Son Lux – INDIE ROCK CAFE

beirut-the-rip-tide — Cover for Beirut's upcoming new album, 'The Rip Tide'

This week’s S-25 Mix features a random pick of 2011 songs that we really like – some are well-known, others are new material from established indie and alternative rock bands – like The Strokes, Beirut, Peter Bjorn and John, and Bon Iver – but many others are songs that we refer to as ‘rarely heard,’ because so few people – with the exception of indie music enthusiasts – have heard them. This also feels like a mix that is a good kick-off to summer. On that note, stay tuned for our Summer Songs 2011 series; in the meantime though, check out the smash hit series Songs of Summer 2010 if you want to load up your iPod with ‘summer’ songs. We hope that many of you come away with new songs that you really love from this mix. Let us know which are your favorites in the Comments section.

“East Harlem” – Beirut from The Rip Tide – out August 30th

“Breaker Breaker” – Peter Bjorn and John from single release

“Machu Picchu” – The Strokes from Angles

“Calgary” – Bon Iver from Bon Iver

“Do You Really Wanna Know” – Papercuts from Fading Parade

“Merrymake It With Me” – The Republic Tigers from Record Store Day exclusive

“Bury Us Alive” – Starfu*cker from Reptilians

“Turned Tables” – Should from Like A Fire Without Sound

“A Conversation About Death on New Years Eve” – Scattered Trees from Sympathy

“If You Wanna” – The Vaccines from What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?

“Dream Again” – Stephen Merritt from Covers LP

“A Backyard Funeral” – Sleepy Vikings from They Will Find You

“Drop Your Eyes” – The Rusty Bells from DIX: Dead Bees Record Label Sampler

“Nrob Bmud” – Regurgitator from Nrob Bmud

“Monday” – The Sea and the Cake from the Moonlight Butterfly

“Rising” – Son Lux from We Are Rising

“Used to Be” – The Shivers from More

“Echos Myron” – Sorry About Dresden from Sing for Your Meat: A Tribute to Guided By Voices

“I’ll Take You Anywhere” – The Steve Adamyk Band from Dirtnap Records’ SXSW 2011 Sampler

“RMBR U” – Secrets from RQ EQ Christchurch Earthquake Relief 2011

“Running With Insanity” – Alcoholic Faith Mission from And The Running With Insanity

“Get In Line” – I’m From Barcelona from Forever Today

“Trash City” – Poly Styrene from Generation Indigo

“Misty Valley” – Rich Bennett from Hydrozoa

“Forever in Armitron” – Boat from Dress Like Your Idols

“Venus Shaver” – Shilpa Ray from Teenage and Torture

When we first heard the track below, who do you think we thought of right away?

“Vanessa’s Theater of Peace” – The Library is on Fire from Magic Windows, Magic Nights

Yes! And so we Google’d and everything else to see if it was possible that Doug Martsch had formed a new band project, or perhaps was singing lead vocals on The Library Is On Fire‘s track, “Vanessa’s Theater of Peace.” But, it’s not him.

The Martsch and BTS aspects of The Library Is On Fire do crop up from time to time on Magic Windows, Magic Nights. The 15-track album, produced by Todd Tobias, the producer for Guided By Voices, has a good handful of strong tracks, including the songs featured here, but the LP’s high points are somewhat dragged down by the number of so-so and not-so-good tracks. They could have easily cut out more than a few of the 15 songs to make the album more streamlined and stronger. At least that’s how we would have done it – nevertheless, promising band; good album.

“Magic Bumrush” – The Library Is On Fire from Magic Windows, Magic Nights
The Library Is on Fire on MySpace

Next up are familiar bands like such as Son Lux, The Ambience Affair, and Japanther, plus a selected assortment of new-to-me artists and bands like Yawn, Awesome, Daisy Cutter, Cruel Black Dove, Julian Barwick, Voicesvoices, Kikipau, Germany Germany, Tenlons Fort, and Happy Ending.

“Weapons V” – Son Lux from Weapons EP – Feb. 16th
Son Lux on MySpace

“None’s Listening” – Japanther from Rock N Roll Ice Cream – March 2nd
Japanther on MySpace

“Lost at the Start” – The Ambience Affair from Patterns EP – Feb. 26th

“Devil in the Detail” – The Ambience Affair from PatternsThe Ambience Affair on MySpace

“Sore Knees” – Daisy Cutter from M.O.A.B. – Feb 12th
Daisy Cutter on MySpace

“Isolation” – Cruel Black Dove from The Myth and the Sum EP – Jan. 12th
Cruel Black Dove on MySpace

“You’re A Vision” – Gold Sounds from Home Schooled EP – March 2rd

“Kind of Guy” – Yawn from Yawn EP – March 30th

“Monsters Lair” – In Tall Buildings from s/t debut – April 6th

“Electro Love” – Germany, Germany from Electrolove – March 28th

“Out From Under” – Voicesvoices from Origins – Jan. 25th

“An Old Song” – Kikipau from White Mountain – March 22nd

“You Won’t Be With Me” – Tenlons Fort from Shelters – March 3rd

“It Barely Makes a Sound” – Happy Ending from Turn It On – March 23rd

Tag: Son Lux

The S-25 Mix: 2011 Tracks by Beirut, Bon Iver, Peter Bjorn and John, The Vaccines, Should, Starfu*ker, Sleepy Vikings, Son Lux, Secrets

Recent Releases We Almost Missed, Vol. V: The Library Is On Fire, Son Lux, The Ambience Affair, Japanther, Yawn, Kikipau