cinema Club as it has the same effervescent feel as "Something Good Can Work."  And aside from being effectively infectious, "Spotlight" offers a little bit of the band's own philosophical op-ed on love. ("Give it when you feel none.")

According to Thad, "The general thought on music is that it can only be dance or fun party-music if the lyrics are throwaway lyrics. I think in some way we would like to challenge that."

So, listen and smile while you're in the "Spotlight."  Any dancing and singing will be a bonus.

Jerry's Pick: "Sleep Alone"

"SLEEP ALONE"-TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

I was happy to hear that Two Door Cinema Club has finally released a new single (which you can sample by clicking the music video below)! But if you've never heard of the Irish trio, I strongly recommend listening to a couple of tunes from the group's last album, Tourist History, first. "Something Good Can Work" and "What You Know" are two of the best indie-tracks of 2010 and still get recurrent spins on my iPod. Their latest, "Sleep Alone," is a bit more polished than anything on the band's first disc. Their new single may have lost a bit of the band's indie-edginess, but it's still a fine-crafted pop-tune… especially down to the track's final 30-seconds where they channel a bit of Viva la Coldplay.

Regarding their new album, singer Alex Trimble said, "Beacon is a much more intimate record than our first, but at the same time, it's much bigger and more inclusive. Trying to find that balance has been our goal for a long time and this record takes us one step closer to the band we've dreamt of becoming." 

The rest of Beacon will see the light of day in early September.

-Jerry Steffen

New Music "Picks of the Week!"

Lots of catching-up to do today.  Packers pre-season football had me temporarily distracted.  Here's what got the nod for the Pod this week!


"HOW COME YOU NEVER GO THERE"-FEIST

Remember Feist? The last time she released an album your house was worth twice as much as it is now.  While taking a break from the biz, she found time to pen songs for Metals (out in October), her first collection of new tunes since 2007 when Apple elevated her to pop-star status when they borrowed her "1234" to promote their iPod.  She could have gone the safe-route and released "5678," but kudos to Miss Feist for taking a slightly different, slower, more deliberate and bluesier road with the just-released single, "How Come You Never Go There."




 "I DIDN'T SEE IT COMING"-BELLE and SEBASTIAN

I've been fascinated with the Scottish group Belle and Sebastian since the first time I heard "For the Price of a Cup of Tea."  Check out "I Didn't See It Coming," an easy-on-the-ears pop tune they made much more interesting with addition of the psychedelic bit around the middle-eight.

"WHAT YOU KNOW"-TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

Next up is a track from the Irish group Two Door Cinema Club.  The best 3-minutes they've ever came up with was "Something Good Can Work" from 2009... but they come close with their latest, "What You Know."  They picked up lots of iPod adds after they performed the song for Jimmy Fallon earlier this year.




 "GO OUTSIDE"-CULTS

Get ready for the... xylophone solo! Here's a band so new they didn't exist a little over a year ago.  With the help of singer Lily Allen, the Manhattan-based duo the Cults picked-up a record deal which was followed by the release of their debut, eponymously-titled album release last month.  Drenched in echo, "Go Outside" has a sing-along, sway-back-and-forth, kind of charm to it.

"THE WALK"-MAYER HAWTHORNE

Is 70's horn-based R&B starting to make a comeback?  You would think so with the recent success of Fitz & the Tantrums.  If you were a fan of "MoneyGrabber," you'll also dig this brand new retro-soul single called "The Walk" from Mayer Hawthorne.  I just read that's a stage moniker he created by pairing his middle name with the street he grew up on.  (But isn't that how you come up with your stripper name?  Just sayin'.)

Here are a few other honorable mentions that deserve a once-over...

"STAY YOUNG, GO DANCING"-DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

"A BRIGHTER DAY"-THE DOOBIE BROTHERS

"PUNCHING IN A DREAM"-THE NAKED AND FAMOUS

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