Local Music Round-Up 8/2/18

From the ashes of one column rises another! Welcome to the inaugural Local Music Round-Up (tentative title)! In this column, I write about local music that I discovered this week with an emphasis on recent releases. But hey, if I find a great underground punk single from years ago, I'll shout it out here. I hope you check out the bands mentioned here and continue to read this column as it proceeds into a (probably not) fruitful future!

Dreams We've Had - "Makeout"

Dreams We've Had is a Minneapolis dream pop band, and "Makeout" is their new single. Besides being a fantastic song, it marks a notable development for the band - it is the first single with project mastermind Bennett Blumberg on lead vocals. It may be a slight change of pace from the group's recent album, Dear Friend (also worth checking out), but "Makeout" sets an exciting precedent for any forthcoming music. The song personifies yearning in a hazy, beautiful manner. Watch the track's new video below.

Sapphire - "You Are"

"You Are" is the debut single from Sapphire, an electropop duo consisting of Ava Levy and Lily Govrik. The song is a gentle love song propelled along by a soothing guitar line. Levy and Govrik's vocals weave in and out of each other like a cloud, recalling a synth-driven version of Girlpool's "It Gets More Blue." This all changes when the drums crash into the listener about two-thirds of the way through the song. From there, it's a race to the finish. Listen to the song on Bandcamp below.

Why Not - Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning is the second album from Minneapolis indie rock band Why Not. It was released back in March, but I'm lame and didn't listen to it until now. The trio crafts satisfyingly fun punk tunes with a bit of a math rock edge. Genre tags mean nothing, but at least they give some context. Lead by bassist/vocalist Henry Breen, Why Not live up to the album's title with plenty of hooks and emotional spring cleaning. Guitarist Isaac Dell and Joshua MacGregor provide rhythmic flourishes at every corner and really give the songs some more quirk. The band even does their own take on Radiohead's "Fitter Happier" with the tongue-in-cheek "To Do List." Listen to the album below.

Spelt Melk Collective - Title Redacted

I already wrote about this record when it came out a few weeks ago, but it deserves some extra love. As the rare jazz band in a scene of mostly indie rock, Spelt Melk Collective carves out their own niche with some of the tastiest jazz licks I've heard in recent memory. With composition by keyboard/synth player Ari Pentelovich and bassist Henry Breen (see above), the quartet provides fiery jazz that is extremely conducive to moshing. Keep your ears and eyes peeled for more about Spelt Melk Collective in the coming week. Listen to Title Redacted below.