Rika – How To Draw A River, Step By Step

Count Your Lucky Stars / Goddamn Records, 2013

Dreamy, stripped-down, and invariably pleasant indie rock from the Austrian quartet. For the most part How To Draw A River, Step By Step sticks to its sedate pace and broodiness – in a navelgazing melancholic way – which suits the strong Midwest US twinkly emo influence (it’s no coincidence Rika ended up on CYLS Records). The addition of piano and organ helps power some emotive post-rock progressions and, along with a few more forceful vocal moments, brings welcome texture and direction to a record that might have otherwise become lost in its own tranquil meanderings.

Label | Bandcamp

Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) – Home After Three Months Away EP

Stiff Slack, 2011

More twinkly, mid-west emo from the Michigans. These four tracks are the best I’ve heard from them yet though, the dreamy, bittersweet melodics channelling the likes of American Football and Appleseed Cast. Lovely.

Castevet – The Echo & The Light

Tiny Engines, 2010

Chicago’s Castevet move above and beyond the (insert buzzword for outstanding debut bridging the gap between 90s Midwestern emo and early 2000s post-rock) of 2009’s Summer Fences with their recent Tiny Engines release The Echo & The Light. 8 tracks of blistering rhythms, gruff, aggressive vocals and jangly guitar, The Echo & The Light is chock full of accessible, unforgettable midseason jams. Check out track 4, “Lautrec,” for a taste of what is to come from the Illinois quartet.

Helen Earth Band – Our Own Ghost City

Self-released, 2010

Being a big fan of the sadly defunct Counterfit, my ears immediately pricked up at the fact that Helen Earth Band contain former members of that band. Even better, it turns out the San Diegans continue Counterfit’s evolutionary track, and with brilliant results. Their American Football-gone-math melodics and harmonising vocals make songs that are superbly, dreamily, ambitiously, head-noddingly catchy. One of the best releases of the year.

Joie De Vivre – The North End

Count Your Lucky Stars, 2010

Any of the songs on this album, taken individually, are awesome. Joie De Vivre’s brand of downtempo indie rock is very powerful, with inventive bass and drum grooves laying a nice foundation for the downtrodden (but certainly not emo) vocals and occasional trumpet. As an album, though, the songs all start to sound very similar. These guys have potential, but they need to find a way to shake up their own formula.

Empire! Empire! (I Was A Lonely Estate) / Football, etc. – Split 7″

Count Your Lucky Stars, 2010

Empire! Empire!, described as ‘emo-veterans’, bring a down-tempo track with emotion and feeling, but it might be a bit too down for some people. Simple guitar parts twinkle away whilst low-key drums work away in the background, and heartfelt vocals float on top. Football, etc. bring female emo-rock to the equation, with big dynamic shifts and long sustained vocal patterns.