Max Hammer – Page 31 – INDIE ROCK CAFE

Best New Releases, Week of June 5 – The Hives, Japandroids, Crocodiles, Pomegranates, Teen Daze, Pujol, Michael The Blind

Posted on 06/06/201201/25/2020 by Max Hammer

Swedish garage rockers The Hives released their first album in nearly five years on Tuesday, and man, it was worth the wait. Lex Hives is easily not just our top pick of all of this week’s U.S. releases, but, along with The Walkmen‘s Heaven, dropped last week, one of IRC’s Top 10 Albums of 2012, and it’s hard to see how either of them would not still be by December.

Check back in a few hours or so when we publish the Album of the Week post: Lex Hives, including more music. In the meantime, here’s The Hives’ first lead single in nearly half a decade.

“Go Right Ahead” – The Hives from Lex Hives (only $5 for limited time via AMZ)

Vancouver Garage Rock Duo Japandroids Drop Sophomore Album, ‘Celebration Rock’

After their spectacular, deservedly well-hyped 2009 debut, Japandroids are back with a new album of original material, Celebration Rock, the band’s sophomore release (in 2010, they released Singles, a compilation of two previously released EPs). Celebration Rock is an appropriate title for the spirit of the album. The terrific lead single, “The House That Heaven Built,” features the duo’s energetic garage rock punk they’ve become so well known for. It’s not ironic at all that words and phrases like ‘adrenaline,’ ‘continuous thunder,’ ‘fire’ and ‘sway’ are contained in the song titles of the eight-track LP because Japandroids’ music is emblematic of each.

“The House That Heaven Built” – Japandroids from Celebration Rock on Polyvinyl

“Evil’s Sway” – Japandroids from Celebration Rock on Polyvinyl

In fact, the track “Continuous Thunder” is a great buzz phrase to use when describing Japandroids’ sound. The fact that two guys are creating that much noise is simply impressive. The first track on the album to get wide circulation is “Younger Us,” which was originally released as a 7″ single in 2010. The new album has a string of potential “garage rocker hits,” including “Adrenaline Nightshift” and “Evil’s Sway.”

San Diego’s Crocodiles Release New Album of Noise Pop for the Summer

The Crocodiles are an appropriate follow-up to Japandroids. Based in sunny San Diego, The Crocodiles broke out in 2009 with their debut album, Summer of Hate. The band’s new album, Endless Flowers, is a cross between noise pop, psychedelic, lo-fi and post punk revival, and features songs ripe for summer, like “Bubblegum Trash,” “Electric Death Song” and the album’s lead single, “Sunday (Psychedelic Conversation #9).” Endless Flowers is the band’s third studio album.

“Sunday (Psychedelic Conversation #9)” – Crocodiles from Endless Flowers on Frenchkiss

Double-shot: “My Surfing Lucifer” – Crocodiles from Endless Flowers on Frenchkiss
Track via SoundsBetterWithReverb.com

Fresh Tracks from New Drops by Teen Daze & Pomegranates

Teen Daze return with more of their electronic sounds on the instrumental piece, “Brooklyn Sunburn.” The track is a candidate for IRC’s summer songs playlists series. While the chillwave craze, if you will, has died done a bit from its heights in 2009 through 2012, we still dig that genre, and hope it’ll remain around as long as it keeps turning out music people want to hear.

“Brooklyn Sunburn” – Teen Daze from All Of Us on Lefse Records

The Cincinnati band Pomegranates officially dropped their fourth album, Heaven, this week, only one week after The Walkmen released their album by the same name. Plus, the Japandroids’ single, “The House That Heaven Built,” demonstrates an unusually high number of references to heaven in a short period of time. Additionally, the lead single from Pomegranates’ fresh release, “Pass Away,” is also similarly thematic.

“Pass Away” –Pomegranates from Heaven

Fresh Tracks from Pujol, Michael The Blind, Anna Ternheim, Dntel & Others

The following are new singles from fresh album drops this week by Pujol, Michael The Blind, Thieving Irons, Curumin and Dntel. Let us know what you think via the Comments section below (no sign-up required and your comments are accessible to tens of thousands of people a week.

“Providence” – Pujol from United States of Being on Saddle Creek

“Sympathies” – Michael The Blind from Are’s & Els on Alder Street Records

“Sleepwalking Into The Ocean” – Thieving Irons from Behold, This Dreamer! (self-released)

“Selvage” – Curumin from Arrocha on Six Degrees Records

“Bright Night” – Dntel from Aimlessness on Pampa

Stay tuned for Vol. II of this week’s Best New Releases, plus DIY Releases of the Week. We’re also putting together an entire DIY-only series of profile playlists – there are hundreds of notable artists and bands that have sent in music and we plan to feature – it’s just all about time. Most of the artists have never been featured on a major indie site.

Finally, look out for our Album of the Week (The Walkmen’s Heaven) and the latest installment of the DIY Artist of the Week. Last week’s pick – Thad Kopec – received more than 130 Likes on Facebook alone.

Best New Releases, Week of May 29th – The Walkmen, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Sigur Ros, Regina Skeptor

Posted on 06/03/201212/18/2019 by Max Hammer

Now that Memorial Day weekend has passed, it’s pretty much the beginning of summertime in the world of rock – festival line-ups have been announced, bands are on, or getting ready for, cross-country and worldwide tours, labels are prepping big releases for the summer, DIY artists are vying to get heard, and millions of music lovers are making their sunshine plans for the next few months.

IRC’s 2012 Summer Songs Mixtapes will be coming in the next few weeks, but in the meantime, if you’re building a summer playlist, check out our previous summer music mixes – where we’d say 90% of the songs are still active. Other recent posts you may want to check out include Album of the Week: Young Man’s Vol. 1, and the latest DIY Artist of the Week, Thad Kopec. If you didn’t get the chance to listen to the top singles for the week of May 22nd – check out Vol. I and Vol. II.

The BNR playlist post for the week of May 29th is loaded with great singles from new albums by The Walkmen, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, Sigur Ros, Regina Skeptor, King Tuff, Sun Kil Moon, Broken Water, Lemonade, White Lung, The Toxic Avenger and others. This is a great collection of singles. The Walkmen’s “Heaven” is one of the best songs of 2012, and the title track of one of the best albums of the year as well.

“Heaven” – The Walkmen from Heaven on Fat Possum

“Man On Fire” – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros from Here on Vagrant Records

“Varuo” – Sigur Rós from Valtari on XL Recordings

“All The Rowboats” – Regina Spektor from What We Saw From The Cheap Seats on Warner Bros. Records

“Sunshine In Chicago” – Sun Kil Moon from Among The Leaves on Caldo Verde Si

“Keep On Movin'” – King Tuff from King Tuff

And there is more good stuff here…

“Drown” – Broken Water from Tempest on Hardly Art

“Here They Come” – The Doc Marshalls from Look Out, Compadre (self-released)

“Softkiss” – Lemonade from Diver on True Panther/Matador

“Take the Mirror” – White Lung from Sorry on Deranged Records

“The Wrecking Ball Company”– Marissa Nadler from The Sister on Box Of Cedar Records

“Never Stop” – The Toxic Avenger from ANGST on Little Owl Recordings

Soundcloud Songs

Some labels put themselves at a disadvantage by providing only Soundcloud singles from their artists’ new albums. We know for a fact this puts them at a disadvantage and their artists’ singles get less circulation. The reason is that .mp3 links are the way to go because other bloggers can drop them into a post with a built in streamer (like Yahoo Player, which IRC uses) and it’s done. And music lovers are more likely to send them to friends, add them to playlists (since such links allow for a free download which freaks out some labels), post them on social media networks and on and on. You get the point. Soundcloud is like an obstacle in that aspect of the equation.

It’s a pet peeve not only because people can’t stream Soundcloud songs with the rest of the playlist, but also because it has no benefit to labels. If any record executives are reading this – trust us. If you’ve seen numbers go down for your artists since employing Soundcloud and other non .mp3 song link, that’s the reason. We are forced to put Soundcloud (except in rare cases such as with The Walkmen above because there was nothing but SoundCloud available) at the end of our posts because they don’t play automatically as the others do.

“Goldilocks Zone” – Grass Widow from Internal Logic on HLR Records

“One Drop” – Public Image Ltd. from This is PiL on PIL Official Limited

“Shake Them Shackles” – Tassels from Pressure Mounts on Pour Le Corps Records

DIY Artist of the Week: Ocala Musician Thad Kopec

Posted on 05/31/201212/18/2019 by Max Hammer

Based in Ocala, Florida, IRC’s DIY Artist of the Week is musician, singer and songwriter Thad Kopec, who started writing and recording music when he was 19 years old. Now at the age of 20, he has written “more than 50 songs.”

