For a brief period of time in middle school, I was a riot grrrl. My friend Ben and I used to request Bikini Kill on K-ROCK (denied!), ‘surf’ the nascent internet for information about Olympia, WA, and at one point my parents even took away my Bratmobile record (denied again!). Needless to say, I still have an affinity for girl groups that slay. And Dum Dum Girls slay.

I have to admit I’ve been extraordinarily skeptical about “summer-sounding” bands of late. Perhaps after the nth time of having my low expectations met, I was over it. Or maybe it was the weather/music disjuncture (I don’t want to trudge through the snow to hear a band that sounds like the Beach Boys in a fishbowl). In any case, at first, the name Dum Dum Girls set a nearly insurmountable mental barrier. To my surprise, after dismounting my high horse and giving DDG a listen, I’m totally sold.

“It Only Takes One Night” starts off with driving, slightly overdriven drums and droning guitar, before the song is overtaken by haunting harmonies. The straight-ahead surf-rock beats, coupled with simple, fuzzed-out guitars work well throughout the record, especially on tracks like “O Mein M.” For my money, “Yours Alone” is the standout here, caking a simple love song in a hazy feedback and straight-ahead, single-note guitars.

In my view, the only missteps on this record come where DDG tone things down (see e.g. “Rest of Our Lives” and the incurably Vaselines-aping “Blank Girl”), losing the punch that otherwise sets them apart from the pack. On the whole, however, I Will Be stands out because, underneath all of the fuzz and reverb, it actually sounds like Dum Dum Girls are having fun. And isn’t that what summer is all about?

PURCHASE | LISTEN

I gotta admit, we’re a little late in the game on featuring this record. A year late… but great music transcends time and the self-titled debut album by Grand Archives (featuring Mat Brooke of Band of Horses) is no exception. Unfortunately, their newest release Keep In Mind Frankenstein doesn’t nearly live up to their heartfelt debut but instead takes the band backwards a step by introducing a quirkiness that is unforgivable. Either way, The Grand Archives is a record worth purchasing, even for the track “Torn Foam Blue Couch” alone. Oh and “Sleepwalking”. Yeah, that too. (2008, Subpop)

Recently an A&SB family member took a trip to Finland for a music conference and came back with a collection of some of the finest music we have never heard. The music world of Scandinavia is a grossly untapped resource of incredible art that we feel needs to brought into the U.S. mainstream. One of those artists in his mighty collection that stood out was JOENSUU 1685. Their new, self-titled album takes everything you love from My Bloody Valentine, Skywave and The Jesus & Mary Chain and blends it together beautifully – giving you the feeling of taking a warm piss on a cold Winter’s night. This album has yet to dock on the shores of U.S., but for now check out the song “You Shine Brighter Than The Light” on their MySpace or in the video below and expect to hear more about the band who John Ponemon of Subpop called “the most impressive artist” of the Lost In Music festival of Finland.

“Saturday Waits” – Loney, Dear (mp3)
“The City, The Airport” – Loney, Dear (mp3)