Category: 2014 DIY Releases

Based on the traffic, Likes, and Tweets of the previous installments of Top DIY Songs & Albums of 2014, you guys want – for at least a little longer – to hear more great DIY music released in 2014. You can stream all of the songs on this page by clicking on the play button of the embedded player below. If you cannot see the player, you can still simply click on the individual songs themselves to stream them on your cell, or download them to your favorite MP3 player.

The bands and artists in this volume include (in no particular order):

Jack and The Ripper – Mexico City/San Diego
Mechanical Joints – Chicago/Houston
Monuments – Brooklyn
Hippy Tantrum – Brooklyn
No Sleep For Lucy – Stockholm, Sweden
Time Spills – Salinas, California
Desert Killers – Sao Paulo, Brazil
Joel Strauss – Ontario, Canada
The Crash Bandits – Minneapolis
Kwolek – Boulder, Colorado
Tony Michael Ellis – Los Angeles
Paul McLinden – Glasgow, Scotland

Jack and The Ripper – Jack and The Ripper, Vol. 2

Originally from San Diego and now based in Mexico City, the alternative rock duo Jack and The Ripper consists of two multi-instrumentalist, identical twin brothers – Daniel C. Barbedillo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, synth, programming) and David C. Barbedillo (backup vocals, guitar, samples, programming). Formed in 2012, the brothers released their self-titled DIY debut album in June of 2013. As evident on blazing, thumping tracks like “Will You Be Mine” and “Drive Thru Spiritual Awakening,” from their sophomore album, Vol. Two, the Barbedillo brothers are heavily influenced by bands like Brian Jonestown Massacre, Nirvana, Radiohead, HEALTH, Warpaint, and Os Mutantes. Make no mistake out it – these twins grind out vicious, and frenetic buzzsaw riffs and chords, snarling, horsed vocals, psychedelic electronic atmospherics and triumphant percussions that slice and dice for a cathartic sound.

“Will You Be Mine“ – Jack and The Ripper from Jack and The Ripper Vol. 2

“Drive Thru Spiritual Awakening“ – Jack and The Ripper from Jack and The Ripper Vol. 2

Jack and The Ripper official website

Mechanical Joints – Mechanical Joints

After nine years of writing music together long distance by sending sound files back and forth to one another online, two 20-something DIY musician friends decided in 2013 that it was time to record and release their experimental electronic pop debut. The duo’s eponymous LP is something pretty spectacular that more people should hear. The self-titled 2014 release of the debut album from Shawn Wilson (drums, synth, guitar, samples, bass, vocals) of Detroit and Sam Sage (vocals, bass, guitar, synths, drums, samples) of Houston is completely a DIY work – from writing to recording and production.

The results are an amazingly intricate electronic rock album full of machine-like beats and sounds, fuzzy distortion, and mysterious vocals. The duo, influenced by bands like Nine Inch Nails, Sleigh Bells, Portishead, and Aphex Twin, currently live in Chicago where they are hoping to break out on the local, and national, scene. We think they have a damn good shot at doing both.

“Our self-titled debut album was written, recorded, mixed and mastered independently in less than a year,” Wilson said. “Our music could be described as electronic, noisy and occasionally poppy. We totally dig distortion.”

“Insigdifferent“ – Mechanical Joints from Mechanical Joints

“Long Goodbye“ Mechanical Joints from Mechanical Joints

Mechanical Joints on Facebook

“Indie rock is music created without the influence of middlemen, corporations or monetary promise; free art.” – Shawn Wilson

Monuments – Brigadune

The Brooklyn-based DIY indie rock/psychedelic sci-fi band, Monuments, formed in 2006, released its sophomore LP, Brigadune, last spring, consisting of a collection of songs about “paranoia of things falling apart – from slippery/elusive consciousness, to the impermanence of personal relationships, to the creepiness of cults, and the fall of modern civilization.” Oddly enough, and the band claims completely unintentional, the title Brigadune, and the music on it, are surprisingly similar to an old musical called Brigadoon. “The word was just a placeholder title for an instrumental track, but when we Googled it a couple weeks later, there were many similar themes between our album and the musical…[which is] about two New Yorkers who travel to the highlands of Scotland to find a utopic [sic] town that only exists for a day every 100 years.” Monuments features Gabriel Berezin on vocals and guitar; Robby Sinclair on drums, and Grant Zubritsky on bass and synthesizer.

The band has opened for artists and bands like Nina Persson, Field Music, Shooter Jennings, Earl Greyhound, and consider Peter Gabriel, Queens of the Stone Age, Neil Young, Elbow, St. Vincent, and Jeff Buckley among their top influences. Speaking about what indie rock means to the band, Berezin told IRC: “Indie rock is freedom. It’s the label for music that defies category. It allows an artist to incorporate all styles. For us that means jazz, Motown, classic rock, prog rock, Indian music, and classical music. It’s what all music should be: open to all influences, trapped by none.”

