As promised folks, here are more of the best 2020 indie music videos. Browse, watch and listen to indie videos part one here.
“Rollin Hills, Fertile Valley” – The Blue Hook
Month: October 2020
Debut Single: ‘Alone Like Me’ by London Musician Dunebug
Recently we were introduced to the heart-wrenchingly beautiful voice and acoustic music of London DIY musician Chi Limpiroj who uses the moniker Dunebug.
Limpiroj effortlessly blends an array of genres and styles that include dream-pop, surf-pop, shoegaze, and lo-fi. Her magical soothing voice may remind some of the musicians Cat Power and Beach House.
Dunebug is a Manchester-born and DIY in every sense of the word. Self-taught in guitar and singing, and with a background in sound recording, Limpiroj combined her skills to craft the first Dunebug EP in the comfort of her own bedroom. The first single from the E.P. is the captivating “Alone Like Me.”
“Alone Like Me’ is a bleak insight into the complexities of my love life (or lack of), due to past difficult relationships coming back to haunt me,” Limpiroj says.
“It’s about the struggle of becoming involved with someone who is perfectly lovely but pushing them away at the smallest hint of it becoming anything even remotely serious and ultimately being left alone, again, something I’m sure many people can relate to.”
Limpiroj recorded the song in her “tiny box of a bedroom” on a cheap condenser mic and an old Squire Telecaster she bought from her first boyfriend when she was 17 years old.
Then Limpiroj used Logic Pro X, nothing that her bedroom studio was “the most basic set-up you could possibly dream of, and I love doing it all myself.” More power to her! We want to keep hearing these amazing songs from an artist to watch in 2021.
Her previous band, Chi & the Twelfth Wall, supported the likes of Lucy Rose, Slow Club, Roddy Woomble around Manchester and Leeds, as well as playing at Magneet Festival in Amsterdam.
The live band includes herself on vocals and guitar, plus Rob Wynne on guitar; Tom Daley on bass, and James McGuinness on drums. Dunebug’s main musical influences include Cat Power, Feist, Beach House, Soccer Mommy, Japanese Breakfast, and Big Thief.
BONUS TRACK: “Baby it’s Over” – Junebug
Album of the Week: Wonderous Appalachian Alt. Folk Rock from Virginia’s Annabella’s Curse
One of our favorite surprise DIY releases of the crazy and depressing year 2020 is the fantastic indie album, Vast Oceans, from Bristol, Virginia alt. folk-rock band Annabelle’s Curse.
Since 2012 the band, headed by songwriter, singer, and guitarist Timothy Kilbourne, has attracted a small but loyal of fans.
The first-time listener – especially those of you who are folk enthusiasts – is bound to enjoy the homegrown Appalachian roots of the band and may make others wonder why they’ve never heard of the band before.
Annabella’s Curse has been playing live shows, festivals, and other events across the states for the past decade. With the pandemic having a devastating impact on live concerts, Annabella’s Curse has been like so many bands trying to figure out a way forward.
From the band’s FB page: “It has been a difficult year for music and is still trying to find our place in this brave new world. It’s been a long strange trip filled with ups and downs.”
While not being able to play tracks from Vast Oceans for live audiences this year, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a dazzling Appalachian folk-rock album not to be missed.
The songs on Vast Oceans are heartfelt, comforting, introspective, and wonderfully crafted musically. The band members and guest musicians are all solid players and fit right into the intent and groove of Kilbourne’s songs.
It’s hard not to love this album if you are a fan of authentic DIY folk-rock. In fact, there are only a couple of ‘miss’ songs out of the otherwise fantastic 11-track recording. Really, it’s one to spend some time listening to.
We really like Kilbourne’s roots-rock vocals as well. The unity of the band members tells a story of a talented set of musicians but a brotherhood for the love of this style of indie music that helped make indie music a popular genre.
If we had to recommend just five tracks for extra busy folks, they would be “Thunder”; the motoring, inspirational “Call of the Void” with its terrific folk authenticity; the wonderful performances on “Seven Seas”; the agonizing but beautiful ballad “Bolts and Steel” and the sunny, lush melodies on “Foul Beast.”
The other band members include Zack Edwards on guitar; Travis Goyette on drums; Kirk Bagnell on auxiliary percussion; Tyler Luttrell on bass and Carly Booher-Edwards on mandolin and vocals.
https://www.facebook.com/annabellescurse/
2020 Top Halloween Indie Rock Songs of All Time
IRC’s playlist of the top indie rock Halloween songs of all time features indie bands like Radiohead, The White Stripes, Pavement, Belle & Sebastian, The Black Keys, The Killers, Built to Spill, Beach House, Coma Cinema, The Black Shades, Starlight Mints, and many others.
