The Independent Listener

Tranfer of All Activities

2011-01-17T14:47:00.000-08:00

All further musical activities will be transfered to
http://enterintoeverything.blogspot.com/
Please go there.. There will be no more posts here

Best of 2010 Preview

2010-11-30T15:42:00.001-08:00

So the year is almost ending, and I will be posting some of my favorite albums and what I thought were the best albums of 2010. As a prelude, here are the albums that I am considering. I will be deciding by genre and certain categories such as best Rock Album, best Electronic, Folk, New Artist, Best Music Video and Most Disappointing. Here is my list, let me know if you think I've missed something.
- Arcade Fire The Suburbs - Bombay Bicycle Club- Flaws - The Books- The Way Out
- Broken Social Scene- Forgiveness Rock Record -Deerhunter- Halcyon Digest
- Klaxons- Surfing the Void - Ok Go- Of The Blue Colour of the Sky -Interpol- Interpol
- Ra Ra Riot- The Orchard - The New Pornographers- All Together Now
- Rogue Wave- Permalight -Tokyo Police Club- Champ -Vampire Weekend- Contra
- Yeasayer- Odd Blood - Sufjan Stevens The Age of Adz - Greg Laswell- Take a Bow
-Spoon-Transference -Caribou- Swim -Lightspeed Champion- Life is Sweet, Nice to Meet You
- The Chemical Brothers- Further -Autolux- Transit Transit -Beach Fossils- Beach Fossils
- Beach House- Teen Dream -The Drums- The Drums -Fictionist- Lasting Echo
- Field Music- Field Music - Flying Lotus- Cosmogramma Fol Chen- Part II
- Indian Jewelry- Totaled - Les Savy Fav- Root For Ruin
-Lost In Trees- All Alone In An Empty House - Local Natives- Gorilla Manor -Junip- Fields
- Maximum Balloon- Maximum Balloon - The Morning Benders- Big Echo - Neon Indian-
- Panico- Kick - PVT- Church With No Magic -Small Black- Small Black EP
- Stornoway- Beachcomber's Windowsill -Tame Impala- InnerSpeaker
- Wild Nothing- Gemini -!!!- Strange Weather, Isn't It? -The Magnetic Fields- Realism
- The National- High Violet -Broken Bells- Broken Bells -The Joy Formidable- A Balloon Called Moaning -Phantogram- Eyelid Movies

Hey guess what, its another playlist!

2010-11-05T18:13:00.001-07:00

Well I really don't have much to say, except to say that I really have been enjoying some electronic bands recently, as well as some Indie folk and my old stomping ground Radiohead. Enjoy this playlist (please)

- Zorbing- Stornoway

- The Reeling- Passion Pit

- Teardrop- Jose Gonzalez

- Reason is Treason- Kasabian

- This Too Shall Pass (Passion Pit Sunday Hanover Remix)- Ok Go

- Fake Palindromes- Andrew Bird

- I Might Be Wrong- Radiohead

- Rope And Summit- Junip

Some Newish Music Releases

2010-10-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

THE AGE OF ADZ- SUFJAN STEVENS

Sufjan Stevens new album is a bit of a departure from his earlier work, with Stevens digressing into the realm of electronic music. Its a very different sound for Stevens, especially for those of you most familiar with his Indie-Folk style from his earlier albums. The opening track Futile Devices is great, and will remind you a lot of his earlier work, but the rest of it is an electronic cacophony of sound, with some reviewers comparing it to Radiohead's Kid A. I think its a good album, but personally I enjoy the earlier Chicago and The Avalanche. This album is entertaining for sure and is interesting to see Stevens branch out, but I would not recommend it to anybody looking for a mellow folk album to listen to during there down time.

SURFING THE VOID- KLAXONS
A few weeks ago I posted the lead single from this album entitled "Echoes." If you liked that song, you'll like this album. Basically it is a continuation of Myths of the Near Future. So more can I say, its the Klaxons. The new album is the same style of "nu-rave" music, although this time with a slightly more astral point of view. Many of the songs are about other worlds and life after death, abstract concepts that the Klaxons perfectly pull off. I must say, as entertaining as this album is, its not as groundbreaking as Myths ever was. I found myself thinking of this as a bunch of B-sides that didn't make it on Myths. So I give this album a thumbs up, but I don't think it will get as heavy a rotation as Myths ever did.

THE WAY OUT- THE BOOKS
So this isn't an extremely new release, but it is still worth mentioning. I have a hard time explaining what this album sounds like. It really is something quite different than any other music you may have heard. Its trippy, psychedelic and abstract, a bunch of concepts that can help you understand the complexity of this album. My best advice, give it a listen, I guarantee that if you approach it with an open mind you will not be disappointed!

SOME EXCELLENT SINGLES TO CHECK OUT
- AM/FM- !!!

- Zorbing- Stornoway

- Window- PVT

What I've Been Listening To

2010-10-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

Well my compatriots in Independent Music I am quite sorry that I have not been posting a lot lately, but to get things rolling again, I'm going to post a quick playlist of some music thats been on heavy rotation recently. You may notice that lately I've been listening to a lot of Modest Mouse, for some reason I just find them very entertaining as of late. So here are three heavy rotated Modest Mouse songs and a few others!

- I Came As A Rat- Modest Mouse

- Polar Opposites- Modest Mouse

- Lounge- Modest Mouse

- In Your Heart- A Place To Bury Strangers

- Another World- The Chemical Brothers

- Stanley Kubrick- Mogwai

- Kim & Jessie- M83

- King Of The Carrot Flowers Pt.1- Neutral Milk Hotel

Somewhat a Bit of a '80's hit

2010-10-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

I realized that I've been listening to a lot of 80's music recently. Most of these songs have already been included on my blog in sometime or another so I'll include some songs that haven't made it on my blog yet, and then add some other pretty cool songs just for kicks because well, I can.

Lips Like Sugar- Echo & The Bunny Men

I Will Follow- U2

Bizarre Love Triangle- New Order

Sunday Bloody Sunday- U2

What Difference Does It Make- The Smiths

NOT 80s

Modern Guilt- Beck

Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell- The Flaming Lips

What I've Been Listening To: September 25th

2010-09-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

This is a playlist to just briefly inform you of what I've been listening to in my free time recently. Unfortunately I do not have the time nor desire to go into detail on each of these songs. However I will note a few things. First of all "Echoes" by Klaxons. This is a song off of their new album Surfing The Void. It is pretty awesome I must say. Also of interesting note is the creepy "Walk Around the Lake" by Lost In Trees and the Post-Punk rocker "Upper East Side" by Experimental Aircraft. I am also really enjoying Alexi Murdoch lately, especially his chill little number "Orange Sky." Also I'm including the a token Radiohead song: "The National Anthem".

Echoes- Klaxons

Orange Sky- Alexi Murdoch

Upper East Side- Experimental Aircraft

Walk Around The Lake- Lost In Trees

The National Anthem- Radiohead

Life During Wartime- The Talking Heads

Groove Me- Maximum Balloon

Joy Divsion

2010-09-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

Here in college I have become a little disheartened by meeting certain girls. I have met quite a few self proclaimed Indie fans, that are a huge fan of Indie Rock, or so they say. Of these so called "Indie Fans", only one knew Joy Division, and that was because of "Love Will Tear Us Apart."
This is sad for me, because I'm not quite sure how you can be a fan of Indie music and not know Joy Division. So I'm going to give a brief run through of Joy Division, partly to educate and partially because I've been on a huge Joy Division kick for the past week.
Joy Divison was formed in 1976 in England, and originally was quite similar to modern punk bands. However over the course of their short career they evolved into a sparse and moody band that is considered the forerunner of the emerging Post-Punk music scene. Joy Division was originally led by guitarist Bernard Sumner (far right) and bassist Peter Hook (second from the left). Early in the bands career they adopted Ian Curtis (third from left) as the lead singer, and soon developed the persona that made them popular.
Much of Joy Division's music is based off of instrumentation written by Hook and Sumner, usually composing of clashing riffs from Sumner and powerful bass lines from Hook. Much of the music is focused around Hook's bass, and it tends to carry most of the song with Steve Morris's (far left) drums accenting the music rather than carrying the load of the beat unlike most traditional rock bands. Possibly the most recognizable part of the band was Ian Curtis's melancholy baritone voice and his ambivalent, yet deep lyrics.
Joy Division gained popularity through the late 70's and recorded two album's before planning an American tour. However, Ian Curtis, who had been dealing with a collapsed marriage and an epilepsy diagnosis committed suicide in 1980, thus ending Joy Division's short career. The other three members reformed under the band name New Order.
With only four years and two albums Joy Division essentially put rock music in a new direction. The way that their music was written and performed influenced a vast variety of musicians including U2, Interpol and even the Red Hot Chili Peppers have stated that Joy Division influenced their music. Bands as diverse as The Killers to Nine Inch Nails have done covers of Joy Division songs. Joy Division also helped found the style of Post-Punk and eventually the Post-Punk Revival.
Yet not a whole lot of people are really familiar with Joy Division. Their most popular song "Love Will Tear Us Apart" received success for a little bit during the 80's, but for the most part Joy Division has been regulated to a cult following of those who are familiar with the complexity and depth of Joy Division's music.
JOY DIVISON PLAYLIST
Transmission
Love Will Tear Us Apart
Dead Souls
Disorder
Heart And Soul
Shadowplay
No Love Lost
She's Lost Control
Atmosphere
Digital
Leaders Of Men

Excellent Albums: Entry 2

2010-09-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

This one of those albums that I think everybody needs to have at least a passing knowledge of to be a true Indie alt rock fan. Released in 2002 Turn On The Bright Lights was Interpol's first album, and one of the biggest causes for the revitalization of the Post-Punk scene. With a sound based loosely off of Joy Division and Kitchens of Distinction, Interpol broke into the Indie Music scene with this dark and precise rock masterpiece. Turn On The Bright Lights is a moody and gritty piece, yet has a polish that would be expected of any true Post-Punk band. Each chord or lyric is played with preciseness, and no sound truly goes to waste. This album is one of my heavy rotation albums, I enjoy it so much. The one disheartening thing about Turn On The Bright Lights is that Interpol never has created anything as great again. Unlike yesterdays Ok Computer it is easier to pick out single songs from this album, but Turn On The Bright Lights is an album that can be more fully enjoyed when listened all the way through. So welcome to a track by track.
Untitled (11/10) - Its hard for me to apply a rating to this song, because it is absolutely amazing. Although it seems outward pretty simple, there is some intangible quality about it that I can not get over. With only a few lines of simple lyrics, the music is the true star of "Untitled." I have a hard time describing this song, you just need to experience it yourself.
Obstacle 1 (8/10) - I am not as big of a fan of this song as most Interpol fans are. I really enjoy the second half of this song, but overall I think that it is actually a bit overrated. It seems to lack the control and sophistication of "Untitled". "Obstacle 1" is a good song, just not the best.
NYC (10/10) - I really really like this song a lot. When listening to it, I can see the long roads and impenetrable skyline of New York City which I'm sure is the idea. This is Interpol's song about their city, and I like how it seems to capture the emotion and depth of that great city. "NYC" literally sends chills up my spine.
PDA (10/10) - Personally I'm still not quite sure what the lyrics in the chorus are about, but PDA is the most readily accessible songs off of this album. It is tight, controlled, and well written, especially the second half, which is my absolute favorite. The guitars go to some place completely different than where the song started.
Say Hello To The Angels (9/10) - This is one of Interpol's faster songs, and seems to be a little sloppier than the other earlier songs. I still enjoy it though, because Say Hello To The Angels is packed with some sweet guitar and bass riffs.
Hands Away (8/10) - Offhand, it seems like a close cousin of "Untitled." "Hands Away" has very few lyrics, but never matches the complexity of its cousin. One thing I really do enjoy about this song is how it builds up at the end. Even still, its so-so.
Obstacle 2 (10/10)- I like this Obstacle far more than the other one. This is probably my second favorite song in the album besides "Untitled". It has the rapid fire phrasing that will become more common in later Interpol albums and is another example of Interpol ending in another place then they started. The lyrics are especially good in this song, I'm a big fan of the line: "I feel like love is in the kitchen with a culinary eye/Feel he's cooking something special and I'm smart enough to try."
Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down (7/10) - I really am not a big Stella fan. I find the song uncomfortably sexual and much longer than it needs to be. The best part of the song is the guitar parts, but its just not very redeeming.
Roland (8/10)- This is a song that I'm really not that into. Its good, but just seems.. different than the rest of the album, but not in an exactly good way. The one thing I really do like is the way a vocal filter is used, but overall it just tends to be a bit out of focus compared to other songs.
The New (9/10)- "The New" is another two part song. It starts off really slow and sad, but do not be tricked, it will pick up at the middle. There is actually parts in the song when the band tunes out their guitars to make a really sweet guitar effect. I only hesitate to give this ten stars because it does tend to be a little long.
Leif Erikson (10/10)- "Leif Erikson" is a perfect album ending. It combines all of the emotional climax and moodiness of the album into a perfect song. This for me is the most underrated song on the album, it is so cool.

Excellent Albums: Entry 1

2010-09-15T16:11:00.001-07:00

Well I'm going to write a few posts about some excellent albums that are somewhat essential for an Indie Rock fan. Get ready for an awesome play by play of some Indie Greats.
OK COMPUTER- Radiohead, 1997, EMI
I'm sure you have already heard so much about this album, but I thought I'd might as well share some thoughts on it. Ok Computer is the album where Radiohead struck a middle ground between the Brit-Rock of The Bends or Pablo Honey and the future experimentation of Kid A and Amnesiac. Ok Computer is one of those rare albums that is transient yet accessible at the same time. It balances the line of being a deep album yet not completely too dense that it takes skill to understand what is going on. Now I'm going to give a track by track statement, yet this is not the way to experience the album. Basically, it is an album that needs to be listened to all the way through, it is an experience in and off itself, complete with soaring guitars, expeditions to the deepest corners of the human pysch and transient journeys to a place that only Radiohead can bring you. This may seem like a ton of useless rhetoric, but anybody well acquainted with Ok Computer will agree that it is a totally different listening experience to anything you are used to.
Airbag (9/10)- This is a great album opener. It sets up the tone and themes that you will get in the album. The guitars are great and Thom Yorke as always produces excellent vocals. Listening to this song, you'll know that you're in store for something special.
Paranoid Android (10/10)- Paranoid Android is a three part rock sweet influenced by The Beatles "Happiness Is A Warm Gun." I really like this song because of the guitars. Paranoid Android sure is a rocker. Having three completely distinct parts may seem like the song would lack cohesiveness, yet each segment segues into the other, making a song of such brilliant complexity that doesn't occur very often.
Subterranean Homesick Alien (11/10)- My personal favorite. SHA is a outstanding space rock piece with two conflicting guitar parts that seem to not be worldly at all. The guitars truly are brilliant, and are what instantly made me fall in love with this song. Of course, this song has a deeper meaning of isolation, but on the superficial level, it is about being abducted by aliens. That is pretty sweet, and if SHA is any example of what being abducted is like, sign me up!
Exit Music (For A Film)- (8/10)- I know a lot of Radiohead fans really like this song, but I always have found it weak, especially after the 1-2 punch of PA and SHA. This is not to say that Exit Music doesn't have good points. It is slow, melodic and relatively creepy, yet it just never seems to strike a chord with me... Pretty decent overall though.
Let Down- (8/10)- This is a pretty good song. There are two other songs of similar structure to Let Down on the album, and out of these three mediumish tempo songs, I enjoy Let Down the least. I put Let Down in the same category as Exit Music. Its a good song, just not the best on the album. But a mediocre Radiohead song is an amazing song in any other category.
Karma Police (10/10)- I really like this song. It's a two part song with a background piano part and strange percussion at the end. Both of these background parts really make the song for me. I especially enjoy the second part of the song, which always gives me the chills. Oh, this was also influenced by The Beatle's "Sexy Sadie."
Fitter Happier (5/10)- I can barely call this song. I understand how Radiohead is commenting on '90's society, but its just not as enjoyable as the rest of the album. If there is a mistep on the album, this is it.
Electioneering (9/10)- Electioneering is Radiohead's fast song on the album, truly a rocker. Electioneering is fast paced and exciting. It never has the lyrical brilliance of the other Radiohead songs, but I really do enjoy it.
Climbing Up The Walls (7.5/10) This is another song I'm really not that much into. Its good and I actually really enjoy the drums in it, I just can never really say I enjoy Climbing Up The Walls. Its one of those songs I'll listen to going through the whole album, but I never listen to Climbing Up The Walls alone.
No Suprises (9/10)- Here is one of the other medium tempo songs on the album that I mentioned earlier. Stylistically I find this similar to Let Down, but better. I really really like the guitar line throughout the song, but this song confuses me. At first it seems to have an almost "romantic" feel to it, but the lyrics seem to disagree. Still, a very good song.
Lucky (8/10)- The guitars in this song are awesome. When they start playing its almost like they are just shooting off into space. The rest of the song is so-so for me, I'm not in love with it, but it is pretty cool to listen to.
The Tourist (10/10) - I can't think of a better way to end this album. The song keeps layering on itself and gets more and more complex until the end where its almost impossible to dissect the component parts. This song can almost be seen as Thom Yorke's parting message for the album, we all just need to stop and slow down.

After a Brief Hiatus I Have Returned

2010-09-15T15:50:00.000-07:00

Well it truly has been quite a long time since I have worked on this blog, but I am going to try to make a return now that I have entered college. As I meet new people here I realize that many of them have not really been ever exposed to good Indie music. Its disheartening yes, and so loyal readers, I am going to try to make a comeback. I'll be better I swear, I will try not to leave you ever again, so please let me back into your life. I am begging you. To come back I am going to post some of the songs I have been jamming to lately to sort of tide you over while I work on some new additions to this blog. I'm not going to really go into detail on them, but I'm sure I'll revisit quite a few of them. Basically its a refreshers course, including some post-rock, moody Joy Division Post-Punk, Radiohead, and some really good songs.

- Drive That Fast- Kitchens of Distinction

- Human Hands- Sondre Lerche

- Teardrop- Massive Attack

- DLZ- TV On the Radio

- Atmosphere- Joy Division

- Obstacle 2- Interpol

- Traffic In the Sky- Jack Johnson

- Go To Sleep- Radiohead

- Missing You- A Place To Bury Strangers

- The Cold Part- Modest Mouse

- Audience No.2- Autolux

- Svefn-G-Englar- Sigur Ros

What I've Been Listening To: July 15

2010-07-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

My Mistakes Were Made For You- The Last Shadow Puppets
The Last Shadow Puppets is a project of Alex Turner, the lead singer for the band The Arctic Monkeys. Admittedly, I am not a huge fan of The Arctic Monkeys, but I do really really like The Last Shadow Puppets. The Last Shadow Puppets are a more interesting band for me, combining interesting arrangements with a certain 60's swagger that create some awesome and exciting music. "My Mistakes Were Made For You" shows off the excellent arrangements of The Last Shadow Puppets. With its climatic strings and James Bond-esque guitar hooks, this almost seems to be a song destined for a spy movie soundtrack. Its one of those songs that makes me feel really cool when I listen to it, cool enough that I can participate in an epic car chase of dodge a speeding bullet.

Excuses- The Morning Benders

This is another 60's influenced song. Singer/songwriter Chris Chu croons these meaningful lyrics over an excellent acoustic guitar and string track. "Excuses" was released on the new CD Big Echo, which as a side note is quite the excellent album. One great thing about this song is it really shows off the versatility of Chris Chu, that he can handle a light breezy song like this, just as well as he can handle a burst of Indie Rock awesomeness like "Waiting For A War". This is sure one mellow and awesome song.

Chinese Translation- M.Ward

I believe I might have briefly posted this song during my decade recap, but its worth having on again. M. Ward is arguably one of the most prominent Indie Singer/Songwriters currently producing music, for good reason. His songs are always interesting and have catchy and clever lyrics. M. Ward is one of the few songwriters that can effectively balance clever lyrics with equally clever music, and it pays off on songs such as Chinese Translation.