“Sole Provider“ – Monuments from Brigadune

“Soon“ – Monuments from Brigadune

Monuments Official Website

Hippy Tantrum – Spadoinkle

Anthony DeMartini is the one man band behind Brooklyn DIY outfit Hippy Tantrum. In addition to writing all of the songs on his 2014 debut EP, Spadoinkle, DeMartini records and mixes the vocals, synths, guitar and percussion to create music he calls “electronic non-pop” rock. “Growing up in Jersey, I’ve had this itch to be a musician for a while, and now I’m looking to scratch out a living in Brooklyn,” DeMartini said. “I created my solo project as an outlet while I was persistently trying to start or join a band. Hippy Tantrum will strive to be unique and experiment with new concepts – like back-up dancers and awkward conversations with parents.” Although we really enjoy the tracks below, it should be noted that Hippy Tantrum doesn’t sound much like DeMartini’s self-professed favorite bands, which include Muse, Radiohead and The Dave Matthews Group.

“Cruel Summer“ – Hippy Tantrum from Spadoinkle

“The Future“ – Hippy Tantrum from Spadoinkle

Hippy Tantrum on Soundcloud

No Sleep For Lucy – Pair of Singles

We certainly can’t claim to always ‘get it right.’ Many times when we feature a new, under-the-radar or DIY artist or band, we’re basing it off of raw talent and a sense that there is great potential that has so far not been realized for whatever reason. That’s the case for the DIY Swedish band, No Sleep For Lucy. NSFL possess a tight, even well polished sound, that obviously emulates, quite well, the mainstream-leaning, southern California alternative rock sound that 15 years on is still inspiring ambitious, young musicians around the world to embrace it and somehow also make it their own. It certainly isn’t the type of rock of the hipster, stoner or serious musician crowds. But that’s OK – we’re all about inclusivity. It’s possible that a lot more people than we imagine will dig this two well performed songs by the unsigned band from Sweden that apparently has some back story about a girl named Lucy who has sleep issues.

Def props to the band for going with a name that is not exactly commercial oriented but is definitely search engine friendly, unique and memorable. Christian Rabbs, the co-founder and guitarist, told IRC that the band named it after the anthropological find of the oldest human remains ever found of a female that became known around the world as Lucy, who has been touring around the world for some time – thus, the name, No Sleep For Lucy.

The band came together after vocalist Lukas Meijer and bassist Kristoffer Sjökvist met and realized their tastes in making music were similar. After many practice sessions, the band released two terrifically energetic and memorable tracks, “Feel Alive” and “Going Down” earlier in 2014. The boys were helped out by the well-known Swedish producer Mats Valentine. Rabbs and Sjokvist had previously written platinum and gold records for artists around the globe along with their partners Tommy Henriksen (Simple Plan, Daughtry, Alice Cooper) and Mark Holman (Grammy Award nominee ‘RED’, American Idols). “When we write music we always start with just playing around with some riffs/chords and when we have something that feels inspiring we start and find some interesting melodies,” Rabbs said. “We love playing live better than sitting in a dark studio dungeon.”

“Feel Alive“ – No Sleep For Lucy

“Going Down“ – No Sleep For Lucy

No Sleep For Lucy – Facebook

Time Spills – Cool EP

From the heart of “America’s Breadbasket,” better known as the Central Valley of California, the progressive rock band Time Spills takes a different approach to their music than most bands – it’s all instrumental. The band’s drummer, Shane Luevano, says the trio was formerly a quintet, but they soon found out shortly after forming in 2012 that they had more fun writing and recording songs without a vocalist. As a newly minted three-piece band, they draw inspiration from bands like The Mars Volta, The Fall of Troy, Tides of Man, Tera Melos, Dance Gavin Dance, and Pink Floyd.

Morphing into an instrumental trio seems to be working out for the Salinas band, which is evidenced on tracks like “Kimmer Crispin” and “Trapazoid,” from Time Spills’ debut EP, Cool. Over a two year period, Luevano said, the trio came to realize they made the right decision. “It allowed us to experiment freely and push some musical boundaries. We try not to stick to one genre but to merge as many as we can.” To that point, the band mix math rock, jazz, surf rock and alternative rock into their signature sound. And even more so, they don’t care if it doesn’t stand up against criticism – a true DIY spirit if there is one. “We make music for ourselves, nothing else and if someone actually takes the time to listen, well that’s awesome!” The trio, which also includes guitarists Ricardo Chavez and Christian Talamante.

“Kimmer Crispin“ – Time Spills from Cool

“Trapazoid“ – Time Spills from Cool

Time Spills on Facebook

Desert Killers – Ardio EP

Desert Killers is a DIY multi-genre duo from Sao Paulo, Brazil, featuring local musicians Antonio Ribeiro (vocals, drums, percussions) and Matheus Zingano (vocals, guitars, keys), that mixes blues, rock, psychedelia to create a unique sound. The duo got together in 2013 after having performed in other bands that were not taking the direction they wanted to go with producing music. Right away they began writing songs inspired by their personal “scars and insights” and “the complexities of the world.” Their debut EP, Ardio, features the two tracks below – “So Bad” and “Take My Way.” The duo’s musical influences include Eric Clapton, Gary Clark Jr, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Queens of the Stone Age, and Muddy Waters.

