Max Hammer – Page 52 – INDIE ROCK CAFE

Summer Indie Playlist, Vol. I – Local Natives, Arcade Fire, Free Energy, Opus Orange

Posted on 05/29/201001/25/2020 by Max Hammer

While summer does not technically begin until mid-June, it has become something of an American tradition that Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of summertime. And it’s perfect timing for folks on the west coast, where it has been an unusually cool, cloudy and rainy spring.

Now that Memorial Day weekend has arrived, it’s time to begin rolling out the summer mixtapes, and the good thing is, there’s a lot of terrific new music that has come out so far in 2010. And these mixtapes also give us an opportunity to share other great ‘summer’ style music with you not restricted to just ‘indie rock’.

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“Sun Hands” – Local Natives

“Let’s Go Surfing” – The Drums

“Dynomania”– The Vermicious K’nids

“Month of May” – Arcade Fire

“Nothing But Time” – Opus Orange

“Six Royal Vipers” – Tobacco

“Celebrate The Days” – The Rassle

“Razor Blade” – The Strokes

“Dream City” – Free Energy

“Walk In The Park” – Beach House

“Swim Until You Can’t See Land” – Frightened Rabbit

“Spirit in the Sky” – Norman Greenbaum

“Ambling Alp” – Yeasayer

“You Were Young” – Yes Giantess

“Eyes of Light” – Awesome Color

In Dee Mail 2010, Vol. IV: Neon Indian Produces New Miniature Tigers’ Track; Plus, Here We Go Magic, The Morning Code & More

Posted on 05/27/201012/18/2019 by Max Hammer

Today we received a just completed song from the Miniature Tigers that was produced by the indie electro-pop artist Neon Indian. The song, titled, “Gold Skull”, is an advance single from the upcoming new album by the band, which (aside from the Neon Indian produced song) was produced by The Morning Benders‘ member Chris Chu. The album, Fortress, is set to drop on July 27th.

“Gold Skull” (produced by Neon Indian) – Miniature Tigers from Fortress

Here We Go Magic sent in this song from the band’s June 8th release of their new album, Pigeons. We found this song to be almost immediately addictive, and once again, the band have delivered the magic that has made them a huge success in the past couple of year’s within Brooklyn‘s ‘indie’ rock scene, and beyond.

“Collector” – Here We Go Magic from Pigeons – out June 8th

Today we learned of a new band we’ve never heard of before, but will now definitely put on our radar screens – could this be a new breakthrough band in the works? Last month, the New York City alternative rock band, The Morning Code, released an EP follow-up to their 2007 LP debut, Superhero Complex.

It’s not clear to us why this band has not received any substantial write-ups online. Huh? Well, this happens all the time, actually – bands that we really think show a lot of promise and skill, but somehow get overlooked (while lesser talented bands get hyped and showered with love). You can download all MP3s from the EP at The Morning Code website.

“Silver” – The Morning Code from Tell Someone EP

“Mob” – The Morning Code from Tell Someone EP

The Morning Code on MySpace

Drawing from obvious influences of The Beach Boys‘ classic album, Pet Sounds, the London band Gold Sounds – named after the Pavement song from Crooked Rain – released their debut EP, Home Schooled, earlier this year. The EP features four songs rich with crackling melodies, full-on orchestration, and sunny harmonies. Anyways, Pavement, is one of the headliners at this weekend’s Sasquatch Festival in Quincy, Washington.

“You’re A Vision” – Gold Sounds from Home Schooled

“So It Goes” – Gold Sounds from Home Schooled

Gold Sounds on MySpace

A recent submission from Birmingham, Alabama, college student stated simply: “my name is drew, i record a lot of songs in my room…i am unsigned…review my music?” From the hazy keyboards and reverb vocals on “See Through” to the stripped-down acoustic country/folk rock of “Coquette”, there’s something raw and original that we like about Drew Price‘s music.

“See Through” – Drew Price’s Bermuda Triangle from Cat in the Rain

“Coquette” – Drew Price’s Bermuda Triangle from Cat in the Rain

On “Game Plan”, there is an immediate jolt of old-school sci-fi sound effects, followed by a quick transition into a floating, repetitive beat, acoustic plucking and layers of dubbed vocals. So far, it’s hard to fit his music into a genre (most fitting is probably ‘experimental’). However, Price’s MySpace page lists the genres as “Hawaiian/Chinese pop”.

