Do you remember the 1985 icon of celluloid, The Last Dragon? And the annoying wannabe pop singer? No, not Prince’s protégé, Vanity, but the other one… the bad guy’s girlfriend. Well, the music she was making then was way ahead of her time, because it’s been captured and released in the form of Fol Chen’s latest offering. Okay, maybe that sounds extreme, but that’s what Part II: The New December sounds like — that or a soundtrack to a Super Mario video game on acid. The glitchy electro-funk post-pop Los Angeles-based outfit follows up their unique first album with equally impressive departures from traditional pop music, employing everything from Oriental-style strums to orchestral samplings to random chimes, blips, and beeps, resulting in the band’s own genre of off-kilter and, at times, mild-mannered pop.

Fol Chen’s music is such a departure from traditional musical sounds that its techie glitch and offbeat arrangements give it a foreign, inaccessible, and too-far-removed style that keeps it from being anywhere near commercially appealing. Maybe that’s what Fol Chen is going for, though. They certainly succeed with their distorted and angular attack on tracks like “The Holograms,” “This Is Where The Road Belongs,” and “Men, Beasts, Or Houses.” Yet on “The Holes,” “C/U,” “Your Curtain Call,” and “Adeline (You Look So Bored),” they achieve a cohesive sound that makes their music downright appealing.

Of Montreal or Devo would be the closest comparisons to Fol Chen, along with maybe Hot Chip, Enon, or Tom Tom Club. But those are even a stretch, which should come as a compliment to Fol Chen, since their music is original enough to not draw too many comparisons… other than The Last Dragon chick, of course. By Peter Viele

Superhumanoids exemplify the ability to deliver one unexpected sonic sucker punch after another, making my heart raise a defiant middle finger as it pumped its other fist against the wall of my chest. I can’t stress enough that when listening to Urgency, I suffered no loss of interest throughout its six excellent tracks. The EP floats along, collecting every thump and prick it can find before gelling them all together in the form of a sinister little jellyfish who’s bruised and pissed off, suspended between a raging attack and a half-hearted attempt at death. Superhumanoids will leave you exhausted despite dainty vocals, siren-song beach-babe rhythm sections, and surprisingly energetic deposits amongst lead-weight drum gallops and steam-engine keyboard samples.   

The bass punch on “Hey Big Bang” is introduced and expanded, contracted and exploded, while overlapping or underpinning the tip-top vocal talents of lead singer Sara and her melodic orbital playlist, which leaks beneath the bedroom door of a teenage Judy Jetson. Superhumanoids are onto something big with Urgency, and the Los Angeles foursome holds onto valuable assets and uses meticulously timed delivery to create music simply different than all other electronic pop offered today. While the essentials of dance are present, the gears of something unnamed are oiled and clicking inside this group’s inner spectrum.

Superhumanoids hold a fluid debut pop album within their arms. Urgency will resonate between any generational divisions, and it is more than likely a secret message from Cameron, Sara, Max, and Evan, who are aliens testing our planet for intelligence before they eat us all. By William Port Whales

Usually, I try to convince people to appreciate whatever band I’m reviewing. I give them a long list of reasons why they should be interested in the group and why they should give the music a chance. But I’m not going to do that with Halsted. That’s because, in this case, the question of whether or not you will like their music is irrelevant. You will love it. There is no other option. Their sound is so genuine, so relatable, and so downright enjoyable that it’s impossible to listen to their new album, Life Underwater, and not be moved.

No matter who you are, your new favorite song is waiting on this album. Life Underwater expertly covers all the bases, from elated anthems like the rich, melodious guitar exhibition that meanders along on “Walking Shoes,” to the measured, melancholy beauty of intertwined piano and violin on “Whisper.” And let’s not forget the bouncy piano and triumphant horn blasts that jump from the speakers on tracks like “Sellout.” But the unifying theme is lead singer Ryan Auffenberg’s crisp voice, which rings out commandingly with all the wisdom and emotion of his perceptive lyrics.

Auffenberg is not only a talented vocalist, but also a multi-instrumentalist, taking the lead on everything from guitar to piano to keyboards. But he also has a dedicated and gifted group of musicians, including drummer Peter Craft and bassist Kevin T. White, to back him up. Together as Halsted, they create a sound that is practically bulletproof. Auffenberg says that the group was “brought together by a simple passion for music and a desire to make a piece of art that we could be proud of,” and after just one listen to Life Underwater, you’ll agree that it’s mission accomplished for Halsted. By Allison Arteaga