Strange Talk - Picking Up All The Pieces

"We've been walking for miles"

Here's another group I somehow missed out on until the end of 2014. Australian electro-pop band Strange Talk have been releasing singles for a few years now, many of which appear on their debut album that was released last spring. The song embedded here today is actually not one of those singles, but it's definitely the Strange Talk track I am most obsessed with. In fact, I love it so much that I've barely gotten past it to listen to the rest of the album. This is going to be a very specific reference, but the track's build and propulsive instrumentation remind me of the excellent songs produced/remixed by Bassflow, of Swedish pop fame. For those longtime readers, you'll know that this is very high praise indeed. Add to that an instantly catchy chorus that compels you to further listens, and you've got one of those songs that refuses to let you go.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Magic Man - Tonight

"I feel alright with all of my heart"

Onto the second American indie act I've been listening to last month, we have the excellent Magic Man. These guys specialize in a synthy, dreamy 80's hodgepodge of soft melodic rock. What I appreciate most, though, is the fact that although there isn't really a lot of bombast in their sound, the melodies definitely veer toward the anthemic. Tonight is a great example of this, with its huge singalong hook that would sound great pumped up in a stadium. In fact, the song's on a FIFA soundtrack and I know I heard it in the background of some football (or basketball?) game that happened to be on the TV. If you like this, make sure to check out the full album. It definitely deserves more attention than it's getting.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Walk The Moon - Avalanche

"Sometimes you only get one chance"

Throughout December, when very little new music was released, there were a couple of non-K-Pop albums I caught up on. One of those albums actually came out during the month, and that's indie band Walk The Moon's excellent Talking Is Hard. For fans of bombastic, 80's synth rock (uh... me??), this is an album you absolutely have to check out. I was really surprised with how consistently good it is. I spotlighted Walk The Moon last year with their awesome single, Shut Up And Dance, and it turns out that that song's a pretty good bellweather for the full album. I could have picked pretty much any of the tracks to spotlight today, but I decided to go with the one that I found to be most catchy on the very first listen. Avalanche is kind of what Maroon 5 would sound like if I found Maroon 5 remotely tolerable. It's glossy, hook-per-second radio pop, but retains a slightly off-kilter presence that gives it a lot of character.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.