“Game Plan” – Drew Price’s Bermuda Triangle from Cat in the Rain

Drew Price on MySpace

Two New Arcade Fire Songs Hit The Internet

Posted on 05/26/201005/17/2019 by Max Hammer

This is a postcard scan that was posted by Arcade Fire on their website earlier this week

After weeks of rumors that a new Arcade Fire album (title still unknown) was in the final stages of mixing, two new singles from the popular Montreal indie pop band have made their way to the web late this afternoon.

Earlier in the week, we published two very short and low quality samples of these songs via a widget from Arcade Fire’s official website.

How the songs actually made their way on to the Internet is not clear, but if the band planned it just in time for the kick-off to summer (Memorial Day Weekend), it’s a brilliant move. Notice both songs make references to life in the suburbs.

What do you guys think of one or both of these new songs? The best comment (like a review of the songs) will win a copy of the CD when it’s released – we hear “sometime this summer”.

“The Suburbs” – Arcade Fire

“Month of May” – Arcade Fire

Best New Releases from Beach Fossils, Damien Jurado, Tobacco, Peter Wolf Crier, Junip, Kurt Vile, Ducktails, Elephant Stone

Posted on 05/25/201012/18/2019 by Max Hammer

The debut LP from Brooklyn‘s popular band, Beach Fossils, officially drops today. The band is one more break-through band in the past couple of years with a name that conjures up images of the ocean, sand, and sea mammals (Surfer Blood, Freelance Whales, Wavves, etc.). At this year’s South By Southwest festival, Beach Fossils put on one of the most spirited shows of the fest at The Wave Rooftop in Austin.

“Youth” – Beach Fossils from Beach Fossils

“Daydream” – Beach Fossils from Beach Fossils

On June 18, Beach Fossils will kick off their summer tour with a number of different bands we like, including Here We Go Magic, Frog Eyes and Small Black.

“Time” – Beach Fossils from 7″ released April 21

Beach Fossils on MySpace

Other new releases today include the latest album from Damien Jurado, plus Tobacco, Peter Wolf Crier, Junip, Kurt Vile, Ducktails, Elephant Stone, This Piano Plays Itself, Pure Ecstasy and Snow & Voices.

“Arkansas” – Damien Jurado from Saint Bartlett

“Cloudy Shoes” – Damien Jurado from Saint Bartlett

Damien Jurado official website

“Sweatmother” – Tobacco from Maniac Meat

“Fresh Hex (featuring Beck)” – Tobacco from Maniac Meat

Tobacco on MySpace

“Hard as Nails” – Peter Wolf Crier from Inter-Be

Peter Wolf Crier on MySpace

“Rope & Summit” – Junip from Rope & Summit EP

“Invisibility: Nonexistent” – Kurt Vile from Square Shells EP

Kurt Vile official website

“Mirror Image” – Ducktails from Apple Walk/Mirror Image

“Strangers” – Elephant Stone from The Glass Box EP

Elephant Stone official website

“Who We Were” – This Piano Plays Itself from As the House…

This Piano Plays Itself on MySpace

“Maybe Finland” – Snow & Voices from Anything That Moves

Check out other week’s releases below – dozens of free MP3s from the best indie artists of 2010

Best Indie Rock Songs 2010, Vol. III: Black Keys, Wolf Parade, Dead Weather, LCD Soundsystem, The National, Band of Horses

Posted on 05/20/201012/18/2019 by Max Hammer

About twice a month, maybe more, we’re going to publish the What’s Hot Right Now playlist mix. The way we calculate what’s hot is by analyzing our web statistics of which songs people are listening to and downloading the most, and then comparing those to additional resources like The Hype Machine, Elbo.ws, and other aggregators and popular music blogs to come up with a list that depicts the hottest songs on the web (not what’s hot on Billboard or radio).

