IT’S GONNA HIT YOU WITH A BIG WAVE

Jenny & Johnny is the new pet project of Jenny Lewis and her boyfriend Jonathan Rice. This combination is painfully cute, and their music can be summed up nicely in the form of the title of their album, I’m Having Fun Now. The music is just that; bubbly, sing-song, and surprisingly, instrumentally pleasing. “Big Wave,” my favorite track from the album, builds nicely into each chorus, with the music resembling a…well…a big wave. Good clean fun from Jenny Lewis is always accepted here at ATG, and Jenny & Johnny sounds like my favorite parts of Rilo Kiley, so it’s got our stamp of approval.

MP3: Jenny & Johnny – “Big Wave”

Love,
Zack

SWING MY WEIGHT AROUND, BEGIN THE WINDSTORM

There’s a pretty simple explanation for what makes School of Seven Bells so great: the harmonies sung by sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza. The girls, who happen to be identical twins, naturally have voices that complement each other perfectly, placing an uncommonly large emphasis on the melodic pattern of the vocals rather than the instrumentals, which also happen to be fantastic. In an era in which most indie-pop outfits’ songs are guided forward by a synth riff or catchy guitar line, School of Seven Bells give you the vocal intellect of Enya without sounding like you’re sitting through a bikram yoga class full of old ladies. While their sound might lend itself to comparisons to Metric, there is something quite unique about SVIIB; something refreshing. Have a listen to my favorite song “Windstorm,” as well as the more ambient “Bye Bye Bye,” and while you’re at it, grab yourself a copy of their newest effort, Disconnect from Desire.

MP3: School of Seven Bells – “Windstorm”
MP3: School of Seven Bells – “Bye Bye Bye”

Love,
Zack

We Get Up Early Just to Start Cranking the Generator

A relatively new and positively refreshing relationship has been forged between hip hop and blog-buzz bands. The ever-growing list includes Kid CuDi (who has sampled everything from Vampire Weekend to Band of Horses), Chiddy Bang (MGMT, Sufjan Stevens, Hot Chip, etc.) and Theophilus London (Discovery, Ellie Goulding). Now it’s time to add a new name to that list; Gilbere Forte‘ (pronounced Jil-bear For-tay). The Flint, Michigan native has just released a new single, “1st Floor,” and is blowing up the blogosphere with his clever integration of Freelance Whales “Generator ^ 1st Floor.” The track was produced by Passion Pit’s Aislyn, so naturally it’s flawless. Grab “1st Floor” below, and pray for more hip hop/indie incest in the near future.

MP3: Gilbere Forte’ – “1st Floor (ft. Freelance Whales)”

Love,
Zack

We Didn’t Realize that We Had Arrived at High Tide

No band has commanded my attention recently more than Tennis, the heart-warming husband and wife duo from Denver that has a pretty sweet back story. According to their label, the band came about after Alaina Moore teased her husband, Patrick Riley, “for playing Tennis in college, which is an elitist rich man’s sport. A year later the two fled their hometown Denver to spend eight months sailing and exploring the North Atlantic coast. During their adventures they began writing music together documenting their experiences.” The experiences result in some of the most charming few songs that are as carefree as they are infectious. Have a listen to “Marathon,” and head over to Hype Machine to grab “South Carolina,” since I couldn’t really decide which one I loved more.

MP3: Tennis – “Marathon”

Love,
Zack