Band To Know: CoCoComa

Download: CoCoComa - "(Tryin' To) Read My Mind"
Download: CoCoComa - "Premonition"

Besides having one of the most awesome album covers of last year (which provides the image at the top of this post), Chicago garage-rock band CoCoComa have also delivered an incredibly tight album of whip-smart anthems for those who are frustrated with the jobs, their significant others, and their lives. CoCoComa was released last month on Goner records.

It's a shame that High Fidelity has already been made into a movie, because CoCoComa would have been the perfect soundtrack. Singer/drummer Bill Roe, who makes up the trio along with his wife Lisa (guitar) and bassist/farfisa organist Mike Fitzpatrick, howls lyrics like "If you can't read my heart/how can you read my head?" in the ferocious song "(Tryin' To) Read My Mind" while the rhythm section propels forward like an unholy juggernaut.

That's unquestionably the highlight of the record, though "Premonition" and "Desperate Situation" are close seconds. The band doesn't have any MPLS dates coming up, but if they do, we'll let you know, because CoCoComa put on an incedinary live show.

Buy CoCoComa here

MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

Band To Know: Sybris - "Oh Man!"

Download: Sybris - "Best Day In History In Ever" (from Sybris)
Download: Sybris - "Breathe Like You're Dancing" (from Sybris)
Download: Sybris - "Happy Birthday America"
Download: Sybris - "Oh Man!" (via P4K)

Not to sound like Jon Q. Derrierbaisent, professional asskisser, but Chicago-based indie label Flameshovel Records has been having a hell of a year. In 2007, they've put out great records by the likes of The Narrator, The Race and Mannequin Men. Judging by the quality of "Oh Man!", the first track released from Chicago "newgazers" Sybris' forthcoming full-length Into The Trees, both the label and the band should be in high spirits come 2008.

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Sybris are a Chicago band. They've been playing together since the Spring of 2003, when a chance encounter at a local bar lead to a jam session which consisted of "sonic gluttony". From there, the quartet created a sound which blended the youthful, rambunctious energy of punk with the more serene sounds of shoegazer. In 2005, the group released their kid-tested, Pitchfork-approved self-titled debut album for which they toured constantly over the next two years.

During that time, Sybris also managed to record a follow-up at Pachyderm studios, the Cannon Falls, MN, studio where Nirvana recorded In Utero and PJ Harvey recorded Rid Of Me. That album, as mentioned before, is titled Into The Trees and will be released in the spring of next year.

A few days ago, P4K posted and reviewed "Oh Man!" on their website. The track starts off with a guitar part which is both droney and melodic, like Goo-era Sonic Youth with a steadily shuffling beat anchoring the music. It's all pretty, upbeat and straightforward, song structure wise, until the band abruptly slows down into a more atmospheric section before roaring back to conclude the song with an enthused last rendition of the main refrain. Sybris may be the ones wanting to go find some shade in the trees, but if this track is any indication of what the band has in store for next year, they'll have many other people wanting to keep them company under the branches.

Listen to "Oh Man!" at the top of the post, as well as two songs from their self-titled debut and a 4th of July-themed B-Side from earlier this summer.

MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

Band To Know: The Haves Have It

Download: The Haves Have It - "Dark Dark"
Download: The Haves Have It - "The Proverbial Her"

With the plethora of great local bands sprinkled throughout Twin Cities, I feel it’s my duty to shed some light on a fabulous trio known as The Haves Have It. Formed in 2005, the witty members of this group state exactly how they came to be on their MySpace blog:

"At first The Haves Have It was little more than two girls, cheap guitars, and a shitty practice space that smelled like drunk boys and cigarettes.

Kelly joined the band the following winter. We met for drinks and it was settled before midnight. He had a van, a free practice space, and fabulous hair. Little did we know he could also play drums. Then we got awesome. Traded the high heels and colorful guitars for big hair, cut offs, and wife beaters. That's cuz we roll hard.”

This act has been spreading their infectious alt-rock sound to venues of all shapes and sizes on a consistent basis. After seeing THHI for the third time at the 7th Street Entry (they played with Digitata at that concert, which took place in June 2006), I was sold on two things: first, they played with conviction but didn’t take themselves too seriously (witty banter and goofy tales between songs); second, that THHI wouldn’t remain an opening act for long.

Portia Richardson’s vocals and guitar bring a brutal fierceness to their sound; her voice echoes Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker and her siren-like howls, splashed with the sass and spitfire of Le Tigre’s Kathleen Hanna. Jenn Gallup owns the bass by giving the band’s tunes a deep, throaty sound while Kelly Pollack throttles the drums, giving this group a coarse edge, cradled with rhapsodic harmonies. THHI are all about the element of auditory surprise: Just when you think a song is treading on mellow territory, they yank the wheel and explode into a maddening frenzy.

