Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Best Songs of 2011

This year, 2011, has been an outstanding year for music. There have been more great albums this year than any other year that I can remember. Later this week, I should have my top albums up but for now here are the top songs of this year. These are in random order.

Seryn - We Will All Be Changed



Tyler The Creator - She



Frank Ocean - Novacane



Bon Iver - Towers



James Blake - I Never Learnt To Share



Starfucker - Bury Us Alive



Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr - Simple Girl



Grouplove - Tongue Tied



Lupe Fiasco - Words I Never Said



Childish Gambino - Not Going Back



M83 - Midnight City



Wye Oak - Civilian



Boy & Bear - Feeding Line



Eskimo Joe - Echo



Neon Indian - Polish Girl



Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math (arguably the best video of the year)



Cults - Abducted



TV On The Radio - Second Song



Mates of State - Palomino



The Rapture - Sail Away



WU LYF - Dirt



The Weeknd - High For This



Florence + The Machine - What The Water Gave Me



Class Actress - Keep You



SUNBEARS! - Give Love A Try



Feist - How Come You Never Go There



Foster the People - Broken Jaw



St. Vincent - Cheerleader



Givers - Up Up Up



Fun. - We Are Young



The Canon Logic - Howl in the Night



Hhymn - These Hands



Friendly Fires - Blue Cassette



Tapes 'n Tapes - Freak Out



Iron & Wine - Tree By The River

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Grouplove

Grouplove released their debut album, Never Trust A Happy Song, a couple of months ago and it is a fantastic album. It's so good that it's hard to understand how this is a debut album and not their third or so installment. The song below, "Tongue Tied", is one of the few songs where I hear the bass line and get stuck on remembering that. So check it out below and make sure to pick up Never Trust A Happy Song wherever you can. Also head over to their site http://www.grouplovemusic.com/ to keep up with recent news.


Sunday, November 6, 2011

Since I haven't been able to post as much as I'd like to lately, I'm just going to put three videos in this post because I'm not sure if I'll have enough time this week.


We Are Augustines
 If you head over to their site, http://weareaugustines.com/, you can grab a free download. 
 




We Cut Corners
Over on  http://www.wecutcorners.net/, you can check out another track from their upcoming debut album, Today I Realised I Could Go Home Backwards, which comes out November 11th.





We Were Promised Jetpacks
On http://wewerepromisedjetpacks.com/, you can find more music and videos from their latest album, In The Pit Of The Stomach, and past albums.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Lanterns On The Lake

Lanterns On The Lake are kind of an ambient post-pop band. Even though it has an ambient vibe, they still manage to create an intense and epic sound. They recently released their debut album, Gracious Tide, Take Me Home, which features the track from below "Lungs Quicken". This song really shows off what I was saying about their ambient yet epic sound.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Icebird

Icebird is a duo made up of hip-hop producer rjd2 and Philly soul vocalist Aaron Livingston, who has previously collaborated with the Roots. The result is this soulful, hip-hop rock. I know that combination can sound confusing on paper but once you hear the track below, "Charmed Life", you'll understand what I'm saying. They released their first album, The Abandoned Lullaby, a couple weeks ago.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Fun.

Going into the post, I thought it would be quite difficult to find info and an embeddable video for a band named "Fun.", but I was quite surprised when they came right up in a Google search. So, luckily, I am now able to share them. Fun would be best classified as indie pop and they were formed by Nate Ruess, formerly of The Format. Below is their new song "We Are Young". So check that out and then head over to their site, http://www.ournameisfun.com/, to find out more from them.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Blind Pilot

About a month ago Blind Pilot released their second studio album, We Are The Tide. It has been three years since their debut album, so getting fresh material from such a great band is a sight for sore eyes, well I guess it'd be a sound for sore ears? Maybe. I don't know. Anyways, to hear more from them check out my previous post on them here, and make sure to go and pick up We Are The Tide.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Class Actress

Today's entry is of the synth-pop vibe. Class Actress' debut album comes out next Tuesday. Some of it has hit YouTube and the track I keep listening to over and over is "Keep You". It is the opening track of the album, and hopefully it's an indication of what we can look forward to on the rest of it. It starts the album off with this loud and insanely catchy synth beat. Make sure to keep your eyes out for this release next week.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

The Rifles

First of all, I'd like to apologize for the lack of posting over the past week or so. I have started a new job and just haven't had the time lately to get posts out but I will try and get back into posting on a regular basis. So with that out of the way, today's entry are The Rifles.

