Check Out: Atlas Sound "Cobwebs"

 Don't you love it when you come across bands or songs you used to listen to? I know I do. I just rediscovered this brilliant grungy song by Atlas Sound today and have played it over and over since. Check it out and lemme know whatya think.

"Cobwebs"-Atlas Sound Free MP3

Beach House - "Silver Soul"

Finally snagged the new Beach House album "Teen Dream". This is a very...good...album. 

Nuff said. 

Here is "Silver Soul", the second track on the album and probably my favorite.

Enjoy

Lemmeknowwhatyathinkloveyoubye.

MP3 Mash Up!

Yes, yes, yes! Get them while they're hot! 

Free MP3s for all you lovely readers!

Let

Me
Know
Whatya 

Think!

Sea Wolf - "You're A Wolf"

Keepaway - "Yellow Wings"

Milagres - "Fifty Fourteeners"
Papercuts - "Future Primitive"
Generationals - "When They Fight, They Fight"
No Age - "You're A Target"
Air France - "Collapsing At Your Doorstep"
BOAT - "Lately"

Download them all at once HERE(zip)

Josiah Wolf Interview

    

    Josiah Wolf (Why?, cLOUDDEAD) was kind enough to answer a couple questions regarding his forthcoming solo album "Jet Lag" aswell as some personal questions! A big thanks to Josiah for his time!

 


1. Where did the name for the album derive from

    It comes up in one of the songs on the record (the first of these songs that was written in full) and it seems like a key moment and a key phrase that describes this time in my life. 

2. Do you plan on continuing your solo project after Jet Lag?

    I'm sure that I will be doing other solo recordings in the years to come. I have many tapes of ideas and riffs and whatnot. i just have to sit down and put something together. Easier said then done of course.

3. I read that you isolated yourself in a cottage during the creation of this album, what was the motive for this?

    It is difficult for me to focus around other people, even if I have lots of time to myself I am easily distracted and once thrown off coarse it can take a while to get rolling again. It is something that I like to do now and then. It is not the first time I have done this but it is the longest. I can get a lot more done this way and the quality of the work tends to be more focused. 

4. Are you still associated with Why? and if so are there plans of a new album?      
     Yes, we will be touring in Europe in March. I will be doing a solo set to open the evening. As far as a new album there are things in the work. There is no time frame yet, though.

5. What music are you currently listening to these days. 

    Well right now Glen Gould's performance of the Goldberg variations is on the stereo. My girlfriend and I just went to the library and got a bunch of music from other countries and some classical stuff. I am constantly playing Steve Riech's music for 18 musicians and some of his other stuff. Some African band called Marar Kassey and some others I can't think of the name of.

Check Out/Download the first track from his upcoming album "Jet Lag" HERE!

Check Out: The Love Language "Lalita"

"Lalita" Free MP3

Check Out: Big Spider's Back

     Seattle's Yair Rubinstein is the mastermind behind the solo project of Big Spider's Back. Listening might recall bands such as Animal Collective and Neon Indian considering his lo-fi, electronica, loop-based style of music. Within the atmosphere created by BSB are layers of different sounds and snythy melodies. For example, on the first track I ever heard by this dude, "Perfect Machine", he begins the song with a vibrating straightforward tune and adds more and more different sounds that produces this waterfall-like feel until a jittery synth bounces in to begin the song's melody. All of these sounds play throughout the song in an underlying manner while Rubinstein blares "I gotta perfect machine, I gotta perfect machine"..........its pretty gnarly. Other songs such as "Again, Agent"(apt tile) and "Warped" all focus around the same collage style and repetition.

    He currently has one EP out called Warped, which features all these songs, out on Circle Into Square for quite a hefty price of 3 dollars. But thats just the kind of money your going to have to pay for some good ole' music. Enjoy! oh ya...lemme know what ya think!

Buy the Warped EP HERE!

"Perfect Machine" Free MP3

"Warped" Free MP3

Check Out: Josiah Wolf "The Trailer and The Truck"

     I have been fan of Why? for quite a while, so whenever something related to them appears, my eyebrows raise and interest ensues. Attention averted from Yoni Wolf (lead of Why? and cLOUDDEAD), Josiah Wolf, older brother to Yoni, is in current work of a solo album entitled "Jet Lag", due 03/02/10 on Anticon. Josiah Wolf plays all the instruments that will be heard on this album and his younger brother is mixing it. Mr. Wolf has released the first track to his forthcoming album and let me tell you, it has set a very high standard for this upcoming album. It is damn good.