“So Bad“ – Desert Killers from Ardío

“Take My Way“ – Desert Killers from Ardío

Desert Killers official website

Joel Strauss – Don’t Lose That Feeling

The fist thing that we noticed about Canadian DIY multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter, Joel Strauss, is his voice – nasally, but a good kind of nasally (like Dylan and others). Perhaps even more so, he sounds a bit like Colin Meloy of The Decemberists, and conveys a remarkably sonic palette. In subsequent spins of Strauss’ songs over the ensuing months, we got to like his music all more and more, most especially the two singles included below from his 2014 DIY debut album, Don’t Lose That Feeling. Strauss skillfully weaves together various styles, like pop, rock and folk into his songs, together with intelligent and inspiring lyrics. And that voice – one which some will turn away from, and others will embrace. Strauss’ music is ‘grower’ style, although there are sure to be listeners who like his music right away.

“Don’t Lose That Feeling” – Joel Strauss from Don’t Lose That Feeling

“The New City” – Joel Strauss from Don’t Lose That Feeling

Joel Strauss Official Website

The Crash Bandits – Closer

The Crash Bandits are a three-piece indie rock band from Minneapolis who have made a name for themselves in the local scene thanks to their highly charged rock balanced with pop moments as displayed on their 2014 third LP, Closer. The band has spread its wings beyond Minneapolis to cities throughout the Midwest. In March of 2014, they were a showcase band at South By Southwest. Their musical influences span many decades, from The Ramones to the Pixies, Saves The Day to The Replacements, and Blink 182 to Motion City Soundtrack. The band members include Matt Brownon vocals and guitar; Kevin Goff on drums and Nick Westgor on bass. While at their core they are hard rockers, tracks like “Silly Things,” with it’s catchy pop/rock style and singalong choruses, is the type of song you’d want to hear on a sunny day after the skies have been cloudy and grey for too long.

“Silly Things“ – The Crash Bandits from Closer

“I Don’t Know“ – The Crash Bandits from Closer

The Crash Bandits on Facebook

Kwolek – Affectations

Kwolek is Boulder musician, songwriter and vocalist Michael Kwolek. Unlike his music, he wanted to create a simple moniker. As he told us, “All of the cool names were taken, so it seemed like my last name was a no brainer.” Plus, it’s reflective of the concept of his one-man band project. In addition to writing and singing all of the tracks on his 2014 debut EP, Affections, Kwolek played guitar, keyboards and programmed the songs as well. The songs were written and recorded over the past five years in different locales around the world – New Jersey, Beijing, Tokyo and finally Boulder. Standout tracks include the dense, yet spacious, guitar riff single, “Creeper,” and the divergently melodic, yet cacophonous “Such Hot Shit.” Kwolek’s top musical influences include artists like M83, Radiohead, New Order and St. Vincent.

“Creeper“ – Kwolek from Affectations

“Such Hot Shit“ – Kwolek from Affectations

Tony Michael Ellis – Undertow

Anyone with a strong familiarity with The Beach Boys sound will find the songs on Los Angeles singer and songwriter Tony Michael Ellis‘ debut LP heavily influenced by the 60s pop rock icons. The single, “It Soothes My Soul,” combines upbeat melodies, acoustic guitar and piano, along with soaring harmonies, that couldn’t sound more like a rendition of The Beach Boys’ unique California pop sound (that still sounds fresh 50 years later). Ellis does a commendable job of replicating their sound, along with his admittedly Beatles-influence as well, in other singles on the album such as smooth love song, “Without Her.” However, the overall sound is still his own.

“Without Her Love“ – Tony Michael Ellis from Undertow

“It Soothes My Soul “ – Tony Michael Ellis from Undertow

Paul McLinden – Head Happy

From Glasgow, Scotland, DIY songwriter and musician Paul Mclinden is a classically-trained, indie pop rock one-man band whose November release, Head Happy, and it turns out to be one of the best DIY LPs of the year, and perhaps our favorite debut LP of any other overseas artist in recent memory. Head Happy is a feast for the DIY hungry, featuring a banquet of appetizing songs like “Whether The Weather” and “Cheer Up,” to name just a couple. Ironically, “Cheer Up,” has – unlike his more upbeat songs – a more forbidding tinge with its sinister electric guitar notes rifling through the steadiness of the acoustic bass line, reminding us of something we’d hear on an early Velvet Underground demo tape. The fact that McLinden writes and sings all of his songs, but also plays all of the instruments AND mixes them altogether into tracks we want to play again and again, is more than just proof in the pudding of his talents as an artist.

“Cheer Up“ – Paul McLinden from Head Happy

“Whether The Weather“– Paul McLinden from Head Happy

Paul McLinden official website

Read and listen to previous installments, Vol. I through Vol. IV, of Top DIY Songs & Albums of 2014 and discover great songs from talented bands you’ve probably never heard before.

