Over the past few years, groovy indie-pop acts have hit the forefront when it comes to music fiends looking for the next big thing. Acts like Fun, Foster The People, Passion Pit, MGMT, Two Door Cinema Club and Electric Guest have been growing more and more popular with their infectious rhythms and beats that meld the rave/club feel that a DJ with two turntables can bring but with a different take on it, using actual instruments to give it an incredible organic aura. A scene that definitely reminds me of the music I heard from the late 80s era known as "The Second Summer of Love" in the United Kingdom, where bands like The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays took the world by storm by making their concerts into full fledged dance parties. Another band that can definitely fit into this illustrious group is Cincinnati's Walk The Moon and their brand new self-titled album.

Consisting of Nicholas Patricca on lead vocals, keys and synths, Kevin Ray on bass, Sean Waugaman on drums and Eli Maiman on guitar Walk The Moon isn't just your average indie band. Their pop-dance sound is accented by the screeching, rugged riffs from Maiman's guitar, giving the band an edgy character that even the biggest non-conformist, anti-pop aficionado you know can appreciate, especially if they like to dance, do the boogie, shake their hips, shuffle their feet, cut a rug, jump to the ceiling and wave their hands in the air like they just don't care. The band's new album has a few remixed versions of tracks their 2010 debut, I Want! I Want!, but it shows that they are putting forth their best effort to expose their music to a wider audience. After one note, rhythm and verse, it's hard to believe that nobody will be immediately hooked when their eardrums are absorbing the pure excellence that is Walk The Moon.

It's that time again where I pick a few tracks that I really, really like. As in the past with previous albums, this is so damn good it was very hard to narrow down a select few but here I go: "Lisa Baby" is my favorite track off of the album, a song about a girl who can change her personality as often she changes her clothes that features a blistering solo from Maiman that is guaranteed to put your mind into a state of utter amazement. "Anna Sun" is the band's big hit that has other publications proclaiming it to be "The Song of The Summer", an absolutely pulsating boogie anthem with Waugaman's pounding drum skills serving as the backbone. 

"Jenny" starts off with Ray's bass setting the tone and then Patricca's silky smooth singing about not giving a girl love until you get it in return and Maiman's sensational guitar variations take over to make a song that just makes you want to whip out the glow sticks and start a one-person dance party in the comfort of your own home. "Quesadilla" is a song title that makes me hungry, but once you hear Patricca's head-bopping synths and keys you'll want to shuffle your feet. "Tightrope" will make you do the hustle, the jitterbug and if you're the adventurous type, the funky chicken. Maiman's incredible guitar styles carry the track while Waugaman seems like he'll never let down from showcasing his thunderous drumming with no sign of stopping. After reading this award-winning review of excellence you should completely ignore my opinion, grab the record and check it out for yourself.

Walk The Moon has been in the middle of constant touring since playing the Klipsch Music Center in Indianapolis on May 26th. They played two sets at The Sasquatch Music Festival in George, WA on May 28th and they are planning on playing at Summerfest in Milwaukee on June 27th, Festsall Kruzberg in Berlin on July 7th, Forecastle Festival in Louisville on July 15th and then doing some more touring until late October. Unfortunately for us live music geeks in New England, Walk The Moon already played The Paradise Rock Club in Boston on June 18th but here's some good news: they'll be opening for Neon Trees at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in Providence on August 17th. Until then, get yourself a copy of the new self-titled album from Walk The Moon. It'll make you scream, shout and shake your body down to the ground.

Providence, Rhode Island is a musical cornucopia, filled with varieties of talented musicians possessing tastes that range from nearly every genre you can put your finger on. This place that its inhabitants like to refer to as "The Renaissance City" has been going through a revolutionary explosion of local music, and a great example of the amazing sounds that have been coming out of here is The Denver Boot and their new album, "6 to 9, 7...12". The brand new record does justice to the burgeoning folk scene in Providence, with a great blend of smooth, jumpy rhythms and infectious melodies that proves to put you into a state of tapping your feet and bobbing your head topped off with a smile on your face.

The Denver Boot is the songwriting nucleus of one William J. Moretti, who plays guitar, banjo & harmonica along with his singing unique barotone voice. On the album Moretti was assisted by a revolving cast of musicians, including Amato Zinno and John Vivieros on upright bass, Sean E. Brown on drums, percussion, melodica, backing vocals & glockenspiel, Kim Petrarca and Valerie Poirier on backing vocals, John Frost on banjo, and Mike Samos on lap steel & dobro guitar. 

The album was recorded at Treading Thomas Records in Providence nearly an exact year ago with Moretti producing and mixing the album with Greg Holmes, who also engineered the completion of the album along with Barry Martin taking over the mastering duties. "6 to 9, 7...12" is one of the many albums that have recently been released with the help of a kickstarter page, which is a great thing to see when fans can play a huge part in the advancement of a talented musician's career.

Since this is an album review, something tells me I'll have to pick a few songs I like and tell you why. Well, here goes nothin'. "I Disagree" is Moretti's examination of being young and going through major changes while seeing your friends do the same with the rhythms coming out of the track being simply contagious. "Spare Change" is about sitting down and watching life roll on by, featuring excellent skills by Samos on the steel guitar oozing into the track with subtle chords that serve as the cherry on top of a great opus. 