It’s that time of year again where the spooks, ghosts, goblins, and Donald Trumps of our planet set out to play tricks and frighten and creep. And we also know that the older kiddies will be doing plenty of tricks and treats and twerking at Halloween parties across the nation.
Here’s a link to more than 80 Halloween songs playlist.
We also have more Halloweenish tracks to share on his Halloween playlist, including some newer ones from 2020. These include the track “Halloween Monster Blues” and the video you can watch here.
Top Indie Halloween Songs Playlist
Click the button and the playlist will play uninterrupted.
[zbplayer]“A Wolf at the Door” – Radiohead
“Pumpkin” – Starlight Mints
“Tokyo Witch” – Beach House
“Spiders” – Wilco
“Been a Wrong Road” – Cameron Steele
“Superstition” – The Kills
“Don’t Put Salt On My Grave” – The Black Shades
“You (Your Fears)” – Coma Cinema
“Dont Fear The Reaper” – Blue Oyster Cult
“Oh Devil” – Francis
“Beautiful My Monster” – Husky Rescue
“Paint It Black” – The Rolling Stones
“Monster” – The Automatic
“In Direction of the Moon” – Wolf Parade
“Ghosts” – A Hundred in Hands
“Tailor of Graves” – Cerberus Shoal
“A Skull Full of Bats”– Disappearer
“Tongues of Fire” – Electric Tickle Machine
“Scarecrow” – Delta Spirit
“Execution Song” – Johnossi
“Were All Going To Die” – Club 8
Past Halloween Playlists on IRC, 50 Best Halloween Indie Rock Songs
Best 2020 Indie Music Videos, Vol. I – Diamonds and Guns, Alleys, Black Moon Book & More
Below are some of the best 2020 DIY/indie music videos we’ve seen/heard this year. This is a first of a series that will include more selected videos – many sent into us.
Watch and listen to these selected music videos featuring a wide diversity of indie artists, bands, visuals, and songs.
Over the years, DIY and indie bands have been making better and better music videos.
Bonus: See the streaming playlist of accompanying audio-only tracks in the playlist below. Don’t miss other great music video playlists on IRC.
Indie musicians and bands featured below include:
Diamonds and Guns – Los Angeles California
Terrence and the High Flyers – Ottawa, Ontario
Alleys – Boise, Idaho
Hush!Noise – Fougères, France
Black Moon Book – Chicago, Illinois
The Honeycreepers – Niantic, Connecticut
Best 2020 Indie Music Videos
“The Lonesome Man” – Diamonds and Guns
This raging, gravely hard-hitter from Los Angeles’ Diamonds and Guns (cool name) made our night. We actually felt like we should be riding a rollercoaster, ear buds on, this song playing. Most metal/hard-rock is, frankly, no bueno. However, D&G is a rare exception. This is good rock! Not the formatted dribble that comes from radio and labels.
“This Could Be The One” – Terrence and the High Flyers
“This Could Be The One” is a fantastically upbeat and sunny song with an impossible-to-ignore hook and a lush, smooth tropical vibe. The Ottawa soft folk rock duo will attract some more followers today.
“Rivers” – Alleys
This colorful video combined with the groovy, upbeat bedroom synth-pop of Boise multi-instrumentalist Jacob Diaz, aka Alleys. “Rivers” incorporates guitar and drum loops, musical crescendos, deep groove, and emotive vocals. Alleys has opened for bands like Floating Points, Big Dipper, and Eldren while his biggest musical influences are Elliott Smith, Real Estate, and El ten Eleven.
“Journey of a Navel” – Hush!Noise
A mystical, almost haunting sound with hushed vocals and a teddy as a central character. The Fougères, France band draws from post-rock, psychedelic, noise and ambient music.
“You Are Just Not Alone” – Black Moon Book
Chicago musician Mark Lofgren, aka Black Moon Book, drew us in with the psychedelic color filters and the Mac-DeMarco-meets-Brit-pop with this bedroom pop number that he says”touches on memory, isolation and, most explicitly, the healing power of hope and love.”
“California Sun” – The Honeycreepers
Usually we wouldn’t place a Joni Mitchell-like, radio pop song (because it’s not really indie) but the video is cool, and having escaped California, it makes us long for the good ole golden sun-shiny, clear skies, normal temperatures and semi-affordable-rent years of our California past before things started to get really hairy. We wish our friends and old acquaintances – still there or not – all the best.