I recently heard some tracks from Tennis, and it resulted in an insta-crush! I love this husband and wife team's fun, 60s-ish poppy tunes and the story behind their music - they took a year off and sailed all over the place, writing songs along the way. I'm beyond excited that their full-length album, Cape Drory, was recently released by Fat Possum Records. Tonight, they're playing at The Crocodile with the mellow/joyful stylings of Lord Huron and Air Waves.

Take a listen to "Marathon" above...and once your own crush kicks in, head on over to The Croc tonight for a bouncy, sun-shiney, feel-good show.

Tennis
Lord Huron
Air Waves
The Crocodile
Tuesday, 2/1
Doors @8pm
$14 | 21+

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{WAVVES is playing in Seattle with The Pharmacy and Broken Nobles at Neumos on Aug 25th}

I feel kind of stupid and irresponsible for recommending an album of elaborate in-jokes based on wacky self-destruction, baiting self-deprecation, addictive isolation, passive aggressive antagonism, and mocking stubbornness. But Wavves' "front-man" Nathan Williams has survived the taunts of too-serious careerists and time-to-quit behavior monitors, delivering an album that joyfully fuses 90s style pop punk vocals with a whole sun-drenched buffet of salty rock and bathroom disco and new wave cupboards full of cigarette-butt-stuffed sand castles. It's a joke that makes you laugh so hard your belly seizes up as you slip on some burger wrappings and fall down on someone's Ray Bans. But you don't care, as Williams says, "because it doesn't mean shit."

There are mostly two camps of people tossed on Wavves, those who loved the homemade "chill wave" he scrapped about before on two releases, and those quite happy he's hooked up with Jay Reatard's guys to man-boy up the promotion of King of the Beach. I think this is a transitional record myself, even if it was labored over for months at Sweet Tea Recording in Oxford.

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For those who have seen the Heartless Bastards live at in-stores and local clubs and love their tough woman-led, riff-bruised blues-rock, their stint opening for the Avett Brothers this Friday, August 28 will be special: Their soaring songs should echo through the Paramount Theater with astonishing results.

Returning again on tour (do they ever stop touring?) for The Mountain, an underrated, really-grows-on-you collection of anthems bolder and more honest than indie rock can usually bare, Erika Wennerstrom delivers clarity-driven songs about compromise, sorrow, and mindfulness like spitfire. After a few listens, compelling imagery enfold sin her punchily strummed and feedback-infused narratives, from the clarity-seeking lamentations of "I Could Be So Happy," to the brawling bar-rock of "Early In The Morning." Title title track as well mesmerized the audience at the last Sonic Boom live freebie show a few months ago.

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The album has all the energy of what you might expect from rockers half their age ...

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It proves that when they wan t to be, the Fiery Furnaces can craft an interesting, melodic pop song without resorting to atonal segues that frighten the average listener.

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