There's something deeply and gorgeously ghostly about Barzin's reverb-doused Americana, something that burns as strangely natural. Steel-pedals breeze through the air in a manner previously reserved solely for feedback-drenched shoegazed guitars. Barzin's voice rests at a whisper and the tempos ease themselves in a steady gallop. Like Low parlaying their one-of-a-kind restraint into a Lambchop covers set, Barzin's melancholy tapestries are woven with a pleasing freshness that luckily avoids the standard slo-core/alt-country clichés by possessing a confidence that belies the record's unassuming quaintness. By the end, you come to realize that My Life In Rooms is aptly-titled: a thunderstorm record soundtracking a day resting in bed away from the cold sheets of water outside. Don't be surprised to see Barzin forging new terrains in the No Depression landscape down the line. Listen to the album My Life in Rooms or download a few songs: "Won't You Come," "Let's Go Driving," and "Leaving Time."
BoySkout is actually a girl group. The San Francisco quartet has studied its synthy-post-punk history diligently and attentively. Moving from early 80's Cure dark-tinted bounce to Wedding Present/Heavenly indie-pop fetishism, BoySkout has the kind of early 90's punk sheen that's sadly lost on many of today's young bands. It's apparent that Wire, Gary Numan, the Dischord label and K Records are reference points, considering the downcast cool of front woman Leslie Satterfield. There's even a Kraftwerk cover ("Model") that showcases a subtle dourness that works alongside the very mechanical and cold original. The warm and somber jangle of Another Life is the sound of blood pumping through the veins of art-punk's past, producing a record that takes familiarity and freshness to a solid plane of co-existence. Listen to their new album Another Life or download a few songs: "Happy Yet?" "Fantastic," and "Everybody Knew."
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