First up, in Vol. IV of this series (which will run for some weeks), are artists and bands whose 2014 releases were big hits with IRC listeners and readers around the U.S. and the world. Also, we’re getting closer to finding a player to use to replace the Yahoo Media Player (Yahoo stopped supporting it in 2014) so that you can stream all of the songs in this post. You can also download and stream them one by one by clicking through the player or as you read the entries below.

Bat Zuppel – Brain Eater

From small basements throughout Pittsburg, PA, the DIY garage rock band Bat Zuppel knock out aggressive teen angst with a well honed style they’ve been working on since forming in 2013. The sound is raw and gritty, drawn from their favorite ‘old punk and garage rock bands,’ all in an effort to ‘recreate that chaotic atmosphere’ bands from those days funneled into their music.

Last March, the band released their debut album, Brain Eater, featuring tracks like the crunchy “Under My Bed” and the Sonic Youth-inspired, “Apparition Girl.” Bat Zuppel’s sound and style is also informed from bands like The Damned, Metz, Nirvana, Ty Segall and Wavves. The trio features Matt Ruppel on bass, Zach Bronder on guitar and vocals and Gordy Brash on drums. “We play a lot of basement shows, those are the most fun for us and I feel like the fans have the most fun at these shows.” Bronder said. “We recorded and mixed this album entirely by ourselves, a lot of work was put into this one.”

Under My Bed – Bat Zuppel from Brain Eater

Apparition Girl – Bat Zuppel from Brain Eater

Young Creatures – Fear All Things EP

Los Angeles indie rock band Young Creatures has been competing for a piece of the LA music scene – the most saturated and competitive music scene int he world – since 2011. Over the past couple of years, they’ve managed to attract a small following. Julie Slater chose the band as her ‘Local Anesthetic’ on 88.5 KCSN in Los Angeles last year. We think the following two tracks exemplify the band’s sound perfectly – Young Creatures draw on heavy classic rock riffs peppered with indie rock hooks from guitarists Mike Post and Andrew Gleason, bassist Spender King and drummer Mikey Escalante. Post’s effortlessly terrific vocal melodies line up nicely with the band’s riff-oriented rock sound that honors musical influences such as Led Zeppelin, Delta Spirit, Dawes and Local Natives. The band’s latest EP, Fear All The Things, includes the standout track, “Lionheart,” which enjoyed frequent plays in the cafe, and the sunny pop of “Foreigner.” They’ve opened for bands like Burning Jet Black, The Sixth Son, Argentine, and The Podunk Poets.

Lionheart – Young Creatures from Fear All The Things EP

Foreigner – Young Creatures from Fear All Things

The Holy Ghost Electric Show – The Great American

Based in the town of Oxford, in northeast Mississippi, The Holy Ghost Electric Show started out in an abandoned cabin a couple of years ago when songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Cody Rodgers began tirelessly working on songs for the eventual band’s 2014 release, The Great American. Together with other band members – including his brother Jake Rodgers on banjo and guitar, plus Austin Wheeler (drums), Connor Wroten (bass), and Will Shirley (chord organ) – Rodgers channeled his life experiences and thoughts into loosely arrange tracks that were honed over and over during performances at bars, house parties, in parking lots and even for “policemen in a park late at night,” with each member, Rodgers said, adding their own special touch to the songs.
“To me, indie rock isn’t a specific sound a band may have, but instead just simply an independent band,” Rodgers said, “that is willing to pay out of pocket, without the help of a label, to record the music they’ve made with care.”

Let The Waters Rise – The Holy Ghost Electric Show from The Great American

Phantom Engineer – The Holy Ghost Electric Show from The Great American

Tupelo Honey – Brave New World

Edmonton rock band, Tupelo Honey, has become one of Canada’s top DIY rock acts over the past decade . On their 2014 album, Brave New World (which debuted at No. 7 on the Canadian iTunes Rock chart), the band has built on their popularity in the region and acquired fans across Canada, and increasingly in the U.S. The past few years have been a ride for the band; in fact, they were picked to share the stage with Bon Jovi for two shows at Rexall Place in Edmonton and The Saddledome in Calgary. They’ve also shared the stage with Billy Talent, Everclear, Three Days Grace, Thornley, and Metric. The band picked up even more interest after one of their tracks was used for a Sunkist commercial that aired during the televised Billboard Music Awards in 2012. While that may not sound very DIY, most bands nowadays have to rely on licensing their music to commercials, TV and cable shows, and other opportunities just to pay their basic costs because they simply don’t make money, or enough money, from singles and album sales.

Singer Dan Davidson, echoing this fact, told IRC that “indie rock isn’t a genre to us, it’s the DIY way to make our style of music and get it to the fans on our own terms.” We happen to dig their singles “Halo” and “Lifetime.” The other band members include Steve Vincent on bass; Tyler Dianocky on guitar; Brad Simons on guitar, and Greg Williamson on drums.

