It's nearing the end of April already, and time to catch up with some fresh new songs from popular indie bands like Sonic Youth, Trainwreck Riders, The Von Bondies and Super Fury Animals. We are digging these songs and the recent or upcoming album releases they are found on. These are definitely picks of the month for your music collection.

"Chug Along" - Trainwreck Riders from The Perch
"Safety of a Back" - Trainwreck Riders from The Perch (out May 12 on Alive Records)

"Sacred Trickster" - Sonic Youth from The Eternal (out June 8 on Matador Records)

"Pale Bride" - The Von Bondies from Love, Hate and Then There's You (2009)

"Inagural Trams" - Super Fury Animals from Dark Days/Light Years (2009)

The next listening playlist of new songs features Deleted Scenes, Odawas, BLK JKS and Operahouse.

Voxtrot, Pomegarantes, Neko Case, YYYs and The Grates

The Acorn, Coltrane Motion and The City and The Horses

Continue reading and listen to songs

Labels: 2009 Indie Songs, Indie MP3s

It's that time again. A band I didn't know about before, but should have known. Vetiver, the brainchild of San Francisco singer/songwriter Andy Cabic, creates dream-like folk pop full of sweeping moods and introspective lyrics.

Tight Knit is the fourth LP from Vetiver. If the following single is representative of the rest of the album, then we expect Vetiver to make a splash in 09.

"Everyday" - Vetiver from Tight Knit

Tight Knit will be released on February 17, 2009 on SubPop Records.

Recorded in Sacramento at The Hangar and in Los Angeles at Melva, Tight Knit was produced by longtime Vetiver collaborator Thom Monahan. Accompanying Cabic were Sanders Trippe on guitar, Kevin Barker on guitar, Otto Hauser on drums, Brent Dunn on bass and guest musicians including The Shins' Eric Johnson (also of Fruit Bats) Jonathan Wilson, "Farmer" Dave Scher, and Adam Peters.

Labels: 2009 Indie Rock Albums, Indie MP3s, New Indie Bands 2009, Vetiver

One of the interesting things about the end of a year is that lots of people spend lots of time and money catching up on new music releases from that year - 2008 to be specific - including the folks here at the cafe.

While the Best Indie Rock Songs of 2008 playlist series officially ended last month at Vol.15, we are still finding music many may have missed, in addition to other great songs from 2008 releases that we already featured.

The following playlist features tracks from artists and bands like Sybris, The Suncharms, Secret Machines, The Tallest Man On Earth and Tigers Can Bite You.

1. "Oh Man!" - Sybris from Into The Trees

2. "Tranquility Day" - The Suncharms from You Can't Have It All

3. "Now You're Gone" - Secret Machines from Secret Machines

4. "The Gardner" - The Tallest Man On Earth from Shallow Grave

5. "Second Nature" - Tigers Can Bite You from Steve Ward Hears Voices

Labels: Best Indie Rock Songs 2008, Indie MP3s, Secret Machines, Sybris, The Suncharms, The Tallest Man on Earth, Tigers Can Bite You

The following is an indie mixed tape of new songs and releases that came out this summer. Since they have already been released this summer, it seems right to call this tape the Tarty Party mix.

Just click the button on the cassette image below to start the stream featuring songs from Amazing Baby, Ratatat, Beaujolais, Hacienda, Sam Champion, Kings of Leon, I Heart Hiroshima, Awesome Color, Rainbow Arabia and The French Semester.

Here are some free MP3s from the mixed tape above. Others are available from the MP3 tab above.

MP3: "Headdress" by Amazing Baby from Infinite Fking Cross EP released on August 29, 2008

MP3: "Mirando" by Ratatat (via Pitchfork Media)

MP3: "Friday, The Thirteenth: The Loft" by Beaujolais from the Parasol Records Release Love at Thirty

MP3: "Be Mine Everyone" by Sam Champion

Labels: Indie MP3s, Indie Rock Songs, MP3s

The talented indie rock band Of Montreal are handing out some earlier Christmas gifts.

The five-piecehave uploaded MP3s from their upcoming record, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

The band decided to upload MP3s of songs from their yet to be released CD to their My Space page.

If that's not enough, fans can listen to a free music stream for Of Montreal's new CD album, set for release in February on Polyvinyl. The band's front man, Kevin Barnes, has also provided free MP3s of of album tracks.

Labels: Indie MP3s, Of Montreal

Just like any other genre of music, listening to the classics of indie rock is not only an education in and of itself, with lots of jems to discover on the way, but also a good lesson about a form of music that has only recently matured - that is indie rock (or alternative, whatever you want to call it).

This week's "Digging The Archives" featured album may have come out 11 years ago, but it still fresh and inviting - chock full of great, if not obscure, 'oldskool' indie rock.

With an indie star line-up that includes singers from Yo La Tengo and Luna, Wasps' Nest (1995), by The 6ths, easily ranks as one of the most influential records that emerged onto the indie scene during the still-very-underground genre.

Produced and composed by The Magnetic Fields front man Stephin Merritt, Wasps' Nest offers a collection of wonderfully diverse songs that somehow all fit together to form a classic album. Listening to tracks like 'San Diego Zoo', 'Falling Out' of 'Love, Winter in July' and 'Heaven In A Black Leather Jacket' conjures up images of bands like well, yeah, The Magnetic Fields, but also later day indie sensations like Built To Spill, Future Bible Heroes and Yo La Tengo.

Not so ironically, one of the indie artists performing on the album is Yo La Tengo's Georgia Hubley. It seems a natural collboration for Merritt and Hubley. Also lending their vocal talents to the indie classic are Barbara Manning, Dean Wareham of Luna, Mary Timony of Helium, Robert Scott of The Bats, Chris Knox, Lou Barlow.

Can you imagine if this talent-drooling experiment had taken the next step and become a permanent indie band? Talk about it using the Comments below.

Thankfully, and to the praise of many rock critics and indie fans, Merritt resembled and reconfigured The 6ths two years after Wasps Nest to produce a collection of songs he almost exclusively composed. Merritt and Magnetic Fields were reeling from the accolades of 69 Love Songs (a three-disc indie classic) when Merritt set out to conceive a follow-up to Wasps Nest debut, Hyacinths and Thistles, five years later. To help out, he commissioned the vocal gifts of Bob Mould, Sarah Cracknell, Gary Numan and Marc Almond.

The result was a yet another critically received work of pure indie genius five years after the release of Wasps' Nest. Indie rock critics and fans around the world praised it and some called it yet another indie classic.

Shortly after it's release, The 6ths unofficially disbanded. That's a bit strange since they were never officically an established band in the tradition sense, but more as an experiment.

Fans of The 6ths would love to hear more. Let's hope that Merritt gets the itchies to revive The 6ths and set out to recruit some of the best in the indie music world to collaborate on creating a potentially third classic indie rock band.

The result, which included Hot on the heels of the well-received Magnetic Fields project 69 Love Songs, Merritt was the 6ths second album, Hyacinths and Thistles, with vocal help from Marc Almond, Bob Mould, Gary Numan, and Sarah Cracknell, among others.

To think of the subsequent work they could release if the union reunited.

Meanwhile, each member continued on their road to making great music. Merritt, not surprisingly (and thankfully for MF fans and yet to be fans), returned to The Magnetic Fields and pump out some great work.

Take a look at the band's official web site discography [link]
Die-hard indie fans have ready heard this album or are trying to find it right now. Enjoy and get a sense of some of the pioneers of indie rock as we know it today.

Labels: Digging The Archives, Indie MP3s, The Magnetic Fields