Sad Sad City- Ghostland Observatory

"Sad Sad City" is a song that gets absolutely stuck in your head, which is not a bad thing because it is pretty sweet. The two man outfit of Ghostland Observatory are near geniuses at creating catchy electronic songs. Unlike quite a few electronic artists though, Ghostland Observatory has pretty decent vocals as well as lyrics. Vocalist Aaron Behrens spits out his paranoid lyrics in an almost Freddy Mercury style vocal delivery while synth player Thomas Ross Turner creates some sweet beats with his synth skills. Please go to this URL to get a visual of how freaking cool these guys are http://yocheckthisjam.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/ghostland-observatory.jpg

Something Is Not Right With Me- Cold War Kids

As I looked through my blog basking in my ersatz self glory, I noticed that I have never posted this song. That is a huge mistake on my part and I wish to apologize. At a little over two minutes, this song from Cold War Kids is an excellent blast of Indie Rock in a paranoid and self deprived package. With its driving bass, awesome guitar riffs and Nathan Willett's high pitched falsetto solos, "Something Is Not Right With Me" shows off the excellence of Cold War Kids.

The Comeback- Shout Out Louds

And now for a song from our goods friends in Sweden, the Shout Out Louds. "The Comeback" is one of Shout Out Louds more Indie pop songs, but is pretty good. I am always a huge fan of Moog synthesiser backing, and this song has it, played by a girl with the name Bebban Stenborg. I like this song because it is fun and sort of upbeat. Its not one of Shout Out Louds best songs, but you can really hear the beginnings of the awesomeness that will come later from this excellent Swedish band.

Walk Idiot Walk- The Hives

Very soon I'm thinking of doing a post of garage bands, so consider this a precursor to that. I don't think I need to say more about this band say one comment, quote the lead singer at some of his concerts, and tell you the names of the band members. 1) They always perform in matching suits and suspenders. Quotes from lead singer Howlin' Pelle Almqvist: "This is a stick-up! Put your hands up! Now, last song I told you to put your hands in the air...But I never said you could take them down. Now! OBEY ME! Put your hands in the air and make some noise!", "I've been busy being fantastic." And now for the band members:

Lead Singer: Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, Guitarist: Nicholaus Arson, Second Guitarist: Vigilante Carlstroem, Bassist: Dr. Matt Destruction, Drummer: Chris Dangerous

Enough Said.

Post-Rock

2010-07-08T14:07:00.002-07:00

Post-Rock is one of the most creative and interesting musical styles in the Indie Rock world, yet tends to also be one of the most challenging. Post-Rock in its purest definition is the using of traditional rock instrumentation to create music that is far different than normal rock, often times using experimental constructions or usage of instruments. A perfect example of this is the picture I have posted, which has one of Sigur Ros guitarists playing his guitar with a violin bow. Definitely unorthodox.
Post-Rock became defined in the early 1990's, but was influenced by some of the pioneering work of bands such as Public Image Limited in the 70's and 80's. Beginning in the early 1990's, bands began to abandon the standard rock sound altogether and begin creating strange and dense music that often incorporated elements of minimalism and a variety of different musical styles such as jazz and electronica. Early Post-Rock identified bands relied on more electronic instrumentation than latter Post-Rock bands and used more vocals than is commonly associated with Post-Rock. This brings me to an interesting point about Post-Rock. Many times the music made by the bands are missing vocals. This is what sometimes makes Post-Rock so difficult to experience. It is so far removed from standard rock that vocals are many times completely omitted. This trend gained prominence leading up until the the turn of the century. Even today, many Post-Rock bands do not use vocals. A huge break to this rule is the band Sigur Ros, which is arguably the most influential and recognizable Post-Rock band of the 2000's. They use vocals, but often times it is in a made up language known as Hopelandic.
One of the easiest ways to identify a Post-Rock band is to listen to the arrangement of their songs. Post-Rock does not use the standard verse-chorus arrangement of rock, and instead relies on the technique of soundscapes. This means that a band only focuses on the song as a whole instead of the verse and chorus, and ends up making music that builds sound upon sound to create a full experience. Its a hard technique to describe, but an easy one to identify. Post-Rock bands always infuse a variety of styles into their work, whether it be the minimalism of Godspeed You! Black Emperor or the classical arrangements of Clog's. Often times this is what makes Post-Rock so difficult to deal with, you never know truly what to expect. Post-Rock requires the ability to be patient and to except whatever comes at you. If you can really understand what the musicians are doing, Post-Rock can be one of the most transcendent and inspiring genre's to experience.
POST ROCK PLAYLIST (Some of these songs are rather long, just to warn you.)
-Glass Museum- Tortoise

- Track 3- Sigur Ros (it is posted as Track 2-3. Track 3 starts at the 7:34 mark. They are both excellent though)

- Auto-Rock- Mogwai

- Remember Me As A Time of Day- Explosions In the Sky

- 09-15-00 Pt.2 - Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Not on Project Playlist)

- They Move On Tracks of Never-Ending Light- This Will Destroy You

- Soul and Onward- Do Make Say Think

- Kapsburger- Clogs

- Ba Ba- Sigur Ros

What I've Been Listening To: July 3

2010-07-03T11:56:00.001-07:00

"Here To Fall"- Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo is a really diverse band. On this blog I have already posted the chill lo-fi songs "Autumn Sweater" and the psych-rock influenced "Little Eyes". "Here to Fall" is totally different than both of these songs. As you have probably heard by now since I hope the song has already started on the playlist, "Here to Fall" is very much an electronic song, with a grinding driving beat and some pretty sweat back up instrumentals. This is one of those songs that just makes me feel cool and really shows off the versatility of Yo La Tengo that they can pull off a song like this just as good as they can pull off more standard rock songs.

"Lucky"- Radiohead
This is another tragically ignored Radiohead song. Like "Subterranean Homesick Alien", this song appears on Ok Computer and is always overshadowed by the more well known songs on that album. "Lucky" is a great song that features the transcendent guitar work that pops up a lot on Ok Computer. It really is an unfortunate turn of events that this song remains ignored in Radiohead's catalogue of songs.

"Waiting For A War"- The Morning Benders
I admit, I do not know much of The Morning Benders, which is probably a huge over-sight. I do know, however, that I really like the song "Waiting For a War". At only two-and-a-half minutes, this song is just a quite burst of musical awesomeness. It is really exciting and has a great mixture between Indie-Folk and just straight Indie-Rock, which is something I really enjoy. I think that you'll really enjoy this song, as do I.

"This Joke Isn't Funny Anymore"- The Smiths
If I am writing about tragically ignored Radiohead songs, I might as well post a tragically ignored song by The Smiths. On this song, the genius of Morrissey really shows. "This Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" is deep and emotional. It shows how good this song is when the same lyric can be repeated for more than a minute and not get repetitive or old. This is truly a brilliant song from one of the original Indie Rock bands.

"Static Waves (feat. Katie Herzig)"- Andrew Belle
Andrew Belle is an emerging Indie singer-songwriter. "Static Waves" is my favorite song of his, and is a exciting duet with Tennessee singer Katie Herzig. I am a big fan of duets, so the use of both vocalist plus a percussive guitar and instrumental breakdown at the end makes this song really awesome. Andrew Belle is one of the new wave of singer-songwriters that have been popping up over the past few years, and is a welcome addition to the sub-genre.

"Loser"- Beck
This is another song that I found looking through my iTunes list. For some reason I had bought this song in the past and then took it off my iPod. I'm posting it now as a bit of a throw-back to the 1990's. One of the things I love the most about this song is that from listening to it, nobody would expect that Beck would become one of the most diverse and eclectic singer-songwriters of the coming decade. So enjoy this early Beck song, with its nonsensical lyrics and dejected tone.

My Personal Theme Songs

2010-06-24T18:35:00.000-07:00

I really have wanted to do a post about the songs I consider my personal theme songs, but I guess I have never been egotistical enough to do it. Frankly though, I haven't posted something in a while, and I really have been neglecting those few of you who actually read this blog. Plus, I think this might be fun for those of you who have to pleasure (or displeasure depending on your reference point) of personally knowing me. So without further ado, these are a few of my songs which either inspire me, or have an uncanny parallel to my own life. (A word of note, this isn't a list of my favorite songs ever, just my theme songs)
1)- My Mathematical Mind- Spoon
This song, first off, is freaking sweet! I love the tight throbbing piano rhythm and the completely broken down guitar at the end. I first began considering this as my theme song because of the line "My mathematical mind can see the breaks, so I'm gonna stop riding the brakes." Those who know me know I think using logic, and I consider most things mathematically, so finding a sweet song with that line, about using a mathematical mind to see the breaks in society really meant something to me. For me, this song means that you should use your mathematical mind to recognize the breaks in society and use your mind to destroy the preconceived notions of what society expects of you. Coupled with ridiculously cool music, this song is easily one of my theme songs.
2) All These Things That I've Done- The Killers
When I first heard this song, it blew me away. It's one of those songs that as soon as I heard it I could not forget it, and I ended up applying it to so many different aspects of my life. I consider this to be The Killers best work, and one of my personal theme songs. Key lyrics for me "I wanna shine on, in the hearts of man" and "I am so much older than I can take/And my affection, well it comes and goes". For me, this song vocalizes a need that I think each and everyone of us has to be accepted and to not be forgotten by the world when we pass on. It inspires me, because I would like to shine on in the hearts of man, but I've only got so much time to do it, and I'm far from perfect. This song is inspirational for me, and the gospel choir is sweet!
3) Subterranean Homesick Alien- Radiohead
I think I may have already explained in this blog what I think this song means, about how in many ways we are all aliens because of our myriad differences from each other. This is one of my theme songs because it takes about how the narrator wants to be abducted by aliens to see all the worlds in the universe and find the meaning off life. I love space, and I think it would be sweet to see all the many worlds out there. I could go on for awhile about the symbolic meaning that space has in my life, but you would probably think I was a big weirdo. Suffice it to say, this song moves me, it names the alienation I sometimes feel and fills me with a longing to get into outer space.
4) I Don't Know- The Sad Little Stars
I secretly believe that this song was written by me. I'm not going to say which lyrics apply to me, because honestly, almost everything in the verses is something that I think of in life. How could this not be one of my theme songs as so much of it directly parallels me. It creeps me out just a little how closely this song resembles my life, but it feels good to know that me and the songwriters for The Sad Little Stars would have a lot to take about. (Not on Project Playlist)
5) Fortunate Son- Creedance Clearwater Revival
You may laugh at the inclusion of this song at first, but I think that this is one of the coolest songs ever. I seriously listen to it almost every single day of the week, it is the most played song on my iPod. Honestly though, this could the theme song for every middle class person in America. Truthfully, I'm not a Fortunate Son, and this song fills me with a little bit of a rebellious fire. This is a song that I can turn on no matter what and feels awesome. Its amazing that a song written almost 40 years ago could have such an impact on my life.
6) Inaudible Melodies- Jack Johnson
This song is great because it expresses something which I think everyone should do. I consider it one of my theme songs because I believe that we should all just chill out and relax and not get so worked up about everything. Sometimes the most important things in life happen when we are chill and not going insane trying to juggle life. Leave it to Jack Johnson to create such a mellow and excellent song.
7) With A Little Help From My Friends- The Beatles
It may be trite to place this song on my list, because really this can apply to everyone who has really great friends. But I put this song on here as a bit of a shout out to my friends as well as one of my themes. I have great friends, and I really do get by with them, no matter what is going on. So this is one of my theme songs, on account of the excellent people which I know.

Of course there are a lot more songs that I could add, they go in and out of being my theme song at certain points in life. Here are a few that almost made the cut:
- My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down- The Ramones
- Vienna- Billy Joel
- Here to Fall- Yo La Tengo
- Teenage FBI- Guided By Voices
- (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction- The Rolling Stones
- These Are The Days- Jamie Cullum
- Won't Get Fooled Again- The Who

What I've Been Listening To: June 14

2010-06-14T12:40:00.001-07:00

I really don't have much time to write, but for the sake of breaking up the monotony of having the same playlist for quite a while, I will post some new songs that I have been into as of late.

- I Get By- Honest Bob and the Factory to Dealer Incentives

- Take Your Medicine- Cloud Cult

- Reckoner- Radiohead

- Shadowplay- Joy Division

- Mistaken For Strangers- The National

- Falling- Ben Kweller

- Hoppipolla- Sigur Ros

Album Review: Tokyo Police Club, "Champ"

2010-06-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

Today Tokyo Police Club has released their second full length album, called Champ. Of course, I am always worried about the second LP of any band because of the infamous "sophomore slump." However, Champ is an excellent album that adds on to Tokyo Police Clubs high energy and exciting sound.

For those of you who are familiar with Tokyo Police Club's music, you are well aware that their sound has evolved quite a bit from the EP A Lesson In Crime. Most of the songs on that EP were quick two minute bursts of energy and Indie Rock. On their first full length album, Elephant Shell, the songs became a bit longer and more complex. On Champ, Tokyo Police Club continues to expand their sound with songs reaching nearly four minutes and some mid tempo songs, which is a big change from the ferocious bursts of music on A Lesson In Crime. The big question is, does these changes work for the band?

On first opinions I would say yes. Even though the songs are long and less aggressive, Champ delivers exactly what we would expect from Tokyo Police Club. Each song still packs a bit of a punch and does not stray too much from the bands proven formula. In my opinion, the album tends to be a little weak when the band tries to slow things down a little bit, such as the song "Favourite Food". However, this is more than compensated by the more upbeat songs on the album such as "Wait Up", "Favourite Colour" and "End Of A Spark". These three songs are the best on the album, yet all of the songs tend to be really excellent. This is one of the strengths of Tokyo Police Club, all of their songs are consistently good. Even the songs that aren't nearly as excellent as the top songs on the album tend to be enjoyable, rather than just fillers to increase the length of the album.

One of the things that Tokyo Police Club has been able to do very well on this album is making the songs all sound different. This was a problem for the band on Elephant Shell were songs such as "In a Cave" and "Graves" were almost carbon copies of each other. On Champ each song is quite different which makes the album interesting to listen to.

Although this is a great album, I find myself missing the intense ferocity of earlier Tokyo Police Club songs. It was songs such as "Nature of the Experiment" and "Be Good" that first got me interested in the band, but these types of songs seem to have disappeared from the Tokyo Police Club catalogue in subsequent albums. I'm not really complaining, because I think that both Elephant Shell and Champ are great albums, I just think that in the future Tokyo Police Club needs to incorporate those types of songs into their album.

As a final consensus, I really enjoy Champ. After being somewhat disappointed earlier this year with the Vampire Weekend, Spoon, and Los Campesinos! it is refreshing to find a new release that is very good. Tokyo Police Club still has a solid handle on creating great Indie Rock, and its comforting to see a band return with such a great album. So go check out Champ, you won't be disappointed.

BEST TRACKS ON THE ALBUM IN ORDER: 1) "Wait Up (Boots of Danger)" 2) "Favourite Colour" 3) "End Of A Spark" 4) "Not Sick" 5) "Gone"

Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows

2010-06-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

This song is sweet. It shows how you should remix songs... Thank you music producers behind Beatles Love.

What I've Been Listening To: June 1

2010-06-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

"Do You Realize??"- The Flaming Lips
I always seem to have a love-hate relationship with The Flaming Lips. About a year ago I was really into them, then just really wasn't that interested anymore. Lately though, I've been loving The Flaming Lips. I think that now I'm mature enough to appreciate the weird and complex music that they put out. Out of all their music "Do You Realize??" stands out the most. This is a very basic a ballad, but not a traditional one. "Do You Realize??" switches between a love song, an existentialist discourse on death, and finally an uplifting song about moving on. But aside from these strange mixtures of lyrics, "Do You Realize??" features expansive and transcendent music. This song has some of the most creative and interesting music that I've heard in a song. Although they are strange, The Flaming Lips sure know how to create some awesome music.
Wait Up (Boots of Danger)- Tokyo Police Club
With the new Tokyo Police Club album being released next Tuesday, I can't help but post the song that I've grown to be the most excited for when its released. "Wait Up" is a driven and exciting song that, like "Breakneck Speed", gives me hope that this new album will be awesome. Although often times, the singles released by bands are the only good songs on the album, I have a hard time believing that the two released songs will be the only good ones. This is a good song, because we should be in for a quality album next week if these two songs are any indicator of what has been recorded.
You Will Leave a Mark- A Silent Film
I discussed in an earlier post the band A Silent Film. I was impressed with their mixture of post-punk and shoegaze elements, especially on songs such as "You Will Leave a Mark" and "Driven By Beating Hearts". This is one of the songs I bought from them, which made me really annoyed to realize that it is a free single on iTunes this week. "You Will Leave a Mark" is a song rushing off to an imaginary exit with quick fire drum, piano, and guitar rhythms. It is an excellent song that is worth listening to and downloading.
Go On, Say It- Blind Pilot
This is an excellent song from the folk duo Blind Pilot. It is interesting as being a mid-tempo and chill folk song with a nonetheless sweet drum beat. Blind Pilot has a knack for creating folk songs for people who may not necessarily like folk songs. "Go On, Say It" is a perfect example of this skill. Even if you aren't a big fan of folk, this song is great to listen to.
Kings of Animals- Small Black
With Small Black, Lo-Fi makes a come back. Small Black has one of the most Lo-Fi sounds I have heard in a while. This song is covered in atmospheric fuzz, but is really catchy and fun. First of all, the percussion is perfect for the song, and the catchy chorus makes the song unforgettable. If you don't like Lo-Fi, that's alright, because after a while you won't even notice the fuzz and low quality guitar sound.
Waltz for Koop- Koop
I think its a fair assumption to say that most people have never really heard an electronic-jazz crossover song. Well if you are going to hear any song from this rarely used sub-genre "Waltz for Koop" is an excellent example. Between the lead singers airy vocals and the jazz bass and drums, this song seems to me to be a perfect summer song. Its relaxing and mellow and is probably a song you won't hear anything close to for a long time.
Ocean- A Place To Bury Strangers
WARNING: Before you listen to this song turn down your speakers and gradually work them up to an acceptable level for your hearing, otherwise you might blow an ear drum. Also, you may not like this song very much, its quite unlike anything you have ever heard. "Ocean" is literally a wall of sound, listening to it is like drowning in the feedback laden guitars, bass and vocals (pardon the pun). Influenced by the dark and moody songs of Joy Division, A Place to Bury Strangers are experts and the art of crafting deep and complex soundscapes. Although the feedback guitars and dark atmosphere may be off putting at first, it eventually grows on you. This may not be a song for driving around on carefree summer afternoons, but it sure is awesome.

