Back by popular demand: A ‘new’ playlist featuring some of our listeners favorite indie rock songs from five years ago.
Climbing into the indie music time machine with some of the best indie rock songs from 2013, featuring Typhoon, Oneohtrix Point Never, His Clancyness, Brass Bed, Tim Kasher, Ski Lodge, Surf City, Cumulus, Criminal Hygiene and Bent Shapes.
Hopefully, you’ll find a couple of songs herein that make your day a little better. This little player right here will stream all the mp3s on this page. Enjoy and share with others. Also, check out our playlists on our Indie Rock Spotify page.
There are some really unique playlists by themes, like Noah’s Arc; Songs on The Map; Songs on the Menu and more.
The latest edition of Fresh Tracks, just in time for the start of autumn, features artists from New England to the west coast and from the deep south to the mid-Atlantic.
The Giving Moon – New Orleans, Louisiana Griffin Robillard – Boston, Massachusetts Distant Creatures – Washington, DC Sky Chefs – Los Angeles, Califronia Telamor – Gloucester, Massachusetts Spencer Roberts – Lynchburg, Virginia
The Giving Moon – “Natives”
It may seem a little late to roll out a summer-themed track, but the indie pop single, “Summertime” by the New Orleans DIY band The Giving Moon caught our attention. The song features shimmering guitars, reverb-heavy, smoky vocals, and a fantastically catching beat and rhythm.
And that lead us to listen to more tracks from the band’s recent album release, Forever Awake, like the more funky, R&B rocker, “Natives,” sporting a danceable rhythm, soothing vocal work, atmospheric guitars and a post-rock mixed with alt. rock element that runs throughout many of the band’s songs, including the title track, “Friction,” and “Folded Thoughts” among others.
The band’s 2015 EP, The Wild, garnered a good bit of love online, thanks to impossibly addictive tracks like the upbeat, driving pop rock of “Making Chemicals” and the glimmering guitars and melodic shifts of “Hills.”
The Giving Moon are one of those rare bands that come along who sound like they’ve already been playing together for a decade or more, but in fact, it has been half of that time. Guitarist, vocalist and front man Sean Seales, bassist Adam Suto and drummer Nate Melville were all high school friends in Chicago and in short order were traveling coast to coast to play shows for a growing fan base.
TGM has opened for an impressive array of artists and bands, including Eddie Money, Edgar Winter, Tommy & the High Pilots, and Welshly Arms. Their biggest musical influences include The Beatles, Young The Giant, Coldplay, Foster The People and Radiohead.
Griffin Robillard – “Cracks In The Ceiling”
Boston-resident-Minneapolis-born indie folk rock musician Griffin Robillard new debut album, Cracks in The Ceiling, fashions folk-tinged indie rock with introspective lyrics and a unique vocal palette on tracks like the title song
The twenty-two year-old’s debut pays homage to the Americana tradition, casting a wide net of what it means to reinterpret guitar music in the present while drawing from influences as wide-ranging as Bryan Ferry’s nervy croon to Wilco’s early raw energy, having been compared as ‘Rufus Wainwright meets Neil Diamond.
Raised on his musician father’s record collection of Jackson Browne, CSNY, and many other singer-songwriter and folk rock trailblazers, Robillard began writing songs as a child. As a high school student in Salt Lake City, he started to experiment with recording, playing everything from folk to grunge in various bands. When he relocated to Boston to attend college, Rolbillard became very serious about writing.
“For a long time it was something I did in my spare time,” he says. “A poem or song here and there. I went into college pursuing a biology degree. I failed spectacularly,” explains Robillard. Discouraged, he decided to go back to basics and was encouraged by encouraging professors. “Writing fiction and poetry was an itch that I could never satisfy and because what I was writing was just so bad, it just made it more frustrating.”
Written over a year while living in Copenhagen, Denmark, Cracks in the Ceiling chronicles a time of profound change for the young songwriter. “I had a fresh start, getting to know myself again after a really rough two years,” Robillard says. “In hindsight it was probably a form of depression, but the fog lifted and I also met my now girlfriend there. It was pretty overwhelming. I was writing as fast as I could.”
The title track begins with a lone drum-loop as an array of acoustic and electric guitars slowly swell into a balladic chorus. “The first song is all about how love between two people can double your view of the world, but just because you see more– through aging, experience, or the love itself– doesn’t mean we can escape a lot of the half-truths we tell ourselves.” And the song “Ghost” is bound to be a crowd pleaser – the musicianship and overall production, as with the entire album, are impressive.
Robillard teamed up with producer Jon Niess, who assembled an all-star ensemble of Austin musicians at his studio, Austin Signal. With studio wizard Charlie Kramsky (Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett, Elvis Costello) on the board, the album was laid down in just four days and put in the hands of Erik Wofford (My Morning Jacket, Explosions in the Sky, Bill Callahan) for final mastering.
Griffin Robillard Homepage
Sky Chefs – “Aquarians”
In the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, there’s a cluttered garage recording studio lovingly dubbed the Whack Ark. Inside, surrounded by wobbly tape machines, Craigslist castoffs, and an old iMac named Gozer, Dale Nicholls writes and records music as Sky Chefs.
Since 2015, Sky Chefs has dropped three LPs, three EPs, a lethargic Pavement cover, some funky videos, and one scuzzy lil’ single. The band is made up of Cherry Glazerr, Chris Cohen, and Psychic Temple.
Sky Chefs will officially drop their new album on September 29th – and their second album of 2017 alone. Aquarians, made up of “depression naps in dogpound doorways; sunburnt ballads and pockmarked pop songs, and the saints of bruised fruit and bloodshot eyes” and featuring standout tracks like the dreamy, piano-twinkling, sonic-shifting title track. The album officially drops on September 29th.
Distant Creatures – “A Friend’s Halo”
The new album, Snares in Safe Harbors, from indie band Distant Creatures is a thrilling trip through the realm of shoegaze and dream pop, hitting it off right from the start with the unforgettable opener, “A Friend’s Halo,” and followed by other notable songs, including the sunny “In Real Life” and the expansive and shimmering, “Night Flowers” and “Unsure.”
The band, based in Washington, DC, formed in 2015 when musicians Dane DiPierro (guitars & synths); Mina Karimi (vocals); Chris Mathews (guitars & vocals); Ben Silvernail (drums), and Mike Lewis (bass). The band has opened for artists like You’ll Never Get to Heaven, Blue Heaven, and Cheshi, and consider their top influences The Smiths, Slowdive, The Sundays, Exlovers, and Pale Saints.
Distant Creatures formed after Mathews and DiPierro, who shared a love for British indie and post punk bands of the 80s, began playing guitars together and soon recruited Karimi and the rhythm section of Silvernail and Lewis. The album was recorded in rural Virginia and is out now; listen to it on Spotify.
Telamor – “Midnight at the Drive-thru Window”
Massachusetts musician Tom Hauck, otherwise known as Telamor, just dropped a compilation called Playlist, featuring 12 of his top tracks from his first four CDs.
The leadoff track, “Flash,” has received college radio action over the summer and into the fall. It’s built on a guitar riff nicked from the Rolling Stones “2,000 Light Years From Home.” It’s a plea for global unity.
Other tracks include the smooth and funky, “Trippin’ – influenced by The Weeknd’s “I Can’t Feel My Face” – and “Lonelyhearts” is a remake of the 1980 track by Boston pop/punk band The Atlantics.
A college radio track, “Midnight at the Drive-Thru Window,” features lyrics that include only actual words found on a McDonald’s menu, and is “the story of a stoner who can’t stop ordering more junk food. The music is influenced by George Clinton.”
The songs were all recorded at Bang A Song recording studio in Gloucester; written and instruments played by Hauck and musicians Tony Goddess (guitar), John Lynch (drums), and Warren Babson (bass).
Playlist was produced by Hauck and Grammy-nominated audio engineer and mixer Warren Babson. Babson has worked with artists including Black Eyed Peas, Mark Foster (of Foster The People), Wyclef Jean, and Diplo, among others.
Hauck and remixed and remastered at Bang A Song, and to some we added new piano tracks to beef up the rhythm section. We were going for a big full-band sound, not unlike Oasis. Most of the songs have five or six guitar tracks, piano/keys, and percussion, plus the usual drums and bass.
