…Mind the Gap (@mindthegapsound)? So it may not be 75 degrees anymore, but we are still feeling pretty sunny thanks to Mind The Gap. Style Etoile are suckers for some bongo, and Mind the Gap is giving it to us in spades in their new single “Find My Way.” These guys are offering up some good old fashioned indie pop and we like it. Style Etoile caught MTG at CMJ and had to go back for more at SXSW. Check out 2011’s The Good Fight and keep your ears out for a soon-to-be-released EP.
Spirit Animal “Makin’ It Work”
…Spirit Animal (@SpiritAnimalUS)? Well if this isn’t the perfect track for a Friday, we don’t know what is. “Makin’ It Work” is an upbeat gem by Spirit Animal with a fun take on relationship turmoil, and it never fails to get the party started. The track is off of the band’s 2010 debut The Cost Of Living, which was a real winner. The boys have gone and topped themselves, though, with their newest single “I’m Around” featuring vocals by Morgan Kibby (of Style Etoile favorite M83 fame). We caught these guys at CMJ and man, were we impressed. Do yourselves a favor and check it all out here—you won’t be disappointed…
…Guards (@guardsmusic)? Rounding out our CMJ-themed week, Style Etoile brings you Guards. The backstory of Guards is this: Richie James Follin (the guitarist for Cults) returned from a jaunt in Europe and was inspired to write a bunch of songs which he recorded with the help of MGMT, Willowz (of which he is a founder), and his sister Madeline Follin (also of Cults). The result is a handful of lush, lo-fi, 60’s inspired beauties—get the free downloads here. Happy Friday—you’re welcome.
…Widowspeak (@widowspeaking)? Widowspeak is good. Very good. Deceptively good, in fact. Upon first listen to the band, one’s immediate impression involves the lush, dreary, lazy, sexy, haunting sound of singer Molly Hamilton. There is also an obvious nod to 90s music (we immediately thought of Cowboy Junkies when we first heard them). But there is so much more here. There is some psychedelia, some definite 50s references, and an ease of transition between sappy slow numbers to more uptempo pop. These guys kind of blew us away at CMJ, and we can’t wait to see them again soon. Check out their self-titled release here.
…Teen Daze (@teendaze)? OK, now that we have (almost) recovered from the awesomeness that was CMJ, we thought we would dedicate this week to our favorite acts of the festival. Today we bring you Teen Daze the solo project of Vancouver’s Jamison, and man is he good. Style Etoile has had our eyes on him for a while now, but ever since the recent release of A Silent Planet, we have become slightly obsessed. The album was written in isolation and inspired by time spent alone in the Swiss Alps, as well as C.S. Lewis’ “Out of the Silent Planet.” These influences are easily audible in the sparse, atmospheric music that manages to remain warm, and often even danceable. The stuff is just plain beautiful—check it out.
…Grimes? OK, enough of that slow, sappy stuff, it’s time to get serious. Today we give you Grimes, the 23 year old from Montreal who officially blew our minds at CMJ last week. This girl is making dance-y, layered tracks that remind us of a cross between Lykke Li and MNDR and we are more than a little obsessed with her. This is layered, complicated avant-garde music disguised as accessible and fun pop, and we’re impressed. The above single is off of her upcoming full-length. Unfortunately that’s not due out until January 2012, but in the meantime, you can take a listen to her other beauties—we promise you won’t be disappointed…
Bleached “Searching Through The Past”
…Bleached (@hellobleached)? When the weather first took a turn towards fall, leading to crisp air and the donning of cute layers, Style Etoile found it charming and novel. That didn’t last long. We are already missing summer, but not as much as if we didn’t have Bleached blasting through our headphones. The LA sister duo of Jessica and Jennifer Clavin makes urgent, rock-y, beach-y music with a nod to the 70s, and we can almost feel the sun on our face when we hear them. We caught these rocker chicks during CMJ and they were just plain awesome. They’re also pretty hard-working, with their 3rd 7” of the year about to be released…pre-order it here.
