While writing my earlier post on Panda & Angel , I came across today's track from labelmates, These Arms Are Snakes. I've been a fan of TAAS since their 2004 release Oxeneers or The Lion Sleeps When Its Antelope Go Home , and was pleasantly surprised to see that they have a new album, Easter , due out in August. I can't say that Oxeneers is my favorite album, but it's a good one to shuffle in every once in a while when I'm the mood for a few tracks of [...]
"People say that we sound like what would happen if Dinosaur Jr. kicked Queens of the Stone Age's ass and then went out back to party with Oneida and Deerhoof." That's how Up the Empire's Doug Keith describes his band's sound, and with a 'modest' description like that how can you not be intrigued. Though I fail to hear...well...any of the influences he mentions I have really dug everything I've heard thus far by the band. "Recover" tends to have all the hallmarks of a well-polished indie-rock band bordering [...]
Ennui is a band I really didn't have to search for, they just kind of landed in my lap. They played a show in Morgantown last week that I was able to catch. Unfortunately, I had to leave halfway through their set (mainly because I'm old and had to go to work the next day). I knew I was in for something interesting when I saw the stage setup. The set started with some loops playing on a mac. The guitarist was beating some piece of metal dangling from a strange hanger. The bassist (who was [...]
Keeping with the mellow vibe of Jeremy's post from yesterday, here's another laid-back tune for your listening pleasure. Emperor X (real name Chad Matheny, and science teacher) hails from Jacksonville, FL, and comes with his own take on lo-fi indie-folk. As a one-man act his songs are often simple, but don't let that discourage you. His tracks tend to be well crafted, endearing, and all-around good listens. Today's track is off of his last full-length, 2005's Central Hug/Friendarmy/Fractaldunes , but that's not all we've got for you. As a matter of [...]
Here's a little mellowness to take you into the week. Micah P. Hinson, courtesy of Abilene, Texas, sings with a depth and conviction which sounds like it could only have been gleaned from years of serenading bars and whisky joints. Only thing is that Mr. Hinson had barely reached the ripe old age of 18 when most of these demos were made. Micah, whom has started to build up a pretty impressive following across the pond in the U.K., leads each song with a dark, gravely voice singing simple melodies against an unobtrusive guitar. [...]
Don't be fooled by the opening few seconds of this track. What starts out sounding like mid-tempo glitch-pop a la Electric President or The Postal Service , quickly turns into a delightful piece of moody indie rock when the somber guitar and lead singer Carrie Murphy's practically emotionless vocals are layered on. From here the song begins a series of ups and downs, with each successive high a little higher than the previous, that eventually crescendos as the keys join in with the increasingly erratic guitars, and the song comes crashing to a close. [...]
Yup, I loves me some bluegrass. There's just something about the driving melodies, evil sounding harmonies, and the light finger-picking of a banjo. Yup, that's a toe-tapping good time. "Second Son" is off of 'Ambassador', the Six Shooter Records release of Toronto based Elliott Brood. The guys, who describe their music as "Death Country" or "Kentucky Hardcore" (possibly the two best genre names I've ever heard) have also just released an EP on Ontario's Weewerk Records called 'Tin Type'. So if you're a closet bluegrass fan, or [...]
If you followed any of the Contrast Podcasts we participated in, you may have listened to the Local podcast . And, if this is the case, you know we posted a song by Librarians. Librarians is a local band here in Morgantown, WV, with a distinctly different sound than you might expect from the area. I believe they previously described their sound as " sex music ", but I can't claim to know what that means. But maybe that's the sort of message that you should take away; you can't really [...]
Anchors for Architects are a band from L.A., but listening to this track I'd think they were from D.C. if I didn't know better. But I'd be wrong, because they're not, but they definitely have that quintessential D.C. sound. They also remind me of early Detachment Kit (who aren't from D.C. either, go figure). But despite all of this geographical confusion, Anchors for Architects are a band worth checking out no matter where they're from. "In the Nineties" comes from their second full length, Dirty Settlements , released this past [...]
Jeremy, your regularly scheduled host, couldn't make it today so I decided to pick up the slack. It seems his laptop unexpectedly moved on into the next life (more than likely just the hard drive), but hopefully I can help ease the pain of a missed post. I'll try to keep the banter to a minimum. Today's post is brought to you courtesy the Sound Team, from their latest release, Movie Monster . This track reminds me of late 80's early 90's rock / pop. Its a bit of a divergence from the acoustic or [...]
