Max Hammer – Page 42 – INDIE ROCK CAFE

In Dee Mail, Vol. IX – Secret Knives, Lisa Savidge, Charlie Khan, Indie Folker, Michael Silversmith, Jangula

Posted on 03/07/201112/18/2019 by Max Hammer

Over the years, IRC’s In Dee Mail series has become one of the most popular regular playlist series with readers and visitors. In Dee Mail, which is a play on “in the mail,” is a special feature on IRC in which we spotlight the best artists and bands who submit their music directly to us unsolicited. Some of our favorite artists and bands of the past few years have come to us by way of our mailbox, and in turn we package it all up and post it for our readers to enjoy. Of course, we’re also very interested to see what people think of these artists, and therefore, strongly encourage posting comments on what you think of a particular band or song.

So, to kick-off this special 2011 series of In Dee Mail, we are spotlighting some of our favorite artists out of the hundreds who have sent their music to us over the past few months. None of these artists have been previously featured on IRC, and many have never been profiled on a popular indie blog. For those artists, we’re changing that today. And, in the coming weeks and months, we’ll be publishing some of the best music (in our opinion) you’ve never heard.

Hopefully, many of the highlighted artists in this series will begin to build upon their exposure on IRC (as various other bands have in the past) and attract more fans, and blog and press coverage. All of the bands that are featured in this series are bright blips on our music radars, and many of them are, by default, bands to watch in 2011. We’re also introducing a new and permanent feature to band profiles that we’ve never had previously – at the end of each profile, there is a website, label information (where applicable), music genre(s), artists that bands have opened for or shared the stage with and finally, each band’s musical influences. All of this information comes directly from the submission forms that bands fill out on our About page.

Finally, we are going to record which of the artists our readers and visitors like the most (based on number of streams and downloads of songs, Hype hearts, comments, etc.). For the most popular bands, we’ll be asking them to send in new songs as they become available. We are really interested to hear what you guys think of the artists and bands in this first installment of a special edition of In Dee Mail.

Secret Knives – Wellington, New Zealand

The band we are kicking off this special 2011 edition of In Dee Mail with is New Zealand‘s magical shoegaze outfit, Secret Knives. As with many of the artists we feature throughout the year, Secret Knives are, somehow, still relatively unknown in the U.S. But for a band as talented as they are, it’s still surprising. So, let’s see if we can change that.

Formed in 2008, Secret Knives found success quickly in Wellington following the release of their debut EP, The Wolves. In New Zealand, when a good band pops up, they are pretty much well known quickly throughout the small country. And no wonder Secret Knives became popular in New Zealand, even signing to A Low Hum records. The band’s sound is probably best described as shoegaze mixed with pop.

After listening to their debut album, Affection, we knew immediately the band needed to be heard by more people. In no way related to, or resembling, the famous Stanley Kubrick horror movie of the same name, the sah-weet track, “The Shining,” starts out mellow, and slowly builds up into an epic, atmospheric pop song that you just want to play again, and again. On the other featured track here, titled “The Garden,” the members of Secret Knives, demonstrate their talent with another gorgeous song that fits the whole shoegaze atmosphere, right up to the airy guitar licks, steady, amplified percussion and layered choruses.

“The Shining” – Secret Knives from Affection

Affection is steeped deep in magical tracks brimming with mystery and intrigue – music that you truly can get lost in because it is so atmospheric. From song to song there are gorgeous rhythms and sweet melodies that weave together beautifully throughout Affection and The Wolves EP. Luckily, the band has made both their debut album and debut EP available as a free download via A Low Hum’s label website (if that link doesn’t work, click on the album title to download from BandCamp instead).

“The Garden” – Secret Knives from Affection

Website: Secret Knives on MySpace
Label: Black Cactus Records
Genre: Shoegaze, pop, alternative rock
Opened For: The Chills, Daedalus, Die!Die!Die!
Influences: Slowdive, The Chameleons, Why?, Burial, Wolf Parade

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Lisa Savidge – Phoenix, Arizona

With the unlikely name, Lisa Savidge, former military serviceman, Dan Somers, returned to Phoenix, Arizona after years of deployment in the Middle East with “cynical, and hopeful eyes.” Somers’ experiences overseas were an inspiration for his songwriting. He then set out and recruited local musicians to “push the boundaries of what can be done with rock music,” bringing together Ellery Keller, James Krehbiel, Nick Gortari, and Patrick Lamaide. And the results are remarkable as evidenced on the band’s September 2010 eponymous sophomore LP, Elk Cloner. From start to finish, Elk Cloner is a fascinating, genre-bending mix of raw power pop, post-rock and shoegaze; a thrill ride from start to finish.

The band have attracted quite a bit of praise from Phoenix area press and beyond. In fact, Bruce Repologle, the former publicist of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, said that Lisa Savidge’s music “rains down in a minimalism revved up again with a neo-Echo & The Bunnymen chorus.”

Website: Lisa Savidge on MySpace
Label: Black Cactus Records
Genre: Indie Rock, Noise Pop, Prog, Post Rock
Opened For: Kinch, What Laura Says, Black Carl , Kirkwood Dellinger, Peachcake
Influences: Pink Floyd, The Pixies, Explosions in the Sky, The Flaming Lips, Radiohead

Charlie Khan – London, England

Musician Charlie Khan from London definitely stood out among hundreds of submissions we’ve received in recent months. Backed by a clattering cacophony of weird and wonderful instruments, including his trusty two-string stick bass (which handily doubles as a weapon), and a host of decrepit guitars and vintage keyboard instruments, his brand of demented skiffle-esque diatribes are a truly unique proposition.

The first track Khan sent, “The Mortal Coil Shuffle,” is such a fun and engaging song; we can totally imagine it being on the soundtrack of some Johnny Depp movie because of it’s quirky, carnivalesque style and Tom Waits-on-speed flare – a musical vaudeville and dark cabaret that takes the listener on a rambunctious audio thrill ride. The only thing that is missing is the lion’s roar.

Label: Villainous Records
Genre: Dark Cabaret, Carnivalesque
Opened for: None
Influences: Amanda Palmer, Can, Captain Beefheart, EELS, Frank Zappa, Nick Cave, Tom Waits

Indie Folker – Cluj, Transylvania, Romania

With nasally, Dylanesque vocals, and a stripped down acoustic guitar playing along to the refrain, “I see monsters in Rome,” are some of the reasons we love “Monsters In Rome,” one of the best indie folk songs we’ve heard so far this year. Interestingly, Indie Folker, are a band are from Cluj, Transylvania in Romania.

Last May, the band released their debut album, Monsters in Rome. In the band bio box on the IRC submission form, Indie Folker claims to be “very much like Iron & Wine, without the iron, or Noah And The Whale, without the whale…Tom Waits on high heels, a more scrupulous and much younger Bob Dylan, a low-tuned Elliot Smith with an aching throat, a less-British Damien Rice – but longing to be more like David Gray on a regular day.”

“Monsters In Rome – Indie Folker from Monsters in Rome

“Afraid Not Sacred”– Indie Folker from Monsters in Rome

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Label: Unsigned/DIY
Genre: Indie Folk Rock
Opened for: None
Influences: David Gray, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Iron & Wine, Rufus Wainwright, Leonard Cohen, M. Ward, Alexi Murdoch

Micheal Silversmith – Riverside, California

This next song sent to us by Riverside, California singer/songwriter Michael Silversmith. Again, another artist that we’d never heard of previously, and who turns out to be wonderfully talented.

This is a grower song, and it definitely has a catchy title. Silversmith is a new-to-us addition to the Americana and folk end of the musical spectrum. Not surprisingly to us, Silversmith has opened for bands like Crystal Antlers and Delta Spirit. His album, Life is Beautiful, was originally released last November.

Website: MichaelSilversmith.com
Label: Unsigned/DIY
Genre: Singer/Songwriter Americana
Opened for: Crystal Antlers, Delta Spirit, Jay Buchanan, Richard Swift
Influences: Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Iron and Wine

Jangula – New York, New York

For a band that we’ve never hear of before, New York band Jangula have a matured indie rock sound as evidenced on “Genji Glove.” With it’s driving beat, jangling guitars, thick melodies and bold vocals, the track seems to have all of the ingredients of a college radio hit. We know that band comparisons can be tricky, sometimes risky, but we think Jangular sounds a little like Spoon, and a bit more like the Editors. Combining Joy Division’s driving skeletal rhythms, Brian Eno’s colorful harmonics and Bowie’s imaginative lyrics, their dynamic, genre-bending style is powerful enough to get people dancing and singing along.