The Rifles recently released their third album, Freedom Run. They are best described as indie pop rock and have a little bit of folk in them at times. Below is the first single from Freedom Run, "Tangled Up In Love".

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Hip Hop Wednesday: Common

I know I haven't done one of these in awhile but that's because I haven't really found any good hip hop in the last few months. Today's entry is Common's newest single "Blue Sky" off of his upcoming album The Dreamer, the Believer, which is due out November 22nd.

Nothing can really be said about Common that isn't already known. He is easily one of hip hop's top MCs and is a personal favorite of mine because of the material he chooses to rap about. It's nice to have a new album from him after taking a few years off since Universal Mind Control. So without wasting any more time just go ahead and listen below and pick up his 9th studio album next month.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Imagine Dragons

Today's post is gonna be kind of quick and short just because I have a lot going on (it's Friday afternoon but this may not post til Saturday). That shouldn't, however, make the music posted today any less significant. In fact, today's entry is one of my favorite over the past couple weeks.

Imagine Dragons are a Las Vegas based indie rock band. They released an EP entitled It's Time earlier this year. The first track, and title track, instantly grabs you. "It's Time" and "Tokyo" are two of my favorite tracks off of this 8-track EP, which is quite long for an EP. So check out both of those below and make sure to head over to their site, here, and grab It's Time.



Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Los Campesinos!

Los Campesinos translates to The Peasants or The Farmers in English. They are an indie pop band from Wales. They recently released a new song entitled "By Your Hands" which is off of their fourth album coming out in November, Hello Sadness. If you are unfamiliar with this band I'd say to get their previous albums and familiarize yourself with them because they have put out some great music over the years.

A great part of "By Your Hands" is the story the music video tells. It really reminds me of the movie Synechdoche, New York, which if you haven't seen is quite amazing albeit quite depressing and kind of pretentious. Both this music video and that film have lots of similar scenes and have the same vibe.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Bombay Bicycle Club

Bombay Bicycle Club are an English indie rock and folk band from London. They recently released their third studio album "A Different Kind of Fix" in as many years. It's pretty crazy that they have released three albums essentially back-to-back-to-back. Some people criticize bands for releasing and making too much material, which is understandable I suppose but as a band if you have songs that you want to release why is such a bad thing to give more to their fans? I applaud them for doing so instead of waiting two or three years to release a new record.

While the first single from the album, "Shuffle", is a great track, I find myself coming back to "Lights Out, Words Gone". It is this subdued kind of rock with a nice little guitar riff which maintains that mood. So check that out below.



Monday, September 26, 2011

You Can't Win, Charlie Brown

Yes, that is the name of the band. I remember telling my friend about them a couple of weeks ago and he thought that I was making some kind of reference to Peanuts and not being serious about an artist to keep his eye on. They are a Portugese band who have some folk and electronic sounds on their debut album Chromatic, which came out a few months ago.

Their first single off of this album is "Over The Sun, Under The Water", which is featured below. It really encompasses their entire sound in one track, so it's a great example to hear what they are like. To keep up with the band make sure to check or follow their tumblr at http://youcantwincharliebrown.tumblr.com/.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Of Monsters And Men

Of Monsters And Men are a folk band from Iceland. Their song "Little Talks" is what has had me waiting for their debut album. Unfortunately, the album is only available in Iceland as of now and I still can't find a release date on it for anyone outside of there. However, we do have this song to hold us over until then.

It has this great accordion hook that brings a different sound to the song. That is paired with acoustic guitars and a great balancing act of male and female vocals. And when they let their voices get louder is when the track really reaches its greatness. Below is the live version of "Little Talks" because it sounds just as good if not better than the album version, which is always impressive to me.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Neon Indian

Neon Indian made a huge splash in the indie scene a few years ago and since their debut album Psychic Chasms, fans have long awaited a new album. Finally, a week ago their new album, Era Extrana, was released. The first song to catch my attention was "Polish Girl" due to the use of what sounds like when Mario would collect a coin. It just has this hint of NES that makes the track memorable for me. Not to mention that it is actually just a great track all around. It has that same kind of catchy electronic beat that M83's "Midnight City" has. So if you liked that, you should dig this as well.