    The track begins with a playful xylophone tinkering about, and just as you become bored with the song, Josiah blasts in abruptly with a fast-pounding drum paradiddle. I about lost it when I heard this haha. It is so rad.

    Hearing this song had built up quite an anticipation, I cannot wait to hear more from this dude.

Check it out and lemme know what ya think!

"The Trailer and the Truck" Free MP3

Check Out: Chad VanGaalen

     Not until recently have I have I ever heard of Chad VanGaalen, a singer/songwriter off of SubPop from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This dude is notorious for creating his own album artwork aswell as animations for music videos of his songs. The first song I heard by VanGaalen was "Molten Light", a chilling song about a murdered women seeking deathly revenge on the two brothers that killed her. VanGaalen's voice is haunting and adds to the eeriness of the song as he croons "I'll find you and I'll kill you!". The video to the song is.....unsettling but intriguing and also animated by VanGaalen. As I set out to obtain more of his music I anticipated more of the same feel as "Molten Light", but surprisingly he is quite versatile in his music. In songs such as "City Of Electric Light" where he strays from his falsetto-voice or "Bones Of Man" which sounds relatively like a Spoon jam. I would definitely check this dude out and snag some songs by him below, if I were you. And then lemme know what ya think!

"Molten Light" Free MP3

"Willow Tree" Free MP3

Chad VanGaalen - Molten Light - Funny video clips are a click away

Check Out: His Clancyness

     His Clancyness is a man of few words. Atleast when it comes to digging up information on him or asking him a couple of questions he is. Jonathan Clancy or "His Clancyness" as his moniker pleads, is a one man band from Ottawa, Canada backed by some simple drum machine beats and synths. Mr. Clancy creates laid-back lackadaisical music. See what I mean on his song about (according to his myspace) "the heat and this weird end of July 2009". Or perhaps his lazy lo-fi cover of Wavves' "I'm So Bored". Or this.....Or that... Ill let you guys decide for yourself. 

Lemme know whatcha think!

"Misinterpret My Words" Free MP3

"I'm So Bored" (Wavves Cover) Free MP3

"Ottawa Backfired Soon" Free MP3
"Mistify The Ocean" Free MP3

 

Beach House - "Teen Dream" Preparation.

I'm going to make this short and sweet.

• New Beach House album Jan. 26
• Get it
• Single "Zebra"from upcoming album
• Get it >>> "Zebra" Free MP3
• Comments. Feedback.
• Do it
• Luvyoubye.

Check Out: The Avalanches "Frontier Psychiatrist"

     You know those random instances or things your remember but have no idea why? For some reason Ill never forget the time that I discovered this song.
      I used to listen regularly to that XM/Sirius station "Left Of Center" all of the time. Anyways, one night I was listening to it while I was searching for socks to wear for that night. That night I had a band concert.......school band. I played the snare drum. I know. Lame. But as I was listening to the station I heard this song come on and I immediately quit searching for socks to go find this song. I locate a download for it and have it download (we had dial-up at the time) while I was at my the concert. Get the concert over with, get home (couldnt drive yet), go immediately to the computer to jam this song. That was maybeeeeee.... 3 years ago? So ya, theres my anecdote for the discovery of this song....dont know why I shared it but ya haha.
    Annnyyywwwaaayysss, this is a great song that mixes soundbytes from an old radiostation story show. There is a nice little surprise at the end of the song featuring a bird (parakeet and parrot). I am more than positive you will be hooked to this song and if will put this song on repeat for quite some time....at least I did. The video is hilarious and makes the song THAT much better. The turtle guy still cracks me up. ENJOY!!

"Frontier Psychiatrist" Free MP3 "right-click/save link as"

MP3 Mash Up!

 Here are a couple of songs that I've been diggin lately. Snag em for yourselves and lemme know what ya think!

(right click and select "save link as")

The Veils - "The Letter"

cLOUDDEAD - "Apt. A Part 2"

The Morning Benders - "Promises"

The Big Pink - "Velvet"

Jack Penate - "Tonight's Today"

Bowerbirds - "Northern Lights" 

Citay - "Mirror Kisses"

Check Out: The Evangelicals

     The Evangelicals.........what to say about the Evangelicals. Well, there is quite a lot to be said about them, they are a very unique group with unique aspects.