"Send The Line" is definitely a song you can get up and dance to, with Brown's exquisite drumming pounding into your eardrums while Moretti and the rest of the band join in to make a rhythmic opus. "Where It Begins and Ends" goes on about the art of conversation along with threading through the common theme of beautiful music in "6 to 9, 7...12" that's guaranteed to make you do the boogie all night long. Even though I selected to write about just a few songs off of the album, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't grab a copy of this excellent piece of music and listen to every track so you can hear it for yourself.

The Denver Boot will be having a huge release show at Fete on 103 Dike St. in the illustrious & historical Olneyville section of Providence on June 23rd (which is actually Moretti's birthday) with Wash Hollow, Vudu Sister and The Honey Brown serving as the opening acts for what should be a simply amazing night. Moretti and his band of talented musicians will also be playing Liberty Fest in the Smith Hill section of Providence on The 4th of July, Club Passim in Cambridge, MA on July 10th and 990WBOB's Mondays on Blast at The Apartment on 373 Richmond Street in Providence on July 30th if by some chance you can't make the album release show for "6 to 9, 7...12". If you do plan on seeing The Denver Boot on the 23rd or any other time in the near future, don't forget to hit up their merch table and grab a copy of the new record, it'll be a purchase that you don't want to pass up.

You think rock & roll is dead? Think again. After 5 years of touring, doing compilations and collaborations and whatever else, The Hives are back with a brand new record and it's guaranteed to send chills down your spine like a screeching buzzsaw and blow your mind like a firework on the 4th of July. Lex Hives shows The Hives doing what they do best: feverish beats, chords and rhythms mixed with hints of old-school R&B, doo-wop and soul courtesy of the closest thing the generation of the millennium has to a lead singer like Iggy Pop, Howlin' Pelle Almquist. 

The always well-dressed to impress quintet consisting of Almquist on vocals, Nicholaus Arson on guitar, Vigilante Carlstroem on another guitar, Dr. Matt Destruction on bass and Chris Dangerous hail from the small Swedish town of Fagersta. They rose to fame in the middle of a swarm of garage, rock, post-punk and new wave bands coming from all corners of the world in the early part of the past decade which has now been known as "The New Rock Revolution". If you're a fan of The Strokes, The Yea Yea Yeas and The White Stripes, then you know what I'm talking about. Under the guidance of their secretive manager Randy Fitzsimmons, who has been credited with writing all of their music, The Hives have put out five albums, performed all over the planet and rocked crowds into a frenzy everywhere they go. 

Their new album is the first one the band has self-funded, self-produced and independently released due to not extending their contract with Interscope Records and starting their own Disques Hives label. There were 8 studios used to make the album ranging from the band's manor in Fagersta, Riksmixningsverket Studios in Stockholm, Hansa Studios in Berlin, Pink Duck Studios in Burbank, California and a bunch of others in between. It could be one of the most complex and expensive DIY (Do-It-Yourself) efforts in the history of music and it definitely pays off once you press play and listen.

In this dozen of face-melting tracks that Lex Hives possesses, its pretty hard to mention just a select few but I'm going to give it a shot. The album starts off with "Come On!", a one minute fury-fueled opus that sets the tone for the experience of engaging your ears into the fast-paced rhythmic barrage that you are bound to encounter. "Go Right Ahead" is the single off of Lex Hives, giving a very laissez-faire vibe about self-liberation and flat out doing what you want without having a care in the world about what other people think of it. "1000 Answers" is about responsibilities and answering the important questions where you hope that one of the many answers you have jumbling in your head is the right one. "I Want More" is loud as f**k with Arson's and Carlstroem's guitars dueling simultaneously along with Almquist singing about how he's never satisfied with what he has and that he always wants more in life, no matter what the risk.

"Patrolling Days" is a genuine punk track about authority's itchy trigger fingers and how they should stop despite  thinking they're doing humanity a favor. "Take Back The Toys" definitely reminds me of every breakup I've had when I want the other person to take back what they've given me before I destroy it, not your typical sappy heartbreak song with Almquist's screeching vocals. "Without The Money" is a nod to the styles of Frank Sinatra and Frankie Valli that's all about how if you don't have any dough you won't have anywhere to go. "If I Had A Cent" is fast and emphatic, calling out the predictability of others when they do the same thing over and over again until the point when it gets maddeningly annoying. Ok there you go, I named a few but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't buy the record and see for yourself.

The Hives are in the middle of a tour of Europe and The United States where they'll be playing at Carroponte in Milan, Italy on June 13th and then they'll be taking a little break until they play a bunch of festivals over the summer followed by a big tour of Europe in the fall after they play The Vic Theatre in Chicago on June 30th. For us fans in the New England area, The Hives will be setting the stage a blaze at The House of Blues in Boston on June 23rd so definitely grab your tickets because they're going fast. Until then, get yourself a copy of Lex Hives and enjoy a pulsating record that'll make you go absolutely crazy, but in a extremely good way.