Chapel Hill, North Carolina startup The Love Language make music so unabashedly drenched in teenage romance that throwing the term 'emo' at them might actually stick—that's even how the band describes itself on its MySpace page, which, of course, features a backdrop of two young lovers kissing. But such a tag would be misleading; whiny sad-puppy fake-punk this is not. Let's try this instead—The Love Language play the music they're named after. Gorgeous, longing and playful songs that speak to the universal emotion that drives us all. Say it with me now—love. The sound is a mix between scrappy, lo-fi garage rock and harmonious, joyful 1960's girlpop, all smushed together in this beautifully messy package, tied with a ribbon of Stuart McLamb's simple, emotive vocals. Untie it and look inside. Promise, you'll fall in love. read more

Justin Ringle's songs sound like the soundtrack to Flannery O'Connor stories: emotive, dark music that feel like they should be sung in abandoned old churches set against dark stormy skies. His solo work under the name Horse Feathers attracted the attention of fellow Portlander Peter Broderick of Norfolk and Western who lent his arrangement talents to Ringle's lyrical talents. On cold winters nights like these, there is no better band to sit down with than Horse Feathers. Their stark, contemplative music is the kind that lends itself so well to quiet, thoughtful nights by a warm fire with a hot drink. We caught them last year as they came through town to play songs from their latest recording House with No Home on Kill Rock Stars. read more

REPOST : Originally posted in October of 2009, I decided to repost this one today as this performance of One Red Thread probably ended up being my favorite session song we recorded last year. We promoted two excellent shows with Blind Pilot in 2009 as well...Portland, Oregon's Blind Pilot started as the two-man project between Israel Nebeker and Ryan Dobrowski. The duo made waves touring by bicycle up and down the west coast. In the last year, the band has expanded to six members to more accurately match their recorded sound. That sound, on their album "3 Rounds and a Sound", has been likened to a mix of the Shins and Iron & Wine. Pop songs with a folky flavor, driven by guitar and drums, with an emphasis on lyrics and vocal melodies. read more

When Nashville-based Mat Kearney released his first album on Columbia Records in 2006, he toured, incessantly, with the likes of Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Jason Mraz and the Fray. To say his brand of pop music is simply accessible would likely be an insult. His songs have been featured on a slew of hit TV shows including Grey's Anatomy and Scrubs, and he headlined the first ever VH1 'You Oughta Know Tour.' I imagine many teenage girls, soft-hearted saps and AAA/adult contemporary radio fans have already anointed Kearney as a likely ascender to the throne of radio-friendly pop. read more

Based out of both Lexington, KY and Washington, D.C., These United States started out as the brainchild of Jesse Elliott and collaborator David Strackany (better known to most as Paleo), with an ever-changing, shifting collective of collaborators. The lineup has more recently solidified into its current incarnation (Elliott, Robby Cosenza, J. Tom Hnatow, Justin Craig, and Colin Kellogg). You can find their sound in the same wheelhouse as Midlake or Delta Spirit, with the freak-folk sensibilities of Devandra Banhardt haunted by the ghost of Gram Parsons. We were able to sit down with three of them at this year's Monolith Music Festival to catch a song off of their most recent album Everything Touches Everything (United Interests), one from their 2008 release Crimes, and an oft-covered version of the classic 12 Gates To The City. read more

In 2008, Wild Light won “Outstanding Rock Act of the Year” at the Boston Music Awards, but in 2009 the band, a handsome young quartet from New Hampshire, saw their profile raised considerably this year. The band started off the year, along with Tapes N Tapes, on their first national tour. Obviously they turned a few heads and ears because they were asked to open for The Killers tour not long after. It was on this tour the band stopped through our Pop Machine Studio to record an acoustic session for Laundromatinee.com. Wild Light's debut release, "Adult Nights," was recorded in Los Angeles with reknowned producer Rob Schnapf. Schnapf has worked with both Beck and Ellilott Smith previously. Adult Nights was released through Startime International. read more

Wild as mink but sweet as soda-pop, Nashville based Caitlin Rose specializes in the drink-away-your-heartache Country-with-capital-C music that brings rhinestone legends Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn to mind. There's a dose of the singer-songwriter, one voice/one guitar ethic of Kimya Dawson or Daniel Johnston thrown in there as well. Her voice is both delicate and twangy, like a banjo with butterfly wings. Her 2008 EP "Dead Flowers" (her only release to date) showcases her fragility ("Answer in One of These Bottles") mixed with some healthy cynicism and humor ("Docket" and "Gorilla Man," respectively). She also gives us a great cover of The Rolling Stones' "Dead Flowers," the second of this year after Deer Tick. read more

As I stated when we launched Laundromatinee's first session with The Antlers, we spent some great time with the band at The Monolith Music Festival. Despite their "Rising" and "Best New Music" status from Pitchfork.com, as well as the non-stop praise for the 2009 re-release of album "Hospice," the band remains as humble, friendly, hard-working and down-to-earth as you would hope. The songs from "Hospice" were partially inspired by lead singer Peter Silberman's thoughts and feelings experienced during a visit to a loved one in a children's cancer ward, but despite the grim undertones, the album is hauntingly beautiful and uplifting. For our Monolith Esurance session, the band trades in the electric guitar and big keys for an acoustic and small Korg, but the results are every bit as powerful as their electric brethren. read more

Many moons ago, My Old Kentucky Blog hosted a band from New Orleans called The Eames Era for an MOKB SIRIUS XMU Blog Radio session. With the band now defunct, two members of that band, Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer, formed a new project they dubbed Generationals. This year, they signed to Park The Van Records and released their very excellent debut, "Con Law". Continuing some of the sugary, sunshine-pop ways of The Eames Era, Ted and Grant have taken over vocal duties, for the most part, with Generationals and brought more of a 60s influenced power-pop vibe to the sound. They show off a wide range of influences throughout the songs on "Con Law," but you can count on crunchy, driving guitars, hints of motown, and sing-a-long choruses. A fun comparison I read the other day was Belle & Sebastian crossed with MGMT with dreams of one day joining/reuniting Beulah....something familiar, yet something fresh. read more

It has been said, lately, that Cymbals Eat Guitars are so hot they're melting internet cables all over the indie music blog viewing world. The group and their 2009 debut release, "Why There Are Mountains," are riding an 8.3/Best New Music rating by Pitchfork and a performance at the site's music festival. The band draws influence from classic era Modest Mouse, The Wrens, Built To Spill and Pavement, but continue to expand upon some of the best elements of that sound. Despite their young ages, the band is constantly praised for their creativity, density, unpredictability, and maturity of sound. As Pitchfork's Ian Cohen so aptly puts it, "Yelpy and adenoidal, bombastic and yet unkempt, you could pretty much slap a sticker on this thing saying 'RIYL: indie rock.'" read more

After leaving Sub Pop Records, The Thermals' most recent album, "Now We Can See," was released this past April through new label, Kill Rock Stars. This fourth album is being billed as a re-introduction or re-birth for the band, but behind all the sweet melodies, catchy hooks and sing-a-long choruses, it carries many of the same explorations of life, death, religion and politics. "Now We Can See" was produced by John Congleton (Explosions In The Sky, Polyphonic Spree). Laundromatinee.com presents two acoustic versions of songs from that most recent album. read more