I like to prepare for music festivals by giving every artist a listen.  The great thing about Coachella is there are so many artists of all genres that I always come across something I’ve missed.  There are a lot of acts I’m looking forward to that don’t need any coverage: Phoenix, Local Natives, New Order, Japandroids, The Postal Service, The xx, etc.  This is dedicated to those sweet finds that I’m now looking forward to with equal fervor.  See you in the desert.

Savages don’t quite count as a Coachella Find, but since it’s taken me until now to write about them, we’ll let it slide.   As soon as this all female quartet released their debut single “Flying to Berlin” / “Husbands” every blog from here to Pitchfork was all over them, and for good reason. The post-punk group has been heavily likened to Joy Division not only for their sound but approach and general outlook on life and music. See the statement released with the debut single: “For Savages the intention was to create a sound, indestructible and musically solid, written for the stage, designed with enough nuances to provide a wide range of emotions. The songs aim to remind us that human beings haven’t evolved so much, that music can still be straight to the point, efficient and exciting.” Not much else to say. Listen to their newest track from their May 7th Matador release Silence Yourself and check out “Husbands” HERE. It’s loud, passionate, and musical, I’m in.

Masked Toronto gloom waver Kontravoid caught my attention a while back when he was touring with Crystal Castles.  After gorging myself on his catalog I couldn’t wait for some new stuff to talk about.  Recently he performed a rendition of an older track  with an orchestra.  The outcome is pretty much what Joy Division heads like myself would have hoped Ian Curtis would have sounded like backed with strings.

Kontravoid – “Forgotten (Orchestral Version)”

Part post-punk, part noise-rock, part electro-goth, The Soft Moon was started as a solo project by Luis Vasquez in 2009.  Soon he developed it into a band for live shows adding a visuals guy to give a “full sensory experience”.  After listening to the ominous ”Insides” and “Die Life” from the upcoming Zeros LP I really want to catch that show.  The record is due out on Captured Tracks on October 30th, just in time for your Halloween party.

The Soft Moon – “Insides”

The Soft Moon – “Die Life”

New Fav Track

Light Asylum is the Brooklyn based duo of Shannon Funchess and Bruno Coviello.  While keyboard operator Coviello is a new name (at least to us) vocalist Funchess has touched enough projects that she has graced our unwitting ears with her distinctive voice in the past.  Her powerful vocal style has drawn easy comparison to the likes of Ian Curtis, Grace Jones, and even Billy Idol.  In the track “Dark Allies” Coviello builds a strong goth-wave foundation for Funchess to unleash her rhythmic contralto vocals.  Lyrics steeped in dark religious themes seem fitting as the song gains momentum culminating in all out havoc.  Give a listen to it below.

Light Asylum – “Dark Allies”

Check out more about Light Asylum at their MYSPACE and at their WEBSITE.