red cave

It's a dreary day here on campus, but the music video for Secretly Canadian's new sign, Cayucas, has us tapping our feet in the imaginary sand. The Santa Monica-based band released their first 7" single yesterday, including happy-go-lucky tracks "Cayucos" and "Swimsuit." The music video for "Cayucos," released last week on the label's YouTube channel, illustrates the single's Californ-I-A vibe, giving me urges to rent a Chevy (Chevy, Chevy, Chevy, Chevy), grab my best friends, and road trip until I hit the Pacific Ocean, where I imagine we will chase fireflies, snap our fingers, clap our hands and stomp our feet as fast as we can, per Cayucas's request.

Is that you, Tegan and Sara? What happened to the sometimes-angsty, always Grey's Anatomy-ready indie rockers we knew three years ago?

A departure from the petit-sized sister duo's typical beats, this newly released single from their forthcoming LP Heartthrob, slated to drop January 2013, trades the piano and guitars for retro synths and prominent drums.

We've been in music heaven over here in Ames, spoiled first by Maximum Ames Music Festival, followed by a killer performance by Poliça at the Maintenance Shop. And with all that said (or sang, rather) and done (to much applause), we are left wandering aimlessly, searching for the next great sound.

Well, don't worry, music princesses. KURE fest is here to save us - and it's FREE! The festival is co-headlined by RJD2 and Atlas Sound, with opening performances by Iowa's own Christopher the Conquered and The River Monks. Hop on over to central campus tonight, but check out Ethos' take first.

There have been two albums that stand the test of time and shameless infinite repeat in my life. The first being Funeral, the 2004 Arcade Fire release packed with rushing guitars, weeping violins and wavering vocals. This album diminishes my rage. This album spreads the goofiest smile across my face. This album is my musical equivalent of a therapist.

Bon Iver’s full-length debut, For Emma, Forever Ago, rounds out my Top 25 Most Played iPod playlist. This needs little explaining - a bonnet-donning bear crooning of desperate love that would make Romeo and Juliet roll over in their graves? What’s more to ask for?

And because even numbers are the worst and all good things come in three, I’m glad to say I finally (legally) completed the trifecta as of September 18, 2012. A day that will live in infamy. Or something like that.

We can thank Leeds, England for indie experimentalists ∆, pronounced Alt-J. (And I’ll accept the award for most buried lead now.) Released in the United Kingdom earlier this year, the quartet’s debut full-length, An Awesome Wave, became available stateside last Tuesday (I, along with many others, had been getting my hourly fix streaming the album on the band’s Soundcloud). The quartet - comprised Gwil Sainsbury (guitar/bass), Joe Newman (guitar/vocals), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards), and Thom Green (drums) - met while studying at university in Leeds and began producing tracks on the amateur program Garageband in 2007. Five years later they’re signed to major indie labels in the U.K. and U.S., are favorites in the running for this year’s Mercury Music Prize, and are preparing to support Grouplove on the first stretch of their fall tour.

An Awesome Wave is artfully laced together, effortlessly flowing from one title to the next paced by Green’s adroit drumming and Newman’s overlaying gospel-like chants. The song construction is one of the most articulate and creative I have heard in a while, sounding more like a compilation of four uniquely crafted solos fitting together to make the most perfectly unified puzzle. The three interludes act as palate cleansers, musical breaks to clear the mind to enjoy the next with a fresh perspective. But they are not to be blown off, each is equally as interesting and merited in placement on the record.

Though the often-indistinct lyrics summon images of heartbreak in the making, such as those on “Breezeblocks” (Please don’t go/I’ll eat you whole/I love you so), they, like the songs themselves, go past the surface. Pulling references from historic art to children’s books and myriad between, the cheeky lyrics hint at the personalities behind the music.

While Ames was rocking out at Maximum Ames Music Festival, I, along with my two best comrades, made the near four-hour trek to the intimate Minneapolis venue to catch the mysterious band live. Seeing a relatively new, untested band can be a menacing mission, sometimes ending in the death of fandom. Luckily for all involved, there was no room for disappointment. There wasn’t even room for questioning. It was good vibes and even better music from the first chord uttered per Unger-Hamilton’s fingers.

