Your heart, concrete

As mentioned previously, Memory Tapes played here in Chicago last night, and the show was excellent. Frontman Dayve Hawk trades in keyboards and synthesizers for electric guitars in his live shows, and the result is a refreshingly organic combination of synthrock and indie dance. That show concluded his current U.S. tour, but make sure to catch him next time he is out on the road.

Today's emerging artist, White Denim, has been producing experimental garage rock out of Austin, Texas since 2006, but with the release of their latest album D this past May, they have truly come into their element. Leaving behind the lo-fi jam band sound of their previous albums, they added a fourth member and focused their talent in the studio for a much more polished and accessible result. Drawing on classic rock roots (something between Deep Purple and Jethro Tull), each track on this new album is unique but coherent in the progressive and slightly psychedelic style of the band's new resolve. Give it a try:

White Denim - Drug by ProspectPark

White Denim - Anvil Everything by explodinginsound

Heaven is waiting

It has been a beautiful past couple weeks here on the shores of Lake Michigan, perfect for the great new sounds of this summer.

Memory Tapes is the brainchild of New Jersey-based Dayve Hawk, former frontman of the now defunct Philadelphia group Hail Social, and he has made great strides in the uniqueness of his sound on this new project. Generally classified as "chillwave" (think Cults or Washed Out), Memory Tapes combines styles from nu-gaze and synthpop to create a wonderfully fresh sound. His 2009 album Seek Magic received attention from the blog community for songs like "Bicycle" and "Green Knight," but his new LP Player Piano released last month reaches new heights in creativity and accessibility. Check out these excellent selections:


08. Sunhits - Memory Tapes by Republic of Music

Memory Tapes - Worries by EmergencyBroadcastSongs

Memory Tapes is playing at the Empty Bottle in Chicago TOMORROW with The Field Auxiliary and The Ultrasounds. There are still tickets available, so get them NOW.