Contemporary Tapes is a Nashville based label focused on highlighting releases from the experimental and vaporwave electronic genres. They’ve released albums from locals such as Palm Spring and Strange Æons but their latest release compiles songs from artists across the country to create a surprisingly pleasing, far-out Christmas album.

Typically,  Vaporwave and Christmas would seem to be two ideas that would never work well together but this comp proves that theory 100% incorrect. Listening to “All I Want For Christmas Is You” or “The Scut Farkis Affair” it’s clear that there’s room for plenty of new styles in the Christmas genre. 

While many of these artists are not Nashville based, Contemporary Tapes is from our fine city and serves as the mastermind behind bringing this all together. I applaud them for pulling it off.

As everyone reflects on the Best of 2017, there’s plenty of good news about the future – particularly in regards to 2018 releases. Tape Deck Mountain just announced their next full-length, Echo Chamber Blues, will be released February 23rd and they’re taking pre-orders for the limited edition vinyl now.

If you aren’t familiar with the Nashville by way of New York by way of San Diego outfit, you may be missing out on some of the best shoegaze out there. I’ll save the full review for when the album is officially released but if you like big, reverb-y guitars, thick bass lines, foreboding samples and plenty of atmosphere, this will absolutely not disappoint.

One of my favorite releases of 2016 was the oft-overlooked debut from Lionlimb, Shoo. The Elliott Smith-esque vocals and sublime production was always enjoyable. So, I’m excited to see that 2018 will see the second official release from the band in the form of the Tape Recorder EP. From the sound of the first available track, “Maria”, the band is continuing with their previous sound but layering in a lot more instrumentation and even some strings to accent where necessary. Definitely one for the wishlist.

The debut EP from Peachtea is a collection of quiet pop diddies led with melancholy vocals. Overall, it’s a somber feeling and pairs well with these colder months, reflecting on the previous year. Be sure to hit up “Pt. 1″ and “Rio Bravo” – certainly the standout tracks in my meager opinion.

There’s always something oddly familiar about a Reno Bo release. Maybe it’s his vocal style that feels like a late-era Beatles production or maybe its his artwork that gives a heavy nod to the simpler graphic design of the 60′s and 70′s or maybe its his simple, catchy, songwriting. Sometimes it can be a bit corny (i.e. calling this a Digital 45 single is a bit much) but if you like well produced pop songs, there’s no denying these offerings. 

Just a quick reminder that the latest full-length from The Lees of Memory, The Blinding White of Nothing At All, is officially released. They had previously completed a successful PledgeMusic campaign that put the album into early backers hands quite awhile back but now it’s available for all to hear. 

If you haven’t heard the band before, this can seem to be a daunting entry point with its 24-tracks across a double LP but the album never loses its stride through the duration. I always thought of this band as a ROCK band, all caps intentionally, but that’s laughably incorrect. The Lees of Memory is a pop band that  has managed to find a mixture of 70′s psychedelia, latter day Beatles pop vocals and a mind-numbing plethora of instruments that never feels overdone.

If you haven’t heard it yet, don’t miss it. If you have, give it a revisit.