Spencer Roberts – “As Days Go By”
Musician Spencer Roberts based in the mountains of Lynchburg, Virginia, began writing and recording songs just a couple of years ago and already has been featured on Spotify Fresh Finds and its’ Viral US Top 50.
“I am a solo multi-instrumentalist who aim to make laid-back music, a blend of mountains and surf rock – that I believe is an honest look at life,” he says.
“I began writing and recording in my attic in 2015 and have released an EP and played several small shows in Lynchburg. My music is a blend of influences from the mountains and a slightly surf rock sound.”
The result is his recent album, Home Tape, featuring songs like the captivating dreamy acoustic track, “As Days Go By.” Some of his favorite artists include Beach Fossils, Mac Demarco, Allah-Las, and King Krule.
The latest edition of our Fresh Tracks playlist series features artists and bands from small towns in New Jersey and Ontario, and from Los Angeles proper to the LA suburbs to the Big Apple and the Big Guava.
Don’t miss the Top 10 Songs for March 2017 (based on listeners’ plays/downloads/likes).
Brenyama – Highland Park, New Jersey Brendan Scott Friel – Windsor, Ontario Esakoff – Ventura, California Haydn Rothrock – Tampa, Florida Mexican Dubwiser – Los Angeles, California Cloud Tapes – New York, New York
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Brenyama – “Things That You Do”
Increasingly known within the New Jersey music scene, the garage rock/indie pop/neo-psychedelic duo, Brenyama, just dropped the debut LP, Euphoria Love, featuring catchy, energetic pop rock with a vintage edge.
The band’s motto “to capture the fun and simplicity of early rock and roll music and the buzz of power pop,” is exactly what they’ve accomplished on standout tracks like the garage rock/pop title track, the guitar ringing, Cheap Trick meets The Ramones-like, “Things That You Do” and the irresistible old time surf rock sound of “Get In The Groove.”
Obviously heavily influenced by a hodge-podge of eras and genres – from the mid-1960s to late 70s classic rock era, the 80’s synth rock craze and the 90’s grunge/alt. rock movements – the songwriting team of Richard Brenner (vocals, guitar) and Maki Brenner (vocals, keys), supported by the rhythmic and percussive backbones of Brian Fahay (drums) and Luigi Sardi (bass), have something special going on.
Other tracks on the album include the atmospheric ambience of “Inhuman”; the Beatlesque/synth pop hybrid, “Small Talkin’ Head,” and the hard-driving, new wave-leaning, “Waiting For Godzilla,” which sounds a bit like it could’ve been a B52’s track back in the day, and the surprising, “Dreaming In Blue,” which reminds us a bit of The Clash mixed with J.Giels.
Be prepared to be moved by Friel’s soft, comforting vocals of Windsor, Ontario singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brendan Scott Friel on standout tracks like “Moments” from his newest release, Quiet Cars.
The song, “My Light Is One,” is another track that could be a mini (or mini-plus) DIY hit, especially in singer/songwriter, Americana/folk corners of the web. We also really like the Burt Bacharach-style horns on “I Could Be Brave” – which also has hints of Conor Oberst and M. Ward.
Originally the guitarist for the band The Brilliancy, Friel travelled across the United States and Canada with the band until a bus crash a few years ago in North Dakota nearly took his life. The crash, and frustrations with overpaid producers, spurred Friel to begin a solo career.
He has opened for artists like Mariannas Trench and Big Wreck, and considers John Mayer, Passenger, Ed Sheeran, James Taylor, and Gregory Alan Isakov as his top musical influences.
Based in LA’s northern suburbs of Ventura, California, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Esakoff’s new self-titled release is his first alt. pop/rock album since the 1980s.
Back then, Esakoff went under the moniker of Mark Freddy, and in between, he concentrated his musical efforts in the world jazz band Chasm that he co-founded more than a decade ago.
Many of the songs, like the heavily melodic lo-fi retro pop rock track, “Home When I Get There,” with its witty melodies and demo-like affect, and others like the wonderful instrumental, “Butterfly Beach,” with its sunny southern California acoustic mystique, slide guitar and wind chimes ambience, or the 70’s glam/Bowie rock of “Found in Paradise,” and the mid 70’s Kinks-sounding, “Peer Pressure,” or Zappa-like “Chesses” – were written years ago while he traveling overseas.
“Time and travels have change me,” Esakoff says. “I have a new outlook on my old tracks. The rediscovery of this music sounds better now than when I originally wrote them.”
He also uses the same guitar, an Alvarez 4950, that he originally wrote the songs on, and which is also pictured on the album cover. Back in the 80’s, he wrote and recorded over 40 songs on four different albums.
A self-professed big fan of artists like David Bowie, The Talking Heads, and XTC, Esakoff’s sound is hodge-podge of many different influences, but most notably of the 70’s and early 80’s eras. Listen to the Esakoff on Bandcamp
Haydn Rothrock – “Strawberry Lemonade”
Based out of the Florida city of Tampa, the new version of multi-instrumentalist and DIY bedroom artist Haydn Rothrock crafts poignant, decidedly rich rock songs like his new single, “Strawberry Lemonade” from his solo debut album, Love Equals Pain.
Rothrock is not entirely new to the growing Tampa indie scene; he’s played and recorded over the years in a number of bands covering nearly ever genre from rock to punk and pop to electronic.
However, his newest solo effort, marks a “huge transformation in my sound after my ex-girlfriend left me,” he says. The single – and to a large extent the album, Love Equals Pain – is a reflection of this difficult time in his life, and a centerpiece of love songs since the beginning of civilization. Whether he has gotten over his girlfriend is not clear as lyrics like “do you think about me love” indicate. Love is a bitch.
Rothrock has opened for artists like Jonatan Leandoer and Wifisfuneral, and lists his top musical influences as Tame Impala, The 1975, Two Door Cinema Club, Green Day, and Blink-182.
Mexican Dubwiser – “Lecture Me”
Since relocating to Los Angeles from Monterrey, Mexico back in 2001, the eccentric and eclectic band Mexican Dubwiser has been creating what they call a ‘post futuristic/electro-cumbia sound experiments,’ featuring a fusion of electronic dance music with traditional Latin American and Caribbean rhythms – all interwoven with elements of hip hop, funk, rock, and soul.
Compared to their second and first albums, this time around on Border Frequency, the duo – Marcelo Tijerina and Ulises Lozano – has more pizazz and more party-ready tracks with guest spots from Tito Fuentes (on the track “Lecture Me”), Myron Glasper, and Self-Provoked.
There are a good number of catchy dance tracks like “La Gran Ciudad” and “Rock Your Body” and the standout tracks like “Nobody is Perfect” and “Lecture Me” where the duo really show off their skills.
MP3: “Lecture Me“ – Mexican Dubwiser from Border Frequency
Based out of New York City, the alternative rock band Cloud Tapes was formed after guitarist and vocalist John Samaras met bassist Sal Pisciotta after Samaras performed at a show in the city. Pisciotta was especially impressed with Samaras’ cover of Elliott Smith’s “Rose Parade.” That meeting led to the two writing and recording together.
In 2015, after nearly two years of work, and recruiting drummer Jeremy Talbott, the trio was ready to start recording the debut album, Familiar Feeling, which dropped that same year and was followed by a string of performances across the city, building that critical first lot of fans.
Now Cloud Tapes follow up release, If There Were a Reason, from which the tantalizing single, “Square Peg” was taken, will drop soon. With strong 90’s influences like Elliott Smith, Built to Spill, Nirvana, and Wilco, the band has a solid foundation of strong artists and bands to emulate, and that shows in Cloud Tapes newest release.
MP3: “Square Peg“ – Cloud Tapes from If There Were a Reason
This week’s Fresh Tracks come from all across the United States – from the northeast to the Pacific coast; from the Rockies to the Plains, and from the Rust Belt to the northwestern Badlands.
Earth Spun Occupants – Kansas City, Kansas déCollage – Denver, Colorado The Secret Things – Los Angeles, California Glen Spardello – West Warwick, Rhode Island Scotch Hollow – Kansas City, Kansas Lounge On Fire – Boise, Idaho SHPR – Los Angeles, California OTTAWA – Cleveland, Ohio
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Earth Spun Occupants – “Freezing and Melting”
Another Kansas City outfit worthy of recognition is the multi-instrumentalist recording duo of Matt Wargin and Garrett Murdock, otherwise known as Earth Spun Occupants.
