indie eXclamations!

Airship release video for the single "Kids" ahead of debut album this Fall

2011-06-06T23:09:00.000-07:00

Manchester indie band Airship released a video for "Kids" (below), a single off of their upcoming debut album Stuck in this Ocean due out this fall. This new single follows a previous promo track and video called "Vampires" (also below).

Although Airship is a young band - both in the sense of having formed in 2008 and with band members of an average age of 22 - what they have released thus far show impressive polish and potential star power.

"Kids" is a melodic anthem with a surprising dose of world-weary nostalgia building to reverberating crescendos. Meanwhile "Vampires" has an epic, moody and somewhat sinister vibe. Both songs are tantalizing previews of potentially good stuff to come.

Airship has already started to get a great deal of attention ahead of their debut, doing the rounds with recent tour support for the Editors, Joy Formidable, Frightened Rabbit and Biffy Clyro.

"Kids" will be issued as a single on June 13th. In the meantime, you can download a more eerily languid remix version on the band's SoundCloud page.

For more information about Airship, check out the band's official website or FaceBook page. This is definitely a band that I will be keeping an eye on and probably will have more to say as they release more material.

Dreamy indie pop trio Seapony streaming their debut album Go With Me

2011-06-03T00:32:00.000-07:00

Check out a streaming preview (embedded below) of the Seapony’s debut album, Go With Me (2011), released May 31st. The Seattle trio - singer Jen Weidl, songwriter and beat-maker Danny Rowland, and bass player Ian Brewer – have a simple, hazy, uncomplicated sort of sound lyrically and musically.

Anchored by a vintage Alesis HR-16 drum machine, prominent bass and methodically workmanlike (albeit catchy) guitar licks, Weidl’s sweet vocals float hazily in the foreground of the band’s short and concise twelve track LP.

Dreamy, poppy, and sugary, Seapony does not do anything all that extraordinary, but what they do with Go With Me is serve up charming indie pop perfect for leisurely summer listening.

Now if only this dreary, cloudy California weather would cooperate.

For more info or to connect with the band, visit their MySpace or Facebook pages.

There is a stirring ...

2011-05-31T23:51:00.001-07:00

There has been a definite hiatus on the site, but there are still signs of life hereabouts. On the horizon, I have a lot of good new music to share, hope to have the occasional post by a guest blogger, and will try to clean up the look and feel of indie eXclamations.

In short, good stuff is on its way as I catch up with a bunch of cool submissions and highlight interesting new bands and albums.

Review - "Deadeye Dealer" by Dearling Physique - enticingly eerie and erotic electronica

2011-01-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

Deadeye Dealer - Dearling Physique

Deadeye Dealer, the debut LP from Dearling Physique, is an album of languid yet elegantly sensual electro-pop. Upon pressing play, its ten tracks create an alluring aural realm of seductive mystery tinged with subtle menace. The slightly sinister subtext is not one of danger, but rather of allure and beguilement. This is an album that invites listeners to give themselves over to its undulating, throbbing pulse and succumb to its mesmerizing hold. It is easy to lose oneself in the music of Deadeye Dealer, whether while late night lounging or bedroom listening.

Dearling Physique began as the solo project of artist Domino (Dom Davis) in 2005. This early incarnation of Dearling Physique resulted in a run of one-person shows and a collection of songs called “Young Laos Girl and the African Bees” (2007). The band subsequently expanded to include guitarist Matt Vannelli, drummer Dave Sellner and keyboardist Sean O’Hea. With the tools in its audio palette thus expanded, two EPs followed with the enlarged lineup.

Now Dearling Physique is set to release its first full-length album as a band – and it is an excellent debut. Deadeye Dealer unfolds itself in enticing layers that beckon you into its dark and mysterious embrace. Its soundsacpe melds the cool and aloof precession of electronic beats with the organic immediacy of soul. Into the mix, the band weaves subtle guitars that occasionally blister and flare to the foreground and keys that add an otherworldly and sometimes creepy ambient vibe.

Indeed, Darling Physique’s approach to music seems to be meshing contrasting, almost opposite, elements into a lush whole. Thus the band fuses an electronic rock that can sound alien, menacing and mysterious one moment and shift to a gently purring and sensuous sort of electronica the next. Dom Davis’ soft, soulful voice (when not ran through reverb or distortion), likewise also introduces a warm contrast to the band’s digital sound.

In musical shorthand, the end result is a fresh fusion of the silken stutter of Massive Attack crossed with the quirky electro-dance vibe of The Knife and accented with a bit of the eerie electronic majesty achieved by groups like Future Sound of London and Vangelis. At the same time, the music of Dearling Physique has an almost carnal sensuality to it that defies exact comparison. Some music sounds like it belongs in a particular movie or other. Deadeye Dealer has a sound that demands someone make a movie for it.

Deadeye Dealer will be available January 11th. For a taste in the meantime, check out the awesome single “Discipline Your Hands” (mp3).

You can get more information about the band at their official web page. For anyone who happens to be in the Minneapolis area, Dearling Physique has a CD release show tonight where you can see the band perform and snag an advanced copy.

The 30 best (mostly) indie albums of 2010

2010-12-29T23:34:00.000-08:00

My picks for the best (mostly) indie albums of 2010 are all posted. Check out all three parts below:

Part 1 (#30 to #21)

Part 2 (#20 to #11)

Part 3 (#10 to #1)

The list is far from inclusive and is highly arbitrary and unscientific. The criteria did not include measures of indie hipness, the discerning opinion of music critics, or any attempt to make selections based on some assessment of ground breaking style or artistic merit.

Instead, what you get here are the top 30 (mostly) indie albums of 2010 based on what struck my fickle fancy. In other words, the albums that wound up being played the most on my mp3 player, at work, in my car, at the gym, etc.

But despite that fact, I invite you to listen to the samples and check out the videos and see if my peculiar tastes might turn you on to an album here or there that you overlooked amidst a year chock full of great music.

Now, if it had been a top 50 or more list, I would have also included the great releases by Belle & Sebastian, Best Coast, The Walkmen, Broken Bells, LCD Soundsystem, Autolux, Grinderman, Sky Larkin, Film School, Dum Dum Girls, Detachments, etc etc.

Best (mostly) Indie Albums 0f 2010: #10-1

2010-12-29T00:51:00.000-08:00

[ Part 1 (#30 to #21) | Part 2 (#20 to #11) | Part 3 (#10 to #1) ]

Here it is, indie eXclamations picks for the 10 best (mostly) indie albums of 2010!

This is part 3 of 3. Be sure to check out part 1 (#30 to #21) and part 2 (#20 to #11).

I would love to hear your own take on the year's best albums - so feel free to leave comments!

Sleigh Bells - Treats

#10) Sleigh Bells - Treats

Sleigh Bells generated a massive amount of buzz back when their early demos began circulating on music sites and blogs. All the fuss even caught the notice of mainstream outlets like the New Yorker, ABC, The Guardian, and NPR.

Was all the hype worth it? Back in May, I posted my review of Treats:

Noisy, bombastic, and fun - that is my first impression of the debut album, Treats, by Sleigh Bells....

.... Comprised of the music of Derek Miller (guitars, beats, and songwriting) and the voice of Alexis Krauss, Sleigh Bells dish out a sound that has an almost over-the-top abandon to it. With waves of crunchy and soaring guitars and booming, sometimes machine gun style beats - this is music to crank up to let the world know your are in a rambunctious frame of mind.

It isn't just the guitars and drum machine that contributes to Sleigh Bell's sometimes cacophonous audio assault. The band tosses into the mix a range of snaps, claps, bleeps, distortions, and assorted other interspersed samples.....

.... Krauss' vocals hover over the din, sounding interchangeably sweetly angelic, liltingly ethereal and / or all punk girl attitude.The combination - let's call it beauty (Krauss' vocals) and bodacious bombast (Miller's guitar and beats) - just works, so long as you are in the mood for music laden with heaps of attitude. Translation: this is not chill-out or background music.

Sleigh Bells may have caught the fickle attention of the taste-makers and consequently had expectations pumped to near impossible heights. When Treats finally dropped, it did not fail to turn heads - it was ambitious to the point of being brazen, loud as hell, and chock full of songs that were raw and frenzied.

In short, everything about Treats screams "too much!" But it was also a damn fun and chaotic album that sounded different from most anything else that came out this year. Thus, by dint of bodaciousness alone, Treats earns a spot squarely in indie eXclamations' top 10 of 2010.

[Sleigh Bells official website / MySpace Page]

Sleigh Bells - "A/B Machines"

Sleigh Bells "Crown on the Ground"

###

New Young Pony Club - The Optimist

#9) New Young Pony Club - The Optimist

New Young Pony Club's 2007 debut Fantastic Playroom was a catchy blend of danceable, poppy, punk delivered with half sweet and half saucy layered female vocals. It was a tad raw and had more than a bit of a retro new wave feel to it. Songs like "Ice Cream," "The Bomb," and "Get Lucky" had a playfully sexy and winking sort of punkish-attitude that was hard to resist.

Fantastic Playroom was a brilliant electro pop debut. But with the genie out of the bottle, how would NYPC match it with their sophomore follow-up The Optimist?

By dishing out plenty more of the same sparkling, new wave-inflected electro pop - that is how!

With The Optimist, NYPC again dips into the 80s for a synth-driven vibe, but this time crafting a lusher and slightly more refined sound. Over the course of the albums' ten tracks, NYPC lays down one infectious synth-and-guitar hook after another. The album still has their trademark verve and sultry, mischievous attitude, but this time adds a dash of (dare I say?) sophistication to the mix.

This time out, the band even shows a softer, more thoughtful, and almost melancholy side with tracks like "Before the Light" and "Architect of Love." Far from the obligatory "slow songs" tossed into the mix for the sake of diversity, both ballads are solid (and a couple of my favorites).