“Genji Glove” – Jangula from Jangula EP

“Pachinko” – Jangula from Jangula EP

Website: Jangula on MySpace
Label: Unsigned/DIY
Genre: Dance Rock, Electro, Experimental, Post punk
Opened for: Didi of Brazilian Girls, The Postelles, Free Blood
Influences: Joy Division, Roxy Music, The Beach Boys

The Hollow – Rockaway, New Jersey

Of all of the bands featured in this post, The Hollow are probably the most polished-sounding. But, in their case, it’s not a bad thing; although their songs, at least the two tracks featured here, are more likely to be played on college radio alongside bands like My Morning Jacket and 3 Doors Down.

That said, The Hollow are an unsigned band; whether they progress more towards the modern rock sound, and away from alternative or indie rock, remains to be seen. Of course, they didn’t do themselves any favors as far as the band name, when you consider that there are numerous bands with the same or similar name. Luckily, it was easier to find them in a Google search then it is for other bands with common names – especially over-used favorites like bear, deer, shark, and so on.

The Hollow’s first single, “Run Away,” with it’s opening atmospheric guitar lick (which sounds remarkably like the intro on U2‘s “Where The Streets Have No Name”) has the makings of a college radio hit, even though it could benefit from a little better mixing on the percussion.

The second single, “Move On Past,” is another solid modern rock track, elevated by high-octane guitar licks (and a not too shabby solo) and soulful lead vocals. The band have received numerous accolades on rock radio in New Jersey and in the local media. Apparently, they have only opened for one band, The Marshall Tucker Band. We’re not sure how an alternative rock band in the 2000s got paired up with a classic southern rock band from the 1970’s; but, you know, strange bedfellows and all that.

“Run Away” – The Hollow from The Hollow

“Move On Past” – The Hollow from The Hollow

Website: TheHollowBand.com
Label: Unsigned/DIY
Genre: Alternative Rock
Opened for: The Marshall Tucker Band
Influences: Perpetual Groove, 311, My Morning Jacket, Incubus, Kings of Leon, Foo Fighters, Radiohead, MuteMath, Phish, The Grateful Dead, Stone Temple Pilots

Did you dig one or more of these virtually unknown bands? If so, you’ll definitely want to keep checking back for the subsequent installments of this special series that will put the spotlight on a whole bunch of other super talented artists and bands who somehow, and for the most part, remain under the spotlight.

In the meantime, we recommend these popular posts and playlist mix series featuring thousands of free and legal MP3s for your computer, mobile phone or MP3 player.

Popular On-Going Playlists & Mixes

– In Dee Mail

– One Man Bands

– Singer-Songwriter Spotlight

– Best New Releases

– Top Ten Songs

– Recent Releases Almost Missed

– Indie Cover Songs Uncovered

– Feetz To Da Beatz

Special Thematic Mixes

– Songs About New York

– Songs About the Moon

Popular Seasonal Playlists & Mixes

– Indie Christmas Songs

– Halloween Song Mixes

– Best Summer Songs

The Sunday 25 Mix, Vol. VII – ‘Red’ Songs from The Dodos, Jimi Hendrix, Peter Gabriel, Nick Cave, Neko Case, The White Stripes

Posted on 03/05/201112/18/2019 by Max Hammer

A few months ago we launched a new weekly playlist series called The Sunday 25 Mix, aka, S-25. The idea behind the playlist mix is to choose 25 songs we love that are not necessarily “indie,” thereby giving us the chance to share music from any era and genre of music, including, but not limited to, classic rock, pop, new wave, psychedelic rock, punk, post punk, folk, jazz, blues, hiphop, and so on. Many of the S-25 mixes (dig the archives and find music jems) also included a spotlight band, and in the future, many others will. If you’re a regular listener/reader of IRC, you’ve probably already streamed some of the S-25 mixes, such as the special mix, or the Love Songs We Love, and Winter Songs mixes.

The first few S-25 mixes were randomized, and well-received. Yet, in subsequent weeks, we found that our regular visitors were showing even more interest for songs in a playlist mix that share a common characteristic or theme – whether implied or direct. Therefore, the weekly S-25 mixes from here on out will have specific subject matter that is reflected (often, not always) in the song title of every track in the playlist. A couple of good examples would be one of the most popular S-25 mixes so far this year, the Egyptian Revolution mix. For that mix, the songs were not directly related to each other, but when put together, tell a bigger story.

The other type of S-25 mix is much more targeted and granular when it comes to the theme or the subject matter, and it requires that whatever the subject matter is – from something completely mundane to something gripping – each song title in the mix must share the same highlighted word. This week’s S-25 theme is the color red. It’s always fun to put together playlist mixes, but the best part is sharing them with other hundreds of thousands of other people across the globe.

In the meantime, enjoy these 25 – plus some extras for good measure – songs that have ‘red’ in the song title, ranging from UB40 and The Decemberists to Jimi Hendrix and Nick Cave. The live version of “Red House” is a bootleg from the old Winterland Theatre in Palo Alto (today ijust another piece of evidence, even 40 years later, of why Hendrix is considered one of the – if not the – best electric guitarists ever. Let’s kick off this mix with one of our favorite songs from one of our favorite albums by one of our favorite bands of 2008, “Red and Purple” by The Dodos.

You may notice some other common themes in this playlist mix other than the fact that all of the song titles have the word ‘red’ in them; notice the number of songs about ‘red ankles’ and ‘red hands,’ plus ‘red rain’ and ‘red wine’.

Note: You can click on the artist/band name to see another post playlist and click on the album title to purchase the entire album directly from Amazon on a secured server. Often times, Amazon’s prices are lower than iTunes, and each time you make a purchase using our link, we get a small referral fee which doesn’t amount to much, but helps pay our server costs.

“Red and Purple” – The Dodos from Visiter (2008)

“Little Red Corvette” – Prince from Purple Rain [Explicit] (1987)

Originally, we were going to post a list of songs with any color in the song title. The problem is that there are so many great songs with a color in the title that we needed to get even more granular and simply pick a color. The choice of going with a specific color – in this case, red – is not meant to be symbolic at all for anything other than the fact that it is one of many naturally occurring colors; red is found deep in the oceans, in the veins that travel throughout of our bodies, across the great expanse of the universe, and in countless other forms, shades and designs, from rocks and flowers to feathers and fruits.

We scoured our music collections to gather up, filter out, and post 25 great songs containing the word ‘red’ in the song title. We realize the whole idea might be a little corny to the oh-so-serious among you, but come on, man, we’re just trying to make sharing great music just a little more playful and interesting. Afterall, it’s Sunday.

Among our personal music playlists – which have been under development for years – are many different categories and themes; dozens upon dozens of intriguing playlists, spanning the gamut of themes, ranging from Songs About The Moon, Songs About New York City, and Songs For Moms, to genre-based playlists, like dream-pop, garage rock, Americana and post punk, to name a few. As we’ve done in the past, more of these mixes will be posted in the ensuing months, including the weekly S-25 Mix. Of the many playlist categories in our iTunes is one of our favorites themes: ‘Songs About Colors’ which contain literally hundreds of great songs with at least one color in the song title. Still sounds corny? That’s cool, we totally get it, but hopefully you’ll enjoy this mix even if you think it’s corny.

“Red Wine On White Pants” – Terry Ohms from What Do You Mean What Do I Mean? (2010)

“Red Right Hand” – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds from Let Love In (1994) – special: only $5.99 on AMZ
Cover Version: “Red Right Hand” – Arctic Monkeys* from Cryin’ Lightning

“Deep Red Bells” – Neko Case from Blacklisted (2002)

“Red Rain” – Peter Gabriel from So (1986)

“Red Curbs” – Admiral Radley from I Heart California (2010)

“Red Dress” – TV on the Radio from Dear Science (2008)

“They’re Red Hot (Robert Johnson)” – Eric Clapton from Me & Mr. Johnson (2004)

wilcobeingthere — Wilco's classic double CD, 'Being There.' On sale at Amazon for $11.99; click the cover art to order

“Red-Eyed and Blue” – Wilco from Being There (1996)

“Red Ankles” – Matt Pond PA from Four Songs EP (2004)

“Reds” – Houses from All Night (2010)

“Red Berries” – Angus & Julia Stone from Hollywood (2008)

Don’t miss new songs, videos, news, contests and giveaways, plus other cool stuff and links that we often post only via our Twitter and Facebook accounts – it’s a way to stay in touch with what’s happening on a hourly and daily basis.