On April 20th, the duo will drop their sophomore album, Sober Thoughtfulness. Similar to bands like The Flaming Lips and Tame Impala, but then not quite, the swirling psychedelic keys and peddle-fed guitars, as well as layered dreamy vocals, on the new single, “Freezing and Melting,” metamorphosize together to create a semi-chaotic blend of space and psychedelic rock signals and sounds.
In fact, Wargin tells us that the duo experiment with sounds: “Our music is spun from the eclectic fibers of the music of Midwest to create new soundscapes using rock, folk, classical, hip-hop, and electronic.” The album was produced by Bret Liber of Red Roof Productions in Kansas City and the cover art was painted by a close friend who died a couple of years ago.
The electrifying new video, “Magnetize,” from the Denver psych art pop project, déCollage, was written and recorded by 15 musicians attending the city’s Underground Music Showcase, which is sometimes referred to as the ‘SXSW of Denver.’
By the next day, the track was mixed and finalized. Recorded and mixed by noon the next day, the track was well distributed, and well received, which spurred the making of the video.
With its funky mechanical beats and grooves; sexy, sultry vocals; sax interludes; wavy synths bubbling beneath the surface, and colorful psychedelic overtones, “Magnetize” retains an original and hypnotic verve.
The single was recorded at Moon Magnet Studios and co-written by musicians such as Man Mantis, Sean Culliton (Rose Quartz/The Other Black), Turner Jackson, Derrick Bozich (Sound of Ceres/Candy Claws), and members of Ancient Elk.
The collective’s third full length album was released on Misra Records/Sub Pop and charted for five weeks, peaking at #16, on the CMJ Electronic charts, partly led by the popularity of “Magnetize.” The video was directed with Visual Phenomena by Remi Velezand and Fractals by Damon DuPont.
The collective has shared the stage with indie artists like Of Montreal, Animal Collective, Deerhoof and Dan Deacon.
Landing spins on CBC Radio in Canada for its cover of P.J. Harvey’s, “Down By The Water,” the Los Angeles indie rock band The Secret Things are avid fans of the band. Since starting a year ago, the band has played a number of shows and released the debut EP, Shock Diary.
The trio – featuring of vocalist Cynthia Catania and guitarist Steve Giles (formerly members of Saucy Monky) and band founder drummer Dan Nelles – are all accomplished musicians, having played for huge audiences of tens of thousands, touring and recording hit singles.
In fact, all of the members have toured in the U.S., Canada, and overseas, including sharing the stage with bands like Metric, Wilco, The Bangles, Pink and even PJ Harvey herself.
Basic tracks for the band’s EP were recorded at New Monkey Studio in Van Nuys, California, originally . Elliott Smith’s studio, who is a big influence for the band. Giles also released a solo album recently that is a favorite with SoCal deejays.
The band’s first gig in Temecula, California, took place on a festival stage shared with Jimmy Eat World and Neon Trees, among others. The band had one the slot via an iHeart Radio contest. The Secret Things are currently working on a new video for “Down By The Water.”
Having recently self-released his debut album, 5IVE 29NE (Five Two Nine) West Warwick, Rhode Island singer and songwriter, Glen Spardello, melds haunting, smoky vocals and lo-fi acoustic folk guitar notes to craft a spooky atmosphere around the lead track, “Beauty Loves,” the sparse and soulful, “Evil Dangerous” and the Dave Matthews-like “I Ain’t No Rolling Stone.”
Spardello wrote and recorded most of the songs over the past couple of years drawing from musical influences lik Love Bone, Eric Clapton, Queensryche, Layne Staley, and Brian Wilson.
In one of the historic bastions of intersecting musical styles, Kansas City, the genre-mixing band Scotch Hollow blends acoustic roots, down-home delta blues, and some country twang and rock on tracks like “Hocus Pocus” and “Nobody But You” from the sophomore album, Little Tortuga.
Songwriter and guitarist Mark Verbeck wrote and recorded almost the entire album on a farm in Kansas. Verbeck met fellow student and vocalist Carley Martin while attending Berklee College of Music in Boston.
MP3:“Hocus Pocus“ – Scotch Hollow from Little Tortuga
Not long after meeting, they brought together bassist JD Linn; drummer and percussionist Benjamin Scholz; harmonica Brody Buster and pianist Joel Schuman to form the complete band. The album also features three intriguing cover songs from Little Walter, Howlin’ Wolf and Blind Willie Johnson.
Over the past few years, Scotch Hollow has opened for bands like Left Lane Cruiser, Reverend Peyton and the Big Damn Band and count among its biggest influences Big Mama Thornton, Blind Will McTell, Chet Atkins, and Susan Tedeschi.
Bonus Track: “Nobody But You“ – Scotch Hollow from Little Tortuga
Lounge On Fire – “Huff”
With a hot new single, “Huff,” Boise multi-genre band Lounge On Fire is heating things up in Idaho’s biggest city with its unique sound that fuses rock with funk – or as the band calls it ‘sexyadelic’ and ‘freakfunk’ – mixing horns like trombone, sax and trumpet with traditional rock band instruments like guitars, bass, keys and drums. The band new album, Lips of Calypso, was dropped in January.
Formed in 2013, the band describes itself as “Northwest music scene; steel cut; blackened and peppered; rock-hopped, hip-dipped, cock-eyed funk-trunked, flat-on-your-back, pants-off-dance-off machine music.” The members are Nathan Norton (guitar/vocals); Josh Gilmore (bass); Wade Ronsse (drums); Alan Schwaderer (keys/guitar); Matt Patterson (sax); Seth Hoffman (trumpet) and Kevan Ash (trombone).
LOF has opened for bands like St Paul & The Broken Bones, The Suffers, Turquaz, Polyrhythmics and their musical influences include Modest Mouse, Gogol Bordello, Snarky Puppy, and Sharon Jones.
The spatial sonic landscapes created by Los Angeles duo, SHPR, featuring Fabian Munguia and Alexander Ochoa, are mesmerizing.
SHPR weaves emotive, reverb-heavy vocals together with ambient, chill electronic effects, sharp, echoey beats, and plenty of space on tracks like the representative single, “Tell Me.”
Covering the space between garage rock and indie pop, the Cleveland band OTTAWA first formed in 2014 after some high school friends, and other musicians via CL, started jamming together, cycling through the traditional trial and error that bands inevitably go through.
Now, some three years later, and a growing following in the region, the band has released the new track, “Fever,” with its tepid intro that builds into a soaring rocker (think Spoon meets The Killers) with ringing guitars and pop-influenced melodic riffs, vigorous drumming, and summertime-like choruses.
The band members include Dale DeLong (vocals); Will Hooper (guitar); Tim Czajka (guitar); Jeremy Barnes (bass) and Ed Planisek (drums). They’ve opened for artists like The Wombats and the Young Rising Sons, among others, and are majorly influenced by bands like The Killers, Oasis, Fleetwood Mac, and Velvet Underground. OTTAWA’s new release, Small Talk, due out on May 5th.
The latest installment of Fresh Tracks features new indie rock songs that cover the genre territory between folk, anti-folk, acoustic, alt. country, pop, rock, alternative and singer/songwriter – all from the following artists and bands.
Mac DeMarco – Brooklyn, New York Kevin McWha Steele – New York, New York Kenny George Band – Aiken, South Carolina Ender & Valentine – Brooklyn, New York Kinky – Monterrey, Mexico Samantha Fish – Kansas City, Missouri Chase Emery Davis – London, England *DeMarco illustration by Fabrizio
Mac DeMarco – “This Old Dog”
During the past few years, the name of Brooklyn-via-Canada singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mac DeMarco, keeps popping up as a musical influence for other artists and bands from around the world that we feature on IRC.
It’s no big surprise really. DeMarco is a wonderfully gifted artist; a musical and literary whiz, and a back-to-roots troubadour who has captured the ears and imagination of many indie music fans thanks to his truly outstanding and enjoyable albums featuring his amazing song craft and genre-bending compositions.
Mixing lo-fi sounds, out-of-tune acoustic guitars, rudimentary percussions, groovy, driving folk-rock like rhythms with Sonic Youth and Lou Reed influences on his new single, “This Old Dog” is the exciting title track from DeMarco’s fifth release due out in May. It goes without saying that there are many DeMarco fans idling waiting for the drop.
