Lapdogs - Zoo  EP (self-released) Ah, the demo. I love it. Unpolished, unhinged, unprepared. One of the best ways for bands to keep fans appeased between gigs. The members of Lapdogs know this, which brings us to their new demo EP, Zoo . Only four tracks long, it embraces the natural rawness in their garage-y sound. Lapdogs play like their songs' life expectancies are rapidly diminishing and they've got to get them into the world before they finally go. Another plus of the demo is its tendency to capture the energy of live shows. The trio explodes on each track; a personal favorite is the ending of "so long." The cacophony shatters a crevasse in the earth and swallows them. All across Zoo , there are tiny eruptions of sonic bliss. Jack Daily of Fox Theory and Eric Cuevas contributed production. Oklahoma - "Sharp Dressed Love" (self-released) The pop-rockers in Oklahoma (the band, not the state) are finally set to release their debut reco...

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 mann...