Hippo Campus

Precocious local band Hippo Campus released Bashful Creatures today. The band have made a splash in the local scene even before their first release—placing second in this year's City Pages Picked to Click poll. The ingredients that make up Hippo Campus's brand of indie-pop are uplifting guitar work and danceable drumbeats. The band's catchy sound doesn't seem to wash out the lyrics depicting the complexities of social interaction, resulting in a compelling finished product. The Bashful Creatures release show is at the 7th Street Entry on Nov. 29. Read more about the EP, and stream the music here.

Danger Ron & The Spins

Danger Ron & The Spins had their release show this past Saturday for their newest effort, Carpet—but it wasn't held at any venue you're likely familiar with. The band chose to display their surf-rock in their own warehouse space. Danger Ron & The Spins are full of party tunes, but don't be fooled by the songs' festive spirit; the band's lyricists are skilled storytellers, and may draw you in. The band are in the midst of a residency, playing every Thursday at the Nomad World Pub.

Brian Laidlaw

The Family Trade frontman, Brian Laidlaw, is releasing his book/album Amoratorium at the Walker on Thursday. The unconventional release includes a book of poems written by Laidlaw in the liner notes. Laidlaw will be celebrating the release at the Walker by both singing songs and reading some of his work alongside poet, Gillian Conoley. Read more about this unusual release on the Local Current blog.

Barbara Jean

Singer-songwriter Barbara Jean is following up her The Great Escape debut with, Darker Than Blue. The multi-instrumentalist will celebrate her newest release at Icehouse on Saturday. The single "Wishing Well" is an Americana song about the emotional struggles of moving on. Jean's soft and sweet vocals tell the story over the laid-back instrumentation. Barbara Jean was just at MPR to record a session for Radio Heartland, which you can hear here.

Aaron Bolton is a senior at the University of Minnesota. Currently he is a co-host on Radio K's Off The Record and is the music reporter at Radio K. He hopes to continue a career in music journalism.