With that and other songs he plans to record, Kopec is aiming to drop his DIY debut album this fall under the moniker ‘North,’ which is already on our anticipated albums of the fall of 2012 list. Since the ‘North’ alias will make it difficult to find him in web searches, we respectfully suggest adding something to that, like ‘North Kopec,’ or what have you. But, at the same time, one can see how the DIY ethos chime in to say, “well, yeah, but I don’t really want to be found.”

For a 20-year-old self-taught musician who only really started playing and recording a year ago, Kopec is off to an impressive start with his thoughtful, endearing and uplifting songs; he’s clearly an extremely talented artist, and the more we listen to his fairly large catalog of lo-fi tracks, the more convinced we are that he deserves to get more notice, and suspect that will happen when more people give him a fair shot – we’re always looking for totally DIY artists and bands that make some good shit.

In addition to writing and composing each of his songs, Kopec records all of the instruments and produces the final tracking himself. But Kopec does get help from others on occasion. “On this particular recording [“The Ghost and The Thief”], I’m playing everything but drums, which are played by my friend Curt Hensley. On all my demos on Soundcloud though, I do play everything, except for on the ‘White Christmas’ cover, on which Josh Gilligan plays bass and piano.”

“The Ghost and the Thief” – Thad Kopec, single

While there’s definitely influences like Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver in his songs – which he freely admits – Kopec is authentic and original at the same time. “Once I started to discover that I could write songs,” he said, “it was contagious.” Kopec recently recorded a video session with Oceana and Carousel.

His most recent song, the uplifting folk rock track, “The Ghost and The Thief,” is the newest example of his talents and abilities as a songwriter, singer and musician, especially for a young guy with no formal musical training. Clearly, Kopec has the early indicators of hundreds of musicians over the years who’ve started off with some self-recorded songs, and gone on to gain recognition for their work.

“Keeping Secrets” – Thad Kopec

All things considered, the lyrical depth of his songwriting, the quality of his musical arrangements, his heartfelt vocal range, and the professionalism and maturity of his overall production put Kopec on our Artists to Watch list, without hesitation. We literally listened to every song he has up on Soundcloud page (approximately 50 tracks), and picked some of our favorites for this profile. It should be noted that some of our favorites were also among those which have been hearted, played or downloaded the most by others. But it’s apparent from the number of overall plays that Kopec has still not received the wide recognition he deserves.

When listening to his songs, the influence of artists like Iron & Wine, Fleet Foxes, Sufjan Stevens and Bon Iver is unmistakable, and you can tell that he has been steep deep in the music of those artists for enough time to have used those roots as a basis for his own style and sound. There is still work to be done on perfecting his existing skills, but again, given all the facts, it made sense to us to profile Kopec as a DIY Artist of the Week.

The next song, “Heart of Man,” is one of his most recent tracks. While listening to the song, it’s apparent that his music is evolving before our very ears. The song is a more complex arrangement compared to his earlier tracks, which again signals a growing sophistication, but also risk-taking. And so you know that you are getting something original and pure, rather than music that is being directed by producers and label executives.

Best of all, the more that you listen to his already extensive DIY discography, the more likely you are to realize that Kopec’s music is coming from the heart, which just so happens to serve as nice segway to “Heart of Man.”

“Heart of Man” – Thad Kopec

If you are wowed by Kopec’s songs, you’ll probably be even more enthralled once you listen to more of his music via his Soundcloud page.

It would not be a huge surprise if Kopec starts getting some phone calls from labels in the next couple of days or weeks. But at the same time, he might be better off remaining DIY. The final conclusion from our perspective is that more people have got to hear Thad Kopec. In the past, we’ve had our own DIY favorites, and sometimes they’ve gone on to bigger things, and other times they’ve built a smaller following, but few have gone unnoticed by others.

We’ll definitely do an update when more information is available regarding the planned DIY album release. It’s great to hear people’s feedback, so feel free to leave comments below (no signup required).

Best New Releases, Week of May 22nd, Vol. II – Exitmusic, Hallelujah The Hills, Witch, Shrouded Strangers, JBM

Posted on 05/28/201212/18/2019 by Max Hammer

If you missed Vol. 1, best to start there, with new singles from Young Man, Joey Ramone (posthumously), The Danks, Blue Foundation, Dope Body, Dreamers, and others. Best New Releases for the Week of May 22nd, Vol. II, kicks off this week with the title track from Exitmusic‘s new album, Passage is epic-sounding, emotive and noisy, but a song that would fit well on a summer playlist.

“Passage” – Exitmusic from Passage on Secretly Canadian

Hallelujah The Hills Come Back with New LP

Next, Hallelujah The Hills – a band to watch on IRC back in 2009 – dropped their sophomore LP, No One Knows What Happens Next. The band have switched up their sound from their earlier orchestral pop to a more indie rock sound, another indication that the craze of orchestra pop of the past few years is losing some of its luster, even though we still think the genre has a lot to offer, and gave us some of the best music of the past decade. The band have opened for artists like Silver Jews, Titus Andronicus, Broken Social Scene, and Okkervil River.

“Get Me in a Room” – Hallelujah the Hills from No One Knows What Happens Next on Discrete Pageantry Records

New To Us: Shrouded Strangers, Witch, JBM, Cory Branan

Isn’t it cool when you hear a band for the first time and you dig their sounds? That happens all the time – in fact every week, mainly via the Best new Releases series, there are new-to-us artists and bands that we just like; it’s not even necessary, and time is a limited thing, to analyze always why. If you like a song, or an artist, you just do. Seems pretty simple.

The next two new-to-us bands definitely have their place in this week’s new releases series. Not everyone will like every song of course, but the New To Us section is aimed at giving more artists visibility, and letting people decide for themselves, and in doing so, we learn more what IRC listeners like. Still, each song has to pass the initial “ear test,” if you will. One of the great things about the concept of ‘indie rock,’ at least as we’ve come to know it, and despite its varying definitions (American Idol is not indie rock), is the huge umbrella of genres that fall under it.

Someone could, and some have, go through the past three years of the archives and build a gigantic MP3 collection for free. And with the Top Ten mixes from 2010, 2011 and 2012 pages alone (there’s a few weeks delay in the lists to analyze web stats), you could just start up the built-in Yahoo player and stream for hours and hours music pick by other listeners. Many listeners like that feature, but unlike other sites were you can stream, people can also download free and legal MP3s of the songs they like right on the page. we do it ourselves all the time, as well as with many other playlists on the site, and rediscover songs we totally love but either forgot about them or just had not heard them for a long time. That said, here are more singles from new releases that dropped this past week.

“(Don’t Look At The) Pink Lightning” – Shrouded Strangers from Lost Forever on Trade Root / Izniz

“Introduction” – Witch from Introduction and In The Past on Now Again Records

“Only Now” – JBM from Stray Ashes on Western Vinyl

“Bad Man” – Cory Branan from MUTT on Bloodshot Records

“The Mayor” – Dubious Ranger from Found Recordings From The Panda Valley Mining Company

SoundCloud Tracks This Week: Modern Time Machines, Gossip and Still Flyin’

SoundCloud tracks go last because they don’t work with the Yahoo Media Player we use to make it easy for people to stream entire playlists all at once and without interruption. Hopefully, record labels will start realizing that they’re going to get a lot more free publicity by providing .mp3 links instead of SoundCloud embeds. We know for a fact that artists whose songs we post with SoundCloud boxes don’t get played or passed around as much as those who provide .mp3 links (hint, hint).

Anyways, this week’s SoundCloud embeds from new releases include fresh tracks from Modern Time Machines, Gossip and Still Flyin’.

“Lucky Lady” – Modern Time Machines from Continuity Girl
Lucky Lady by moderntimemachines

“Travelin’ Man” – Still Flyin’ from On a Bedroom Wall

Best New Releases, Week of May 22nd, Vol. I – Joey Ramone, Dope Body, Young Man, The Danks, Blue Foundation, Dreamers

Posted on 05/27/201201/25/2020 by Max Hammer

Co-written by Maxwell ‘Silver’ Hammer

The Memorial Day weekend traditionally symbolizes the kick-off of summer for tens of millions in the U.S., even though summer doesn’t technically begin until June. Unless you live in place where summer is especially hot and crude, the arrival of summer is a celebratory time of year. And part of the spirit of summer has always been music, from golden oldies to new indie rock, and everything in between.