I may be GDI, but triangles are quickly becoming my favorite shape.

Ever heard of a little band called Poliça? Jay-Z has, so has Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, and boy do they have good things to say.

Although coming together only a little over a year ago, this Minneapolis, Minn., band sure came out strong. Their debut full-length Give You The Ghost was met with rave reviews from Grammy winning artists, appearances on television shows such as Jimmy Kimmel and Late Night, and a performance at the South by Southwest music festival earlier this year.

Enough with their resume though. I know you’re all saying to yourselves, All of this in a little over a year? I know, I was shocked, too. Until I had a listen to their album, which consists of a rather uncommon set up with two drummers, a base player, and a vocalist. No guitar, but they don’t need one with the haunting electronic vocals of Channy Leaneagh.

Leaneagh, lead vocalist, formed Poliça along with Ryan Olson in June of 2011. The two met while working in the electro-indie pop outfit Gayngs, which, much like Poliça, brought together random musicians and saw what kind of magic they could create. “[Leaneagh and Olson] wanted to work on an electric project together, so they did, and in the process decided they wanted to add a bass and two drummers,” said Drew Christopherson, drummer. “[It] seems like a strange decision, but Ryan has had two drummers in past bands - it’s sort of a formula he knows super well.”

All I have to say is good work, Olson.

Bass player Chris Bierden plays more like a guitarist, and combined with Leaneagh’s ghostly auto-tuned vocals makes for a delicious sound. Each drummer has his own unique sound as well. Ben Ivascu’s beats are deliberate and urgent - a lack of pillows in the kit gives a marching band-esque sound - where Christopherson has a bass-heavy sound, as he describes it “rap beats sort of drum scene.”

To really top off the group, they needed the perfect band name. ”It’s sort of like naming a child,” Christopherson chimes. “You want to give it a name that’s entirely it’s own.” Apparently all the suggestions started out really silly, which wasn’t fitting with how the recorded ended up turning out. Leaneagh had first started calling it Poliça and when she told her fellow band mates, they loved it. Poliça (pronounced police-uh) is the Polish word for policy, which Leaneagh thought to be very apt to the project.

“This band kind of came together with very strong intentions,” Christopherson said. “It wasn’t something that naturally occurred. It had a specific goal to bring all four of us together.”

Come to the Maintenance Shop this Wednesday, Sept. 26, to see for yourself how this policy is causing uproar across the world. Doors at 7:30 p.m., show at 8 p.m. Tickets $7 with a valid ISU student I.D., $9 for the public. $2 day-of-show increase.

JORDAN MASTERS

Alt-J - Tessellate

Tomorrow is Tuesday, and Tuesday for us means new music. Most notably on that list tomorrow is Alt-J's first full-length to be released Stateside. The Leeds, England band has been touring extensively with indie supers Bloc Party in support of their debut album, An Awesome Wave, including a sold out show in Minneapolis this coming weekend. An Awesome Wave has garnered an impressive resume of positive reviews for the quartet, and has been listed by many as one of the best albums of 2012 so far.

We totally agree.

Welcome back Cyclones. How about that game yesterday?

It's been a while since we've last posted, but I'm sure you've all kept your ears entertained in good taste in our absence. Have some awesome new music to share? Send a message, post a link to our Facebook page or tweet at us (@ethosmagazine) and tell us what you've been listening to all summer. But for now, check out this awesome new(ish) music video for superwoman Grimes's single "Genesis" - it's chockfull of 90s fashion and fatuous dancing.

NORTHPILOT - "1000 Lives"

Attention summer beach babies, we've got some new music for you. Chicagoland has given us NORTHPILOT. The indie-rock quintet released an EP "The Bright Brigade" in 2010, which you can check out on Spotify. Although their YouTube page has a mere 10,900 video views, expect to hear more about (and hopefully from) this band in the near future. They recently opened for Sweden's up-and-coming indie-folk band We Are Serenades, who's single "Birds" just got the remix treatment by Passion Pit.

"Weights & Measures" - Dry the River

"Ceiling of Plankton" - GIVERS