Dinosaur Feathers
“Whistle Tips”
Release Number: 2nd
Hailing From: Brooklyn, NY
Genre: Indie Rock
Label: Ernest Jennings Record Co.

Brooklyn’s only wedding band specializing in elopements is back and even after three years, Dinosaur Feathers’ debut album, Fantasy Memorial, still holds up.  It’s still my favorite album by a smaller local artist in recent years.  It was full of charm, it was fairly unique, and the musicianship was excellent.  It was a happy album full of vocal harmonies and interesting melodies.  When Whistle Tips came across my desk, I was understandably excited to give it a listen.
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Perfume Genius
Put Your Back N 2 It
Release Number: 2nd
Hailing From: Seattle, Washington
Genre: Lo-fi pop
Label: Matador

From the first haunting keys of “AWOL Marine”, Put Your Back N 2 It is a brutally honest record. For my first few listens, I thought it was a good record but I didn’t really understand the hype. It was good, but not that good. It wasn’t until I decided to put it on late at night while trying to go to sleep that I really understood the album and appreciated for what it is. The album is so raw and so personal that, at first, it can seem a little off-putting. But if you embrace the atmosphere of the album and really take it in, it can be a truly emotional experience.

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Now, Now
Threads
Release Number: 2nd
Hailing From: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Genre: Indie rock
Label: Trans Records

I’ve been following Now, Now since their first EPs in 2008. Ever since dropping the “Every Children” from their name a few years ago, they’ve made an effort to become a more mature band and with Threads, their second album, they’ve succeeded for the most part. Now, Now is from Minneapolis and consists of Cacie Dalager (vocals, guitar, and keyboard), Brad Hale (mainly drums), and Jess Abbott. The trio has been around for a while and has only recently started to gain recognition, mainly after signing with Trans Records, which is owned by Chris Walla of Death Cab fame.

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The Jane Doze
GIRLS TALK
Release Number: Debut
Hailing From: NYC
Genre: Mash-up

The mash-up genre is relatively new to the music scene and for a long time mash-up poster boy Girl Talk was the only artist who attracted critical attention. While 2010’s All Day was another great album, more artists have recently come to steal some of Greg Gillis’ thunder. In February, Super Mash Bros. released Mile(y) High Club which did a lot of what Girl Talk did and some of it even better. A few weeks later Jane Doze unleashed GIRLS TALK, their debut mix tape after a year of releasing scattered mash-ups with varying success.

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First Aid Kit
“The Lion’s Roar”
Hailing From: Sweden
Release Number: 2nd Full Length Album
Genre: Indie Folk
Label: Wichita

First Aid Kit is composed of Swedish sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg.  The band got their start in 2007 with the release of their first demo.  Much like many bands today, First Aid Kit acquired more recognition through their YouTube videos, predominantly their cover of Fleet Foxes’ “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song”.   The group released their first full length album, “The Big Black & The Blue”, in 2010.  In early 2011, the group performed with Bright Eyes, a collaboration which may have led to Mike Mogis, of Bright Eyes, producing “The Lion’s Roar”. The acquisition of Mogis to the team has definitely proven to be a great addition and has offered the group a more polished sound with this new release. Whatever combination the Söderberg sisters have going is definitely working for them.
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