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.

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.

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".

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

An Horse

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

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.

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.

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