So these particular UK ponies have definitely shown that they not the one-trick variety. The Optimist is a solid album through and through and another excellent bit of electro pop.

[ NYPC official website / MySpace page.]

New Young Pony Club - "Lost a Girl"

New Young Pony Club - "Chaos"

New Young Pony Club - "We Want To"

###

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

#8) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

With their third LP, The Suburbs, the Canadian indie rockers Arcade Fire have created an album as sprawling, amorphous, and ambitious as its namesake.

Arcade Fire has a sound that could best be described as orchestral indie pop. With their new LP, the multi-instrumental group reprises their lushly textured sound woven with guitars, drums, piano, and all manner of other string, wind, and keyed instruments. They also retain the pleasant interplay between male and female vocals of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne.

This time, however, they have set about creating a concept album of sorts, with most of the songs combining a sense of nostalgia coupled with a pervading critique of growing up in contemporary society and, in particular, suburbia. The academic in me gives them ample credit for following in the footsteps of other suburban critics (William Whyte, Lewis Mumford, Betty Friedan, etc) - but instead of dry prose, we get an epic and meandering 16 tracks of indie pop.

The songs do blend together a bit , but with a a couple two-parters and an intro / outro reprisal, it is clear that this was crafted as a definite album experience - a themed rock opera. Which gets back to my opening comment, The Suburbs is indeed sprawling, amorphous, ambitious, and a damn good album.

Definitely check out the interactive video for "We Used to Wait" designed to use the Google Chrome browser and Google Maps to literally write your own youthful neighborhood into the music video.

[Arcade Fire official website / MySpace Page]

###

Lovers - Dark Light

#7) Lovers - Dark Light

At first listen, the tracks on Dark Light by Lovers appealed to me as being in the vein of Metric, Halou, and other similar female fronted electro pop groups of which I am so fond. The main ingredients were there: pleasant layered female vocals accompanied by electronic beats and a bit of the retro new wave sound aesthetic.

But the more I listened, the more I realized that this was no mere clone of Metric. On Dark Light, the Lovers give us songs that are thoughtfully poetic and often touched with a kind of bittersweet wit and an overall undertone of brooding intensity. The catchy electro beats, the vocals - soulful, breathy, and a bit tremulous - and heartfelt lyrics make for a whole that is emotionally evocative and simultaneously head- bob, foot-shuffle inducing (I can't quite say danceable).

Thus, if you are fan of Metric, Halou and the like, you will probably take an instant liking to Lover’s Dark Light. But you will keep listening to it because the emotive soundscape that this trio from Portland, Oregon create is alluring in its own right.

Take a listen to "Don't You Want It" (mp3) and "Figure 8" (mp3) and check out the live video below for "Peppermint." You can also get a listen to the awesome track "Boxer" via RCRD LBL_.

[Lovers official website / MySpace Page]

###

School of Seven Bells - Disconnect from Desire

#6) School of Seven Bells - Disconnect from Desire

The songs on Disconnect from Desire have a kind of symphonic expansiveness that defies easy categorization. Whatever you call the music that the School of Seven Bells makes, the band has been getting a tremendous amount of well-deserved attention from a variety of sources since their debut release Alpinisms (2008/2009). Their follow-up LP will undoubtedly wind up on numerous “Best of” lists – and for good reason – it is amazing stuff.

The music that Benjamin Curtis and sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza make seems bigger than anything any three people could produce. First and foremost, the songs on Disconnect from Desire emphasize the beauty of the female voice – amplified by layer up layer of cooing, harmonious, and echoing beautiful female voices. On that foundation, the band weds a synth heavy aesthetic with subtle guitars and an eclectic sampling of incessant electronic beats.

The songs on Disconnect from Desire are not written with pop constraints in mind. Several songs run over five minutes, a couple over seven and one hits the nine minute mark. And the tracks meander and evolve – building to crescendos, then returning for prolonged shimmering interludes, and finally fading. The end result is epic and mesmerizing – the School of Seven Bells make music that is easy to lose oneself in completely.

Below are a streaming samples of "Babelonia" and "Windstorm" as well as the video for "Windstorm" which you should check out. But you should definitely watch the awesome video for “I L U” that manages to be hauntingly erotic and touching on one hand, and disturbingly brutal and sad on the other.

[School of Seven Bells official website / MySpace Page]

School of Seven Bells - "Babelonia"

School of Seven Bells - "Windstorm"

School Seven Bells - "ILU"

School of Seven Bells - "Windstorm"

###

Allo Darlin - Allo Darlin

#5) Allo Darlin - Allo Darlin

Allo Darlin', the self-titled debut LP by the UK-based Allo Darlin', is pure whimsy set to music. Over the course of 10 fetching and simple tracks, the band delivers one gentle head bobbing and toe-tapping indie pop gem after another. The closest shorthand comparison I could make for Allo Darlin’ would be to liken them to an alternate-universe incarnation of Belle and Sebastian on happy pills.

Elizabeth Morris’ sweetly sings the band’s clever lyrics rife with cultural references and witty asides (“Woody Allen,” “If Loneliness Was Art,” etc). Into the airy orchestral mix, the band and guest musicians weave a ukulele, glockenspiel, piano, omnichord, korg, mandolin, guitars, bass, flute, violin, lap steel, Fender Rhodes, hand clapps, and a variety of percussion. The result is a wonderfully lush, sweet, and dreamy variety of cerebral indie pop

In fact, the band absolutely exudes sweetness. The cuteness surrounding the whole album is likely to bring out an inner grandma compulsion to pinch the band’s collective cheeks and coo “Allo Darlins” (hmmm, I wonder…..?).

But theirs is not a one-dimensional, happy-go-lucky, chirpy sort of sugar-pop drivel. Throughout the album, Allo Darlin’ offers constant glimpses of toil and trouble, of adversity, and underlying melancholy. However, there is also a willful, devil-may-care abandon to the songs. Whatever the troubles, Allo Darlin’ chooses to focus on – and sing about – the brighter side of life.

Take a listen to the album via the streaming player below, but also be sure to check out the Breakfast Club themed video for "The Polaroid Song."

[Allo Darlin official website / MySpace Page]

###

Beach House - Teen Dream

#4) Beach House- Teen Dream

Beach House is generally labeled dream pop - and their three albums to date, including the latest LP Teen Dream, do have a decided dreaminess to them. But theirs is not the airy sweetness that characterizes much of the dream pop genre.

Beach House has a sound that is like languid daydreaming in the afternoon sun: warm, vibrant and hazy. The voice of Victoria Legrand, like the bands' music, is rich and full with a deep resonance and subtle passion that bubbles and builds, but stays mostly understated. Legrand's organ and Alex Scally's guitar and keyboards further heighten the band's atmospheric sound.

That mellow intensity is beguiling. At any moment, you know Legrand's vocals could erupt with passionate ardor or the music could build and explode. But they never quite do. Somehow, the subtlety makes the constrained passion conveyed by the band's subdued sound palette all the more poignant and affecting.

To experience the hazy daydream that is Beach House's Teen Dream, take a listen to "Zebra" and "Norway" (mp3s) and watch the video for "Used to Be" (below).

[Beach House official website / MySpace Page]

###

Scanners - Submarine

#3) Scanners - Submarine

My review of Scanners' second album, Submarine, was one of the first I wrote hereabouts. Here is an excerpt:

....Start to finish, [Scanners] delivers a seductive dose of sweet-yet-angsty pop-tinged indie rock....

... Submarine has grabbed me from beginning to end. It starts strong and stays tight and focused - delivering several stand out tracks including "Jesus Saves," "We Never Close Our Eyes," "Salvation," and "Baby Blue" in particular. But the catchy and melodious hooks just keep coming .... Start to finish, Submarine fulfills the promise of the formula that Scanners was working through - with hit and miss experimentation - in their first album.

With this new album, Scanners blend the perfect combination of ingredients. First there are Sarah Daly’s vocals - one part sweet, one part jaded, and lushly expressive.... Then there is the tightly layered, slightly poppy, slightly dancey, alternative rock delivery. Despite the often peppy sound, there are undertones of menace and melancholy to the songs –augmented by Daly’s delivery of the band’s smart lyrics.

And that is probably what really sets Submarine apart – these songs reward more careful listening. ...Scanners delivers ample substance below the surface. The songs treat themes that are a little world weary, a touch cynical, a whole lot melancholy – and absolutely seductive. Scanners gives us songs about mortality, obsession, materialism, heartbreak, relationship dissolution, and painful self-reflection – but ... the mesmerizing whole does not wallow in despair. Somehow, Scanners has crafted songs that traipse into pseudo-existential brooding – but that still prove absolutely and enchantingly sexy.

I want to stress that this is definitely not brooding-for-brooding-sake shoegaze. There is a defiant zest in Scanners' songs. Sarah Daly, Matt Moles, Amina Bates, and Tom Hutt invite us to confront the bleaker aspects of the world around us with all of our damaged psyches, obsessions, and failed relationships. But they give us a beguiling soundtrack with which to relish the transient joys amidst the darkness. Stare into the abyss, hum a catchy tune, and embrace the auditory bliss of it all as you follow Scanners down into the depths with their wonderfully crafted Submarine.

Looking back at this early review, I cannot help but cringe for a couple reasons. First, it was even more long-winded than much of what I have written since. Second, when I wrote it, I was planning on implementing a 10-point rating scale and intended to be very stingy with my ratings. So not only could my previous review use some trimming and editing, the conservative 8.5 that I awarded Submarine does not really match the degree to which Scanners' second album got in my head and took over my playlists for a time.

Simply put, Submarines is an excellent album and if I were still attempting to maintain the pretense of a scale, one deserving something solidly in the 9-something range.

[Scanners official website / MySpace Page]

###

The National - High Violet

#2) The National - High Violet

The single album I listened to most - leaving it in my car for weeks and weeks only to come inside an queue it up on my stereo - was High Violet. Over ten years and now five albums into their career, The National continues to create outstanding music.