For an artist known primarily for folksy, western tunes, this song is surprisingly funky. And on this heavily latin-tinged track, James Apollo does white-boy soul about as well as anyone before him. The laid-back soulful sound is the perfect compliment to a lazy summer evening with a drink in hand watching the sun set. "Three Birds" is off of his latest album, Good Grief , which came out this past September on Aquarium Records . To hear more from the album, be sure to check out the music section of [...]
So there I was with an entire other song picked out and ready to post and along comes this one. And, lucky for all of us, it was way too good to pass up or even put off, for that matter. I've actually been a fan of Silversun Pickups for quite awhile now, in fact I absolutely LOVED Pikul . But like any skeptical fan I was a little suspicious of their follow-up. You see, I've seen so many bands come out with these absolutely amazing first releases or [...]
I seem to be on a "bands that are composed from other bands" kick. It is what it is, as I'm told. Maritime is a conglomerate of former Promise Ring and Dismemberment Plan singers. Man, Wikipedia rocks. I'm not exactly sure how these guys got together, but I'm sure not going to complain. This song is supposedly off their latest release, Vehicles , although I can't seem to find it on a track listing. If anyone knows if this song is really on that CD, please let me know. [...]
I first heard Forget Cassettes a few years ago when fellow KinkyOrigami writer Ricky played their first CD, Instruments of Action , for me. He was a big fan, but I have to admit I was less enthused. While there were a few tracks that caught my attention, I wasn't too impressed with the album overall. But like I said, that was a few years ago, and now they're back with a new line-up, and a new single from their upcoming album. "The Catch" is the first single off of their new [...]
Welcome to Monday. Get ready to rock. Today's morning tunes come to us courtesy of The Living Blue. Formerly known as the Blackouts, this track comes off of their first LP under their new name called 'Fire, Blood, Water' and if this track is any indication it should be a pretty serious album. Think classic garage rock but with a tighter, slightly better produced sound and you're halfway there. Check out their MySpace page or their page on their label's site for more downloads and streamy goodness and that [...]
I don't remember where I stumbled across this song. Honestly I don't even remember downloading it; but I'm glad I did because it's really good. While tracks on this EP seem to genre hop a lot, this song best fits in area of indie electronic-pop similar to artists like the Postal Service. This song also wins the award for best use of unexpected screaming :) I don't really know much about this band, and at the time of writing this their site was down, so I don't have much else to say. [...]
I first heard Birdmonster a few months ago while surfing the (other) ole' MP3 blogs. Our friends at music.for-robots had posted this amazing song called 'Balcony' (which unfortunately I can't find freely available online) that just blew me away. It quickly became my sort of unofficial 'springtime anthem'. So obviously I was pretty psyched to run across a new song which the guys were kind enough to make available on their website. Although 'Resurrection Song' doesn't really remind me that much of 'Balcony' it's still an amazing song. [...]
The Glaciers. They shaped the layout of our entire world, etching gouges into the land. Large and slow moving, they are a timeless landmark. They serve as an indictor of the overall health of our world, although their existence may now be threatened by global warming, err. Wrong glaciers. The Glaciers are supposedly former members of Essex Green and Rainer Maria (one of my favorite bands), although I haven't found much to support this except one review . I heard this song at least a month ago and immediately though, "I'm gonna post that." Needless [...]
Today's track comes from Cansei De Ser Sexy (CSS for short), the hottest thing out of Brazil since Ronaldinho . Their name is Portuguese for 'Tired of Being Sexy', and hints at their light-hearted nature. CSS makes electronic and hip-hop influenced dance music that puts you in mind of an updated (and often humorous) take on classic acts such as Blondie, as well as some of today's more popular dance-heavy indie artists. "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above" comes from their self-titled album which is due to be [...]
Got a little love from the midwest coming your way today. The Foundry Field Recordings, on Missouri's Emergency Umbrella label, is pure indie rock...at least to my ears. Holding the Pilots/Holding the Facts, the first offering off of their new album Prompts/Miscues, comes right out of the gate with that 'burrow in your head' catchiness that's so often lost in non-mainstream music these days. If you dig this track then Emergency Umbrella has a few others in downloadable form that you can check out as well as a set [...]
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