THHI offer a lot in terms of live shows, with each member wailing on their instrument of choice like it’s the last song they’ll ever get to play. Across the stage there’s sweat glistening, veins popping and heads heaving. Their audience feeds off this vibe, and the floor is full of hopping bodies with raised beer bottles; fans and first-timers eagerly thrash along to addictive bass-drunk beats. Songs like "Dark Dark" really showcase the bands’ ability to create variety in their sound by balancing intense jams with reverberating bass notes and haunting, fervent vocals.

The Haves Have It are currently in the studio working on their first full-length album. Anticipated release date is February 2008.

MySpace Page

(Tara Rogan)

Band To Know: Tentacle Boy - "Western Lullaby"

Download: Tentacle Boy - "Western Lullaby"


Recently featured on More Cowbell, Minneapolis-based duo Tentacle Boy is making waves with their two tracks featured on their MySpace page.

Adam To and Chris Sexton are reviving beats that sound like they’ve been neglected for years, left to rot in a 1980s time capsule. There’s something about their synth-sounds that echo the infectious "Axel F" by Harold Faltermeyer, (the theme to Beverly Hills Cop). New-fashioned little melodies meshed with pop-friendly techno: it’s familiar but far from boring. Tentacle Boy is a smidge reminiscent of popular indie-tronic bands like Octopus Project (weird similarity with their names, no?), but instead of having solid drumbeats and guitar riffs synching with Casio tones, Tentacle Boy sticks to the basics of slinky keyboard rhythms and likeable choruses. It’s simple, and it works.

"Western Lullaby" is like a funkier Postal Service tune, with To and Sexton’s vocals blending aesthetically together like a digital jigsaw puzzle, giving you the strange impression while listening that they may have recorded this underwater. It’s a really fun pairing of soft, lulling lyrics and hypnotizing little sonic blips.

Their page also features song and video for "Nobody,” the video bearing a slight resemblance to the Beastie Boys’ "Sabotage" video. Instead of cops running around raiding hotel rooms, these boys are criminals wielding kitchen knives and hurdling living room furniture. The song itself is a trippy mix of lyrical loops and digital percussion. Tentacle Boy is resurrecting sounds and images that feel like they’ve been long forgotten in a sea of acoustic indie-rock. They’re all about concocting danceable computer sounds. These guys are on to something, and I’m thinking a live show would be pretty damn fun.

Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming dates. Listen to "Western Lullaby" at the top of the post, then head on over to the band's MySpace page to download "Nobody".

(Tara Rogan)

Band To Know: Astra Moveo

Download: Astra Moveo - "Dollface"
Download: Astra Moveo - "Wrecked"

Is Denver the new Omaha? Probably not, but the jam bustin', disco punkin', synth wailin' trio Astra Moveo is about to encroach on The Faint's territory. Moveo is a hot little dance rock band gearing up to hit the nation's indie rock scene with a fresh infusion of disco.

Astra Moveo is currently recording their first LP (so remember where you heard it first, folks!), which is due for a spring release. Moveo's balance of finessed dance beats and an aggressive punk stomp provides a wonderful backdrop for any dance party: There's enough smoothness to their sound to get listeners out on the dancefloor, but not so much that the band sounds unpalatably saccharine. The one problem with the songs as they stand now is that the vocals are mixed in a little rough. There are a couple clunky moments that result from the vocals being a little too prominent. But honestly, if the skeleton in your closet is a rough mix, I'd say you're doing pretty damn good.

And, on top of it, Astra Moveo is happy to share the wealth. Check out their MySpace page for the songs at the top of this post as well as some remixes. Listen to MP3s of "Dollface" and "Wrecked" at the top of the post.

(April Wright)

Band To Know: Kat Flint - "Go Faster Stripes"

Download: Katflint - "Joseph"
Download: Katflint - "Go Faster Stripes"

Oh, Kat Flint, you are one of my favorite new finds. Judging from the airy, windswept sound of her voice, I swear, Flint must have blown all the way across the sea to us from her UK home.

"Go Faster Stripes," a track from her forthcoming debut album Dirty Birds, drapes layers of vocals over a simple piano frame, but then adds little percussive details into the mix. The result is a track that has weight, but still moves and has buoyancy.

The best thing about Flint is that she doesn't fall into the trappings of lonesome female performer. Her sound is full and clean, which allows Flint to stand out in her understated beauty.

Listen to "Go Faster Stripes" and "Joseph" at the top of the post, then stroll on over to her MySpace to listen to some more mp3s.


(April Wright)