“Red House” (Live) – Jimi Hendrix from Live at Winterland (1971)

“Red Light Green Light” – The Fresh & Onlys from Play It Strange (2010)

“99 Luft Red Balloons” – Nina Hagen from Nina Hagen (1984)

“Red Right Ankle” – The Decemberists from Her Majesty, The Decemberists (2005)

“Red Rain” – The White Stripes from Get Behind Me Santa! (2005)

“Red Skies” – The Fixx from Shuttered Room (1982)

“Red Red Wine” – UB40 from 12 inch (1988)

“Red Red Wine” – The Russian Futurists from The Method of Modern Love (2010)

“Red” – Miles Davis from Aura (1985)

“Red Sky” – Please The Trees from Please The Trees (2009)

Lastly, we need your help. We want you guys to pick the songs for the next S-25 Mix using the Comments box below. The theme will be cars. Do you have one or more songs about cars that you really dig? Remember, for this mix series, your song suggestions are not restricted to the indie genre – whatever that means to you.

Recent Releases We Almost Missed, Vol. XVI – Black Whales, Sidi Toure, Wildlife, Sore Eros, Brass Bed, Math and Physics, and more

Posted on 03/03/201107/22/2021 by Max Hammer

By Maxwell Silver
Brooklyn Street Team

Even though 2010 is over, it’s not long gone. So, we can’t see anything wrong with sneaking in just a couple of additional installments of the popular playlist series, Recent Releases We Almost Missed. The Almost Missed playlist series offer an eclectic array of tracks from 2010 albums, EPs and singles, many of which were largely overlooked, but, in our opinion, deserve some coverage.

Because there were so many good-to-amazing releases in 2010, it was only inevitable that a number of otherwise strong releases – at least based on the lead single in many cases – would slip through the wide net cast out by the weekly Best New Releases series. Over time, these releases piled up in a folder, until we recently got a chance to listen to them again, and decide which should be included in this last (maybe second to last) installment of the ‘Almost Missed’ highlighting 2010 music.

“Rattle Your Bones” – Black Whales from Rattle Your Bones 7″ – Nov. 17th

“Bon Koum” – Sidi Toure from Sahel Folk – Jan. 25th

“Stand In The Water” – Wildlife from Strike Hard, Young Diamond EP – Nov. 16th

“Giraffe’s Kiss” – Sore Eros from Know Touching – Nov. 23rd

“Begs Me Not To Beg” – Brass Bed from Melt White – Sept. 21st

“Abandoned Bridges” – Owen P from Abandoned Bridges – Sept. 28th

“Dancing In Slow Motion” – Teenage Fantasy from 7 AM – Sept. 21st

“You Can Only Be So Lonely” – The Shape of the Earth from The Romantics – June 20th

“Wiff of Father” – Pregnant from Pregnant – Oct. 1st

“Chipped Teeth” – Tim Gilbertson from Palisades – May 3rd

“Japanese” – The Art of Shooting from Traveling Show – May 3rd

“The Way to Canaan” – The King Left from Perfect Without People – May 14th

“Jimmy Had a Polaroid” – Math and Physics Club from I Shouldn’t Look as Good as I Do

“I Am From The Future” – Alright Alright from You Are One of Us Now – Sept. 22nd

“God and Me” – The Kopecky Family Band from The Disaster EP – Aug. 10th

“I’m Asking You” – The Cinnamon Band from All Dressed EP

“The Puget Sound” – Wow & Flutter from Equilibrio – Oct. 19th

“Let Me Sleep” – TV Buddhas from TV Buddhas – Nov. 23th

“Get What You Want, Get What You Need” – The Ascetic Junkies from This Cage Has No Bottom – Nov. 16th

“Doorways” – Radical Face from Touch The Sky EP – Nov. 16th

Best New Releases from Beady Eye, That Ghost, Papercuts, Davila 666, DeVotchKa, Lykke Li, Raised By Tigers, Middle Brother

Posted on 03/02/201112/18/2019 by Max Hammer

This week’s Best New Releases is interesting in that there is no release from an A-list ‘indie’ artist, if you will, but instead an eclectic gaggle of mostly new and relatively unknown artists, like That Ghost, Davila 666, Papercuts, Dum Dum Girls, DeVotchka, Raised by Tigers, and many others.

Perhaps the biggest new release is the debut album from Beady Eye. We were surprised to learn how many people don’t know who they are. Well, all band members of Beady are former-members of the super popular Brit pop band Oasis, including Liam Gallahger, plus Ride frontman Andy Bell, and guitarist Gem Archer, and tour drummer, Chris Sharrock. We haven’t heard the whole album yet, but we like what we’ve heard so far, including songs like “The Beat Goes On” and “The Roller,” to name a couple tracks right off the bat. What do you think? There have got to be some, admittedly aging, Oasis fans out there.

“The Roller” – Beady Eye from Different Gear, Still Speeding

“Four Letter Word” – Beady Eye from Different Gear, Still Speeding

That Ghost – Sonoma County, California

Over the past few months, we’ve listened to the sounds of artist Ryan Thomas Schmale aka That Ghost. Over the past year, there’s been a good amount of blogger buzz about That Ghost, and the more we listened to his songs, the more we agreed with the blogger buzz. This week, That Ghost releases his Twosyllable debut, Songs Out Here, an album of intrigue and dark optimism. We absolutely love the track, “To Like You,” and also like very much the other single from the album, “The Red Bow.”

“To Like You” – That Ghost from Songs Out Here

“The Red Bow” – That Ghost from Songs Out Here

Papercuts – San Francisco, California

In addition to That Ghost, there are also a number of other one-man bands and solo artists with new releases this week, including San Francisco Bay Area songwriter, and Subpop artist, Jason Quever, who goes by the moniker, Papercuts. If you like hazy bedroom pop, this is definitely a band that you want to keep an eye and ear on. Papercuts has expanded into a full band, adding Graham Hill (drums), David Enos (keys), and Frankie Koeller (Bass). In 2008, Michael Partington, the former frontman and guitarist of Head of Femur, left behind most of his belongings in the U.S. and moved to Taiwan, which he says influenced much of the content on the album.

Also this week: Alex Ebert, lead singer for the band, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, drops his debut solo album; the acclaimed Swedish singer/songwriter, Lykke Li releases her new album, and Jad Fair, founder of one of the earliest, and best, indie bands, Half Japanese, and a prolific musician, has a new album, His Name Itself is Music.

“Do What You Will” – Papercuts from Fading Parade

“Made Out of Diamonds” – Shipbuilding Co. from Radios & Flying Birds

“Truth” – Alex Ebert from Alexander

“The Best Ever” – Jad Fair from His Name Itself Is Music

Raised By Tigers – Denton, Texas

Raised By Tigers is an indie rock band hailing from the musically vibrant college town of Denton, Texas. Mike Canzano, Jason McMullen, Rob Peters, and Tyler Walker comprise the group. Their sound ranges from post-punk leanings with swooping guitar textures to ambient acoustic/electronic pops and buzzes.

Aside from a few compilation inclusions, the band’s first proper album, LED, was released in 2007. Now they are back with their follow-up sophomore album, Reunion Parts, drops this week. RBT has shared with bands like Karate, Dismemberment Plan, Les Savy Fav, The Paper Chase, Deerhoof, and many others.

“Song for Bob” – Raised By Tigers from Reunion Parts

“Sunspots” – Raised By Tigers from Reunion Parts

Davila 666 – Puerto Rico

Here’s a relatively new indie rock band from Puerto Rico that we think are In 2010, Davila 666 released an EP on Rob’s House Records, singles on Vice Records (split with Detroit’s Dirtbombs), and Norton Records covering “She’s a Rainbow” by The Rolling Stones in Spanish with other Latin bands (Buenos Aires’ Los Peyotes and Fellow P. R. band Los Vigilantes).

Now managed by Vice Music, Davila 666 continues to release music and tour around the world, rapidly gaining notoriety as “The World’s Greatest Party Band.” Keep your eyes and ears open to when DAVILA 666 comes to your neck of the woods, full U.S. tour in support of Tan Bajo, including SXSW!

“Esa Nena Nunca Regreso” – Davila 666 from Tan Bajo

DeVotchKa, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Dum Dum Girls and More

Listen to even more songs from Gypsy punk rockers, DeVotchKa, Toronto’s folk pop band, The Rural Alberta Advantage, the popular indie punk girl band, Dum Dum Girls; and an absolutely amazing post-punk style instrumental track from the band Codes in the Clouds.