They were recently on Jimmy Fallon to perform "Polish Girl" live, so that version and the studio version are below. It's quite remarkable how great it sounds live given the songs remarkable technical intricacies.



Tuesday, September 20, 2011

M83

I've been trying to hold off as long as possible on posting this track. I wanted to post it closer to the new album's release date, but since the video is around 300,000 views I figured it needs to be posted already. So below is the first single, "Midnight City", off of M83's new album Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. It is insanely good and equally as catchy with its notes. This single will undoubtedly make top songs of 2011.

Hurry Up, We're Dreaming is due out October 18th and is a 2-disc release. After hearing this first single, I can't wait for 20-plus tracks of this. It's going to be quite the release. In case you haven't heard of M83 before, they were featured on here before at this link here.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Milo Green

Today's entry is an indie folk rock group that are starting to make a lot of noise. Milo Green released an album or EP earlier this year, The Hello Sessions. With the release of "1957", the need for more musice from them was quite high. You can listen to all four tracks over on their bandcamp site, http://milogreene.bandcamp.com/.

Just to give you an idea on their sound, it's in the same mold as Kopecky Family Band and Seryn. I assure you that "1957" will live up to this billing and it will become a staple in your music rotation. So listen below and then head over to their bandcamp site to hear more from them.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Mates of State

The past couple days I've been catching up on some albums. While doing so, there was one track that completely floored me. It stopped my entire process and forced me to put it on repeat. That track is Mates of State's "Palomino". Something about the song sounds so familiar but I just can't place it. It has the feel of a great song in a commercial but I can't find anything for it.

Just in case you aren't familiar with Mates of State, this is their 7th album release and they are a husband and wife duo. You can find this track on their recently released album Mountaintops. In fact, I could probably picture this song being played as someone reaches the apex of a mountain or metaphorically as a high point in someone's life (hopefully that isn't too cliche). I have a strong inclination that hearing this one song will strongly urge you to buy Mountaintops, because I can't recommend it high enough (or maybe I should have inserted another "Mountaintop" pun there instead).



Thursday, September 15, 2011

The Canon Logic

Not much can be found on The Canon Logic. Their website, http://www.thecanonlogic.com/, is promoting their new EP Rapid Empire but there isn't much else on it. The only other info I could find was on their facebook page and it says that they are from Brooklyn. We all know how much great music comes out of there so this is just another band to add to that list.

The one other thing that is on their website is a free download of the track "Howl In The Night". This track is what inspired me to google them and find out more about them. It is a truly great track. Once the song gets going around the 1:30 mark it has a guitar riff similar to that of an Explosions in the Sky melody , which is accompanied by a great alternating snare and tom drum beat. Then to top all of that off, there is some incredibly catchy chanting throughout the track. You can also purchase Rapid Empire on their site for $5, so I'd suggest listening below and then head over to their site.





Wednesday, September 14, 2011

St. Vincent

St. Vincent is the project of the very talented Annie Clark. She was part of the touring band for Sufjan Stevens before creating her own band. Her latest album, Strange Mercy, was released yesterday. This would mark the third entry into her discography. The album has pretty cool experimental stuff on it, but that is probably to be expected since she toured with Sufjan.

Even though I've only had one listen, I made it a point to put "Cheerleader" on my main playlist. It starts off slow, quiet, and intimate and then just has this really heavy chorus. But not in the sense that it's metal or anything, just really powerful. After listening to it below, make sure to search for the live version on YouTube just to see how she performs in a very elegant dress. I'd link it but it's kind of poor audio quality. Also make sure to check out the rest of the album.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Today's entry is a preview of an album that comes out next Tuesday, September 20th. Which is when Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will release Hysterical, their first album in four years. You can also go over to NPR and stream it in its entirety, here's the link.

CYHSY are best described as indie rock. Nothing too electronic or psychedelic, just good rock. They are out of Brooklyn, NY so you can imagine where their sound came from and where it truly fits in. Below is a live performance of "Same Mistake", which is off of the new album. It's not the greatest of quality, so make sure to go to that NPR link to listen to the rest of it.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Active Child

This year has been insane for music. Now two thirds of the way through the year and I have downloaded more albums than any other entire year before. Maybe it's just that I'm expanding my horizons more so than ever before or maybe music is just so much more accessible nowadays. I almost feel like there isn't enough time in the day to get as many albums in as I'd like to.