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“Tighten Up” – The Black Keys

“Hustle and Cuss” – The Dead Weather

“Drunk Girls” – LCD Soundsystem

“What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)” – Wolf Parade

“Factory” – Band of Horses

“Cloudy Shoes” – Damien Jurado

“Your Hands” – The New Pornographers

“Party With Children” – Ratatat

In Dee Mail 2010 Vol. II Futurebirds, A Silent Film, Band in Heaven, Heart Ships, Ganglians, Loch & Key, Luna is Honey

Posted on 05/16/201012/18/2019 by Max Hammer

The Futurebirds will release their debut LP on July 13th. Photo by Alyssa DeHayes

It’s been a while since we went through the mailbag to pull out some great music from bands you probably never heard of, but we think you might just want to. The long-running, and fairly popular, mixtape series, In Dee Mail, is one of our favorites to produce because we are always amazed by the amount, and quality, of fine music that comes in via the mail from artists and bands around the world.

Some of the bands featured in this mix have never been published on a music blog, others have received minor mentions on a blog or other publication here and there, others are familiar only to only dedicated music collectors and addicts, and a few (in today’s case, only one) are well known within the so-called indie and alternative rock music scene.

In this issue of In Dee Mail: Futurebirds, A Silent Film, Band in Heaven, Heart Ships, Ganglians, Luna Is Honey, Loch & Key, Not LIke This, Mad Planet, and Bruce Kaphan. Click the first song in the playlist and it will stream continuously until all dozen songs are played – sort of like radio with no commercial interruptions.

Hopefully you’ll enjoy this mix as much as we do. This is the first of many upcoming In Dee Mail (music we get in dee mail) playlists – there are dozens of terrific bands and songs just waiting their turn to be published.

The first band up is the relatively new, and increasingly talked about, Futurebirds from Athens, Georgia. Most of the six guys in the band grew up together, or met in college. Some of the founding members learned they worked well together as teenagers following stunts like throwing stink bombs into the portable toilets at the summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Fast forward to last year: the band released their debut EP, and since then have been gigging and writing and recording the songs for their first full length release, Hamptom’s Lullaby, due to drop July 13th on Autumn Tone Records. The Futurebirds kicked off a 19-city tour this week in Washington, DC with Jessica Lea Mayfield. The following is an advanced single from their upcoming debut LP.

“Johnny Utah” – Futurebirds from Hamptom’s Lullaby

Futurebirds on MySpace

A Silent Film – Oxford, England

Oxford, England band A Silent Film released their newest album, The City That Sleeps, last month. The LP has received positive reviews from AbsolutePunk and NME. In fact, the lead single, “You Will Leave A Mark” has been a hit throughout Europe in recent weeks, and went to #1 in Portugal.

Sidebar: The band’s record label, Bieler Bros. Records, is being sued by Justin Bieber for copyright infringement. According to the record label, the claim filed states: “Mr. Bieber’s fans are being misled by the similarity of the spelling of their respective names.” The suit is asking for undisclosed amounts in damages, as well as the immediate changing of the label’s name. What a pile of poo.

“You Will Leave a Mark” – A Silent Film from The City That Sleeps

A Silent Film on MySpace

Band in Heaven – Orlando, Florida

In recent years, there’s been some great bands coming out of Florida, including latest favorites like Surfer Blood and Holiday Shores, among others. Now appearing on our radar is the Orlando shoegaze outfit Band in Heaven, which creates fuzzy, lo-fi drones with hazy pop synths.

Band in Heaven is not a band in the traditional sense of the word; they are a duo, featuring Ates Isildak (of The Strangers Family Band) on vocals, organ and guitar, and Lauren Dwyer on electronic drums and percussion. Their submission got our attention right away due to the infectious, fuzz pop song, “High Low,” their debut single from a batch of songs that will either be released as a LP or two six-song EPs. We’ll be looking out for it.

“High Low” – Band in Heaven

“A Tunnel into Your Dreams” – Band in Heaven

Download two more songs for free, including a cover of The Cranberries‘ hit, “Dreams” via Bandcamp.

Band in Heaven on Bandcamp
Band in Heaven on MySpace

Heart Ships – Leeds, UK

Like Band in Heaven, the next band, Heart Ships, are now on our radar after listening to a few of tracks they’ve recorded in recent months. Heart Ships comprises a group of musicians from the North Wales historic city of Leeds – perhaps the epicenter of rock music in the northernmost part of the UK.

Heart Ships formed in December of 2009 when a couple of friends grew weary of other band projects that did not materialize and decided to start jamming together and see where the music would take them, often getting together in “various dank basements” around North Wales to practice. The band is so new they don’t have photos or even enough songs to make an album. “Heart of a Wrestler” is their debut single, premiering on IRC. While the song gets a slow start, we like where it goes and where it ends up.

