After taking a short break, Florida based “super group” Holopaw has recently announced the date for their newest record Academy Songs, Volume 1. With it, came also an incredibly powerful 7″ single titled “Golden Sparklers”. Two things immediately stick out to me about this track, the driving bass and the raw proficiency of the floor tom. Both elements (along with many others) lead the entire track into an anxiety plagued journey, fitting given that the album it belongs to is a 10 track epic that describes the trials of its young characters lives.

Academy Songs, Volume 1 will be released on January 15, 2013. Until then, enjoy Holopaw’s “Golden Sparklers”.

Possibly one of the most bad ass tracks of the year comes “Sale City” by the New Orleans based duo, Generationals. This statement stemming from the concept that if you were wrapped up in a car chase resembling something from a Steven Lisberger film, “Sale City” would be an absolute must on the playlist. If you dig what you hear, there’s a 50% chance that they will be coming to your state this month, and if not, you can just download “Sale City” off their self-released EP, Lucky Numbers, here.

One of the things I find most alluring about Philadelphian artist, Alex G, is the complete mystery behind him. His bandcamp page displays no contact information, no pictures, and no bio. Hell, even finding his bandcamp page is a chore in itself. Or maybe it’s the fact that he has masterfully created a total of four full length albums and three EPs in less than two years. The simplicity of his lyrics in every one of these tracks delivers same fearless honesty that completely destroys the barriers of the “bedroom punk” some might box him in. So if by chance you’re out there Alex G, we dig you man.

Filmed in a high school where everyone was on par with the latest 80’s trends comes Inspired and the Sleep‘s newest video “While We’re Young.” The track already has a certain childish nostalgia to it, so when you add a collage of awkward dance clips to accompany the assortment of flute and ukelele, be prepared to momentarily relive the “blooming phase” of your high school years. However, I don’t refer to this time warp as a bad thing, in fact, its quite the opposite. Written by Max Greenhalgh (AKA Eye Lid Kid), “While We’re Young” has a charm to it that’s difficult to find in many other songs, and fits in perfectly with the concept album he has written to document the teenage years before his 20th birthday.

If the reverby synth riffs of Yuno‘s first single “sunlight” sound nostalgically familiar, its probably because you recognize the Ft. Lauderdale artist by his previously arduous stage name Unouomedude. Although the names have changed, the quality hasn’t dropped a bit. After flying under the radar for a few months, Yuno delivers the same amplified beach vibes in “Sunlight” that have been driving the mysterious artist since his first EP release in 2007. He is currently accepting donations on his Kickstarter page in hopes to raise the proper funds to set up a tour as well as a full length album to follow his latest single. You can download Yuno’s newest single “Sunlight” here!

There’s something incredibly special about this track that I’ve been having a hard time putting my finger on. Hailing from Dallas, TX, The Vliets (pronounced “vleets”) bring to the table a hauntingly nostalgic tune, fronted by the vocals of Ty Bohrnstedt (which may I add could be slightly comparable to silk) and backed by an ominous choir of ghosts who really bring the entire song into another dimension. You can easily hear all the key components that went into ‘Elephant’ to give it the level of atmosphere that it does. The dry organ delivers the circa 60’s revival whilst the jangly reverb of the guitar brings it to almost a “brumous surf rock.” Elephant by the Vliets is definitely a track to be played loud, and to do so, you can download the entire EP here.

There can be a lot of unfair expectations for any band that hails from the iconic fairytale music scene of Liverpool. Its difficult to shake the constant “these guys better be as damn good as the Beatles” conjecture. However, I think its fair to say that Liverpudlian solo-act, Jethro Fox, deserves to be judged a bit more candidly. His newest single “Blinding Light” produces enough atmosphere, harmony, and build (oh god the build) to make purist bigots proud. The transition this song takes from catchy piano riff to haunting chorus (then later to an even more haunting chorus) compliments the overall anxiety of this track perfectly. So sit down, let your previous judgements disappear, and check out Jethro Fox’s latest single “Blinding Light”.