Fox In The Henhouse, Tjutjuna, Shapes And Sizes, Invisible Elephant, ...

After moving from coast to coast, and spending two years writing and recording, Wakefield's Ryan Escolopio has finally settled down in Baltimore, MD. Taking his pop punk roots to another level, Ryan broke into the indie rock scene with his new project Fox in the Henhouse - The Fox EP, on iBOT Records. The band's upcoming self-titled album, Fox in the Henhouse, unites his poignant lyrical styling with rollicking guitars to spark a number of crowd pleasers. The album, with standout tracks like “Fears,” which appeals to indie rock fans and non-indie rock fans alike, is set to release October 12, 2010.

Fox In The Henhouse - Fears
Fox In The Henhouse @ MySpace

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While art is certainly a form of self-expression, artistic communities tend to gravitate towards styles that fit within the popular pallet. Yet it is those fearless in their dissension that make the deepest mark. It is with that familiarity of the unknown that Tjutjuna have settled in a sound that is both rich in texture, and aural dynamics as well as a respect for the listener’s patience. Delicate in both their attack and release, Tjutjuna’s debut and self-titled album offers listeners moments of discreet levity before striking with fangs. Unwilling to merely satisfy the sonic trajectory which would label their sound as “psych rock”, Tjutjuna proves that in the recesses of a landlocked music scene, four childhood friends can craft something that forces us, as listeners, to demand more from our own tastes and imaginations. Tjutjuna is due out September 28th via Fire Talk, the new imprint from Woodsman's Trevor Peterson.

Tjutjuna - Bottle Kids
Tjutjuna @ MySpace

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Montreal's soulful, psych pop quartet, Shapes and Sizes, just released their third full-length this week. "Candle To Your Eyes" is three years in the making and worth every second of that wait. Some might talk about the album's flirtation with modern soul, its darkness, its reverberant space, or argue over whether or not it is a rock album. This kind of talk has no importance. At the core of this record is a self-assuredness, a calm, consistent fire. And just like the promise of this beautiful spring day, this record is a new beginning, new life.

Shapes And Sizes - Tell Your Mum
Shapes And Sizes - I Need An Outlet
Shapes And Sizes @ MySpace

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Invisible Elephant is the project of one man and his assortment of randomly acquired instruments, ranging from frog guiros to pre-school toy drum kits. These are melded together with found sounds, synthesizers and spectral vocals to create a dream-like wash of psychedelic noise which defies simple categorisation. Veering from ethereal softly-spoken psych folk to walls of monolithic feedback in a heartbeat, it's difficult to pin the sound down to one genre. The indefinable nature of Invisible Elephant's music isn't really surprising though given the huge influence it takes from the muddied existential narratives of Haruki Murakami as well as the hazy sounds of the likes of My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. This informs the sound which fuses the kind of downbeat sincerity of freak-folk with the visceral force of shoegaze and the cinematic euphoria of post-rock. The end result is transcendental music which simultaneously exhibits subtlety, ferocity, discordance, melody and an acute ear for imbuing the familiar with the futuristic.

Invisible Elephant - Wind-Up Bird
Invisible Elephant @ MySpace

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FREE ALBUMS:
Alex Walker - Gotta Lose
The Internet - The Internet EP
Suuns - Zero EP

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SONG OF THE DAY: The Drums - Down By The Water
(from The Drums, out September 14th on Downtown Records)
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