Over the past few weeks, we noticed activity on the site that indicates people are building their summer playlists, and Gods only know that there are hundreds of songs, even thousands, to choose from in many playlists dating back to 2008 – including Top Ten Songs of 2010 and 2011, the popular Summer Songs Mixtapes series, Best New Releases series of 2010 and 2011.

There’s enough great music to keep any music lover busy for days streaming and saving their favorite songs, plus, a whole variety of thematic playlists containing all kinds of music gems – links to those are in columns and the category links on the homepage. This week’s Best New Releases will be published in three different volumes. Let’s do this.

We have got to kick off with the “new” single from the legendary Joey Ramone’s “second solo record” – more than a decade after his premature passing. Even though it is not technically a new album, it’s official release still qualifies as an original, legitimate release. It would just be wrong not to start off this week’s album drops with the posthumous LP release of an American iconic rocker (so much so he was featured in The Simpsons), and one of our rock heros.

Joey’s ‘new’ track, “Rock N Roll Is The Answer” – and of course the album itself – is like a piece of rock history that fans are getting to hear for the first time. While it’s not on par with other work of The Ramones, and actually does not feature the entire band itself, it’s still the original work of Joey Ramone, and probably the last previously unreleased material of his we’ll ever get to hear.

Ya Know? has been plugged as “a cache of demos and unreleased recordings.” Even though Joey died in April of 2001 a month from his 50th birthday, his brother, Mickey Leigh, set out to complete Joey’s unreleased songs with help from a star-studded lineup, including Joan Jett, Little Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band, and members of Cheap Trick and The Dictators to help complete.

However, some unappreciative critics have mixed feelings. Timothy Bracy of The Washington Post wrote: “…it may have seemed possible that Joey was lovably weird enough to have a great record stashed away. Sadly, such hopes for Ya Know? are rapidly dispelled during the album’s first track, “Rock N Roll Is The Answer,” which chugs along indifferently like 1980’s KISS at its most jaded.” Dude, you don’t know what you’re talking about if you think you’re talking to Ramones’ fans.

“Rock ‘N Roll Is The Answer” – Joey Ramone from …Ya Know? on BMG

Dope Body Influence of The Ramones Clear in New Single; Album Release

The next track fits nicely following Joey Ramone. Dope Body kick up the dust with a wicked rocker that has a relentless driving beat and blistering guitar licks with a Ramones’-style blitzkrieg that is not a rip-off, but instead an obvious influence of the greatest punk rock band ever. Dope Body’s new album is titled Natural History.

“Weird Mirror” – Dope Body from Natural History on Drag City

Young Man’s Release; The Danks Finally Give ’09 Debut a Proper U.S. Release

Young Man, who has been one of the rising artists to watch over the past couple of years, according to many bloggers and critics, is back again with the sophomore LP release, Vol. 1. And it’s our Album of the Week.

The Danks Release Debut in U.S. Three Years Later

Next is the latest single from The Danks, a band that we’ve been interested in since 2009 when they originally released their awesome debut Are You Afraid of The Danks? The indie rock band from Prince Edward Island in Canada have an identifiable rock sound with power pop hooks, similar somewhat to the sound of The Strokes.

For some reason that we haven’t been able to find a good reason for yet, The Danks are re-releasing their debut officially for the first time in the U.S. Since it’s original Canadian release in 2009, the band toured the world twice and opened for bands like Tokyo Police Club and Ted Leo. If you missed this LP the first time around, you’ll want to get it if you love raw rock and roll. Still, we’d like to hear some new material from the band, hopefully soon, but that does not negate the importance of their debut.

“Automocar” – The Danks from Are You Afraid of the Danks on Hidden Pony Records

Blue Foundation Shoegaze Single with Sara Savery

The Brooklyn duo Blue Foundation really caught our attention with their haunting, brooding shoegazer, “Lost,” which interestingly sounds like a track off a David Lynch soundtrack. The fuzzy bass and drums, climaxes of instrumental explosions with woozy guitars and drum bursts that fizzle down to highlight the almost ghostly but gorgeous vocals of Danish-born singer Sara Savery.

“Lost” – Blue Foundation from In My Mind, I Am Free on Dead People’s Choice Records

New To Us: Dreamers, Riverboat Gamblers, Cold Specks

This week’s playlist also features a sizable group of artists that we call new-to-us bands. It’s always surprising how many stellar songs come over the cafe speakers from bands that we’ve never heard of before.

The next track, “City of Hope,” by the band Dreamers, reminds us a lot of Jane’s Addiction. Interestingly, the Dreamers sound doesn’t match the band name very well (it’s more fitting of a dream pop band). Another new-to-us band, Riverboat Gamblers, deliver a blazing, fast-driving post-rock track, “Comedians,” that sounds ready-made for radio – whether that’s good, bad or indifferent.

“City of Hope” – Dreamers from Dreamers on Germ Records
Track via Earmilk

“Comedians” – Riverboat Gamblers from The Wolf You Feed on Volcom

“Blank Maps” – Cold Specks from I Predict a Graceful Expulsion on Mute

Don’t forget to check out Vol. II of the Best New Releases for the week of May 22nd, 2012. Plus, if you’ve missed any of the Best New Releases playlists for any week of 2012 so far, you can listen to, and download, 18 of them from the Best New Releases features page.

Best New Releases, Week of May 8th – Here We Go Magic, P.S. I Love You, Virals, The Cribs, Heavy Cream, Royal Headaches

Posted on 05/12/201212/18/2019 by Max Hammer

As we throttle towards summer, the pile-up of great summer tracks (to be included in the upcoming Summer Mixes series) expands ever more. Add to that new singles from Here We Go Magic and P.S. I Love You especially. We already posted a review of P.S. I Love You as the Album of the Week with a number of tracks.

One song that will be a single for upcoming summer playlists will be the undeniable “How Do I Know” off of Here We Go Magic’s newest album, A Different Ship. HWGM is one of our favorite nerdy indie pop masters of recent years. The double-shot single, “Make Up Your Mind,” is such a different sound for the band that we’re not sure what to think. It has an 80’s new wave style, complete with high octane electronic keyboard notes and a forward-charging beat that remind us of soundtracks of movies from the 1980s, like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The album itself has mixed reviews online, but we’re digging it.

“How Do I Know” – Here We Go Magic from A Different Ship

“Make Up Your Mind” – Here We Go Magic from A Different Ship

Although we are digging A Different Ship, our Album of the Week has to go to PS I Love You’s sophomore release, Death Dreams. Read the full review and listen to tracks from the album.

“Bloody Mary” – Silversun Pickups from Neck of the Woods on Dangerbird Records
Track from CauseEqualsTime.com

Virals Rises Out of the Ashes of the Band Lovvers

Virals is a new music project from Shaun Hencher, the frontman of Dionysian punks, Lovvers. Following the break up of Lovvers, Virals offers a new beginning and see’s Shaun predominately writing, playing and recording on his own. With that new beginning comes a fresh approach to songwriting that takes cues from the sunshine vibe of certain American states yet retaining a suitably English feel.

Beginning as a studio-only project in late 2010, Hencher began with the main aim to craft songs that stick in the head but don’t take themselves too seriously. To date he’s stockpiled a collection of twenty-plus songs, and is only now starting to make these songs available with a series of well-planned releases.

Opening with “Coming Up With The Sun,” a glorious shot of wide-eyed she-loves-me/she-loves-me-not powerpop, Virals offer up an EP that’s as infectious as the band name would suggest. Recalling the classic productions of Nick Lowe, Bob Mould’s Sugar or even The Go Gos, sharing the same earworm qualities and wreckless abandon. But let’s start off first with the sweet track, “Gloria.”

“Gloria” – Virals from Coming Up with the Sun

The Cribs, Heavy Cream Deliver Back-to-Back Punk Rock Singles

These next two new singles were almost made to be played back-to-back. First up, one of the U.K.’s finest brother bands of the past decade, The Cribs, return with more of their straight-forward punk/garage rock on the lead single, “Chi Town” from their fifth studio album. It’s the trio’s first album since 2009’s Ignore The Ignorant, which peaked at No. 8 on the U.K. charts and earned them a Silver Certificate for the album, In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull.

Add the new-to-us band, Heavy Cream, to the list of awesome girl fronted garage/punk rock bands that have been popping up all over the place in recent years. The single, “John Johnny,” is an infectious, lo-fi, punk rocker track that reminds us a little bit of My Thrill Kill Cult’s “Devil Bunnies.” It also sounds like a track that would be considered if there were ever to be an alternative soundtrack to Pulp Fiction – a playlist which we actually plan to publish this summer – we enjoy making alternative (or Part II or Part III) soundtrack playlists for movies, especially Quentin Tarantino movies, like Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill.