On the contrary, I have made time to listen to Active Child's new release You Are All I See multiple times. This album seems to be in the vein of The Weeknd, Bon Iver, M83 and James Blake, which seems like a praise too high to live up to, but it most certainly does. The third track on the album, "Hanging On", is the track that made me fall in love with the album initially. But as you go through the rest of it, you will find multiple tracks on the same level of greatness. If you head over to http://activechildmusic.com/ you can get a free download of "Hanging On", it is also below.


Monday, September 5, 2011

The Rapture

On Tuesday, The Rapture's absence from the music scene will be no longer. After 5 years of waiting for a new album, they are finally providing their fans with just that. In The Grace of Your Love is the product of the last 2 years since their bassist left the band.

Some of the album is on YouTube and the opening track "Sail Away" is what has had me waiting for this release. The vocals really kick off the song and the album. It has a great dance rock vibe to it. The track has gotten my hopes up for this album because if the rest of the album can be on the same level, then it will definitely be on many "Best Albums of 2011" lists. So check out the opening track below and don't forget to look for the album in stores on Tuesday, September 6th.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Youth Lagoon

Youth Lagoon is the working of 22-year old Boise, Idaho resident Trevor Powers. He released an EP of sorts a few months ago with two tracks, July and Cannon. The release of these have given much hype to his debut album "The Year of Hibernation". Youth Lagoon is probably best described as experimental dream-pop.

If you head over to the bandcamp website, http://youthlagoon.bandcamp.com/, you can download both July & Cannons for free. Both are also embedded below. Make sure to be on the lookout for the release of "The Year of Hibernation" on September 27.







Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The Albertans

The Albertans formed in Vancouver, Canada. Earlier this year they released their latest album New Age. When "The Wake" came on and that guitar riff hit, it really stuck with me throughout the rest of the album. It is insanely catchy and very memorable.

The whole album comes to a stop on "May". It's just this beautiful vocal accompanied by a single guitar and makes for a very raw feel. Even though it's very minimalist in it's pieces, it brings on an epic feeling that stretches beyond its instrumental limits. "The Wake" is below, but unfortunately I cannot find "May" anywhere so you'll just have to get the album in order to hear that wonderful track.



Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Juliana Richer Daily

This post is going to be a little different than all the other ones. Juliana is one of those YouTube sensations, but probably not as well known as she deserves to be. She does incredible covers of just about anything including Bon Iver, Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes, Arcade Fire and a slew of others.

Here is her channel link, http://www.youtube.com/user/julianaeveryday#g/u, just so you can see all the great stuff she has on there. She even posted a link to download her covers so you don't always have to go to YouTube to hear them. She also has original work that you can find by going to her page. So below are just a few random samplings, just make sure to go to her page to hear the rest.





Monday, August 29, 2011

Gold Leaves

Gold Leaves is a new project of Grant Olsen, half of Seattle folk duo Arthur & Yu. Their album The Ornament came out about two weeks ago. They remind me of a dream-pop version of Fleet Foxes or Band of Horses.

I know it sounds like a weird comparison but I think after you hear it, you'll understand what I'm saying. Below are studio and live versions of "The Ornament".





Saturday, August 27, 2011

Eskimo Joe

This is my first Saturday post and I figured it was appropriate since I've been slacking the last week or so due to me being out of town, but I am also bringing one of the best new albums in today's post so hopefully that will make up for the lack of posting recently.

I found myself laughing when I knew I had to post Eskimo Joe because they are ANOTHER Australian act. I'm starting to lose count on all the amazing Australian bands in today's indie scene. I'm quite confident that a music festival of only Australian indie acts would be able to fill a weekend without boredom.

Their new album Ghosts of the Past, came out a couple of weeks ago and it's been hard for me to stop playing it. With it having so many great tracks, I am also having trouble picking out my favorite song. But I'd like to think that's a good problem to have. It may be hard to find here in the States, so head over to their site, http://eskimojoe.bigcartel.com/, and you can easily get it from there. So below are a couple of tracks from the album to give you a taste of the greatness.