“100 Other Lovers” – DeVotchKa from 100 Other Lovers

“He Gets Me High” – Dum Dum Girls from He Gets Me High EP

“Look Back, Look Up” – Codes in the Clouds from As The Spirit Wanes

Two Super Groups Release New Albums

Super groups, as they are called, is a theme in this week’s best releases. The first, The Baseball Project, features Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Scott McCaughey (The Young Fresh Fellows and The Minus 5), Linda Pitmon, and Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate), whose release Volume 2: High and Inside is something we hope to get to listen to soon in its entirety. The next release is the self-titled debut from Middle Brother, which joins John McCauley (Deer Tick), Matt Vasquez (Delta Spirit), and Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes) in effort to capture the magic of their 2010 SXSW debut performance.

“Don’t Call Them The Twinkies” (with Craig Finn) – The Baseball Project from Vol. 2: High and Inside

“Me Me Me” – Middle Brother from Middle Brother
(full album stream)

Easter Island is a progressive rock band re-forging middle-class angst pop of the mid 90s and early 2000s. The band’s balance of calculated chaos, yuppie adulthood and love gone awry, creates an addictive sound reminiscent of 1990’s pop, as evidenced on the lead single, “Proud,” from their new album, Better Things.

“Proud” – Easter Island from Better Things

Also, we recommend at least listening to new singles from bands like Siriusmo, Acrylics, Buried Beds, C0lumboid, and others. We wish there was more time to dig deeper into some of these bands, but we’re sure you guys can figure out for yourselves which of these following tracks you like, and which you don’t. In fact, if you want to do a mini-review of any song, album, or band (or a combo of), please do so in the Comment space below. If your review is fitting, we might even re-publish it to this post and give you credit.

“Mosaik” – Siriusmo from Mosaik

“Sparrow Song” – Acrylics from Lives & Treasure

“Nightwatch” – Acrylics from Lives & Treasure

“Breadcrumb Trail” – Buried Beds from Tremble The Sails

“Skate Hoarders” – Columboid from We Were One

5 Bands to Watch in 2011, Vol. II – Alcoholic Faith Mission, The Luyas, Elsinore, California Wives, Dada Trash Collage

Posted on 02/23/201112/18/2019 by Max Hammer

Last week, we published our first installment of Bands to Watch in 2011. Instead of including one really long listing, we decided to break them up into five bands per installment. There’s plenty of evidence that people like things divided up into 5’s and 10’s. The first installment of 5 Bands to Watch in 2011 got tens of thousands of page hits, so we finished up volume two of this series which puts the spotlight on the following bands: Alcoholic Faith Mission (pictured above), The Luyas, California Wives, Dada Trash Collage and Elsinore.

Alcoholic Faith Mission – Copenhagen, Denmark and Brooklyn, New York

Little by little, more and more people are hearing about the fantastic Danish indie electro-pop band Alcoholic Faith Mission. During the waning months of 2010, AFM were beginning to breakout. We think 2011 is the year they’ll smash through.

AFM initially started out with ex-pat Danes Thorben Seiero Jensen and Sune Solund carving out a couple of fantastic releases in 2009 that caught the attention of European indie blogs and press. For their latest album, Let This Be the Last Night We Care, the band expanded their membership, adding a number of fellow Scandinavians – Laurids Smedegaard, Kristine Permild, and Gustav Rasmussen – to round out the line-up.

“My Eyes To See” – Alcoholic Faith Mission from Let This Be the Last Night We Care

With interesting song titles like “Got Love/Got Shellfish!,” “Season Me Right,” and, “The You, That You Could Use,” Alcoholic Faith Mission obviously enjoy the quirky side of indie rock. In fact, they remind us more and more of a cross between Arcade Fire and Sufjan Stevens, and so it would not be a big surprise if those artists’ music has had a significant influence on AFM – quirky titles; sprawling, epic compositions; sudden stops and starts; spontaneous flourishes of orchestration and infusions of brass and wind instruments; and lots of chorus singing and sudden stops and starts.

“Got Love/Got Shellfish!” – Alcoholic Faith Mission from from Let This Be the Last Night We Care

The first signs of the musical genius of Jessen and Solund emerged when they released AFM’s 2009 EP, 421 Wythe, named after the Brooklyn home where they recorded. 421 is simply a magnificent album that switches between songs with vibrant, inspiration choruses and instrumental perfection, and other times when the wonderfully crafted compositions are deliciously dreamy, and sometimes, comfortably numbing.

Songs like “Escapism”, “Gently,” and “Guilty Scared Eyes” and are at once luring, larger than life, flourishing. The previous band comparisons aside, AFM are extremely talented and craft indie orchestrations with sober lyrics and flourishing choruses, even while not taking themselves too seriously, such as on fantastic songs like “Nut in Your Eye” and “We All Have Your Shortcomings.”

“Nut in Your Eye” – Alcoholic Faith Mission from 421 Wythe

“We All Have Your Shortcomings”– Alcoholic Faith Mission from 421 Wythe

With two solid records under their belt, it’s no wonder that more and more people are taking notice of AFM over the past half year or so. For those who enjoy the songs we’ve included in this profile, you’ll really want to get the albums the tracks come from. The more we listen to Let This Be The Last Night We Care and 421 Wythe, the more we love this band.

As we noted previously, these are the works of gifted musicians and songwriters, who are able to create sweeping epic songs that build up to a thrilling choruses, and are embellished with brass and string instruments. And you can almost feel while you’re listening to their songs like they realize they’ve got something special, and are happy to share it. All things considered, it was easy to pick Alcoholic Faith Mission as one of our top Bands to Watch in 2011. Let us know what you think!

The Alcoholic Faith Mission will be playing a number of shows in Canada next month, and a show at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on March 15th, before heading to Austin for the South by Southwest festival. They’re definitely on our schedule for SXSW.

“The You That You Could Use”– Alcoholic Faith Mission from Let This Be the Last Night We Care

Alcoholic Faith Mission have at least three gigs booked for SXSW in Austin next month. See the band’s MySpace page for more.

The Luyas – Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Over the past couple of years, the indie experimental band The Luyas have made little splashes in a big pond. But things really picked up for the band after their debut album, Faker Death, was re-released in 2008, and following appearances at popular Montreal music festivals. Yet, as far as in the States, The Luyas didn’t start to grab attention until the later half of 2010, especially after their praised performance at New York’s CMJ Music Marathon last October. The Luyas are set to perform at South By Southwest in just a couple of weeks from now.

The band have grown in number over the past couple of years, and it has benefited them greatly. In fact, former Arcade Fire French horn player, Pietro Amato (who also plays with Bell Orchestre and Torngat) joined the band. And Arcade Fire collaborator Owen Pallett contributed string arrangements and violin to some tracks on The Luyas’ latest album, Too Beautiful to Work. In addition, the band turned to engineer Jeff McMurrich (Tindersticks, Constantines) for their second album. Founding member Jessie Stein (vocals/guitars/moodswinger) has also played with SS Cardiacs and Miracle Fortress, and is skilled at playing the Moodswinger, a 12-string electric zither created by the Dutch experimental luthier Yuri Landman. Another founding member, Stefan Schneider (drums), plays with Amato in Bell Orchestre. Recently, they added their fourth permanent member, Mathieu Charbonneau (Wurlitzer).

With their lush, electro-pop sounds, trippy orchestrated loops and heavy bass lines, heavy use of strings, plus the charms of the Moodswinger and a Wurlitzer. We included a number of tracks from The Luyas sophomore album, Too Beautiful to Work, released last Tuesday to impressive reviews.

“Too Beautiful” – The Luyas from Too Beautiful To Work – Feb. 22nd

After hearing the title track, plus another song that circulated in 2010, “Tiny Head,” we were excited to listen to the band’s entire newly released debut LP. Not because we needed more proof that they qualified as a band to watch in 2011, but simply because we enjoyed the first few tracks so much, we wanted more. Plus, we’re also including a song from the band’s first album.

“Tiny Head” – The Luyas from Too Beautiful To Work – Feb. 22nd

Flashback Track: “Dumb Blood” – The Luyas from Faker Death (2007)

California Wives – Chicago, Illinoise

As with Suns, California Wives is another Chicago band we are only recently acquainted with. California Wives, thanks to the accomplished work on their Affair EP (released last September), are definitely on our Bands to Watch list for 2011. In recent months, the band’s fan following in Chicago has begun to spread outside of the city, and across the nation with a blog post here and there.

A sign of a new band’s prospects, one could say, is if they are invited to record a Daytrotter Session. The band recently recorded their intro DTS, and we expect that is only the beginning for this promising new band. We think you’d be really glad to grab a copy of Affair if you can. The band will be performing a number of shows in Austin during next month’s SXSW.

“Blood Red Youth” – California Wives from Affair EP – Sept. 3rd

“Purple” – California Wives from Affair EP

California Wivesofficial website.

