It might be the bell lines that elevate the opening track of Slow Luck from throwaway post-emo to something complete and arresting. Or maybe it's the distant organ drone, or the big jungly drums. Whatever the magic ingredient may be, it makes for lovely stuff.
Read more about Source Victoria - 'All That You Taught Me'
This is a really, really great band. From the very start, I am absolutely loving this. The drums on this first track are phenomenal. The guitars are beautiful, and the vocals fit perfectly. “City to city, coast to coast, truck stop to truck stop…” Oh, how those phrases remind me of beautiful movement. You need to go to Knesset’s BandCamp and listen to their album “Coming Of Age”. Even though this album has been previously blurbed about by a more eloquent and dedicated writer than myself, I feel like it deserves a full review.
Andy Phipps, Jake Ashton, Bruce Kimura, Jakeob Ewell, and Jeff Taylor met in high school. It’s not very often that high school bands end up sounding this good. Most people disband after graduating high school and then start other, way better bands. St. Ranger is actually already very good, and I hope they stay together a long time.
I showed some of my friends their five track album “Life Coach”, and they were impressed. This band describes themselves as a mix of influences from The Beach Boys, Grizzly Bear, and Animal Collective. This is Layercake. It was recorded by Bill Burke and his Layercake Studio in LA with help from James McInnes of The Color Group, the label on which is was released at the end of 2011. Read more about St Ranger
The influences of these self-conscious but earnest, and calculated but natural Tempe natives include everything from The Beach Boys, The Velvet Underground, and Bob Dylan to “Old Bollywood Music”, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Bjork. The call it Folk / Melodramatic Popular Song / Thrash, and it is full of energetic and excitement.
“Buncha noise mostly.” That’s how Cassiopeia describes themselves on their Facebook page. This is a “loud space noise” band from East Phoenix. They are interested in vinyl, literature, movies, and art and are influenced by “the usual”.
Courtney Marie Andrews is legitimately great music. I first listened to this and thought, “Oh, this must be some really, really popular mainstream singer that everyone has already heard of.” Turns out, she only has about 500 likes on Facebook despite her excellent song writing.
So, I can’t believe nobody’s written about Andrew Jackson Jihad yet. This is one of the most honest and insightful bands in the country today. Sean Bonnette is a visionary. He says the most brilliantly honest things I’ve ever heard. In “Candle In The Wind” he says “Because love is all we need, except that love isn’t really all we need.” He says that we need compassion, money, many other things, and just a little bit of love.
Read more about Andrew Jackson Jihad 
The debut LP from songwriter Evan Fox's band Knesset owes plenty to Yo La Tengo and contemporaries, but infuses its beached guitar pop with the kind of glassy-eyed youth that's inevitably endearing. Like its title suggests, Coming of Age is an ineffably young record, even naive at points, but that's exactly where it gets its charm.
Some great, quirky, vintage sounds are coming out of this Phoenix outfit. Check out ROAR's debut EP below. You can catch them live at the Crescent Ballroom on December 17th.
Already known for their effervescent live shows around the Phoenix area, Future Loves Past have debuted with a bouncy, psychedelic, and carefree self-titled EP. Its four tracks stands as anthems of youth and a worry-free existence. Sunny up your autumn and stream these tunes below--or catch Future Loves Past at one of a few upcoming shows in the area (check their Bandcamp for details).
Read more about Future Loves Past - "Earth"