DeMarco’s breakthrough 2012 debut album,Rock And Roll Night Club, which also received a strong showing of support on Bandcamp, is a remarkable achievement. Since then, he has continued to build his prolific and explorative discography, and as a result, his following.
His 2014 release, Salad Days, spurred DeMarco to a meteoric rise. We can’t wait to hear what the rest of the new album sounds like.
Based in New York City, songwriter, poet and musician Kevin McWha Steele has won praise for his songwriting skills from iconic artists like Sting, Elvis Costello, Pink and Philip Glass.
Interestingly, Steele’s songs are floating around the web in both French and English using both his real name and a number of pseudonyms.
Steele is also known for his silky, crooner voice. But on other songs, like his swaggering alt. rock single, “Front Page News,” Steele is just as comfortable switching up his vocals and letting his rock and roll persona fly, recalling his musical heroes like John Lennon, David Bowie, Prince and Patti Smith.
The genres that Steele weaves so effortlessly include indie rock, indie pop, psych rock, alternative rock, acoustic/folk, and international (French) music. His new album, The Nightly Howl, is out now.
Based in the hipster artist enclave of Brooklyn, musical duo Ender & Valentine, recently released debut album. The album is the culmination of two years of work from two musicians, Alex Crous (guitar, keys, programming, vocals) and Nadya Grace (vocals, bass).
The duo self-funded the album with the help of New Jersey production wizard Steve Wall (Mother Feather, Fancy Colors, Jeff Taylor), who added “electronic color and punch to Crous’ urgent and hooky bedroom pop compositions.”
The single, “Howl,” is sparkling, upbeat, and inspiring bedroom pop with layers of synth effects, uptempo beats and a retro-styled vocals from Crous and Grace, making for an irresistible dance track.
The second track to be featured, “In The Hall,” is a shot back in time with plenty of seemingly Joy Division and Pet Shop Boys’ influences throughout, even though the duo doesn’t list either of them among their top musical influences. However, we can hear the influences of artists they do list as influences, including Beck, Radiohead, and Bright Eyes. Ender & Valentine have opened for artists like Tsao Band, The Junkie Twins, and Crystal Voyager.
Kinky – “Te Vas”
The Monterrey, Mexico five-member alt. rock band, Kinky, which initially made a splash in the United States nearly two decades ago with their second single release, “Mas,” have released a pair a new singles in the past year, including the newest Latin-dance and electro-driven “Te Vas,” and the more experimental and world music-leaning, “Desaparecer.”
Around the world Kinky is known for their creative and colorful electronic alt. rock style, thanks in large part, again, to the huge success of “Mas.” The band’s music is heavily influenced by Latin music, rock, dance, and techno.
Not long after, the incredibly popular song, which received heavy radio play, and for better or worse, was used in commercials for Nissan and NBC’s TV series, Kingpin, as well as video games SSX 3 and Crackdown, and in the movie Thirteen. Another of the band’s early singles, “Field Goal,” was featured in an episode of CSI and as the theatrical trailer for the movie 2 Fast 2 Furious.
In 2002, Kinky joined top indie bands like Cake, De La Soul, The Flaming Lips, Hackensaw Boys, and Modest Mouse on the Unlimited Sunshine Tour as well as appeared more than once at the famous music festival Coachella. The band members include Gilberto Cerezo, Ulises Lozano, Carlos Chairez, Omar Góngora, and Cesar Pliego.
Kenny George Band – “Picket Fences”
Hailing from Aiken, South Carolina, the members of the Kenny George Band will drop its debut album, Borrowed Trouble, on April 28th.
With influences that range from Willie Nelson to Wilco, TKGB are “a good old southern rock band” whose new single, “Picket Fences,” with its gentle acoustic strings, slide guitar and the warming vocals of George’s smooth vocals.
The other tracks on the album explore the common themes of relationships, longing and the trails of life, but with a specific reference from the point-of-view of a musician on the road. The songs are deep, driving, road-focus with melodic and yet gritty sounds resonating throughout. Some of George’s writing reminds us of Ray Davies’ (The Kinks) many songs about life on the road, particularly in the mid to late 1970s era.
The TKGB band members include founder Kenny George (lead guitar, vocals, songwriter); Bucky Brown (drums, harmony vocals); Center Ely (steel guitar); Brooks Andrews (bass) and Scott Rankin (rhythm guitar, harmony vocals).
The band has been touring across the south, and into states like Pennsylvania and Missouri, for the past few years, building a fan base and playing upwards of 180 shows per year. TKGB’s energetic live performances have made them increasingly popular throughout the south and heartland, and they were voted a ‘band to watch’ by the South Carolina Music Guide.
Samantha Fish – “Either Way I Lose”
From a relatively young age, musician Samantha Fish has made inroads into the international blues festival circuit, sharing the stage with artists like Buddy Guy, Tab Benoit, The Royal Southern Brotherhood and Luther Dickenson, thanks to her skilled guitar playing and unforgettable voice.
On March 17, Fish dropped her fourth CD, Chills & Fever, showcasing R&B gems from the 1960s and 1970s, and featuring unforgettable melodies from the pens of legends like Allen Toussaint, Jackie DeShannon, Jerry Ragavoy and Bert Berns, among others.
“I listened to a lot of soul music, and I dug deep into people like Otis Redding and Ray Charles,” Fish recalls. “I was also influenced by people like North Mississippi’s R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. It’s a less restrained style of music than the sound people may be used to hearing from me, it’s definitely a different facet of my personality.”
Notable tracks include “Either Way I Lose” and “Crow Jane,” the latter of which is a rocking remake of the Skip James’ version dating back to the early 1900s. While the true origin of the song is unclear, Fish gives it a modern cadence. The Huffington Post wrote: “Fish is leaving her fingerprints behind as evidence of her hellacious handiwork. Just imagine what the woman with the golden touch will do next.”
Chase Emery Davis – “Little Locked Up”
Born in New York, raised in Paris, and living in London 21-year-old Chase Emery Davis is a British/American songwriter, vocalist and composer whose new album, Waiting For Her, offers the heartbreaking, genre-bending single, “Little Locked Up.”
Chase blends indie rock, pop and soul genres into lush, emotive songs about love and hope, highlighting his accomplished, haunting and powerful baritone vocals. It’s no surprise that he has had professional vocal lessons growing up in Paris. Davis is a fan of artists like White Lies and Keane.
As Hughie Dixon of The Uxbridge Gazette wrote: “His semi-baritone operatic depths could deceive you into thinking you are hearing a seasoned veteran vocalist…but this rare talent is barely pushing 21.”
MP3: “Little Locked Up“ – Chase Emery Davis from Waiting For Her
A new playlist of genre-blending singles from artists and bands across the country, from the deep south to the heartland to the Pacific Northwest, and over the northern border to Canada. Discover some very talented artists in this latest post of Fresh Tracks.
The God Themselves – Seattle, Washington OFF ORBIT – Miami, Florida LAST GIANT – Portland, Oregon Abby K – Seattle, Washington Jeff Beadle – Toronto, Ontario Matt Hutson – Columbus, Indiana
The Gods Themselves – “Cool”
For a couple of years now, Seattle genre-blending trio The Gods Themselves have been producing edgy tracks that incorporate swaggering, punk-influenced guitar riffs and wha-wha pedals, sexy grooves and disco-wave beats to create a truly original sound that has been winning the band praise from CMJ to Paste Magazine.
Apparent from the sounds and visuals of TGT’s newest music video, “Cool,” the band members are all seasoned Pacific Northwest musicians, featuring Astra Elane on guitar and vocals; Collin O’Meara on drums, and Dustin Patterson on bass and vocals.
“‘Cool’ is one of my favorite songs on the album,” Patterson tells IRC. “The funky disco bass line, the breathy seductive harmonies; we were aiming at a ‘Blondie vibe.'”
The video was filmed during a five-hour shoot at The Ballroom in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle with director Rick Walters “the debauched noir vibe” the band was aiming for, according to Patterson.
Influence makers KEXP designated the band’s 2015 single, “Tangerines,” as Song of the Day. It’s apparent from TGT’s new video that there is good reason to spin the band’s new LP, Be My Animal.
Founded by brothers Moises (vocals, bass, keys, harmonica) and Marcos Jimenez (lead guitar), Miami band OFF ORBIT continues to hone and evolve its genre-mixing sounds on the new EP, Plug N Play.
Last summer, they added drummer David Meritt and keyboardist Mike Rodriguez to the lineup to get a more “full band sound” for the EP.
