The Faint – “Skylab1979”: Shoot, man. Where have I been? How have I, a music nerd, missed out on the awesomeness of the Faint? I had to wait until a freakin’ commemorative release to check out anything they put out, and I’ll say “Skylab1979” has so many characteristics of tunes I’m digging these days. Kinda dark. New wavey. Catchy but with some muscle. I imagine a live show with these guys would be a very loud and cathartic experience.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLgs8SGft7k[/youtube]

Marcus Alan Ward – “Little Sunshine”: In retrospect to my first encounter (and my only one thus far) with Marcus Alan Ward, I have to say that I’ll never be able to rock sunglasses in the way that he does. This song further imprints in my mind that any effort to embrace his style would just be bad news, man. Luckily for me I’m here to point you in the direction of nifty new tunes like this one and not attempt to be a musician. This is psych influenced electropop at its catchiest. It won’t be long until the alternative stations start taking notice of this guy.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktcXgYLlUTM[/youtube]

Basic Cable Preachers – “Tomorrow’s Gone”: With the release of this music video, Basic Cable Preachers are articulating their reinvention in their most prolific way yet. They are abandoning their blues rock sound in favor of a hybrid sound that effectively takes psych pop and makes it palatable for the masses. Still present are Pat Schlafer’s distinct vocals and fun guitar riffs. The synths and drum tones are very reminiscent of Tame Impala, though. I look forward to seeing how this evolution develops further.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-FwZ18xwBI[/youtube]

Ohio On Hi – “Break You”: The pop punk group from down south (Ohio, that is) is back! Having reviewed their EP The Bitter Hello I will be transparent and tell you this is remarkable growth from the songs on that EP, though I am biased in favor of the more alternative sound they display this time around. “Break You” is for the pop punk fan that has grown up. But angsty enough for those high school kids, ya know?

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-ny5Yb87ls[/youtube]

Fit For a King – “Pissed Off”: It is said that pictures of abandoned buildings are “abandoned porn.” Or, pictures of tasty looking meals are “food porn.” Forgive the analogy, but this song could be called “metalcore porn” for the way it attacks all the cliches of the genre in a profoundly brutal yet enjoyable way. The last time I listened to metalcore and felt this way was probably circa 2006 when Inhale Exhale’s “A Call to the Faithful” was annihilating the RadioU airwaves. In any case, the new record Deathgrip will probably cause an earthquake somewhere.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9VcRJRwdIc[/youtube]