Dada Trash Collage – Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis experimental psychedelic rock band Dada Trash Collage where on our radar for 2010, and have elevated to a band to watch in 2011. DTC are all over the map musically, and it works to their benefit. At once you can be hazed out and then wrapped an epic glory in the same song. When they say they are experimental, they’re not kidding.

“Moon” – Dada Trash Collage from Cool Waves/Bad Days

Songs like “Moon” and “Two Eyes” have soft, dreamy intros, but by mid-song, the band breaks out into full-throttled, unabashed psychedelic bliss pop. Dada Trash Collage have received some pretty good blog buzz (including on here in 2010), and have built a small, but loyal, following. But still, we think, as evidenced by the songs below, that the band are ready to break out in 2011 if all the right chips are in the right places.

“Two Eyes” – Dada Trash Collage from Cool Waves/Bad Days

“Glowing Wires” – Dada Trash Collage from Neighbors

“In Season” – Dada Trash Collage from Neighbors (via MFR’s)

Elsinore – Champaign-Urbana, Illinois

Champaign-Urbana pop quintet Elsinore is one of the best new band discoveries for our In Dee Mail playlist series throughout 2010. When we premiered the songs below late last year, you guys went crazy for the Illinois band, streaming and downloading the band’s songs from IRC in the hundreds and hundreds, and putting the been on the Top Ten Songs list. Therefore, it is no wonder that we have chosen Elsinore as a band to watch in 2011. Elsinore’s upbeat, catchy melodies and rock influences make them a band that is hard to turn away from.

“Yes Yes Yes” – Elsinore from Yes Yes Yes – Aug. 10th

“Chemicals” – Elsinore from The Chemicals EP – Jan. 10th

Best New Releases from Scattered Trees, Edwyn Collins, Datarock, Puro Instinct, Phineas & Lonely Leaves, Cave Singers

Posted on 02/23/201101/09/2020 by Max Hammer

It wasn’t hard to pick the lead single for this week’s Best New Releases feature. It is a great track, and our song of the day, “Love and Leave,” from Chicago indie band Scattered Trees. The dreamy, lush track is a near instant MP3 hit, and contains an ironic anthemic quality, not to mention sounding amazingly like 1970’s pop rock band ELO. That said, we tag Scattered Trees as a band to watch in 2011.

As we were putting together this post playlist, it became apparent that there are a good number of impressive tracks from relatively unknown bands. While Scattered Trees have been around for about five years now, there are still a lot people who have not heard of them. They have been compared to Radiohead and Coldplay. They combine elements of electro-pop, rock, and grunge, so it’s difficult to put them into a genre. Their new album, Sympathy, dropped this week.

“Love and Leave” – Scattered Trees from Sympathy

Bonus: “Four Days Straight” – Scattered Trees from Sympathy

Edwyn Collins’ Praised LP Finally Drops in U.S.

Scottish-born musician and producer Edwyn Collins‘ influence on indie rock is unquestionable. As the founding member of Nu-Sonics in 1976 – which was later renamed to Orange Juice – his remarkable electric guitar pop riffs had a significant impact on scores of young bands in the U.K. during the late 1970’s and most of the 1980’s. Orange Juice disbanded in 1985. They only had one hit single, “Rip It Up,” but their importance in the U.K. indie and alternative rock remains intact.

During his long career, he has produced The Proclaimers, A House, Space, Robert Forster, The Cribs, and Little Barrie. In the 1990’s, Collins had two big hit singles – 1994’s “A Girl Like You,” became a huge hit in the U.K. and U.S. When the song first came out, some people understandably thought it was a new Bowie track; either way, it’s one of the best rock songs of the 1990’s. “A Girl Like You” has been featured in films like Empire Records, Charlie’s Angel and The Secretary.

“A Girl Like You” – Edwyn Collins from Gorgeous George

Collins suffered a double brain hemorrhage in 2005, and has made a remarkable recovery since then. Last year, he released a new album, Losing Sleep, to huge critical acclaim from mainstream media critics, bloggers and fans throughout the U.K. Check out this awesome video “Do It Again,” featuring Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy of Franz Ferdinand.

The album features tracks co-written by members of Franz Ferdinand, plus Romeo Stodart of The Magic Numbers, and Ryan Jarman of The Cribs and The Drums.

“In Your Eyes” (featuring The Drums) – Edwyn Collins from Losing Sleep

Datarock Release Techie USB Filled with Everything Datarock

Datarock calls the release of their up-coming single, “Catcher in the Rye,” the “most extravagant single in history.” The single’s toy designed USB stick will feature 110 tracks, 20 music videos, and an one-long concert film, Never Say Die, a five-track EP, the latest album, Music For Synchronization, the remix album Mixed Up, two other previous albums with bonus tracks, new Lost and Found B-sides and rarities, 1,500 photos taken at their shows in 33 countries, and 15 instrumentals.

“Catcher in the Rye” – Datarock from Catcher in the Rye 7″

Cotton Jones is an indie folk-pop band from Cumberland, Maryland. Cotton Jones began as a project band for Michael Nau, lead singer and founder of the now defunct Page France, and has since become a full-time project. The single’s title alone will getting you thinking.

“Egg on a Sea” – Cotton Jones from Sit Beside You Vegetables

As with all the choices for the weekly Best New Releases, we listened a number of times to dozens and dozens of singles. Obviously, we don’t have the time to listen to all of the albums these songs come from, but we do our best to keep up.

Puro Instinct floored us with this dreamy and melodic track, “Stilyagi,” that will definitely be on our year end list for best song of 2011; we’ve already spun it like ten times. Puro Instinct and Phineas & The Lonely Leaves are bands to watch in 2011, and you should be hearing more about them in one of the upcoming editions of Bands to Watch in 2011.

“Stilyagi” – Puro Instinct from Headbangers In Ecstasy

“The Kids We Used To Be” – Phineas & the Lonely Leaves from The Kids We Used To Be

The following bands have appeared as fairly lit to bright blips on our music radar for 2011: Puro Instinct, Phineas & the Lonely Leaves, PT Walkley, Make Out, Powerdove, Marcellus Hall, The Caribbean, Six Organs of Admittance, and Hotels.

In keeping with tradition, please write any comments or reviews of songs in this playlist mix in the Comments section. We love reading them, and you guys leave a lot of great observations of posts and playlists, as well as engaging one another in conversation about a song, album or artist. Plus, we love when you Tweet, Like on our Facebook page, and share music from Indie Rock Cafe with others because we love spreading great, rarely heard music.

“I Don’t Want Anybody That Wants Me” – Make Out from Make Out EP

“Edita V” – Balkans from Edita V

“Outskirts” – The Caribbean from Discontinued Perfume

“Mr. Let’s Find Out”– The Caribbean from Discontinued Perfume

“Hold But Let Go” – Six Organs of Admittance from Asleep on the Floodplain

How Do We Determine if a Band is ‘Relatively Unknown?’ One way that we measure a “relatively unknown band” is to search their name in Google and see how many music sites and blogs have written about them. We also check Wikipedia to see if they have a page in Wikipedia. If they don’t, we think that is a pretty good additional clue of a new and under-the-radar artist. Another measure we use is to check the number of views and friends on MySpace, followers on Twitter and Friends and ‘Likes’ in Facebook.

“Laughing With You” – Marcellus Hall from The First Line

“The Bat Watusi” – Hotels from On The Casino Floor

“Birdsong”– Powerdove from Be Mine

“Love You Dearly” – PT Walkley from The Ghost of Chivalry EP

“Speed of Light” – Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion from Bright Examples

“Ma Do Nar” – Los Chicharrons from Roots of Life

“In Manila” – Eagle and Talon from In Manila

More well known indie bands like The Cave Singers, Floating Action, Danielson, and The Builders and the Butchers also have new releases this week. We wish we could do a write up on every artist featured in this mix, but we simply don’t have the many, many hours available that would be required to do so.

However, if IRC’s regular readers/listeners (not comfortable saying “followers”) audience keeps growing as it has been over the past year (and nearly one million visitors a month), it may be possible some day to do so much more of what we want to do. For now, we hope that IRC becomes your one-stop place for indie music.

“Lullaby” – The Builders and the Butchers from Dead Reckoning

“Swim Club” – The Cave Singers from No Witch

“Please Reveal” – Floating Action from Desert Etiquette

“People’s Partay” – Danielson from Best of Gloucester County

Bonus: “Grow Up” – Danielson from Best of Gloucester County

Make sure to check back tomorrow for a special edition of In Dee Mail, a playlist series that focuses on the best music we receive in the mail. You can’t miss this special edition – it has some of the most amazing artists you’ve probably never heard of, but will likely be glad you did.

