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40 Cloud Nothings :: Didn’t You 7” :: “Didn’t You”
Cloud Nothings’ does not require alot of his audience. All you need is a willingness to enjoy some really fun music. With “Didn’t You”, he creates one of his most enjoyable lo-fi pop numbers. Very simple, yet extrememly rewarding.
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39 Minks :: Funeral Song 7” :: “Funeral Song”
1980’s goth has popped up here and there this year, but no band has made it feel so authentic as Minks. I mean, these almost feel like songs that could have been written by The Cure. Almost.
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38 guards :: GUARDS EP :: “crystal truth”
I love surprises. When I followed a link to guards’ bandcamp, my thought process was typical of all other such situations. Not having much to go on besides band name and cover art, I clicked download, prepared to give the EP an honest shot. To my utter delight I found an EP crammed full of darn-near-perfect lo-fi pop songs.
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37 Tim Cohen :: Laugh Tracks :: “Wonderful Life”
I don’t know how Tim Cohen manages to do it. The Fresh & Onlys seem like they are constantly putting out new material, but he still has time to devote to a solo project. His stuff doesn’t suffer from a busy schedule either, he just keeps cranking out quality.
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36 Balam Acab :: See Birds EP :: “See Birds (Moon)”
“Witch house” seems to be a taboo term these days. Like ‘chillwave’ or any other blog-genre, it was bound to have a horde of haters. Balam Acab makes none of that seem to matter though. His music is so unbelievably good that genres become irrelevant, there is no witch house. There’s just Balam Acab.
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35 Summer Camp :: Young EP :: “Round the Moon”
There is something so earnest about Summer Camp’s music. There were a few really good boy/girl duos that popped up this year, but none were so drenched in 1980’s pop as Summer Camp. “Round the Moon” sounds like a lost relic for a John Hughes prom night.
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34 Autre Ne Veut :: Autre Ne Veut :: “Drama Cum Drama”
A forerunner of the ‘lo-fi R&B’ microgenre with others like How To Dress Well and TOP GIRLS. Auture Ne Veut is so mysterious opting to let the music speak for itself. With “Drama Cum Drama”, the 90’s R&B feeling fits nicely with the bizarre vocals to create something really catchy.
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33 Weed Diamond :: Snowmelt 7” :: “Snowmelt”
To find the sunny side of this song, you’ll have to dig through the crust and the fuzz. Once you find it though, it’ll be impossible to let it go. Once that jangly guitar line gets planted in your brain, good luck getting it out.
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32 Memoryhouse :: Caregiver 7” :: “Caregiver”
Memoryhouse’s debut EP was a beautiful thing to behold. When I listened to it though, I felt like it was holding itself back in a way. With their new 7”, Memoryhouse has shattered through that barrier and have succeeded in creating a thing of grandeur.
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31 Heavy Hawaii :: HH EP :: “Teen Angel”
Heavy Hawaii have done their best to show how much they love The Beach Boys. Their songs are nostalgic and beachy to the point where you can almost feel the sun and sweat of a day on the coast.
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