# Indie Spotlight: Air Waves, Dazzle Ships, Dana Falconberry, The Strange Boys and Dinosaur Bones

- Link: https://indierockcafe.com/2010/09/bands-in-the-spotlight/
- Published: 2010-09-13T11:37:02-04:00
- Author: Max Hammer

Now back from Musicfest NW, it’s time to catch up on some bands that we’ve been 
wanting to tell you about. Today we want to tell you about five bands that you indie
die-hards probably already know about, but many others don’t. These are five bands
that made noise in the beginning of the year, but seem to have faded a bit. They
are Airwaves, Dazzle Ships, Dana Falconberry, The Strange Boys and Dinosaur Bones.

#### Air Waves – Brooklyn, NY

Just days after returning from their debut European tour, Air Waves hit the road
on a double-bill with Seattle’s **Past Lives** (featuring ex-members of The Blood
Brothers). Earlier this year, when Pitchfork’s _Guest List _asked **Dan Deacon **
what his favorite new band was; he said Air Waves: “Nicole Schneit is an amazing
songwriter. The music she writes is like a favorite blanket wrapped around you. 
Drummer Dave Ferraro complements her songs well. “Shine On” is my current favorite
song by them.”

Already in a short time span, Air Waves have not only made a name for themselves
in Brooklyn, but elsewhere by touring extensively and sharing the stage with such
notable acts like Cat Power, and The Rapture to name a few.

[“Shine One”](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/shineon.mp3) – **Air 
Waves** from_ Airwaves_

“Sweetness” – **Air Waves** from_ Airwaves_

#### Dazzle Ships – Los Angeles

Playing a sold out show in LA and sharing a stage with Memory Tapes is a pretty 
big deal for an up and coming indie band that no one has heard of. In fact, it is
a fairly impressive accomplishment in the saturated market of indie rock – which
is more popular now then ever before.

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That’s exactly what happened with **Dazzle Ships**, a musical duo consisting of 
Tyler Haran and Haiti De Leon. The pair set out to make music that celebrates the
artists who influence them the most – David Bowie, Brian Eno, and Cocteau Twins,
to name a few. Dazzle Ships make what they label “experimental pop music”; out of
a phobia of doing the same song twice, they try to radically shift roles and techniques
during their song writing process.

In March, the duo released their debut, _Least Resistance_ seven-inch that was premiered
on Stereogum.

“Least Resistance” – Dazzle Ships from7″ single

“Paradise” – **Dazzle Ships**

#### Dana Falconberry – Austin, Texas

Austin’s hometown girl turned respected musician Dana Falconberry has been called
by The Austin Chronicle as one of the music city’s “most arresting female vocalists”
and “most promising singer-songwriters” following the release of her LP,  Halletts,
featuring a full band which she has toured with successfully this year, including
five shows at South By Southwest.

“Nightingale” – **Dana Falconberry** from Halletts

#### The Strange Boys – Austin, TX

So, yes, Austin bands are a common thread in this post – but that’s because the 
home of SXSW and ACL, is full of great bands, like indie southern rock, R&B country
band **The Strange Boys**. They’ve been on the radar since the early part of the
past decade. Last year, however, the band underwent some line-up changes, including
the addition of two former members of the disbanded group **Mika Miko**.

Earlier this year, the band released one of their best LPs, _Be Brave_.

“Be Brave” – **The Strange Boys** from_ Be Brave_

“Night Might” – **The Strange Boys** from_ Be Brave_

![](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/7-inchcoversmall.jpg)

Dinosaur Bones – Toronto, Canada

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The best for last: **Dinosaur Bones** are “Hawaiian” indie pop rock band from **
Toronto**, Canada who have busted through in the past year to gain a fairly solid
following. In 2008, the band released their debut, self-titled EP, and garnered 
critical acclaim from media outfits and blogs like _Billboard, NOW magazine, CityTV,
Chromewaves, HOUR Weekly_ and others.

In late 2009, Dinosaur Bones entered the studio with producer** Jon Drew **(F*cked
Up, Tokyo Police Club, the Arkells) to lay down the foundation for their long-anticipated
debut LP, which was released February 1, 2010 – consider it a preview of what is
to come.

“Royalty” – **Dinosaur Bones** from s/t debut EP (2008)

“NYE” – **Dinosaur Bones**