Indie Electronic

2010-05-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

Its been a little bit since I've posted last, so I've decided to do a category that I have been wanting to do, but also somewhat hesitant to do at the same time: Indie Electronic. Why was I hesitant to do this? Well because their are so many Indie Electronic outfits out their that I can't possibly narrow it down. It would be ridiculous for me to compose a list of music that accurately describes the complexity and diversity of the genre. So instead of sweating over this, I have decided to post a few songs that I enjoy. Let it be known that I am more of a rock sort of guy, I enjoy guitars and vocals and bass and all sorts of fun rock stuff, yet sometimes I do enjoy electronic music.
Electronic music has been around since the early 1900's, however it is unrecognizable and downright terrible. Think of the Ondes Martenot that Radiohead uses. In earlier musical days, that's about all the range you can get out of electronic music. However, some really smart scientists decided that they could make actual music out of electronic instruments, not just a collection of sound effects. And thus, the Moog synthesiser was born! Suddenly electronic music sounded good. However, the human race still had a long ways to go. Originally these early electronic instruments were used by bands such as The Beatles, The Who, Pink Floyd and many others to provide backing for their songs. Over time people began realizing that they can make music using only these instruments and one thing led to another, and now we have a ton of electronic bands. They are split into a variety of strange and meaningless sub-genre's such as Trance, House, Drum-and-Bass, Breakbeat, Hardstyle, Eurotechno, Rave, Acid House and many others. They don't mean a thing. Most sound exactly the same.
Out of this mixture of music comes a few stand out bands. These are the bands who use computers and electronics to craft music into something new and unique. A lot of electronic bands fall into the trap of thinking that the more beats the better. This is not true. The best electronic music is crafted into something new and unique, just as a composer crafts an orchestra to his vision. Thus, electronic music has an interesting dichotomy. Most electronic music you'll hear is just haze, it all sounds the same, but some artists make valid music, and this is what I'm posting. These are musicians who have crafted immaculate pieces of music that is unparalleled in the music world. You're not going to end up dirty dancing to Amon Tobin any times soon, but you will stand in amazement. Enjoy this finely crafted Indie Electronic samplings
INDIE ELECTRONIC PLAYLIST
- Extreme Ways- Moby (you might recognize this from the Borne movies)

- .. And The World Laughs With You- Flying Lotus (skip to about 2:30ish on the playlist song, the first part is a different song which is alright, but the second part is the one that's awesome)

- Breakfast in Bed- Dntel (featuring Conor Oberst)

- At The End of the Day- Amon Tobin (only listen to the first 3:12, I'm not sure what the rest is)

- Glass Danse- The Faint

- Chase The Tear- Portishead (not on project playlist)

- Ted- Clark

- We Are Rockstars- Does It Offend You, Yeah?

- Saturdays- Cut Copy

- Brand New Colony- The Postal Service

-Sinnerman (Felix de Housecat's Remix)- Nina Simone

What I've Been Listening to: May 17

2010-05-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

"Breakneck Speed"- Tokyo Police Club

The big song I've been listening to is "Breakneck Speed", the new single off of the upcoming Tokyo Police Club album. It is not available on iTunes, so here's what you do. Go to the Tokyo Police Club website. The song is available as a free download and asks you for your birthday and e-mail. In a little bit an e-mail confirmation will be sent and then all you have to do is follow the link, click download now, save file and BAM! new Tokyo Police Club song for you to enjoy. This song is good because it shows that Tokyo Police Club has continued to improve on their sound, which has always been one of their strengths. With each album, they add new pieces and elements to keep things interesting, but do not make a huge experimental departure from their sound from earlier releases, making each new release recognizable and comfortable but also new and exciting. "Breakneck Speed" has all of the elements that make Tokyo Police Club so enjoyable. However, it has new elements, such as increased length (clocking in at 3:45, making it one of the longest Tokyo Police Club songs) and some new instrumentation that is hard to explain. When you hear it, you'll recognize it. So long story short, if this new single is an indicator of the entire album, we are all in for some great new Indie Rock on June 8th.

"Pyramid Song"- Radiohead

This is an excellent song from the underrated Radiohead album Amnesiac. "Pyramid Song" is so good that after hearing early recordings, Thom Yorke stated that this was the best song Radiohead ever put on tape. Its not hard to see why. "Pyramid Song" is an complex song principally instrumented by a melancholy piano playing to an off-kilter time signature and accented with great drums and the sounds of an early electrical instrument named the Ondes Martenort, which produces a rising and swelling sound which I call the "ghost sound" after its use on "How to Disappear Completely". Its also has weird guitar effects produced by the lead guitarist playing his instrument with a violin bow. This is an exceptional song.

"10 Mile Stereo"- Beach House
"10 Miles Stereo" is an exceptionally dream pop song from the Indie Rock duo Beach House. This song is built with layer upon layer of instrumentation and music. The most exceptional thing about this song is that only two people were able to create this much music. It shows unusual talent to be able to create such a layered an intricate sound which by all intents and purposes sounds like it was created by a much larger band.

"Fake Empire"- The National
The National is a band that hails from New York and is known for their moody music and vocal delivery that hearkens back to certain 80's Indie Bands such as Joy Division. "Fake Empire" one of their more upbeat songs, with a driving piano rhythm and horn blasts near the end. The National is a great band and I enjoy them, especially because I am a huge fan of baritone vocal delivery.

"Melody Day" - Caribou
"Melody Day" is one of the earlier songs from Caribou, and is one of the lead songs off of the exceptional album Andorra. "Melody Day" is less of straight electronic like some songs off of the new album Swim. Rather it falls somewhere in the genre's of electronica and synth pop. "Melody Day" is filled with tons of sound and samples. It shows the complicated musical structure and skill of Caribou.

"The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!"- Sufjan Stevens
Although it has a terribly cumbersome name, "Predatory Wasp" has an effortless sound that is one of the key features of the exceptional album Illinois. "Predatory Wasp" is one of the many examples of Sufjan Steven's innate ability to effectively balance the sound of both Indie Rock and Folk Rock. "Predatory Wasp" also shows Steven's ability to craft a story in his songs, yet still make them applicable to a wide variety of topics of emotions. "Predatory Wasp" is a great song off of one of the keystone albums of 00's Indie Rock.

"Track 4"- Sigur Rós
I put this song last because it is unlike anything you have ever heard before. I figure that if you have read this much of the post and have listened to all of the music before this final song, you are a pretty loyal fan and ready for this song. I can't write much about "Track 4" because it is almost beyond description. When I first heard this song I was blown away, I couldn't believe the sounds coming out of my speakers. It is mysterious, complex, transcendent and beautiful. Track 4 is a piece of art, prepare to be amazed. (Also, the lyrics are in a made-up language called Hopelandic, but the meanings of the words are not what is important, the sound of the words are whats important.)

An Exercise in Music Influence: The Beatles on Radiohead

2010-05-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

I'm always interested in seeing the progression of music and who influenced who. It is critical to understand the influences of a group in order to understand their music. Lately I have been listening to a lot of Radiohead and The Beatles, which makes for an odd little mixture. But one of the coolest thing that was brought to my attention was the influence that The Beatles had on one of Radiohead's more popular songs: "Paranoid Android."
For those uninitiated, "Paranoid Android" is a three part song, with three different melodies and structures that are switched between usually by guitar solos. The song is complex and a little challenging but shows off the versatility of the group. "Paranoid Android" is easily one of Radiohead's best songs and is one of the key components to the OK Computer album.
Thom Yorke publicly has stated that this song was influenced by two earlier songs: Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and The Beatle's "Happiness is a Warm Gun." Like "Paranoid Android", "Happiness is a Warm Gun" is a three part song, with three distinct phases that all blend into each other. Of course, Radiohead added their own flair to the idea and included some sweet guitar solos, but the form is still there. 30 years after The Beatles recorded their song, the experimental group Radiohead used a similar concept. I think that is pretty cool. I've posted the two songs for comparison.

What I've Been Listening to: May 12

2010-05-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

Little Eyes- Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo has such a wide range of music that its hard to single out certain songs as their best, but I really enjoy this lesser known song off of the album Summer Sun. "Little Eyes" skirts the edge between calm and upbeat, in a fashion that Yo La Tengo is perfect at. Individually, it is a great song, and collectively the album is excellent. Yo La Tengo is a great Indie band because they manage to craft little masterpieces like this one effortlessly, while stubbornly remaining bellow the popular rock scene.

-Zak & Sara- Ben Folds
It is surprising to me that I have not mentioned Ben Folds on this blog yet, because I really enjoy his piano rock. Although Ben Folds is not truly and Independent artist, he operates in a similar form to and Indie artist and is able to create exciting and fun piano pieces. Zak & Sara is one of my favorite songs of his, and is filled with the snappy piano and fun lyrics that make Ben Folds so good.
- I'd Rather Dance With You- Kings of Convenience
Kings of Convenience is an exceptional Swedish band that is the musical vehicle for singer-songwriter Erlend Øye. "I'd Rather Dance With You" is one of the bands more upbeat songs and features some pretty sweet violin elements.
-Brooklyn Stars- Matt Pond PA
This chill song from the band Matt Pond PA is one of my favorite songs to listen to in the morning. It is chill without being boring, and manages to both relax me and ease me into the day. Its especially good while merging onto interstates. You'll see why.
-Fresh Feeling- Eels
A trip-hop offering from the eclectic talents of Eels, "Fresh Feeling" is a nice chill song that features a trip-hop beat and some orchestra elements. "Fresh Feeling" is the musical equivalent of a pallet cleanser, and just feels good to listen to.
- Penelope- Pinback
"Penelope" is one of Pinback's earlier songs, and has all the elements of what makes Pinback such a great band. It has a driving beat, cool sounding vocals and lyrics that really don't make a whole lot of sense. These are the elements of authentic Pinback.
- Cuttooth - Radiohead
Radiohead has many B-side songs, and most of them are pretty sweet. "Cuttooth" is one of my favorite Radiohead B-sides, and one of my favorite songs from the group. "Cuttooth" is a piano-driven piece that is one of the more accessible of Radiohead's songs. You can really hear the influence that Radiohead has on some of the other contemporary alternative bands.

New Releases May 4th

2010-05-04T12:03:00.001-07:00

I got on iTunes today to see what was new and was positively blown away. I had known that the new Broken Social Scene and New Pornographer's album was being released this week but I had no clue that Greg Laswell's new CD was been released this week as well! As I continued to be blown away, I started exploring some of the new CD's and my mind got blown out the back of my head and down the street were it hit a person in the head and caused a car accident. Their are some great releases this week, but to make things easier, I've split them into some categories.

*ALBUMS YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT RIGHT AT THIS VERY INSTANT*

- Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record

For anybody vaguely familiar with Indie Rock, it should not be a huge surprise that Broken Social Scene has released another strange and experimentally challenging album. This time however, BSS has opted for a more electronic approach, an idea that could be disastrous in the hands of a less experienced band. However, BSS pulls it off beautifully, creating exciting, lush, and sometimes heartbreaking pieces. On this new album, BSS has shown that they remain one of the better forces in Indie Rock today, and show their mastery of almost every different style of Indie Rock from post-punk to synth pop.

-Flying Lotus, Cosmogramma

Their are not many times that an album literally shows you the future of music, but Cosmogramma comes pretty darn close. Compiled by experimental music producer Flying Lotus, Cosmogramma is an eclectic and fascinating album. Complete with a number of wildly swirling techno tracks and some jazz driven tracks, this album is not for people looking for easy music to get into. Cosmogramma is challenging yet fulfilling, and although I haven't listened to enough of the songs to truly start dissecting its depth, this album is one of the coolest musical experiences out on the market. Oh, and Radiohead's Thom Yorke sings vocals on one of the tracks, so that should be the first song you check out.

-Greg Laswell, Take a Bow

Recent readers of this blog should be somewhat aware of Greg Laswell by now. I personally wasn't aware that his new album was being released as quickly as this week, but some suprises are quite pleasant. At any rate, this album picks up exactly were Laswell's last album did. Laswell returns to provide baritone voiced lyrics that both can be both joyous and depressing. Quite a few more of his songs seem to be more upbeat, and these songs are very good, yet it is one his slowest songs that I think Laswell is the strongest. Check out his slow songs like "Goodbye" and "Take a Bow". These are the songs that Laswell really does his best on.

*ALBUMS YOU DON'T NEED TO RUSH OUT FOR THIS VERY INSTANT BUT REALLY REALLY SHOULD CHECK OUT*

The New Pornographers, Together

In these new releases, it is The New Pornographers and Broken Social Scene waging a battle of Canadian Indie Rock. However, I think Broken Social Scene wins. I like The New Pornographers album. They remain one of the better Indie Rock outfits releasing music today, but it seems to me that we've already heard the music this album has to offer. Sure Neko Case is featured quite a bit more than usual, and orchestra elements are used to a new degree, but the new album seems to be interchangeable with any other Baroque Pop CD from the past few years. This is not to say it isn't a very good CD (because it is), Together just is not as ground breaking as earlier releases such as The Electric Version.

-Theives Like Us, Again and Again

If you're looking for some electronic shoegaze music that isn't as challenging as Flying Lotus, look no further. This album is for you. Again and Again is a textbook modern shoegaze album. It has lush music, romanticized lyrics and a maze of electronic beats. However, Again and Again proves to be nothing out of the ordinary. Listen to any other modern shoegaze band (think M83) and you will hear quite similar music. Again and Again is competent and enjoyable, yet is nothing that will really stand out in coming weeks or months.

*ALBUMS THAT AREN'T NECESSARILY BAD BUT AREN'T NECESSARILY GOOD THAT YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT IF YOU'RE REALLY DYING TO FIND SOME NEW MUSIC OR ARE SOMEHOW DIE HARD FANS OF THE BAND. OTHERWISE DON'T SPEND TO MUCH ENERGY TRYING TO LOOK THEM UP*

-The Hold Steady, Heaven Is Whenever

I am not really that much of a Hold Steady fan. I own a few songs off of previous albums because they just are fun and have slightly amusing lyrics. If I could compare Heaven Is Whenever with a body gesture, it would be a shrug. I listened to a few songs and was not very thrilled. The formula for The Hold Steady has really been pushed to the limit here. It doesn't offer anything new or exciting, it just is some guys with alright singing voices playing Southern style rock. Its just not that interesting.

What I've Been Listening To: May 3

2010-05-03T17:03:00.000-07:00

GREG LASWELL

Lately I've been listening to singer/songwriter Greg Laswell. I was introduced to Mr. Laswell by a friend of mine (a special thank you to Casey) and I was incredibly impressed with his mellow and relaxed sound. Laswell fills a niche that I have found to be lacking in modern music, that of the male baritone voice. Laswell fills his songs with relaxed music and moves around effortlessly in the lower registers of his vocal range, creating an altogether pleasing effect. With a new CD coming out in a few weeks, this is perfect time to get into Greg Laswell if you haven't already heard him. I've posted two songs by him, "Comes and Goes (In Waves)" and "And Then You".

Other Songs I Have Been Listening To

-"Province" - TV On the Radio- This is a great song from the experimental Indie group TV On the Radio. Filled with driving guitars and minor chord piano accompaniment, this is a haunting and deep song.

- "Dead Souls"- Joy Division- Joy Division has so many great songs and this is just one of them. Starting with an awesome guitar intro, Ian Curtis shows off his knack for creating ambient, yet abstract music.

- "How to Disappear Completely" - Radiohead- Arguably one of Radiohead's creepiest and most depressing songs, "How to Disappear Completely" is also strangely relaxing and soothing, almost to the point of being hypnotic. I used this song for an example of existentialist music in a school assignment so that should give you an idea of what to expect.

- "Nothing" - Mason Jennings- Another very good singer/songwriter, yet one that has been out for awhile, Mason Jennings is very good at crafting simple, yet interesting music. Nothing is a deceptively simple song. Although it seems simple at first, repeated listens will unfold the lyrical genius of Mason Jennings.

-" She Said She Said"- The Beatles- I'm still working through my recent kick of The Beatles, and thought I'd share this little known song by the band. "She Said She Said" is a fun song from the album Revolver and usually goes unnoticed in comparison with other songs on the album, which is really to bad. "She Said She Said" proves that even when they weren't pumping out chart topping singles, The Beatles still paid attention to each and every song and made each song a masterpiece of its own.

- "There Goes My Love" - The Blue Van- Recently featured on an Apple iPad commercial, "There Goes My Love" is an example of the exciting and experimental Indie Pop that has been released over the past few years. Quirky, driving and dance-able, "There Goes My Love" is hardly anything brilliant, but it sure is a lot of fun!

Recent Releases: Late April

2010-04-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

Their has been quite a few recent releases in the late April season that I have really not touched upon enough. So here are a few noteworthy Indie releases in the past two or three weeks.

Caribou, Swim

Possibly the biggest release of the past few weeks has been the new Caribou album that was released last week. After the critical acclaimed 2007 album Andorra, Canadian artist Daniel Snaith has returned for another round of psychedelic electronic experimentation. Those familiar with Caribou's music will instantly recognize the cool and controlled electronic beats throughout the new album which is even grander and deeper in scope than Caribou's previous album. I personally am not a huge fan of electronica, but I find this album absolutely intoxicating. Each song is carefully crafted to appeal to a wide range of settings and styles, and in a time where electronica can sometimes settle into monotonous similarity, Caribou's new album sets a bar that will be hard to reach and even harder to better.

Young British Artists, Lived in Skin/Million Miles

Opposed to Caribou's almost instantaneous Indie classic, this small EP from Young British Artists will probably end up fading away to the background of Indie music. For now. Young British Artists are a band that is working following in the footsteps of The Strokes. Their leader singer utilizes a filter effect on his microphone and the whole band records their music in a studio room. However, YBA is not a rip off of The Strokes. They have their own style, complete with jangling guitars reminiscent of many shoegaze bands. With this sound, YBA is a band to watch.

- Small Black, Small Black-EP

For those of you craving a little bit more filter than Young British Artists, check out this new EP from Small Black. Small Black utilizes filters to create a Lo-Fi sort of sound, which works good on songs like "Kings of Animals" and "Weird Machines", however I find that often they fall into the territory that The Strokes nearly fell into a few times. Sometimes Small Black tends to use a little too much filter, making the songs nearly unlistenable. This EP is alright, but tends to not have enough substance to be labeled any more than a Strokes copycat.

- A Silent Film, A City that Sleeps

A Silent Film is a band that draws on quite a few different influences. Ostensibly influenced by the post-punk revival, A Silent Film also throws in quite a bit of shoegaze influence in the mix. Its an interesting concoction, and one that proves to be quite effective. A City That Sleeps is a very good album, and I will be very surprised if A Silent Film does not go big sometime soon. A large problem with this album is that sometimes it forays into a little bit of pop-rock, which tends to mar an otherwise brilliant album. If you listen to a few of their songs, you'll notice this as well. What would be best for A Silent Film would be to experiment a little more, which would provide a more encompassing and transcendent experience. But, as for now, this is a solid effort.

NEW RELEASES THAT I MISSED BUT REALLY SHOULD NOT HAVE MISSED

*"Crash Years-Single"- The New Pornographers- This is the new single released by the unfortunately named Canadian group The New Pornographers. Consisting of Alt-Country artist Neko Case for vocals and excessive baroque-pop influences, "Crash Years" is an excellent single that makes me all excited for the new album.

* Eyelid Singles- Phantogram- This new release from Barsuk Records (the original record company of Death Cab for Cutie) mixes electronica with very competent female vocals. The music here is sparse and enigmatic and tends to bring to mind The Postal Services in their more subdued moments.

Most of these songs are not on Project Playlist, so makes sure to check them out, especially "Sun" and "Kaili" by Caribou and "Million Miles" by YBA.