Fresh Tracks from Radiohead, The Strokes, The Ravonettes, Opus Orange, The Submarines, Okkervil River, Stylofone

Posted on 02/21/201112/18/2019 by Max Hammer

On Saturday, the world finally got their hands on the highly anticipated, MP3-only album, The King of Limbs, from rock gods Radiohead. The King of Limbs is the long awaited follow-up LP to the band’s brilliant 2008 release, In Rainbows. With the release of the latter, Radiohead snuffed the corporate record label EMI by offering In Rainbows to fans for whatever fans wanted to pay. It was the shot heard around the recording industry. And fans reinforced Radiohead’s anti-corporate stance by purchasing hundreds of thousands of copies of In Rainbows in the first couple of months of its release.

This time around, Radiohead has made The King of Limbs available only from their own website, and no where else, yet without the name-your-price option, instead setting the price of the MP3 album at $9. What In Rainbows did in as as far empowering bands and their fans to connect directly with one another, we think The King of Limbs will do for elevating and building on that dynamic relationship. Just from a musical perspective, The King of Limbs is already receiving high praise from critics and fans alike.

The lead up to the release of The King of Limbs was insignificant compared to the massive million-dollar marketing campaigns that surround artists who have a fraction of the talent that the four members of Radiohead possess. It was apparent the band did not want a big fuss to be made around the release of the album. To that point, the release date for The King of Limbs was only announced on Valentine’s Day, five days before it’s official release. There was no advance single or NPR album stream. As with millions of other fans, we had been eagerly awaiting the web-only release of The King of Limbs all week, almost like little kids counting down the days to Christmas morning. But in fact, some savvy Radiohead heads discovered the band actually made the album available sometime on Friday.

And there they were – all eight fresh tracks from Radiohead sitting in our iTunes, waiting to be played. For whatever reason, Radiohead’s albums have the distinction of sounding better over time – like a fine, fruity wine. That said, it took only a few seconds of the first song to recognize the quintessential and intricate sound of one of the most beloved modern rock bands on earth. And, in a rush to put words to what we were hearing, we pretty much messed up our first hurried attempt to present an off-the-cuff, and somewhat intelligent, review of the album. We should have known better – Radiohead’s albums are way to layered and complex to summarize after just a couple of hours of listening.

Radiohead – Little By Little

It takes many, many spins over a number of months, even years, to begin to formulate a sensible review, but, not because their music is necessarily cryptic, but in fact because it is so magnificently arranged and recorded by each member of the band. Radiohead is so ahead of the rest of the music paradigm – and has been for years – that fans, writers and musicians are still studying (and copying) the band’s previous album when a new one drops. Just who do you expect to be at the top of the best albums of 2011 lists in nine or so months from now?

The first track here is Thom Yorke performing “Lotus Flower” during a solo acoustic show in Los Angeles in January of 2010.

“Lotus Flower” (Live 1/24/10) – Radiohead from The King of Limbs

The Strokes Build Anticipation for New LP with a Killer Single

Last week, New York‘s quintessential garage rock band, The Strokes, released the first track from their much anticipated new LP, Angles, due out March 22nd. The track, “Under The Cover of Darkness,” does not disappoint; it’s electrifying guitar rock just as we expect (and hope for) from The Strokes, backed by a catchy, shuffling rhythm, and a superbly addicting chorus. We realize that many of you have either heard the track or purchased it; but, we’re including it anyways for those who have yet to hear this awesome track.

“Under Cover of Darkness” – The Strokes from Angles – out March 22nd

Above is the official cover for Angles. We are seriously jonesing to hear the rest of the album. Hopefully, it will be released in a couple of weeks as an album stream on Spinner, NPR or even The Strokes’ website. Pre-order Angles from Amazon for only $11.94.

You may also want to check out the The S-25 Songs Mix in which The Strokes were the featured band.

Also, here’s behind-the-scenes footage of the band (minus Julian Casablancas for some reason) during recording of Angles. Why is the director whispering?

The New York rock band have also announced that a new, non-album single, “You’re So Right,” will be released as an exclusive Record Store Day vinyl edition on April 16th. The track will also be featured as the official B-Side to “Under Cover of Darkness,” which drops officially as a 7-inch single on March 1st.

Opus Orange Gives IRC Exclusive New Track

If you’ve been a regular reader of IRC for the past year or so, you may be familiar with the music of successful Los Angeles music composer Paul Bessenbacher, aka Opus Orange. In 2009, we were the first indie website to premiere the music of Opus Orange after hearing one of his songs on a Johnsonville Sausage commercial. Since then, our love for Opus Orange has only grown with each new release, and all seven OO songs we’ve published during the past 18 months have been big hits with our readers and visitors.

So, it’s with great excitement that we premiere a brand new, unreleased single from Opus Orange titled “Crystal Clear.” Let us know what you think. We call it ‘deliciously upbeat indie pop,’ perhaps OO’s best single yet.

“Crystal Clear” – Opus Orange, single 2011 – IRC Exclusive

Check out Opus Orange’s Bandcamp page

Raving About The Raveonettes

We’ve been digging this spanking new track from The Raveonettes, complete with a percussion heavy, lo-fi indie rock romp that makes the track as exciting as the anticipation of the duo’s upcoming fifth album, Raven in the Grave, set to drop on April 5th. Pre-order here.

“Forget That You’re Young” – The Raveonettes from Raven in the Grave

Okkervil River’s Rondevu With “Mermaid”

Pitchfork premiered the new Okkervil River single, “Mermaid” last week, the first single from the popular indie band’s upcoming album, I Am Very Far. We have yet to hear any news of an Okkervil River tour to the support the May 10th release of the band’s newest album. One show is scheduled for June 7th at New York’s Terminal 5.

“Mermaid” – Okkervil River from I Am Very Far – out May 10th

The Submarines Come to the Surface with New Track

Every since one of their songs was included on a popular and frequently viewed commercial touting the new iPhone in 2008, The Submarines have built a fan following across the States and Europe. The Submarines are currently putting the final touches on their latest album, Love Notes/Letter Bombs. We’d love to know what you guys think of this advanced track, “Birds.” Pre-order the album on Amazon.

“Birds” – The Submarines from Love Notes/Letter Bombs

Popular Indie Film You Won’t Miss Me with Indie Soundtrack

On May 17th, the critically praised indie film, You Won’t Miss Me, will be available on DVD via Factory 25. The film, an official selection at Sundance and SXSW, and a Gotham Award Winner, is a kaleidoscopic film portrait of Shelly Brown, a 23- year-old alienated urban misfit recently released from a psychiatric hospital. Starring Stella Schnabel, featuring Rene Ricard, and introducing other notable New York personalities, the film gives pathos to the frenzy of the youthful desire for acceptance.

Ronnie Scheib of Variety wrote about the film: ” This powerful, iconoclastic pic could gain a cult following,” and Nick Pinkerton of Village Voice, said the film “has a pure, 180-proof burn.”

The film’s theatrical run began in New York City in December 2010, followed by a substantial national tour. The soundtrack contains original songs by Stylofone, a band featuring members of Amazing Baby, MGMT and Standing Nudes. The following song is one of the tracks from the soundtrack.

“Loose Boots” – Stylofone from You Won’t Miss Me

Julian Lynch Releases Title Track of New LP

Julian Lynch, the respected and rising one-man band from Ridgewood, New Jersey, has completed recording for his third album, Terra, slated to drop on April 24th. Growing up in Ridgewood, Lynch learned to play clarinet and guitar, and in high school, he performed in bands alongside future members of Real Estate, Titus Andronicus, and Family Portrait. He moved to Madison, Wisconsin in the fall of 2008 to begin a master’s program in Ethnomusicology.

“Terra” – Julian Lynch from Terra – out April 24th

Lovett Releases New Single from 2011 Release

Lovett has composed and scored a variety of independent films including The Signal which premiered at Sundance in 2007 and received the award for Best Score at the 2009 Brooklyn International Film Festival for the song, “The Last Lullaby.”

With an extensive background in film music, Lovett’s own original songs naturally possess the same kind of lush, visual translation as his previous artistry. “Eye Of The Storm” is the first of a thunderous series of nine cinematic music videos – one for each track on Lovett’s debut album Highway Collection, set for release on March 15th.

Directed by Chris Alender of Soapbox Films, the video is more accurately described as a short film, one transporting viewers into a richly detailed steam punk world where a lone skycaptain pilots an airship through the celestial heart of a raging storm.

“The Fear” – Ben Lovett from Highway Collection

Edward Sharpe Member Alexander Ebert Sets Solo Debut

Alexander Ebert of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros will release his self-titled solo debut LP on March 1st. Also check out a fresh track from singer/songwriter James Vincent McMorrow‘s widely praised debut album, Early in the Morning.