A female acquaintance once described lead singer Matt Berninger's voice "as sex." For me, Berninger's gravely baritone and self-psychoanalytic lyrics coupled with the band's somewhat droning, layered, and occasionally sparkling guitar-rock nails a certain complex flood of moods and emotions. Namely, regret, insecurity, longing, jealousy, guilty hedonism, squandered potential, booze drenched escapes, and all the inescapable little phobias and obsessions most of us go through life confronting. This may have made that one girl think of sex, but for me, it channels my own and American youth as we shamble as a disheveled cultural mess into the twenty-first century.

Pardon my existentialist review of the album, but there is something epically melancholy and obsessively introspective about The National's music that make them the perfect poet troubadours for our modern times. At the same time, the band still manages to keep a stoic - even optimistic - romanticism. When in the thrall of their music, I find myself almost convinced that, well, "baby, we'll be fine."

[The National official website / MySpace Page]

###

Warpaint - The Fool

#1) Warpaint - The Fool

The Los Angeles-based experimental indie rock band Warpaint have a sound that does not quite fit comfortably in any of the labels that we often use to categorize bands. Although I lack shorthand descriptors for their music, their debut LP, The Fool, nonetheless vaulted to the top of my list of best albums for 2010. It truly is an outstanding album that built on the obvious potential of their EP, Exquisite Corpse (2009), but also managed to innovate from this rough starting point.

Warpaint – Emily Kokal (vocals/guitar), Theresa Wayman (guitar/vocals), Jenny Lee Lindberg (bass/vocals), and Stella Mozgawa (drums)—just plain ignore many of the rules for pop songs. Instead, the band’s songs proceed with a pacing and structure all their own.

Prominent in their sound palette is a throbbing, bass guitar driven vibe somewhat reminiscent of XX (but more interestingly varied) coupled with intricate lead guitars. On top of the guitars, they employ broken, stuttering beats that change, at points developing into complex layers, before morphing back to more simple and incessant pulses.

But Warpaint also has a predilection to break off into jam band style interludes that introduce jazzy and psychedelic elements into their songs. In short, their music, while at first listen seemingly simple, has all sorts of wonderful complexity and variety.

What really endears The Fool to me is that Warpaint’s lush music serves as the foundation for lovely, often choral, female vocals. Emily Kokal’s lead vocals, just a touch breathy, seem at points to intermingle directly into flow of the music – and at other points erupt emphatically to crescendo in the foreground. Meanwhile, Theresa Wayman and Jenny Lee Lindberg join with Kokal to deliver richly layered and ethereal “ooohs,” soft coos and murmurs, a few banshee wails, and all sorts of other harmonious vocal flourishes.

The net effect of their three lovely voices rivals the dreamiest of the female-fronted dream pop bands. At the same time, however, the foursome behind Warpaint are also laying down dynamically textured music with a fair degree of technical complexity. It is this unique juxtaposition that makes Warpaint’s sound remarkable.

Somehow managing to be hypnotic, vibrant, intimate, and dreamy all at once, Warpaint’s The Fool has left me completely entranced. Seduced from start to finish, it is my pick for the best album of 2010.

[Warpaint official website / MySpace Page]

###

[ Part 1 (#30 to #21) | Part 2 (#20 to #11) | Part 3 (#10 to #1) ]

Best (mostly) indie albums 0f 2010: #20-11

2010-12-22T20:55:00.000-08:00

[ Part 1 (#30 to #21) | Part 2 (#20 to #11) | Part 3 (#10 to #1) ]

This is part 2 of 3 posts highlighting Indie Exclamations' picks for the best indie albums of 2010. You can find part one and the list of picks #30 to #21 here.

I would love to hear your own take on the year's best albums - so feel free to leave comments!

Now, #20 to #11 on my picks for the best (mostly) indie albums of 2010:

Stars - The Five Ghost

#20) Stars - The Five Ghosts

There is a lush and almost cinematic quality to the music that Stars makes. The duo from Montreal have an uncanny ability to conjure vivid vignettes in song that overflow with the dramatic intensity of joy, melancholy and sorrow. Or, as I wrote in past post:

[Stars] makes epic electro-rock with a sweet pairing of intermingled girl-guy vocals and a penchant for dramatic-themed songs.

In fact, their lyrics are auditory vignettes that musically tell stories with an almost cinematographic feel to them. Yes, that is songs that somehow conjure little movie scenes in the mind's eye.

It is the darker landscape of their themes that keep the saccharine pop sweetness in check. With Stars, you'll be humming along before you realize the disconnect between the danceable sing-song beats and sometimes world-weary and melancholy words. But the whole is absolutely charming.

The The Five Ghosts is definitely more of the same – and with Stars, that is a wonderful thing. They stick to familiar sonic territory and deliver another excellent album chock full of that epic indie electro rock goodness. That’s not to say there are no surprises (take for instance the disco chorus on “We Don't Want Your Body”).

Check out the album in the player embedded below and give a peek to the video for "Fixed."

[Stars official website / MySpace Page]

###

Blood Red Shoes - Fire Like This

#19) Blood Red Shoes - Fire Like This

UK indie rock duo Blood Red Shoes have a simple approach to making music: pick a hook and jam while belting out alternating guy-supporting-girl or girl-supporting-guy vocals. The result is a rollicking, attitude-laden sort of pop punk that begs to be cranked up. The band’s lyrics are straightforward – at turns angry, angsty, defiant, disaffected, excited, etc – delivered in alternating shout-sing choruses.

If I were to place Blood Red Shoes on continuum, they would fit somewhere between Shiny Toy Guns (but grittier and more punkish) and The Kills (less gritty and not as raw).

On Fire Like This¸ the band’s follow-up to their debut Box of Secrets (2008), Blood Red Shoes have come a long way. Their songwriting feels tighter and they have nailed the loud-quiet pop-punk vibe. Stand out tracks range from the surprisingly vulnerable and lovely “When We Wake” with its theme of existential alienation, to the fist-pumping anthems “Light it Up,” “Don’t Ask,” and “Heartsink” (videos below).

I certainly believe that Fire Like This deserves more than the miserly 7-something score handed out by Pitchfork recently. If I were grading on a similar scale, I would definitely give the LP a score more in the 8-something range. Fire Like This is a solid and fun sophomore album and I look forward to more from Blood Red Shoes.

[Blood Red Shoes official website / MySpace Page]

###

Jónsi - Go

#18) Jónsi- Go

Go, the debut solo album by Jónsi (Jón Þór Birgisson, vocalist and guitarist for Sigur Rós) is majestic. The songs on the album - at turns beautiful and haunting - have an expansive and symphonic quality to them. They shimmer and sparkle, textured by flutes, strings, guitars, and anchored by reverberating percussion. Many of the songs have a sense of whimsy, others dark tragedy.

That is the wonder of Jónsi’s voice. He can deliver a boyish and impish chirping sort of croon (“Animal Arithmetic”), a quivering, almost alien falsetto (“Go do”), and even a deeper and brooding keen (“Kolnidur” and “Hengilas”). Indeed, amidst the flutes, strings, and keys, Jónsi’s voice soars like another rich instrument in an otherworldly orchestra.

I admire the music of Sigur Rós and hope the band delivers another album soon. But in the meantime, I am really enjoying Jónsi’s solo project. While I hesitate to use the word “pop” in relation to Go, the album certainly has a vibrancy and accessibility that was not always the case with the wonderfully epic and meandering albums of Sigur Rós.

[Jónsi official website]

###

Montana 1948 - Picket Fence

#17) Montana 1948 - Picket Fence

The south Bay Area, California based indie rockers Montana 1948 released their impressive debut LP, Picket Fence, this summer. I have a posted about them and thier local shows a couple times (here and here). The following is an extract from my album review on examiner.com:

Montana 1948 is at first flush a very pleasing to the ear and accessible indie alternative band with a polished and radio-ready sound somewhat in the vein of popular acts such as the Foo Fighters or the Kings of Leon.

But with influences that include more eclectic acts such as Radiohead, Mutemath, and Dredg, the South Bay-based Montana 1948 is no mere sound-alike group. The talented four-piece has crafted their own melodic and soulful take on the alternative rock vibe. So while they may be radio friendly, the best of their songs incorporate a whole lot more layering and diversity than is typical of top-40 alternative bands....

....The twelve-track LP is chock full of jouncy hooks and melodic riffs that are well-anchored by [vocalist Ryan] Lafferty’s slightly raspy, sometimes plaintive, and always soulful vocals.

The songs on the new album showcase the band’s flair for injecting colorful interludes and complexity into their pop-alternative formula ....

.....On the whole, "Picket Fence" is an impressive debut. Fans of the alternative rock genre will find that Montana 1948 reprises and refreshes the winning formula of other popular radio rockers, But the band also manages to inject a fair amount of freshness to keep things interesting.

The San Jose and south Bay Area music scene is starting to flourish again and Montana 1948 is a prime example that the area certainly is not lacking in talented local bands.

With Picket Fence, Montana 1948 has the potential to turn heads in the Bay Area and beyond! Check out the track below to hear for yourself.

[Montana 1948 MySpace Page]

###

Mixtapes - Maps

#16) Mixtapes - Maps

Song making in small snappy doses seems to be the preferred approach of the Cincinnati, Ohio based Mixtapes. With Maps, the band delivers perky pop punk attitude and syrupy guy-girl layered vocals and anthemic power choruses packed into 10 songs with an average song length just under 2 minutes.

Maybe for some, the cuteness factor of Mixtapes would seem just shy of cloying. But for me, the fun back and forth vocals and hyperactive poppy punk guitars and drums are just too damn catchy to resist. Add to this the fact that the band’s Gen-Y lyrics wittily and self-deprecatingly lambast hipster indie pop culture, and I admit I’m hooked.

Best of all, Mixtapes released Maps in its entirety as a free download and have now done the same thing with their follow-up EP, Thought About Growing Up (2010).