The Jimenez brothers craft bluesy psych, funk and rock, complete with hypnotizing percussions and soul-soothing guitar rhythms and melodies influenced by some of their favorite bands like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, CCR, The Black Crowes, and Grand Funk Railroad.
All of these elements come together in the irresistibly uptempo, hard-hitting funky, groove-heavy track, “Lil B.” The track also blazes with guitar and keyboard jams.
The EP is considered a live recording as it was all recorded as the band played in the studio – no mixing.
It’s a good measure of any band that can play this well live in the studio as a full band, rather than tracking. OFF ORBIT definitely have a unique sound, with an underlying psychedelic verve that folks who enjoy genre-blending rock should give a listen. They also shared the stage with artists like Weezer and The Avett Brothers.
On the heels of LAST GIANT’s acclaimed debut album, Heavy Habitat, and two years on the road, the Portland band has already dropped its sophomore album, Memory Of The World, featuring what they describe as “an inwardly-drawn collection of 11 electrifying tracks.” This is true. There is electricity from start to finish.
With a fusion of deep and nuanced 1970’s rock arena verve and prog rock embellishments on notable tracks like, “Living In Photographs,” the band has demonstrated a tighter, more uniformed rock album.
The band members include vocalist and guitarist RFK Heise, bassist Palmer Cloud, and drummer Matt Wiles. The album was engineered and co-produced by Larry Crane (Tape Op, Elliott Smith), mixed by Paul Malinowski (Shiner, The Life and Times) and mastered by Mike Nolte (Of Montreal).
If you get a chance, also check out tracks like the strutting, shaking Cheap Trick-inspired, “Captain My Captain,” and the Detroit-rock influenced sounds of “Mountain Time.”
Bonus Track (via Soundcloud): “Captain My Captain” – LAST GIANT from Heavy Habitat
Another Seattle artist, Abby K, who draws influences from her Kentucky roots, but she is not country, not folk nor pop, as she likes to point out. Instead her music is “nostalgic and modern in the same breath,” a sound that she likes to refer to as ‘heart-shaped rock.’ Abby is an avid collector of heart-shaped rocks, which are a rare find.
But most notably is Abby’s wonderful songwriting, vocals and instrumentation on her new release – her sophomore album, Heart-Shaped Rock, features standout songs like the title track, which Abby K explains is a song about a journey and “not merely a new path” while “having the courage to follow it and pursue it.”
“Songwriting for me is about discovering simple everyday stories,” she tells IRC. “I have infinite gratitude for the freedom life affords me to create these stories and for countless family members, friends and fellow musicians, who have carried me along the journey and inspired me to compose beautiful music from simple observation.”
Such characteristics are realized throughout the album, on heart-tugging moments like the title track; the standout, Patsy Cline-inspired “Silhouette Blues”; the lamenting, “You Never Know,” the uptempo bluegrass and folk-inspired “Follow You Anywhere,” and the acoustic, whimsical, “You’re My Moon.” The 12-song album was produced and engineered at Seattle’s Cobra Studios.
Canadian folk singer/songwriter Jeff Beadle is the every man’s basement recording artist. After a day of working on cleaning pools for the rich, Beadle shifts gears and writes deeply emotive songs with lyrics of love, loss and longing. His newest single, “Gone Before Sunset,” is a perfect expression of this songwriting and instrumental skills.
After a decade of writing and recording as a folk artist, and receiving praise in blogs in Europe, Beadle has reinvented himself, starting up an indie band, and releasing his tracks online, immediately attracting attention from music lovers on YouTube and Soundcloud.
With a love for bands like Big Star and early 1990’s alternative rock and pop, Columbus, Indiana songwriter musician Matt Hutson produces jangly and riff-heavy guitar-drive rock with a flair for production and attention to detail that sounds effortless on songs like the mellow, more folksy track, “Pop Music From The Future,” from his sophomore album, TV Star.
Hutson sound is a diverse mix of rock and power pop influences, featuring mostly guitar driven tracks enhanced with piano, drum machines and electronic effects – merging new and old sounds. Hutson is heavily influenced by 70’s pop rock band Big Star. His music explores deep, personal themes from drug addiction to troubled relationships.
Hutson’s music ranges from dark with driving guitars to sunny harmonies and warm synths. He was also a member of the band The Selects, which released the album, Fast Times at Hammerheads, last year.
The new indie rock releases of 2017, along with plenty of Fresh Tracks, are starting to come in as fast as the rivers are flowing right now in water-logged California. This new edition of Fresh Tracks is a special treat, featuring music from DIY and small label artists and bands based in California, Alabama, and Wisconsin, and from international cities like Melbourne and Toronto.
The Singing Limbs – San Francisco, California ROLLERS – San Diego, California The Pulltops – Milwaukee, Wisconsin Candace Leca & Michael Paglia – Toronto, Ontario Vantana Row – Oakland, California Miles Recommends – Melbourne, Australia Barricades At Night – Huntsville, Alabama Brady Toops – Nashville, Tennessee
The Singing Limbs – “Stay”
Competition among bands in a city like San Francisco is fierce, but for the past year or so, mixed-genre alternative rock band The Singing Limbs have been staking their claim in the city’s music scene, attracting growing crowds to performances at landmark venues like The Great American Music Hall and Slims.
After a successful past year, the band is set to drop its five-track debut EP, Mint, on March 31st, with the premiere of the first single here on IRC. The song, and opening track, “Stay,” is a catchy, funky, pulse-driven track with a soulful groove and rhythm throughout – where alt. rock and indie meet funk and R&B.
The second half of the track is a total all out jam, where the band’s talented musicians show off their individual, and group, skills in effortless fashion. For those who have been lucky enough to hear the entire EP before its release date, we can say that you’ll want to make sure to pre-order the EP on the band’s Bandcamp page.
The Singing Limbs was founded in 2014 initially as a duo by guitarist and vocalist Cameron Gibbons and percussionist Mike Deluccia. Soon after, the duo expanded into a quartet after recruiting bassist Dominic Columbini and keyboardist Josh Greenberger, thereby finalizing the formation of the band, and realizing the vision of the initial duo.
The EP, Deluccia says, is “inspired by influences from psych to surf, soul to rock.” And Gibbons adds: “Our studio recordings offer nuanced pocket grooves, while live shows burst with energy and ambitious improvisation.” Having heard both, we can definitely agree.
The band members consider among their biggest musical influences include Dr Dog, White Denim, My Morning Jacket, Black Sabbath, Radiohead, Steely Dan and Led Zeppelin.
The Singing Limbs on Facebook
ROLLERS – Somewhere Along The Way
Life-long friends and former band mates, singer/songwriter Erik Mullin and guitarist TJ Royer, better known as ROLLERS, reunited recently to record their long-overdue debut EP, Somewhere Along The Way. The EP is a collection of truly indie rock songs that lean more to pop-heavy Americana songs and blends of reggae, blues, rock and country.
Mullin and Royer grew up together as kids in the suburbs of Long Island, and performed at “every backyard party and dive bar” they could find. After graduating high school, they moved out to San Diego.
Over the ensuing decade, the pair formed the band Grow, which became popular on southern California college campuses. During those seven years, the band landed slots on the famous Vans Warped Tour, and “lived together, played hundreds of shows and toured the country in the back of a cramped van.”
MP3: “Nobody Else” – Rollers from Somewhere Along The Way
Now, years later, their debut EP as ROLLERS demonstrates the value of all of those years of hard work on the road and in the studio, resulting in well-honed, high caliber songwriting, musicianship, and production. The band’s biggest influences include Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Eddie Cochran, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead and Rolling Stones.
As the band says: “the album is not just a random mix of songs; it’s the soundtrack for our unique and indelible journey.” Standout tracks include the infectious, Elvis-Costello-like power pop love song, “Nobody Else,” and the riveting rocker, “Going Nowhere.” The duo have shared the stage with bands like Incubus, Matchbox 20, The Romantics and Louis XIV. Listen to this EP and keep an eye out for ROLLERS.
The Pulltops – Live En Route
Influenced by a range of rockers from modern day Foo Fighters to the 80’s rock queen Joan Jett; from the prog rock of Pink Floyd to the suburban garage rock pop of Cheap Trick, Milwaukee alt. rock band The Pulltops recently released the album Live En Route, featuring a mix of rock and power pop with a punk vein running throughout.
