Coma Cinema - “Victims”

ALBUM RELEASE: Coma Cinema - Abandoned Lands

Mat Cothran, the genius behind one of my favorite D.I.Y. music projects, Coma Cinema, has surprised us with an early release of his new EP, Abandoned Lands. You should probably thank him. The five track EP has some of his darkest and most experimental work to date, but it is nothing short of astounding. It feels something like a cathartic purging of evil blood washed out by a torrent of aesthetic beauty and poetic intensity.

Coma Cinema even recruited a dream team of blog favorites to help polish the album. Abandoned Lands was mastered by the wonderful Lance Smith of Pandit and sequenced by  Warren Hildebrand of Foxes In Fiction. “Victims,” posted above, features a sample of the song “Keep Apnea” by the ever lovely Yohuna. Download the album for free via bandcamp and join the listening party.

ON REPEAT FOREVER.

Vacation Dad - “IHOPEYRFAVORITECOLORISEVERYWHERE” (ft. Yohuna)

Psychedelic springtime comes in any color you desire. This recently remastered piece of blissed-out pop sunshine comes from Eau Claire, Wisconsin native Vacation Dad with the help of his hometown buddy and frequent collaborator Yohuna (recorded before she became a “band.”)

“IHOPEYRFAVORITECOLORISEVERYWHERE” is the kind of avant-pop song that will have you jumping through sprinklers and spinning around lush, colorful gardens with butterflies and hummingbirds. Who knows what the lyrics are. This track makes the grass a little greener and the sky a little more blue.

Vacation Dad also has two recent live recordings posted on his bandcamp page which are currently available for free download. They are definitely worth a listen as well.

Moro - “Embers”

This glowing-hot debut from Wisconsin-based duo Moro calls for us to throw more wood on the “embers” and dance around this raging bonfire of sound, joining hands together in blissful ceremony. Nolan Thomas and Daniel Smith are from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, the same hometown as Yohuna, another new favorite of mine who contributes vocals to this outstanding track along with Adelyn Rose.

After performing for about a year, the duo has now unleashed their first recorded track upon the world. This danceable and brilliantly layered indie-pop jamboree takes you by surprise, like little sparks floating through the air ever so harmlessly until they suddenly engulf you in flames. If this catches your ear, be sure to stop by Moro’s bandcamp where you can download the song for free.

“Embers”

Yohuna - “Hometown Key”

First of all, I apologize for being such a tease by posting this the day after all her tapes sold out. I didn’t plan for this, it just sort of happened that way. It’s not because I’m trying to “rub it in” for anyone who might have missed it, I’m just a little slow sometimes. But this isn’t about me, this is about Johanne Swanson, a college student and recording artist from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, who has turned out to be one of the loveliest surprises of 2011. She performs under the phonetic spelling of her name—Yohuna—in Albuquerque, New Mexico where she currently resides.

Her debut EP, Revery, is inspired by the intense emotions she experienced after leaving home for the first time. Combining soft ambient drone with vocal-centric folk-pop, Yohuna creates a deeply personal arrangement of four beautiful songs. With production help from Vacation Dad, the EP achieves a full, vibrant sound enhanced by Johanne’s emotionally powerful, yet innocent sounding vocals.

Her personal favorite from this release is its closing “Hometown Key,” which I would have to say is easily mine as well. While “Mateo” and “It’s All Yours” both have excellent pop melodies, Yohuna’s gorgeous sound really comes through here as the track progresses, allowing her vocals to soar high over a steadily paced rhythm before trailing off into fuzzy reverb infinity. For me, this song is right up there with some of the more buzzed-about releases of this young but fruitful year.

Again, I’m really sorry (for you, obviously not for her) that all Yohuna’s cassettes recently sold out on bandcamp. After all, it is absolutely fantastic and she only made 50. You can still download Revery digitally for a minimum of one measly dollar, or perhaps even for free if you ask her nicely. However, I hope you donate as much as you can afford if you feel she deserves as much support as I think she does. You can also keep up with/say hi to Yohuna on Tumblr or Twitter.

ON REPEAT FOREVER