Music for Yesterday

Leaves of Green - Manhattan Ave. (download) Okay, I’m...

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:33:05 -0700

Leaves of Green - Manhattan Ave. (download)

Okay, I’m going to be completely honest with you: I decided earlier that I wanted to get back into this music blog thing. That was about two and a half hours ago. Since then, I’ve been neurotically obsessing over what song to post, as if it’s an enormously important, life-altering decision.

And it was totally worth it. During my episode, I stumbled across an old bookmark that led tangentially to Leaves of Green, a 20-year-old NYU student who makes beautifully haunting music with guitars, ukuleles, and a voice reminiscent of Peter Silberman, Justin Vernon, or maybe Elliott Smith. I’m going to stop making comparisons now and just tell you to go download his debut album, Imago, for free(!) on Bandcamp.

Foster the People - Houdini (download) The latest subject of my...

Sat, 09 Jul 2011 14:27:00 -0600

Foster the People - Houdini (download)

The latest subject of my summer pop binge. I’ll defer to In Your Speakers’ glowing review for this one:

Built of achingly catchy synth riffs, exuberant choruses, tasty little samples, bouncy guitar and bass lines, and hooks to make your heart bleed, Torches is one of the neatest electro-pop albums to surface since MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular, or, more recently, Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

From their debut album, Torches.

The Royalty - Alexander (download) For a month or two,...

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 22:35:00 -0600

The Royalty - Alexander (download)

For a month or two, I’ve been hungrily devouring every summery, breezy indie pop/rock album I can get my hands on. As much as I love brooding shoegaze stuff like Doves’ Lost Souls, it just doesn’t feel right with all the windows down in 90 degree weather. The Royalty’s debut(?) album fits almost too perfectly. What a fun group.

White Denim - At The Farm (download) Uhh, I think I’m...

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:48:46 -0600

White Denim - At The Farm (download)

Uhh, I think I’m hallucinating.

From their new album, D. As a bonus, here's track 2 from the same album—it leads nicely into At The Farm, and the two together should give you a pretty good taste of the craziness that is White Denim.

Deodato - Also Sprach Zarathustra (download) And now for...

Sun, 22 May 2011 13:55:00 -0600

Deodato - Also Sprach Zarathustra (download)

And now for something completely different: an instrumental funk hit from the 70’s. I dare you not to dance (or at least smile) while listening to to this song.

From his 1972 album Prelude, since remastered.

Other Lives - Dust Bowl III (download) Another beautiful,...

Tue, 10 May 2011 23:07:00 -0600

Other Lives - Dust Bowl III (download)

Another beautiful, cinematic song from the band that inspired this very blog. In the interest of full disclosure, I actually stumbled across an… uh… “advance” copy of this album a couple months ago, and I’ve listened to it more times than I can count. To assuage my guilty pirate conscience, I bought a legit copy today, and I’m seeing them live next week. So there.

From their second album, Tamer Animals, released today of course. Buy it meow and help me ease my guilt.

Snowmine - The Hill (download) I discovered Snowmine late last...

Sat, 07 May 2011 20:08:00 -0600

Snowmine - The Hill (download)

I discovered Snowmine late last night, and I’ve been listening to them almost non-stop since. Of course, I immediately wanted to post about them here. Thing is, this album explores so many different sounds and genres that there isn’t really one song that I can pick to “introduce” people to the band… So, for your listening pleasure, here’s one that I picked pretty much at random.

From their debut album Laminate Pet Animal (yay, palindromes!), available on Bandcamp for whatever you want to pay.

Magenta Skycode - Red Eyes (download) Apparently, Finland has a...

Wed, 04 May 2011 23:19:00 -0600

Magenta Skycode - Red Eyes (download)

Apparently, Finland has a freakishly diverse indie music scene. Magenta Skycode’s one excellent example.

From their debut album, IIIII.

Fleet Foxes - Sim Sala Bim (download) When I first listened to...

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 22:25:00 -0600

Fleet Foxes - Sim Sala Bim (download)

When I first listened to this song earlier today, I was struck by how familiar it felt—it would’ve seemed perfectly at home on their self-titled debut album. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Obscure Sound’s review sums it up more succinctly than I can:

Fleet Foxes have created a nearly flawless second album that sounds largely the same while still managing to be a completely new experience.

Helplessness Blues is out May 3, 2011 on Sub Pop.

O'Death - Bugs (download) One part Simon and Garfunkel, two...

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 22:08:00 -0600

O'Death - Bugs (download)

One part Simon and Garfunkel, two parts Spaghetti Western, and three parts I-discovered-this-band-five-minutes-ago-and-now-I’m-downloading-the-album.

From their third album, Outside, released today.

S. Carey - In The Dirt (download) In honor of my sister, who...

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:13:00 -0600

S. Carey - In The Dirt (download)

In honor of my sister, who despite my best efforts, is still cooler than me. If you’re a fan of Bon Iver, you’ll love this—Sean Carey is in fact the drummer in Bon Iver’s touring band.

From his solo debut, All We Grow.

Radiohead - Supercollider (download) Of all the things that I...

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 21:58:00 -0600

Radiohead - Supercollider (download)

Of all the things that I love geeking out about, Radiohead’s among the top five. If you listen to them, there’s a very good chance that I will be your friend. If you don’t listen to them and you’re already my friend, there’s a very good chance that I’ll try to convert you.

One of two songs Radiohead released today in honor of Record Store Day.

The Dodos - Black Night (download) The genre field in this...

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 20:54:00 -0600

The Dodos - Black Night (download)

The genre field in this MP3’s tag reads “Indie Rock Psych Folk Baroque Pop”. Uhh, okay.

From their new album, No Color, released last month.

The Morning Benders - Excuses (download) Makes me smile every...

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:09:05 -0600

The Morning Benders - Excuses (download)

Makes me smile every time. I saw these guys open for Broken Bells down in Denver last year, and while I wasn’t impressed with Broken Bells’ performance, The Morning Benders blew me away. They’re friendly dudes, too.

The Love Language - Heart to Tell (download) “Mom, I wanna...

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:55:00 -0600

The Love Language - Heart to Tell (download)

“Mom, I wanna bang on trashcans and sing really loud when I grow up! I’m gonna be just like Stu McLamb!”
“No, you’re going to be a lawyer.”
“But mom!”

(As usual, I highly recommend the entire album, Libraries.)

Pepper Rabbit - Older Brother (download) A ukulele and a brass...

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 22:00:00 -0600

Pepper Rabbit - Older Brother (download)

A ukulele and a brass section? Score. This song’s somewhat carefree melody is deceiving though—the story behind it is heart-wrenching.

From their debut album, Beauregard.

U.S. Royalty - Equestrian (download) From their debut album,...

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:00:07 -0600

U.S. Royalty - Equestrian (download)

From their debut album, Mirrors. Extremely polished for such a new band, almost to the point of being overproduced, but it’s still a great album.

Andrew Bird - Anonanimal (download) I love just about everything...

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 20:00:07 -0600

Andrew Bird - Anonanimal (download)

I love just about everything Andrew Bird does. To quote a YouTube commenter, “We share a planet with this guy.” I especially love the 7/8 breakdown about halfway through this song, followed by another breakdown into some brilliant drumming.

Lia Ices - Grown Unknown (download) One of my sister’s...

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 20:00:07 -0600

Lia Ices - Grown Unknown (download)

One of my sister’s favorite artists when we were growing up was Enya. I hated it—or at least I pretended to hate it—in part because my sister loved it, but mostly because I was an obstinate preteen who thought girl singers were totally lame. Lia Ices reminds me of and expands on all the qualities that I secretly liked about Enya. And yes, she is a girl singer, but I’m not an obstinate preteen anymore… just an obstinate college student.

We Are Trees - Teenage Heartbreak (download) From their...

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:00:00 -0600

We Are Trees - Teenage Heartbreak (download)

From their Girlfriend EP, released last month, which should appeal particularly to fans of Grizzly Bear. In fact, their sound and production style are almost identical. And I’m okay with that.