Jam of the Day | Dear Criminals - Lover's Suicide

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Dear Criminals are like that new kid on the block who moved in two houses down from yours. He's your age and you challenge him to a game of one-on-one basketball to be, you know, neighborly, but he beats your ass 25-3.

Here's the kicker, though: He invites you back to his place for cookies and cartoons after the game.

How do you respond? Do you accept this peace offering? Is your pride too great to forget your loss? Do you just not like cookies?

This dilemma is surprisingly relevant when looking for new bands to write about. You may find an awesome new act with a cool sound, but it can be hard to overcome the initial hesitation and judgement that comes from having so many musical options around in this modern age. You have to pick your battles all the time, but Dear Criminals are a battle I'd fight any day.

They hail from Montréal, and specialize in a whimsically dark brand of pop that makes heavy use of chilly synthesizers and guitars drenched in oceanic amounts of reverb. But that doesn't do them justice; you could use those descriptors for 80% of alternative music today. There's a unique male-female vocal dynamic and a focus on unconventionally catchy melodies that sets them apart from the pack. Their first EP, Weapons, debuted in late August, and "Lover's Suicide" is my personal favorite.

Jam of the Day | Autre Ne Veut - Play by Play

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If there is a musical equivalent to the heroin bender – I’m teetering on the edge of overdose. And the scary thing is, I started 2k13 out clean as a whistle. All up on that wagon, riding chin up down an indie-rock-purist-road. But fuck if I didn't take a little taste of this 80’s/90’s pop revival that’s just now starting to infect the masses, and like they say, once you pop, you can’t stop. Or is it you can’t eat just one...whatever snack slogan you choose to use – the sweet nectar entered my veins and immediately took the reins, steering me down a road of dance beats and R&B goodness. I need an intervention.

Or do I? True – my pill-hopper is overflowing with everything from Rhye to Twin Shadow, but this shit just feels so good. And as addictions go, it’s starting to spiral. Especially after I mixed in a little Autre Ne Veut into the daily regimen – I’ve achieved the perfect mix of upper and downer. Work has started to suffer but my relationships have really flourished.

Take, for example, “Play by Play” below. But be forewarned if you have an addictive personality. This may be the start of something major. Awesome. But major.