This week's S-25 is dedicated to a random pick of 2011 songs that we really enjoy - some are well-known, or new material from established indie and alternative rock bands - like The Strokes, Beirut, Peter Bjorn and John, and Bon Iver - but many others are songs that we refer to as 'rarely heard,' [...] Read more, get songs or stream the entire mix on Indie Rock Cafe

I've said this before; I like songs that give play-by-play on the activities of a song's protagonist. ( Squeeze comes to mind. These types of songs keep you at the edge of your Eames. What happens next?? Will he head to CVS and try out Dr. Scholl's Footmapping technology ?) ( via ) Sorry About Dresden: Sick and Sore.mp3
Guided by Voices , who celebrated Matador Records' 21st birthday earlier this month in Vegas, will be on the receiving end of a celebration early next year. And according to TwentyFourBit , although the GBV tribute album so far has no name, it will have plenty of exciting names on the tracklist. As Wayne Coyne mentioned on Twitter in September, his Flaming Lips recorded their cover of "Smothered in Hugs" for the compilation. Now, No More Fake Labels founder Misty Dawn Briggs has revealed to Independent Weekly a bunch more artists [...]

Merz has had somewhat of a difficult life for quite awhile now. I haven't posted until today since, once again, I have been in the hospital. This time is was more of my choice and for very different reasons than before. My body has not been the same since I took the overdose of pills back in 2008. My kidneys were damaged and are only functioning at 50% now. Plus, I damaged other organs. One of the other organs I damaged was my gall bladder and been having problems with it ever since that episode in 2008. [...]

Image From Here Got up this morning and saw the sun rise. Something I haven't done in literally years. The fact is I slept most of the day yesterday and couldn't do anything but get up early. The new Doc I am seeing has me on a trial of new meds. And the fucking things are making me extremely tired. I wrote about this before in a post but may as well bring it up again. This depression/anxiety/PTSD thing is an illness not something imagined out of the mind. I have proof of [...]

Cut Off Your Hands - You And I Porno For Pyros - Pets Sorry About Dresden - On A Contradiction Sleater-Kinney - Oh Low - Your Poison * Out Hud - One Life To Leave *

Omaha strikes again with yet another great indie rock band. Sorry About Dresden consists of Matt Oberst (yes, Conor's brother), Matt Tomich, Eric Roehrig, and James Hepler, all Omaha, Nebraskans. Their music is two-sided. Some songs are anthems, powerful and loud with catchy chorus lines and upbeat rhythms, while others are sophisticated compositions, with thoughtfully placed instrumental breaks and layer upon layer of guitar, snare, organ, glockenspiel, etc. This overwhelming versatility in style may seem like plain confusion, and that might very well be true. But if confusion can create such postworthy music, then I wish we were all a [...]
It all began with Conor and Justin Oberst putting out cassette releases on their own Lumberjack Records label. It would soon evolve with the inclusion of Robb Nansel and Mike Mogis, who were in college together, into Saddle Creek Records headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. >>Azure Ray [indie/dream pop] if you fall >>Broken Spindles [indie/post-rock/electronic/ex perimental] move away [...]