My Favorite Songs by The Beatles

2010-04-23T14:22:00.003-07:00

I have been so busy. I know its not an excuse to stop writing, but I offer it as a reason for my somewhat neglect of this blog.
On a happier note, last weekend I saw Beatles Love, the show by Cirque de-Soleil. For those of you who have seen, you would undoubtedly agree with me that it is one of the ultimate audio-visual experiences that anybody will ever experience. If you haven't seen it, take my word for it. It is outstanding.
One of the coolest things about the show was that I felt as though I was looking deeper into the songs than ever before. Coupled with the visual images, each song took on a whole different meaning, and unfolded its layers of depth and subtlety like never before. So for this blog post, I am going to talk about my favorite songs from this immortal band. There is nothing that I can say that hasn't been said about The Beatles. They are the single most successful and influential band of the century, and their work remains relevant almost half a century after the songs were created. So without further ado, here are my favorite songs from The Beatles.
1. "Revolution", Hey Jude/Revolution-Single (1968)
This is my absolute favorite song by The Beatles. Many music critics have stated that this is the most aggressive song The Beatles ever recorded, and for good reason. The guitars are laced with feedback, John Lennon opens the song with an uncontrolled scream and session artist Nicky Hopkins fills the bridge with a killer piano solo. I like this song most because of its lyrics, which encapsulate The Beatles message: It is great to try to change the world, but you should do it out of love and not political ideals. With this message at the heart, "Revolution" is easily my favorite Beatles song.
2. "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds", Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band (1967)
Whether or not it is truly about LSD, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is one of the most expansive and creative tracks that The Beatles recorded. The song is beautiful in its slow melody and abstract lyrics coupled with spacey experimentation. Lucy in the Sky walks the fine line needed when creating experimental music, and manages to be complex and deep without being overbearing or inaccessible (see "Revolution 9"). This is a great song off a great album.
3. "Get Back", Let It Be (1970)
"Get Back" is one of the songs from The Beatles last album, and is one of my all time favorites. Get Back really shows that when necessary, The Beatles can really rock. George Harrison's guitar work really shows through here, in the myriad guitar runs and solos throughout the song. Get Back is one of the songs that proves that while experimental at times, The Beatles truly had a hold on the rock and roll scene, and managed to influence it through brilliant songs like Get Back.
4. "I Am the Walrus", Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
"I Am the Walrus" is without a doubt that one of the strangest song that The Beatles released, however, it is also one that I am strangely attracted to. "I Am the Walrus" is filled with strange experimental music and effects, but maintains a driving sort of swagger. The lyrics are nonsensical and ridiculous, yet somehow convey a story and emotion. "I Am the Walrus" is a song filled with paradox's, but is brilliantly enjoyable.
5. "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band/With A Little Help From My Friends" Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band (1967)
These two songs play off each other in the album, and are sometimes presented together, sometimes apart. I prefer to place them together because they both work perfectly off each other. The two songs are fun and energetic, and "With A Little Help From My Friends" is one of the few times Ringo Starr actually sings. Together, they provide the opener for the best album from The Beatles
6. "Come Together", Abbey Road (1969)
This song really shows The Beatles with a little bit of swagger. John Lennon's somewhat monotone verses draw out character sketch's to a mid-tempo guitar and drum beat punctuated by his whispering of "Shoot Me". "Come Together" really shows the song writing poweress of Lennon and Paul McCartney and is the first song off of the brilliant Abbey Road album.
7. "Back In the USSR", The Beatles (White Album) (1968)
I like this song so much because of the irony of it. Paul McCartney openly admitted that this song, which is a song about wanting to live in Soviet Russia, was a parody of the Beach Boys song "Back in the USA". This song is so against Cold War policies that it makes a statement on its own, even through its relatively simple lyrics. "Well the Ukraine girls really knock me out, they leave the West behind..." Hahaha.
8. "Hello Goodbye", Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
This song is wonderful mostly for its technical achievements, such as Harrison's strange guitar effects, the back ground lyric's sung through a filter and Starr's uneven drum work. Although this song has very few lyrics, it is an interesting an unique song that is very much unequalled in The Beatles catalogue.
9. "A Day in the Life", Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band (1967)
I am always a huge fan of two part songs, with shifting melodies and music. "A Day in the Life" is a wonderful song that ends the immortal Sgt. Peppers. Starting as a slow song, "A Day in the Life" crescendos into an upbeat piano rock melody that is sung by McCartney, with interesting orchestral parts with Lennon's back ground harmonizing. One thing I love about this song is that it was banned from BBC because it has one reference to smoking. That just makes me laugh.
10. "Hey Jude", Hey Jude/Revolution-Single (1968)
"Hey Jude" is a great song from The Beatles. At seven minutes, it is one of the longest songs that The Beatles ever released, but has the wonderful coda section at the end which makes all seven minutes worth it. This song was the longest rock singles released up to that date, and took a lot of pressuring to get on radio airwaves. Once it did though, "Hey Jude" was on the top of the charts for sixteen weeks. After listening to "Hey Jude", then you can listen to the B-Side of the single, which is, incidentally "Revolution". What an awesome single.

I will post a few follow ups to this one, but I tried to post as many songs as I could find on Project Playlist, unfortunately I am quite limited.

Spring Time Jam/Reggae/Ska/Chill Bands

2010-04-14T12:44:00.000-07:00

Ah... Doesn't that just look beautiful and refreshing. Its becoming spring time in Vegas right now, and I really like this time because its just before the weather gets dreadfully hot, and you can just roll down the windows of your car and let the breeze keep you cool. As I drove home today, I went inside and ate a bunch of mangoes, at which point I said to my self: "Self, you should share some of you're favorite chill sort of reggae influenced bands." Of course, I thought this was a great idea, so thus, I am writing this blog post.
I truly do love jam/reggae/ska/chill bands that have a sort of laid back feel. They make me so happy and really set the mood for spring time and chilling out all the time. Granted, many of these bands are not truly Indie Rock, but they sure are awesome. Songs like "Right Me Up" and "Bang Bang" convey a truly island twinged feel, while artists like Jack Johnson make all situations seem mellow. These are some of my favorite songs ever, so sit back, relax, and chill out to these songs.
SPRING TIME JAM/REGGAE/SKA/CHILL BANDS PLAYLIST
- "Right Me Up"- State Radio

- "Bang Bang"- Dispatch

- "Free"- Donavon Frankenreiter

- "Holes to Heaven"- Jack Johnson

- "Rainbow"- G. Love

- "Rock & Roll"- Eric Hutchinson

*- "Let It Be Sung"- Matt Costa featuring Jack Johnson

*- "Steal My Kisses"- Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals

*- "Darkness Between Fireflies"- Mason Jennings

- "Heal The Ocean" - Matthew McAvene and Zach Gill

- "Hope"- Jack Johnson (with Zach Rogue)

- "The Science of Selling Yourself Short"- Less Than Jake

* Not on project playlist

80's Independent/College Rock

2010-04-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

Doesn't everybody love the 80's? I was born after the time, but to me it seems like everything was going right during the 1980's. The 80's had awesome music, awesome movies, and interesting style. It also had some of the earliest Independent Rock bands. For those of you who have only heard the standard 80's pop and arena rock, buckle up and prepare to take a trip just to the left of the radio dial for 80's Indie Rock.
80's Indie Rock was quite a bit different than it is now. Indie Rock was synonymous with Alternative Rock at the time. In the 80's, Alternative started to build momentum and fans, and provided an alternative to the big hair rock and peppy pop was dominating the airways at the time. Bands such as R.E.M. and Joy Division where some of the first to be named Alternative bands, and during this time Alternative really meant Alternative, unlike nowadays when many Alternative bands are just pop bands with guitars. The new wave of Alternative rock was brash, different and experimental, something that had never been heard before by the listeners of the time.
Independent Rock was also synonymous with College Rock, a movement that started, you guessed it, in colleges. Because the national airwaves where been dominated by pop songs, many up coming Alternative artists where forced to rely on the more "liberal" musical tastes of college students in order to gain success. Bands such as R.E.M., XTC, and The Smiths all began gaining their initial following because of their regular rotation on campus radio stations. The new music combined many different sub genres of music such as Post-Punk, New Wave, Synth Pop and many others.
A major difference between Indie Rock then and Indie Rock now is that many of the College Rock bands found mainstream success, though often this was only in the form of one or two songs, usually leading the bands to be incorrectly considered one-hit-wonders. R.E.M., The Cure, and The Smiths all had this problem, yet many of the true fans were more familiar with their much larger catalogue.
College Rock ended up being divided into a majority of sub-genre's, some of which became extremely influential on today's Indie Rock bands. Possibly sub-genre that I post the most about from contemporary Indie Rock is the Post-Punk Revival. Well, during the 80's is when the initial Post-Punk wave started.
Post-Punk began in the late 70's as a response to the growing commercialization of Punk bands. Bands such as Joy Division, Echo & the Bunnymen and Talking Heads began to break away from the Punk scene and become more experimental as well as introverted existential. These bands made an effort to get back to the original theory behind Punk, which was breaking away from the musical establishment. These Post-Punk musicians released most of their music independently and utilized experimental musical styles. The movement continued in the 1980's, beginning to gain a bigger following as well as new bands such as Sonic Youth, The Smiths, Pixies and The Psychedelic Furs. Although this movement eventually died out in the 1990's, it remained influential until its revival in the early 2000's.
Near the end of the 1980's, more bands were incorporating Independent Rock, and many of the bands of the time were eventually considered classic or "pure" Indie Rock. Quite a few bands did not survive the move into the 1990's because of the die out of the College Rock scene. College Rock began to die as more "Alternative" bands incorporate more Pop sounds into their music. Grunge and Lo-Fi began to take the Indie spotlight, and musical tastes began to move towards the feedback laden sounds of Lo-Fi. Yet, even though the more elegant and sparse sounds of 80's Indie Rock died in the 1990's, many of the styles would make a reappearance in the 2000's.
Without 80's Indie and College Rock, Independent Rock would never have taken off. These exciting and experimental new bands showed music listeners that their was more than popular Pop music to listen to. Although these bands may not seem as groundbreaking as they were back in the 80's, they paved the way for one of the most creative and influential musical movements of the past 30 years.
80's INDEPENDENT/COLLEGE ROCK PLAYLIST

- Radio Free Europe- R.E.M.

-Transmission- Joy Division

-Hand In Glove- The Smiths

-Senses Working Overtime- XTC

- In Between Days- The Cure

- Teen Age Riot- Sonic Youth

- The Killing Moon- Echo & The Bunnymen

-Here Comes Your Man- Pixies

-All That Money Wants- The Psychedelic Furs

- I Wanna Be Adored- The Stone Roses

-Pyscho Killer- The Talking Heads

Song a Day: A Wrap Up + Full Track List, Subtitled: My Congratulations/Condolences [Roger Ebert Gives YOU Thumbs Up]

2010-04-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Congratulations! You have officially survived the month of March. And so for your reward, I have posted a picture of Roger Ebert giving you a thumbs up. This is much more rewarding than taking a picture of myself giving you a thumbs up and posting that, because Roger Ebert is famous. As I was saying, good job. You stuck through the long and tedious month of March, and still found time to check out the songs I was posting on my blog. Pat yourself on the back, give yourself a hand, take a celebratory skydiving adventure! And so that's enough of congratulations... Your not THAT special. However, I jest, you are very special.
I offer my sincere condolences that during this month of March I had a hand in wasting your valuable time with my babble about Independent Music. But, I am happy that I was able to waste time with you, so please come back. I do get very lonely when people do not check out my blog.
Since you are such a special person, I'm keeping the March playlist up a little longer, with the whole track list.

"Olympic Airways" - Foals
"Staring at the Sun"- TV On the Radio
"All My Little Words"- The Magnetic Fields
"Hang Me Up To Dry"- The Cold War Kids
"Kettering"- The Antlers
"Vienna"- Billy Joel
"Two Recievers"- Klaxons
"Buildings & Mountains"- The Republic Tigers
"Lately"- The Helio Sequence
"Liar"- Built to Spill
"Free Stress Test"- Professor Murder
"Heavy Metal Drummer"- Wilco
"Velouria"- Pixies
"Non-Photo Blue" - Pinback
"What's Left of the Flag"- Flogging Molly
"My Eyes"- Travis
"Sixties Remake"- Tokyo Police Club
"My Only Offer"- Mates of State
"Lake Michigan"- Rogue Wave
"The Avalanche"- Sufjan Stevens
"How It Ends"- Devotchka
"Burning"- The Whitest Boy Alive
"Beach Comber" - Real Estate
"The Skin Of My Country Yellow Teeth"- Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah
"Roscoe"- Midlake
"Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors"- Editors
"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"- The Smiths
"I Have No Sister"- Oh No Oh My
"Subterranean Homesick Alien"- Radiohead
"Ponce de Leon Ave." - Butch Walker
"You! Me! Dancing!"- Los Campesinos!

Now this is not an eulogy for my blog. Their is more coming in April, so keep visiting for some great Independent Music. Also, if you have any suggestions or requests, post a comment on one of my posts, I'll get to it eventually!

Song a Day #31- "Olympic Airways"- Foals

2010-03-31T17:00:00.001-07:00

"Olympic Airways"- Foals, Antidotes (2008)
"Olympic Airways" is one of the singles from the Foals debut album named Antidotes. This album, and the single, shows the new talent that is demonstrated by the Foals. The Foals rely on a mixture of electronic beats and traditional rock structures that blend together in a very pleasing package. Antidotes is a high energy, yet well thought out album that doesn't sacrifice musical quality to create energetic songs. "Olympic Airways" shows the extraordinary control that Foals have over their own sound. They never allow themselves to become carried away with electronic sounds, but keep a proverbial "tight ship". The production value of the song shows through the oscillating and looping background music that accompany the lead singers somewhat detached and ambivalent lyrics, and creates the effect of a deep and layered sound. In summary, "Olympic Airways" is a very well done single from an upcoming talented band.

Song a Day #28, #29, #30

2010-03-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

For the two days that I have missed, I have posted too quite different songs. The first is the Cold War Kids song "Hang Me Up to Dry" and the second is The Magnetic Fields "All My Little Words". Please enjoy each of these songs.

- "Hang Me Up To Dry"- Cold War Kids, Robbers & Cowards (2006)

-" All My Little Words"- The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs (1999)

"Staring at the Sun"- TV On the Radio, Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes (2004)
"Staring at the Sun" is one of the songs from TV On the Radio's major breakthrough album Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes and truly shows why TV On the Radio has established themselves as one of the most unique and unexpected Independent successes of the 2000's. TV On the Radio musical skill comes from their innate talent to create rich and textured music that relies on the "feel" of the song to convey its meaning. "Staring at the Sun" is a deep and layered song that begins in a mournful tone and overtime evolves into an unlikely dance beat. During this song, TV On the Radio relies on their unusual vocal's and a moody synth beat in order to make the song convey the exact tone and emotion that they want it to have. By listening to "Staring at the Sun" it is incredibly evident how this band has been able to solidify themselves in the contemporary Independent Rock scene.

Song a Day #27- "Kettering"-The Antlers

2010-03-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

"Kettering"- The Antlers, Hospice (2009)
For some strange reason I completely missed this CD last year, and I really have no clue how I missed it, because if I had heard it last year, it would be on my list of best albums of 2009. Hospice is a haunting and expansive album from the new band The Antlers. The Antlers have created a completely unique sound, that almost defies normal labelling. Throughout Hospice their are elements of post-punk, folk and standard Independent Rock mixed together in a pleasing and sometimes shocking package. "Kettering" is my favorite song off of the album, and is absolutely brilliant. "Kettering" starts with a slow, emotional and almost lo-fi lyrical section and escalates into a pounding and (although I hate to use this word) epic climax. I enjoy songs like this because it truly shows the versatility of the band. The Antlers has shown that they can produce slow and meaningful lyrics, but also is equally apt and crafting sonic landscapes with real feeling and texture. "Kettering" is one of those songs that is so haunting and powerful that it stays with you afterwards, and is almost impossible to forget. I heard this song yesterday for the first time (I may be slightly behind the curve with The Antlers) and haven't been able to get it out of my head since, so I think it will be perfect to share it with all of you, so please enjoy.

Song a Day #26- "Vienna"- Billy Joel

2010-03-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

"Vienna"- Billy Joel, The Stranger (1977)
I really did not have any ideas for what song to post today, so I just put my iPod on shuffle, and posted the first song that came up, and that song happens to be "Vienna" by Billy Joel, off of his immortal album The Stranger. Now, I realize that this is not a truly Independent Rock song, which puts it somewhat out of place on a Independent Rock blog, but I feel that this is a good enough to share. I am a big Billy Joel fan, and "Vienna" is an exceptional song from him. "Vienna" is one of my favorite songs from Billy Joel mostly because this song really shows the lyrical skill that Billy Joel is able to write with. Using Vienna as a metaphor was originally inspired by the fact that Joel's father was living in Vienna at the time and his visit to his father, whom he hadn't seen in quite some time. Some of the things he saw in Vienna inspired him to write a somewhat cabaret song about living life. Out of this trip came the song "Vienna" which is in turn inspiring and heart breaking. So check out "Vienna" as a quick little respite from the constant Independent Rock on this blog.

Song a Day #25- "Two Receivers"-Klaxons

2010-03-25T15:50:00.001-07:00

"Two Receivers"- Klaxons Myths of the Near Future (2008)
Klaxons is a new wave post-punk revival band that specializes in a sub-genre known as "nu-rave." This sub genre uses post-punk revival rock structures mixed with electronic and synth effects. Klaxons are one of the lead bands of this "nu-rave" movement. Their song "Two Recievers" is from the album Myths of the Near Future, which is startlingly complex and exciting album. "Two Receivers" is one of Klaxons slower songs, but is imbued with many Klaxon-esque qualities, especially their fascination with space and the fact that most of their lyrics are somewhat indiscernible. However, this song truly gets awesome near the end, when the band breaks into a three part melody that is pretty cool. Combine this with multiple electronic effects and a driving drum beat and you have one of Klaxon's many "nu-rave" hits.

Song a Day #24- "Buildings & Mountains"- The Republic Tigers

2010-03-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

"Buildings & Mountains"- The Republic Tigers, Keep Color (2008)
"Buildings & Mountains" is the expansive song lead single off of The Republic Tigers's debut album Keep Color. The Republic Tigers manages to distill quite a few important sounds from contemporary Independent Rock, using standard folk type lyrics and vocals while using an almost Radiohead-esque technique of building virtual soundscapes. The Republic Tigers, thus has been able to prove that they are serious players in the future Independent Rock world. "Buildings & Mountains" is an immaculately rendered soundscape complete with oscillating guitars and variety of back up vocals to back up the main vocalist. "Buildings & Mountains" is transcendent and quite brilliant, and as I have found, perfect for driving on long road trips.

Song a Day #23- "Lately"-The Helio Sequence

2010-03-23T15:57:00.001-07:00

"Lately"-The Helio Sequence, Keep Your Eyes Ahead (2008)
Early this year, I posted about the Sub Pop record company. Near the bottom of the playlist I posted in conjection with that writing I included the song "Keep Your Eyes Ahead" by The Helio Sequence. If you missed it, don't worry, because you wouldn't be the first to overlook The Helio Sequence. This Oregon-based band is often overshadowed by other Sub Pop bands and because its superb CD Keep Your Eyes Ahead was released during the prolific year of 2008, where it was somewhat forgotten in light of other huge releases. That being said, please listen to the song "Lately" and if you missed the song "Keep Your Eyes Ahead" go look that up on your own time. "Lately" shows The Helio Sequence's knack for making reverb drenched shoegaze classics from relatively simple lyrics. Each of The Helio Sequence's songs features shoegaze style guitars and vocals, and does this on the song "Lately", which is one of their much slower offerings. On song's such as "Lately" and others, The Helio Sequence creates a huge and complex sound, and does so excellently, so check out The Helio Sequence in all of their somewhat under-acknowledged glory.

Song a Day #21 and #22

2010-03-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

Once again I got a little busy, but what I meant to post on Sunday was the song "Free Stress Test" by Professor Murder. Do not be put off by the bands misleadingly violent name, because "Free Stress Test" is nothing more than a high energy and exciting synth driven song. So check it out.

"Free Stress Test"- Professor Murder, Professor Murder Rides the Subway-EP (2006)

"Liar"- Built to Spill, You In Reverse (2006)
Built to Spill is one of the most influential Independent Rock bands of the past two decades. They helped pioneer the Lo-Fi sound of the 1990's and has able to adapt to the new musical tastes of the 2000's, which allowed them to remain a strong force when many other Lo-Fi bands faded away. You In Reverse is the sixth album released by Built to Spill, and is the first by them where they used four musicians. On this album, they included the rather chill song "Liar". If you are vaguely familiar with Built to Spill, you will know that not often do they have a relaxing song, but usually have songs with sporadic beats or loud driving instrumentation. Yet, "Liar" is quite the opposite. This song is relaxing and melodic, but also shows off the exceptional musical talents of the band members. Throughout it, you should be able to note the complex bass lines, and the brilliantly relaxing guitar solo's that are placed strategically throughout the song. In many ways "Liar" is a perfect song, especially for those who like relaxing, yet complex Independent music.

