Weekly Roundup: Mar 18 – 24, 2012

There was a lot of non-dig stuff going on for me this past week (shit was cray, one could say) so I feel like I'm playing from behind to bring this new Weekly Roundup to you. But here it is, with some cool new music and videos.

Lady Danville is a band from LA with a self-released EP that came out last month called Operating. The title track is an arresting piece of well-crafted indie rock. The vocal performances are probably the high point, between the strong sense of melody and the harmonization, but it's really a highly diggable tune all around and a pleasure to listen to.

-The video pick for the week comes to us all the way from Sao Paolo, Brazil. The co-ed quintet band Some Community has made this clip of a night-time pool party for their song "Head and Tail." The song has a shimmering grace and a little bit of mystery, perfectly matched by the flickering images of the people in the pool and the members of the band, none of which ever stay still long enough to be fully grasped. It's quite lovely, so the discordant guitar part towards the end provides a daring counterpoint to the otherwise smooth, nocturnal vibes. Look for new EP UnderConstruction soon.

Some Community – Head and Tail (Official) from dietrich.tv on Vimeo.

-We have another beautiful song from abroad to share. This one is from the Aussie band The Glorious, who will be releasing their second album Sweetwater pretty soon. The track "On the Capital City Trail" has been quite a discovery. It's a laid-back, charming folk song with a confident poise and comfortable, worn-in feel. Acoustic, lap steel and electric guitars, brushing percussion, a plunking bass, and natural imagery in lyrics – well, it may not be something you haven't heard before, but if you enjoy those things, you will definitely enjoy this.

-I have a few tracks I haven't been able to share the past few weeks, but that shouldn't matter because it's never too late to hear good music. The band Reptar made some ripples last year with an EP and their debut album Body Faucet seems pretty highly anticipated amongst the internet music community. Judging from the lead single "Sebastian," I think the hype is warranted. It's a blast of world / jam / pop that has an infectious energy. Pretty fun stuff. You can listen or download by submitting to the mailing list widget below.

-This song is a bit of a shift from the last, but no less worthwhile. It's a spare, vintage-yet-modern psych-blues cut called "Magpie" from the band Coke Weed and their forthcoming second album Nice Dreams, out April 17th. This song uses space really well. It may not be as busy or as big, but it is an easy world to let your ears get lost in. I feel like it's one of the better examples of what the Velvet Underground's self-titled third album may have sounded like if Nico stuck around – and it's about as awesome as you might imagine that to be. They have some spring dates coming up and will be touring with the Walkmen in the fall, which is a really great double bill as there's some definite connections between the two bands musically.

Coke Weed – Magpie