“Heart of a Wrestler” – Heart Ships

Heart Ships on MySpace

Ganglians – Sacramento, CA

Unlike most of the artists in this edition of In Dee Mail, the California band Ganglians are more widely known thanks to their ‘underground’ success in recent years. Earlier this week, the band sent us a new demo track, “My House,” which sounds like a spring kind of song to us, with its stripped down acoustic rawness and emphasis on reverbs and choruses. This weekend the band is playing The Great Escape Festival in Brighton, UK and the Cardiff Arts Institute, followed by a six-week tour through Europe.

“My House” – Ganglians, new demo track

Ganglians on MySpace

Luna Is Honey are well-known in the LA DIY, progressive scene

Luna Is Honey – Los Angeles, CA

Luna is Honey has become a fixture in Los Angeles‘ burgeoning, increasingly diverse, and always progressive DIY music scene 2006. The band members played in various bands together since their pubescent days as goth rockers, but over time, transitioned into more melodic, less gaudily-stylized disillusionment. Guitarist and vocalist Josh Crampton, drummer Amorn Bholsangngam, beatsmith and soundscape artist Jay Francisco, and keyboardist Elijah Crampton craft music with influence from, and love for, the traditions of genres like rock, punk, jazz and dream pop, which they effectively weave and shape in their songs, especially on “Who Wouldn’t” and “Claws”.

“Who Wouldn’t” – Luna Is Honey from Copy Cats

“Claws” – Luna Is Honey from Copy Cats

Luna is Honey on MySpace

Not Like This – St. Paul, MN

From St. Paul, Minnesota, comes the indie rock power pop band Not Like This, who released their s/t debut LP earlier this month. Lead singer and bassist Matt Mackey, and guitarist Dave Swift, were band members in Brakelazy. When Brakelazy disbanded, Mackey and Swift recruited friend and drummer John Kapla to work with them on a new musical project. The trio say their music “graviatates towards rock ‘n roll’s formative years, but keeps a pulse on modern music”.

“Keep Complaining” – Not Like This from s/t debut

Mad Planet – Los Angeles, CA

Mad Planet is a Los Angeles based duo made up of Greg Gordon – former drummer for the Fugazi-style punk outfit the Nervous Return – and Cooper Gillespie, former front woman and bass player of Bang Sugar Bang. The two musician friends decided to work on some songs together as a way to explore new styles and thus Mad Planet was born. The band’s terrific single, “Love Addicts,” was inspired by a friend who was going through a divorce. According to Cooper, “he described dating as a terrible chore because he was ready to fall in love with any girl who sat in his passenger seat. It didn’t matter who it was. He was so used to being with somebody, he was willing to be with anybody.” That’s deep man; heart break, especially the first love, really messes with you.

“Love Addicts” – Mad Planet from Mad Planet

As long as we are exploring the music projects of one former American Music Club member, why not check in to see what Kaphan’s ex-bandmate Sean Hoffman is up to. Together with visual artist Leyla Akdogan, Hoffman recently formed the Los Angeles based duo Loch & Key. The idea for the band was conceived while sitting in a laundromat in the south of France, Hoffman says. With Akdogan’s delicate vocals and Hoffman’s mellow guitar playing, Loch & Key spin dreamy retro AM gold with a modern twist.

“Baby, I’m Thinking About You, Me, and Somewhere” – Loch & Key from Jupiter’s Guide for Submariners

“Maybe” – Loch & Key from Jupiter’s Guide for Submariners

Loch & Key on MySpace

Musician, composer, engineer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Bruce Kaphan is something of a rarity in the world of rock. Kaphan’s contributions to hundreds of musical projects, and thousands of performances, since the mid 1970s has garnered wide respect among musicians and others for decades. Kaphan is also recognized as a pioneer in the progression of the steel medal guitar, which is evident on the advanced single, “Gleaming Towers,” from Kaphan’s sophomore release, Hybrid, due to drop on July 21 via his own record label.

Kaphan has collaborated with artists like REM, Jewel, The Black Crowes, David Byrne, Love and Rockets, John Lee Hooker, and was once a member of the San Francisco band American Music Club.

“Gleaming Towers” – Bruce Kaphan from Hybrid – out July 21st

Bruce Kaphan official website

Note: If you liked this mix, you might want to browse through other mixes from the In Dee Mail series, and watch out for new installments coming up – there is some really amazing music coming in the next few weeks that you don’t want to miss.

