Altamina - Tomorrow Morning Will Be Tonight - 2016

http://www.planetarygroup.com

Spacey and atmospheric, Altamina plant their feet firmly in the ground and stretch their arms into the sky. Achieving a deep, rich sound with ambient, yet driving instrumentals and San Fermin-like vocals, Tomorrow Morning Will Be Tonight rides the genre line along with acts like The National and The Antlers.

memoryhouse - bedroom demos - 2016

beko.bigcartel.com

memoryhouse have to be the smoothest act around, throw in demo tapes and you got me hooked… a beautifully short simple chill out listen to carry you into dreamland.

Tiger Waves - Don't Be Yourself [Remixed & Remastered] - 2016

lo-fi shabblings of previously released/remixed tunes… a nice diy aesthetic with airy psychedelic instruments and vast vocals building into lovely summery songs for the masses. Nice release.

Barbarisms - Browser - 2016

http://barbarisms.com

Those hankering for the breezy looseness of Built To Spill’s earliest releases, Herman Dune’s ingenuousness, or the late St Thomas’s cracked folk, will revel in this debut from Nicholas Faraone’s trio.

Michael Franti & Spearhead - SOULROCKER - 2016

https://www.michaelfranti.com

Right from the opening strains of the '90s-esque reggae-pop tune "Crazy for You," it's clear that although times and musical tastes have changed, the sound and message of Michael Franti hasn't. The San Francisco native and former frontman of Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy is now on the downhill side of 50, and is still espousing love, peace and harmony. The group's ninth studio project SOULROCKER flips the script a little bit, though, by incorporating Diplo-esque type sounds — to uneven, but mostly satisfying results. exclaim

Band of Horses - why are you ok - 2016

http://www.bandofhorses.com

Band of Horses partnered up with Rick Rubin’s label and the production has changed hands from someone responsible for the first couple of Steve Miller and Eagles records to the dude behind The Sophtware Slump. Whether the partnership with Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle is inspired or productive, it’s at least new, which is just as good. While Why Are You OK? lacks the specific sense of place that Seattle and South Carolina embedded in their first two LPs, “Broken Household Appliance National Forest” is a more interesting setting for the same old Band of Horses songs than the 4 p.m. slot at whatever festival still focuses on guitar music. pF

Camp Cope - 2016

Michael Livingston I've listened to nothing except this record for the past fortnight and it just keeps getting better - wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

Summer at The Grey Estates Volume 2 - 2016

thegreyestates.com

Jeremy (HI54LOFI) GREAT comp from a GREAT blog and proceeds go to a GREAT cause. That's 3 great reasons to hit the buy button (for those keeping score at home). Favorite track: Low - Yours Are the Only Ears.

a certain smile - For Ian - 2016

Raised on a steady diet of sarah records singles, slumberland noise pop, and creation era shoegaze, Portland's a certain smile work hard to find that balance between the sweet twee, the fuzzy gaze, and punky pop. Having spent years bubbling over in Philadelphia, a certain smile has taken to it's new Pacific Northwest home with aplomb and are now ready to start bringing their noize to the kids!

This is a benefit for our drummer Ian White who was hit by an SUV while on his scooter. He is currently in the ICU at OHSU hospital and has a long road ahead of him in terms of healing, rehabilitation, and physical therapy. We do not yet know the long-term effects of his head trauma and his many broken bones. We all wish him well and a quick recovery. Every cent we get from this download will go to Ian to help with expenses. 

Forever Beautiful: a collection of love for Orlando - 2016

This compilation is a love letter to the community of Orlando, FL. Following the tragic events at Pulse Nightclub on June 12th, we wanted to show our support and love for our LGBT community the best way we knew how; through music. 

The tracks on this album were all individually contributed by the bands and artists themselves; artists from Orlando, New York, California, England, and all over the globe. 

All proceeds from this compilation will be donated to support the victims of the Pulse shooting as part of the OneOrlando Fund (www.oneorlando.org) as a symbol of solidarity as our city rebuilds. 

The price of this album is whatever amount you would like to donate to this cause.

credits

Laptop Funeral - the closer to you, the safer i feel - 2016

ztapesrecords.com

this is a great chill wave release from one of my fav tiny labels… they never disappoint!

Dylan Shearer - Porchpuddles - 2016

EmptyCellarRecords.com

"There is a new specter among us. Dylan Shearer’s throaty baritone seems to have been borne on the slow-moving winds off some far-away coast. Plaintive and honest, his voice recalls Syd Barrett, Bill Fay, Skip Spence, and others whose words and melodies never seemed in a rush to get anywhere, yet always arrived fully formed in the listener’s ear nonetheless. Porchpuddles, Shearer’s second full length and first for San Francisco’s hodge-podge Empty Cellar records, is rare in its perfect timelessness. Sounds are heard and understood perfectly, yet the combination of these sounds is beyond a simple pop understanding. Songs of longing and songs of seeming indifference are bedded together seamlessly. Perhaps, questions about the record’s origin and its mysterious creator will abound, for taken at face value, Porchpuddles has little to no recognizable counterpart in today's one-hit warehouse. Indeed, there is a new specter among us; let us all welcome in the ghost of the present." - Tim Cohen

Failed Flowers - 2016

punk infused indie - the female/male vocals expand the intent of the songs nicely…

soccer mommy - for young hearts - 2016

laid back female vocals interplay well with the crisp strumming and snappy snare drum 

- nice release.

Exam Season - Mostly Homely - 2016

moody mellow release… some nice melodies layered with dark themes

Big Thief - Masterpiece - 2016

bigthief.net

Nick Green Will be in most end of year lists- steal it whenever you can

Sorority Noise - It Kindly Stopped For Me - 2016

Dream like, soothing, calm sways - back and forth, back and forth… again! again!

johnny foreigner - If You Can't Be Honest, Be Awesome - 2016

ilovealcopop.co.uk

Alcopop! always release fun music; this is no different, nice single!

Bellows - Fist & Palm - 2016

"Fist & Palm" was written and recorded by Oliver Kalb over the course of two writing periods. The first was a month-long song-a-day project in October 2014, from which 7 of the 31 songs written for the project were kept for the final album, and a certain sonic template was mapped out for how the record would develop the sound of Bellows as a recording project. After a heavy year of touring throughout 2015, the album was completed between October 2015 and January 2016, in a several month long fit of anxiety. James Wilcox (JCW) produced, sequenced and sampled drums on several songs, Felix Walworth (Told Slant) recorded live drums throughout the record, Gabrielle Smith (Eskimeaux) contributed violin and choral arrangements, and Jack Greenleaf (Sharpless) mixed the record and added final arrangements.