Teen Daze - What You Feel

Teen Daze & Others Played Glasslands

By Joe Housel As the sun faded across Manhattan skyline, I knew something special was waiting in that magical land of Brooklyn where the jeans fit tight and the mustaches know no bounds. I came ready for a relaxed Sunday night show filled with melodic beats and uptight Brooklynites too cool to dance but something else was in the air. After a whirlwind of Rolling Rock tallboys and warm whiskey shots to boot, I stumbled home in the rain with a freshly broken phone and two questions. Where did this intense live performance from Teen Daze come from and what has he done to my understanding of chillwave?

Glasslands Gallery has to be one of my favorite venues in the city. Right off the Bedford L stop by the river, it combines the feel of an intimate, back alley warehouse with just enough modern amenities to not scare off your sheltered friends. We arrived in the middle of Monster Rally’s set as he was busy performing his modern take on elevator music. We were busy getting settled so I wasn't able to generate much of a feel for him as a musician or performer. After he thanked the crowd as prepared his “final song” on upwards of five separate occasions, it was time to move onto Brothertiger.

John Jagos, (aka Brothertiger) is another one-man show dishing out all the chillwave and synthpop you desire with that distinct Midwestern flair (what?). Hailing from The Ohio State University, he was quick to inform the crowd that once he wrapped up his set, he had to haul ass back west in order to make class tomorrow morning. If that isn’t dedication to your craft, I don’t know what is. His sounds ranged from sonic beats that recalled dolphins chattering on a ocean breeze to surprisingly Depeche Mode influenced tracks if only they had just polished off an ounce of the finest, blue, New Mexican amphetamines. I couldn’t help but come away impressed with Brothertiger and recommend checking out his Vision Tunnels EP available for only $2.50 on Bandcamp (here).

I don’t pretend to know anything about Teen Daze and his unique outlook on the chillwave genre. His 2010 gem, Four More Years, came out last May to critical acclaim. The album invokes a strong summertime vibe of watching the sun slowly fade over a mountainous skyline and was certainly worth all its hype. Teen Daze didn't stop there and continued to churn out two more similar collections during the year with Beach Dreams and My Bedroom Floor. You'd think he'd slow down but just this past July came the Tour EP, evolving his slow melodies from the previous offerings while cranking it up a few notches. I thought I was ready to take a ride on the Xanax highway (figuratively, of course) when he hit the stage but what came next was a multicolored explosion of speed fueled looping grooves and synthesizer boards pyrotechnics dialing up his songs to 11. The crowd was enthusiastic and Jamison, the single name mastermind behind Teen Daze, brought an energy to the stage that his predecessors couldn't match. If you are dying for more, don't worry, Teen Daze just won't quit. His next EP will be out September 13 and is available for pre-order now (here).

After 3 hours of furious Sunday night musical entertainment, my experience left me pondering many things including: (1) what did I just hear? (2) where can I acquire more of these delectable sounds? (3) how much is it gonna cost me to fix my phone [Note: $90] and (4) why do they serve such warm whiskey shots at Glasslands? While I continue to wrap my mind around these topics, I can tell you one thing. Teen Daze is creating a soundtrack to your summer daydreams and never-ending night adventures.

Teen Daze - Four More Years

From our newest writer, Joe Housel. Joe wrote up his first post yesterday with his review of the U2 Show at the Meadowlands. We are pleased to welcome Joe on board as a staff writer and look forward to hearing from him on a more regular basis. I got an email from him last night with his first 5 tracks that he wanted to review and this, while not the newest track, stuck with me. It's about a year old, but it's fantastic. I'm excited to see what else Joe is into and we should all look forward to hearing from him. This one reminds him of summer. I concur.

 Teen Daze - Four More Years by peakfuelforecast

Teen Daze - The Bluest Water I'd Ever Seen

The song sounds just as you think it would. Dreamy and... floaty?? It's kind of been a running theme over here at TMD for the past few weeks. Not sure why. I don't even know how to describe it. But it suits my mood. Maybe it'll suit yours?

 Teen Daze - The Bluest Water I'd Ever Seen by NONAME-

Check out the his EP here:

Teen Daze - Wet Hair (Japandroids Cover)

Hey. What's up? What do you think of this song? Kind of weird right? But you can't stop listening to it. Right? This is dialogue between my ears and my brain. It's an interesting one. This track is interesting as well. Extremely repetitive yet effective. Extremely repetitive yet effective. Extremely repetitive yet effective. Get it? I'm done.

Teen Daze - Wet Hair (Japandroids Cover)

Local Natives - Wide Eyes (Teen Daze Remix)

A friend of mine introduced me to these guys last winter. And I feel like I've watched them absolutely explode onto the scene. I saw them at the Delancey back at the CMJ Festival and they had audio problems in what is already a terrible venue for shows. It was pretty tough for them to power through the adversity, but I got the essence of them. Then I saw them at Bowery Ballroom and was blown away by how good they were. Then, they started popping up on all the blogs when they signed to a major label. Now they are blowing up and its nice to see.

Anyways, they are an absolutely solid band. And this little remix captures them in their glory and adds some synths. So you know I'm going to love it. Just a marvelously stunning song that captures my state of mind these days. I can't really say enough good things about this track. It's just delicious in all the ways music is supposed to be. I feel like I'm floating. Anyways, check it out. And check out their whole album when you have a chance. Good rock and roll.

Local Natives - Wide Eyes (Teen Daze Remix)