Have you ever had the experience of lucid dreaming? Lucid dreaming is being aware that you’re dreaming and being able to control your dreams to a certain extent. From what I understand, it can often allow for a much more vivid and unique experience. I have personally never had a lucid dream, but I think I got an idea of what it might be like from listening to Sean Neuse’s own waking, aural lucid dream. By no strange coincidence, Sean Neuse goes by the recording name Backseat Dreamer, and his recent release The Colors of Dreams, They’re in You is filled with soaring synths that could very well cause your own waking lucid dream.

I know that last paragraph used the word “dream” a lot, but stick with me. I’ll try to avoid it for a while. Instead, let’s focus on the groove of the album. From the beginning of very the first track, “Moment in Time,” the warm, flowing vibe of the old-school synth keyboards and the pulsating, thumping rhythm of the percussion will simultaneously relax you and make you want to get out on the dance floor. Some songs, such as “For Starry Eyes,” definitely lean much more towards the relaxing side while others, such as “Consider,” lean more towards upbeat and danceable.

One thing that is always consistent throughout the entire album, with the exception of the short instrumental track “Hold Me Awake,” is Backseat Dreamer’s soft, echoing voice. I’ll admit, his style of singing bugged me at first, but I think that might have been caused by my expectations of an entirely instrumental electronica album. But I quickly realized that his voice, with it’s distinctly 80′s styled nasal crooning, fit in perfectly with the instrumentation and further enhanced the dreaminess of the music.

And one thing you’ve already heard me mention a few times already is how much of an old-school vibe this album gives off. It almost sounds like The Colors of Dreams is a collection of music from the 1980′s that has been rediscovered 20 to 30 years in the future and repurposed for our contemporary tastes, so there is a certain nostalgic quality to Backseat Dreamer’s tunes.

So if you’re looking for something dreamy, something relaxing, something catchy with a nice beat, or just something that will give a nice sense of nostalgia for the synth pop of the 80′s, then you should definitely check out The Colors of Dreams, They’re in You by Backseat Dreamer.

Purchase The Colors of Dreams, They’re in You by Backseat Dreamer at Stickfigure Recordings, Amazon, or iTunes!

Backseat Dreamer – Moment in Time
Backseat Dreamer – Consider
Backseat Dreamer – Real Inside You

Also make sure to check out Backseat Dreamer on Facebook, last.fm, and Stickfigure Recordings.

Fjord Rowboat is a band that takes the word “wall of sound” to a whole new level with elements of dream pop and shoegaze fused together to create lofty aural scenes in their most album, Under Cover of Brightness. Granted, dream pop and shoegaze have a lot in common (mostly that dream pop was a direct influence on shoegaze), but there is much more alternating and mixing between dream pop’s docile nature and shoegaze’s more aggressive yet equally atmospheric tendencies with this band than is traditionally the case.

For example, Under Cover of Brightness has a sound that is raucous and aggressive, but is at the same time calming with an ethereal nature to it. Some songs are more aggressive, some are more calming, and some songs, such as the first track “Even You Out,” alternate between both or meld them together into one complex structure.

This contrast in mood stems in part from the guitars that continuously echo over each other in layers as both an ever present, distorted hum and as the rapid, gentle plucks of the guitar strings. Two songs that seem to contrast each other the most in this regard follow one right after the other: “The Other Side of a Dream” and “Cottonwood Glacier.” Whereas the former track has guitars that fiercely grind and growl, the latter one has a sound as if the wind is gently playing the higher notes of the guitar as it blows across the strings. In fact, the very beginning of “Cottonwood Glacier” almost reminds me of the beginning of “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

The one thing that really stands on Under Cover of Brightness from the very beginning of the album is the sheer amount of reverb used. I guess that’s one of the key elements of making atmospheric rock with that epic wall of sound quality to it. But the reverb especially stands out in the lead singer’s vocals, not to say that it’s a bad thing. In fact, the echoing of the lead singer’s voice combined with the fact that it often sounds he’s calling out with great emotional power from a distance mixed with the towering wall of instrumentation puts the image in my head of the band playing in the clouds. And I’m not talking about those big billowy clouds that completely obscure the sky. I’m talking about a hazy mist of clouds that still allows the sun and the blue of the sky to shine through. So as I listen to Fjord Rowboat, I picture their music echoing and soaring through the sky as they play it, floating high up in the misty blue. And much like the clouds, their music has a certain haze to it, but it isn’t an impenetrable mass of noise of chaos that prevents you from seeing the clear beauty behind it. No, the haze has a beauty all of its own.