The track, “Along The Way,” is one of notable singles from Live En Route and a bombastic retro theatrical rocker. Another track from the album that is getting play on the web and radio is “Destination” – rockers take note.
Even more notably is the band’s recent release of the single, “Fly Away,” a lo-fi mellow acoustic love song featuring a B-side of a gorgeous cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s hit single, “Scarborough Fair.”
Live En Route and “Fly Away/Scarborough Fair” are releases in honor of celebrating the band’s 15th anniversary since their power pop-focused debut, 8-Track. The band members are Mark Pierret, Tom Crowell, and Steve Kerwin.
Candace Leca & Michael Paglia – “Morning Never Comes”
Based in
Whitby, Ontario, indie pop vocalist Candace Leca and multi-instrumentalist Michael Paglia are producers and writers for a popular YouTube channel that has amassed nearly one million views in the past couple of year, with a growing fan base in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
The duo recently released their debut EP, Bridges, and are now presenting the music video for their debut single, “Morning Never Comes,” premiered on Canadian music channel, MUCH, in collaboration with iHeartRadio Canada.
The duo have previously opened for artists like Mike Tompkins, Bryan Lanning, and Andrew Huang, and are most influenced by Coldplay, Lana Del Rey, and Metric.
“Our most popular videos include covers of The Lumineers’ ‘Ho Hey’, A Great Big World’s ‘Say Something’ and a Bob Marley Mashup of 6 Marley song’s in 2.5 minutes,” says Leca.
Screaming, screeching, hoarse, and even demonic female – and male, at times – vocals with ‘chiptune trapunk’ hip-hop beats, Nintendo-core flourishes, and glitch-like instrumentation are the mainstays of the music of Oakland husband-and-wife duo Volly Blaze on vocals and Jamey Blaze on drums and production.
The duo are known as Vantana Row and they just released the album, 4ourIver, chock full of their own crazy, experimental and very different trapunk-inspired tracks under one and two minutes long – including memorable tracks (can’t really call them songs) like “Residing At Currently Homeless, California,” “Sweden X,” “Spiritual Aviation Gun,” “If U Can’t Fem Em, Men Em” and “On Wednesdays I Am Going To Make It.” Vantana Row also has an active YouTube channel.
While at first Vantana Row may be disarming, chances are if you have an open mind, are into experimentation of beats, alternative music and other radical sonic arrangements, this albummay just grow on you in weird and lasting ways.
MP3: “Spiritual Aviation Gun” – Vantana Row from 4ourIver
In the Easy Bay Area, the duo, who perform live out of their custom van, support an informal writing collective, which encourages the local community (both online and in-person) to submit “unfinished lyrics, prized poetry, or soon-to-be songs to be made an official Vantana Row tune.”
Miles Recommends – Extended Play
Founded in the streets and music clubs of Bangkok, and now based out of Melbourne, indie band Miles Recommends is comprised of the Australian songwriting and music production duo of multi-instrumentalist Des Atkinson and vocalist Lou Cadell.
The duo’s debut EP, Extended Play, features a wide range of rock, folk, pop, blues, country and jazz influences, with frequent layering of guitars, organ, piano, French horn, strings, drums, and harmonies “as a backdrop to the dissection of social norms,” Atkinson says. “In a life full of contradictions, Miles Recommends likes to ponder some of the bigger questions.”
The album’s standout single, “Darkness,” features Cadell’s smoking, haunting vocals awash in a cacophony of Atkinson’s grinding organ, twinkling piano, bumping bass, thundering drums and full-throttle guitars.
Atkinson describes it as “a hurricane of desperate and depressive rage.” Then there are counterpointing tracks like the dreamy melodic acoustic guitar hooks and gentle piano keys of “Just Wanted You.”
Barricades At Night – VOIDS
Musicians Ryan Beard and Justin Markland second full-length album, VOIDS, is brewing with song after song of alternative rock the way it’s supposed to be.
The Huntsville, Alabama duo, formed in 2011, have been receiving some solid reviews and plays for singles from the album like the energetic alt. rocker, and lead single, “Polaroid,” and the evocative “I Guess,” among other decidedly alt. rock tracks on the band’s second outing.
BAN dropped their debut EP, Something To Tell, in 2012 and their self-titled, debut album in the spring of 2014. They are most influenced by a blend of modern and alternative rock, including artists like Oceansize, Foo Fighters, Biffy Clyro, and Stone Temple Pilots.
The band’s namesake, according to Beard, comes from when Markland was homeless during college, and slept under desks at night on campus. He would set up cardboard barricades around the desk openings – thus ‘barricades at night.’
Brady Toops – Brady Toops
Nashville folk artist Brady Allen Toops has made a name for himself in the area for his evocative, heartfelt music. His debut studio album, Brady Toops, was released by Underspoken Records, and features the new mellow folk single, “Carolina,” featuring Toops’ smokey mid-range voice and backup chorus.
Previous to that Toops dropped his first single, “Can’t Stop Lovin'” DIY-style in 2010, followed in 2011 by another single, “A Little Love”, both of which received some radio love.
Well, another year is winding down. Here is the second installment of Fresh Tracks for this month – featuring indie folk from England; 80s pop rock sounds from Brooklyn; modern, emotive date rock from Phoenix; lashing alt. rock from LA; more 80s’-tinged rock radio from Massachusetts and much more.
The Sleeping Tongues – Brooklyn, New York The Grenaways – Cornwall, England Rio Wiley – Phoenix, Arizona Satellite Citi – Los Angeles, California Telamor – Gloucester, Massachusetts Jay Elle – New York, New York
The Sleeping Tongues – The Sleeping Tongues
New York City area band The Sleeping Tongues is comprised of members from completely different backgrounds and locales, including a Queens born and raised Asian drummer and Jui Jitsu expert; a Miami Jewish bassist with cyber security chops, and a Scandinavian born pilot and vocalist/guitarist from Minnesota.
Two other members were born and raised are from Bronx and Brooklyn; so NYC is well represented. This diverse mix of musicians contributes to the band’s eclectic style; earlier this year they dropped their self-titled debut album.
The newest single from the album, “Bullet Train,” is a romping, strutting dance-invoking pop track with a bit of a old skool melodic pop structure reminiscent of 80s bands like Adam and The Ants and The Stray Cats.
We also featured TST this past summer for the terrific track, “Lyra.” The band has already started working on a new album for release next year.
Based out of the desert southwest capital city of Phoenix, Arizona indie band Rio Wiley (not to be confused with the popular, now defunct, band Kilo Riley) is a new solo indie pop project of songwriter and vocalist Rio Wiley Stinger.
It may be a brilliant moniker, or perhaps confusing for other indie lovers who were already Kilo Riley fans.
Either way, it is the music that ultimately decides a solo artist’s fate. Stinger’s Rio Wiley’s solo EP, Young Ghost, is his first foray of releasing music not performed with his long-time band, I Remember Burning, which was founded in 2012 and have made some waves in the local music scene.
His newest guitar-ringing track, “The Love We Used To Share,” leans more towards the mainstream rock/pop sound than indie, but Stinger really shows promise on this track. It’s almost an irresistible track. Here’s the video.
Stinger’s solo work is heavily influences from various genres of music, but mostly from radio pop rock, as well an occasional acoustic-leaning track, such as “Tired & Done,” featuring Anthony Perre III of DAISY.
Following the tracks release, he began to attract a new fan base. From there, Stinger spent half of a year writing and recording the songs for Young Ghost, “a concept album about losing all sense of your identity, following the loss of someone you love,” Stinger says.
After nearly selling out Crescent Ballroom, alongside other local Arizona artists, Rio Wiley performed a third show/CD Release Party to a sold out crowd last October 29th at the Pub Rock in Scottsdale.
Soundcloud – Stream Young Ghost on Soundcloud
The Grenaways – Skath Vyghan
Hailing from the southwestern most coast of England in the ceremonial and ancient land of Cornwall, where the Celtic Sea meets the English Channel, the members of the Celtic-influenced indie folk band The Grenaways have just dropped a touching and inspiring EP, Skath Vyghan.
One of the tracks on this profound release, “Rowan,” was written and produced, according to lead male vocalist and guitarist Kris Lannen, “in memory of a young guy called, Rowan Draper, who was killed in a car crash while we were on tour last November. The last time he was seen by his mother was dancing at our gig in Norwich.” Draper was also the cousin of the band’s lead female vocalist, keyboardist and flutist, Laura Garcia.
