There is something special about capturing a band's live performance. It has a rawness not often felt when sitting in a bedroom with a four-track recorder or a professional recording studio, but it seems the Minneapolis slowcore act Prathloons have managed to catch, and then bottle that energy, with their second installment in their  Live Loons series. Recorded at Urban Artifacts in Cincinnati, Ohio,  Live Loons: Urban Artifacts 5.19.19  captures everything from the band's overenthusiastic false start on "Jack and Jill" to the crushing climax of "Mallwood." Upon first listen, I was struck by the quality of the recordings. This album isn't a collection of blown-out/lopsided mixes recorded from the soundboard at a random show. It's a showcase of Prathloon's ability to take the introspective, melancholic stories found on their self-titled debut and give them a new sense of urgency. The album isn't fully free of the trappings found on DIY ...

Minneapolis quintet,  The Symptones  are giving listeners a taste of their upcoming debut album with the release of a music video for "Rosetta." Directed by Steven George, the video depicts the band making the best of Minnesota's wintery climate while they play their personal brand of r&b infused indie rock.  "Rosetta" is a light and funky track. The rhythm section joins together to create a groove that you can't help but bop along to while vocalist Taylor Tuomie sings about running away with your love for a more carefree life. The band stays relatively contained for most of the track except for a surprise anthemic bridge that finishes out the song. The Symptones debut record  Irrational Fears / Overactive Imagination is set to be released on Friday, April 26. It was recorded at Ecstattic Studio by Ali Jaafar who has worked on projects from bands like Fury Things, Ego Death (Double Grave), and Kitten Forever. An album release show for Irration...

Dinosaur Jr. is known for playing some of the loudest music around. The band's frontman and guitarist J. Mascis regularly surrounds himself with three or four 100-watt amplifiers.  The volume from his side of the stage alone could scalp an audience member. So when the Dinosaur Jr. frontman started releasing acoustic albums in the mid-90s, it made fans raise a bit of an eyebrow. His acute attention to detail often swallowed up by feedback, fuzzy guitars, and pounding drums became clear to listeners. Mascis has an ability to write beautiful melodies that shine through with the simplicity of an acoustic guitar and his voice. Yesterday, Mascis announced that he is releasing a follow-up to 2014's Tied to a Star . Elastic Days will be released Nov. 9 on Sub Pop, and to top off this album announcement, Mascis also released the album's first single "See You At The Movies." This track is everything you love about Mascis' solo music. It's quiet but present. So...

After a three year break, Minneapolis indie-pop duo Bora York are back with a new single - "Glowing." The duo, consisting of Chris and Rebekah Bartels, described the song as a "summer love anthem." Over a delightfully hypnotic beat, they sing of unapologetic and unconditional love - for them, it's impossible to see the one you love as anything other than glowing. Despite the pop veneer, "Glowing" incorporates the group's more experimental tendencies. Blissed-out and glitchy vocals meld with chair squeaks and thumping drums. By ending their hiatus with a track like this, Bora York is "lay[ing] groundwork for a coming future of lush pop experiments." Welcome to a new era of Bora York. The duo's last album was 2015's Secret Youth . Earlier this year, they released a remix EP ( DreamYouth ), featuring contributions from Hot Dad among several others. "Glowing" will come out on Chris' Anthem Falls Music. Read more ...