“Truth” – Alexander Ebert from Alexander Ebert – out March 1st

“If I Had A Boat” – James Vincent Mcmorrow

Nodzzz Return with Their Sophomore LP

The San Francisco garage rock, poppy post punk band Nodzzz spent much of 2010 writing and recording the songs for their upcoming release, Innings. The band will tour the West Coast of the U.S. in late February, and during March in the U.K. The album is expected to be released early this coming summer.

“Time (What’s It Going to Do?)” – Nodzzz from Innings

Best Indie Rock Songs of 2010, Vol. IV – Dead Weather, Foals, The Radio Dept., Beach Fossils, Weekend, The National

Posted on 02/20/201112/18/2019 by Max Hammer

thedeadweather — The Dead Weather's 'Sea Cowards,' was one of the best rocker albums of 2010

Enough with 2010 already? If that’s how you feel, then you probably don’t want to listen to 30-plus more of our favorite indie rock songs of 2010. By natural extension, many of the songs featured in this series are on many of our favorite albums for 2010. So, in place of the weekly S-25 Mix, we’ve put together this playlist of some of our favorite 2010 tracks to share with you instead.

It’s now mid-February, and there have been oodles of ace songs released so far, mainly via the Best New Releases weekly series, and the regular Fresh Tracks spotlight, including the latest and best music from bands like The Decemberists, Bright Eyes, Drive By Truckers, Smith Westerns, The Strokes, Radiohead, and many others. And so while we do our best to keep you updated on the latest most popular releases from indie bands and artists, we’re also continuing to share our favorite music of 2010, from albums and songs, to well-known artists and new bands.

“The Difference Between Us” – Dead Weather from Sea of Cowards

“Cigarettes in the Theatre” – Two Door Cinema Club from Tourist History

In addition to creating various mixes featuring our favorite songs of 2010, work continues on putting together IRC’s Best Albums of 2010. So why the wait? Well, one reason is to make sure we have listened to as many indie albums from 2010 as possible, and with perspective. Another reason is so that we can measure your favorite albums based on what songs from this series are listened to, ‘hearted’ (on our Hype page), and downloaded the most.

With that in mind, you don’t want to miss the first three volumes of Best Indie Rock Songs of 2010 because there are more than 100 killer tracks; so far, this series has been the most popular playlist series of 2011. Also, don’t miss the Top Ten Breakout Bands of 2010, plus 50 No. 1 Songs of 2010; and check out the first installment of 5 Bands to Watch in 2011. Let us know what you think of this best indie songs fourth playlist mix, Tweet it, share it on Facebook, Tumblr or Foursquare it. Enjoy.

“This Orient” – Foals from Total Life Forever

“Boots of Danger (Wait Up)” – Tokyo Police Club from Champ

“Part Of Me” – Electric Tickle Machine from Blew It Again

“Golden Haze” – Wild Nothing from Gemini

“Collector” – Here We Go Magic from Pigeons

“Heaven and Earth” – Blitzen Trapper from Destroyer Of The Void

“Oh You, Old Thing” – Wolf Parade from Expo 86

“Distant Life” – Film School from Fission

“Afraid of Everyone” – The National from High Violet

“Never Follow Suit” – The Radio Dept from Clinging to a Scheme

“Remember Last Time” – Avi Buffalo from Avi Buffalo

“Catholic Pagans” – Surfer Blood from Astrocoast

“Bermuda” – Kisses from The Heart Of The Nightlife

“Daydream” – Beach Fossils from Beach Fossils

“Harlem River Blues” – Justin Townes Earle from Harlem River Blues [Explicit]

“Round and Round” – Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti from Before Today

“King of Spain” – The Tallest Man on Earth from The Wild Hunt

“Forever and Ever Amen” – The Drums from The Drums

“Two Lives at the End of the Night” – The Henry Clay People from Somewhere on the Golden Coast

“Twenty Two” – Wakey! Wakey! from Everything I Wished I Said The Last Time I Saw You

“Lady in the Light Lines” – Auto Body from Priest Party

“American Slang” – The Gaslight Anthem from American Slang

“Born Stoked” – Wet Illustrated from Academy Annex

“Written in Reverse” – Spoon from Transference

“All-American” – Weekend from All American split single

“Weird Feelings” – Male Bonding from Nothing Hurts

“What A Drag” – Bear Hands from Burning Bush Supper Club

“Head of Steam” – The Fresh and Onlys from split 7″

“Restoration” – The Acorn from No Ghost

“Dirty Cartoons” – Menomena from Mines

“Kill Joe Arpaio” – Crocodiles, single release

Best New Releases from Bright Eyes, Drive-By Truckers, The Dears, East River Pipe, Moving Units, Asobi Seksu, La Sera, The Babies

Posted on 02/17/201112/18/2019 by Max Hammer

brighteyespeopleskey — Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes hits a grand slam with The People's Key

This week’s Best New Releases include some big time albums, including the newest LP from one of our favorite bands, Bright Eyes. After having listened to The People’s Key a number of times, not only is it Conor Oberst and Bright Eyes in true form, The People’s Key may be their best album of all.

You can click on the album title below to order and download the album now, or you can stream The People’s Key entirely before deciding if you want to purchase it.

“Shell Games” – Bright Eyes from The People’s Key

In addition to Bright Eyes, we’re also super stoked about the self-titled debut album from the rising indie band Yuck. On Tuesday, we published 5 Bands to Watch in 2011, with Yuck leading the way. Over the past couple of days there have been hundreds of streams of Yuck’s songs.

There’s plenty of more new singles from fresh releases included below. But first, we want to introduce you to Brooklyn band Old Monk, who are making their web debut exclusively on IRC with two new songs from their latest album, Birds of Belize. The track “Butter and Toast” is one of those pop tunes that gets in your head and stays there all day, but not in a bad way. The band describes its sound as garage rock mixed with art prog. They include among their influences The Kinks, Frank Zappa, Pavement and Deerhoof. Surprisingly, they’ve never opened for another band, so we can only hope the band get some of the love we think they deserve.

“Butter and Toast” – Old Monk from Birds of Belize

“Warm Moustache” – Old Monk from Birds of Belize

Also, check out fresh tracks from the latest albums by The Dears, Drive-By Truckers, East River Pipe, Moving Units, Asobi Seksu, Mogwai, Lifeguards, La Sera, The Babies, La Sera, and many others.

“Omega Dog” – The Dears from Degeneration Street

“Cold Ground” – East River Pipe from We Live in Rented Rooms

“Used to Be A Cop” – Drive By Truckers from Go-Go Boots

“Trails” – Asobi Seksu from Fluorescence

“Super Disease” – Jay Crocker from Co-Stars

“Until She Says” – Moving Units from Tension War EP

“San Pedro” – Mogwai from Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

Bonus: “Rano Pano” – Mogwai from Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will

“Run Me Over”– The Babies from The Babies

“Devils Hearts Grow Gold” – La Sera from La Sera

“The Cake and Eating It” – Zoey Van Goey from Propeller Versus Wings

“Cherry Delicious” – Poor But Sexy from Hotter Than A Poptart

More New Releases This Week You May Enjoy

“You Know I Did” – The Liptonians from Let’s All March Back Into The Sea

“Paradise Is Not So Bad” – Lifeguards from Waving At The Astronauts

“Found in Benson” – Gwyneth & Monko from Gwyneth & Monko

“Paint Your Lips” – Wake Up Lucid from Sugar

Love Songs We Love – Film School, Gang of Four, Radiohead, New Order, Eels, The Flaming Lips, Portishead, Tupac, The Pixies, Wilco

Posted on 02/14/201112/18/2019 by Max Hammer

Click play on this streamer to play the entire playlist uninterrupted.
[zbplayer]

For all of you who follow us regularly, you may have noticed that yesterday’s Sunday 25 Mix was appropriately dedicated to indie, alternative and class rock songs about love. Because there were so many left over terrific love songs left over from yesterday’s mix, it only made sense to make a Valentines mix with the rest.

Of course these are not all of the love songs we love, but combined with yesterday’s Songs of Love, and last year’s Valentines Mix Vol One and Vol. Two, we hope that you’ll find plenty of songs that you come to love, whether for a couple of weeks, or the rest of your life.

Don’t miss tomorrow’s post of 10 Bands to Watch in 2011, and also the latest Best New Releases of the Week, including fresh tracks from Yuck, East River Pipe, Mogwai, PJ Harvey, Telekenesis and many others.