Halo – Tupelo Honey from Brave New World – Feb. 6th

Lifetime – Tupelo Honey from Brave New World

Justin DiFebbo – Turn Out The Light, Turn On The Stereo

Mixing acoustic and electric guitars with bass, piano, organs, ukelele and mandolin, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalis Justin DiFebbo from Philadelphia crafts intricate, lush songs that draw from an eclectic background of church music, love for bands like the Beach Boys, The Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel, and years of music lessons from the time he was nine years old. During his early 20s, DiFebbo played the Hammond organ for the blues rock band K-Floor and toured extensively, performing live for more than 500. During this time, he honed his skills and developed a strong love of vintage keyboards, including the Hammond B3, Fender Rhodes and Wurltizer 200A.

In 2011, DiFebbo decided to strike out on his own. In 2014, he quietly released his debut album, Turn Out The Light, Turn On The Stereo, an homage to his keys fascination and a commendable exercise in recording and mixing all of the instruments, percussion and vocal tracks. His sound is a swirl of pop and harmonies, folk roots and bluesy rock with overtures of psych all supported by deep keys infusions. Tracks like the appropriately upbeat and melodic, “Coffee,” and the swaggering, reggae-like, “Play It Slow,” are two of the EP’s tracks that stand out particularly well.

Coffee – Justin DiFebbo from Turn Out The Light, Turn On The Stereo

Play It Slow – Justin DiFebbo from Turn Out The Light, Turn On The Stereo

Pyrrhura – Off The Big Road

Not often do we receive music from Slovakia, but Milan Tarina Jr. is a 17-year-old experimental indie folk musician from the former Soviet satellite town of Nitra whose been playing keys for eight years now. Together with a passion for indie music, piano and synths, he decided to write and record some of his own songs. And we’re glad he did because we’ve listened to tracks like “Spring Is Coming” and “Clouds of Thoughts” again and again. While his raw, under-produced sound and nasally vocals may not be the typical fare that one assumes rises to the level of being featured on an indie blog, we still like his DIY style. The sound overall is hard to define. His father, Milan Tarina senior, who plays guitar and sings in a band called Bearish Dream, also contributed

In March of last year, using the moniker Pyrrhura, he self-released his sophomore EP, Off The Big Road. That EP was proceeded by his 2012 debut EP, Try To Think,. In 2013, he released his debut LP, In The Middle of The Forest, which you can stream on Bandcamp (and we highly recommend you do). Oh, and the band name? According to Wikipedia, Pyrrhura is a genus of parrots in South America. Tarina’s musical influences include a diverse collection of bands and artists, like Julian Plenti, Death Cab for Cutie, Borko, Woods, Fossil Collective, The National, Noah and the Whale, and Great Lake Swimmers.

Spring is Coming– Pyrrhura from Off The Big Road

Clouds Of Thoughts – Pyrrhura from Off The Big Road

Fallen Among Thieves – Honey Mouth

We don’t know much about the unsigned Lancaster, PA indie rock trio Fallen Among Thieves other than to say they rock in the tradition of 90’s alternative rock and indie rock, with influences from bands like Surfer Blood and Cloud Nothings. Their songs are hard and crunchy as well as upbeat with ringing guitars as evidenced by two tracks from their Honey MouthEP. There’s no mistaking as well that the band members draw from Nirvana and Weezer in constructing and executing their own sound and style. The band members, formed in 2013, include Ian Anderson (drums); Joshua Buckwalter (vocals/guitar); Kurt Demarra (guitar); Carolyn Leber-Eyrich (vocals); and Sean Hillard (bass).

Down – Fallen Among Thieves from Honey Mouth

Mateo – Fallen Among Thieves from Honey Mouth

She The Monster – Pacific EP

Drawing from influences that include Sufjan Stevens, Coldplay, Relient K and others, the multi-continental indie rock band She The Monster dropped their debut EP, Pacific, last March, featuring exceptional tracks like “I Like You The Way You Are” and “Dream.” Fronted by Green Bay signer/songwriter Andi Peot, whose sassy, soft vocals are endearing, and so far, underrated, the band formed in 2011 when Peot met guitarist Darren Oosthuizen and bassist James Lennox at university in Sydney, Australia.

Peot was impressed with their existing band Nova Sky, and in return, they where taken by her songwriting and vocal skills. And thus, the groundwork for She The Monster was laid. Teaming up with Nova Sky, Peot and the guys launched a series of successful shows in Sydney and then took a break. Months later, in December of 2012, they decided to get back together, but instead reformed as She The Monster, a new band with a sound that would be “a lot different to the alternative rock style of Nova Sky.” Former Nova Sky drummer Kyle Rutten from Canada also joined the new outfit. Sometimes it’s very smart for bands to make such changes early on when they realize they want, or need, to go in a different direction. For She The Monster, it worked out on Magical Goodness for the Soul. In June, the band released another EP, Wayfarer, featuring the track, “Hey.” Update: Right before publishing this post we heard the band has broken up. Oh well, the music they did make together is now officially part of the History of DIY Archives.

I Like You The Way You Are – She The Monster from Pacific EP

Dream – She The Monster from Pacific EP

Cousin Dud – The Faded

With their upbeat, catchy track, “Illinois,” the Chicago band Cousin Dud are not duds at all. They remind us of The Proclaimers; they rock with a pop groove and some accordion riffs; they’re witty and like choruses that make you want to join in. “Illinois” is a good track when you just want to be mindlessly gleeful, and would fit in nicely with IRC’s next installment of the State of Music playlist series – which we really need to catch up with; it’s been a while.