Since Mixtapes have embraced the idea of giving their music away as a sort of viral marketing, this post does not include any embedded samples or videos. Just go download the album already!

[Mixtapes MySpace Page]

###

Operator Please - Gloves

#15) Operator Please - Gloves

Vivacious Australian electro-pop rockers Operator Please have their origins in a high school battle of the bands. Their debut, Yes Yes Vindictive (2007), was a high-energy pop music romp with a dash of playful punk attitude. The twelve tracks had a certain fun loving rawness, a fair amount of attitude, and cheeky lyrics.

With their new LP, Gloves, Operator Please seems to have adopted a slightly more mature and refined approach. It is a little strange to see them sexed up pop-star style as they are in the video for "Logic" (below) - a far cry from the cherub faces, ping pong, neon tube socks socks, and plastic playland backdrop in this video from their first album.

Gloves is still about fun, poppy and mildly punkish tunes delivered with enthusiastic (and a touch bratty) female vocals and ample panache. This time around, there is a substantial nod to 80s synth pop - and definitely more refined production. But Operator Please retains their spunky ability to churn out infectious hooks sure to bring out the inner teenager in all of us.

[Operator Please official website / MySpace Page]

Operator Please - "Logic"

###

Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart

#14) Black Mountain- Wilderness Heart

Wilderness Heart is the third LP by Vancouver-based indie band Black Mountain. The new record delivers a bluesy and hard-edged sort of psychedelic rock. There are chunky guitar riffs, space-aged keyboard flourishes, and folksy and soulful guy-girl vocals. The album is a gritty retro reprisal of 70s guitar rock in its various folk, progressive and acid rock incarnations - but updated for the post-everything twenty-first century.

I crank up Wilderness Heart when I feel the need to cleanse my musical palette from all the various electro pop that dominates most of my music collection of late. Black Mountain is just what the audio doctor ordered for a back to basics sort of rock and roll.

[Black Mountain Facebook Page / MySpace Page]

###

Love is All - Two Thousand and Ten Injuries

#13) Love is All - Two Thousand and Ten Injuries

"Bigger Bolder" is the opening track on Two Thousand and Ten Injuries, the third LP by Love is All, and it is also a perfect shorthand description for the bigger and bolder dose of raucousness that they deliver with their new album.

Two Thousand and Ten Injuries is an eclectic blend of poppy punk new wave executed with the quirky Swedes' trademark verve and vim.Take for instance the track "Repetition" (player below). Its start-stop beat, sweet chirping (and slightly accented) vocals, and upbeat melody combined with the melancholy-tinged lyrics make for a fetching two and half minute bit of ear candy. Then there is "Kungen" (faux homemade video below). With its bright, almost over-the-top "ba baba ba" group chorus and aggressive, horn-inflected punkish beat, the song is an irresistible morsel.

But amidst all the upbeat mish mash of melody and dissonance, horns and guitars, and group power choruses, there is often a hidden seriousness ("A Side in a Bed," "Less Than Thrilled," etc).

And so it is with the twelve tracks on Two Thousand and Ten Injuries. Love is All regales us with a hyperactive blast of the goofy and the poignant, all rolled into one luscious and bombastic whole.

[Love is All official website / MySpace Page]

"Repetition" by Love is All

###

Fences - Fences

#12) Fences- Fences

Fences, the recording alias of Seattle singer-songwriter Christopher Mansfield, straddles the near perfect intersection point of a sensitive folk heart, melodious pop soul, and slightly bitter shoegaze spleen.

Many are the bands that try to fuse these elements and wind up falling flat one way or the other. But there Fences sits, perched adroitly with his heart-on-the-sleeve folksy voice, accessible mellow pop-styling, and introspective, world-weary lyrics.

What do you get from a guy whose official website is sadcastle.com? As you might expect, the songs on the self-titled album Fences range from the mournful, the melancholy, the self-flagellating and the restless. But Mansfield's pleasantly subdued and slightly breathy vocals coupled with his pop-sense and ability to churn out subtle-yet-varied hooks keep things interesting.

Fences came out of nowhere as a welcome surprise to my "on frequent rotation" list of albums for the year.

[Fences official website / MySpace Page]

###

Silver Swans - Realize the Ghost

#11) Silver Swans - Realize the Ghost

Since I recently wrote a summary of Realize the Ghost as part of a post about a remix of the single “Secrets,” I will crib from it again here (but you should still check out the original post to download the excellent new single and remix):

San Francisco-based Silver Swans are the result of the collaboration between producer and musician Jon Waters and vocalist Ann Yu (of LoveLikeFire). Together, Waters and Yu craft a sound falling somewhere between the eerily odd electronica of The Knife and the edgy electroclash attitude of Ladytron.

The band’s debut, “Realize the Ghost” (2010), was released in January. On the album, the Silver Swans shift deftly between dance floor energy, a laid back lounge refinement, and a nostalgic nod to 80s-style synth pop. You can preview several track via the band's label, Tricycle Records. The album is available on itunes, emusic, and Amazon.com.

Over the course of album’s eight tracks, Waters’ beats are a crisp and slightly minimalist balance of treble and bass. This tight instrumentation provides the perfect subtle, but insistently danceable, musical accompaniment for Yu vocals, which are a mix of a kind of sophisticated detachment and sweet coquettishness. Putting Waters’ music together with Yu’s voice, the Silver Swans deliver a dreamy, hazy sort of electronic audio bliss.

The tracks “Are You Really on My Side” and “Realize the Ghost” are both outstanding, but “Heartbeat” and “I” are also standout tracks making the first half the album a near perfect electro pop tour de force. But the album finishes strong, eclectically ranging from the slow and trippy carnival strains of “Electricity,” the electroclash of “Moving On,” the hard rocking discotheque vibe of “Rested Limbs,” and the peculiar mix of the wild west, Spanish guitars and piano on the finale “Little Piece of Me”

NOTE: The video below is cheating a bit since the single is not off Realize the Ghost, but rather Silver Swan's new EP Secrets (2010). The moral of the story here is that Silver Swans needs to get busy setting more of their dreamy electro pop tunes to video. In the meantime, enjoy "Secrets."

[Silver Swans Facebook Page / MySpace Page]

###

If you missed it, be sure to take a look at #30-21 and #10-1 on on indie eXclamations' list of the best (mostly) indie albums of 2010!

[ Part 1 (#30 to #21) | Part 2 (#20 to #11) | Part 3 (#10 to #1) ]

Best (mostly) Indie Albums 0f 2010: #30-21

2010-12-21T23:21:00.000-08:00

[ Part 1 (#30 to #21) | Part 2 (#20 to #11) | Part 3 (#10 to #1) ]

This is part 1 of 3 posts highlighting Indie Exclamations' picks for the best indie albums of 2010. Check out part 2 and part 3 for the full list!

Just so you know, the selection process was biased, arbitrary and highly unscientific. Instead, what you get here are the top 30 (mostly) indie albums of 2010 based on what struck my fickle fancy. In other words, the albums that wound up being played the most on my mp3 player, at work, in my car, at the gym, etc.

But despite that fact, I invite you to listen to the samples and check out the videos and see if my peculiar tastes might turn you on to an album here or there that you overlooked amidst a year chock full of great music.

Also, I would love to hear your opinions - so feel free to comment!

And now, albums #30-21 on the indie eXclamations list of best (mostly) indie albums of 2010:

The Morning Benders - Big Echo

#30) The Morning Benders - Big Echo

Big Echo is The Morning Benders’ follow-up to their well received 2008 debut, Talking Through Tin Cans. The first track off the record, “Excuses,” was among the best singles of 2010. The song is a beautiful and lushly orchestral "doo wop" gem that conjures up the vocal styling of Frankie Valli with an eclectic modern baroque pop sound. Check out the video for “Excuses” (below) featuring the "Echo Chamber Orchestra" - basically a collection of musical friends helping give the track an extra dose of orchestral embellishment.

The balance of Big Echo has a similar gently lush feel to it. These are mellow orchestral indie pop songs that build to subtle, wall of sound crescendos. On the whole, I found the musicianship on the album admirable, but the overall low-key vibe was not something that typically held my rapt attention. That said, Big Echo made for dreamy and sedate background listening.

[The Morning Bender's official website / MySpace page]

###

Puerto Muerto - Drumming for Pistols

#29) Puerto Muerto - Drumming for Pistols

Here is what I wrote about Puerto Muerto and Drumming for Pistols back in February:

Eclectic, wonderfully raucous, bombastic, sometimes downright strange - that is my impression of Puerto Muerto's new release, Drumming for Pistols (Feb 2010). This is my first exposure to the husband and wife duo Tim Kelley and Christa Meyer, since I missed their 2001 debut "Your Bloated Corpse Has Washed Ashore" and the four other full length albums that followed (including their "supplemental soundtrack" to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre).

Puerto Muerto sounds like what might happen if you took elements of punk, rock, folk, country, a bit of blues and a dash of whatever they might play at a carnival and put it in a blender. Meyer's mezzo soprano is warm and lush (reminding me somewhat of Joan Baez). Meanwhile, Kelley's voice sounds like how he plays his guitar - deep, resonant, often drawling, and a touch menacing. It is the contrast between Meyer's bright, clarion vocals and the roughness of Kelley's voice (think Tom Waits) that gives Puerto Muerto their distinctive sound - that and their crazy disregard for genres.

I really like what I hear (its a true shame if this really is the band's last album and tour) …. Be sure to give a listen to "Drumming for Pistols," "Beautiful Women With Shining Black Hair," and "Arcadia" for an idea of the range of this album.

The tracks on the album are varied - occasionally dazzling and sometimes lackluster. This unevenness makes the whole feel disjointed, but on a record that runs 13 songs, the half or so that work more than make up for those that fizzle.