“Chi Town” – The Cribs from In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull(Bonus Edition) on Witchita Recordings

“John Johnny” – Heavy Cream from Super Treatment on Infinity Cat

Royal Headache have emerged as Australia’s foremost new soul rebels. After a youth spent earning their stripes in the punk and hardcore scene, Royal Headache came together in 2008 over a mutual love of the urgency and melody associated with the classic sounds of 60’s mod and 70s punk and power pop. They craft tight, irresistible, R&B-inflected punk songs, and hone a universal message of redemption through passion. Pure of heart and immune to pretension, Royal Headache released their self-titled debut in the U.S. this week. They play youth-energy rock at its most vindicating and motivating.

Wisconsin musician S. Carey is best known as music director, drummer (one of two drummers) and supporting vocalist of the immensely popular indie folk band Bon Iver. But on his debut EP, Hoyas, he explores a different territory. The lead single below, “Two Angles” delivers a hauntingly electronica/dub-step track combined with an interesting infusion of trumpet runs.

“Down the Lane” – Royal Headache from Royal Headache on What’s Your Rupture?

“Two Angles” – S. Carey from Hoyas EP

New Singles from Freshly Dropped Albums by Orpheum Bell and Sean Bones

The new single from Dana Buoy is one we just happened upon. The name was somewhat familiar, and without checking it out further first, we just fired up the single from his/her new album and a minute into it realized it’s a pretty good track in its own way, for a certain moment. It has aspects that range from celebratory to shimmery, even soaring, with high-pitched guitar notes, robustly upbeat drums, choruses and synths.

This is a good song for a summer playlist because it just sounds like a song fit to play at the beach, at an outdoor barbecue, driving on a blazing day with windows down or while your biking on a trail. Some songs just create an imagery, and “Call To Be” does that. And with an album title of Summer Bodies it’s even more enticing to eventually get around to listening to it. Turns out, Dana Buoy is simply the solo moniker of Akron/Family percussionist Dana Janssen. Sweet.

“Call To Be” – Dana Buoy from Summer Bodies on Lefse Records

Next, it sounds like Tom Waits has met up with the Squirrel Nut Zippers on the track “Poor Laetitia,” from the band Orpheum Bell; the song overall has such a convincingly old fashion bluesy jazz style that it would fit nicely on the soundtrack to Chicago. Shifting into a completely different gear, the new single from Sean Bones, “Here Now,” which is followed by the dark dubstep electro dance track, “Kaiyo Maru” by Led Er Est.

“Poor Laetitia” – Orpheum Bell from The Other Sister’s Home (self-released)

“Here Now”– Sean Bones from Buzzards Boy (self-released)

“Kaiyo Maru” – Led Er Est from The Diver on Sacred Bones Records

Popular Austin Band, Saints of Valory, Drop Sophomore Album

The next band, Saints of Valory, released their sophomore album this week. The title track, the first single, “Kids,” definitely got our attention. The lead singer exhibits a wide vocal range with similarities to Chris Martin. The track winds and turns through verses of mellow rock story-telling backed by a strong drum beat, bass and synths that slowly build to grand, almost epic, choruses and shimmering guitar riffs. The song is a wonderful composition with hi-fi recording quality that makes it seems likely for FM radio, and especially college radio.

Less than six months after relocating to Austin – after an inspired visit to SXSW in 2010 – the band placed in the top ten in six categories of the Austin Chronicle‘s 2011 Music Awards. Saints of Valory sound is less indie and more mainstream leaning, which would explain why they’ve been featured on Billboard.

“Kids” – Saints of Valory from Kids

Raleigh Band Drift Wood Miracle and The Driftwood Singers

Drift Wood Miracle is a Raleigh unsigned indie rock band Indie. In 2010, the band was formed organically between friends Alex Phillips and Bryan Diver, and soon they had an 11-song debut album, Today or Yesterday. The duo have now released a follow-up EP this week, Cuidade. They formed a band to play live gigs in North Carolina.

Their influences include Manchester Orchestra, James Vincent McMorrow, Brand New, Danny Malone, Timbre, Sigur Ros, Brand New, and Kevin Devine. “Cabin in the Snow” is the track that we actually picked over another song they are offering up as a single, “Call My Name,” because the former is more representative of the promise we hear in the duo’s folk pop/rock sound. Diver’s voice sounds like another singer that we just can’t put our finger on.

“Call My Name” – Drift Wood Miracle from Cuidadé

Cabin In The Snow – Drift Wood Miracle from Cuidadé

The next band, The Driftwood Singers, mix folk sounds and gospel style singing in their longing tale, “I Don’t Live Here Anymore.” It’s a bit coincidental that this week’s Best New Releases includes two bands with the not too common word “driftwood” in their name, so it made sense to group them together.

“I Don’t Live Here Anymore” – The Driftwood Singers from I Don’t Live Here Anymore

Life-long friends growing up in Philadelphia, the band Cheers Elephant were once called Instant Breakfast, but after high school they went their separate ways for a year or so, but decided to get back together as a band, and renamed themselves Cheers Elephant, after a circus elephant in Coney Island, who reportedly only drank beer.

They soon started gaining some traction as a serious band with their mix of rootsy and psychedelic rock, mixed with aspects of folk and even a bit of pop. We like the edgy guitar solo on “Falling Out.” The band’s second track, “Doin’ It Right,” is much different – energetic, upbeat, mysterious and somehow almost danceable. In fact, the first few seconds of the track sound almost exactly like the intro to the Kings of Convenience stellar track, “Toxic Girl.”

“Falling Out” – Cheers Elephant from Like Wind Blows Fire

“Doin’ It Right” – Cheers Elephant from Like Wind Blows Fire

Soundcloud Tracks: Animal Kingdom, Bigg Jus, and Fela Kuti

The following is a collection of Soundcloud only tracks, which are placed at the end of the playlist so that the all of the other 16 songs above will stream altogether (wish one exception on the second track from Virals) uninterrupted. Out of time to say much about these next three tracks other than we included them because some people are bond to dig one or more of them.

Animal Kingdom – Strange Attractor from The Looking Away on Boombox / Mom + Pop

Bigg Jus – Black Roses from Machines That Make Civilzation Fun on Mush Records

Fela Kuti – Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense from on Live In Detroit, 1986 on Knitting Factory Records

Best New Releases, Week of May 1st, Vol. II – Reptar, Ane Brun & First Aid Kit, The Mowglis, Polica, Father John Misty, Patrick Watson

Posted on 05/07/201201/09/2020 by Max Hammer

Earlier today, we published Vol. One of the Best New Releases for the week of May 1st, featuring great lead singles from new albums by Lower Dens, Ramona Falls, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spinto Band, Sea of Bees and others. That said, let’s jump right into Vol. II.

Reptar is an Athens, Georgia indie rock quartet of college drop-outs who released their debut album this week, Body Faucet. It’s full of crazy jams, thunderous drumbeats, psyched out synths, and Afro-pop influenced hooks, including sing-along anthems produced by Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Deerhunter, Washed Out). Last year, Reptar broke through with their exuberant EP, Oblangle Fizz Y’al, containing the single, “Stuck in My Id.” RIYL: Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot.

“Sebastian” – Reptar from Body Faucet on Vagrant Records
Song via TheDadada blog

Double-shot: “Orifice Origami” –Reptar from Body Faucet on Vagrant Records

Ane Brun and First Aid Kit on New Single, “Do You Remember”

The new-to-us artist Ane Brun has made an instant blip on our music radar thanks to the fantastic single, “Do You Remember,” in collaboration with the band First Aid Kit. Whoever’s idea it was to have these musicians record together, good call. The single is from the new album It All Starts With One.

“Do You Remember (feat. First Aid Kit)”– Ane Brun from It All Starts With One on America

“Wind Blows Cold” – Howth from Newkirk

Southern Cal Indie Rock Band The Mowgli Drop Debut Album

The debut album Sound the Drum from California septet The Mowgli was released this past week to little fanfare, but we really dig the lead single, “I’ve Been Around,” and a couple of other tracks we listened to online.

Sound the Drum was preceded by The Mowgli’s seven-inch single, San Francisco, and endless touring, which introduced indie rock lovers to the band’s distinct mixture of blaring brass, hard-driving guitars, cheery hand-claps, catchy vocals, and song themes about love, friendship and companionship. As a result of the band’s collectivist approach, and a couple of years of writing and recording, Sound the Drum debut is a sonic treat of energetic, folk-tinged indie pop that oozes with catchy hooks, summer-loving melodies and beach party, soulful rhythms.

