Estradasphere

50 Unheralded Albums from 2011

50 Unheralded Albums from 2011

In just one more trip around the sun, another swarm of immensely talented but under-recognized musicians has harnessed its collective talents and discharged its creations into the void. This list is but one fraction of those dedicated individuals who caught our ears with some serious jams.

Morrow vs. Hajduch

Morrow vs. Hajduch: Oh! Pears’ Fill Your Lungs EP

Scott Morrow is ALARM’s music editor. Patrick Hajduch is a very important lawyer. Each week they debate the merits of a different album.

Oh! Pears: Fill Your LungsOh! Pears: Fill Your Lungs EP (3/13/10)

Oh! Pears: “Fill Your Lungs”
[audio:http://alarm-magazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Oh_Pears_Fill_Your_Lungs.mp3|titles=Oh! Pears: “Fill Your Lungs”]

Morrow: Guitarist Corey Duncan left indie rockers Pattern Is Movement in 2007, opting to focus on a solo chamber-pop project.  That project turned into Oh! Pears, a 13-piece ensemble that plays Duncan’s classically and pop-inspired pieces.

Released independently earlier this year, Fill Your Lungs is Oh! Pears’ promising debut EP.  It begins with rounds of looping acoustic-guitar riffs and pizzicato, staccato, and legato strings, with Duncan’s deep voices joining to guide the music.  The rest of the five-song release is accented with other sounds, but this marriage of guitars, cellos, and violas best defines the EP.

100 Unheralded Albums from 2010

Among the thousands of under-appreciated or under-publicized albums that were released in 2010, hundreds became our favorites and were presented in ALARM and on AlarmPress.com. Of those, we pared down to 100 outstanding releases, leaving no genre unexplored in our list of this year’s overlooked gems.

Contest: FREE Tickets for Orange Tulip Conspiracy’s May Tour

Covering vast swaths of sonic territory in any given few songs, Orange Tulip Conspiracy channels prog fusion, psychedelic rock, 1950s jazz guitar, avant metal, Romani melodies, and much more. Now, as the band prepares for a nationwide tour in May, five ALARM readers can win a pair of tickets to see its hefty talents in person in cities of their choice.

Contest: FREE Tickets for Orange Tulip Conspiracy’s May Tour

Covering vast swaths of sonic territory in any given few songs, Orange Tulip Conspiracy channels prog fusion, psychedelic rock, 1950s jazz guitar, avant metal, Romani melodies, and much more.  Now, as the band prepares for a nationwide tour in May, five ALARM readers can win a pair of tickets to see its hefty talents in person in cities of their choice.

Orange Tulip Conspiracy Necessitates Musical Unpredictability

As one of the principal songwriters in Estradasphere, guitarist/composer Jason Schimmel has always loved combining disparate styles in new and jaw-dropping ways. But with Estradasphere on hold and a wealth of solo material, Schimmel now leads Orange Tulip Conspiracy, a similarly constructed but substantially different enterprise.

Ten Current/Upcoming Tours to Catch

As the season’s wintry punishment eases (it cracked 50 in Chicago this weekend), more and more artists are getting back in their vans and braving the roads for packed and sparse crowds alike.

Here’s a list of tours on our radar, including dates from The Bad Plus, Fucked Up, Orange Tulip Conspiracy, P.O.S., Secret Chiefs 3, Young Widows, and more.

Weekly Music News Roundup

More details emerge about the upcoming Supermachiner release; the Shrinebuilder super-group begins recording; Mono announces a new album; Orange Tulip Conspiracy announces a full US tour for May. Get these and 10 other news bit after the jump.