The red glow of a star on fire

Hooray for Earth rocked Lincoln Hall last weekend, despite some serious sound check issues and what seemed an awful lot like a blown amp. Regrettably, the Zambri sisters were not along for the tour, but the boys still pulled off a bit of their signature harmonization with the expected infectiously catchy beats.

When adrift in a sea of mediocre indie rock bands, it is always refreshing to find one that can truly be identified as unique. Brooklyn-based Milagres have confidently taken up this flag of uniqueness on last month's LP Glowing Mouth, with a sound that coveys much more confidence and awareness than would be expected of such a constantly developing act. When asked about their sound, they merely replied, "Milagres is Milagres." With pleasantly lucid vocals in a time of trendy lo-fidelity, this interesting sophomore album truly defines "Milagres" within the emerging music scene. After a moderately notable first LP, they have capitalized upon the best aspects of their music, namely the pop-inspired tempos and captivating synth/instrumental arrangements, and created a collection of tracks that present something identifiably new in the genre. Check it out:

Here To Stay by Milagres by rippleent

Glowing Mouth ( Radio Edit) by Milagres

They happen to be playing in town this Thursday, November 3 at Beat Kitchen, so get your tickets NOW.

A Brave New World

Having recently moved across the country from Los Angeles to Chicago for graduate school and finding myself supplied with an uncustomary amount of free time, I decided to begin sharing one of my greatest passions with the world and create an amateur music blog of sorts. Music is one of the greatest uniting products of humankind, as it reaches across lingual, cultural, geographical, political, and generational gaps. Music makes us feel better, feel worse, feel excited, feel angry, feel alive. I, like many of you, spend a significant portion of my life exploring and discovering excellent new music, much of which never makes it off the ground for lack of recognition. This trifling attempt to remedy the situation is my small contribution to the beautifully uplifting universe of music.

For my first recommendation, I find it appropriate to pass on an up-and-coming band that is starting to make a big splash in the world of "indietronica" this summer alongside leading acts à la Yeasayer, Animal Collective, etc. Hooray for Earth is a four-man group originally from Boston, masterminded by singer and producer Noel Heroux. They often collaborate with the Zambri sisters in New York City, with wonderfully harmonious results. After a commendable effort on the MOMO EP in June 2010, they released the marvelous full-length True Loves this past June 2011. Check out these two tracks:

Hooray for Earth - True Loves by memphisindustries

Hooray For Earth - No Love by luzguz07

They are coming through Chicago on October 21, playing with Cymbals Eat Guitars at Lincoln Hall. Get your tickets NOW.