Celebrate The Days Spring Mix: The Rassle, Annuals, The Margarets, Deerhunter, Beirut, The Flaming Lips

Posted on 05/14/201012/18/2019 by Max Hammer

Spring is in full force, people are out and enjoying the warmer, longer days, making plans for the summer, soaking up the sunshine and forgetting about one of the snowiest and coldest winters in years.

What better way to celebrate the days of spring than with a mix of spring-themed, and upbeat, songs from a variety of indie artists and bands? This first of two mixtapes includes select tracks from The Rassle, Annuals, The Margarets, The Flaming Lips, The Kinks, Airborne Toxic Event, Melpo Mene, Matt Pond PA, Deerhunter, and Beirut.

“Celebrate The Days” – The Rassle from unreleased (2010)

“Springtime” – Annuals from Such Fun (2008)

“Someone Heavenly”– The Margarets from The Best Of Cloudberry Records, Vol. II (2007)

“Can’t Stop the Spring” – The Flaming Lips from Oh My Gawd…The Flaming Lips (1987)

“Better Things” – The Kinks from Give The People What They Want (1981)

“Something New” – The Airborne Toxic Event from s/t debut (2008)

“Tropical Island” – Melpo Mene from Holes (2007)

“Summer Is Coming” – Matt Pond PA from The Nature Of Maps (2002)

“Spring Hall Convert” – Deerhunter from Cryptograms (2007)

“A Sunday Smile” – Beirut from The Flying Club Cup (2007)

Stay tuned for Part Two of Celebrate The Days Springtime Mix, featuring songs and videos from Simon and Garfunkel, Akron/Family, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Postmarks, Midlake, Horowitz, Wooden Birds and more.

New Music from One A.M., Golden Triangle, Air Conditioning School, The Lodger, David Vandervelde, Brad Senne

Posted on 05/12/201012/18/2019 by Max Hammer

We have another batch of recent singles we dig from 2010 releases that we haven’t had the chance to share with all of you before. This happens a lot because there’s way too much good music. We’ve published plenty of such posts already this year in posts titled Recent Releases We Almost Missed. But, we decided to ditch that name because it’s technically not accurate. We didn’t almost miss them, it’s just that we haven’t shared them with YOU until now.

There will be more such mixes to come, but the end result is always the same – good-to-fantastic new music, largely from bands most people never heard of, and tracks we expect to keep on our permanent iTunes for a long time. In fact, it’s not unlikely some of these tracks will be on our Best Songs of 2010 series at the end of the year, which is heavily determined by which songs are listened to and downloaded the most.

One A.M.’s newest release, Credible Threats, is strongly recommended; the title track is one of a few standout tracks on the LP. When we first heard singer/songwriter Brad Senne’s newest single, “Golden,” we were like, “wow, good stuff.” Senne.

“Credible Threats” – One A.M. from Credible Threats – April 17th

“Cold Bones” – Golden Triangle from Golden Triangle/Fresh & Onlys split single – April 12th

Golden Triangle on MySpace

“Busymore” – Air Conditioning School from single release – Feb. 8th

“The Back of My Mind” – The Lodger from Flashbacks – April 27th

The Lodger on MySpace

“Force of Proper Wind” – Discover America from Future Paths – April 27th

Discover America on MySpace

“Wave Country” – David Vandervelde from Learn How to Hang – Feb. 15th

David Vandervelde on MySpace

“Golden” – Brad Senne from Ariel Views – April 6th

“Good Vibes” – State Bird from Holy Spirits – April 13th

Best New Releases of the Week: Dead Weather, Holy Fu*k, Coco Rosie, Thee Oh Sees, Sage Francis, Japandroids, Sleigh Bells

Posted on 05/10/201007/22/2021 by Max Hammer

This is yet another week of many great new indie rock releases from The Dead Weather, Delorean, Thee Oh Sees, Sage Francis, The National, Japandroids, Phosphorescent, Coco Rosie, Sleigh Bells, Naked Hearts, We Have Band, Household Names, Holy Fu*k, GAYNS, Salteens, Hosannas, and Ryan Bourne. Less words, more music.

