ROYAL BANGS: We Breed Champions [Audio Eagle]
Listen to the weary vocals and languid, Strokes-like guitars on “Broke Calculator,” and you could peg Royal Bangs as snotty, post-punk New York brats. The five-piece, in fact, comes rumbling and beeping out of Knoxville, Tenn., with a rough tangle of garage guitars and low-budget electronics. It’s no mystery why this self-produced debut found a home on Audio Eagle, the label run by the Black Keys’ Patrick Carney: There’s mud and grease smeared all over “Cat Swallow.” But there’s also considerable divergence from any one playbook, with cut-up hip-hop beats invading “Let’s Get Even” and closing-time keyboards bolstering the Wheat-like “Japanese Cars.” With no outside assistance—aside from “vocal and instrumental coaching” credited to the Pabst and Miller brewing companies in We Breed Champions’ sleeve—Royal Bangs are free to party out of bounds. [www.audioeaglerecords.com]
BATTERIES: The Great Grandsuck Of The Sea [Paper]
1950s-style toe-tapping rhythms and frontman Dave Frankenfeld’s Bowie-esque crooning warm up the chilling pop songs on this Duluth, Minn., band’s debut. Batteries’ eerie-yet-catchy lyrics will have you singing along but wondering exactly what it is you’re singing about. [ www.papermusicmedia.com]
FINEST DEAREST: Finest Dearest [Bloodtown]
Finest Dearest’s fun and grungy, 11-song debut takes cues from the ’90s riot grrrls, minus their angst and flannel. Carly Schneider’s vocals don’t just float on top of her Bay Area band’s music; they blend with the other instruments to add a powerful twist. Surprises such as “Making A Sound 1” mix retro elements with too-cool-to-dance-to indie pop a la Pretty Girls Make Graves. [www.bloodtown.com]
FOXHOLE: We The Wintering Tree [Burnt Toast Vinyl]
Kentucky’s Foxhole has the same intense energy as Sigur Rós and Mogwai, ranging from desperately low with somber minor keys to soaring and vibrant with colorful, brassy horns. Recorded in a one-room church, the mostly instrumental We The Wintering Tree retains a booming, full sound quality that emphasizes the themes of life, death and mortality told through the changing seasons. [www.burnttoastvinyl.com]
LEMURIA: Get Better [Asian Man]
This Buffalo, N.Y., trio matches offbeat and witty lyrics (see: the Moldy Peaches) to simple pop/punk. Sheena Ozzella and Alexander Kerns’ alternating lead vocals convey angst with awkwardly honest lyrics (“It doesn’t matter that you succeeded/Because you’ll never feel successful/Until all of your friends fail”). [ www.asianmanrecords.com]
MIOU MIOU: La La Grande Finale [Minty Fresh]
Czech Republic quintet Miou Miou presents a charming spin on French pop, combining fuzz guitar, bass and drums with analog synths, oscillator and dreamy vocals. La La Grande Finale features nearly 20 other musicians and, as a result, each song is a unique experience. Miou Miou layers soaring melodies over a rocking bass line on “Dans Le Miroir De Tes,” one of the album’s most captivating tracks. [www.mintyfresh.com]
PEASANT: On The Ground [Paper Garden]
Damien DeRose, the Doylestown, Pa., singer/songwriter who records under the moniker Peasant, makes a richer sound than his band name implies. DeRose’s vocals float above acoustic-guitar melodies, evoking the lyrical eloquence and delicate arrangements of Rogue Wave and the late Elliott Smith. [ www.papergardenrecords.com]