The band have a CD Release party May 8th at The Roxy in West Hollywood, California. We don’t see upcoming shows as of yet, but we’ll let you know.

“I’ve Been Around” – The Mowglis from Sound the Drum

The next single, “Lying In State,” is unabashed pure pop with joyous choruses, shiny hooks and danceable rhythm from the band Island Twins. It’s great to hear a good band coming out of Queens, New York, since so many are based in nearby Brooklyn. The fuzz-pop, lo-fi indie quartet is a band we’ll surely keep tabs on over time. The new album Give You The Ghost album by Polica. The band consists of members from the 80’s rock-influenced indie band Gayngs. While there is still an 80s vibe to the new album, but it also has a distinct synth pop feel throughout.

“Lying In State” – Island Twins from single

“Lay Your Cards Out” (with Mike Noyce from Bon Iver) – Polica from Give You The Ghost

Rufus Wainwright Records with The Dap Kings; Plus, Father John Misty and Patrick Watson

Out of the Game, Rufus Wainwright‘s seventh studio album is out today via Decca. Fans can hear Wainwright’s track-by-track discussion exclusively on Spotify.

The Mark Ronson (Kaiser Chiefs, Adele, Amy Winehouse) produced album has come with great praise including from the The Los Angeles Times, which stated: “…Out of the Game glimmers with magical arrangements, strange structural U-turns, surprising solo accents, gospel-choir exclamation points, fuzzed out guitar lines and an overall sense of creative confidence that comes with experience and enthusiasm.”

The Dap Kings, known for their support of Sharon Jones and Amy Winehouse, were the backing band for Wainwright’s newest release. Other contributors included Nick Zinner of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Nels Cline of Wilco and Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow.

The highly acclaimed singer-songwriter dropped their newest album this past week to rather good reviews, although we’ve only heard the singles. Next is the indie folk rock band, Father John Misty, who appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman last week, released their debut album and have been gaining ground in the buzz market. Other new singles we are featuring this week come from new albums by Patrick Watson, Father John Misty, Siddhartha, The Spring Standards, Mystery Jets and more.

“Into Giants” – Patrick Watson from Adventures In Your Own Backyard on Secret City

“Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings” – Father John Misty
from Fear Fun on Sub Pop Records

“This Is the Beginning”– Boy from Mutual Friends

“The Fire Next Time” – Siddhartha from If It Die

“Only Skin” – The Spring Standards from yellow/gold

The Texas indie band Mystery Jets made a splash with their album, Serotonin, released in 2010. Now the band is back with a new album released this week – Radlands. The lead single, “Someone Purer,” is pure pop glory, without overdoing it.

“Someone Purer” – Mystery Jets from Radlands
Track via SideOneTrackOne.com

We get tons of music from musicians and bands across the U.S. and Canada mostly, but throughout the world as well. So much so that we can barely keep up with it all. That’s why were always looking for more writers willing to listen to DIY and barely known artists, and if they are note-worthy, write up a mini profile that will then be included in one of the special playlist posts.

Best New Releases, Week of May 1st, Vol. I – Lower Dens, Ramona Falls, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Sea of Bees, Spinto Band

Posted on 05/06/201207/22/2021 by Max Hammer

This week’s batch of releases includes another fine collection of singles from new albums and EPs dropped within the past week by Lower Dens, Ramona Falls, Sea of Bees, The Spinto Band, and DIY artists like Issac Indiana, Nights & Weekends. Some of the notable singles in this playlist post are not really readily available and accessible on other sites on the web. Other tracks appear to be more IRC exclusives which we know from the web stats, Top 10 Songs page, and people’s comments, are usually quite popular. That’s great because we want to be set apart from other indie music sites and blogs as much as possible.*

One of our favorite new bands of 2010-11, Baltimore indie rockers, Lower Dens, released their sophomore album, Nootropics, this week with a considerable build-up, especially among bloggers. Once you hear Nootropics a couple of times, you might find that it seems to get better and better, usually an indication of a great album. As a break-out band that is still building a following, it helps to have an a follow-up as good as the acclaimed debut, titled, Twin Hand Movement.

If you’ve never heard of Lower Dens before, their 2010 single, “Hospice Gates,” it has since become an indie nerd rock anthem. It’s off of the excellent debut, Twin Hand Movement, which ended up on many Top Albums of 2010 lists, including with our friends at the popular blog, Gorilla vs. Bear, where Lower Dens debut was ranked at No. 7 of their Top 10 Albums of 2010.

“Brains” – Lower Dens from Nootropics on Ribbon Music
Flashback Tracks: “Hospice Gates” – Lower Dens from Twin Hand Movement

Barsuk Recording Artist Ramona Falls Drop Terrific Sophomore Album, Prophet

Ramona Falls is another band that we’ve been following for the past couple of years. So we were thrilled a couple of months ago to hear that they’d be releasing a new album via Barsuk Records. The album, titled Prophet, is the band’s sophomore LP. Right away, the first single, “Spore,” indicated there was reason to be optimistic of Ramona Falls latest album. “Spore” is a shifting, subdued indie rock track that sounds a bit like a cross between Radiohead and The Flaming Lips. It’s a fantastic composition of clever music, involving pedal-filtered guitar riffs, a hauntingly underlying bass, progressive, and intelligent, drum work, mystical synth injections.

“Spore” – Ramona Falls from Prophet on Barsuk Records
Double-shot: “Sqworm” – Ramona Falls from Prophet

Brian Jonestown Massacre Releases New Album, Aufheben

With two memorable, spectacular leads singles that kicked off this Vol. 1 of the best releases for the week of may 1st, it feels like the transition to the next spectacular single, “(David Bowie I Love You) Since I Was Six,” by The Brian Jonestown Massacre, fits perfectly. While the track is indeed featured on the band’s new album, Aufheben, the track itself was originally released on BJM’s 1996 album Take It From The Man.

Just the title alone is alluring, but the song itself is classic – a strange, yet satisfying, mix of dreamy, melancholic and melodic sounds. It’s probably included on the new album as a way to show newer, younger BJM fans what they sound was 15 years ago. The concept that a six-year-old would be that plugged into rock music to have loved David Bowie at such a young age is compelling, whether it is auto-biographic or not. Bowie certainly has a treasure trove of classic, iconic rock songs that will be relevant as long as people are listening to music. When you also think about the fact that the Brian Jonestown Massacre itself is iconic enough to have been featured in a Simpsons episode, and are the subject of one of the most stunning rockumentaries ever, it’s always surprising to us that there are still a lot of music lovers have never heard of them.

If you’re already familiar with BJM, or not at all, this is a great album for your music collection. From start to finish, it’s consistently good and compelling. There are sitars and instrumentals, hooks and straight up rock songs. It’s amazing the range of different musical styles and sounds that BJM have successfully experimented with, and recorded, over the years, and they really focused on making the more you listen to their past albums, the more you can understand why they have had such a loyal following for so long. In fact, there’s a fairly well known rockumentary about the band’s history that is recommended viewing for rock fans. We also included another track, this one is newer – “Swallowtail.”

“(David Bowie I Love You) Since I Was Six” – The Brian Jonestown Massacre from Aufheben

Double-shot: “Swallowtail” – The Brian Jonestown Massacre from Aufheben

Sea of Bees Last LP; Spinto Band’s Sophomore Releases, Shy Pursuit

Sea of Bees released their breakup album this week, Orangefarben. The single, “Broke,” showcases the wonderful, cute and melodic vocals of female lead singer, Amber Padgett. Her vocals remind us of another well-known female vocalist and it’s bugging us so much that we can’t think of who it is because as soon as someone out there locks in on who we’re thinking of, it’s going to be one of those satisfying moments when you can rest your mind and say, “that’s right; that’s who we were thinking of.”

It’s special when a band you really dug years ago resurfaces with a new album and reminds you how much you liked the band and how cool it is that you can revisit their music, and hear their newest offering. One of those cases is the terrific, under-the-radar band, the Spinto Band, who’ve had a small but loyal following for almost five years, released their latest album, Shy Pursuit. The single below, “Take It” is spirited and catchy, we think a song that feels like celebration of spring and summer time.

“Broke” – Sea of Bees from Orangefarben on Team Love

“Take It” – Spinto Band from Shy Pursuit

Don’t miss Volume Two – There’s definitely more great singles from new albums by Mystery Jets, Twin Islands, Reptar, Ane Brun with First Aid Kit, The Mowgli, and more.