“Heart Full Of Pentagons” – Film School

“I Really Love You” – Paul McCartney

“I Love A Man In Uniform (Long Version)” – Gang of Four

“Love Songs On The Radio” – Mojave 3

“Summer Of Love” – The Fresh & Onlys

“I Don’t Need Love, I’ve Got My Band” – The Radio Dept.

“Love Untold” – Paul Westernberg

“Lovestain” – Jose Gonzalez

“Stand Inside Your Love” – The Smashing Pumpkins

“Strange Love” – Sonny & The Sunsets

“Love Ruins Everything” – Lloyd Cole

“Power Of Love” – Jimi Hendrix

“Love and Death” – The Stills

“Love of the Loveless” – Eels

“Isn’t She Lovely” – Stevie Wonder

“The Lovecats” – The Cure

“You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” (The Beatles) – Pearl Jam

“I Love Nye” – Badly Drawn Boy

“I’m The Man Who Loves You” – Wilco

“Lover Lover Lover” – Ian MCulloch

“Bizarre Love Triangle” – New Order

“Gangster of Love” – Steve Miller Band

“Love Explosion” – The Lightning Seeds

“Love Is No Big Truth” – Kings of Convenience

“Love” – John Lennon

“The One I Love” – R.E.M.

“Love At First Feel – Mark Kozelek

“True Love Waits” (Acoustic Live) – Radiohead

“I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song” – Jim Croce

“La La Love You” – The Pixies

“Love Reign O’er Me” – The Who

“Love in Vain” – The Rolling Stones

“Chains Of Love” – The Dirtbombs

“Strychnine_Peace, Love, and Understanding” – The Flaming Lips

“Whole Lotta Love.mp3” – Led Zeppelin

“Sour Times” – Portishead

“Unconditional Love.mp3” – Tupac Shaker

“”Lover I Dont Have To Love” – Bright Eyes

“There’s Too Much Love” – Belle and Sebastian

The S-25 Mix, Vol. X – Love Songs from Blake Mills, Beach House, Belle and Sebastian, Tallest Man on Earth, Broken Social Scene

Posted on 02/13/201112/18/2019 by Max Hammer

By Maxwell Silver

Without love, who would we be? The greatest human aspiration, and our most important asset, is arguably not money or power, but in fact, love. People of great power and wealth do not necessarily find love, and we know that love cannot be bought and sold. Our troubled world needs as much love as it can get.

In a week in which the world witnessed the liberation of 80 million Egyptians, achieved by the mainly non-violent protests of millions of people, a love of country, and a yearning for the sweetness of democracy, it’s safe to say that the forces of love, and of good, conquered the forces of evil and hate. In Tahrir Square, Christian Egyptians protected their Muslim neighbors during prayers, and vice versa. Now, a country in the cradle of civilization, a culture of 7,000 years old, begins the difficult, but necessary work of creating a democratic government, and a life free of tyranny and full of promise.

With Tunisia leading the way, the people of Egypt have triumphantly unseated a corrupt and brutal regime that lasted decades. The first social media revolution, or as Google’s Wael Ghonim called it, “Revolution 2.0,” of the new century is now spreading to Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, Algeria and other countries. Across the Middle East, an entire generation, 65% who are under the age of 30, are standing up to take control of their futures and breaking the chains of oppression that have kept them from fulfilling their natural born rights to life, liberty and happiness.

“Hey Lover” – Blake Mills
“Lover Of Mine” – Beach House
“Popular Mechanics For Lovers” – Beulah
“Write About Love (Feat. Carey Mulligan)” – Belle and Sebastian
“Love is All” – The Tallest Man On Earth
“Love You Madly” – Cake
“Spread Your Love” – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
“Don’t Fall In Love If You Want To Die In Peace” – Comet Gain
“Lover’s Spit” – Broken Social Scene
“All is Full of Love” – Bjork
“(David Bowie I Love You) Since I Was Six” – Brian Jonestown Massacre
“30-Megaton Love” – The Skinnys
“I Love Rock n’ Roll” – Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
“Love Songs On The Radio” – Mojave 3
“Save Your Love For Me” – Suckers
“The Things We Do For Love” – 10cc
“Young Love” – Moto Boy
“Blame Love” – Boy Genius
“Crazy For You” – Best Coast
“Hot Love (T. Rex)” – Elf Power
“I Love My Car” – Belle and Sebastian
“Robots In Love” – Beautiful Small Machines
“No One’s Gonna Love You” – Band of Horses
“Patriots Of Love” – The Catholic Comb
“Skinny Love” – Bon Iver
“Lonesome Co.” – Admiral Bradley
“Love Song” – Army of Me
“Let’s Not Shit Ourselves (To Love And Be Loved)” – Bright Eyes
“She Loves You” – The Beatles
“Every Love That Ever Was (Montauk’s Vacation Mix).mp3” – Home Video
“Lovers” – Brothertiger

Note: There were so many other songs that we wanted to include in this mix. So, check back tomorrow because we’re going to publish them in our special Valentines mix.

Note No. 2: Last week there was no Sunday 25 Mix for a variety of reasons. One reason was the fact that much time was put into sifting through a pile of songs for the latest Fresh Tracks mix, one that people seemed to like quite a bit. Another Fresh Tracks mix will be out later this week.

Best New Releases – Cut Copy, Akron/Family, J. Mascis, Trail of Dead, Young Galaxy, District Attorneys, Class Actress

Posted on 02/09/201101/09/2020 by Max Hammer

Among this week’s best new releases is the new Cut Copy album, Zonoscope. Right around Thanksgiving time of last year, Cut Copy released the first single from the new LP, “Take Me Over.”

The song was a huge hit with IRC readers and visitors, taking the No. 1 spot on the Top Ten Songs page for that week, and continuing to be one of the most popular songs on IRC for weeks afterwards.

So, it’s probably no surprise that Zonoscope is the featured pick of the week. And it’s no surprise that the album is also No. 1 on Amazon as we write this. Listen for yourself with a full album stream via Spinner or grab your MP3 album download with the album title link below.

“Take Me Over” – Cut Copy from Zonoscope – (#1 on Amazon – get it for only $5.99 – limited time offer)

Bonus Track: “Take Me Over” (Loving Hand Remix by Tim_Goldsworthy) – Cut Copy

We’re really excited by Akron/Family‘s new LP, the oddly titled, S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT. So far, we’ve heard enough of Shinju to suggest that it might be already a 2011 best album. The lead track, “Silly Beans” is a wildly upbeat and romping pop song injected with waves of synth-oozing keys and punctured by blistering ’70s prog rock guitar jams. Play and repeat.

“Silly Beans” – Akron/Family from S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT (with Digital booklet)

So, we’re a little late to, and not fully on, the James Blake happy train of bloggers, media and fans who have been praising the British dubstep producer and musician’s debut, self-titled LP. His music is OK, but not comparable to the hype. That said, we know of so many other artists that are equally, or more, talented and yet get very little notice. One is ironically a near namesake. We’re talking about the music of Blake Mills. His 2010 album was picked as the best album of the year on the blog, Everybody Taste.

James Blake by JamesBlake

For us, Cut Copy, Akron/Family, …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) are the big releases for the week of February 8th, followed by impressive singles, EPs and LPs from indie bands who are not as popular as those two big acts, but who are definitely worth listening to, including Lull Water, Young Galaxy, Over The Rhine, OK Campfire, Creeping Weeds, The District Attorneys, La Resistance.

“Weight of The Sun” – …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead from Tao Of The Dead

“One More Time” – Lull Water from Silhouette

“Peripheral Visionaries” – Young Galaxy from Shapeshifting

J Mascis – Not Enough

“Outsiders” – Creeping Weeds from See Through (self-released)

“Understanding” – La Resistance from Philosophy

“Splitsville” – The District Attorneys from Orders From… (self-released via MOKB

“Strange Like We Are” – OK Campfire from Strange Like We Are

“The King Knows How” – Over the Rhine from The Long Surrender

“Careful What You Say” – Class Actress from Journal of Ardency EP

“Point Break II” – U.S.F. from Jamaica Plain

“They Wake” – Virgin of the Birds from Fugitive Works EP

“Blue” – Salva from Complex Housing

“Drifter” – Religious to Damn from Glass

Other Singles from New Releases

“When You Knew Me When”– Emily Arin from Patch of Land (self-released)

“Headlands” – The Union Trade from Why We Need Night EP

“Ignition Slated for Eight” –The Asteroid No. 4 from Hail To The Clear Figurines

“Run Me Over” – The Babies from The Babies

“Tryin’ to Have a Good Time”– The O’s from Between The Two

“Motion Pictures” – Jon McKiel from Confidence Lodge