Thursday, August 25, 2011

Celebration

The appropriately named Celebration have done something revolutionary in the music industry. They have decided to get rid of their label and just release their music for free. On their site, http://www.celebrationelectrictarot.com/#, they say they believe that CDs are dead and the rise of MP3s have taken over. This is something I think most can agree with. If you head over to their bandcamp site, http://friendsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/celebration-hello-paradise, you can download their latest album Hello Paradise for free.

I said that they are appropriately named because Hello Paradise seems to be the definition of a celebration. It is a lot of fun, has a great sound, and even has some slower more powerful moments (such as a speech about the one or thing you would be celebrating at such an event). They said the idea of the album is to do a track based off of a tarot card, which I'm not very well versed in but the idea is cool. From start to finish the album is a journey in the truest since of the word. May as well go over to their site and download since it won't cost you anything.





Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Atlas Genius

And here we go again with another blossoming Australian band. On their page they are compared to a mixture of Pheonix and The Kooks, which I think is a great comparison. I'd maybe also throw in a little bit of Vampire Weekend. They are just really good indie pop-rock.

If you head over to their site, http://www.atlasgenius.com/music, you can download their first single "Trojans" for free. It is also embedded below just so you can hear it before downloading, but it's definitely worth grabbing.


Thursday, August 18, 2011

Sole And The Skyrider

This is probably the most interesting and different kind of hip hop I've heard in quite some time. It's mainly because of the beats. They aren't traditional hip hop beats, rather they have a more dubstep/house feel to them. It makes for a very interesting listen.

This is just one of many projects by Sole, aka Tim Holland. Sole has a very unique voice and style, which is always a good thing because it makes him recognizable. Below are a few tracks off of their latest album Hello Cruel World, just so you can get a feel for the sound of the album and see how it's different than most hip hop out today. The album also has some great guest appearances, including Sage Francis and Lil B.








Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Taken By Cars

Taken By Cars have described themselves as a Filipino indie rock band. They released their sophomore album, Dualist, a few months ago. After just listening to this album today, my initial thoughts are me wondering why I didn't listen to it sooner. It just excels from start to finish. There are no low points in the entire listening.

They seem to remind me of a more rock version of Eisly or even a second coming of The Cranberries. Obviously this is pretty high praise but it's well deserved as this album will prove. Below are a few tracks that really caught my ear. They all have their own unique sound while maintaining a similar vibe that allows for cohesion on the album.





Monday, August 15, 2011

The War on Drugs

The War on Drugs are set to release their sophomore album, Slave Ambient, tomorrow. If you head over to this link on Urban Outfitters' website, you can stream the entire album right now. They are best described as psychedelic rock. As you'll see by the video below, psychedelic is quite fitting.

They also recently teamed up with Urban Outfitters to produce a music video for "Come To The City". Urban Outfitters actually has a pretty cool music section on their website with lots of free downloads from new indie artists. So here's the link for that, http://lstn.urbanoutfitters.com/.

The War on Drugs - "Come to the City" (Official Music Video) from Urban Outfitters on Vimeo.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Wolf Gang

No, this is not about Odd Future. It's understandable that it would easily be confused with OFWGKTA since the W and G stand for Wolf Gang. This is on the pretty opposite side of the music spectrum. Wolf Gang is more indie pop rock. Their debut album, Suego Fault, just recently came out. Just so you don't get confused with Odd Future, here's the link to their website http://wolf-gang.co.uk/.

Below are the studio and acoustic versions of "Stay and Deliver" off . I am more partial to the studio version because the use of all the instruments give it little more epic feel, although the acoustic one seems more intimate. Check out both below and decide for yourself.



Wednesday, August 10, 2011

One In A Googolplex

A band name is always one of the most intriguing parts of a group. There's usually some interesting back story on how they came to that conclusion. There is on saying that has become outdated and that is the always romantic "you're one in a million" line. The problem with that saying is that there are now almost 7 billion people. Meaning that if you are "one in a million", then there are 7,000 of you. So by saying you are "one in a googolplex", you have basically assured that person that there is not another one of you nor will there ever be one. And in case you don't know a googolplex is a 1 followed by 100 zero's. So it's quite the large number.

