Blog: The Lonely Note

Shoegaze balladeers, The Horrors , present a slightly psychedelic, mostly gothic sonic experience with 'Still Life.' Watch the corresponding video to 'Still Life' below:

Moody, disenchanted covers of popular alternative songs by hipsters with too much time on their hands are a dime a dozen on the internet. However, this cover of Arcade Fire 's 'The Suburbs' by Mr. Little Jeans (aka Monica Birkenes) is really, really well done. Stream Birkenes' peculiar interpretation below: Mr. Little Jeans - The Suburbs (Arcade Fire Cover) by Hypetrak

• Mr. Little Jeans - The Suburbs (Arcade Fire Cover)

'Dance by Accident' is a killer downtempo track from Halloween, Alaksa . The groove is dead-on, and the Sting soundalike vocals during the bridges is an excellent touch. Prepare to be chilaxed when you listen to this one. Stream 'Dance by Accident' below: Dance By Accident by ambledown Coming music hits Catwalk Lyrics Jessie J [...]

• ambledown - Dance By Accident

Sweetly melodic, 'East Harlem' is the latest offering from New Mexico's Beruit . The song carries with it Slavic folk influences that have been heavily featured on past tracks. Stream 'East Harlem' below: Beirut - East Harlem by Revolver USA

• Beirut - East Harlem

A blip on the radar in 1988, 'You Don't Know' was a pop radio mainstay for at least a few weeks. Sounding awfully similar to Glass Tiger 's 'Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone,' 'You Don't Know' provided brief success to no-namers Scarlett and Black . Admittedly, the song is pretty solid. You can watch the music video to this eighties deep cut below: Something for the ears [...]

'Woods' is an understated ballad from North Carolina's The Rosebuds . Subtle petulance peppers the tune, but not enough to diminish the song's strange pleasantness. Put on the headphones and stream 'Woods' via the video player below:

I was slow to warm up to noise pop duo No Age , but there's just something about 'Glitter' that leaves me in a sweet spot. I think it might just be the deliberate and masterful distortion of the guitar. Give 'Glitter' a spin below: No Age - Glitter .mp3

My Morning Jacket is back with a virile new single. 'Holdin' on to Black Metal' features horns, a children's chorus, and metered procession. Be careful, this one will get stuck in your head if you're not wary. Watch the video for 'Holdin' on to Black Metal' below:

White Denim 's D dropped May 24th. 'Street Joy' is the first single from the album, and it is a tasty one to say the least. Unlike some of the stoner jams of the trio's past works, 'Street Joy' is a touching, moving, and melodic ballad. It's coffeshop craft at its best. Stream the quite enjoyable 'Street Joy' below: White Denim - 'Street Joy'

Comprised of worldwide citizenry, rock band Alberta Cross contains members from New York, London, and Stockholm. Notwithstanding their diverse geographic backgrounds however, the band produces a sound that is distinctly American. Critics have compared Alberta Cross to Neil Young . And indeed their songs feature the same pensive angst that pervaded some of Young's greatest works. But the group underscores its sonic compositions with other salient markings, too. From the grungy crunch of nineties rock, to the lo-fi song structure prevalent today, Alberta Cross produces flavorings that are notably modern, [...]

Somewhere back around 2000, I first heard Mindless Self Indulgence . The name alone caught my attention. This was back when I still had a dial-up, 56k modem and sites like the iTunes store and YouTube didn't exist. In those days, I still discovered music the old-school way -- by buying it on instinct. I'd read some small blurb about MSI and their bizarre style of self-proclaimed "industrial jungle pussy punk" and figured I should at least give the band the benefit of a listen. [...]

Minus the Bear are back with a 6-track EP entitled, "Hold Me Down", and it's available right now as a 100% free download on the band's website ! Led by the EP's title track, "Hold Me Down" also features a b-side from the band's latest album, OMNI , called "Broken China". There are also 3 live recordings from that album and a remix of the single, "My Time" from a fan contest the band held in the fall. [...]

Boy, can this teenager from Pittsburg rap with the best and the rest of 'em. 'Knock Knock' contains brilliant sampling. Mac 's flow is flawless. And his vocal tone is smooth and melodic! Watch the invigorating video for 'Knock Knock' below: PS: Let 'em in!

Black Lips ' Arabia Mountain drops June 6. Mark Ronson and Lockett Pundt produced, so the disc is sure to be solid. Watch the video to the first single, 'Modern Art,' below:

Gang Gang Dance 's 'MindKilla' is strangely awesome. There isn't much more to be said. Watch the video below:

I remember where I was when I first saw the video for 'Godless.' It was two in the morning, and I was in that special twilight zone between awake and dreaming. I think the year was 2000. I was in my friend's basement, and MTV2 was playing in the distance. The video was non-threatening at first, subtly creeping into my consciousness with its negative spacing and slow motion aesthetics. But then that damned hula hoop just kept spinning, and spinning, and spinning, and spinning, and before [...]

On Beach House 's Sub Pop release , 'Lover of Mine' spawns psychedelic calm. The official video, on the other hand, tends to be a little more chaotic. Watch the video for 'Lover of Mine' below:

With the punctuation of Depeche Mode , and the cheekiness of Pet Shop Boys , Holy Ghost! delivers an eightiestastic dance jam with its single, 'Wait and See.' Stream 'Wait and See' below. It is oh so good. Holy Ghost! - Wait and See .mp3

Purity Ring . It's a fantastic name for a group oozing with moody sensuality. The song "Lofticries" is the b-side to Purity Ring's recent 7" single, "Ungirthed" , and is arguably an even better track. An atmospheric haze of electronic blips and fuzz ebb and sway against Megan James' pristine vocal aesthetics, melting into a deeply erotic, yet wistful, down tempo groove. Stream "Lofticries" below:

In 2009, The Antlers released the highly-acclaimed and harrowing concept album, Hospice - told from the perspectives of a dying cancer patient and the nurse who falls in love with her - decidedly not lighthearted fare. On the group's new effort, Burst Apart , the subject matter doesn't appear to be getting much easier to swallow. Song titles such as, "Putting the Dog to Sleep" and "Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out" should give [...]