Top Ten Indie Songs Playlist, March, 2012 – The Shins, Andrew Bird, Poor Moon, La Sera, Tanlines, The Ting Tings, Tribes, Good Old War

Posted on 05/01/201201/09/2020 by Max Hammer

One of the most popular pages on IRC is the Top 10 Songs page. Since we started the series in 2010, there has been nearly four million views of the page, thousands and thousands of free and legal MP3s, and arguably dozens upon dozens of some of the best Top 10 indie and alternative rock playlists available anywhere on the web.

And what makes IRC’s Top 10 Songs weekly series even more special than most other such playlists anywhere on the web is that you – IRC’s regular readers and listeners, plus visitors from around the world – decide which songs make it to the Top 10, and in which order, from No. 1 to No. 10, based on how many times songs are streamed and downloaded for a given week. Read more about the Top 10 Songs process at the end of this post.

This post highlights some of the best singles from many of the best albums officially released during March 2012. It might seem that Top 10 Songs playlists for March is a bit of old news, but we think once you start listening to these playlists, you’ll probably care less about that aspect. As explained in more detail at the end of this post, it takes a considerable amount of work to put these playlists together. However, we plan to have the Top 10 playlists for April done a bit sooner than is the case for March.

As with the Top 10 Songs page itself, the list is a reverse chronology, from later March to early March. To keep it simple, we’re only highlighting the Top 5 songs and including a link to the bottom five singles so you can hear all of the songs in each list – and there are, most of the time, just as many great songs in the No. 6 to No. 10 slots as there are in the No. 1 to No. 5 positions.

The Top Songs Ending Week of April 2nd: Poor Moon, Brothertiger, La Sera, Oberhofer

The No. 1 track for the week of March 27th to April 2nd went to the supergroup Poor Moon‘s new single, “People In Her Mind.” The band features members of Fleet Foxes, Crystal Skulls and The Christmas Cards. Some would say Poor Moon is not really a supergroup in terms of what people think of as supergroups, like Monsters of Folk and the more recently formed Diamond Rugs, but there’s no question that Fleet Foxes is a huge group, and to a lesser degree Crystal Skulls, and to an even lesser degree The Christmas Cards, the latter of which even most fanatical indie fans haven’t heard of before.

“People in Her Mind” – Poor Moon from Illusion on Sub Pop

From Athens, Ohio, the electro shoegaze band, Brothertiger, the moniker of musician John Jagos, sent in his new album, Golden Years, and we were in total agreement with listeners that the lead single, “Lovers,” was worthy of being the No. 2 track of the week.

“Lovers” – Brothertiger from Golden Years on Mush Records

The popular band, La Sera, founded by Katy Goodman, the bassist for the Vivian Girls, had the No. 3 most listened to song, “Please Be My Their Eye,” of the week, followed at No. 4 by the Brooklyn band Oberhofer’s single “Away Frm U,” which we actually featured as a demo back in 2009, when we featured the then relatively unknown one-man band of Brad Oberhofer. The band also took the No. 5 spot with their song, “oOoO” (there has been various versions of the spelling of this track). Oberhofer really has such a unique sound, especially the vocals, almost animal-like but at the same time it has a strange allure.

“Please Be My Third Eye” – La Sera from Sees The Light

“Away Frm U” – Oberhofer from Time Capsule II

“oOoO” – Oberhofer from Time Capsule II

Listen to tracks No. 6 through No. 10 via the Top 10 Songs page through April 2nd.

The Top Songs for Week Ending March 26th: The Shins, Tanlines, Lost in the Trees

This was definitely the week of The Shins, and it shows in the results for the Top 10 Songs of the week. We featured three songs from the new album, Port of Morrow, and they easily swept the Top 10. But we were a little surprised that the lead single, “Simple Song,” wasn’t the No. 1 track or the No. 2 song. Rather, IRC listeners chose “It’s Only Life,” as the top track of the week, followed at No. 2 by “September,” and finally, at No. 3, “Simple Song.”

“It’s Only Life” – The Shins from Port of Morrow

“September” – The Shins from Port of Morrow

“Simple Song” – The Shins from Port of Morrow

We haven’t seen a featured band sweep the top three in a long time, which goes to show that The Shins are bigger than ever. The No. 4 song of the week, “All of Me,” from the duo Tanlines is an enjoyable dance pop track, so it’s not a surprise it came in the Top 5. The track that completed the Top 5 was the newest single, “Golden Eyelids,” from the new album from Lost in the Trees.

“All of Me” – Tanlines from Mixed Emotions (Amazon Exclusive Version) via True Panther Sounds

“Golden Eyelids” – Lost In The Trees from A Church That Fits Our Needs on Anti Records – (track via Austin Town Hall)

The bottom half of the Top 10 include great songs (in order) from Yukon Blonde, Morningbell, The Wedding Present, Daniel Rossen, and Cousins. Listen to them here.

Top Songs for Week Ending March 19th: The Ting Tings, Delta Spirit, Tribes, Tiger! Tiger!, Lucero

This week was the 25th anniversary of the world-famous South by Southwest music festival, marathon and convention in Austin. Therefore, much of the music world was pretty much focused on SXSW. Nevertheless, there were a number of notable new releases for SXSW week. In fact, some of the same artists that were at SXSW released new albums the same week. The latest single from The Ting Tings, “Soul Killing,” topped the list at No. 1, followed closely behind at No. 2 by the CD release single from Delta Spirit, “California.”

The No. 3 track of the week, “Sappho,” was the lead single by the enthralling band Tribes’ anticipated debut, Baby. The band, Tiger! Tiger!, sent in their new album, Cut Them Where They Bleed, from which the lead single, “Perfume of Despair,” took the No. 4 slot. To round out of the Top 5 was the single “Sometimes,” by the band Lucero.

“Soul Killing” – The Ting Tings from Sounds From Nowheresville (track via TheBurningEar.com)

“California” – Delta Spirit from Delta Spirit on Rounder Records (track via TheWheelsStillinSpin)

“Sappho” – Tribes from Baby via Fairfax Recordings (song via SafetyFunandLearning.com)

“Perfume of Despair” – Tiger! Tiger! from Cut Them Where They Bleed via Chicken Ranch Records

“Sometimes” – Lucero from Women & Work via ATO Records

The bottom half of the Top 10 for the week starting March 13th featured, in order, singles from Drowner, Freshkills, Spoek Mathambo, Tacocat, and Say Anything.

Top Tracks for the Week of March 6th: Andrew Bird, Ceremony, Good Old War, The Bowerbirds and White Rabbits

Andrew Bird easily took the No. 1 spot for first full week of March (in album release terms; since most albums are released on Tuesdays) with his fantastic new single, “Eyeoneye,” from the widely acclaimed new album Break it Yourself. In Part Two of this week’s Best New Releases, the band Ceremony‘s new single, “Hysteria,” captured the No. 2 spot.

At No. 3 for the week is the new track from a band we like a lot, Good Old War, off their new release Come Back As Rain. The Bowerbirds‘ return with a new album that produced the No. 4 song of the week – “Tuck The Darkness In.” To round out the Top 5 songs, White Rabbits‘ “Temporary” came in at No. 5.

“Eyeoneye” – Andrew Bird from Break It Yourself via Mom + Pop

“Hysteria” – Ceremony from Zoo via Matador Records

“Calling Me Names” – Good Old War from Come Back As Rain via Sargent House

“Tuck the Darkness In” – Bowerbirds from The Clearing (+Digital Booklet) via Dead Oceans

“Temporary” – White Rabbits from Milk Famous via TBD Records

The lower half of the Top 10 of the first week of March included songs, in order, by Miniature Tigers, The Magnetic Fields, Said The Whale, Bensh and Yellow Ostrich. The Top 10 were determined by the Best New Releases of the week of March 6th – view Vol. One and Vol. Two.

Top Tracks for Week of March 4th: PT Walkley, Memoryhouse, Elliott Brood, Geographer, Plants and Animals

IRC listeners and visitors agreed with our pick of a lead single for the first week of March. The song, “The Way That You Are,” from PT Walkley‘s latest album, Thriller – even though we strongly disagree with the choice of any another artist in the world giving their album title ‘Thriller.’ Love or hate MJ’s music, that’s just a line you don’t cross. It really makes us wish we could have been there when the discussion over giving Walkley’s album that title was made. That aside, the track is terrific, and no wonder that it was the No. 1 song of the week.

The lead single, “The Kids Were Wrong,” of the debut album from Toronto‘s dream pop duo, Memoryhouse, took the No. 2 spot followed at No. 3 by the lead single, “Northern Air” off Elliott Brood‘s album, Days Into Years. Checking in at No. 4 is a terrific single from Geographer‘s well received album, Myth, trailed by “Lightshow” at No. 5 by Plants and Animals.