Speaking of skies and such, enough of me blowing the hot air. Just do yourself a favor and listen to Fjord Rowboat. Their a great band with a hard rocking, ambient sound that are most definitely worth a listen if not a lot of listens.

Purchase Under Cover of Brightness by Fjord Rowboat at Bandcamp, CD Baby, iTunes, or Amazon!

Fjord Rowboat – Even You Out
Fjord Rowboat – The Other Side of a Dream
Fjord Rowboat – Cottonwood Glacier

Also make sure to check out Fjord Rowboat on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and Last.fm.

Looking for some fun, cool tunes for the Summer? Look no further than My First Earthquake’s most recent EP, Crush. This band has a peppy electronic pop sound with a harder rock and roll tinge that makes for some addictive listening. And not only is Crush a nice little collection of catchy tracks, but it’s also completely free!

My First Earthquake is also a band whose members have interesting pasts. Lead singer and lyricist Rebecca Bortman is a visual designer who has worked with such electronica acts as DJ Amplive and Mercury Rev’s bassist, Anthony Molina, who coincidentally produced Crush and their previous album, Downstairs. Chad Thornton, the band’s keyboardist and bassist, had given up on rock and was working at Google designing Gmail’s chat feature until he met Rebecca Bortman. And before My First Earthquake, guitarist Dave Lean was an engineer at Apple who helped design the hardware for the iPod and the iPhone. And drummer Andre Salcido was in a band that played with GWAR, Royal Crown Revue, and toured Europe.

But now they’re all together, making great music. And My First Earthquake has a sound that simultaneously reminds you of new wave bands like Blondie and modern acts that harken back to those days like Mates of State and Office. As a result of this mesh of styles, Crush has this playful giddiness mixed with a buzzing distortion that comes from 80′s influenced synth, punk guitars, and modern indie pop’s happy-go-lucky and slightly experimental sensibilities all coming together. Add cleverly quirky lyrics, such as the first verse of “Ice Queen,” which goes:

You go out on a Tuesday night
You go grope and pout.
I stay in and curl up
with Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
You come home smelling
Unlike your own cologne.
This romance is growing inverse
To my pant sizes..

and you get something so endearingly offbeat and amusing that I bet you’ll be listening to this EP’s four tracks on repeat.

So if you’re looking for some fun, interesting music to listen to over the summer, maybe while you’re picnicking, cooking out, going to the beach, or whatever you’re doing this Fourth of July (at least for all you American readers), then Crush is definitely something worth checking out. It’s also probably worth your while to check out their previous two albums: Downstairs, which costs only $5, and Tremors, which is a free EP like Crush.

Download Crush by My First Earthquake completely free at Bandcamp!

My First Earthquake – Pick Up Stick Up
My First Earthquake – Neon for You
My First Earthquake – Masada
My First Earthquake – Ice Queen

Also make sure to check out My First Earthquake on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

Now I’m not really here to talk about Jolie Holland, but about another musician who reminded me of Jolie Holland and her quaint, folksy style: Kacey Johansing.

Kacey Johansing: Singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist

For one thing, Kacey Johansing has that same, old-timey soul in her voice that is reminiscent of great jazz vocalists like Billie Holiday. But there is something a little subtler about her style, so it doesn’t really stand out so strongly as having that old-fashioned quality to it unless you listen closely. She has a slight, unconventional cadence to her singing voice similar to that of Jolie Holland’s or Billie Holiday’s, a cadence that exudes an ethereal, evocative aura that captures the listener in its delicate dreaminess. You can also detect a soft quavering when she sings, which makes her voice even breezier as it flows across your ears.

Now Kacey Johansing’s music may have a sweet sense of antiquity about it, but Many Seasons also exhibits the characteristics of great pop songs. Take Many Season‘s title track for example, which is filled with soaring pop melodies. It begins with a simple yet catchy piano riff that continues throughout the entire song with slight variations as hauntingly tuneful guitars begin to wail with the whale songs of cellos. It’s reminiscent of the epic pop stylings of the Beach Boys in songs like “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “God Only Knows” and more modern tunes like “Brick” by Ben Folds Five.

There are also songs like “Oh, Brother” that are incredibly catchy and loveable in a very traditional, sing-songy sense. From the merry tune of the organ to the joyful, happy-go-lucky whistling after each verse, this song is just a pleasure to listen to. Along with playful, loving lyrics from Kacey Johansing directed to her brother, it’s hard not to come away from this song with a warm feeling in your heart, maybe even a happy tear in your eye.

