Would you believe it’s Monday again? Not only that, but it’s the last Monday before Christmas, and in the spirit of the season, Steal This Track has some very special treats for you this week. We have lush indie pop from , a melancholy Christmas tune from and a first listen from legendary Denver act, . I can tell your downloading finger is itchy, so let’s get right to it.
Earlier this year, tried to get me excited about a Littleton bedroom pop artist called Mesita, but I was unmoved. He even (that video has since been taken down), but it just wasn’t grabbing me. Well, it just goes to show you — something.
Maybe it was the spirit of the holiday season. Maybe it was all that beaujolais nouveau I had with Thanksgiving dinner. Or maybe my tastes have just changed this year, because when 22-year-old James Cooley — the man behind Mesita — sent me music a few weeks ago, I was absolutely hooked.
With little fanfare, Cooley posted the “Living/Breathing” EP last month as a free download on , where you can also buy one of 100 physical CDs of the release for $11. The EP is seven tracks of lush, blissful, chiming indie pop, drenched in reverb, injected with optimism and iced with falsetto vocals. The record practically defies you not to grin like a half-wit. Sure, there are a few moments when the home recording doesn’t deliver, but overall, “Living/Breathing” packs a punch that makes us wish Cooley played out once in a while instead of only in his bedroom.
You can download the “Living/Breathing” EP — along with Cooley’s 2008 debut, his 2009 EP and a track from his forthcoming album — for free from , but before you do, we highly recommend stealing the title track. Now.
Turn the page for a sneak preview of the forthcoming album from Slim Cessna’s Auto Club.
If Mesita’s youthful optimism is just a little too cheery for you, you’re probably in need of a little Slim Cessna’s Auto Club. Slim, and the rest of the boys — with help from current Auto Clubber and producer — were kind enough to share a sneak preview of their forthcoming album, “Unentitled,” with Reverb readers. If you know Slim Cessna, this track needs to introduction, and if you don’t, well, you’ll get it soon enough. Steal “Three Bloodhounds, Two Shepherds, One Fila Brasileiro” below and you’ll soon join the flock, most of whom are clambering for tickets to the band’s 10th anniversary two-night stand at the Bluebird Theater on the 30th and 31st of this month.
Turn the page for a holiday treat from Mr. and Mrs. Dan Craig, a.k.a. Oh, Starling.
Our final Christmas present to you comes from the impossibly attractive duo of and , a.k.a. Oh, Starling. Last year, we brought you , “Joy,” and we’re thrilled to give you a taste of this year’s effort, “Noel.” Once again, the husband-wife outfit turn the songs of the season into slightly sad-but-beautiful reflections on what that season means to them.
You can grab “Hark” for free from for the price of joining the mailing list, and you grab the whole EP for a mere $5. We strongly recommend that you do. If you need more convincing, though, check out “Hark” right now. You’ll be glad you did.
If you like Steal This Track, you’re gonna love at the Hi-Dive. Starting Dec 30, we’ll be taking over the South Broadway indie rock institution with special guests, giveaways, drink specials and more. In the later hours, (a.k.a. Reverb’s own Eryc Eyl) will turn the shindig into a pants-dropping dance party. And just like Steal This Track, itap absolutely free. You won’t want to miss it.
Please note that downloads offered via Steal This Track are intended to whet your appetite, and are NOT CD-quality recordings. If you want those, please support the artists by buying their music and/or seeing them live.
If you’re a band or musician ready to expose your fresh sounds to the readers of Reverb, email your tracks — along with any interesting facts about them, as well as a photo or album art — to Eryc Eyl for consideration.
Eryc Eyl is a veteran music journalist, critic and Colorado native who has been neck-deep in local music for many years. Check out every Monday for local music you can HEAR, and the every Friday. Against his mother’s advice, Eryc has also been known to . You can also follow Sorry, Mom.
