1. Transit Transit 2. Census 3. Highchair 4. Supertoys 5. Spots 6. The Bouncing Wall 7. Audience No. 2 8. Kissproof 9. Headless Sky 10. The Science Of Imaginary Solutions

Autolux (Los Angeles, CA, US)

(2010) LP - Transit Transit (TBD Records)

Space Rock / Shoegaze / Dream Pop / Indie Rock / Art Rock

Eugene Goreshter (Vocals, Bass)

Greg Edwards (Guitar, Vocals)

Carla Azar (Drums, Vocals)

(Watch ‘Supertoys’ live in HD by Autolux)

Over six years since their debut and Autolux have finally returned with a gleaming gem.  Every track on Transit Transit is way beyond exemplary, obviously they chose quality over quantity.  They have big hitting tunes like those that lit up their debut and made them instant festival heavyweights.  The subtler moments, that always end up being the stars after numerous listens, are also present and they definitely haven’t lost their knack for discovering obscure melodies as catchy as they are disturbingly delicious.  Newbies ‘Census’, ‘Supertoys’, ‘Audience 2′ and ‘Kissproof’ are perfect examples of the heavier moments, with that omnipresent feeling of futuristic, controlled chaos, awaiting unsuspected ignition.  ‘Kissproof’ has a powerful, wandering bass line that suddenly strikes with a venomous bite and snakelike charm.

*//Purchase

Cool like: A Place To Bury Strangers, Gliss, My Bloody Valentine, Sarena Maneesh, Deerhunter, Silversun Pickups, Lush, Skywave, Ceremony

1. Windstorm 2. Heart Is Strange 3. Dust Devil 4. ILU 5. Babelonia 6. Joviann 7. Camarilla 8. Dial 9. Bye Bye Bye 10. The Wait

School Of Seven Bells (Brooklyn, NY, US)

(2010) LP - Disconnect From Desire (Ghostly International)

Shoegaze / Electronica / Psychedelic Rock / Dream Pop / Indie Rock

Benjamin Curtis (Guitar)

Alejandra Deheza (Vocals, Bass)

Claudia Deheza (Vocals, Keyboards)

(School Of Seven Bells discuss their new album in this interview)

Disconnect From Desire is a dense journey through a mystical land, overflowing with enigmatic sounds and dream-painted lyrics.  School Of Seven Bells return on form with their unique visions of electro gaze, only to end up with another masterpiece of modern psychedelia on their hands.  On ‘Dust Devil’ the heavy beats push their sound even further towards the realms of electronica, more like a School Of Seven Bells remix, but brilliant nonetheless.  Curtis’ guitar even has the tonal bite that recalls his Secret Machines former-self on track ‘Babelonia’.  Phenomenal sophomore LP!

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Cool like: Soundpool, Beach House, M83, Lush, The Big Pink, Atlas Sound, On! Air! Library!, Telepathe, AC Berkheimer, Aesobi Seksu, Secret Machines

1. Anna Belle 2. Heaven 3. The Fall 4. All Night 5. Modern Love And Death 6. Try Again 7. Paralyzed 8. Footsteps 9. The Strangest Things 10. One U Love 11. Cherry Cola Funk 12. R U Still There 13. The Way It Is

Hail Social (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

(2007) LP - Modern Love And Death (Polyvinyl Records)

Indie Pop / Electronica / Dream Pop / Electropop

Dayve Hawk (Vocals, Guitar)

Richie Roxas (Guitar, Keys)

Dan Henry (Bass)

Maraldo (Drums)

(Watch the official video for ‘Heaven’ by Hail Social)

If you dig the ultra-catchy keys on MGMT’s ‘Electric Feel’ and saccharin vocals drenched in melody, this album will blow you away.  Dayve Hawk, the mastermind behind the more recent, Memory Cassette, Weird Tapes, Memory Tapes and the god-father of chillwave, also happens to be the creative force (vocalist, guitarist and sole songwriter) for Hail Social, this highly-underrated electro-indie quartet.  In 2009, Hawk stated the band has been on permanent hiatus since 2007 and with his work load and recent success with other projects, it’s more than understandable.  It’s easy to see how Modern Love And Death is the logical stepping-stone towards Memory Tape’s Seek Magic.  Half of the these tracks are brimming with a lust for electronica, minus chillwave’s signature, lo-fi fuzz.  Checkout ‘Heaven’, ‘All Night’ or ‘Try Again’, Hawk had already found the magic.

*//Purchase

Cool like: MGMT, Holy Ghost!, Zoot Woman, Under The Influence Of Giants, Memory Tapes, Dayve Hawk, Phoenix, Weird Tapes, Memory Cassette, Vhs Or Beta, Versus, Wire, Grand National, Hyena, Hot Chip

Hope you don’t have plans tonight because this is your last minute invite to a fun show.

SEZIO.org is organizing a night of music and art with Black Mamba and Joel P West at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, California tomorrow night, April 30th, 2010.

Do yourself a favor and watch this stunning video by new dream pop San Diego band, Black Mamba. Great cinematography by Josh Hassin.

Black Mamba – White Woods from Josh Hassin on Vimeo.

1. Sometimes 2. Youth 3. Vacation 4. Lazy Day 5. Twelve Roses 6. Daydream 7. Golden Age 8. Window View 9. The Horse 10. Wide Awake 11. Gathering

Beach Fossils (Brooklyn, NY)

(2010) LP - Beach Fossils (Captured Tracks)

Garage Rock / Noise Pop / Surf Rock / Lo-Fi

Dustin Payseur (Vocals, Guitar, Production)

John Pena (Bass)

Chris Sennott Burke (Guitar)

(Listen to ‘Youth’ by Beach Fossils)

Holy mole guacamole Batman, this debut is good!  Beach Fossils self-titled LP is a masterclass in Lo-Fi Indie.  By fusing the nostalgic surf pop melodies of The Drums and the dreamy, reverb drenched vocal-style of Small Black and Washed Out, they’ve found the recipe for eleven perfectly cut slices of Heaven.

