Solid Gold

Minneapolis is usually know for being cold, but as the music scene there intensifies, it's beginning to be known for stellar indie bands like Solid Gold. We can't stop listening to the cheeky synth-pop trio and their most recent album, "Bodies of Water." The repeat-worthy tracks are sharp but full of smooth, ethereal melodies that float around and consume your head. The name Solid Gold …

Papercuts: You Can Have What You Want

The third album for Papercuts, You Can Have What You Want, highlights a strongly maturing Jason Robert Quever, who's still a nostalgic songwriter but is bringing a new level of mastery to his trademark sound in good form. Looking back to the first impression of the SF band in 2004, the lo-fi aesthetic of Mockingbird was a hazy and modern take on the old. A …

Brown Wing Overdrive

Last month I saw Brown Wing Overdrive open for Black Pus (the solo project of Lightning Bolt's Brian Chippendale). The band—which formed in DC and relocated to NYC—uses electronics, found objects, banjos, duck calls, jaw harps and whatever else they can get their hands on to make jerky, syncopated, yelping noise. At times referencing shamanistic traditions, at others drawing from Kabuki, the band doesn't quite …