“The Way That You Are” – PT Walkleyfrom Thriller

“The Kids Were Wrong” – Memoryhouse from The Slideshow Effect

“Northern Air” – Elliott Brood from Days into Years

“Life From Crime” – Geographer from Myth

“Lightshow” – Plants and Animals from The End of That

View the Best New Releases for the week of Feb. 28th through March 6th, and the bottom half of the top 10 tracks of the week, as determined by listeners from around the world.

Seeking Your Comments About Top Tracks and Bands Featured in Playlist Posts

One of the goals is to include more comments, mini-reviews and observations from you about the songs and bands in the Top 10 Songs posts using the Comments box below, as well as Twitter (please include hashtag #irctop10 and the song or band you’re commenting about). This will make it easier to include your comment – for example, thoughts about the No. 1, 2 or 3 songs.

In early July, which is approaching quickly, we’re going to publish the top tracks, usually those within the Top 5, for the first half of 2012. The plan is to include as many listener comments about the songs as possible. preciate everyone who takes a couple minutes or less to say what he or she thinks about a particular song via the Comments section (usually in the Best New Releases posts that often determine the Top 10), or through Twitter and Facebook.

More About the Top 10 Songs Process

Some of you have probably noticed that it takes a few weeks (sometimes a little less, other times a bit more) for the Top 10 Songs playlist for a particular week to get posted to the site. The main reason for that is because it takes a considerable amount of work to collect the site’s web statistics and analyze them to determine, among hundreds and hundreds of other songs streamed and downloaded in a given week, which new singles we featured were indeed the most popular. Once the Top 10 songs are determined, we have to double-check to make sure they are only singles from new releases for the week in question, and not songs from previous weeks, or other features and special playlists that spotlight songs that are weeks, months, years, and sometimes even decades old. The task is made even more difficult because many of the tracks for a specific week that are provided by bands, labels and publicists or other sites are not specified with a date or another identifier (such as the full song title or artist) in the MP3 link.

Phew! We hope that all made sense, but it’s important that you guys know because, again, you’re the ones that determine what the Top 10 Songs for each week are, and we are not aware of any other popular indie site or blog that does that. We plan to come up with a method in the future that will allow us to more quickly create the Top 10 list so that we can publish them more quickly because it not particularly our favorite thing to do and it can be tedious, and did we mention time-consuming? But, in the end, it’s all worth it because more than half of the visitors to the Top 10 page are return visitors.

Therefore, it’s an obligation we feel we are required to fulfill , and once another Top 10 Songs playlist is verified and ready to publish, it’s an accomplishment as well as a permanent record of which songs hundreds of thousands of people listened to, and downloaded, the most for a given week. In addition, you guys have great taste, so it’s always exciting to see, and listen to, the final lists. Another great thing about it is that you can go back to any week over the past 60 months or so and spin the Top 10. Sometimes, after a while, some songs do expire, usually those that are supplied and hosted by bands, labels and publicists, but from what we see the vast majority – up to 80 to 85% are still active more than two years later.

So, that’s the deal with the Top 10 list; all said and done what matters most is the music, and it always will. As of this posting we have completed the Top 10 playlists for all of March, and almost all of April.

Recent Releases by DIY Bands Bearskin, Fire at Night, Vague Fears, Ryan Stephens, The Molters

Posted on 04/29/201212/18/2019 by Max Hammer

The last couple of weeks of the year are traditionally very thin weeks for new album releases because most artists and bands have either already dropped them in time to be considered for the flurry of year-end ‘best of’ lists, and the gift-giving season, or they are holding them back until the new year when they can make a bigger splash after the busy holidays. However, there have been some good DIY releases dropped in the past month that we think you should hear.

Band to Watch Bearskin Get Help from Reddit Popularity

Last Thursday, London indie band Bearskin dropped a new EP that blew up on Reddit, which resulted in the band being profiled by the UK’s most important music publication – the NME (New Musical Express). On the track, “Volcanoes,” as the Killing Moon put it: “the pensive and delicate audio-journey, brings to mind The Little Kicks, while adding in signature harmonies and moments of Placebo-esque intensity.” Yes; excellent way of putting it. Bearskin is a U.K. band to watch in 2013.

“Volcanoes” – Bearskin from A Light That Finally Shines – Dec. 20th

Listen to other Bearskin songs via the band’s Soundcloud page

English Trio Fire At Night

A new DIY indie trio, Fire at Night from Guildford, England, describe their sound as “exactly in the middle” of an imaginary spectrum with The Smashing Pumpkins at one end and The Cure at the other. Flirting with subtle grunge undertones, Fire at Night have written and self-produced two EPs, and are currently preparing their first full-length album.

The band’s newest EP, The World Will Roll In Ecstasy At Your Feet, dropped last week, from which two of the tracks are featured below. The trio perform in and around London, Reading, Bristol, and Guildford on a regular basis. Bearskin’s current line-up consists of Scott Swain (vocals and guitars), Mark Tyas (bass), and Adam Pollard (drums and electronics). Bearskin has previously opened for bands like Animal Noise, The Young Runaways, and The Winter Tradition.

“Dumb (This Is What I Can’t Say)” – Fire at Night from The World Will Roll In Ecstasy At Your Feet – Dec. 18th

“Gravity” – Fire at Night from The World Will Roll In Ecstasy At Your Feet

LA Band Vague Fears Mix Up Genres

The Los Angeles band Vague Fears is an avant-garde duo has roots in DIY ideology, transgressive art, and subterranean music culture. Sonically, the duo covers extensive territory with genre-wrecking abandon, mixing electro, synth punk, post-punk, drone, no wave, industrial and elements of house/techno with dark, seething synths, lo-fi guitar riffs, spooky vocals and frequent stop-starts The band’s live performances feature raging energy, seizure-inducing visuals and light shows and masses of volume.

Vague Fears has opened for bands like A Place To Bury Strangers, This Will Destroy You, Indian Jewelry, and Cold Cave. The band’s major influences include Fuck Buttons, Primal Scream, Indian Jewelry, Masonna, Suicide, and Throbbing Gristle.

“Architecture IV” – Vague Fears from Stay Negative

“Space Vampires” – Vague Fears from Stay Negative – Dec. 7th

Vague Fears on Facebook

Atlantan DIY Artist Ryan Stephens Drops EP, ‘Arrow’

Ryan Stephens is an Atlanta, Georgia DIY alt. country rock musician who released his debut last week. The track, “Little Runaway,” the first song Stephens sent us from his new EP, Arrow, is a spirited track with an alt. country tinge. Stephens, who began recording in 2010, has previously opened for bands such as The Grand Magnolias, The Delta Saints, John French and The Bastilles, Blair Crimmins and the Hookers. He considers among his top musical influences Tom Waits, David Bazan, Manchester Orchestra, and Death On Two Wheels.

“Little Runaway” – Ryan Stephens from Arrow – Dec. 12th

“On Your Own” – Ryan Stephens from Arrow

Ryan Stephens Facebook Page

New York’s The Molters Drop Debut EP

Just under a year-old, New York-based The Molters recently released their six-track debut EP, Molto, and are gearing up for a string of shows in 2013. The band features Jack Frank on the vocals and guitar, with guitarists Kevin Rich and Brian Henn providing dissonant melodies and harmonies in cohesion. The rhythm section is rounded out by Henn’s younger brother, Josh Castellano, and drummer Alex Chung.
The single, “In Brooklyn,” is a mellow, melodic track that reminds us a lot of The Walkmen, followed by “Only a Little More,” which would be a much better track with some reworking and remixing by a good producer and engineer. The band’s major influences include The Strokes, Interpol, Modest Mouse, and Radiohead.

“In Brooklyn” – The Molters from Molto – Dec. 18th

“Only a Little More” – The Molters from Molto

The Molters on Bandcamp

Record Store Day 2012, Vol. II – The Flaming Lips with Mastodon, No Bunny, Blitzen Trapper, Arctic Monkeys, Obits, Xiu Xiu

Posted on 04/25/201212/18/2019 by Max Hammer

Yesterday, we published Volume 1 of IRC’s Record Store Day 2012 recap coverage, featuring digital versions of limited edition vinyls from The White Stripes, The Flaming Lips with Bon Iver, Wilco, Beach House, J. Mascis with Built to Spill’s Brett Nelson, Dirty Projectors, Animal Collective, and Real Estate.

