Stillwater based rockers The Shackletons have been able to tap into that place that Minnesota greats like Husker Du and The Replacements have gone in order to write some of the best rock songs that have come out of the local scene. From radio hits laden with Twin Cities references to onstage antics that has made them a must-see live band, brothers Collin, Cameron, and Evan Campbell have set themselves apart from their heavy hitting peers. The trio seems to have done it again with their new single "Happy Boring Life" and its companion music video. They blend their personal brand of punk, blues, and indie rock to create a compellingly angsty and melodic track with this single. Frontman and guitarist Collin Campbell begins the track with an understated riff and vocal before the rest of the band kicks in punctuating the lyric "I hope I live happy and boring." The song grapples with the idea of settling for a "normal life" for someone because it is the ...

My first thought was, "Oh no, this better not be another Beatles cover." Thank God it's not. The Argument is a trio of Minneapolis high school kids with musical abilities well beyond their years. After releasing their debut EP Heart of Gold  (no relation to Neil Young or Heart to Gold) last year, the band is bursting back onto the scene with "Come Together." On the back of Dom Winterbauer's sleek bassline, vocalist/guitarist Lydia Wisti incites a riot of indie flavor and delicate forcefulness. She presents her argument (ha) with precision in each verse and the bridge. The chorus gushes relentlessly from the floodgates, spreading whitecaps of interwoven harmonies and bright guitar chords.  While Wisti may stand at the song's center and command the listener's attention, there's a reason that the cover art depicts a bass. Winterbauer's fluid plucking acts as a conduit between Wisti's intensity and drummer Stella Robinson's under...

Murf is the best, and probably only, RoboCop themed hardcore band that you will ever listen to. Where you didn't expect to find a market for a 32-year-old movie in the Minneapolis punk scene, Murf has carved one out. Members of the band even partnered with Trash Film Debauchery to host a live event where 55 different filmmakers reshot 55 scenes from the 1987 thriller classic. It was at that premiere of the fan remake of RoboCop that Murf debut a music video for "Your Move Creep" from their self-titled debut. Much like future Detroit in the film, the video for "Your Move Creep" takes place in a dystopian version of Minneapolis where a masked vigilante has risen to stop crime by any means necessary.  Murf's Murf is the sonic equivalent of sticking a fork in a light socket. You're going to get one hell of a rush even though it may not be your healthiest life choice. Each song is just as aggressive and unapologetically punishing as the last, and ...

In Lieu - "Bunge" In Lieu stand tall in the indie rock heritage of Sleater-Kinney. The Minneapolis quartet bring a winking fire on the first single from their forthcoming Hatemail  EP. "Bunge" spasmodically shifts between riff-fueled verses and Nikii Post's pleas of "Go outside / I'm outside." Post's melodic vocals are the anchor around which the rest of the band hurtles like a punk centrifuge. The track eventually dissolves into heavy and heady dirge - there's a delightfully jagged guitar solo and everything. It slaps. Hatemail  is out on April 16, 2019. Listen to "Bunge" below. Bunge by In Lieu Dreamspook - Flying Mammal  EP Colors always streak the sky in the universe of Dreamspook, the electronic project of Minneapolis musician Gabriel Jorgensen. With chilly synths in his arsenal, Jorgensen crafts tiny universes of pulsing sound and impressionistic lyrics. These songs' heartbeats never advance...

Every now and then Wes and I are turned onto an album/band that is just outside of Ear Coffee's little world view that demands to be written about. Instead of ignoring them or trying to fit them into one of our existing columns, we created a new one that is named after a Prince song. Strays of the World will be Ear Coffee's home for bands and artists we think are worth talking about but don't fit in.  Prague-based singer-songwriter  Tristan Puig  happens to be one of those people who grabs your attention. Now, you may be wondering how someone based out of Prague has a local connection, but I assure you, dear reader, that fits into Ear Coffee's little world via our mutual love for the record label  Forged Artifacts . Puig released his first full-length record  I Can't Believe They Invented It!  in October of 2018. His  previous release was a collection  of tracks written while he was in Los Angeles. That release was a bit more middl...