Anyways, back to the music. The track below, "Lilly", is a great dance track with heavy usage of synths. At times, it sounds like it has some old school video game tracks in it. When you hear it, you'll know what I'm referencing. Kind of like a higher pitched version of when Mario would go down the green tube. Needless to say, it gives the track a very nostalgic feeling.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The Middle East

The Middle East are an indie folk band out of Australia. And as I've said before, and will probably say again shortly, there have been so many great bands to come out of Australia the last couple years. Their music scene has really gone international and has become a staple in my daily music routine.

The Middle East can feel like Fleet Foxes from time to time based on their guitar picking, great vocals, and a very full epic sound. Their recently released album, I Want That You Are Always Happy, is a great effort all the way through and is making me rethink my "Top Albums of 2011" list. In fact, I'm probably going to have to do more than a "top 10" this year because 2011 has been an unreal for indie music and The Middle East have really put their stain on what will be a very memorable year. And since it's so hard to google "The Middle East" and hope that you find the band's page and not some geographical or political links, here is their site: http://www.themiddleeastmusic.com/

Unfortunately, they recently posted this on their facebook page:

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN :



writing to inform you that we're ceasing. i'm not sure if we'll make more music later on or not.

we don't feel like playing anymore for a whole lot of reasons that i won't list here and i'm afraid if we continued any longer it would just be a moneygrab. i'd rather go hungry. thank you to all those who came to shows.

we had fun.

t.s elliot wrote 'you are the music while the music lasts', but he also wrote that confusing little book about cats so don't put too much stock in his quotes.

i'm very tired. until next time.

sincerely yours,

the middle east.

Luckily, however, we will still have their music to play going forward.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Ace Reporter

Something very unique happened last year that not many people know about. An artist by the name of Ace Reporter recorded a new song every single day of the entire 2010. He called it the threesixfive project. So now he is putting them together in different EPs and are available on his bandcamp site, http://acereporter.bandcamp.com/.

One of the EPs is named Untouched and Arrived, which is also the song posted below. The version of "Untouched and Arrived" that is below is played on a Brooklyn roof top. It's put on by Love Drunk Studio and if you go over to their site, http://lovedrunkstudio.com/, you can find similar types of performances from other artists.

Friday, August 5, 2011

An Horse

Disclaimer: This is not to be listened to while in an airport or on an airplane.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Farewell Flight

These guys remind me of the pop-rock from earlier in the 2000s, but with a more mature sound. Music back then seemed to feel more teenaged, but that could also be because I was a teenager back then. They achieve a great sound due to sounding so intense yet also having more focus on keeping the vocals restrained and not letting them get over aggressive and have them come out raw and visceral.

Throughout their album, Out For Blood, it sounds like a combination of Two Door Cinema Club and The Classic Crime (one of those bands I used to listen to a few years back). Below is the song "Out For Blood" which does a great job of showcasing their different sounds all in one song. It has a nice indie-pop rock beginning and then the chorus has these great background harmonies that really shine through as much as the matching drum and guitar strokes. The chorus is also extremely catchy so don't be ashamed if it is caught in your head over the next few days.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

The Antler King

Some music just has an overall haunting tone. It may be because of a voice or the way the instruments are played and the notes are chosen. With The Antler King I feel like I'm re-listening to Elliott Smith but with female vocals. It's quite an interesting feeling.

It's not to say that the lyrics are too "emo" or suicidal, it's just that when listening to their self titled album, you get a haunting emotional sense of what is going on in the songs. Below is the song that really caught my attention, "Heroes". After listening to that head over to http://theantlerking.com/music/ and listen to more off of their album and you can even purchase it on there if your local indie record store doesn't carry it.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Kishi Bashi

Hearing the end product on an album or an EP is kind of a cop out for listeners because we never get to hear how the song came about throughout its layers. It's not until you see a solo artist play every instrument and then intricately loop them live on stage can you truly appreciate the work behind a song.

Take for instance, Kishi Bashi's "Bright Whites". Below is the studio version and then a live version where he plays each layer of the song and loops it and then brings it all together. It is quite amazing to see so much work put forth by one person to give the audience just a few minutes of satisfaction. The studio album is also amazing, but you definitely have a greater appreciation for it and Kishi's work once you see how it's performed live. After you watch both of those, head over to his bandcamp site (http://kishibashi.bandcamp.com/) and listen to his other songs off of his 2011 EP Room For Dream



Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The Adults

As with yesterday's post, this group also hails from New Zealand. It seems like a lot of groups are coming from the Australia/New Zealand region lately. From what I remember though, they hate being confused with one another so that may not be a fair regional lumping in their eyes.

