Despite the title, Brite Futures’ new album Dark Past (out now on Turnout) is anything but gloomy. The Seattle-based band (formerly known as Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head) split from Warner Bros. and have since moved on to indie label Turnout, a move that underlies some songs on the new record. The quintet of Claire England, Shaun Libman, Luke Smith, David Price, and Conor Sisk may have a new name, but they can still bring us an ... Read More

Motherhood seems to have been quite an influential force on Kimya Dawson’s new album Thunder Thighs (out now on her label Great Crap Factory). Many of the songs--as well as the Sesame-Street-on-acid album cover--evoke whimsical sensibilities that wouldn’t be out of place in a hip kindergarten classroom. Dawson’s desire to create music she can share with her now five-year-old daughter reached an apex on 2008’s ... Read More

While all of the easy Daft Punk comparisons were flying around when Justice released 2007's Cross, there was something else going on: oh, the dreaded word “prog!” But at this point, with even Kanye bumping King Crimson, it’s safe for Justice to come out of the closet. On Audio, Video, Disco (out now on Ed Banger/Because), instead of isolated moments that sound like a '70s Italian zombie soundtrack, you’ve got an ... Read More

Some embrace the crisp autumn like a sudden shower during a steamy summer day, but to others, the arrival of fall means the tragic end of sun-soaked days at the beach. It’s no wonder that moody trip-hop is in season. Husband and wife duo Aleksa Palladino and Devon Church of Exitmusic know all too well what seasonal changes do to people--they’re based in New York, a city currently dealing with an indecisive Mother Nature. Perhaps ... Read More

Known for its impeccable good taste and all around hipness, Brooklyn label Mexican Summer has spawned another hit record with their release of Pink Playground’s Destination Ecstasy (out now). Pink Playground is Texan duo Tara Tyson and James Wing, who, like the rest of their state, like things big: in this case, distortion and feedback.  Despite all best efforts to avoid the obvious comparison to My Bloody Valentine, the ghostly ... Read More