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Every year on a hot weekend in July a section of South Broadway in Denver has a rendezvous with a tramp named the Underground Music Showcase (UMS). Four days of bands, booze, and blistering sun. Rock and fucking roll. This year I wanted to branch out and see bands that I had never listened to or heard of before. The nice part about writing for this here site is that we only cover bands that we love. Which means when I'm at a festival like the UMS, I don't have to stay and listen to any band I don't like. There were only a couple of bands that I listened to and left. There was a large pool of talent and I went swimming bro. I saw as many as I could within reason. There were a lot of bands. Many hundreds. Going to run it down for you in order. I recommend every band here and wish I could...

Last Wednesday embarked the beginning of pre-Lolla shows, which were everywhere throughout Chicago. Pandora powered Taco Bell’s Feed the Beat, featuring Robert Delong at the Double Door. Free show (w/RSVP) - no brainer there.  I was looking for a free taco, but what I found was an EDM dude who actually played instruments...several of them, actually. It was a wild ride inside a semi-grunge-y venue, hands being thrown in the air, faces being painted...another great gig, Pandora. I still have yet to get my free taco.

Thanks to Joel we seem to have a lot of Ben Howard fans lurking around here these days. You'll notice them from the mascara stains and I (heart) Dr. McDreamy shirts.  And yes...I make fun, but every now and then I too need a skim frappacino to catch the tears when I'm listening to an emotionally moving song. I don't judge.  That said, let me introduce all you Ben Howard fans to Luke Sital-Singh. 'Still' is a track off of his new EP The Breakneck Speed Of Tomorrow that is available to stream digitally now on Soundcloud.  This shit is so weepy and beautiful.  Five bucks Joel would weep tequila tears to this song while being rode bareback.

Hey do you jerks remember when I used to bang out mixtapes every two weeks? Yeah, it has been a minute hasn't it?! Back then the impetus to the Track Marks project was that I'd fairly regularly hear a song on Soundcloud that would rock my world so succinctly that it compelled me to try to spread it to as many people as far and wide as possible. Streaming was good and all, but when an earworm digs into you the world's wifi and 3g restrainsts just won't cut it. I had to give the people something more, tangible...or as tangable a zip file of mp3s can be. I'm rambling here but the point is that another song has kicked me in the balls and made me decide that I need to spend some quality time this weekend curating a new mixtape. That song of course is from SYFFAL sweetheart, Kotomi.....and it...

Cars and Trains is an electronic folk outfit out of Portland, Oregon. If you don't know them or label Fake Four, Inc, it's time to order up an espresso because YOU BEEN FUCKING A SLEEP!  Cars and Trains conductor/chauffeur, Tom Filepp, has gifted us the first track ("Iris") off his new project, Dust, and it is immaculate. I'd eat off its toilet seat. I'd inject myself with it and lay in the park and forget there even was a world I was escaping. Dust is that painting hanging in a gallery that you stare at and stare at and despite your sobriety, it talks to you. Not in words, but in waves of information and rhythm and layers of sound. It seems melancholy. Seen from another vantage point from across the room, its whimsy dances from the canvas. At times towering, other times...

I swear that I'm trying to be consistent with my SYFFAList, but the summer's busy. I was going to scrap the project all together and then two things happened:  July (and June) have been insane for music releases. Some days I have to pinch myself because so much great music is coming out. If you can't find any good music right now go jump off of your roof on to a bicycle seat.  SYFFAL is all shiny and new and I have to build my SYFFAList. I don't want to brag (yes I do), but have you seen this shit? The cover art in our album reviews fucking stream music. And now we have a comment section!  So go explore. BUT not before you listen to this playlist. Because I missed June I couldn't adhere to my normally 10 song limit - I had to include 2 more tracks. 

Rejoice revelers! Your pop syth high priestess is back! Yep. Chvrches recently announced Every Open Eye, the follow-up to 2013's The Bones of What You Believe and I am damn near giddy. It drops on September 25th...and after hearing "Leave a Trace" my heart can't handle the wait. Lauren Mayberry eviscerates every ex in her path to the degree that I want to be one of those chumps in the worst way. If her kiss on is as passionate as her kiss off then it was all worth the pain. Feelz for all!

Having kids changes what you listen to because at their young age we can't instill our taste upon them. In the car they want to listen to their top 40 tunes; not the new Destroyer album I just grabbed. And as they get older and develop their own tastes for certain music, I realize more and more that I don't want to interfere in shaping this process. The fact that they like music in the first place makes me happy. I love that I caught my 3 year old sitting on the toilet last week using the toilet paper pedestal as a microphone to sing "Let It Go" and that my 6 year old jumps on the couch singing "WHO DAT? WHO DAT? I-G-G-Y". That said I've been listening to a LOT of radio lately. This is a complete 180 for me; a couple of years ago I was oblivious to popular music. My friends would be...

Last night was one for the ages. For many people a great night out consists of getting shit-faced and waking up next to a stranger. God knows I've had my fair share of that kind of turnt. But last night I was reminded that a fucking awesome night doesn't have to go til the sun comes up, doesn't have to involve armloads of drugs, doesn't have to see the bottom of a bottle of whiskey, doesn't have to ruin me for days. I went and saw an amazing band rock my stupid face off, many friends, and totally made it home in time and in a condition to NOT be a complete wreck today. It was actually kinda nice. Guyguysguysguys... GUYS! I finally saw Sister Crayon, y'all!!! After two albums I hold very dear, and a couple of missed opportunities, Mars and Jupiter and Mercury and even Pluto, you litter...

The Moodhouse Podcast, Moodie Black, K Death, Chris Martinez The Moodhouse Podcast is the podcast from Moodie Black's K Death aka Chris Martinez. The Moodhouse Podcast stays shining the light of truth into the dark recesses of indie music success with conspiracy theories, and Fuck you opinions. Unafraid and matter of fact about looking you dead in the eyes, K Death doesn't shy away from saying what we're all thinking or fucking should be! Only on episode two, nows your chance, big boy, not to miss out on that ground floor elevator you got left behind with those other fancy podcasts. No marathon, The Moodhouse Podcast, times in at about 20 minutes. That means you can put it on while you take a particularl stubborn shit, while you eat your sad ramen, while you pretend to exercise, while...