Real Estate inspired us to mix Budweiser with Sprite and embrace Hawaiian print last summer. But more recently, frontman Matthew Mondanile quietly slipped in through the vulnerable cracks of our childlike subconscious, instantly winning us over with the lo-fi comfort rock of Ducktails, whose new album, Ducktails III: Arcade Dynamics, dropped on Woodsist this week.
In fact, plenty of indie rock royalty have lower-profile side projects hiding up their sleeves that are every bit as brilliant as their better-known, blogosphere-friendly bands. After the jump, we introduce you ten more such acts that should be on your radar.
Dustin Wong (of Ponytail and Ecstatic Sunshine)
We continue to mourn the loss of Ponytail, arguably the most batshit-enthusiastic indie rock band to ever grace a stage, but guitarist Dustin Wong is clearly still drinking their psychedelic Kool-Aid. Molly Siegel may have provided the band’s gleeful yelps and vocal acrobatics, but it was the momentum of Wong’s shimmering guitar soundscapes that catapulted Ponytail skyward. Left unchecked, Dustin Wong approaches the most luminous of neo-classical guitar stylings with his two-track full-length, Infinite Love, out now on Thrill Jockey. More, please. Check out an excerpt of the album below:
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