    When I think of this band, "Theater Rock" is what comes to mind. Each song seems as if it could synchronize its own small play. There are epic intro's, tempo changes, intriguing melodies and a plethora of effects presented in their music. The lyrics inscribed in the music by falsetto lead singer Josh Jones, in context with all of these things, creates a very unusual but enjoyable style. From the forlorn atmosphere of "Skeleton Man" to the blatant topic of "gettin high" on "Stoned Again", there is a lot to be heard from these guys. 

    For first time listeners, they may be a bit much to consume, but with time and further listening I would imagine them to grow on you. Atleast thats how it worked for me haha. I would definitely check these guys out if you haven't already. They currently have two LP's out: So Gone and The Evening Descends. 

http://www.myspace.com/evangelicals

"Skeleton Man" Free MP3 (right-click and select "save link as")

 

Check Out: Okay "Panda"

     You know those "guilty pleasures" everyone has. Well whether this song is or not to me, it sure seems like it should be. I think perhaps because of the voice of Marty Anderson. It comes as a surprise to the beautiful lazy acoustic/piano introduction of this song as you hear "Suuunshiiiine, baby sunshiiiine". At first listen I deemed this song as "WTF??", but soon gave it more listening...and now I'm hooked. You guys should check it out. Some may feel as I did, some may love it right off the bat, and some may hate it. However it comes out, lemme know!

I apologize, I searched everywhere for a free MP3 of the song but found nothing. However, it can be found for free...HERE.

Check Out: Laarks - "An Exaltation of Laarks"

     Laarks is what it would sound like if The Postal Service and Say Hi To Your Mom had a baby. Actually, there are an array of proverbial bands that you can knit-pick out of the songs that make-up "An Exaltation of Laarks". From Eau Claire,Wisconsin off of Absolutely Kosher records, Laarks is an indie-pop/rock with a lot of energy.

    The album begins with the catchy synth and sleighbell filled intro of song, "What God Hath Wrought" until the crisp drums of very talented Brian Moen lead into the rest of the song, which ends with one of those jams I talk about too much (heehee, Im a sucker). Throughout the album there are obvious periods of more sincere and sad moments, but the band has the ability of keeping things happy. It's hard to explain. As a listener, I couldn't help but feel optimistic and in good spirit the whole time I indulged in the album. Maybe it's the soothing but slightly disheveled voice of lead singer Ian Jacoby or the glazy synthesizers and keyboards backing him.

    Laarks has created a beautiful and very impressive debut album. Many others have given them similar feedback. I highly recommend you check these guys out and recommend furthermore that you snag this cd (got mine for **$5** from Amazon.com...ya 5 DOLLARS).

Lemme know what ya think!

Laarks - "An Exaltation of Laarks" on Amazon for $5.

www.myspace.com/laarks

Download the Absolutely Kosher Sampler featuring song "What God Hath Wrought" from Laarks for free >>>HERE<<<

Check Out: Kites And Crows

 "...under the canopy...in the city of kites and crows..."

    The Decemberists minus the whiny vocals of Colin Meloy is what I think of when I listen to this crew from Ashland, Oregon. No disrespect to Meloy, I quite enjoy his vocals....Kites And Crows is a simple yet sincere indie-folk band comprised of much talent. From the gentle vocals of lead singer Mysha Caruso (awesome name huh?)  to the sounds of multi-instrumentalist Jesse Baldwin and other band members such as Nancy Martin on the cello, this band delivers legit mellow folk. They are a young band but have already managed to create some beautiful songs. One of my favorites, "My Sea Change", features a lovely acoustic melody from Caruso while an underlying and soothing accordion hums along. Other songs such as "She Hangs The Moon" and "Out of Range" seem to revolve around their mellow sound but manage to provide variety without straying too far.

    They currently have a couple songs out on their myspace and a two song EP which is available for a free download. I know I will be keeping my eye on them for anything new and hopefully once you guys have a listen you will too. Definitely recommend you guys give em a listen and show em some love and tell all your friends while you at it!

www.myspace.com/kitescrows

Free EP HERE!