The Adults has a lot of members from some of New Zealand's best musicians, being led by frontman Jon Toogood. Below is a live version of "One Million Ways" which is my favorite track off of their debut self titled album. The opening drum just really grabs your attention and then in come the synthesizers to give it a more epic feeling. It really is just a well mastered track.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Unknown Mortal Orchestra are a three piece group out of New Zealand. They have a great lo-fi sound to them. It gives you a feeling of some dreamy 60s music. Their self-titled debut album was released just last month and has gotten tons of buzz on indie music sites. For good reason, too.

It is a very strong first effort that makes you think that this is more like a second or third album as opposed to a debut. It opens up with a great track, "Ffunny Ffrends". No, there aren't any typos in that track title. That's below along with a live version so you can hear how the lo-fi sound translates when played live. So if you're a fan of the lo-fi sound, this band and album should be right up your alley.



Unknown Mortal Orchestra - 'Ffunny Ffrends' from Bowlegs on Vimeo.

Monday, July 25, 2011

The Eclectic Moniker

Never has a band name been so fitting. Clearly I'm referencing the diversity, or should I say the "eclectic" sound of The Eclectic Moniker. On their recently released EP, A Part of Something Bigger, they show great range of musical melodies to give a varying sound to each track. The band is quite sizable, having 8 members, but after hearing their music it makes sense in order to be able to produce the sound that they do.

Below is the very beach friendly opening track "Easter Island". As the song title states, this track has a very island feel to it. You can also head over to their bandcamp website, http://theeclecticmoniker.bandcamp.com/, and listen to the other songs from the EP.

Friday, July 22, 2011

The Cinema

Usually before a post I try to find out as much about an artist as possible. Sometimes it proves to be a little more difficult than expected and with a band name like The Cinema, you can only imagine all the sifting one has to do on Google. Luckily though, their video for "Kill It" had some info on it. On their you'll see a link to their soundcloud page, http://soundcloud.com/the-cinema. So make sure to head over there after you hear the track below.

This track and the other available songs are from their upcoming album My Blood Is Full Of Airplanes. Their sound is probably best described as indie pop rock. Sometimes the "pop" label has a negative connotation but not in this case. This single, "Kill It", is a great track and has put The Cinema on my radar and is making me really look forward to the release of their album.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Patrick Wolf

The opening of today's track "The City" by Patrick Wolf sounds like the intro to a tv show. I'm not sure why but that is what keeps sticking in my head. Once the song gets into its groove you start to hear so many different instruments. On top of the drums and keys, there is a great horn section that really shines through. This song also seems to have a heavy influence from some great 80s ballads as it really gives you a nostalgic feeling.

Patrick released his latest effort, Lupercalia, last month and "The City" is the opening track off of that. Knowing that, it makes more sense that the opening of the song sounds like an intro to something. An introduction to what is to be expected from the rest of the album.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Pegasus Bridge

So I've been whistling and humming a tune all day. I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. Couldn't remember any lyrics so that I could look it up. Finally about 15 minutes ago it struck me, it was "Yoko" by Pegasus Bridge. I have had it on a loop since then and am just remembering how great of a song this is. The opening synthesizer is what has been in my head all day, meanwhile I could only hum the rhythm of the lyrics because the words escaped me at the time. That was until I saw the song title in my iTunes and immediately recalled the "Yoko, said, 'Oh no.'" lyric.

So hopefully a couple of days after your listening of this, you will be humming it as well. Fortunately you'll remember what it is and won't have to go through the agony of not knowing throughout an entire day.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Seryn

Sometimes a song comes along that is just so good that you are dumbfounded that you haven't heard it before or you wish you had it heard awhile ago so that you could have been listening to it this whole time. Usually within the first 30 to 45 seconds of a song, you can tell whether or not you're going to like it. With Seryn's "We Will All Be Changed", you can tell within the first 20 seconds. It just starts off with a great folk melody and an accordion to bring in some harmonies and then the strong vocals of front-man Trenton kick in and that's when you know this song is special.