Song a Day #20- "Heavy Metal Drummer"- Wilco

2010-03-20T10:42:00.000-07:00

"Heavy Metal Drummer"- Wilco, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)
"Heavy Metal Drummer" is a chill drum driven song from Wilco's startlingly successful 2002 album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. This song has a different sound than Wilco's normal alt-country type of Independent Rock, but it is a fundamentally difference sound that Wilco is able to pull off without any faults. "Heavy Metal Drummer" relies on lo-fi style vocals complete with a sweet drum beat and back up synth effects. I enjoy this song so much because it is both chill and upbeat as well as exciting. It manages to be relaxing without being boring, and exciting without being overbearing. As the spring starts to come, I think that "Heavy Metal Drummer" is one of those perfect songs for just relaxing out in the sun, or driving your car with the windows all down. Unfortunately, "Heavy Metal Drummer" ( and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot) usually tend to be ignored aspects of Wilco's expansive discography because of the departure from the standard Wilco sound. However, this is nothing to be scoffed at, because "Heavy Metal Drummer" is one of the perfect songs that Independent Music has produced.

Song a Day #19- "Velouria"- Pixies

2010-03-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

"Velouria"- Pixies, Bossanova (1990)
Pixies is one of the original Independent Rock bands. Created in the 1980's, they provided an alternative to the big hair bands and peppy synth pop bands that were becoming increasing prevalent in the time period. Pixies began to establish some of the trademark's of Independent Rock, using odd lyrics, surreal music, and a complete disregard for normal contract labels. The album Bossanova was released at the turn of the decade, yet it is not one of Pixies best albums. This label was probably inevitable, since Bossanova was released shortly after the exceptional album Doolittle, which very literally is an essential tour-de-force of Independent Music and Alternative Rock as a whole. Yet, Bossanova includes a few very good songs, including the surreal song "Velouria" which is a staple of 1990's Indie Rock. This song captures most of the essential qualities of Pixies music, and is also one of their lesser known of songs, possibly because of the general disregard of the album. But, I'm determined to share this song with all of you because it really is a great piece of music.

Song a Day #18- "Non Photo-Blue"- Pinback

2010-03-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

"Non-Photo Blue"- Pinback, Summer in Abaddon (2002)
One of the things I love about Pinback is that they just make their music sound cool. Pinback is well-known for sometimes using nonsensical lyrics because they just like the way the words sound. "Non Photo-Blue" is certainly an example of this at times, but the effect works, and Pinback is able to use their signature layered sound to make a pretty sweet song. "Non Photo-Blue" is the jagged opening track of the eclectic album Summer in Abaddon, which is very possibly Pinback's best work. The song opens the album in an exciting way, and also gives and idea of what the rest of the album may sound like. If you like "Non Photo-Blue", check out the whole album, because it is obviously a well produced album by a talented band. "Non Photo-Blue" features all of the essential aspects of a standard Pinback song, namely exciting and interesting guitar and base work, rapid fire vocals with strange and sometimes un-analyzable lyrics, and also awesome back up vocals. Just listen to the song, and enjoy this very cool offering by the Indie Rock powerhouse of Pinback.

Song a Day #17- "Whats Left of The Flag"- Flogging Molly

2010-03-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

"Whats Left of The Flag"- Flogging Molly Drunken Lullabies (2002)
In honor of Saint Patrick's Day, I have posted the most Irish song on my iPod. I am not really a fan of Flogging Molly, but I do enjoy this song, yet I really don't have much to say about this song, but since I have quite a bit of Irish ancestry, I thought it only fitting to post an Irish themed song on a holiday that is mostly Irish. So listen to this Flogging Molly song, complete with the accordion and maniac Irish style beats that make this song perfectly Saint Patrick Day themed. Happy Saint Patrick's Day everybody!!!

Song a Day #14, #15 and #16

2010-03-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

Again, I got incredibly busy, and I am quite sorry for such an unfortunate turn of events. But don't worry, I'll make it up to you by posting the two songs I would have posted anyways. These two songs are the piano driven duet "My Only Offer" by Mates of State and the surreal apocalyptic post-punk "Sixties Remake" by Tokyo Police Club.

Song a Day #14- "My Only Offer"- Mates of State, Re-Arrange Us (2008)

Song a Day #15- "Sixties Remake"- Tokyo Police Club, Elephant Shell (2008)

"My Eyes"- Travis, The Boy With No Name (2007)
The band Travis represents the 2nd wave of contemporary Brit-Pop to become influential in the music world. Travis is the band that effectively bridges the gap between 90's Radiohead (the 1st wave of contemporary Brit-Pop) and the 3rd Wave of Brit-Pop (Coldplay, Snow Patrol, and the likes.) Throughout the late 90's and early 2000's Travis picked up where Radiohead left off after their album Ok Computer and began producing largely Independent shimmering guitar-piano songs that were largely influenced by 80's bands such as The Smiths and R.E.M. During this brief time (known as the Post-Radiohead era, which largely proved to be a misnomer) Travis was one of the driving forces behind the emerging contemporary Brit-Pop seen and though they eventually became eclipsed by bands such as Coldplay, Travis still released records just for the sake of making music. Their fifth album The Boy With No Name was released right in the middle of the 3rd Wave of Brit-Pop, and in my opinion is largely ignored. The song for today, "My Eyes" is a beautifully crafted piano and guitar driven song that shows the skill that Travis has in creating memorable, yet relaxed music. "My Eyes" represents a pinnacle of Travis's musical skills, and showcases their exceptional talent that made them such a success.

Song a Day #13- "Lake Michigan"- Rogue Wave

2010-03-13T12:08:00.000-08:00

"Lake Michigan"- Rogue Wave, Asleep At Heaven's Gate (2007)
I have featured Rogue Wave a few times on this blog, but "Lake Michigan" is definitely my favorite song by them. "Lake Michigan" captures exactly what makes Rogue Wave such a joy to listen to, they have a mellow feel, but also have exciting music bolstered by lead singer Zach Rogue's variable and plaintive vocal talents. "Lake Michigan" has a very laid back, yet fulfilling and exuberant, feel to it, especially near the end when the whole band teams up to create a wall of sound. The song never really slows down, even when it slows down a lot about half way through, even in this slower moment, the brilliance of the songwriting and musical talents still show through. This song is both transcendent and exciting, and perfect for the coming spring season, so feel free to treat yourself to this fun and carefree song from the Independent Rock masterminds behind Rogue Wave.

Song a Day #12- "The Avalanche"- Sufjan Stevens

2010-03-12T11:58:00.001-08:00

"The Avalanche"- Sufjan Stevens, The Avalanche (2006)
Sufjan Stevens is the prolific singer/songwriter from Detroit who over the past few years has compiled a rather eclectic collection of music that he has written, sung and produced. Stevens is able to write music that tells stories and blends folk and Independent Rock in a very creative way. This was most evident on the superb album Illinois, released in 2005. Later the next year, Stevens released an album of outtakes and extra's from Illinois known as The Avalanche. This album follows exactly the same format as the earlier Illinois album, but featured more experimental songs than its predecessor, and a variety of new versions of songs from the earlier album such as "Chicago." "The Avalanche" is the lead song from the outtake album (which incidentally has the same name) and the final song of the Illinois album. "The Avalanche" show cases some of Steven's best talents, namely, his ability to mix mellow folk with driving baroque pop. "The Avalanche" is a very good song and builds up until a final climax that almost seems to show that Sufjan Stevens has more to come.

Song a Day #11- "How It Ends"- Devotchka

2010-03-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

"How It Ends"- Devotchka, How It Ends (2004)
This Colorado band with a Russian name has gained success with their brand of Baroque Pop, infusing Eastern European influences with standard rock structures. This concept has gone far enough that Devotchka was able to be nominated for a Grammy Award for their work on the whole soundtrack of the movie Little Miss Sunshine. Devotchka makes most of their songs with lush and staggering instrumentation, making each of their songs a mini-masterpiece within itself. A few of their songs are not mini-masterpieces, but full blown masterpieces, such as the superb and haunting song "How It Ends". This song is just as much about the classical instrumentation as the lyrics, and many times it is the driving orchestral parts that convey the feeling and meaning of the song. "How It Ends" is a haunting masterpiece, and is a way to truly judge Devotchka's talent. Their skill in crafting haunting, staggering and even epic music is one of the reason's that I enjoy listening to Devotchka. "How It Ends" shows some of their more listener friendly work, utilizing more traditional structures, but on many of their other songs you can definitely here the influence of many different regions of the world, mostly Eastern Europe. So sit back, and enjoy "How It Ends."

Song a Day #10- "Burning"- The Whitest Boy Alive

2010-03-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

"Burning"- The Whitest Boy Alive, Dreams (2006)
Erlend Øye has time after time proven to have a knack for producing low-key shoegaze style Independent Pop-Rock.
Øye is the lead singer for the Norwegian band Kings of Convenience and also the lead singer/guitarist for his project The Whitest Boy Alive, which is based out of Germany. This band originally started as an electronic bands, but eventually shifted towards using no electronic parts. Instead, they rely on bass, guitar, and drums to create entertaining and driving beats that have a mellow, yet exciting feel to them. The album Dreams perfectly captures the type of music that Øye has become so well known for creating. Although "Burning" may not seem like a pop/dance song, it has such an infectious beat and rhythm that it is almost impossible to dislike. "Burning" represents the singular genius of The Whitest Boy Alive and Øye as a songwriter, establishing a mellow and chill feel backed with a driving beat. Its a very hard balance to strike, but one that The Whitest Boy Alive strikes without a hitch.

Song a Day #9: "Beach Comber"- Real Estate

2010-03-09T09:07:00.000-08:00

"Beach Comber"- Real Estate, Real Estate (2009)
For those of you how may have had a bit of a hard time swallowing yesterday's song, don't worry, because "Beach Comber" goes down nice and easy. This easy-going song off of Real Estate's debut album is obviously heavily influenced by The Beatles and other bands of the 1960's. These influences are most clearly felt during the guitar parts. I like this song because it is a chill and fun song, perfectly named because it makes me feel like I'm on a beach. By mixing a heavy influence from The Beatles with Independent Rock sensibilities of the modern era, Real Estate has been able to create not only a song, but a whole album that is very enjoyable to listen to, and marks the beginning of what I believe to be a promising career in this new decade.

Song a Day #6, #7 and #8

2010-03-08T16:30:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately I got quite busy the past few days, and this business directly opposed my blogging, which is why I have not posted for the past two days. So, before I post Song a Day #8, I will post the two days that I missed

-Day #6-"Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors"- Editors

-Day #7- "Roscoe" - Midlake

"The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth"- Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah, Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah (2005)

I am not a huge fan of saying a song takes some time to get used to. Most of the time, I think that you shouldn't have to try to like a song, it should just grab you and be enjoyable. In very few cases should you have to really put in an effort to like a song, yet this is the case with "The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth." When I first heard this song, I was horrified, I could not believe anybody could sing like the lead singer does. But eventually I got used to it, and realized the genius behind this song. Once you get adapted to the lead singer's voice, you will realize the skill of the musicians and in some strange way the off center talent of the singer. This song would not be nearly as good with out the terrible askew vocals of the singer, and in a way his painful sounding yelps make the song catchy and heartbreaking. This song took some getting used to, but once I did, I can't stop listening to it. So, give "The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth" a shot, and don't write it off on first impressions. But, if you still can't stand it, don't feel bad, Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah is largely an acquired taste.

Song a Day #5: "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before", The Smiths

2010-03-05T16:45:00.000-08:00

"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"- The Smiths, Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)
The Smiths were one of the original Independent Rock bands, and were producing music at a rapid pace during the late 1980's for a few short years. Many Independent Rock bands were influenced by them, and music from The Smith's and other 1980's Indie Bands constitute what is known as "pure" Indie Rock, which is idolized by Independent Rock purists. This song comes from the 1987 album and showcases what made The Smith's so popular in the 80's and subsequent decades. Shimmering guitars, emotionally connecting lyrics and a strange obsession with death and loneliness characterized a majority of The Smith's songs, which provided a breakaway from the synth rock and pop-metal bands of the 1980's. This is no different. "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" is just a quite cut from a catalogue of innovative and brilliant music from The Smith's who were the earliest forerunners of the Independent Rock as well as Alternative Rock genres and still remains relevant and interesting in today's music world.

Song a Day #4: "I Have No Sister"- Oh No Oh My

2010-03-04T16:27:00.000-08:00

"I Have No Sister"- Oh No Oh My, Oh No! Oh My! (2006)
This song is very opposite of the previously posted Radiohead song, which relied on lush melodies and music. In contrast Oh No Oh My's song "I Have No Sister" features the stark minimalistic attitude that is a key feature of a wide variety of Independent Music nowadays. In this way, "I Have No Sister" has a few similarities with many other contemporary Independent songs, however what I really like about this song is the fun lyrics that are featured throughout the song. Oh No Oh My has more than proven that they have a knack for producing high energy and interesting songs, with the singers strange monotone spinning lines about underwater buses and having no sister. This song is fun and weird, and is a good example of minimalism in contemporary Independent Rock.

Song a Day #3: "Subterranean Homesick Alien", Radiohead

2010-03-03T12:13:00.001-08:00

"Subterranean Homesick Alien", Radiohead, Ok Computer (1997)
"Subterranean Homesick Alien" is one of Radiohead's many departures into Space Rock, yet has the misfortune of being featured on the absolutely brilliant CD Ok Computer where often times SHA is overshadowed by songs like "Paranoid Android" and "Karma Police" and often times is completely forgotten. However, I am determined to not overlook SHA, and the combination of spacey music and interesting lyrics makes it one of my favorite songs off of the Ok Computer CD. Its almost impossible not to think of space when listening to the high pitched guitar riffs and I believe this is one of the songs that show just how far ahead of the pack Radiohead is. Compared to other music of the late 1990's, this song (and album) just seem to transcend the expectations of the era. In this song, Thom Yorke takes great pains to create wonderful lyrics and interesting music and reminds us (as he so often does) of how alien and isolated people can be from the world and shows us that we all truly are in a way a subterranean homesick alien. As song about isolation and space, Subterranean Homesick Alien makes its point clear while making being abducted by aliens seem to be the answer to people's problems, and sure makes being abducted sound like quite an exciting experience.

Song a Day #2: "Ponce De Leon Ave."- Butch Walker

2010-03-02T16:48:00.000-08:00

"Ponce De Leon Ave.", Butch Walker, Sycamore Meadows (2008)

Having recently released a new album, Butch Walker has continued his career as a singer/songwriter that included his CD Sycamore Meadows. This CD features the upbeat and punchy horn-driven song "Ponce De Leon Ave." I like this song because I think it is fun and catchy, and I am always a huge fan of horn-driven songs. I think that this song really highlights the skill that Butch Walker has in singing and producing music, so make sure to check out his new CD that was just released a few weeks ago.

Song a Day #1: "You! Me! Dancing!", Los Campesinos!

2010-03-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

During the whole month of March, I am going to be running a sort of "One Song a Day" program so that those of you who regularly check this blog don't have to wait a few days for some new music, but can listen to a new song every day. Also, I hope to boost readership and since I really don't have any master playlists planned for March (sorry, I barely know any Irish Indie Artists for Saint Patricks Day) I figured that it would be a good time to do this, since I've really always wanted to do a "song a day" sort of program and create one awesome playlist over the month. So without further ado, I present Song a Day #1....

"You! Me! Dancing!", Los Campesinos!, Hold On Now Youngster.... (2008)

After the negative review I gave Los Campesinos! newest album, I thought it would be nice to post my favorite song by them from the energetic and awesome album Hold On Now Youngster. "You! Me! Dancing!" has one of the coolest intro's I think I've ever heard, and the song has such a raw energy that its extremely exciting to listen to. This is the type of Los Campesinos! music that drew me into this band. Also, the monologue part and the end is quite brilliant and funny, you just have to try to discern the words. If you need help, just post a comment, I'll let you know what the guy is saying. (Just a word of note: The iTunes version this song has a harsher version of the intro, rather than the version I could find online. I actually enjoy the harsher version a little more because it makes the intro a bit more dramatic.)

Lightspeed Champion- Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You.

2010-02-22T18:09:00.000-08:00

Lightspeed Champion is the vehicle for singer/songwriter Devonte Hynes that has recently released the album Life is Sweet! Nice to Meet You. This new Independent album comes from the London based Domino Records, and focuses on folk-influenced Independent Rock, often times creating an interesting combination of acoustic and standard upbeat rock that is comparable to an upbeat Conor Oberst. I like this new album because of its cross over appeal, and also because I really enjoy Independent Singers/Songwriters.

The album balances between upbeat acoustic, chord driven power rock and transcendent pop. It is a nice mixture from Hynes, and while most of the songs are loaded with angst, they tend to also be suprisingly upbeat. A perfect example of this is the song "There's Nothing Underwater", which shows the skill of Hynes as a songwriter and musician. The difference between his lyrics and the music, make the songs that are exceptionally depressing seem not nearly so painful, which is and important balance to draw for someone loaded with such angst.

One of the best aspects of the album is the use of a variety of different instrumentation, from guitar to strings to synth and piano. Also, Hynes has been able to draw a balance between straight folk and more rock oriented music, meaning that this album will be able to please people on both sides of the coin. Most of the songs on this album are exceptional, yet at some points I feel as though Hynes looses a slight bit of uniqueness, mostly on the so called "filler" songs. They work within the album, but as stand alone songs seem quite useless and less unique. You can definitely pick them out easily.

Overall I think that this is a great album from a talented singer/songwriter. Once again, no songs on Project Playlist, so you'll have to check out "There's Nothing Underwater", "Dead Head Blues", "Faculty of Fears", and "The Big Guns of Highsmith" on your own.

* Yet to break up the monotony, I have posted the single from the Broken Bells named "The High Road". The full album, which is created by producer Danger Mouse and The Shins singer James Mercer becomes available early March. Enjoy.

Field Music- Measure

2010-02-20T09:57:00.001-08:00

After five years of crafting music that has not really being hugely successful, Field Music has finally landed a hit with the new 2010 release of the album Measure. Up until this album, I really haven't listened to any of Field Music's songs, and if you're like me, this is a perfect opportunity to get into the band. On this new album, Field Music crafts a variety of creative and unique Independent Rock songs, most of which feature interesting instrument usage and are accompanied by great vocals and musical hooks.

The Independent Trio from England draws influence from quite a few bands, and is able to distill bands like The Futureheads, The New Pornographers and Of Montreal into an eclectic and quite interesting blend of music. One of the best things that comes from this creative blend is that Field Music only really takes the good aspects of these bands, meaning that, for instance, you might get vocals similar to Of Montreal, yet without the inherent overt strangeness of the band. This happens across the board with a whole range of influences, yet this does not mean that Field Music's new album is just a collection of songs based off of other bands works. Rather, Field Music is able to improve on each of these influences and add their own twists to tired and true Independent Rock concepts, adding different guitar effects and electronic beats throughout their songs.

In my opinion Measure will become a staple of 2010 Independent Music, and Field Music, if they continue this trend, will be able to become even more successful in the coming years. A lot of this success comes from Field Music's ability to combine strange and unique music with creative hooks and rhythms. Measure is art-pop that makes your foot tap and Independent Rock with just enough normality to appeal to a wide range audience. In many ways, Field Music treads the fine line between strange experimental music and more traditional structures, and treading the line certainly pays off. Field Music's Measure is definitely a critical album showcasing an up and coming Independent band that you would be foolish to miss out on.