Pray For Haiti

Here is the Arcade Fire with their song "Haiti".
In regards to the catastrophe and suffering of all those in Haiti as of late.
We need to pray for everyone there and be thankful for all that we have.
Thanks guys
-Calvin

Check Out: Jesse James Wax Museum

   I apologize for the brevity of this post..... -Calvin  

    The first time I had even heard of Jesse James Wax Museum was at a Cursive concert in Springfield, MO, home to the band as well as the birthplace of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. I wasn't really stoked or excited for the opening bands due to the insurmountable anticipation of seeing Cursive and the fact that I had never heard of the bands, so I just talked and waited around. Everyone, including myself, were chilling when abruptly we hear slowly shouted..."OOONNNNEEEEEEE, TTWWWOOOOOOO, TTTHHHRREEEEEE, FOOOUUUURRRRRRRR". Then the whole band erupted into the this dununununnuunun! They repeated the count to four as-well as the spastic band jam of guitars, cello, drums, tambourines, bass and trumpet. Everyone was hooked. Once they finished this very intriguing introduction, the lead singer Trey began to place this little up-beat jam on his acoustic guitar followed by the trumpet which eventually led into an incredible indie-folk-rock jam. I WAS HOOKED! I immediately asked whoever was next to me who they were and deemed them as an opening act for Cursive on Saddle-Creek. I soon found out that they were a local band from the area....... I fell in love with them and frequently checked their myspace for new MP3's on a daily basis. Soon after they put out an LP entitled "Paul" and boy, did it deliver!

PLEASE! Check these guys out and give em some feedback and love. I know that sounds lame but they are too good to let die. They have been currently changing up their sound and have released a FREE EP of their new stuff!
Lemme know what ya think!

Listen to them at.....

www.myspace.com/jjwmjjwm 

Click the pic to snag their free EP!

MP3 Mash Up!

    Currently I have noticed myself replaying a couple songs that I recently found at random places. So I thought I would share them with you guys and post some links for you to snag them for your own!

    Comment and lemme know which ones you like and which ones you don't!

GROOMS - "Dreamsucker" (90's sounding indie jam that Reminisces Sonic Youth and Pavement)

Young Man - "Five" (Dreamy, somnolent song with latent percussion and wavy organs)

Pure Ecstacy - "Easy" (Beach House meets Times New Viking)

Jay Electronica - "Exhibit C" (Hip-Hop bliss!)

Bad Temple - "Creatures Of Heart Pt 3"(Chilling forlorn song with spooky yet beautiful piano)

Sleep Whale - "Cotton Curls" (Spacey song with loud percussion)

Check Out: Surfer Blood

    I feel somewhat belated just now hearing about these guys. From West Palm Beach, Florida these 4 dudes dish out legit surf-indie-pop. They have an LP, called "Astro Coast", due out January 19th on Kanine records which they created entirely on their own, in their dorm room at the University of Florida, with equipment bought from money they scrounged from their scholarships.

They don't surf. They don't care. They make sick music. Check em' out.

Myspace

"Swim(To Reach The End)" Free MP3 (right-click and select "Save Link As")

"Floating Vibes" Free MP3 (right-click and select "Save Link As")

Twin Sister Offer Free EP

 That's right! Up-and-Coming band from New York is giving away their first EP entitled, "Vampires With Dreaming Kids" for FREE!

Snag It Here Yo.

Listen the track "I Want A House"

Check Out: The Meeting Places

    Shoegaze. Yes, shoegaze. What comes to mind when you hear that word? Well, in a linear sense, probably one staring down at one's shoes. Or in a musical sense, that lethargic, relaxing music that makes you feel like swaying your head back and forth while looking at your shoes.....right? Maybe? I don't know. But what I do know is that The Meeting Places, from Los Angeles, are masters of this "shoegaze". But I feel that it is an injustice for the The Meeting Places to be labeled this "shoegaze". So for the length of this review I am going to label them "sungaze". Yes, this is a far more suiting label for this band and I hope you will agree once you give em' a listen.

    "Dude? Why would you label them "Sungaze?", you might ask.

   Allow me to explain further. These guys create beautiful, languid music that makes one imagine(or atleast me for the matter) of staring out across a sunny sky. Most of their music is set on this canvas of far-off reverb while the band members layer their instruments on it. I can just imagine these dudes in some building with a view over a sunny ocean with waves calmly flowing in, writing their music.
    They currently have two LP's out: "Find Yourself Along The Way" and "Numbered Days". When I asked them if they were planning or workin on a new album, they replied: "I think we all also share the drive to make a new record that is far superior than the last two. We are definitely in the writing stage of a new album or release of some kind. No dates or schedule is set as we don't want to rush this one.  So far, the new material sounds better and better each week and we will be testing more new songs live this year."
    Definitely stoked to hear that. Can't wait to hear more from them!

They have a show coming up on Wednesday, January 13th at Spaceland in Los Angeles and go on at 11PM. If you live in that area go check em out!

