Anna: I am so incredibly behind on everything. I finally got around to listening to Jonah Raydio after the podcast had already been around for a year. In one of the first episodes, he played “Jellyfish” by PAWS, and I became obsessed with Cokefloat!, on which “Jellyfish” resides. I then realized that this album has been out since October 2012. Well, better late than never. This album is totally addictive and thrilling – a rollicking throwback to the 90s. I adore it.
Nicole: Midwest emo fans everywhere cheered in unison on Monday when Owls shared their first new song in over a decade. The band consisted of members of Cap’n Jazz, The Promise Ring and Joan of Arc (read: Tim and Mike Kinsella), who decided to “get the band back together” for a follow-up studio record to their 2001 S/T LP released by Jade Tree. It seems as if a real comeback is upon us, now – Cap’n Jazz played a reunion tour in 2010 but never made plans beyond that. Who knows, maybe American Football will be next? A girl can only dream. In the meantime, this track is fantastic — and I can’t wait to hear the full record on March 25 via Polyvinyl.
Ben: There are a number of local bands that put out great records in 2013 that we haven’t spent enough words talking about yet. One of these bands is Fronds. The Mallard broke up last year before releasing one of the year’s best LPs, but guitarist Dylan Tidyman-Jones followed it up late in the year with Fronds, a dreamy, psychy slice of weird-pop that remains simultaneously mystifying and captivating. I’ll continue giving this one a lot of spins in 2014.
http://vimeo.com/73917383
