The fourth installment of In Dee Mail Special Year-End edition spills over into the new year with 2009 songs from noteworthy artists and bands (who sent their music to us in dee mail and unsolicited).

There will be more of these songs featured in this series alone over the next few weeks, in addition to dozens and dozens of the best new 2010 songs off recent and upcoming releases.

First up is a band that sent in two tracks that have been on regular re-play in the past two months. Austin is a hard place for a band to break through nowadays due to the saturation of musicians who have flooded this southern music mecca during the past few years.

But the latest release from the band Tiny Tin Hearts is quite good. Sure the band doesn't exactly have a 'cool' name, but dorkiness has become an asset for other bands, why not these guys? Tiny Tin Hearts deliver flourishing, sprawling pop rock embellished by trombones, violins, cellos and French horns.

The eclectic band actually came together as a result of ads placed on Craigslist by band leader Seth Osborn; his previous attempts to form a band in New Jersey did not pan out. Tiny Tin Hearts, now numbering eight members, definitely have a sound that is worth checking out, and they have started to build a following. Last March, they were selected as one of the top five best new bands at the Austin Music Awards.

"Small Catastrophe" - Tiny Tin Hearts from Last Flight of the Martyr Aviator (2009)

"The Aviator" - Tiny Tin Hearts from Last Flight of the Martyr Aviator (2009)

Tiny Tin Hearts on MySpace

Columbus, Ohio band Flotation Walls mix choral, psych-folk, and orchestral music with a beautiful cinematic quality on their debut album, Nature. Next, Provo, Utah musical duo and couple Adam & Darcie craft soft folk pop songs with a revolving cast of musicians; this year they released their sophomore LP, California Trail.

"Willis The Fireman" - Flotation Walls from Nature (2009)

Flotation Walls on MySpace

Boston's unsigned band Sidewalk Driver offer up a powerful mix of power pop, glam and rock on their latest release, For All the Boys and Girls. The band's music is high energy, highly-infectious and hook-driven. Lead singer Tad McKitterick's voice has power and clarity, is expressive, but forceful, without canceling out his vocals more subtle moments. The songs are delivered with unique oddity but are accessible enough to welcome you to join in the celebration like a carnival barker hyping a freak show.

"Jenny Don't Really Like The Boys" - Sidewalk Driver from For All the Boys and Girls (2009)

The Sidewalk Driver on MySpace

The New Platz, New York progressive folk band Oryan - which could have easily been called something like 'The Band of Ryands' - formed in July of 2008 after co-workers Ryan Megan and Ryan Schoonmaker decided to do something about the "dismal state of the local music scene."

Teaming up with bassist Ryan McCann and guitarist Adam Gosney, Oryan released their self-titled EP earlier this year, featuring music they tag as: "Tom Waits on a strong dose of acid." The band has opened for Rusted Root, The Kin and The Rhodes.

"The Ride" - Oryan from s/t EP (2009)

Chicago's Americana indie rock/power pop band Twilight Revival (formed in 2006 via Craigslist) have won the praise of the city's big daily newspapers, influential blogs and music lovers, often drawing comparisons to Wilco, REM and The Replacements.

Part raucous rebellion and part folk revival, Twilight Revival's 2009 release, Parlour, alternately growls with rock and roll intensity and simmers in the more mellow aspects of folk rock, featuring tales of heroes and ghosts, loss and redemption, despair and salvation.

"Helicopter" - Twilight Revival from Parlour (2009)

Twilight Revival on MySpace

You may not have heard many modern songs featuring the lute - afterall, it was an instrument that enjoyed its heyday centuries ago - but musician Rolf Lislevand excercises the power of the ancient instrument to a degree that a "guitar-slinging rocker" would be hard-pressed "not to be impressed by his fleet-fingered playing," according to Unte.com.

"Satlarello" - Rolf Lislevand from Diminuito (2009)

Rolf Lislevand on Andante

Get more great songs from IRC's popular In Dee Mail playlist series.

Labels: 2009 Indie Songs, Austin Bands, Flotation Walls, Sidewalk Driver, Tiny Tin Hearts

New video for Wiretree's song, "Days Gone By"
We have not been able to stop playing one of 2009's most brilliant pop albums since it crossed our radar a few weeks ago. The album title is Luck from the incredibly talented Austin power pop band Wiretree. If you love masterfully crafted, infectious, melodic pop with vintage 60's and retro hipster underground influences, chances are you'll want to add Luck to your CD collection.

Fans of the Matthew Sweet, Paul Weller, Velvet Underground, The La's and Elliott Smith are the most likely music lovers to turn on, and tune in, to Wiretree. It is bands like Wiretree that keep our faith that independent music is far from dying out.

Wiretree is Kevin Peroni (vocals, guitar, keys), Rachel Peroni (bass), Joshua Kaplan (guitar), and Daniel Blanchard (drums). Their debut, a self-titled EP, was released in 2005 via their own independent label, Cobaltworks Music. In January of 2007, the band released their first LP, Bouldin. If you enjoy Luck as much as we do, you'll want to get their debut album as well.

There are so many wonderful songs on Luck that it was hard to pick only the three tracks we've presented here; choosing just one is nearly impossible. The LP gets better with each spin, which explains why we've been listening to it so much. See the video above for the upbeat and catchy song, "Days Gone By."

The track, "Back in Town," is one of the band's best songs; a mix of 80's style power pop guitar riffs, xylophone chimes and passionate vocals that you might just find yourself listening to again and again. "Falling" is a sweet, drifting pop song about love and longing that would be great for a movie soundtrack or a Valentine's mixtape. The hooks and choruses of "Satellite Song" makes it one of the many standout tracks on the album.

"Back in Town" - Wiretree from Luck (2009)

"Falling" - Wiretree from Luck (2009)

"Satellite Song" - Wiretree from Luck (2009)

"Big Coat" is an irresistible hook-driven masterpiece that reminds us a lot of Elliot Smith, yet it is brilliantly original. Other great tracks on Bouldin include, "Travelin' On," "Summercity," and "Feel Me."

"Big Coat" - Wiretree from Bouldin (2007)

It is always surprising to us that when a remarkable LP is pretty much missed by the majority of popular music blogs and websites, which is a big reason why we choose Bands to Watch that are, for the most part, unknown to even die-hard indie music fans.

It's not that Wiretree haven't been praised by other publications and blogs; it's just that they haven't received the wider exposure their music deserves. The blog, Absolute Powerpop, writes that Luck retains the band's "signature sound yet broadens it to point where I could see the intelligentsia of indie rock and the poobahs at Pitchfork giving it a thumbs up if they take the time to check it out."

Why a label like Sub Pop, Merge or Asthmatic Kitty haven't signed this band is baffling, to say the least. But, in the end, that doesn't matter; we have Wiretree at the top of our 'lesser known bands' lists with four and five stars in iTunes for most of their songs. We can only hope that more people get to hear this fantastic band.

Get Luck via iTunes

Wiretree's official website

Stream more songs on Wiretree's MySpace page or their official website.

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Labels: Austin Bands, Indie Artist/Group Profiles, Wiretree