Just as with Vol. 1 – which included albums like The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends compilation and Animal Collective‘s Transverse Temporal Gyrus, Vol. II also includes rare RSD releases, most of which are vinyl, rare, collectable and must-haves for fans since they may never be released in CD or MP3 format.

Each year since Record Store Day officially launched in 2008, the number of participating independent record stores (chain records stores are not permitted) around the world has grown, including in countries like Brazil, Germany, Romania and Japan. Not surprisingly, record stores in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Seattle, Boston, Portland and dozens of other big cities, and smaller towns as well, heavily promoted Record Store Day because the event has increased vinyl record sales in recent years significantly, not just on RSD, but throughout the year.

In fact, in 2011, vinyl albums sales grew 39 percent, with about 3.9 million albums being sold, and sales are up about 10 percent so far this year, according to Nielsen Soundscan. Last year, Record Store Day represented, by far, the largest day of the year for vinyl sales. But about 2,000 stores remain in business today, and the number has been relatively stable over the past few years, said Ken Glaser, vice president of sales for Alliance Entertainment, the nation’s largest wholesale distributor of compact discs, DVDs and vinyl record albums.

“I still see a place for a strong indie store in every community that can support one. I just think there’s still the lure of people wanting to walk into a store and touch and feel things and talk to people,” said Joel Oberstein, president of Almighty Institute of Music Retail, a market research firm based in Studio City, California.

Since it is impossible to get a hold of audio copies of all of the over 300 Record Store Day 2012 releases, we’ve created a series of playlists of RSD releases that are preferences, and secondly, those which have an accessible audio file – whether an MP3 or Soundcloud. We’ve already seen an increasing trend of Soundcloud and other embedded, non-MP3 files in recent years, but especially when it comes to RSD releases – which makes some sense. We happen to support vinyl because of the superior sound quality, especially with a good turntable and speakers. But there are a number of issues that come up with vinyl that range from practical, economic, environmental and physical aspects.

This second RSD 2012 playlist (don’t miss RSD 2012 Mix Vol. I) features a range RSD-only releases featuring new tracks, unreleased tunes, reissued and remastered works, cover songs, live music, remixes, and collaborative recordings from The Flaming Lips with Mastodon, No Bunny, Blitzen Trapper, Arctic Monkeys, Obits, Jeff The Brotherhood, Rosie Thomas, Xiu Xiu, Dirty Beaches, Shuggie Otis. The following is a combination of MP3s, Soundcloud embeds and YouTube audio links, which you can use the built-in Yahoo media player to listen to right on this page by clicking the tiny play button to the left of each song title. The only tracks that can be saved are MP3s.

“A Spoonful Weighs A Ton” – Mastodon/The Flaming Lips from 7″ vinyl

“Skirts on Fire” – Blitzen Trapper from 7″ vinyl

“Hey Joe” (Billy Roberts) – Blitzen Trapper from 7″ vinyl. Note: The song was not written by Jimi Hendrix – he just recorded the best known cover version.

“You Gotta Lose” – Obits from Moody, Standard and Poor (RSD 2011; reissued on red vinyl for RSD 2012 due to popular demand)

“Give It To Me” – Nobunny from Give It To Me 7″

Double-shot: “Motorhead With Me!” – Nobunny from Give It To Me 7″

Vinyl Releases from Arctic Monkeys, Xiu Xiu, Dirty Beaches, Feist, Bruce Springsteen and Others

“R U Mine?” – Arctic Monkeys on 7″ Purple 45

“Sweet Thang” – Shuggie Otis from 7″

“Always” (Erasure) – Xiu Xiu split 7″ with Dirty Beaches

“Tu Ne Dis Rien” (Françoise Hardy) – Dirty Beaches split 7″ with Xiu Xiu

“Rocky Ground” – Bruce Springsteen from 7″ vinyl

“Commotion” (Feist) – Mastodon from split 7″

“Black Tongue” (Mastodon) – Feist from split 7″

View a list of participating Record Store Day outlets to find the indie record store closest to you. Even if you missed RSD, supporting your local record store is one way to contribute to your community, fight off the spread of chain stores (like Tower Records) and malls, and a great place to meet people, talk about music, find releases you may not discover otherwise, and get out of the house.

See a full textual list of RSD 2012 releases, as well as the official RSD 2012 index that includes links to more information and album cover art.

Which vinyls did you buy on Record Store Day 2012? Leave a Comment below, tell us via our Facebook page or via IRC’s Twitter.

IRC’s post-RSD installments will continue as we discover more and more RSD releases in digital format – involves a lot of searching on search engines, but the sense of discovery is always rewarding, especially when we get to share them with our listeners. Also check out Vol. 1 of our RSD coverage, in case you missed it.

Record Store Day 2012 – Paint vs. Pixels: Record Store Windows and Mural Arts Remnants from the Analog Age

Posted on 04/21/201212/18/2019 by Max Hammer

By Heather Snavely

When you think of album promotion, there are two ends of the scale. At one end – where most bands live – is a van driving from club to club and merchandise ready to sell at the end of each show. At the other end is the iTunes marketplace takeover where the likes of Jack White and Of Monsters and Men are able to promote pre-sales, new tracks and full albums.

“Blunderbuss” – Jack White from Blunderbuss

“Lakehouse” – Of Monsters and Men from My Head Is an Animal

Record Store Day reminds us of the place in-between those two worlds – where indie record stores still remain, in-store performances are held, store window fronts are transformed, and, in some places, were external facades become canvases for life-sized album cover art.

At the heart of Record Store Day is the celebration the “art of music,” and for the indie record store of yore, there was no greater art than the album mural. Yet, like every aspect of the music industry over the years, technology has changed just about everything. But it wasn’t iTunes and the Internet that killed the mural; music murals went the way of vinyl as computers and printing presses made it possible to churn out giant, weather-resistant posters.

But just as vinyl is upheld as the purest way to listen to music, in a few places around the country, the album mural is considered the purest way to market music. One such place is Seattle, where record stores like Easy Street and Silver Platters offer up their exterior walls to artistic recreations of albums covers by Pearl Jam, The Lumineers, and even Lana Del Rey.

Glenn Case is the man behind the paint brush in Seattle. He believes murals are flourishing globally, “but as far as record stores utilizing the talents of a mural artist goes, I know of very few. As the profit margins in the music industry have shrunk in this MP3 era, stores and record labels have relied on sign companies to pump out vinyl billboards and banners to get their messages across.”

Fortunately, Case doesn’t think all is lost; he theorizes that, as more people return to vinyl, album artwork will regain some significance.

“I do believe that as people are re-discovering vinyl at their local stores, the artwork is regaining some significance as the proportions of the record sleeve square are very flattering for the presentation of the album’s artwork. [It’s] something to draw the eye and reflect the tone of that particular music, and sell, of course.”

“Sell” is the key word there. Why do some indie record stores – already squeezed by smaller margins – still invest in something so costly? Matt Vaughn, president of Easy Street Records, admits he views the album mural as a tribute to the time, thought and care that musicians put into each release.

“It’s tasteful. It’s honorable. It’s a bit of a nostalgic approach,” says Vaughn. “It is an art form, and there is an experience that comes with that.”

Vaugh, who is also the store’s used vinyl buyer, believes that giving passersby and store customers the chance to witness the multi-day mural creation process provides a window into a lost craft: “It’s not unlike how a song eventually becomes a full record and an influence that reflects who you are or stimulates your curiosity.”

Wesley Shultz of The Lumineers agrees that murals stimulate like no other promotional medium. The Lumineers are one of the bands temporarily immortalized on the sides of Easy Street and Silver Platters.

“Ho Hey” – The Lumineers from The Lumineers

While Schultz hasn’t visited the Seattle murals in person, he’s seen pictures and was blown away. Shultz suggests that because murals are no longer a go-to element in the music marketing toolbox, the ones that do get made are that much more powerful.

“In the age of digital photography and Kinko’s-style print-outs that you can stick to the sides of buildings, murals are less and less common.But this also leads to their value – because they are so uncommon, you are struck when you see something done by hand.”

Even more sweet is that the tribute in Seattle holds higher meaning for the band’s lead vocalist, piano and guitar player: The album cover is based on a photo of his mother and grandmother.

“It is surreal to imagine that on the side of a wall: A picture I have been in love with for so many years.”

Says Shultz: “I think these murals have a far reaching impact on those who walk by because it’s this interesting thing happening. It feels like an honor for the album art to be treated this way, and I think it helps to further legitimize something we are damn proud of.”

Which, is exactly why indie store owners like Vaughn still invest dollars in the art. “It can take a lot of time to write, produce and release a record. We are simply just recognizing that.”