A decidedly countryish-rock love song, “(Wilco) By The River,” harkens back to the soft Southern rock sound that was so big in the early to mid 70s. It’s really a very well written, executed and produced song from a band that deserves more attention. The members of Cousin Dud are Matt Carmichael (guitar, vocals), Josh Burns (guitar, vocals), Pete Geraci (saxophone), Dan Schuld (bass) and Ben Sams (drums). Their musical influences include The Hold Steady, The Grateful Dead, Oingo Boingo, Wilco, and The National. Their latest album dropped in March of 2014.

Illinois – Cousin Dud from The Faded

Wilco (By The River) – Cousin Dud from The Faded

The Whistles and the Bells – The Whistles and The Bells

During a 2010 tour, in which Nashville band, Cadillac Sky, was opening up for the Grammy-winning band Mumford and Sons, lead singer Bryan Simpson, a Nashville local, hit a wall – spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally. In distress, Simpson made the incredible decision to leave the tour and his band right at the time when they had seemingly achieved the kind of success that just about any other band would give just about everything they had for. Supporting one of the hottest bands in the world is not a minor thing. But Simpson simply could not continue the rigorous tour. He battled demons and went to a very dark place, he told IRC.

He left it all behind to strike out on his own, and formed The Whistles and the Bells, making peace with himself and his former band mates. The entire experience, from the highs of a national spotlight, to the lows of his darkest moments on the road, provided plenty of material for the young songwriter. The result is his new band project’s self-titled debut album, described by his publicist as “the dark, and at times musically twisted, autobiographical snapshot of Bryan’s personal earthquake surrounding the education of studying his maker.” Obviously, he was particularly struggling with his faith. The debut album encompasses “all [of] the modern southern gothic swirl of sounds from blues, to Americana, to New Orleans-style horns and darkness of the [sic] self-exploration,” the type of material, he contends, that creates a “personal soundtrack of a character from a Faulkner novel.” The first single, “Mercy Please” was a Rolling Stone magazine daily download.

Mercy Please – The Whistles and the Bells from The Whistles and the Bells

Transistor Radio – The Whistles and the Bells from The Whistles and the Bells

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As with every year in the past, there were thousands of amazing, must-hear and under-the-radar indie music releases in 2014. If you’ve been following IRC, you’ve heard some of the most promising and unique, many that were not featured anywhere else online before being profiled on IRC. And, in the coming weeks, we’re going to be posting more great releases from 2014 that are worthy of your time from bands you’ve probably never heard of before. We also hope to put together a posting of the bands and songs in 2014 that all of you liked the most.

Also, don’t miss Vol. I and Vol. II of the Top DIY of 2014 series; there’s plenty of great bands to watch and amazing tracks to listen to.

Throughout the year, we post obscure but talented artists and bands in series like DIY Bands to Watch, 5 Bands That Rock; 7 Bands You’ve Gotta Hear; In Dee Mail and Artist of the Week, to name just a few of our long-running, popular playlist series. Many of you have asked what happened to the Top Ten Songs playlists – we’ll do our best to revive them in 2015.

North By North – Something Wicked

Chicago’s North By North rock it out on their 2014, 18-track LP debut, Something Wicked, channeling the magnetically electric ferocity of Jack White’s guitar playing, and mixing it with the shadowy dark pop influences in the vein of Queens of the Stone Age to create their own mysterious, raucous hard rock sound.

The trio’s mix of thrashing garage rock with 70’s-styled psych and 80’s arena rock on songs like “Burn It Down,” “Blood & Glitter,” and “Her Name Was Vengeance” set them apart from many of their DIY contemporaries. And yet to see them walking down the street you’d never guess they were the musicians behind such awesome, riff-heavy rock. In fact, the album is so good, it was hard to pick just a couple of songs to highlight. It’s too bad that – even after this posting – so many people will never know about one of the best under-the-radar rock albums of 2014.

“Burn it Down” – North By North from Something Wicked

Lurching into the cafe speakers with ringing, blazing guitar work by Nate Girard, the unforgettable and passionate vocals of Kendra Blank (who also plays keyboards) and the energetic and ferocious drum work of Dylan Andrews, this Windy City band has managed to release one of the best, yet largely overlooked, debut rock albums of 2014. And that’s not just the consensus in the cafe; check out what others are saying about North By North and Something Wicked.

Once you’ve listened to this double album a couple of times, you’re likely to see why it has garnered such praise with rock and rollers. And some of you will be as baffled as we are about why this band hasn’t broken through as one of the best new rock bands of the year. Not surprisingly, the band’s top musical influences are The White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, Black Keys, and The Kills. North By North have shared the stage with alternative and DIY bands such as The Ivorys, Swimsuit Addition, The Cunning, Inspector Owl, and All Eyes West.

