(Photo by Lisa Persson ) It hasn't been too long since we've heard from Lucid VanGuard , the project of Minneapolis' Karl Remus. Last fall, he put out Golden Eye Empyrean , an EP of sepia-drenched pop songs; on new single "Snow White," melancholy rules over every note. While Lucid VanGuard has primarily been a solo project, "Snow White" hones in on sparse sounds and loneliness. Acoustic plucks and windswept lap steel welcome you into the song's world. Overwhelming emptiness draws new focus to Remus' pleading vocals, augmented only by harmonies from Bailey Cogan of 26 BATS! There is inescapable beauty in the somberness. "Snow White" ebbs and flows with Remus' instrumentation, never overwhelming the simple sentiments at its core. Listen to and/or buy "Snow White" below. Snow White by Lucid VanGuard

Present Company  -  Talking On Couches  (self-released)   It's almost harder to make a familiar sound feel new than to explore an unfamiliar one. Either one takes boldness and a various amount of musical ability, but the former tends to get lost in the sameness. You've heard songs that sound like Present Company's debut full-length Talking On Couches . It's anthemic, synth-drive indie rock, recognizable to pretty much anyone who has engaged with independent music over the past two decades. But the core duo of Christian Nelson and Eddie Chisham have assembled 11 songs that transcend their influences and nail a particular aesthetic. The Minneapolis band eases into their sound on opener "Probably." Nearly half of the song goes by before any lyrics are sung, but as soon as the vocals crash in, it goes into melodramatic overdrive. There's a theatre-kid playfulness as Present Company commands the listener to "dance for your life" and "dance now to...