The song is emotive and melancholy, but as it progresses, the mood changes, subsequently breaking out into a joyous and optimistic song. At times, Garcia’s voice sounds a lot like Dolores O’Riordan‘s of The Cranberries voice.
The folksy, organic track “Old Mast” is “a story an old ship mast that overlooks the sea from a hill above Port Isaac,” featuring musician Joe Lee on an old beat up double bass and Garcia using the church’s mini-grand piano.
“The drums and guitars were recorded in a barn and at the St Peter’s Church in Port Isaac working on the keys, vocals and trumpet,” she says.
Band members also include drummer Henry Cavender; lead guitarist Joff Phipps; violinist Isabelle Roberts (originally from Switzerland) and trumpet player Claude Lamon (originally from South Africa).
The backing vocals on the song “Fisherman” – a song about the struggling fishing industry – were recorded at a packed pub called Cornish Arms located in Pendoggett. The title track, “Skath Vyghan,” (“Little Boat”) and the song “Cornish Girl,” were recorded in the Cornish language.
“It’s been really significant for us as a band, even though none of us are actually Cornish, to explore writing in this beautiful Celtic language and although the arrangements are contemporary, they feel grounded in the ancient.”The band’s song, “Ghost,” is about a butterfly – the Tykki-Duw of Cornish, has received play on Balcony TV.
As a band, they see part of their mission to be one of “adding a sense of their own ties to the region and especially it’s Celtic heritage,” according to The Grenaways website bio. “But, they are a band set for far wider horizons than just Cornwall with a massive and alternative sound billowing through their musical sails.”
In the band-saturated city of Los Angeles, it takes a lot for a band to stand out. But that’s exactly what the alt. rock duo Satellite Citi is aiming to do.
Featuring lead vocalist and drummer Anna Gevorkian and guitarist and backup vocalist Shaunt Sulahian, the duo craft intricate compositions that mix genres – including hard rock, world music, indie and acoustic rock – “to create a truly unique and dynamic atmosphere of sound,” Gervorkian says.
Satellite Citi’s newest single, “Rootless,” does exactly that. The song, she says, is about “being pulled from your roots and feeling stuck.”
“Musically, we had a big vocal melody idea to use for the chorus, giving the song it’s big presence.”
The video includes shoots in and around the Hollywood Hills with the ocean in the backdrop and cool fly overs with a drone. One of the duo’s videos “Rock Bottom” was featured in the Pomegranate Film Festival. Satellite Citi are influenced by artists such as Muse, The XX, Glen Hansard, A Perfect Circle, Massive Attack and Tool.
The man behind the Telamor moniker – musician Tom Hauck – has appeared on IRC before with his springy, bright guitar and percussion-driven pop rock songs.
The prolific Boston area (Gloucester, the famous seaport town, to be exact) songwriter has just released his fifth album, Good Bad Love, featuring another batch of mixed 80’s genres like pop, new wave, alt. rock, indie rock, punk elements and even jerking rhythms (“Back and Forth”) influenced by bands like The Talking Heads.
The most likely accessible track on the album may just be a cover of Courtney Barnett’s irresistible “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to The Party.” All the elements of the song come together, and Hauck really captures the 1980’s. It’s interesting, I always felt the track has an incredible likeness to “What I Like About You” by The Romantics.
An astute music enthusiast will probably also pick up hints of The Kinks and The Knack as other clear influences. At times, some songs (“Human Performance” and “That Ain’t For Me”) have the over-the-top theatrical type of rock pop art of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. At other times, as with the title track and “Nothing But Hope,” Hauck’s one-man band skills come shining through.
Listen: Telamor’s Good Bad Love
Jay Elle – Rising Tide
During this past summer, New York City singer, songwriter and guitarist Jay Elle made a bit of a buzz on college radio and on Soundcloud with the emotive folk rock song, “Twelve On Sunday,” amassing more than one million plays on Soundcloud alone. That is no small feat in the days of social media and music saturation.
Elle’s new album, Rising Tide, dropped earlier this month, straddling the musical spectrum of acoustic mellow tracks like the title track, the haunting “Twelve On Sunday,” and elements of pop, rock, blues and urban folk.
Rising Tide is rich with track after track of Elle’s soothing and passionate vocals, heartfelt lyrics, mixed genre instrumentation and unique guitar arrangements.
The latest fresh indie rock songs and releases that we are digging right now including standout tracks from the rising Los Angeles trio Teleskopes, plus one of Boston’s hot new indie rock bands, The Penthouse, and more amazing DIY and indie tracks from the west coast, east coast, the Heartland and overseas.
Teleskopes – Los Angeles, California The Penthouse – Boston, Massachusetts Gabriel Lynch Band – Melbourne, Australia Pete Lord – Chicago, Illinois Lovelast – San Francisco, California Blisss – London, England
Teleskopes – “Lazers”
The Los Angeles based alt. rock/shoegaze trio Teleskopes have just dropped the hard-hitting, blazing new ‘space rock’ single, “Lazers,” which, besides being an ass-kicker from start to finish, is at the same time a meticulously arranged, rehearsed and recorded composition that puts Teleskopes into the category of new DIY bands to watch in LA.
The beginnings of the band’s two premiere singles dates back to 2014 when members Fox Fagan (bass, vocals), Pelle Hillstrom (guitar) and Jesper Kristensen (drums) cut the tracks at Dave Grohl’s (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) Northridge Studio 606.
“Because we had played that song so many times live in LA clubs,” says Fagan, “when it came time to record at Studio 606, we did it in three takes…[and] used a lot of the guitars and atmospherics from my bedroom demo sessions.”
Fox and his band fellow band members next handed over their tapes for “Lazers” to famed music producer Joe Chiccarelli (White Stripes, Spoon, Jeff The Brotherhood, Morrissey) who put his final magical touches on the tracks to give the band the sound that they were gunning for.
Mix master Maxime Le Guil, who worked with Nigel Godrich on Radiohead’s “A Moon Shaped Pool,” and Ken Sluiter, assisted with mixing.
The band’s newest single was proceeded by the psych alt. rock, grandiose sound of the searing debut single, “Criminal,” dropped officially on Oct. 26th.
The members of Teleskopes have some serious mojo going on with an upcoming show (Dec. 9th) at the famous Viper Room in Hollywood and a couple of hot alt. rock singles under their belts. If you’re in the wood, check them out.
Via Soundcloud: Listen to the brand new Radio Edit for “Lazers”
The world-renowned Berklee College of Music has spawned many artists and bands over the years – way more than probably anyone has ever been able to count.
They include Grammy-winning artists like John Mayer, Donald Fagen (Steely Dan), Ben McKee (Imagine Dragons), among many others. And there are countless other artists and bands who have graduated from Berkelee.
The relatively newly spawned indie rock band, The Penthouse, are current Berkelee students. The band has recently been playing gigs in notable venues like Pianos in New York City (Dec. 9th) and receiving more attention from live music goers and the press.
The band’s funky, tropical indie pop track, “Another Day,” with its intricate instrumentation at points, reminded us a lot at first of Ra Ra Riot mixed with The 1975. We really love when the song goes into the instrumentation and just wish that the jhammin’ part of the track lasted longer.
Frontman Patrick Minogue says the band’s overall sound combines “skinny jean, iconoclastic, gritty, white-boy funk influenced by bands like Two Door Cinema Club, Arctic Monkeys, The 1975, and Cage the Elephant.”
Minogue says the songs are “a visceral fashion of love, life, and the pursuit of happiness. Basically we want to make you dance and feel some type of way.”
In addition to Minogue, the band members include Eric Derwallis, Kyle Raney, Jacob Arias, and Jesse Mason with musical backgrounds that include blues, classical, rock, pop, indie rock and funk.
The Melbourne recording artist, Gabriel Lynch, who has built a following of loyal fans over the years, is back with a new emotive single, “Language of the Affair,” featuring fellow Australian vocalist Jennifer Lackgren.
The song highlights Lackgren’s emotive, soft vocal style, along with Lynch’s heartfelt and honest songwriting style. The B-side of the new single, “Drink Your Love Away,” is a nice little bonus.
Lynch’s biggest musical influences include Radiohead, Elbow, Muse, Snowy Belfast, Saskwatch, Svavar Knutur, Megan Washington, Fleet Foxes, and Rage Against the Machine. Lynch is currently living and performing in Kuala Lumpur.