Upon first hearing this song I thought it was Fleet Foxes or The Head and The Heart because they fit that sound so well, and that is rather elite company when it comes to indie folk. Their debut album This Is Where We Are was released earlier this year and it's pretty impressive that this is their first album. They've accomplished such a mature sound in such an early stage of the band's life. This album is equally as great from start to finish.

Seryn also have a recent session on Daytrotter, so make sure to grab that in addition to This Is Where We Are for a live version of some of their tracks. Below are a studio and a live version of "We Will All Be Changed", just so you can hear that they don't lose anything in their live performances. In fact, they may even get stronger in their live sets.



Friday, July 15, 2011

Morning Teleportation

Most song titles are usually a lyric or overriding message from the lyrics abound within the song. This isn't the case with Morning Teleportation's "Banjo Disco". This song title more describes the actual sound of the song. Had they titled it something else, most people would describe the song as a banjo disco so it fits quite well. It's not very often you get both a banjo and a synthesizer in one song, but they somehow pull it off.

Morning Teleportation recently released their debut album, Expanding Anyway, on Glacier Place Recordings. They are probably best qualified as psychedelic rock but this album has so many different sounds on it that it doesn't give them the justice they deserve by narrowing it down to such a finite sound. So if this track strikes your fancy or intrigues you for more then definitely go and grab Expanding Anyway.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Other Lives

One album I forgot to mention the other day in the comments section was Other Lives' Tamer Animals. It really is a fantastic album from start to finish, it grabs you in their sound early on and never really lets you go until it's over. Even when it's over you're hoping that there is some hidden track two or three minutes later just to give you more. So obviously a few re-listens are due right after you finish the album.

Their similar artists map reads like a who's a who of the best indie artists in the scene today. While comparing artists and bands are always fun, Other Lives truly bring their own sound. Some tribal drumming and the use of the rim of the drums give your fingers something to tap with while really forcing you to get into the music. Then there are strings, horns, insanely perfect harmonies and the list of musical positives just goes on and on. So below are a couple tracks off of Tamer Animals just to give a small sample of its greatness.



Wednesday, July 13, 2011

The Ladybug Transistor

Keeping with the Summer music feeling, today brings us "Clutching Stems" by The Ladybug Transistor. Even the band name gives you an outdoors feeling so you can't really go wrong with that. This is the title track from their latest album Clutching Stems.



It is quite amazing that this group has been able to make consistently good music for the last 15 or so years.It seems like with all these ways of getting your music out now that there are more bands than ever and in order to stick around for such a long time, you know that they have to have some talent and a memorable sound. Such a feat should not go unnoticed nor unappreciated.

This also marks the first album since band mate San Fadyl passed away in 2007. With such a somber event, it's nice to see the band work through it and overcome it while releasing new material. Take the lyrics to the song below as you want but it's hard to overlook such a monumental moment not having some kind of influence in such a passion driven medium.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

I'm From Barcelona

I recently put together an Indie Summertime Playlist, checking in at 73 songs and about 4 1/2 hours. One song on that playlist that always sticks out to me and makes me want to play it over and over is I'm From Barcelona's "Always Spring".

Now I realize the song talks about Spring as opposed to Summer but it just has the vibe of a warm weather song so it seems to fit in the middle of the hot summer when you're out and driving around. It also feels like an Apple commercial type song, so needless to say it's a song that shouldn't be missed and make sure to play it over and over this summer.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Best Albums of 2011 So Far

Since we are just a tad way beyond the halfway point of 2011, I figured it would be a good idea just to give a list of the 10 best albums thus far. It was pretty hard to narrow it down to 10 because there have been so many albums released already this year. The ones below are worth owning multiple times over.

There are other note-worthy albums in the comments section below. Some of which may be added at the end of the year because some albums may be better on a second or third listening or maybe my tastes will have changed.


Regardless, here are what I consider the 10 best albums so far this year (in alphabetical order):


Airborne Toxic Event - All At Once


The Antlers - Burst Apart


Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver



The Decemberists - The King Is Dead


Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean



James Blake - James Blake



Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math



TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light
  

Tyler, The Creator - Goblin
  

WU LYF - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain