This second indie songs playlist for November features artists and bands from across the U.S. and southern Ontario. Enjoy and please share to support DIY artists and bands.
Ten Minute Detour – Toronto, Ontario
Alex Floor – Western North Carolina
The Rope – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Summer Colds – Ashland, Oregon
Ten Minute Detour – “Bleeding Green”
The Toronto alternative rock band Ten Minute Detour cut their teeth in a small, detached, heatless garage in Calgary, Alberta.
Unlike the band’s previous singles, TMD’s new single, “Bleeding Green,” sports a more ambient-like guitar sound with smooth melodies, a chill beat and the impressive vocal work of guitarist Andrew Shier.
The accompanying video tears a page out of the old face-in-the-camera technique but switches it up a bit with green face paint sequences set to the track.
TMD’s fans will recognize that the song is a different and more sophisticated sound for the band; more mellow and emotive.
Since the band’s inception in 2016, their style has been raw garage rock with a rough and riffy classic rock sound, tube amps and wild vocals, backed by hard-hitting drums.
While their signature sound of the past was garage rock, Shier says many of the band’s songs were created using a “different recipe.”
Shortly after recording started, Shier, along with guitarist/vocalist Jordan MacNeil – the founder members – moved from their western prairie homeland in Alberta to Toronto, a city that has experienced a burgeoning indie music scene for years.
Unavoidably, the move also resulted in some of the Alberta-based band members’ departure from the band. That of course changed the band’s sound to what has surfaced here in 2019.
The band’s maturation as songwriters and musicians is notable and it will likely serve them well moving forward.
The other talented band members of Ten Minute Detour are keyboardist Matt Drake; drummer Kaol Porter, and bassist Jake Rowinski.
TMD’s sophomore album, Common Pleasure, was recorded “over a harrowing seven days” and serves as a testament to the band’s growth in songwriting and storytelling.
Producer and former Cage The Elephant guitarist, Lincoln Parish, was brought on to polish things off like a pro.
The band’s debut album, Lay It Down, was recorded in Alberta in 2015, featuring tracks like “Four Papers” and “Getaway,” two catchy alt. rock tracks that helped pave the way for the band, and lead to hundreds of live performances across the expansive country of Canada.
TMD’s biggest musical influences include Kings of Leon, Alabama Shakes, Arctic Monkeys, and Cage the Elephant.
Ten Minute Detour on Instagram
Alex Floor – “Speed Up Or Slow Down”
During the day, North Carolinian indie musician Alex Floor writes code and manages computer networks.
But between work and parenting, he finds time to write, record, master, and produce provocative and thoughtful songs.
His newest single, “Speed Up or Slow Down,” was originally written a few years ago following a divorce. A co-worker and friend helped encourage him to record the track. And so he did.
The track starts with a treble-high programmed beat and the introduction to Floor’s soft vocals and sweet melodies.
The track, which uses minimal instrumentation, takes on his anti-folk vibe and yet the beautiful aspects of the sound do not tinge the melancholy that is clearly present. It’s a really nice touch and Floor pulls it off capably.
In fact, we encourage folks to take the time to listen to his other accomplished songs such as “Keeping Me Up” and “Now That You’re Gone.”
Floor grew up in the Midwest rustbelt, lived in Brooklyn for a decade and now resides in the mountains of western North Carolina with his wife, children, cats, and dog. You could say that gives him a unique cross-reference of America for songwriting and musical tastes.
His musical influences include, but are not limited to, artists and bands like Elliott Smith, The Shins, Vampire Weekend, The Decemberists, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Joshua Radin, Cary Brothers, Dan Costello, and Brian Speaker.
IRC first featured Floor’s early single, “Borrowed Earth,” from his self-released debut album, American Peasant, back in 2010. In 2012, he dropped a respectable follow-up E.P., Finding A Middle.
The Rope – “Now You Know”
Based in one of the Midwest’s music capitals, popular Minneapolis alternative post-punk band The Rope just recently dropped their debut long-play album, Lillian. The album has received strong support, including on The Rope’s Bandcamp page.
Spawned from Lillian have been a number of standout tracks, including the newest single, the dark, eclectic, guitar-driven track, “Now You Know.”
The album features a collection of ten tracks featuring the blending of gothic, post-punk, new wave, darkwave, and alternative rock with clear 1970s and 80s influences.
This past year the band has toured, performing at the UK’s Sacrosanct and Germany’s Gotham Sounds festivals.
The band members are founding member and vocalist Jesse Hagon; drummer Ben Rickel; guitarist Michael Browning, and bassist Sam Richardson (bass).
Initially formed in 2009, The Rope released their eponymous debut E.P. in 2011. After a series of line-up changes, the band returned in 2015 with their second EP, Waters Rising.
The Rope’s musical influences include The Cure, Joy Division, Psychedelic Furs, My Life w/ the Thrill Kill Kult, and Sisters of Mercy.
https://www.facebook.com/TheRope1
Summer Colds – “Killing Flies”
The rising Ashland, Oregon indie rock trio Summer Colds return again with another track, “Killing Flies”, from their debut album.
The track opening with a snarly-style vocal delivery, a tepid background beat and a wall of guitars. Once the song opens up a bit more and really gets rolling, it’s a solid track.
However, the vocals could be better; they are understated like “dude, why you holding back?”
The growing pains of a new and young band. The guitar solo at the ending of the track is cool and how it merges with the other instruments.
Earlier this year, we featured the band’s debut single, “Whiteout,” which helped fuel the band’s visibility locally and online.
Soon we’ll be posting our review of the band’s debut album, Here Comes Nothing. Straddling between, and mixing, genres such as alt. rock, pop-punk, and power pop.
After recording two albums with his former band Black Bears Fire in 2013 & 2015, songwriter, songwriter, and vocalist Nic McNamara founded Summer Colds “to bring to life a heavier sound” than his previous folk-rock project.
He recruited drummer and vocalist Claire Burgess and bassist Nicole Swan to complete the band.
“Unlike many other songs on the album,” says McNamara, “this was written in its entirety a few months before the album was released.”
“It came in a flash of inspiration, triggered by running into an ex-girlfriend who had taken a self-destructive path.”
The song came together quicker than usual and ended up setting the standard for what the mixing and production of the rest of the tracks on the album would sound like.
Summer Colds has opened for a bunch of bands over the past five years, including Slow Corpse, Old Year, Calyx, The Juniper Berries, Yr Parents, and Glacierwolf.
The band’s biggest influences include Weezer, White Reaper, Surfer Blood, Pup, Brand New, and Wavves.
https://www.facebook.com/summercoldsband