*//Purchase

Cool like: The Drums, Real Estate, Pearl Harbor, Dunes, Small Black, Best Coast, Surfer Blood, The Soft Pack, The Raveonettes, Surferblood, Washed Out

1. Drop 2. Angst 3. The New Dream 4. Don't Wake My Mother 5. State Of Ignorance

The Isolation (Göteborg, Sweden)

(2010) EP 3 – The Isolation (All Heroes Are Dead)

Shoegaze / Psychedelic Rock / Indie Rock / Dream Pop / Noise Rock

(Watch a live, stripped-down version of ‘Decade’ by The Isolation)

They’ve already given away two flawless EPs of primal noise rock.  Now The Isolation are back with their third free EP, stretching their sonic canvas even wider.  The tracks on EP3 reflect a newly found maturity in their sound.  Melodic guitar hooks and vocal harmonies now stand out over the brutal blasts of drone.  Opener ‘Drop’ sets the trap with a familiar demonic guitar snarl, only adding grit to the smile-inducing melodies that follow.

*//Purchase

Cool like: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, The Raveonettes, The Morning After Girls, Gliss, The Black Ryder, Singapore Sling, A Place To Bury Strangers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Ruling Class, Coin Under Tongue

1. Euphoric Licks 2. Taste The Trash 3. Ecstatic 4. Soothe 5. Flesh And Blood 6. Deflowers 7. Downstairs 8. Anaesthetic 9. Siamese Eyes 10. Spit Voyage

Maribel (Oslo, Norway)

(2009) LP - Aesthetics (Quince Records)

Shoegaze / Noise Rock / Dream Pop / Psychedelic Rock

Liv Inger (Vocals, Bass)

Kjetil Tangen (Drums)

Lewi Bekkesletten (Guitar)

Pal Espen Kapelrud (Vocals, Guitar)

(Watch the official video for ‘Taste The Trash’ by Maribel)

You thought A Place To Bury Strangers was the only band doing noise-soaked Shoegaze at the highest level.  Think again, Norwegian rockers Maribel beg to differ.

*//Purchase

Cool like: My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Spaceman 3, A Place To Bury Strangers, Sarena-Maneesh, The Voices, Soundpool, Air Formation, Ringo Deathstarr, The Telescopes, Skywave

1. Cynthia 2. Soft Denial 3. Mien 4. Pilfer 5. Day We Met

MillionYoung (South Florida, US)

(2010) EP Be So True (Arcade Sound Ltd.)

Chillwave / Electronica / Lo-Fi / Dream Pop / Balearic / Glo-Fi

Mike Diaz (Vocals, Production)

(Listen to ‘Mien’ by MillionYoung and feel MDMAzing!)

I can’t get enough of Chillwave/Balearic/Glo-Fi/etc., I guess it suits my personality, chilled out, beach-loving surfer who loves Rock music just as much as Electronic.  South Floridian bedroom producer Mike Diaz aka MillionYoung prefer the Electronic bliss that Washed Out perfected.  Listening to the Be So True EP is equivalent to getting a beach-side message by a beautiful islander, at the start of a much needed vacation.

*//Purchase

Cool like: Washed Out, Small Black, Memory Tapes, Pearl Harbor, Delphic, Ernest Greene, Dayve Hawk, Neon Indian, Beach Fossils, Best Coast, Memory Cassette, Weird Tapes, Memoryhouse

1. You'll See It (Small Black Remix) 2. Despicable Dogs (Washed Out Remix) 3. Weird Machines (Live At Bongozz)

Washed Out / Small Black (Georgia / Brooklyn, NY)

(2010) Split 7″ (Lovepump United)

Chillwave / Electronica / Lo-Fi / Dream Pop / Glo-Fi

Washed Out is:

Ernest Greene (Vocals, Production)

Small Black is:

Josh Kolenik (Vocals, Synth, Programming)

Ryan Heyner (Vocals, Synth, Programming)

(Watch this video for ‘Despicable Dogs (Washed Out Remix) by Small Black and feel pure bliss)

The reigning champs of Chillwave remix each other and the result couldn’t be any better.

*//Purchase

Cool like: Memory Tapes, Pearl Harbor, Ernest Greene, Dayve Hawk, Neon Indian, Beach Fossils, Best Coast, Memory Cassette, Weird Tapes

1. Black Magic 2. Starships 3. Teenage Love 4. Kiss Me Dead

Magic Wands (Nashville, TN)

(2009) EP – Magic, Love And Dreams (Bright Antenna)

Dream Pop / Noise Pop / Synthpop / Indie Rock / Shoegaze

Chris Valentine (Vocals, Guitar)

Dexy Valentine (Vocals, Guitar)

(Watch the official video for ‘Black Magic’ by Magic Wands)

Lover duo Chris and Dexy first met in Hollywood back in 2007, while Chris was living in Nashville.  A year later he found a song online by Dexy and the two began collaborating on tracks over the internet.  Eventually, Chris drove the 2000 miles to LA and brought Dexy back to Nashville, Magic Wands were born.

Magic Wands make classic pop songs like The Ting Tings or Two Door Cinema Club except with fuzzy guitars and enchanting, synthesized spells.

*//Purchase

Cool like: Phantogram, IO Echo, The XX, Gliss, The Ting Tings, Monsters Are Waiting, Two Door Cinema Club, The Big Pink, The Raveonettes