“Her Name Was Vengeance” – North By North from Something Wicked

In May, the band released a double single, “Mama Gold/Break Some Bones,” that offers more hard-hitting rock and roll for, as the band says, “the intellectual,” or, “the thoughtful individual whose ears require more than four chords and a chorus to get them off. ” For those who bemoan the alleged decline of rock, North By North are one of many bands we’ve feature since 2007 that demonstrates that under-the-radar, DIY indie rock is alive and well. That’s what Indie Rock Cafe is all about; we don’t just regurgitate what dozens and dozens of other blogs are posting every week. Instead, we’re committed to documenting the rarely heard, but amazingly good, music that would otherwise go unnoticed, and unrecorded, in the annals of DIY rock history.

Visit North By North on Facebook

FEiN – FEiN Times

Hailing from Los Angeles, the DIY alternative rock band, FEiN, are not your run-of-the-mill LA rock outfit. In fact, the band’s debut EP, Fein Times, released in August, features songs like “#Grownupz,” which the band calls “a tongue-in-cheek tune about trust-fund babies, mad stacks, Buddhism, bass drops, and memorizing the days of the week.” Together with other tracks like “Monay Grabba,” the EP has been gaining ground throughout the second half of the year. In fact, “#Grownupz” with it’s sick melodic allure, was featured as the opening track on Tunecore’s Summer Songs compilation. Their sound has been called “Vampire Weekend’s bitter cousin and “Grizzly Bear meets a more electronic Arctic Monkeys.” However one wants to label their sound, the duo dabble nicely with integrating pop and electronic elements.

The unsigned duo of former session guitarist Luke Walton and Brandon Woodward (drums, guitar, keys, vocals) have been gaining ground in the ball-busting world of LA’s underground scene, including a well receive show at the Troubadour, the iconic LA club that helped launch famous bands and artists like Led Zeppelin, The Byrds, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Eagles, Elton John, and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Both Walton and Woodward have also played separately with The Beach Boys, and Walton toured with The Doobie Brothers as a session guitarist. Imagine that for young musicians? The duo’s wide musical influences include Mother Mother, St. Vincent, Portugal. The Man, Saint Motel, Belle Brigade, and Everything Everything .

“#Grownupz” – FEiN from FEiN Times

“Monay Grabba” – FEiN from FEiN Times

FEiN on Facebook

Wrong Body – BIG

From the city of Boston, home of dirty water, baseball and clam chowdah, the DIY band Wrong Body delivers tightly structured post-rock inspired by the ‘D.C. sound’ (but which is not, they proclaim, ’90’s revival’ rock) on their debut album, BIG. The title track single drives hard with chunky guitars and raw riffs, raucous drumming and the high-pitched, sort-of-Ozzy-but-not-really vocals of guitarist Andy Szymcik, creating a ‘big’ rock sound that deserves a spot headlining a hot Boston club. The second track, “Medal of Honor,” starts out slow with jangling guitar licks and subtle beats and then builds and blasts into a full throttle rocker with an interestingly ghostly chorus.

Wrong Body formed in August 2010 when Syzmcik met guitarist Bryan Mastergeorge while working at an electronics store. The two bonded over the first Rival Schools‘ album, and set out to emulate it along with their other big influences like Fugazi, Jawbox, Nada Surf and Burning Airlines.

The rare common link of musical inspirations propelled the duo to get serious about jamming together and putting together a sick rhythm section to form an official rock band. Not long after, drummer Steve Delany and bassist Jonathan Hislop joined, marking the creation of one of Boston’s best DIY bands you’ve never heard of. If you have, chances are you caught them opening for Therefore I Am, The Bynars, Ghost Thrower, or Foreign Tongues.

“Big” – Wrong Body from Big

“Medal of Merit” – Wrong Body from Big

Wrong Body on Bandcamp

The Electric West – Dusty Trails

There are probably more bands in the Los Angeles area than any other one region in the world. So, you could say, they’re a dime a dozen. But then there are bands that stand out from the blur of all the others, like DIY post punk psych outfit The Electric West. Formed in 2012, the band released their self-produced debut album, Dusty Trails last year featuring tracks like the riff-heavy, dark “Who’s Big Enough” and “Devil Horse.”

The band members include Lee Lewallen on bass and vocals; Chandler Sterling on guitar and keys, and Byron Pagdilao on drums. The Electric West counts among their biggest musical influences Interpol, Sunset Rubdown, Wolf Parade, Interpol, Arctic Monkeys, Bad Brains and Prince. Around the megalopolis of LA, the band has opened for groups like Owenstone, The Shivas, Gravy’s Drop, The Black Heartthrobs, Ghost Noise, and Hex Horizontal.

“Who’s Big Enough” – The Electric West from Dusty Trails

“Devil Horse” – The Electric West from Dusty Trails

The Electric West on Facebook

Rhino House Band – Golden Summer EP

Straight outta Brooklyn, indie pop rock band Rhino House Band serve up some stellar melodies, harmonies and pop-inspired guitar riffs on their 2014 Golden Summer EP thanks to songs like “Little Things” and “James’ Song.” The band first formed in the college town of New Paltz, New York, comprised of students from the local SUNY campus. The band’s first public performance was at the town’s Rhino Records shop, and it went off so well that they decided to name their band after the shop. As the band played more shows around town, their crowds became larger, and soon, they were a buzz band on campus, drawing attention of the local press thanks to songs like “Wallkill River Demo.”