“Hustle and Cuss” – The Dead Weather from Sea of Cowards (vinyl)

“Lemonade” – Coco Rosie from Grey Oceans (vinyl)

“Stay Close” – Delorean from Subiza (import)

“Slow Man” – Sage Francis from Li(f)e

“Darkness on the Edge of Gastown” – Japandroids from No Singles

“Bloodbuzz Ohio” – The National from High Violet (vinyl)

“I Was Denied” – Thee Oh Sees from Warm Slime

“Oceans” – Indian Jewerly from Totaled

“Franklin” – Male Bonding from Nothing Hurts – cool cover

“Black Gold” – Foals from Total Life Forever

“It’s Hard to Be Humble (When You Are from Alabama)” – Phosphorescent from Here’s To Taking It Easy

Phosphorescent on MySpace

“Tell Em” – Sleigh Bells from Treats

“Mass Hysteria” – Naked Hearts from Mass Hysteria

Naked Hearts on MySpace

“Honeytrap” – We Have Band from WHB

“Driving to LA” – Household Names from Stories, No Names

Household Names on MySpace

“Latin America”- Holy Fu*k from Latin

Holy F**k official website

“The Gaudy Side of Town” – GAYNS from Relayted

Gayngs official website

“Hallowed Ways” – Salteens from Moths

“Hapiness” – Hosannas from Then & Now & Then

Hosannas on MySpace

“Love and Death” Ryan Bourne from Supermodern World Of Beauty

Ryan Bourne official website

Hot Songs from Upcoming Releases

“Fresh Hex (featuring Beck)” – Tobacco from Maniac Meat – out May 25th

“When the Morning Comes” – Woodsman – Mystery Tape EP – out June 1st

“Sunglasses” – Whiplash from S/T EP – out June 15th

“The Pan” – Goodnight Loving from The Goodnight Loving Supper Club – out July 21st

Mother’s Day Mix – Mercury Rev, Dead Weather, Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Voxtrot

Posted on 05/09/201007/22/2021 by Max Hammer

We love our Moms. We love excuses for creating playlist mixes. We love sharing them with you. We love that we’re on the cusp of summer. Thank you all great Moms. The world would totally suck without every last one of you!

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“First-Time Mother’s Joy (Flying)“ – Mercury Rev from The Secret Migration (2005)

“Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives“– Voxtrot from Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives (2006)

“Mom Cop“ – The Netherfriends from Calling You Out (2009)

“Mother of God“ – Close Lobsters from Foxheads Stalk This Land (1987)

keenyawoods — "Mother and Daughter's First Conversation" Keenya Woods

“So Long, Mom, I’m Off to Drop the Bomb“– Brad P from s/t debut (2009)

“Mother Heart“ – Vulgaras from Dots (2008)

“Mother’s Tears“ – Sad Day For Puppets from Unknown Colors (2008)

“Gold Star Mothers“– Hammock from Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow (2008)

“Motherless Children” – Bob Dylan from The Gaslight Tapes (1962)

“Treat Me Like Your Mother“ – The Dead Weather from Horehound (2009)

“Mother And Child Reunion“ – Paul Simon from 1964-1993 (1971)

“Mother And Child Reunion“ (Paul Simon) – The Morning Benders, single (2008)

“Send A Picture of Mother“ – Johnny Cash from Greatest Hits (1995)

“Mother” – Pink Floyd from The Wall (1979)

“Mother’s Little Helper” – The Rolling Stones from Aftermath (1966)

“Mindless Child of Motherhood “– The Kinks from The Kink Kronikles (1972)

If you want more mother/mom themed songs, see our Mother’s Day Mix from 2009

Band to Watch: Chicago’s Glitter Bones

Posted on 05/06/201012/18/2019 by Max Hammer

The Chicago based indie/gospel/glam duo known as Glitter Bones got our attention thanks to the I Guess I’m Floating blog. The duo craft dreamy, electronic shoegaze-tinged pop on their free, debut EP, Returning to the Magic.

“Glow in The Dark” – Glitter Bones from Returning to the Magic

“Race to Heaven” – Glitter Bones from Returning to the Magic

Glitter Bones is Nick Donlin and Zach Vouga, and things are starting to move in the right direction for the band. Glitter Bones will open for Toro Y Moi on June 5 at The Empty Room in Chicago and are planning to release their EP on vinyl. Watch out for this band and get the EP digital download free.

