4 for the weekend vol. 37

Time for another 4FtW, and as always, these 4 CDs are up for grabs, so just drop in on the QBiM Facebook page and stake your claim to the CDs for volume 37, or drop us a line at contests [at] quickbeforeitmelts [dot] com with “4 CDs please!” in the subject line, and your full mailing address in the body. Enjoy the tunes!

Four freshmen locked out as the sun goes down

Vancouver’s No Kids has a bit of an indie rock pedigree. Nick Krgovich’s first band, P:ANO released a couple of albums a few years back, and started when he was still in high school. “…You can’t be in the band you started in high school forever,” he said in Under The Radar magazine earlier this year, which is partly the impetus for No Kid’s quirky brand of pop, progressing on from P:ANO’s previous work.

No Kids combine strong percussive rhythm tracks and somewhat elaborate melodies to create on of the most diverse and original sounding albums I’ve heard in ages. Krgovich says a lot of his inspiration comes from some highly unlikely sources, notably Jam & Lewis productions like Janet Jackson’s Control album, and Paula Abdul’s “Rush Rush”. “I find these records to be totally fascinating and bizarre… having rhythm tracks that are just bonkers and paring that with these really beautiful and economical melodies… there are a handful of tracks on Come Into My House that are influenced by these production ideas.”

Come Into My House is No Kids’ debut release, and available now at many fine retailers. Accept Nick’s invitation, and join the band for this ‘bizarre’ and ‘beautiful’ house party.

Something for all of us

“Hit The Wall” is the kind of poppy rock song that you don’t often associate with Broken Social Scene, but it does echo some of Canning’s work with his former bands, hHead and By Divine Right. The Arts & Crafts website says the album is “a truly genre-ambiguous, progressive work” so maybe this doesn’t really give us an idea of what the whole thing is going to sound like, but no matter, I’m liking it a whole lot.

You will love each other

L.A. band HEALTH’s music has been called “pleasant noise music,” and I tend to agree with the NME who said that “it’s a challenging, loud vision of rock…, but it’s not nearly as tough as it at first seems.” I initially was scared off by the aggressive and somewhat angry feel, but after giving the music a chance to work it’s magic, I realized that there is something oddly beautiful about the noise these guys make.

I’m not the only one who thinks so. HEALTH’s debut release on Lovepump United Records last September garnered them blog praise from all corners of the globe. They played a 5-song rooftop gig to help launch Pitchfork.tv, and have been touring with Toronto’s Crystal Castles these last few months and continue to do some globetrotting into June.

On top of it all, there is now a companion piece to their debut album. HEALTH//DISCO is a collection of remixes by handpicked artists. The band hopes their collaborators will combine their sound and musical ideas with “those of electronic artists we admire… It is not about market saturation or crossover appeal. It is purely about the music, and we are proud of it. This is an album, and meant to be listened to as one. The goal of this record is not only to present all these songs at once, but also to ensure that they are not forgotten in the constantly updating, content-hungry internet music world.”

I got a kick out of the album’s liner notes, which give a shout out and thank you to all the blogs who help spread the word about HEALTH, including yours truly. My first liner note credit!! I’m touched guys, really. HEALTH//DISCO is out today, and available at all fine retailers, and most online outlets.

Mates of Sate: Re-Arrange Us

The family that plays together stays together, or something like that. Sometimes a family comes together because people play together, and such is the case of the family of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel, a husband and wife team who together record under the name Mates Of State.

Mates Of State have been around for over 10 years now, making organ/synth/drum heavy pop music that flirts between rock and a dance place. Their new release, Re-Arrange Us (out now or Barsuk Records) sees them leave behind the more synthetic sound of previous efforts, and embracing an organic sound that’s fleshed out with more traditional instruments, live piano. Their dueling vocals make the songs come alive, as one gives way to let the other take lead and vice versa.