Best Tracks: "Let's Write a Book", "Them That Do Nothing", "Each Time is A New Time", "Measure"
(None of these tracks are posted on Project Playlist, but some are on Myspace and Youtube)

The Sad Little Stars

2010-02-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

The Sad Little Stars is a band I recently stumbled across while aimlessly trolling through iTunes. The band comes from Brooklyn, New York and released their first CD in 2002, followed five years later by the superb album The Stop Motion Breakdown.
The Sad Little Stars specialize in New Wave art-pop, utilizing experimental song structures and instrumentation to create a unique sound. Also, as their name suggests, The Sad Little Stars often foray into Space Rock and many of their songs have either space oriented themes or space references. Much of their songs use synths and other electronic instrumentation to create a lush, yet sometimes sparse sound.
One of the main reasons that I like this band is that the songs are interesting and unique, but also simple. They don't expressly rely on hard hitting guitar riffs or manic electronic beats, rather they are quite calm and expressive, except for the more upbeat and exciting songs. Some of their songs actually sound like floating through outer space, yet most have a more terrestrial driving sound. These songs are also quite interesting, and together they show the wide range that The Sad Little Stars are capable of.
The Sad Little Stars is one of the more unique yet somehow quite underground artists that are currently making music. It is sad that many people, even inside of the Independent world have very little exposure to the band, so I ask you to go and check this band out. Their is a lot more I could say, but I'd rather you just experience The Sad Little Stars without too much editorializing from me. Especially check out songs "I Don't Know", "Hey Firefly", "I Do Better, Electronics", "This is What Their Calling Punk Rock?", and "Nothing Ever Happens When You're Gone"

Also, none of these songs are on Project Playlist, so you can enjoy the Valentine's List for a little bit longer

A Valentines "Love" Playlist

2010-02-11T12:34:00.001-08:00

Admit it. As much as we all enjoy Valentines day SO SO much (note the sarcasm) very few people, especially those in the young adult demographic, actually can truly associate with the unbridled passion and cheesy love of Valentine's day. It always has seemed to me that Valentine's day doesn't really mean much, unless you're married in crazy in love, and those of us who do not fall into either of these categories can not relate. Anybody who does say they can relate are absolute liars. At any rate, I do not despise the idea of "love" and relationships, I just don't feel that many young people honestly experience the true feelings that are supposed to be combined with this nice little made up holiday. But, enough of my feelings towards this holiday, lets get to the music.

I've made a playlist that incorporates a few Independent Love songs, but mostly those that I feel capture real emotion, not fake giddy overwrought passionate "love". Thus, I have included songs like Kissing the Lipless and Geraldine (which is quite metaphorical, its not actually about a social worker), which both are love songs about a broken relationship. I've also included some fairly normal love songs like Sing (recently featured on The Office) Passenger Seat and Cold December.

After that though we get into my more favorite songs. These are for those of you who are looking for a little bit of a different type of "love" song. I've included songs about intense obsession (I Want You So Bad I Can't Breathe), intense longing (West Coast), huge indecision (Think I'm in Love), drama-type epic love (We Both Go Down Together), and also strange "love" songs such as Gravity's Rainbow. For those of you feeling sarcastic to the whole "love" idea, please check out I Don't Believe You by The Magnetic Fields. Please enjoy this Valentines "love" playlist, and feel free to incorporate these songs into your little Valentines day.

-Kissing the Lipless- The Shins
-Geraldine- Glasvegas
-Sing- Travis
-Passenger Seat- Death Cab for Cutie
-Gravity's Rainbow- Klaxons
-Cold December- Matt Costa
-There Is a Light That Never Goes Out- The Smiths
- We Both Go Down Together- The Decemberists
- Think I'm In Love- Beck
- I Don't Believe You- The Magnetic Fields
- West Coast- Coconut Records
- I Want You So Bad I Can't Breathe- Ok Go

Hey Marseilles

2010-02-08T19:05:00.000-08:00

While I prepare for the Valentine's "Love" Playlist, I have decided that I will briefly discuss a band that I have recently began listening to, and is pretty awesome, and an absolute joy to listen to. That band is Hey Marseilles.

Hey Marseilles has released one album, To Travels and Trunks and has established themselves with a high energy, yet startlingly unique sound. Hey Marseilles comes across as a next generation version of The Decemberists, using a variety of non-traditional instrumentation and spinning songs about travelling, longing and Latin American love. All of their songs have a new and fun style to them, and Hey Marseilles tends to rely on accordions and trumpets more than normal instruments like guitar and even piano. One of the things that I love the most about this band is that each of their songs seem to tell a story, and also make me want to jump on a ship and sail to Brazil. Not only are all of their songs very idealistic and exciting, but the singer seems to be absolutely in to his music. I find it interesting that even when I'm listening to Hey Marseilles songs in my headphones, the lead singer seems to be having alot of fun. Watch the band live on Youtube, because they all seem to be having a blast while they are playing their music. Because of this, Hey Marseilles tends to seem like an incredibly honest and exciting band. Most importantly of all, they seem to be having fun! Not only are they having fun, but being a listener is equally as fun and enjoyable.

If you are trying to clear away some of the winter blues and just want to get away, I would definitely check out Hey Marseilles. Songs such as "Rio" and "Cannonball" while bring you to exotic locations and almost travel the world from the comfort of your own home. If Hey Marseilles keeps it up, they may be a huge Indie powerhouse in the next decade, especially in the Baroque Pop category. Unfortunately, Hey Marseilles is not on Project Playlist, so I have posted their Myspace Link.

http://www.myspace.com/heymarseilles

Indie Rock of the 1990's

2010-01-31T19:15:00.000-08:00

Reviewing The Magnetic Fields last week got me thinking about Independent Rock from the 1990's. If you think that the 90's was just about Pop Music and boy bands, then this post is definitely for you, because it is during this decade that Independent Rock began to become what it is today. Indie Rock was a bit different back then than it is now, with most of the bands been completely separated from the mainstream, unlike now when the line between indie and mainstream is quite blurred. 90's Indie Rock is unique because its main musical movement was a style known as Lo-Fi which gained popularity and then faded out within the decade. 1990's Independent Rock is interesting to listen to, and includes some very interesting bands. 90's Independent Rock was largely defined by the Lo-Fi movement. In short, this means that the Indie music of the 1990's had a slightly lower production value than a traditional band. This is largely due to the usage of cassette tapes and other alternative recording devices throughout the decade. Many different bands took very different spins of the idea of Lo-Fi movement. Some bands decided to completely wash out their music with feedback such as Hum, while others such as Modest Mouse and Neutral Milk Hotel used the idea of Lo-Fi to give their songs a more "authentic" feel. One of the more defining features of the sub-genre is that usually the voice of the lead singer is different or lesser than expected, as is seen with some of the bands on the playlist which have very unique vocal artists that were considered revolutionary for the time period. Independent Rock in the 1990's strove to be different than mere alternative music, which was breaking into the mainstream and becoming less and less "alternative". Independent Music began to become an alternative to the alternative, and thus did not gain nearly as much popular success as modern Independent Rock bands. Another side effect of the newly emerging definition of Indie Rock was that their weren't nearly as many Indie bands as their are today, and without the Internet, many bands never really became that big because of the lack of advertising that they could effectively finance. Many 90's Independent Rock bands became big only in the 2000's, as more people became interested in the Independent Rock scene and researched some of the forerunners of the genre. The experimental nature of many of the Independent Lo-Fi bands meant that many of the more talented bands come and went quite easily. The death of the Lo-Fi movement as the main Independent music style started in the late 1990's. Although Lo-Fi had been quite popular throughout the decade, many bands began "cleaning up" their sound and working with more complicated and cleaner instrumentation. One of the most endearing qualities of the Lo-Fi movement was the unconventional vocal techniques, as is seen by Neutral Milk Hotels 1998 album In The Aeroplane Over the Sea. The final blow to the Lo-Fi movement actually ended up being another Independent Rock movement, the Post-Punk Revival. With the new influences on music, many of the 1990's Independent Rock bands began changing their sound, ensuring that bands such as The Flaming Lips, Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, and The Magnetic Fields survived into the next decade. Many other bands didn't though, and some of the most popular Independent Rock bands of the decade either completely disbanded or moved on to other projects, ending bands such as Neutral Milk Hotel, Pavement, Hum, Sebadoh and a few others. Although many Independent Rock fans were sad to leave Lo-Fi behind, during the late 90's other bands were beginning to experiment with new sounds and during the first few years of the decade, Lo-Fi still was used by a few bands, such as The Dandy Warhols 2000 album Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia. Death Cab for Cutie had begun releasing albums at this time, and other bands were beginning to work with electronic influences and Post-Punk influences while others where working reviving Garage Band-type music. The 1990's remains a curious time in Independent Rock music. Very little of the Lo-Fi movement survives in its original form today, yet the 1990's was more than influential in the future of Independent Rock music. It provided a starting point for some of the best bands of the decade, many of them going through their original "teething" during this experimental decade. More importantly though, the 1990's really defined what Independent Rock truly is, the alternative to nearly every other music genre that their is. Thus, the 1990's paved the way for modern Independent Rock.
INDIE ROCK OF THE 1990's PLAYLIST
- In the Aeroplane Over the Sea- Neutral Milk Hotel
- She Don't Use Jelly- The Flaming Lips
- Dramamine- Modest Mouse
- Stereo- Pavement
- Autumn Sweater- Yo La Tengo
- Teenage FBI- Guided By Voices
- Stars- Hum
- Pictures In an Exhibition- Death Cab for Cutie
- Car- Built to Spill
-I Think I Need a New Heart- The Magnetic Fields

Triple Review: The Magnetic Fields, Spoon, and Los Campesinos!

2010-01-28T18:44:00.000-08:00

THE MAGNETIC FIELDS- REALISM

I have to give The Magnetic Fields a lot of respect. After 20 years of being a band, they still have a knack for producing extremely good music. Stephen Merritt does most of the work, including singing in his deep melodic baritone voice and this album showcases why The Magnetic Fields is one of the best Independent bands since the 1990's. This album is quite a bit more stripped down than the earlier Distortion, which I think is pretty good. While this album may not be my favorite from The Magnetic Fields, it certainly is a good album, with tracks like "You Must Be Out of Your Mind" and "From a Sinking Ship" being obvious stand outs. The main fault of this album may be that The Magnetic Fields are starting to show their age. They remain one of the last true Lo-Fi leftovers from the 1990's, and this album continues that tradition. This becomes a problem because Lo-Fi is largely out of fashion, and their is little market for such a deep voice as Merritt's. The key to this album, however, is not necessarily the music or the singing, but the lyrics, with always tend to be my favorite part of songs by The Magnetic Fields. I like this album because I consider myself a Magnetic Fields fan, and its great to see Stephen Merritt cranking out more witty and depressing music for his loyal fans. I doubt that this album will win any new converts for The Magnetic Fields, but will undoubtedly please the true fans of this somewhat historical and iconic band. But, please don't let that stop you from checking out the album, because if you want to become a Magnetic Fields fan, I think that this is a pretty good album to start off on.

Consensus: Good album, especially for a previous fan of The Magnetic Fields.

SPOON- TRANSFERENCE

Spoon released one of my favorite albums in 2005. This album, Gimme Fiction, is one of the coolest and most classy albums that I have ever listened too. The album includes songs that I love to listen to when I'm wearing a suit coat, going to a party, or just want to feel cool. It even includes one of my personal theme songs, "My Mathematical Mind". Unfortunately, Spoon has yet to release an album that really builds on that awesomeness. The most recent album before this one (Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga) was a bit of a downward slump for me (even though I really like "Don't You Evah") and this newest album Transference does not improve one bit. Transference is an album that seems as though it should have been an early version of Spoon just testing the waters, instead of the Spoon that has crafted such great songs as "I Turn My Camera On". This album includes none of the driving piano and insane catchiness of Gimme Fiction but rather just seems to be half done. Sure, Transference has a few good moments (the song "Got Nuffin"), but for the most part, it is boring and not very well produced. This is unfortunate for me, and I have been trying to figure out what really went wrong with this band. Honestly, I just think that Transference was a misstep for the band, and will be remembered as the Spoon album that wasn't nearly as good as their other albums. I would not buy the whole album, and maybe only one or two of the new songs, but this Spoon album really has nothing to offer.

Consensus: Not a good album. Has one or two good songs, but mostly doesn't offer much.

LOS CAMPESINOS!- ROMANCE IS BORING
I'm not really sure exactly what to think of this album by Los Campesinos. This new album is quite a bit more depressing than the previous albums and it seems as though the leader singers voice has strangely changed. Also, gone is the maniac energy and overall quirky strangeness of Hold On Now, Youngster. It almost seems as though this is a completely different band, but its not, because nobody else has a name like Los Campesinos. I've listened to a few tracks off the album and have slowly come to the conclusion that if this is the future of Los Campesinos, they will largely be regarded as a one album wonder. This is really quite unfortunate, but is really not altogether too surprising. Listening to a few songs off previous albums show that this band would have been hard pressed to truly compete with their previous work, however that is no need to become ultra-depressed and moody. I am passing on this Los Campesinos album with a sad regret that they may not really ever return to the brilliance of Hold On Now Youngster. Oh well, at least I still have "You! Me! Dancing!" to listen to.

Consensus: Not the Los Campesinos from previous albums. Skip this new song and listen to their old stuff.

Also, I am getting quite annoyed with Project Playlist because they seem to never have new Independent songs when I need to post them. I've posted the best song off the new Spoon album, but can't find any of the new songs from The Magnetic Fields and Los Campesinos.

Review: Ok Go- Of The Blue Color Of The Sky

2010-01-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

Before you ever listen to this new Ok Go album, forget everything you previously knew about this band. Of The Blue Color Of The Sky is a complete revamp of the Ok Go sound that was heard on the first two albums. Although that may seem like a bad idea, just give the album a chance, because it is a brilliant album that doesn't even sound like the Ok Go that danced on treadmills, but is a much smarter, interesting listening experience.

Ok Go was heading down a dead end. The previous album, Oh No, was a very good album in its own right, but didn't leave much room for musical improvement. Oh No's unique brand of pop-rock did not give Ok Go the ability to really improve on their sound, and if they had stayed with their previous sound, this album would have been just another run through of Oh No, which, though enjoyable, probably would have started a downward spiral for the band. Also, Oh No's success largely depending on the viral marketing of the Youtube video for "Here It Goes Again." Viral marketing does not work twice.

But Ok Go has proved to be an incredibly smart band. Realizing that a replication of Oh No would largely be unsuccessful at continuing to secure a fan base, Ok Go rather has changed up their sound and created Of The Blue Color Of The Sky, which is an album that relies on a whole set of influences that range from Prince to The Flaming Lips. The new album may not satisfy fans of "Here It Goes Again", but it does provide a musical outlet for Ok Go. With this album, Ok Go has created room to grow and to experiment, thus solidifying their musical output for the decade.

Personally, I think that this album is quite brilliant. The album is more satisfying to Independent Rock fans than any other demographic group, because it is largely an album of Ok Go experimenting with new techniques and musical tools. It proves to me that even though Ok Go is signed to Capital Records, they are an Indie band at heart. Thus, I believe that this album has alot more depth than previous albums, Oh No in particular. One of the noticeable features of this album is not only its very experimental nature, but also that it focuses more on the guitar parts and also on the lead singer, Damian Kulash. On the previous album, I felt as though the lead singer was just spitting out words to accompany the fast paced music of the songs, but in this one, the lyrics actually mean things, and we can really hear the range of the Kulash. I think that the songs on this album are quite a bit longer lasting than previous albums, and the album isn't focused primarily around one hit like Oh No was. Each song also delivers something a little different into the equation, and no two songs sound exactly the same. This is a huge upgrade form Oh No where five or six of the songs were pretty much interchangeable. Some especially brilliant songs are "Needing/Getting" and the positive upbeat song "This Too Shall Pass." The only real problem of this album, is sometimes it is mixed too much, and the distortion drowns out some of the band, but this can be fixed in later albums.

Its hard for me to judge which of the three Ok Go albums I like more, because this one is such a significant difference from the first two. However, as of this point, I am liking Of The Blue Color Of The Sky quite a bit more. I really enjoy this experimental version of Ok Go, so I think that this album is pretty awesome. If you aren't really sold on it after listening to a few songs, give it a chance, because these songs really grow on you. This new direction is a good one for Ok Go, and is one that will allow them to keep experimenting and release good music throughout the decade.

-My Favorite Songs: "This Too Shall Pass" , "Needing/Getting" , " I Want You So Bad I Can't Breathe", "White Knuckles", "Skyscrapers" and "Back From Katmandu". Once again, Project Playlist only has one of these songs, so it looks like you get to listen to Vampire Weekend for a little more

Review: Vampire Weekend- Contra

2010-01-19T16:50:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago, Vampire Weekend released their second album, Contra. This is the follow up of the critically acclaimed self-titled debut Vampire Weekend from 2008. This album follows closely the sound of the first album, and continues to create a unique mixture of African beats, Reggae infusion and traditional Independent Rock constructions. I enjoy this new CD, and though I am always wary of the infamous "sophomore slump", I believe that Vampire Weekend has been able to avoid massive failure in this second CD.

Vampire Weekend was very smart with the type of music they have put on this album. Many bands with extremely successful debut albums fall into the trap of trying to recreate the original album, usually resulting in a failure. However, VW has opted to try to improve their sound, instead of recreating the debut album blow-by-blow.

The bulk of this album has a more mellow sound than the original, and seems to be more relaxed than the original album, this has a variety of odd effects on the band. First of all, the production on this album seems slightly looser than the first album, many times causing songs to break into manic drum beats or odd vocal tricks. This has the desired effect of showing the more "mature" version of Vampire Weekend, and fits in well with the album. The album also feels more relaxed than the first, with songs like Horchata and White Sky being perfect example.

One major difference in this album is that the two major influences on Vampire Weekend's sound seem quite a bit more polarized. Critical reviews of the first album praised it for its mixture of afro-beats, island rhythms and influence of bands such as The Strokes. On Contra, many times you either get one or the other. Songs like Cousins definitely show off the indie-pop version of VW, while most of the other songs are more geared towards the island/afro-pop influence that has been perfected by Vampire Weekend. This means that on Contra there are less songs that sound like "A-Punk", "Campus", or "Bryn" and much more that sound like "M79" or "The Kids Don't Stand A Chance." Personally, I find this fact slightly disappointing, but not enough for me to dislike the whole album. Also, Vampire Weekend has choosen to do a little work with electronic beats, which play well in the few songs that they are used in, but it is my hope that they do not begin to overwhelm the other auxiliary instrumental parts in future releases.

In conclusion, Contra is a pretty solid sophomore record from Vampire Weekend. It capitalizes on what made the first album such a joy and has shown that they can mature and adapt their unique sound. The main flaws of this album is that at times it is a little too carefree and gets wrapped up a little too much in the island drum beats and focuses a little less on the guitar and extra instrumentation for my taste. In my opinion, I think that the debut album is slightly better than Contra, but this new album proves that Vampire Weekend isn't just a one-album wonder in the Independent Music world, but that they will be producing great music for years to come. Contra is a good album to listen to and has started off this year quite well and further proves that Vampire Weekend is one of the best bands that are currently releasing music today.

MY FAVORITES: "Cousins", "Holiday", "White Sky", "Giving Up the Gun", "Horchata". Unfortunately though, Project Playlist (which where I post all the music from) does not have alot of the songs off of this CD, so I've posted the ones they do have (Cousins, White Sky, Horchata), and also some of my favorite Vampire Weekend songs from the last album.