Via Soundcloud: Listen to more tracks from Gabriel Lynch Band
Pete Lord is a Chicago songwriter, keyboardist, and vocalist with a voice that recalls the styles of traditional pop rock singers he emulates, including Marvin Gaye, Steve Perry, and Michael Bolton.
As evident on his chart-making new single, “I’ll Be There,” the golden days – when pop rock singers were superstars and didn’t use auto tune – seem to somehow be channeling Lord, who compliments the genre additionally by writing, singing and performing for more than a decade. The track is from Lord’s new sophomore album, Keep The Faith.
“The album means a lot to me,” he says. “I wrote many of these songs about relationships and about life and just how short it is. This album really came from my heart.”
Over the years, Lord concentrated on perfecting his vocal style and performing in venues throughout the Chicago metro area, building a local following before the surge of social media where ‘followers’ are what exactly? No one is really sure. Lord enjoys human interaction in person, seeing and singing to the audience and talking to them before and after sets.
Growing up in the Windy City suburb of Elmwood Park, Illinois, Lord began taking vocal lessons at a young age as his passion for singing and rock music grew. In fact, Lord was chosen by the popular Chicago band Paradise to be the band’s leader singer.
His debut solo album, The Only One, was a favorite among the adult contemporary radio market. In addition to the vocalists who influenced him the most, some of Lord’s favorite bands include Earth, Wind & Fire, Chicago, Foreigner and Little River Band.
Last year, we featured the music of San Francisco inspiring recording artist Chase Jenkins, aka, Lovelast. His ethereal, emotional compositions, soaring synths, dance beats and remarkable vocals on songs like “Promises” and “San Francisco” captured the praise of IRC listeners worldwide. That post itself received over 600 Likes, with a good chunk going to Lovelast’s tracks.
Lovelast’s latest standout single, the driving, uplifting, “Run,” from the new EP, The Beauty and The Fire, swirls and soars with more synth pop elements than his debut EP.
“I knew I wanted a more keys-driven sound while re-introducing some of the edge that the first EP had,” Jenkins said.
We also featured another single from Lovelast not long after the first big post called “Halfway To You,” which turned out to garner nearly 10,000 streams on Soundcloud alone.
Jenkins musical influences include Magic Man, The Naked and Famous, Parade of Lights, and Broods.
Emerging earlier this year from a self-imposed retreat in a cabin in Kentish Forest to record some songs he had been working on, London multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and vocalist Tom Greenwood, aka, Blisss, just dropped his self-titled EP in September.
The EP includes the catchy lo-fi track, “Chalk Air,” which he says is the culmination of his love for Britpop, gospel music, and alt., classic and psych rock, with influences ranging from Primal Scream, Jungle, Tame Impala, Mac Demacro, and Lou Reed.
The latest edition of Fresh Tracks includes new singles, albums and videos from artists and bands we’re digging are featured in the playlist below as well in their own sections of this post below.
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Corusco – College Station, Texas Pacific Radio – Los Angeles, California Joseph Eid – West Hollywood, California Jack Kotz – Wilmington, North Carolina Aux House – Grand Rapids, Michigan Kingsley Flood – Washington, DC
Corusco – “Twin Ghosts”
South Texas songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Aaron Gonzalez and his band, Corusco, have spent the past year recording and touring from Texas to New Hampshire, stopping in many cities along the way.
Based in College Station, Corusco started as an acoustic solo side project of Gonzalez’s in 2015. Soon after, it “accidentally grew into a full band,” Gonzalez says, bringing on Ryan Corb on guitar, Phillip Baugh on bass and Carlos Garza on drums.
The inspiration for the band’s latest single, “Twin Ghosts,” Gonzalez? says, “is the story of the weekend one of my friends passed away…he was one of the kindest, smartest guys I’d ever met. I wrote it from the perspective of his roommate and his best friend, and what I think they would have told him if they could see him again.”
It’s a hauntingly beautiful song, and together with their tantalizing August release, Don’t Give Up, puts Corusco on indie map.
“We’re a band that wants to write music that is meaningful and though a lot of the material we deal with is somber or heavy, we always want there to be that glimmer of hope through it all,” Gonzalez says.
Via Bandcamp: “Twin Ghosts” – Corusco from Don’t Give Up
Based in the city of Los Angeles, the indie rock quartet, Pacific Radio, deliver a sound that “ranges from rock n roll to West coast ballad,” according to band member Kyle Biane.
Pacific Radio’s new single, “Katie,” is a bright, uplifting romp, highlighted by singer Joe Robinson’s well-honed vocals and the awesome talents of his band members. The second half of the track blossoms into a full blown, infectious celebration.
But Pacific Radio (not to be confused with Pacific Radio radio) is not simply an indie band that creates musical magic in the studio. In fact, the band has been very busy performing shows and touring.
Earlier this year, the band performed four shows at South By Southwest, including for showcases Red Gorilla Fest and the Midcoast Takeover.
Southern California musician, singer and songwriter Joseph Eid‘s engaging new video, “One and Only,” was filmed on West Hollywood‘s famed Sunset Strip, giving the smooth, alt. folk rock ballad a nice touch against the backdrop of the city in his new video for the track.
Eid says the song itself “is about finding and longing for true love in a place where instant gratification and temporary thrills are the norm,” referring to Hollywood. He adds that the song could also be interpreted as a story about a common experience adults face in life – longing for a special relationship and holding on to it while fighting the temptations of the future.
“It’s the realization and confession that the short term fulfillment of a new thrill or adventure cannot compare to the true and everlasting fulfillment of a love that goes beyond the surface,” he says.
When making the video, Eid and director William Sanford set out to convey use the night lights of the Sunset Strip to convey the emotions and sense of loneliness in the middle of one of the largest cities in the western hemisphere. Brian Soucy co-produced the single.
His influences, not surprisingly, include Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, Prince and many others. Eid has been performing around the Pacific Northwest for much of the year. He is working on completing the new EP, Watch It Fall.
Last spring we featured some exciting new tracks from Wilmington, North Carolina musician and ‘one man band’ Jack Kotz‘s debut album, What’s All The Fuss About?.
Kotz has just released his followup to Fuss with his sophomore album, Neon Orange Nectar Juice. For fans of guitar rock, funk inspired beats and rhythms, and psych pop, Neon is a tour de force of high order.
Here is the tantalizing title track, followed by an electrified cover of Jack Johnson, one of Kotz’s musical influences.
Based out of Grand Rapids, the DIY alternative rock trio, Aux House, offers listeners something more than the regular fare. And yet they manage to appeal to a larger audience with their fun and eclectic brand of alternative rock.
Perhaps founder, guitarist and vocalist of Aux House, Tristan Rudolph, explains it best as a revival of the “Bowian idea of the space-alien rock star.”
The Michigan trio’s debut self titled DIY album release contains a mix of rock and pop punk angst with sci-fi elements, and alt. rock overtones, creating a larger than life sound and stories about girls, cars love and troubles, which are no better demonstrated than on the irresistible “Antique Radio” and the delightful and unusual track, “Aliens Can’t Dance.”
Rudolph said the band’s top musical influences include Sufjan Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, Pavement, Wilco, and Bright Eyes. There’s a nicely suited eclecticism about that selection of artists and bands.
The Washington DC band Kingsley Flood, sports a gritty, and yet at times, sassy, sound on their new music video for the edgy track, “To The Wolves,” from the new album, Another Other.
The band was founded by Palestinian-American born singer and songwriter Naseem Khuri in 2009, and has won praise for his work from the press, including NPR, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Paste and American Songwriter.
The band has toured nationally, opening for artists like Grace Potter, Lucius, Langhorne Slim, Angus and Julia Stone, and Brett Dennen. They were also invited to perform at the 2011 Newport Folk Festival.
Khuri tackles a number of issues in his music, including the lingering – stoked by presidential candidate Trump – bias against Arab born Americans, who he says, don’t deserve to be treated as “one” – Khuri reminds people that the vast majority of Arabs, or Muslims, are peace-loving, law abiding hard-working members of society.
“At the end of the day, I’m American,” he asserts. “The only Arabic words I know are foods and swears. It’s just that more jarring to somehow always be labeled ‘an other’ when you don’t even see yourself that way.”
Via YouTube: “To The Wolves” – Kingsley Flood from Another Other