By the time graduation came, the band’s farewell concert at Snug Harbor turned out to be the second best-selling show of all time at the venue. Golden Summer is the reconfigured band’s first release since relocating to Brooklyn. The new trio includes Ricky Demetro on vocals and guitar; Steven Bartashev on drums and background vocals and Joey Vergara on bass. The band’s top musical influences are The Beatles, The Strokes, Vampire Weekend, Paul Simon, and Best Coast.

“Little Things” – Rhino House Band from Golden Summer EP

“James’ Song” – Rhino House Band from Golden Summer EP

Ontologics – Something to Needle Over

The Providence, Rhode Island DIY band, Ontologics‘, debut album, Something to Needle Over, showcases their own brand of jam-tronica, trip hop, and post and prog rock fusion, sprinkled with psychedelic prose and melodies. The band members spent a year writing, rehearsing, recording and mixing before releasing their debut.

Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ian C. (short for Campopiano) has an unconventional and experimental love for the fusion of genres and unique prose as well as “various forms of string and percussive instrumentation and sampling.” The other pivotal member is drummer Matt Walshe who approaches percussions with the world of possibilities and forms that he selects from to make it fit the intent of the song, covering the range from rock to hip hop and with complex time signatures and dual drum arrangements in the mix.

Ontologics have previously opened for artists like Godsmack, Michelle Branch, and Gruvis Malt, and they count among their biggest musical influences King Crimson, Beck, Peter Gabriel, Beastie Boys and The Noise.

“Something To Needle Over” – Ontologics from Something to Needle Over – Jan. 10th

Something To Needle Over – Ontologics from Something to Needle Over

Hemmit – Antimatter

From Portland, Oregon, the garage rock duo, Hemmit, featuring Adam Rohosy and Keith Fleming, belts out high-energy, melodic rock complete with vicious guitar riffs and even howling on songs like the short, rapid fire DIY hit-worthy track, “Everything Is Fine.”

That song, and the second recent single, “15 Minutes,” were released on the duo’s 2014 release, Antimatter, the follow up to their marginally successful 2008 debut, Rocketride, an album that received regular college radio airplay. In fact, the single “Yeah, Right Now” was featured on MTV‘s Shreducation Season 2 and became a No. 1 hit on the rock charts at Our Stage. A second single, “Hold Out,” was selected for Dirtbag Music’s Navy Seals Tribute Vol. 2, and the band was featured on Diesel U Music’s Emerging Artists Show on Boston’s WFNX FM. Ronosy and Fleming list among their top musical influences Motorhead, The Ramones, The Pixies, The Posies and Bob Mould.

“Everything Is Fine” – Hemmit from Antimatter

“15 Minutes” – Hemmit from Antimatter

Hemmit’s Official Website

Sam Burchfield – Where To Run

Atlanta DIY singer and songwriter Sam Burchfield blends a unique mixture of funk, blues, rock and R&B in standout songs like the soulful “Monopoly” and the upbeat and romantic, “Here Tonight.” How has a talent like this remained under cover? Well, as anyone who has followed IRC for long knows, we feature incredibly talented, under-the-radar artists year round. Yet Burchfield is one of the best ‘unknown’ vocalists we’ve heard in some time; his vocal abilities and range are apparent in his passionate and sultry vocals you can hear for yourself on the songs below.

He was raised in South Carolina where he had an immersed exposure to different styles of music and began playing the guitar at a young age and discovered his vocal abilities which were honed as he maneuvered through the awkwardness of adolescence. His musical influences are not the typical names we see for artists featured on IRC – ZZ Ward, James Morrison, Ray LaMontagne, and Joe Bonamassa. His accomplished band members and contributors include Spencer Smith on drums; Phil Scheidt on bass, Zach Wells on guitar and banjo, and a trio of horn players – Richard Sherrington, Dashill Smith, and Will Scruggs. The group’s 2014 release is Where To Run.

“Monopoly” – Sam Burchfield from Where To Run

“Here Tonight” – Sam Burchfield from Where To Run

Sam Burchfield Official Website

The Hickory Town Ruckus – Old City Night

The raspy vocals of Lancaster, Pennsylvania folk singer/songwriter Gordon Smoker, aka, The Hickory Town Ruckus rise up to a melodic chorus “some day before I die, I’d like to see Holland in the spring time” on the track of the same name, “Holland in the Springtime,” from his sophomore DIY LP, Old City Night. The album also contains the song “I Held You Close.” Smoker, who is an RN by professional, is truly a dedicated unsigned artist – he has no backing, label or publicity budget, but writes and records music simply to “make it available and visible.” His musical influences include Counting Crows, Joshua Radin, Blackhawk and Switchfoot.

“Holland in the Springtime” – The Hickory Town Ruckus from Old City Night

“I Held You Close”– The Hickory Town Ruckus from Old City Night

By Philip E. Daoust