Best of the Decade #1- Benjamin Gibbard/Death Cab for Cutie/The Postal Service

2010-01-19T16:21:00.001-08:00

It was very hard for me to narrow down all sorts of great artists, sub-genre’s and record companies and decide on a number one slot. But after careful consideration, I have decided that singer/songwriter Benjamin Gibbard wins the number one slot for quite a few reasons. Gibbard epitomizes an Indie Rock success story from this decade, growing from a small time solo artist to a singer/producer/musician that has been nominated for Grammy Awards and has influenced the development of contemporary Independent Rock on multiple levels. Gibbard has aided with the increasing quality and popularization of Independent Music and has pioneered the marketing and production of Independent Rock and in many ways has defined Independent Music through the decade with the constant success of his two main bands, Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service.
Benjamin Gibbard’s musical projects first began in the early 1990’s with his two projects ¡All-Time Quarterback! and Death Cab for Cutie. At the time, Gibbard was working as the guitarist for the Independent Rock band Pinwheel and both projects where largely solo, and only regarded as off-shoots of his major work with Pinwheel. Eventually Gibbard released an album with both of the bands; however the release from Death Cab for Cutie (titled You Can Play These Songs With Chords) proved to be surprisingly successful, convincing Gibbard to drop ¡All-Time Quarterback! and instead focus on Death Cab for Cutie, expanding the band to full instrumentation and beginning to work on a second CD.
Death Cab began recording in 1997 and released the new album, Something About Airplanes in 1998. The album included some remastered versions of songs heard on the You Can Play These Songs With Chords and was relatively well received by Independent Rock circles. Death Cab for Cutie at this time was still a largely underground band, and was eclipsed by the spacey experimentation of other Independent bands of the 1990’s. Although the first two Death Cab albums received moderate success, the next decade would bring them much more success.
The first year of the decade would prove extremely successful for Death Cab for Cutie. In mid-2000 they released a new album, titled We Have The Facts And We Are Voting Yes which was a huge success in Independent Rock circles. The new album showed a new and more mature direction for the fledging band, with Gibbard writing more emotionally charged songs and augmenting his vocals with strange and often times minimalist instrumentation. This album is generally considered to be one of the best Independent albums of all time, and put Death Cab on the map. In another year, Death Cab released a fourth album titled The Photo Album. This record showed the increasing versatility of the band and began influencing rising Independent Rock bands to use a similar pattern of plaintive vocals and often times ambiguous musical accompaniment.
Death Cab for Cutie was not slowing down, and in 2003 released the excellent Transatlanticism, one of the most haunting and successful Independent Rock albums of the decade. This new album met critical praise and is often regarded as Death Cab’s best album. I enjoy this album the most because I believe that it showcases what makes Death Cab such a great a successful band. It draws a balance between outright depressing and uplifting music, and every single song is brilliant, both vocally and musically. The album is epic in its scale, and creates sweeping soundscapes and moods. The next year, Death Cab for Cutie signed to Atlantic Records and later released the equally brilliant Plans, which can be regarded as the musical sequel to Transatlanticism. Plans is more polished than Transatlanticism and is structured more to accommodate melodious music than the previous album was. Both albums represent the best work by Death Cab, and show why they have such universal appeal in and out of contemporary Independent circles. Death Cab followed up Plans with the album Narrow Stairs, which focused more on traditional rock structures than the soundscape ideas of the earlier two albums.
Although Death Cab for Cutie may be Gibbard’s most easily recognizable work, he has had much more influence with his side project The Postal Service, which released their only album Give Up in 2003. The Postal Service is an Independent Electronic album, and has completely redefined the idea of Synth-based electronic rock. The album Give Up is brilliant, and is more singularly successful than any one of Death Cab for Cutie’s CDs. The Postal Service shows off Gibbard’s versatility, and is the vehicle that has allowed him to influence a huge amount of Electronic rock. If you don’t believe me on the influence of The Postal Service, just look at the Top 10 downloaded songs on iTunes, where the copycat band Owl City has been holding a top spot forever. Many other brilliant bands have stemmed from the pioneering work done by Gibbard and The Postal Service.
It is important to note that Benjamin Gibbard is the moving force behind both of these bands, each of which has influenced their niche in music more than others. Gibbard is a genius at gaining mass appeal from many different audiences, as is seen from Death Cab for Cutie’s widespread success. While the average alternative music listener can find some Death Cab songs that they enjoy, the Independent Rock fan can enjoy many of their more Independent works. By considering this, Benjamin Gibbard has done a lot for acceptance of Independent Rock and has paved the way for many other wonderful artists to create music that is accessible for all people, but especially Independent Rock.
And so that is why I choose Benjamin Gibbard for the number one slot. No other artists have aided in the opening up of Independent Rock, and few other artists have had such an influence on future artists. Beyond these reasons, Gibbard has crafted some of the best songs that have been released this decade, and epitomizes the Independent Rock success story. Few other bands have gone from an indecisive solo project to a widely accepted Independent Rock band.
Thanks for reading this countdown; I hope that I’ve been able to run you through some of the best acts of the decade. There were tons of great Independent acts this decade, and I’m sure their will be many this decade. Keep reading my blog, I enjoy having visitors, because in case you haven’t noticed their have been some major releases these past few weeks, and I’m just dying to tell you what I think of them.

Benjamin Gibbard/Death Cab for Cutie/The Postal Service Playlist

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

- Marching Bands of Manhattan- Plans

- A Movie Script Ending- The Photo Album

- 405- We Have the Facts And We're Voting Yes

- The Sound of Settling- Transatlanticism

- I Was a Kaleidoscope- The Photo Album

- Transatlanticism- Transatlanticism

- Crooked Teeth- Plans

- Passenger Seat- Transatlanticism

- Bixby Canyon Bridge- Narrow Stairs

- Company Calls- We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes

THE POSTAL SERVICE

- The District Sleeps Alone- Give Up

- Sleeping In- Give Up

- Nothing Better- Give Up

BENJAMIN GIBBARD SOLO

- You Remind Me Of Home- Home Vol. 5

Best of the Decade #2- Radiohead (especially In Rainbows)

2010-01-18T10:56:00.000-08:00

Over the decade, very few bands have been as consistently experimental and brilliant as Radiohead. Radiohead has been around since the 1990's, but starting with the turn of the century has been in a constant state of experimentation and creativity, producing some of the greatest records of the decade that individually have rarely been surpassed by any other band in the Independent Rock world. Radiohead does not conform to any well established sub-genre. Some critics have described them as "post-alternative" meaning that they have extended and redefined the alternative sound, however the best sub-genre I have found to describe Radiohead is the rather vague sub-genre of Experimental Rock. For being consistently brilliant as well as producing some of the most expansive and abstract music of the decade, Radiohead wins the number 2 slot on this countdown.
Radiohead started in the early 1990's but did not receive initial success. Radiohead originally worked with producers Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade to create the song "Creep" for their debut album Pablo Honey. The song incited negative critical attention and was back listed on BBC. Although the single did not gain success in Britain, it received acclaim and radioplay in both Israel and the United States. Suddenly, Pablo Honey became a huge success, and caused Radiohead to gain both critical acclaim and to perform almost 150 concerts. With the success of Pablo Honey Radiohead released a second album, The Bends in 1995. This new CD did not gain the success of the previous album, and only peaked at number 88 on the United States album charts.
After the modest success of The Bends, Radiohead returned to the recording studio to begin working on new songs for an upcoming album. This recording was very relaxed, with the band recording at all hours of the day, in separate rooms, often times after listen to older bands such as The Beatles. The new CD OK Computer became showing the shift in Radiohead's sound. Instead of focusing expressly on traditional alternative rock constructions, Radiohead experimented with new ambiance and electronic effects, creating a new textured sound that would define Radiohead's music into the next decade. Ok Computer gained tremendous critical success, much to the surprise of lead singer Thom Yorke.
After Ok Computer, Radiohead returned once again to the recording studio, but tensions were high in the band. Thom Yorke was having problems with depression and was experiencing a lack of song ideas, leading to a more abstract and fragmented writing style than earlier CD's. During this time Radiohead almost broke up, but succeed in producing the album Kid A which was nominated for quite a few awards, yet caused hatred from Independent Rock circles, which despised the album for the difficulty many people had in understanding the music, due to the abstract and fractured style. Although many critics disliked this style at the time, it became a trademark of Radiohead throughout the decade, and the trend was continued on the follow up CD's Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief.
In 2007 Radiohead began releasing the CD In Rainbows which in my estimation is one of the best albums of the decade. The album was originally released on the Internet only, but was eventually released physically in the UK and USA where it received critical praise. The album reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart within a week of its release and received the award for Best Alternative Album of the Year at the 51st Grammy Awards. This praise is well deserved. In Rainbows is a stylistically brilliant piece of musical art. By using non-traditional constructions and abstract lyrics, Radiohead was able to produce a CD which really does not conform to any other album of the decade. In Rainbows exists largely on its own terms and is a CD that is more of an experience to listen to. Just listen to a few tracks from this album, and you'll see how brilliant the song writing is. The lush instrumentation augments the odd song writing, and each song is a trip to a strange abstract world that Thom Yorke is trying to produce. In Rainbows solidifies Radiohead's dominance in experimental rock, and makes this number 2 slot very well deserved. Radiohead is one of the very best alternative rock acts of this decade without any doubt.
I hope you enjoy some of my favorite Radiohead tracks, and check back soon, because I am about to write up my pick for Best of the Decade, a singer/songwriter who has gone from an underground solo act to a Grammy Award nominated artist, and has been able to redefine the Independent Rock sound on multiple levels.
RADIOHEAD PLAYLIST
- Weird Fishes- In Rainbows

- House of Cards- In Rainbows

- Jigsaw Falling Into Place- In Rainbows

- 15 Step- In Rainbows

- Everything In Its Right Place- Kid A

- There, There- Hail to the Thief

- 2 + 2 = 5 -Hail to the Thief

- Cuttooth- Knives Out- EP

- Idioteque- Kid A

- I Might Be Wrong- Amnesiac

Best of the Decade #3- Post-Punk Revival

2010-01-16T11:44:00.000-08:00

Number 3 on this countdown is Post-Punk Revival, which constitutes what I believe to be the most influential Independent Rock movement of the decade. You might remember quite a few mentions of the post-punk revival back when I posted on Interpol, and might have been slightly confused as to why I kept mentioning it, but never fear loyal readers, I'll give you a crash course on this hugely influential movement.
It might be important to realize what post-punk was originally so you can understand what is being revived. Well the post-punk sub-genre began in the mid 1980's and became really popular near the late 1980's. It consisted of bands that took standard rock constructions and added their own special brand of music, usually by adding artistic based themes and complicated musical structures. Also, post-punk bands were usually darker than normal bands at the time, and usually sang songs with themes about death and isolation that were generally not covered to the same amount of depth as contemporary bands. Some well known post-punk bands are The Smiths, Joy Division, Sonic Youth, The Cure and Echo & The Bunnymen. These bands were some of the first Independent Rock acts, but the genre of Post-Punk really lost steam in the 1990's, giving way to the Independent Sub-Genre's of Post-Rock, Lo-Fi and Space Rock.
The term post-punk started to make an appearance at the turn of the century as certain bands began bringing back some of the musical qualities of the original post-punk bands. One of these that I have already mentioned is Interpol, which had a huge effect on the post-punk revival movement. At the early part of this decade, quite a few post-punk revival bands began cropping up and making huge impacts on the Independent Rock music scene. At the same time, other already established bands were beginning to take influence from some of the earlier Post-Punk bands, especially bands like Modest Mouse and Death Cab for Cutie, which each started to incorporate sounds from Pixies and Sonic Youth, respectively. Some of these first post-punk revival bands were The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Bloc Party, and Interpol. All of these bands pioneered the post-punk revival movement and helped gain critical attention to this new development of Independent Rock. In my opinion these first-wave Post-Punk Revivalists constitute some of the best bands that have emerged during the decade, each of them having a unique sound that has influenced Independent Rock of the 2000's in a drastic way.
Around the middle of the 2000's, the Post-Punk Revival started to die off again, partially because of a lack of album releases from the major Post-Punk Revival bands and also the fact that some of the original bands began modifying their sound, some prime examples being The Killers and Franz Ferdinand. However, at this time the second wave of the Post-Punk Revival began. The major difference between this wave and the first is that during this time, emerging bands opted to incorporate electronic and dance influence, creating a new mixture of Post-Punk and dance music, examples of which are Tokyo Police Club and Klaxons. Also at this time, some major British bands were beginning to get into the Post-Punk Revival scene, such as The Arctic Monkeys and The Kaiser Cheifs. Also during this second wave, bands began to release music influenced by the first wave bands, most notably being bands such as Editors and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, each gaining influence from important and influential original Post-Punk Revival Bands. This second wave of Post-Punk revival continues on to this day, however it is starting to lose a slight bit of steam, mostly due to the same problems that plagued the first wave.
I have placed the Post-Punk Revival at such a high spot on my list because it constitutes probably the most influential movement of Independent Music of the decade. Their are very few Independent Rock bands that can state that they have not either been influenced by Post-Punk Revival bands, or the original Post-Punk bands. Of course, Post-Punk Revival has not been the only important Independent movement of the century, yet it is the most important. Most of the Post-Punk Revival bands constitute my favorite music, and the amount of bands influenced by these Independent musicians are staggering. Next time you listen to Independent Music, it is a safe bet to assume that you are listening to either a Post-Punk Revival band, or a band that has been heavily influenced by them. But as I said before, not every band has been influenced by the Post-Punk Revival, as we will see with #2 on the count down, which is a band that can only be truly described under one category: experimental.
POST PUNK REVIVAL PLAYLIST (Sorry, no Interpol, check my earlier posts)
- Smile Like You Mean It- The Killers

- Take Me Out- Franz Ferdinand

- Reptilia- The Strokes

- And End Has a Start- Editors

- I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor- Arctic Monkeys

- Be Good- Tokyo Police Club

- Y Control- Yeah Yeah Yeahs

- It's Not Over Yet- Klaxons

- I Predict a Riot- Kaiser Cheifs

- All These Things That I've Done- The Killers

- Helicopter- Bloc Party

- House of Jealous Lovers- The Rapture

Best of the Decade #4- Modest Mouse

2010-01-14T12:59:00.000-08:00

Modest Mouse is one of the most successful Independent Rock bands of the 2000's and throughout the decade has been able to craft a large collection of songs and albums that have received overwhelming commercial and critical success. Modest Mouse started the decade with the superb album The Moon & Antarctica and continued to produce excellent albums since then. For the quality of music as well as the overwhelming success that Modest Mouse has had, they have received my number 4 slot on the countdown.
Modest Mouse began releasing music in 1994 with the EP album Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect? followed two years later by the sprawling and brilliant album This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About. Critics praised this album for the completely unique vocal style of frontman Isaac Brock as well as the complex and intricate instrumentation. The album focused tremendously on isolation, loneliness, and the oppressiveness of urban life. The album as well as its lead song "Dramamine" became staples of 90's Independent Rock. Only two years after this album, Modest Mouse released The Lonesome Crowded West an album which attracted the attention of quite a few major labels and started an all-out bidding war to sign Modest Mouse. At the time, the band was experiencing financial troubles and decided to sign to Epic Records just before the start of the decade.
Modest Mouse's first record of the decade was The Moon & Antarctica released in 2000. This album expanded on the strange, yet lush sound that Modest Mouse had been cultivating for the last four years, but production was somewhat marred mid-way through when Isaac Brock broke his jawbone. Still, the album contained a variety of successful songs and once again was praised for its lyrical stylings as well its expansive instrumentation which played a considerable role in the new album on account for Isaac Brock's jaw injury. The album ended up going gold, and though it was well received by previous Modest Mouse fans, failed to gain the widespread success that Epic had wished when signing Modest Mouse. Personally I love this album, and believe that the lyrical depth has yet to be exceeded by any subsequent Modest Mouse album. The Moon & Antartica for me bridges the gap between old Modest Mouse and new Modest Mouse, and strikes a balance between the older albums and the more contemporary ones.
Modest Mouse spent four years in recording before the next album was released, and the long wait certainly paid off. The album Good News for People Who Love Bad News was released in 2004 to huge commercial and critical success, eventually going platinum. Good News showed a whole new style for Modest Mouse. Although still experimental, this album showed that Modest Mouse could craft songs with significant appeal and balanced their usual off-kilter lyrics and haunting guitar lines with slightly more conventional song styling. In my opinion this is the possible the best Modest Mouse CD, because it combines the good parts of the earlier Modest Mouse albums with some of the more conventional Independent Rock styling. Songs such as Ocean Breathes Salty and The World At Large show off this new balance, both of them being significantly weird and deep, yet also more listenable than quite a few of Modest Mouse's earlier releases. Good News was followed by We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, and album that, though satisfying, seems like a toned down version of Modest Mouse's earlier work. This recent album has quite a few good songs, but never really lives up to previous Modest Mouse albums in terms of lyrical depth or exciting music, often times seeming distilled down.
Modest Mouse is one of the most important bands of the 2000's in terms of Independent and Alternative Rock. They have helped shape the Independent music scene to the way it is today and have been able to gain significant success with their slightly off-kilter music. Modest Mouse is one of my favorite bands and are absolutely awesome when they do what they do best, creating odd and twisted music that gets your mind working.
MODEST MOUSE PLAYLIST
- Ocean Breathes Salty- Good News for People Who Love Bad News

- Gravity Rides Everything- The Moon & Antarctica

- People As Places As People- We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

- The World At Large- Good News for People Who Love Bad News

- Paper Thin Walls- The Moon & Antarctica

- Float On- Good News for People Who Love Bad News

- Little Motel- We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank

- Night On the Sun- Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks

- Tiny Cities Made of Ashes- The Moon & Antarctica

Best of the Decade #5- Sub Pop Records

2010-01-13T09:56:00.000-08:00

Sub Pop is my number 5 pick for the best of the decade, but can really apply for a best of two decade list, because Sup Pop has been working with innovative musical acts since the 1990's, and they are one of the moving forces behind both the Grunge movement as well as the evolution of Independent Rock as we know it today.
Sub Pop was started in the early 1980's as a fan magazine covering underground bands of the day. Eventually its founder, Bruce Pavitt, started releasing compiled tape cassettes of his favorite underground acts. These cassettes included Indie Rock pioneers such as Sonic Youth. It was during this time that Bruce Pavitt was approached to begin distributing music for the growing grunge movement. Eventually Pavitt quit his magazines and began focusing exclusively on releasing music. Pavitt decided to gain press coverage by releasing through British media sources, a tactic that truly paid off when the band Nirvana signed to Sub Pop. The mainstream success of Nirvana as well as other contemporary Sub Pop bands such as Soundgarden made Sub Pop a viable record company. At the same time, Sub Pop was diving into the growing popularity of Independent Music, releasing a variety of important Indie CD's of the 1990's including Neutral Milk Hotels superb In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and Sebadoh's hugely influential Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock.
Unfortunately, Sub Pop ran into difficult financial times when Nirvana left for another label, followed closely by quite a few of the grunge bands that had made Sub Pop successful originally. In these hard times, Sub Pop entered a joint venture with Warner Bros. Records, ending their completely independent status. After this joint venture, founder Bruce Pavitt left the label over a disagreement over the future of the company. Sub Pop tried to invest in new bands and release world wide, but none of these ideas were successful, and they eventually had to scale down and return to Seattle were the company was originally formed.
With the decline of the Grunge movement, Sub Pop began to turn towards Independent music and began looking for new artists that they could release music for. At the same time, Death Cab for Cutie's Benjamin Gibbard was working on an experimental electronic album with Jimmy Tamberello of DNTEL. This joint band, called The Postal Service used Sub Pop for distribution of their material, and the first single ("Such Great Heights") went platinum and the full album (Give Up) went gold giving Sub Pop the revenues that it desperately needed at the time.
With the startingly successful Give Up, Sub Pop began contracting more Independent artists, the most important of these being the Indie Pop band The Shins. The Shins brought a lot of success for Sub Pop and helped them rebuild the monetary and commercial success that it had achieved back in the 1990's. The Shins third album Wincing the Night Away also went gold and in 2008 received another platinum hit with Flight of the Conchords self-titled debut album.
Aside from these large success, Sub Pop has worked with some of the best Independent acts of the 2000's and has released records from underground bands that have become extremely successful. Among some of Sub Pop's best bands are Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, Hot Hot Heat, Iron & Wine, Wolf Parade, Rogue Wave (before they signed to Brushfire Records) and briefly The White Stripes as well as Built to Spill. Other good bands from Sub Pop include The Rapture, Oxford Collapse, No Age and the Helio Sequence.
It is easy to see why Sub Pop is extremely influential in today's Independent Music world. I have picked them for the number 5 slot because they have released quite a few of my favorite albums and have been influential on the underground music scene since the 1980's. Sub Pop has shown an ability to adapt to the future of music and in turn has improved music as a whole over the years it has been releasing albums and will most likely be one step ahead for the next decade as well.
SUB POP RECORDS PLAYLIST
- Such Great Heights- The Postal Service