Glitter Bones on MySpace

Glitter Bones on Facebook

Best New Releases of the Week, Part Two: Seabellies, The Tim and Sam Band, Inspired Flights,

Posted on 05/06/201007/22/2021 by Max Hammer

Yesterday, we published the Best New Releases of the Week mix featuring fresh tracks from new releases by The New Pornographers, Broken Social Scene, The Hold Steady and many others. Since there are so many great new releases this week, we broke up the usually one installment into two parts. In today’s mix, Part Two of the best new releases, we feature mostly bands that sent their music to us, including Seabellies, Tim and The Same Band, Inspired Flight, Unbunny, Snowglobe, The Sister Ruby Band, Shodes, Cast Spells, and Gift Horse. As with Part One, today’s mix offers you a chance to hear a lot of fabulous music that you may not have otherwise heard.

Despite an overwhelming consensus among music bloggers who find the North Wales band name, Tim & Sam’s Tim & The Sam Band With Tim & Sam, ridiculous, annoying, and so on, the band has managed to create some great songs that allow for a pass on the stupid band name. The band have toured and performed at In The City Festival, as well as other fests, like Latitude, Swn and The Great Escape. They also opened for bands like Slow Club, Metronomy, Peggy Sue, Maps, and Scouting For Girls.

We’re going to refer to the band as The Tim and Sam Band, and will list them as such on our 2010 Bands to Watch list. It would be smart on the band’s part to shorten the name now, rather than later. Anyways, the band members employ lush instrumentation, craft sweet, melodic songs that are daydream inducing and all just all around luring. Hope to hear more from them soon.

All four members of Tim and Sam Band are accomplished multi-instrumentalists, effortlessly switching between instruments such as glockenspiel, marmonium and clarinet, as well as melodies of light xlophones , accordions and rich choruses during live shows. Their new album, Life Stream, out now, has been in the works for two years. If you like the songs included here, you’ll probably love the album. Their debut album, Put Your Slippers On, was released in 2008.

“Choices” – The Tim and Sam Band from Live Stream

“Hope’s Garden” – The Tim and Sam Band, instrumental single (2009)

Tim and Sam official website

You can also hear more of the band’s songs on their MySpace page.

From Sydney, Australia comes yet another Band to Watch – Seabellies. The band is signed with indie label Hub/Albert Music. Seabellies have opened for bands like Mum and The Temper Trap, and also performed at the V Festival along side Phoenix, The Pixies and Pet Shop Boys. Their music is rich and lush, full of ethereal electronic sounds, strings, metalaphones and melodicas, soaring guitars and Scandinavian-influenced melodies.

Swapping instruments throughout the set, the bands onstage presence is akin to bands like Architecture in Helsinki, Broken Social Scene and the Go! Team. They broke through last fall with the release of the single “Orange X” (see video) and their US release include the new single included here, ”

“Feel It Leave” – The Seabellies from By Limbo Lake

Seabellies on MySpace

The unsigned San Diego indie electronica band Inspired Flight show a lot of promise from what we’ve heard thus far. Rooted in hip-hop and dipping into elements of indie rock, down-tempo, dub and dance, Inspired Flight is taking your pre-conceived notion of what a band and DJ are and merging them into something new and quite appealing. By creatively integrating traditional DJ elements, like sampling and scratching, the San Diego musical duo perform live using multiple laptops, keyboards and turntables while incorporating guitars, kalimbas, melodicas and vocals, translating into the ultimate electric, live experience.

“I Won’t Let You Down” – Inspired Flight from s/t debut

“Pull, Push, Let Go” – Inspired Flight from s/t debut

Inspired Flight on MySpace

More of our Favorite Songs from New Releases

“Pioneer Scalps” – Cast Spells from limited 12″ Bright Works and Baton

Cast Spells on MySpace

“Love” – Snowglobe from Little More Lived In

Snowglobe on MySpace

“Rebecca (Just Take It from Me)” – The Sister Ruby Band from A Shot In The Dark

The Sister Ruby Band official website

“My Dear One” – Shodes from My Dear One

Shondes official website

“Countersign” – Unbunny from Moon Food

Unbunny on MySpace

“Missionaries” – Gift Horse from Mountain of Youth

Do you have a favorite song in this mix? Let everybody know in the comments section. And if you like these playlists, send the links to friends; it’s let’s us know better what folks like and don’t like :)