Then there are more somber songs that still manage to be very pleasant experiences. “Same Old, Same Old” is one such song; it starts off seeming to be incredibly minimalistic with just Kacey Johansing’s vocals softly crooning, “If you stick around, your old habits will wear you down,” backed by a very basic rhythm guitar progression. But as the song continues on, the melodies and instrumentation continue to build until the song reaches a point where it starts to go into full-on rock and roll mode with energy ablaze à la “Bohemian Rhapsody,” but then the track pulls the tone back down again. It’s almost like the song is trying to reach a huge climax that ends up fading away after the rise in action. Given that the song seems to follow the theme of consistently being stuck in an emotionally distressing situation and that these moments of increased musical energy come after the chorus, which goes, “Sometimes I get upset. It helps me forget. Sometimes I get off track. It can bring me back,” it’s like the song itself is evoking these feeling of getting upset and off track only to return to that troubling, as the song title puts it, “Same Old, Same Old” state.

Man, I just took a look back at that last paragraph and realized that it was pretty substantial, at least from my perspective. Do you want to know why? Because Kacey Johansing is an incredible singer, lyricist, composer, guitarist, and pianist and has released an incredible album that evoked a lot of thoughts and feelings out of me. That’s why you should give Many Seasons a chance: it’s an infective, thought-provoking album.. So check it out and keep an eye out for future work by Kacey Johansing. She’s a true talent.

Purchase Many Seasons by Kacey Johansing at Porto Franco Records or her website!

Kacey Johansing – Many Seasons
Kacey Johansing – Oh, Brother
Kacey Johansing – Same Old, Same Old

Also make sure to check out Kacey Johansing at Porto Franco Records, MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook.

Let’s move on to some really good indie rock from four guys from Albany, New York called Alta Mira. Their sound kind of reminds of both Modest Mouse and Pinback. Overall, their newly released self-titled album generally has a bit more of a smooth, relaxed quality to it while still rocking out and glowing with energy despite its laid back nature. It’s the difference between full-on headbanging heavy metal style and just nodding your head while you’re really getting into the groove of the music.

Take a song like “Sinker/Or” that is simultaneously is a very light and gentle sounding song, but also has a quick, peppy pace to it that will keep your feet tapping. Even “Slumberjack,” one of most consistently heavy hitting tunes on the album, has a steady, chill feel despite the continuous, machine-like pounding of the synth and percussion along with the guitars that grind and howl at the song’s energy soaked crescendos. And many times, such as in the songs “Tantrum” and “Mother, Child,” the band will build up from a very small, simple beginning and continuously play that game with the listener where they pep up the song, bring it back down, and then liven things up even further than before until they go in for the big, spirited finish that really closes out the track in a very memorable way.

Aside from Alta Mira’s well crafted and intriguingly arranged songs, one of the main elements of their music that really stands out throughout the entire album is lead singer Joe D. Michon-Huneau’s impassioned and soaring vocals. Although the music generally has that more laid back feel, this vocalist always brings an emotional force to it that always seems to scale the energy up a notch or two. In fact, do you know how you can sometimes picture how someone physically sings based on their voice? The way this guy projects his voice with such intense emotion, especially in “Buglight” and at the end of “Tantrum,” I just picture him shutting his eyes tight and losing himself in the music, gripping his mic tight, and pushing out his chest with his head tilted slightly up as if to cry out to the whole world. Maybe that’s not really how he sings. Maybe he just kind of stares at his feet while he sings (à la the shoegazers of yore), but with the exuberant force of his voice, it’s hard not to picture something more.

So basically, if you’re looking for great indie rock that isn’t just a whole bunch of noise but that you can still rock out to, or if you’re looking for band with a great lead vocalist, or if you’re looking for some interesting and engaging song structures in your rock music, then I suggest you take a listen to Alta Mira. I’m definitely keeping an eye out for them in the future.

Purchase Alta Mira’s self-titled album from iTunes or Amazon!

Alta Mira – Sinker/Or
Alta Mira – Slumberjack
Alta Mira – Tantrum

Also be sure to check out Alta Mira at Indian Ledge Records, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, Blogger, and other locations.

And just as a random aside, I dig the names of the brothers who play guitar and bass. Hunter Sagehorn sounds like the name of a mighty, mystical hunter from a fantasy, Lord of the Rings type of book, and August Sagehorn sounds like a rare, medicinal plant somewhere in a deep forest.