[Puerto Muerto's label website / MySpace page]

###

The New Pornographers - Together

#28) The New Pornographers - Together

With so much good music coming out this year, I regretfully did not spend very much time with Together, the fifth full-length album from The New Pornographers.

But these Canadian indie rockers do not seem to have lost their touch for crafting catchy guy-girl indie pop with sparkly, sing-along choruses, smart lyrics, and lush texturing.

I consider this entry more of a reminder to myself and anyone else who may have overlooked this one amidst all the other shiny new indie release this year.

[The New Pornographer's official website / MySpace page]

###

Blonde Redhead - Penny Sparkle

#27) Blonde Redhead - Penny Sparkle

Blonde Redhead is among the best of the dreamy and hazy indie popsters – a fact underscored by their evolution from their self-titled debut in 1995 to their previous album, 23 (2007) ,which was something of a pinnacle of near perfect dream pop bliss.

The band’s formula is simple. The airy and saccharine sweet vocals of Kazu Makino float like delicate gossamer upon the subtle musical arrangements of brothers Amedeo and Simone Pace. On occasion, Amedeo takes on lead vocal duties. His style is a mellow, higher-pitch croon that mixes things up and compliments Kazu’s silky girlish vocals nicely. The combination of an ethereal female (and sometimes male) voice and gently building music makes for a sound perfectly suited for headphone listening or for late nights and dimmed lights.

In an interview in September, the band shared that their goal with Penny Sparkle was to achieve a more stripped down sound. Thus, even though most of the songs were originally written with heavier guitars, the final recorded versions on the ablum were more subdued and languid on the whole. For a taste, give a listen to "Here Sometimes" and "Not Getting There" (video below).

Penny Sparkle does not rival 23, but with it the trio behind Blonde Redhead have crafted yet another solid album.

[Blonde Redhead's official website / MySpace page]

###

Tricky - Mixed Race

#26) Tricky - Mixed Race

For the past sixteen years, Tricky has been an artist whose new releases I bought sight unseen (or sound unheard, as it were). Along with Massive Attack, Portishead, and other slinky trip-hop pioneers, Tricky released his best stuff in the 1990s with albums like Maxinquaye (1995), Pre-Millennium Tension (1996), and Angels with Dirty Faces (1998). These three albums were pinnacles of Tricky's growling take on the trip hop sound.

By the time Blowback (2001) came out, trip hop had more or less fizzled out and Tricky himself had evolved his sound into a funky hodgepodge of alterna-rock, reggae, ska, r&b, and hip-hop. Blowback was a challenging, tour-de-force sort of record that made less use of Tricky’s trademark gravely growl and foregrounded a host of guest vocalists and musicians with a complete reckless disregard for genre or cohesion. To my ears, it was scattered and fun to listen to at the same time.

Over the course of the 2000s, Tricky released two more albums - Vulnerable (2003) and Knowle West Boy (2008) – both of which seemed to lack some of the edge and fury of his earlier work. The albums were not bad, mind you - they were just uneven and felt less-inspired.

With Mixed Race, Tricky once again shows flashes of his Maxinquaye-era vibe with some new twists. So while not perfect or groundbreaking, it is a promising revised-retro release by one of my longtime favorite artists.

[Tricky's official website]

###

Interpol - Interpol

#25) Interpol - Interpol

The self-titled fourth album by Interpol ranked high on my list of anticipated albums for 2010. While far from a disappointment, the self-titled album, Interpol (2010), took a while to win me over. Even though it wound up on fairly frequent rotation, I still find the whole mostly blends together into a lulling, mumbling, reverb and distortion laden drone.

Yes, this mumble-drone-crescendo formula was the post-punkish sound that Interpol pioneered re-reviving and that influenced so many other acts. But, with so many other groups are doing the same thing the last several years, this fourth outing does not really have the excitement of charting new sonic territory.

That said, Interpol is still mesmerizing in that understated, darkly humming way of theirs and I logged many mile driving contentedly zoning out to their new album.

[Interpol's official website]

###

James - The Morning After The Night Before

#24) James - The Morning After The Night Before

A perk of putting together a biased and arbitrary list of the best albums of 2010 is that I can take into account personal nostalgia and my own eclectic tastes. Such is the case with James’ album The Morning After The Night Before.

Besides a couple radio hits in the 90s (remember the modern radio sensation that was "Laid'?), James never seemed to establish the kind of fan base in the US that they have in Europe and other parts of the world. But the band ranks as one of my favorites.

As a seven member band, James makes music that is more layered and textured than the majority of other alternative rock groups. Then there is Tim Booth's unusual voice and his ability to range from a near yodel to a more subdued almost spoken word delivery and variations in between.

For me, the band's real appeal comes with their quirky, world-weary and witty lyrics. Whether dissecting the ills of the world or the foibles of human relationships, James has a trademark dark humor, subtle sarcasm, and sense of irony that places them among the snarky psuedo-philosophers of the disenchanted and disaffected Generation X.

Below is an extracted portion of my post from September regarding the release of the second of two EPs James released this year:

The forthcoming EP is a follow-up to the The Night Before, a 7-song EP released earlier this year. Indeed, the The Morning After as a follow-up to the The Night Before - isn't the band clever?

....Mellower musically and melancholy lyrically, the songs are a continuation of the band's evolution -- one that began with the release of Millionaires (1999) and Pleased to Meet You (2001) -- away from their more frenetic, horn-inflected sound of the early 90s. In fact, the ... songs are tinged with the kind of quiet and contemplative introspection (and regret?) that often comes on those mornings after.

The two EPs have been collected into the two-disk album The Morning After The Night Before. For me, it is a welcome new dose of a much beloved band.

[James' official website]

Tell Her I Said So by 'James'

Ten Below by 'James'

Porcupine by 'James'

###

Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks

#23) Frightened Rabbit- The Winter of Mixed Drinks

On their third outing, Frightened Rabbit set out to NOT make another break-up album. Fear not, however, the band definitely did not lose their sensitive and mournful rocker edge and get all happy on us.

The songs on The Winter of Mixed Drinks simply expand the range of heartbreak and introspection, dealing with themes such as loneliness, regret, and solitude. In fact, they did not even completely swear off breakup songs, since “Nothing Like You” (video below) is essentially a post-breakup-rebound song of sorts.

As always, Frightened Rabbit’s angst-ridden and contemplative lyrics are delivered with a tone of plaintive desperation sung in a Scottish brogue accompanied by slightly fuzzy, low key, undulating, melodic post-rock that builds to subtle crescendos.

The tracks on The Winter of Mixed Drinks fit nicely on shuffle or mixtape compilations with songs from The National, Interpol, The Twilight Sad, and We Were Promised Jetpacks. For the optimal listening experience, wait for very late at night, dim the lights, grab a bottle of whiskey and a glass, and press “play.”

[Frightened Rabbit's official website / MySpace page]

###

Big Light - Animals in Bloom

#22) Big Light - Animals in Bloom

I reviewed Big Light's debut, Animals in Bloom, back in March (read full review here):

San Francisco indie rockers Big Light released their debut full-length album, Animals in Bloom, earlier this month. It is a straight-ahead rocker with enough variations on that formula to keep the tracks diverse and interesting. They layer variously gritty or searing guitars to make driving garage rock with a touch of bluesy, alt-country, or even slightly rockabilly elements....

....Big Light's influences - groups like My Morning Jacket, The Slip, Dr. Dog, Wilco, and maybe a bit of Black Crows - are clearly present in this new album. So is [bassist Steve] Adam's jam band background with ALO. But the group does plenty of innovating and blending to those raw ingredients. The textured tracks make for rewarding headphone listening. Especially impressive is the fact that Big Light has only been together in its current form for about a year, yet they already have cohered into something promising and distinct with their debut record.

You can sample the gritty rock palette of Animals in Bloom in the player below, but also be sure to check out the video below of Big Light's live performance of "Panther" and their scorching extended finale to the rocking song.

[Big Light's official website / MySpace page]

###

HELLOGOODBYE - Would It Kill You

#21) HELLOGOODBYE - Would It Kill You?

Would It Kill You? is the second LP by the indie band HELLOGOODBYE from Huntington Beach, California.

The album is chock full of infectiously chipper and anthemic indie rock that falls somewhere between radio-ready alternative rock (“Finding Something to Do,” “You Sleep Alone,” “When We First Kissed,” etc) and quirkier, orchestral, bedroom-listening indie pop fare (“Betrayed by Bones,” “Getting Old,” “The Thought Gives Me the Creeps,” etc.).

Overall, Would It Kill You? is an enjoyable mishmash of winsome power pop that seems crafted to make you smile (as in would it kill you to smile?). When the bulk of my music collection is somber, melancholy, or angsty – HELLOGOODBYE deserves a nod for injecting a dash of fun into the 2010 indie soundscape.

[HELLOGOODBYE official website / MySpace Page]

###

Check out part 2 (#11 to #20) and part 3 (#10 to #1) of indie eXclamations' list of the best (mostly) indie albums of 2010!

[ Part 1 (#30 to #21) | Part 2 (#20 to #11) | Part 3 (#10 to #1) ]

One year mark

2010-12-21T22:24:00.000-08:00

indie eXclamations turns one year old today!

To commemorate hitting the one year mark, today will feature the first of three posts highlighting my picks for the best indie albums of 2010.

Subsequent posts will highlight the best EPs, best local Bay Area releases, and a retrospective on some of the coolest MP3s featured on indie eXclamations this year.

I hope you enjoy - and I look forward to another year of connecting with artists and fellow music lovers and to discovering and sharing cool (mostly) indie music.

Northern Son release video for "Ride"

2010-12-20T14:35:00.000-08:00

Northern Son debuted the video for "Ride (West Coast)" on Live 105 today - check it out below!

The song is the awesome opening track off of their excellent new Spin EP released last week (review). The "Ride (West Coast)" video was created with the help of Element 151 Films and features vistas of the gorgeous California coastline. It is an apt visual accompaniment to the happy-yet-melancholy themed song.

You can grab a listen to the EP via my previous post.

Silver Swans - "Secrets" (remix mp3)

2010-12-18T18:36:00.000-08:00

Check out Silver Swan's "Secrets - Letting Up remix" (mp3) remixed by the trippy indie shoegaze and electronica crew Letting Up Besides Great Fault out of Los Angeles.

Both the original single of "Secrets" (mp3) off of the Secrets EP (November, 2010) and the new remixed version are delectably lulling electro dream pop morsels with a touch of the melancholy. The remix adds an insistent energy to the haunting track.

San Francisco-based Silver Swans are the result of the collaboration between producer and musician Jon Waters and vocalist Ann Yu (of LoveLikeFire). Together, Waters and Yu craft a sound falling somewhere between the eerily odd electronica of The Knife and the edgy electroclash attitude of Ladytron.

The band’s debut, “Realize the Ghost” (2010), was released in January. On the album, the Silver Swans shift deftly between dance floor energy, a laid back lounge refinement, and a nostalgic nod to 80s-style synth pop. You can preview several track via the band's label, Tricycle Records. The album is available on itunes, emusic, and Amazon.com.

Over the course of album’s eight tracks, Waters’ beats are a crisp and slightly minimalist balance of treble and bass. This tight instrumentation provides the perfect subtle, but insistently danceable, musical accompaniment for Yu vocals, which are a mix of a kind of sophisticated detachment and sweet coquettishness. Putting Waters’ music together with Yu’s voice, the Silver Swans deliver a dreamy, hazy sort of electronic audio bliss.

In case you missed it, you should also give a listen the Silver Swan's cover of The National's track "Anyone's Ghost" (YouTube).

Silver Swans new Secrets EP is available via itunes, emusic, and Amazon.com. To learn more about the Silver Swans, check out their MySpace or Facebook pages. For more info about Letting Up Besides Great Fault, head to the band's official page or over to Facebook.

Northern Son's Spin EP released - listen to the preview!

2010-12-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

This post is an update to my review of Northern Son's new EP, Spin, released this past week.

Northern Son put on an awesome CD release show Thursday at the Voodoo Lounge with stellar support by Beta State, The Record Winter, and Parents France -- all of which put on solid sets.

Before Northern Son took the stage, the band premiered their new video for "Ride (West Coast)" created with the help of Element 151 Films. The video is a good one featuring vistas of the gorgeous California coast line and is an apt visual accompaniment to the happy-yet-melancholy themed song. I will have a link to share soon.

In the meantime, you can preview the entire EP via the player embedded below to see if you agree with the praise I heaped on the album. If you like it, for the first week, you can download the Spin EP from Northern Son's Bandcamp page for $3.95!

The EP is also now available on iTunes and Amazon.com.

To get more info about the band, visit Northern Son’s official website or MySpace page.

Northern Son - "Spin" EP album review

2010-12-13T22:45:00.000-08:00

Northern Son has a knack for crafting near perfect ballads that combine elements of rock, folk and country so gracefully melded that it is hard to discern the contours of these raw ingredients. The Northern California band delivers a fresh and updated take on a soulful and rootsy heartland sort of rock and roll that invites comparison to the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp and Wilco.

The line-up behind Northern Son consists of Jeff Carmassi (vocals/guitars), Jonathan Sontag (guitars/vocals)), Oj Montevirgen (guitars/vocals), Hrag Chanchanian (bass/vocals), Sean Ghavi (piano/keyboards/vocals), and Brent Nunn (drums).

The band released their debut album Wider Skies in 2009 and has already acquired a growing following in and around their hometown of San Jose, California, including airplay on the Bay Area’s alternative rock station, Live 105, and appearances at Left Coast Live in 2009 and 2010 and a spot on the local band stage at Live 105’s BFD in 2010.

Northern Son - Spin EP (2010)

Now set to release their new EP, Spin, this week, Northern Son is sure to win themselves even more notice. The five songs on the album hit the mark with simple hooks, textured melodies and percussion, and a sprinkling of keys.

Carmassi’s lead vocals are just a touch gruff and raspy enough to deliver that rock edge, but pleasant and subtly emotive enough to pack a punch with the band's rock ballad style (and his ability to channel Tom Petty is uncanny). The lead vocals are augmented by the fact that most of Northern Son chips in for vocal duties, with Sontag, Montevirgen, Chanchanian, and Ghavi injecting layered vocal harmonies into the band’s songs.

The band’s lyrics, like the music and vocals, hit all the right notes. As with the best rock ballads of the bands that so obviously influenced Northern Son – Springsteen, Petty, Mellcamp, etc. – Northern Son fuse their catchy hooks and pleasing vocals with relatable lyrics about love, loss, longing, and hope.

Take for instance the EP’s awesome opener “Ride (West Coast).” The song calls to mind a drive down California’s coast with a mood precariously straddling the bliss of the moment and a melancholy cognizance of the fleeting nature of it all. "Ride" brings to the mind's eye half-remembered trips along Highway 1 with the windows down, sunshine abounding, and the jumbled feeling of a heart bursting with exhilaration even as it is set to break.

Other tracks on the EP are similarly evocative. With a fetching “woo ooo ooo” chorus, the song “Spin” captures in lyric and sound the sense of dizzy trepidation and uncertainty amidst the giddiness of love (before fading out with the disorientation of its ultimate denial). Check out the video below for a taste.

The track “Simple,” meanwhile, is just that - with a hummed "oh oh" chorus, prominent piano, simple lyrics and mellow ballad structure. Finally, the track “Love Will Find a Way” has a slight rockabilly twang, gentle melody, and breathy chorus about love overcoming troubled times (video below).

With their new EP, Spin, Northern Son offers up five songs that are a remedy for jaded ears. The EP shows a huge leap of refinement from their debut released last year and suggests that Northern Son is just starting to touch on their full potential. In fact, the best songs on the EP – “Ride (West Coast),” “Spin” and “Love Will Find a Way” - have the feel of instant classics. These are songs that are reminiscent of past favorites that you were rocking out to twenty years ago, and yet new and fresh enough that you can look forward to singing along to twenty years from now.

For those of you in and around the Bay Area, Northern Son will be having a CD release show this Thursday, December 16th, at the Voodoo Lounge in San Jose. Those of you farther afield can pick up the Spin EP on itunes or bandcamp when it drops. To hear more tracks and get info about the band, visit Northern Son’s official website or MySpace page.

Tidbits - Dearling Physique, Young Magic, Bikini and Shit Robot

2010-12-05T14:29:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: Shuttertrip. L-R Matt Vannelli, Dave Sellner, Domino Davis, Sean O’Hea

Dearling Physique’s “Discipline Your Hands”

The track "Discipline Your Hands" (mp3) is languid electronica that is simultaneously eerie and sensual with just the right amount of subtly blistering guitar flare. It seems the perfect audio accompaniment to gray winter days and chill (both in the sense of frosty and laid back) late nights.

The song is the first single off of Dearling Physique's upcoming full-length album, Deadeye Dealer (2011) due out January. The Minneapolis based band has a sound that is brooding and dark at points and soulful and vibrant at others.

If you like what you hear, check out Currency EP (player embedded below) released earlier this year and the Impressions of the Night EP (2009).

For more info, head to the Dearling Physique's web page.

Young Magic "You with Air"

This track (embedded below) has a peculiar formula: a reverberated crowd chant, layered ambient sound samples, mellow electronic beats, and hazily soulful male vocals.

Originally from eastern Australia and now in New York, the label material describes Young Magic as "Isaac, a portable studio, and friends" - as well as the sounds culled from such diverse locations as a "spy base" in Berlin, a playground in Australia, and flat in New York.

Young Magic will be releasing a 7" vinyl / digital single in February on the Carpark label. For more info, visit the band's MySpace page.

Bikini - "American Mourning"

"American Mourning" (mp3) is catchy morsel off the new Bikini EP, RIPJDS (2010), available digitally now and via pre-order from the band's label. You can check out a video for a second single, "ACheerleader," on YouTube. Preview more tracks from the EP on MySpace.

Shit Robot - "Take 'Em Up" (video)

Video for the single "Take 'Em Up" off of Shit Disco's full-length From The Cradle To The Rave (2010). I dig this disco-inflected, electroclash-style song all the more for the addition of Nancy Whang's vocals (LCD Soundsystem).

Shit Robot - Take 'Em Up from DFA Records on Vimeo.

In-your-face electro-pop-punk from Sweden's Alice in Videoland - free single and new full-length album

2010-11-28T19:03:00.000-08:00

Sweden's Alice in Videoland are back with their fourth full-length album, A Million Thoughts and They're All About You (2010). For those not familiar with AiV, the band serves up in-your-face electro-pop-punk with a naughty, hyperactive dance floor vibe.

Front-woman Toril Lindqvist (vocals and songwriting) is all attitude and sexy charisma with her salacious bratty punk girl vocals. Meanwhile, band members Anders Alexander (synths, programming, drums, and songwriting), Johan Dahlbom (bass and synth) and Martin Kenzo (guitar and synth) deliver infectiously aggressive beats. It is music that is unapologetically about a hell-raising sort of fun.

A Million Thoughts and They're All About You is currently available for download only via iTunes or Artoffact Records. The physical CD ships in January and is available for pre-order from Amazon.com and other outlets.

In the meantime, you can download the first hit single, "Starship" (mp3), that is climbing the charts in Sweden. Also, check out the rollicking video for "In a Band" below. Finally, several tracks off the new album are currently streaming on the band's MySpace Page.

French indie electro punk trio We Are Enfant Terrible create groovy beats with guitars, glitch, and gameboys

2010-11-27T13:25:00.000-08:00

The French indie electro punk trio We Are Enfant Terrible combine guitars, glitch, a gameboy, and girl vocals.

Formed in 2008, the band is comprised of Clo Floret (vocals, keys), Thomas Fourny (guitar, keys, vocals, nintendo), and Cyril Debarge (drums, 8bit music).

We Are Enfant Terrible just released their third EP, Wild Fish EP (2010). The new album includes tracks from their first two EPs - Thanks for the Fish (2009) and Wild Child (2010) - along with new remixes. You can sample several tracks in the embedded player below and, if you like what you hear, you can download the single "Wild Child" for free (video below).

To my tastes, an overly electronic-heavy approach can sometimes feel too esoteric and flat. Not so with We Are Enfant Terrible. The band injects a snappy and playful pop sensibility and groovy vibe into their electronic sound that keeps things interesting.

Another asset is the vocals of Clo Floret, which combine punkish aloofness ("Wild Child" and "Snap Dragon") with moments of indie pop sweetness ("I can’t help myself" and "Flesh and Blood Kids"). Add to this the fact that the band's lyrics combine social commentary and tech and fashion utopianism, and you have something rather unique and engaging.

We Are Enfant Terrible have a full-length debut release slated for early 2011. For more information, check out the band's official website and MySpace page. The Wild Fish EP is available on emusic, itunes, and Amazon.com.

New Wave inspired electro-rock from Portland's Night Surgeon

2010-11-21T21:51:00.000-08:00

Night Surgeon is an indie electro-pop duo from Portland, Oregon. The band is polishing their debut release, Day for Night, due out in February of next year. In anticipation of the release, the band has a streaming preview of the first two singles available (below). If you like what you hear - which I think you will - you can download the MP3s for free.

Night Surgeon pays homage to the synth-heavy audio aesthetics of 80s electronic bands, including a penchant for the bleeps and bloops that the early synthpop acts favored. The New Wave style and mellow and pleasant male vocals put the band right in-line with early Depeche Mode, Cause & Effect, Camouflage, etc.

But Night Surgeon is not a simple retro band. The handful of songs that they have released so far put a definite modern spin on the old formula. Like the better current crop of electro pop-rock groups, Night Surgeon dabbles with sound and genre (with moments like the disco sounding, R&B-inflected chorus for the single "Roman Error").

Night Surgeon definitely hits the right New Wave-inspired - but very fresh sounding - vibe to strongly pique my interest. I have been listening to this submission for almost a month now, but this one is too good for me to delay sharing any longer. Check out the preview singles and when February rolls around, I will definitely have more to say.

In the meantime, you can get more info about the band from their MySpace page.

Preview Warpaint's debut album, "The Fool"

2010-10-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

Warpaint's full-length debut, The Fool, drops on Monday, October 25th (read previous post here). But in the meantime, you can stream a preview of the entire album below.

Pre-order the album in various packages from the band or via Amazon.com.

Help My First Earthquake make an indie rock opera

2010-10-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

Rambunctious indie electro rockers ask fans to help make new album and videos as part of an indie rock opera. Upcoming show with Blood Red Shoes in San Francisco on October 15th. [this article also posted on examiner.com]

My First Earthquake had a dream: make their third album with a little help from their fans. So they turned to Kickstarter.com – a website that matches projects with contributors. With a humble target of raising $5,000 and a charming video pitch, the band asked fans to help fund a new album.

The response was quick and strong. Within three days, MFE had surpassed the $5K mark.

Thrilled and obviously a little overwhelmed by the response of their fans, MFE has upped the ante. They are inviting fans to help them with their “dream within a dream” of making an indie rock opera. To accomplish this, the band has asked indie music lovers to help raise another $10K with the promise that every additional $2K contributed will go towards the making of a new music video.

In exchange for the contributions, the band is offering all kinds of cool incentives. Fans can score copies of MFE’s albums, signed posters, t-shirts, an “earthquake preparedness kit,” and even more lavish rewards like spending a weekend with the band.

If you are not familiar with MFE, you might not know just how delightfully tantalizing it is to contemplate the prospect of this band putting their deviously creative minds to work on an indie rock opera.

My First Earthquake is a feisty San Francisco indie band that makes rambunctious electro-rock with a playfully punkish female vocalist, cheeky lyrics and effervescent beats. A signature local group, MFE embodies the Bay Area’s geeky-hip and hyper-creative vibe. Their sound is part Mates of State, part New Young Pony Club, part Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and part Blondie. All of these parts are reassembled by MFE into an infectiously danceable and irresistibly fun whole.

To date, the band has made two EPs and a full-length album. Both the band's debut EP Tremors (2008) and their full-length Downstairs (2009) were chock full of songs delivered with cleverly winsome panache.

Earlier this year, they released a four-song EP, Crush, as a free treat for fans. The new EP had a slightly more refined and sophisticated sound, showcasing a band that had matured and really come into their own musically. The EP was made with the production assistance of Anthony Molina - the same producer that MFE plans to enlist with thier upcoming album - so fans can expect another excellent release. Read more about these earlier releases here and here.

If you have not seen one of MFE’s fetchingly mischievous and fun music videos, you need to do so now. The handful of videos that My First Earthquake has produced so far infuse the band’s frolicsome attitude into their visual creations. The video for "Cool in the Cool Way" pokes fun at holier-than-thou hipsterism with a hipster zombocalypse. "Sweet Frown" (embedded above) gives us an over the top caricature of Marie Antoinette. The seasonally-themed "Holiday Sweaters" is worth a non-holiday look for its amusing depiction of a "hipster Santa" and ridiculously deadpan "ho ho" chorus. The same goes for "Fa La Freezing" - a "new Chanukah song" that is fun for any time of the year.

So now imagine MFE turned loose with a bit of cash and a license to translate their winking, snarky, irreverent and worldly-wise sense of humor into operetta - high school musical style ....

The original $5 K the band raised was a tiny sum to bankroll an album. The new goal of making videos for only $2 K a pop is similarly ambitious. But then again, MFE has done quite a bit with a feisty independent, DIY attitude and shoestring budgets – and they have been extremely generous sharing their creations with their fans.

In the great karmic bank of the universe, MFE has racked up a whole lot of karma credits. Now it is time for fans to play the role of indie music venture capitalists and help MFE with their next project.

So chip in and help My First Earthquake realize their dream of making an indie rock opera in song and video – with or without “jazz hands” (my personal vote is with).

For more about My First Earthquake, head over to the band's Facebook Page, Myspace Page or Official Site.

Upcoming Show:

POPSCENE PRESENTS:
Blood Red Shoes, My First Earthquake, Sky Larkin, plus DJ Aaron Axelsen (popscene, Live105)
Rickshaw Stop
Fri, October 15, 2010
8:30 pm
$10.00
All Ages - Advance tix $10, door tix $12
Tickets & Info

If Not For Dreaming's lushly layered, richly expansive, and dreamily atmospheric soundscape

2010-09-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

If Not For Dreaming... (c) Photo by Dawn Finaldi

If Not For Dreaming make a lush and lilting sort of dream pop delivered with lovely female vocals, melodious guitars and a bit of subtle production wizardry to layer it all together.

INFD released a self-titled six-song EP If Not For Dreaming ... (2009) late last year as the result of the collaboration between Amity Wahl (vocals / lyrics) and Pasquale (Pat) Russo (guitars and musical composition). In true DIY indie band fashion, the making of the EP and all the associated band management tasks were divided up and handled by the pair with very little help from anyone else. With recent material, the band’s roster has expanded to include Jay Jerz on drums – making INFD a trio with a very big sound. When playing live, the band enlists Carl Goding on drums, Jay takes up bass, and Amity assists with rhythm guitar.

At first listen, INFD will instantly feel comfortably familiar, channeling 90s bands like (early) Sarah McLachlan, Belly, Lush, The Sundays, Tori Amos, Bel Canto, and the Cocteau Twins.

But while they are certainly paying homage to these and other influences, INFD is also quite unlike any of the above. They have managed to take these inspirations and ample raw talent and craft a sound that is enticingly fresh and unique.

Part of that uniqueness arises from Amity’s beautiful voice. Bright and vibrant, her vocals have a sparklingly and sometimes operatic quality to them that could draw comparison to the similarly powerful and rich voices of sisters Enya and Moya Brennan (of Enya and Clanad respectively) or Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins). Many of INFD’s songs make melodious use of layer-upon-layer of Amity's voice. The texturing of her voice – the brightly clarion foreground vocals buoyed by her soft and cooing harmonious background vocals - serves as another virtual instrument enriching INFD’s music.

Meanwhile, Pat’s musical compositions and guitar work gently cradle and enhance Amity’s voice, never becoming over- or underwhelming in relation to her vocals. His arrangement of layered guitars and drums fuse elements of progressive and classic rock, jazz, and a hint of the classically orchestral – all perfect accompaniments to Amity. It is the intimately interwoven pairing of Amity’s voice and Pat’s music that creates INFD’s richly expansive, atmospheric, and ethereal soundscape.

The lyrics and themes of INFD’s songs also stand apart. Although many of the band's songs are suited to wistful daydreaming, Amity's lyrics have a definite introspective strain. While highly contemplative and often poetic, the overall mood conveyed by the songs is positive and uplifting. INFD thus avoids the fluffy near-nonsensicalness of some strains of dream pop as well as the dour angst and melancholy of shoegaze.

All of these elements together - the vocals, music, and lyrics - are the reason why the dream pop label only partially captures INFD’s sound. Instead of any one genre, the best shorthand that I could use to describe them would be an indie rock band with dreamy overtones, rich female vocals, layered guitars, and an expansive, occasionally almost symphonic feel to them.

And they have been turning heads (including mine) for the last year. Their EP is available on Amazon, iTunes, and emusic. They are on Pandora Radio. Several local and online streaming radio shows have interviewed them and they have been popping up as featured artists on various blogs and music sites.

INFD has two videos that you should check out – one for the awesome “Joyous Rush” (below) and one just released today for the great new track This Time (embedded above).

If Not For Dreaming are currently finalizing work on an upcoming full-length album that will include tracks from their EP as well as several new songs that have a harder rock edge to them. I will have a review as soon as I get my hands (and ears) on the finalized track list.

There are no shortage of songs for our angst-ridden or heartbroken moments. But to capture a sense of joy and wonder in song without sounding cloying or contrived, that is a rarer musical accomplishment. It is precisely this knack for putting warmth and brightness to lush music that make If Not for Dreaming such a remarkable band – and I am very long overdue in sharing how impressed I am with their music.

For more information about INFD, check out the band's MySpace, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Quiet Lights make languid lullabies for late-night lounging

2010-09-23T23:31:00.000-07:00

Listening to the demo tracks from Quiet Lights makes me longingly imagine a late night in New York City, heading home on the subway - tiredly numb and a little intoxicated - and blocking out the world with headphones softly playing music exactly like theirs. [Listen for yourself in the player or video embedded below]

The Brooklyn-based Quiet Lights blend subtle dissonance, shimmering reverb, touches of tribal percussion, lovely female vocals, and mixtures of loud and quiet moments.The closest comparison may very well be dream pop, but Quiet Lights' dreaminess is of the drowsy, hazy, single malt variety.

The four songs that Quiet Lights released to date have a bit of the controlled cacophony of 90s shoegaze, but are less scruffy flannel and more languid lullabies for late-night lounging. They are also a little reminiscent of groups like Halou, Beach House, Mono, Arab Strap or even múm (albeit generally being more accessible than those particular Icelanders).

<a href="http://quietlights.bandcamp.com/album/3-songs">3 Songs by Quiet Lights</a>

Quiet Lights is finishing up work on a full-length album that is due out later this fall. Remixing duty is in the hands of John Congleton (St Vincent, Explosions in the Sky) and remastering work will be done by Alan Douches (Frightened Rabbit, Sufjan Stevens).

The demos - as impressive as are - do have the sort of slight roughness around the edges that one would expect from a new indie band. But with the skilled polish of Congleton and Douches, the debut from Quiet Lights is something I will definitely be looking forward to hearing.

In the meantime, though, the band has the three demo tracks - "Quiet Truth, Weapons Thrown," "No More Canyons," and "We Live In Balloons" - available for preview and download to whet our collective appetites, and they are tasty morsels that you should definitely avail yourself of right away.

Quiet Lights also has a video for the track "Twice Today" (embedded at the end of this post). The video makes nifty use of kaleidoscope-like patterns of shapes captured with stop-action photography. As a result, the video has a twitchy hypnotic effect (which may be just short of inducing motion sickness depending on your tolerance for such tings ....).

For more information on Quiet Lights, check out the band's official web page or their MySapce, Facebook, Bandcamp, or Vimeo pages.

Twice Today from Quiet Lights on Vimeo.

South Bay indie alternative rockers Montana 1948 to play two San Jose shows

2010-09-17T22:50:00.000-07:00

[A version of this article also published at examiner.com]

Catch Montana 1948 this Saturday (9/18) at Britannia Arms and on Tuesday (9/21) at the Voodoo Lounge as part of a benefit for the San Bruno fire victims.

If you are not familiar with Montana 1948, they are a local indie band with a very accessible alternative-radio-rock sound (see my previous post). What makes them remarkable, however, is how they reprise and refine that formula. The band has a real asset with vocalist Ryan Lafferty. His slightly raspy vocals are expressive and soulful – a perfect fit to the band’s often contemplatively themed songs.

But anchoring Lafferty’s vocals is the musicianship of Charlie Maynard on drums, Dan Prull on guitar and Raza Malik on bass. Obviously talented musicians, the band injects a high degree of texturing and diversity into each of their songs. The result is a refreshingly layered and melodic sort of alternative rock.

Montana 1948 released their debut EP, “Tiny Drawings,” in 2009 and followed it with the full-length album “Picket Fence” in July of this year (read the album review). The twelve-track LP, chock full of jouncy hooks and melodic riffs, was an impressive debut. “Picket Fence” demonstrated that Montana 1948 is a local indie band with a tremendous amount of promise – seriously, these guys seem to have all the ingredients necessary to start getting a lot more attention.

That attention might not be far off. The band will soon be releasing three videos recorded live in studio (including a cover of “Bad Romance”). But YouTube might not be the only place that you hear Montana 1948 in the near future. With TV licensing deals in the works, the band is likely headed toward some well-deserved and much more widespread exposure.

Saturday’s show at Britannia Arms is put together by Barb Rocks Presents and also features Pebble Theory and Fight the Quiet. Montana 1948 can really shine in a small venue, as their strong performance on a tiny front stage during Left Coast Live Music Festival in June demonstrated.

The “Love Thy Neighbor” benefit showcase for the San Bruno fire victims at the Voodoo Lounge in San Jose on Tuesday is co-sponsored by Live 105. On the bill with Montana 1948 are Beta State, Citabria, and Talky Tina. It promises to be a night of great music for a good cause. All door proceeds will be donated to help San Bruno residents affected by the recent disaster.

More info about Montana 1948:

Read my SJ Indie Music Examiner review of Picket Fence (2010).
Listen to tracks on my previous post about Montana 1948.
Buy Montana 1948’s albums on iTunes and emusic.
For more information on shows and to hear some more songs, visit the band’s MySpace and Facebook pages.

Saturday's show info:
Pebble Theory, Montana 1948, Fight The Quiet

Date: Saturday, September 18, 2010
Location: @ Britannia Arms - Cupertino
Address: 1087 S. De Anza Blvd., San Jose, CA 95129
Time: 9pm
Cost: $5
Ages: 21+

Tuesday's show info:
“Love Thy Neighbor - The San Bruno Fire Relief Showcase" featuring Montana 1948, Beta State, Citabria, and Talky Tina.

Date: Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Location: @ The Voodoo Lounge
Address: 14 S 2nd St., San Jose, CA 95113
Time: 8pm
Cost: $10.50 (all proceeds donated)
Ages: 21+

Preview Warpaint's track "Undertow" - the first single off of their upcoming debut LP, "Fool"

2010-09-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

Warpaint's full length debut has been high up on my list of hotly anticipated albums for 2010 since I first got a listen to their Exquisite Corpse EP (2008/2009). The single "Elephants" (mp3), released as a teaser, was a very promising morsel indeed with its lushly layered yet slightly understated female vocals, almost psychedelic guitar rock edge, and dreamlike haziness induced by subtle reverb and distortion.

Now the band is back with a free download of "Undertow," the first single off of their upcoming album Fool set for release on October 25th by Rough Trade Records. The new album was produced by Tom Biller (Liars, Sean Lennon) with further mixing contributions by Andrew Weatherall (Primal Scream and New Order DJ/collaborator) and Adam Samuels (John Frusciante, Pearl Jam).

Based out of LA, Warpaint's line-up consists of Emily Kokal (vocals / guitar), Theresa Wayman (vocals / guitar), Jenny Lee Lindberg (bass / vocals), and Stella Mozgawa (drums / keys / vocals.

Check out a streaming preview of "Undertow" in the widget embedded below. You can score the mp3 in trade for your email address - but I think this is well worth it, since you will probably want to be on this band's mailing list.

Warpaint is commencing a three week tour with the XX in North America before heading to Europe for three weeks (tour info here). Visit the band's MySpace page or official website for more information. You can pre-order Fool on Amazon.

Preveiw two tracks from Blonde Redhead's upcoming new album, "Penny Sparkle"

2010-09-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

Blonde Redhead's new album, Penny Sparkle, is due out on the 13th in the UK and on the 14th in US.

But you can get a taste of a couple tracks off of the new album now. A streaming preview of the single "Here Sometimes" is available via the widget above. Join the band's mailing list to download the mp3.

The band also has made a second track from the new album, "Not Getting There," available to fans as a tantalizing preview.

Blonde Redhead is heading out on a European tour starting next week with shows scheduled through the end of the year. A number of recently announced North American show dates have been added as well. See all tour dates here.

Blonde Redhead is among the best of the dreamy and hazy indie popsters. The airy and saccharine sweet vocals of Kazu Makino float like delicate gossamer upon the subtle musical arrangements of brothers Amedeo and Simone Pace. The combination of ethereal female voice and gently building music makes for a sound perfectly suited for headphone listening or for late nights and dimmed lights.

With Sparkle Penny, the trio behind Blonde Redhead have crafted yet another excellent album to carry you away on auditory waves of musical bliss. I, for one, already have a physical copy of the album on pre-order.

For more info, check out Blonde Redhead's official website or MySpace Page.

Preview James' Upcoming EP, The Morning After, and buy tickets for their US / North America Tour

2010-09-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

James - 'The Morning After' preview - album out 6th September by 'James'

UK band James has a streaming preview of part of their upcoming 8-song EP entitled The Morning After available for a limited time on their website (player embedded above).

The forthcoming EP is a follow-up to the The Night Before, a 7-song EP released earlier this year. Indeed, the The Morning After as a follow-up to the The Night Before - isn't the band clever?

Although the new EP is available for pre-order from the UK, fans in the US would probably be better served by waiting for the full-length album The Morning After The Night Before due out on September 14th. A two disk set, the US release will include both EPs.

So how are the songs on The Morning After? Mellower musically and melancholy lyrically, the songs are a continuation of the band's evolution -- one that began with the release of Millionaires (1999) and Pleased to Meet You (2001) -- away from their more frenetic, horn-inflected sound of the early 90s. In fact, the 8 songs are tinged with the kind of quiet and contemplative introspection (and regret?) that often comes on those mornings after.

James swings through North America this fall, touring 21 cities over the course of September and October. I caught the band in 2008 when they passed through the Bay Area to support their album, Hey Ma! (2008), and I can say that James is awesome live. I can't wait to see them again when they return in October. Check out tour dates and get ticket info here.

The Morning After the Night Before at is available for pre-order at Amazon.com. Get more information on dates, releases and other band news at James' official website.