Details: http://www.clubspaceland.com/?m=20100113&cat=2

Show them some love on their myspace: www.myspace.com/themeetingplaces
Check out their website: www.themeetingplaces.com
Buy their LP's (Highly Recommended): Find Yourself Along The Way and Numbered Days
Enjoy a free MP3 of song "Millions" courtesy of the Meeting Places themselves: "Millions"

Check Out: Motel Motel

     I am very excited about this band right here. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York I am proud to bring you Motel Motel. These 5 honky-tonk rockers often receive relevance to bands such as Wilco and Cold War Kids, and with good intention. In fact, there are quite a few bands that come to mind when listening to Motel Motel: Two Gallants, Delta Spirit, The Rural Alberta Advantage....  However, I believe these guys bring to the "alt-country" genre, something different. They create this spastic, eccentric sound, full of energy in its purest form. Whether it's the piercing and crooney voice of lead singer Eric Engel, or the incredibly talented band players backing him, this band has found a sound of their own. They do have their soft moments with songs like "Mexico", a song that sounds (in my opinion) as a plea for a detachment from, well, Mexico, for some reason. You can feel the sentiment in Engel's voice as a sings, "My heart my soul please let it go, To the river let it ride let it roll let it roll". Their song "Coffee", and not to deviate from their other music considering it's one of their more renown songs, is a perfect incorporation of both their softer side and their energy.
    They currently have one EP out called "Old Yorke" and an LP out called "New Denver" (remarkable album I might add) and are working on a new LP that will be released sometime during the summer. I'm pretty stoked for it and hopefully you guys will be to once you check em' out.
Show them some love on their myspace: www.myspace.com/motelmotel
Check out their website: www.motelmotelmusic.com
Buy their LP (Highly Recommended): New Denver
Free MP3 of "Coffee" Here

What To Expect....

     I'm going to do my best to try and bring to the table, more obscure bands than the usual.

So I'm going to provide a (tentative)list of bands to expect.

January Band List Expectancy

• Motel Motel
  
• The Meeting Places
• Big Spider's Back
• Jesse James Wax Museum
  
• The Veils
• {{{Sunset}}}
• So Many Dynamos

Here we have the lovely giddy song "Heart Made Of Sound" by a band by the name of Softlightes. You can snag a download of the song below the Youtube video. ENJOY!

 

"Heart Made Of Sound" Free MP3

In Case You Missed It......

    The Japandroids made a TV debut on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon with their song from their recent album "Post Nothing" called "Wet Hair". They tear it up! Check it out!
    Also, you guys should show Indie Arto some love and check out his blog, and while your at it, tell all your friends about it. Post a twitter, make it your status on Facebook, or go scream "INDIE ARTO" out in the street! Thanks Guys!

Check Out: The Shaky Hands "Allison and the Ancient Eyes"

    Just wanted to share a song by The Shaky Hands with you guys called "Allison and the Ancient Eyes. Give it a try...I bet you'll be hooked right when it starts. You can also snag a free download of the song below the youtube video!

"Allison and the Ancient Eyes" - Free MP3 (right click and select "Save Link As")

Check Out: The Thermals

    The first thing that crossed my mind when I started listening to The Thermals' "Now We Can See" was, "Man, these guys remind me of old Green Day". Of course, as I continued to listen to the album that idea faded. However, it still in some places, does sound like the old 90's Green Day. You remember don't ya, "Welcome To Paradise", "Basket Case", and the punkish, repetitive guitar melodies. There's not much similarity between the two bands, just the sound...maybe? Ok, forget about the whole "Green Day" thing. Anyways, let me begin (again) by saying there isn't much diversity on this album, it's pretty straightforward. This is a good though, basically because The Thermals stick to their roots and continue to do what they do best: make simple punk-rock music.
   Of course you still receive the notorious and unique vocal style of Hutch Harris, which is one of my favorite things about this band. But all your really going to hear on this album is Harris' fuzzy guitar, Kathy Foster's thumpin' bass and percussion of Kathy Foster (wait...what? you just said she played bass?). That's right, during the recording of this album Foster played bass and due to the lack of a drummer, recorded the albums' percussion. Pretty sick huh? Westin Glass, the bands' current drummer, joined after recording for the album was finished. The only other instrumental addition you will hear on this album is on the very last track, "You Dissolve", which holds mildly, some piano.

    Lyrically, the album takes on broad topics but remains somewhat ambiguous as to what exactly they are. They are interesting and witty nonetheless but, in my opinion, less potent and harsh as some of their earlier work. This may be a beef with some fans considering their earlier songs were somewhat more crude and controversial, but for most listeners, shouldn't.

    Do not be misled by their simpleness, this is a very good album. CHECK IT OUT!