- New Slang- The Shins

- Sleeping Lessons- The Shins

- The Funeral- Band of Horses

- Goodnight Goodnight- Hot Hot Heat

- Publish My Love- Rogue Wave

- Mykonos- Fleet Foxes

- Boy With a Coin- Iron & Wine

- Keep Your Eyes Ahead- The Helio Sequence

- Eraser- No Age

Best of the Decade #6- Merge Records

2010-01-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

Merge Records is an independent music company based out of North Carolina that has been releasing music since 1992 but has gained huge commercial success in the 2000's on account for the bands that are currently signed to it. This is why Merge Records earns the number 6 slot, they are a small independent music company that has produced not only some of the greatest Independent Rock successes of the 2000's but also some of my favorite bands, including the self titled debut album of Telekinesis, which I consider the best album of 2009.
Merge Records began in the early 1990's as a small time company for the release of music from the band Superchunk, whom the two founding members were a part. Throughout the 1990's Merge gained moderate success from release of Superchunk albums as well as other important Indie Rock bands of the 90's such as Neutral Milk Hotel and The Magnetic Fields. During the 90's Merge was important to the Independent Rock scene as a distributor of music, but really began gaining commercial success in the 2000's especially with the release of Arcade Fire's Neon Bible which was released and gained the #2 slot on the Billboard 200. The success of Arcade Fire proved to be one of the main reasons for Merge's success in the 2000's and their eventual break away from the umbrella company Touch and Go Records.
However, Arcade Fire is not the only band that has helped make Merge Records one of the top Independent music companies of the 2000's. Merge has also been the distributor for the hit band Spoon. Spoon has been with Merge's label for their entire musical career and has gained much success with their exploratory alternative rock. Merge's alternative rock labels have even expanded to European based bands, most notably the Shout Out Louds, and Independent Rock outfit from Sweden.
Merge also has the distinction of being the album label for the folk-rock revivalist M. Ward as well as his off shoot project She & Him, featuring the actor/singer Zooey Deschanel. Further exploring the folk rock side of Independent music, Merge also releases albums for the solo work of Conor Oberst, the singer behind Bright Eyes.
Last year Merge gained a huge success in my books for releasing the debut album of Telekinesis. I won't restate my opinion here about Telekinesis, just read my Best of 2009 post.
And so I hope you can appreciate the good work that Merge has done for the Independent Rock world since their inception in 1992. But if you think that Merge is a great label, coming up next post is another music company that has help release even more of the most successful and influential albums of the 2000's. Stay tuned.
MERGE RECORDS PLAYLIST
- The Way We Get By- Spoon

- No Cars Go- Arcade Fire

- Tonight I Have to Leave It- Shout Out Louds

- Coast of Carolina- Telekinesis

- Chinese Translation- M. Ward

- Cape Canaveral- Conor Oberst

- My Mathematical Mind- Spoon

- Crown of Love- Arcade Fire

- Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want (The Smiths Cover)- She & Him

Best of the Decade #7- Interpol

2010-01-11T16:02:00.000-08:00

Interpol is a New York based [formally] Independent Rock band that started in that late 1990's but gained critical and commercial success in the early 2000's. Interpol bases their sound off of the gloomy post-punk sounds of the late '80's and is one of the most influential band on the post-punk revival movement and in turn a large majority of Independent Rock. Interpol earns the #7 slot on this list not just because their music is incredibly awesome, but because in many ways they have directly and indirectly influenced a large majority of the better Independent Rock acts of the 2000's.
Interpol released their first album Turn on the Bright Lights in 2002 and it was immediately noted the heavy Joy Division influence that was throughout the album. This album gained critical attention and for the most part success, and Interpol's distinct vocal stylings as well as intricate layered guitar tracks proved to be a proven formula for the next two albums they released, the third (Our Love to Admire) being released through Universal Records. With the heavy Joy Division influences, Interpol became one of the first and most well known bands of the rising post-punk revival movement which relied heavily on influences by bands such as Joy Division, The Smiths and Sonic Youth, but I'll get back to that idea at a later date. Interpol was able to bridge the sizable gap between American and British Independent rock that was quite pronounced at the time, gaining critical success on both sides of the Atlantic. With Interpol being one of the first bands to gain popular attention to this Independent Rock sub-genre they paved the way for a slew of bands such as the Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, and Bloc Party; through the influence that these bands had on other musical acts, it would be a fair assumption that Interpol was one of the driving forces behind a variety of musical acts that would spring up throughout the decade.
But enough about the sizable influence of Interpol, they also have a very unique and exciting sound that was pretty revolutionary when it came out, and still remains unique to this day. Turn on the Bright Lights especially pioneered the use of layered guitars and snare tracks and both of these effects make this album especially interesting and revolutionary, if not excessively creepy at times. On later albums, Interpol polished their sound up a little bit to accommodate contemporary tastes in Independent Rock, yet they still had the same musical quality that Turn on the Bright Lights did. Also, Interpol has maintained a knack for creating confusing, ambiguous and often times completely abstract lyrics (see "PDA") to accent their layered sound. I personally enjoy Interpol because they not only have a creative and unique sound, but an urban feel to them that makes their songs especially good. Their is just a quality to their music that makes almost every Interpol song interesting and likable, showing the true quality of their song making skills. Plus, I think it is really cool that they always wear full suits for their concerts.
And so I hope you appreciate Interpol as much as I do, especially because of the influence that they have had over the other Independent Rock bands of the 2000's. Listen to the Interpol playlist and stay tuned for #6 in the Best of the Decade countdown.
INTERPOL PLAYLIST
- Untitled- Turn On the Bright Lights

- Evil- Antics

- PDA- Turn On the Bright Lights

- C'mere- Antics

- Slow Hands- Antics

- Say Hello to The Angels- Turn On the Bright Lights

- Heinrich Maneuver- Our Love to Admire

- Rest My Chemistry - Our Love to Admire

Best of the Decade #8- Independent Acoustic/Folk

2010-01-09T13:46:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, I could not find a good picture to represent Independent Acoustic/Folk, so bear with me anyways.
Between this sub-genre and Canadian Indies, I had a hard time deciding exactly which one to put first on my best of the decade list, but in the end Independent Acoustic/Folk beat out the Canadians by a slight margin. I placed this sub-genre slightly above the other two previous entries due to the brilliance of the songs contained. I think that it is a fair assumption to say that the artists currently producing Independent Folk are some of the best songwriters that are currently producing music.
This sub-genre really began in the late 1990's with the Independent success of bands such as Neutral Milk Hotel. Although the sub-genre began to loose momentum in the early 2000's in favor of the grittier post-punk revival movement, a select group of artists such as Bright Eyes and Iron & Wine where able to gain some respect and validity to the Independent Folk scene. With the rising success rate of contemporary Independent Folk artists, the sub-genre began to expand tremendously, with artists that had before hand been more focused on traditional Indie Rock divulging into Folk-style music, some of the most popular of these being Beck and Death Cab for Cutie.
From the mid-2000's until the end of the decade, the market for these acoustic Independent musicians increased dramatically and many artists began gaining wide-spread success across the Independent world, ensuring that this traditionally less popular movement was able to compete openly with the the more glamorous post-punk revival or post-alternative movements that were occurring almost concurrently.
My list of Independent Folk artists may not be nearly as expansive as a hard core Indie Folk fan, yet these songs are songs that I believe are extremely well written and tend to have a high repetition on my iPod. These are songs that focus on the talent of the singer, and though the music may not be nearly as exciting as other sub-genre's, I think that the sheer talent it takes to create a good Indie Folk song makes this #8 slot very well deserved.
INDEPENDENT ACOUSTIC/FOLK PLAYLIST (note: the song 3 Rounds and a Sound does have one swear in it, I couldn't locate the edited version on Project Playlist, sorry)

- First Day of My Life- Bright Eyes

- Such Great Heights- Iron & Wine

- Chicago (Acoustic)- Sufjan Stevens

- I'd Rather Be With You- Joshua Radin

- 3 Rounds and a Sound- Blind Pilot

- Misread- Kings of Convenience

- White Winter Hymnal- Fleet Foxes

- Boat Song- Ryan Montbleau Band

- Fake Palindromes- Andrew Bird

Best of the Decade: #9- Canadian Indies

2010-01-08T16:22:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite little sub-genre's of the decade is Canadian Independent music. It doesn't necessarily mean that I enjoy Canadian Indies more than the British or American bands, but I think that Canadian Indies have become much more definable in the 2000's than it has in previous decades and for that reason, as well as the sure talent of their artists, they deserve this number 9 slot. Even though Canadian Indies have been relatively unheard of before the decade, a few innovative and experimental musical acts have ensured that Canada can be officially recognized as an Independent Rock powerhouse.
One of the most recognizable and exciting Canadian Indie bands is Arcade Fire. This multi-instrumental baroque pop outfit started in 2003 and since then has been bringing lush and full music to the Indie music world. Recently Arcade Fire has gained more popularity after the song "Wake Up" was used in the preview for the movie Where the Wild Things Are.
But if intricate baroque pop isn't for you, Canada also has given us the brash post-punk revival band Tokyo Police Club. With frenzied song production and creative music writing, Tokyo Police Club has been able to solidify themselves in the Indie Rock of the decade. Not only have they gained acclaim for themselves, they have been able to further show the ground breaking work that is being done North of the USA.
Canada has also produced such prolific and exceptional Indie rock acts as Stars, Tegan and Sara, Broken Social Scene and Feist. In this decade alone, Canada has stolen a bit of the spotlight away from the powerhouses of British and American Indie Rock and has carved out a niche as one of the most diverse and experimental Independent Rock scenes of the decade, with Montreal even beginning to be recognized as an Indie Rock hot bead. And so, next time you are looking for some great Indie music, remember our wonderful neighbors up North.
CANADIAN INDIE PLAYLIST

- Keep the Car Running- Arcade Fire

- Your English Is Good- Tokyo Police Club

- Take Me To the Riot- Stars

- 7/4 Shoreline- Broken Social Scene

- 1234- Feist

- Electric Version- The New Pornographers

- Back In Your Head- Tegan and Sara

- Shine A Light- Wolf Parade

- Still In Love Song- The Stills

Best of the Decade: #10- Jack Johnson/ Brushfire Records

2010-01-07T17:51:00.000-08:00

As of today I am going to be counting down my top ten favorite musical items of the decade. Each time I post I will count down from 10 until I eventually get to my favorite of the decade. I am going to be discussing record companies, artists, albums and even specific sub-genre's. So stay tuned for the next few days, I will be counting down the decade.

#10- Jack Johnson/ Brushfire Records

Jack Johnson is a chill soft rock musician/surfer from the peaceful land of Hawaii. Over the decade Jack Johnson has developed an expansive collection of mellow island jam's and has even created his own record company.

Johnson first began recording in 1999 and released his first album Brushfire Fairytales in 2001 which didn't gain too much critical attention. Johnson never planned on creating much more music after this, instead returning to his budding film career. However he decided to record another album. With the record On and On critics began paying attention to Johnson's musical career as he continued creating his soft-rock music usually tinged with slight social commentary. With the release of the critically acclaimed In Between Dreams Johnson secured a spot in music of the decade and created a special niche for the island inspired soft rock. His fourth album, Sleep Through the Static, went platinum within five weeks.

I enjoy Jack Johnson because of the simple mellow quality of his music. All of songs come across with an honest sort of innocence that can make me both feel and think, especially with his songs that discuss society. Johnson has been able to please me with almost every song and I constantly enjoy the mellow grove that he is able to so perfectly create. Jack Johnson is as honest of an artist as their ever was, creating music that he loves making.

As if Johnson's solo popularity wasn't enough in 2002 he created his own record company, Brushfire Records, which features a collection of Jack Johnson's friends and fellow musicians. Brushfire Records includes artists such as Donavon Frankenreiter, Rogue Wave, G. Love, Matt Costa, and Animal Liberation Orchestra. I think this is one of the coolest things that Johnson has done, creating his own record company that only puts out chill and mellow music. Not many artists have done this, and given the quality of this music, I find Brushfire Records a major success in Johnson's career.

And so for these reasons Jack Johnson earns the slot as my tenth favorite musical item of the decade. Nobody else I listen to can produce such chill island tinged music, and his creation of a whole record company based on this music makes him a great musical artist.

My Favorites of 2009

2009-12-31T16:11:00.001-08:00

2009 was a pretty good year for Independent music. Not only did some indie bands make it big on the charts, but some of the more underground bands released exceptional tracks. So these are my favorites of 2009, including the exceptional debut of the band Telekinesis to the breakthrough hit of Phoenix's "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix".

BEST OF THE YEAR- TELEKINESIS!

Telekinesis is the vehicle for singer/song writer Michael Lerner. Lerner released his debut album this year on Merge Records and this self titled album is my favorite of this year. Lerner teamed up with producer Chris Walla (guitarist for Death Cab for Cutie) and using an analog tape recorder recorded one song a day during his recording session. Telekinesis has a similar sound to Death Cab but tends to be a little more upbeat and exciting. My favorite song on this album is Coast of Carolina, a song which absolutely amazed me the first time I heard it. On this album, Lerner has crafted 12 songs filled with exceptional music and most of all memorable sounds and choruses. This album just feels good to listen to, and during a year when most of the "hit" songs sound as though they are sung by a cardboard manikin, it is refreshing to hear a singer/songwriter that has not only exceptional talent, but the ability to craft songs that make the listener think, feel, and tap their foot along with the beat. If this debut album is any indicator of what may be coming up from Michael Lerner, Telekinesis will be a big name in Indie rock in the next decade and Lerner may take a place next to Benjamin Gibbard as one of my favorite modern singer/songwriters. Congratulations Telekinesis for the best album of the year.

Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavilion

Animal Collective is a weird band, and never cease to experiment, especially on their ninth album Merriweather Post Pavilion. This album shows off not only the extensive experimentation of this band but also their knack for creating sprawling soundscapes and catchy music. Just listen to the song "My Girls" to see what I'm talking about. This album gets my appreciation due to the balance that the band was able to strike between outright experimentation and a semblance of normal beats and hooks. By striking this balance Animal Collective has crafted one of the most lush and fulfilling albums of 2009, and I can't wait to hear more from this exceptional band

Bombay Bicycle Club- I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose

Bombay Bicycle Club has got to be one of my favorite underground bands. They have a certain quality to them that makes every single song both emotional charged and extremely catchy. Almost everything in this band seems to be wavering and quirky, from catchy bass riffs to the singers odd vibrato. On there first full-length album Bombay Bicycle Club has included some old favorites ("The Hill", "Cancel On Me") as well as some new songs like the exceptional "Always Like This." It seems that with each release, Bombay Bicycle Club becomes more polished and mature while keeping their same odd catchiness. Bombay Bicycle Club has to be close to breaking into the Indie Rock scene, and this album is one of my favorites of 2009.

Matt & Kim- Grand

For those of you who read this blog a lot, remember a few months back, when I posted about Matt & Kim and said someday they are going to be really big? Well that day was maybe a few weeks in the future, when Matt & Kim's single "Daylight" suddenly became one of the top downloaded alternative songs on iTunes. I really enjoy this album, and although it tends to be pretty one-dimensional, it has such a fun energy to it that I can't help but call it one of my favorite albums of 2009. I also give Matt & Kim lots of respects from breaking into the mainstream alternative realm, but I hope that this new found glory doesn't lead to overall changes in their already fun and great sound.

Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Phoenix is a French alternative-electronic cross over band that has been on the Indie Rock scene for almost ten years. 2009 was a great year for this band, for after nearly a decade of releasing their brand of cross over music, they finally have made it big. The single "1901" is the main driving force behind this mainstream success, yet many overlook the fact that the whole album is really very good. With "1901" holding a top ten spot on iTunes Alternative for quite a few weeks, I would say that this album is the most successful Indie album of the year. Way to go Phoenix.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

- Death Cab for Cutie- The Open Door EP

- Glasvegas- A Snow Flake Fell And It Felt Like A Kiss- EP

-Head Popping Through- And Their You Are

- Hockey- Mind Chaos

I hope you enjoy these 2009 releases as much as I have, lets hope for an equally good year next year starting with new releases by Vampire Weekend and OK Go in January.

An Alternative Christmas Playlist

2009-12-14T12:10:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas, always have, always will. I love how everybody gets all excited and people are just a tad nicer to others because of the time of year. I love the bright lights and the Christmas trees and the Christmas food that is cooked up all month long and smells absolutely delicious. I love when people at stores tell you "Happy Holidays" and I shoot back "MERRY CHRISTMAS!!" and then go home and watch Elf for the twentieth time. I absolutely love every aspect of Christmas... Actually, I'm sorry, I lied. I do not enjoy hearing 8 million different versions of Jingle Bells for a month straight. Christmas music is fun, but only for a little bit. I mean, I can only handle so much of Bing Crosby. I'm assuming that at least some people are a little like me, and want to enjoy the seasonal music, without hearing the same old stuff over and over and over and over and over and over again. But never fear fellow music lovers, because here is a playlist of my favorite alternative Christmas songs! I must warn you, not all of them are by Independent artists, but hey, its Christmas I'll give them a break. So enjoy this playlist filled with Jack Johnson's put Christmas lights on a palm tree island jams, Fountains of Wayne's wanting of an alien for Christmas to a very interesting Twisted Sister song. Sorry, I'm not going to talk about each one, since I really just want people to know which songs I enjoy!

* Someday at Christmas- Jack Johnson

* I Want an Alien For Christmas- Fountains of Wayne

* Sleigh Ride- Relient K

* A Snowflake Fell (And it Felt Like a Kiss)- Glasvegas

* Don't Shoot Me Santa Claus- The Killers

* Hey Santa- Royal Crown Revue

* All I Want For Christmas- Matt Costa

* Put the Lights on the Tree- Sufjan Stevens

* Christmas- Rogue Wave

* Donna and Blitzen- Badly Drawn Boy

* Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer- Jack Johnson

* Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me- The Smithereens

* Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas- Twisted Sister

So have a Merry Christmas my friends! Enjoy some alternative twinge Christmas hits that sound like they were written THIS century. Also, have a Happy New Year if I don't write before then. I'll be back and hope to see you around for another decade of game changing musical enterprises. Here comes the 2010's!!!!

Some songs are not on Project Playlist, so you have to check them out on your own, namely:

- Hey Santa- Royal Crown Revue
- All I Want For Christmas- Matt Costa
- Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me- The Smithereens

Less Known Song of Death Cab for Cutie: Subtitled- I Will Follow You Into the Dark isn't their only song

2009-11-23T14:28:00.000-08:00

This post I have decided to do another Death Cab for Cutie tribute. Death Cab is one of my favorite bands if not my absolute favorite and has a huge repetoire of music ranging all the way back to the late 1990's. If anybody has heard of Death Cab they will probably know the acoustic "I Will Follow You Into the Dark", the poppy "Soul Meets Body", and probably "Meet Me on the Equinox" because of the new Twilight Movie. Although 2 out of 3 of those are good songs, Death Cab has such a wider list of songs that they have created (or in some cases covered) which show why they are one of the best [formally] Independent rock bands of the 2000's. So I plan today to discuss the little known Death Cab songs that you may or may not have heard of. I'm going to be skipping over the flagship tunes of the major CD's and directly discussing the songs that most casual Death Cab fans have never heard of.
- Blacking Out the Friction (The Photo Album)- Blacking Out the Friction is one of my favorite Death Cab songs. It manages to be upbeat but sort of chill at the same time. Also, it has great lyrics, metaphorically referencing the winter and the lyrics just flow so well. It also tends to be quite catchy, and has the dramatic changes in music that characterize The Photo Album. This is a great song to start to dive into the lesser known Death Cab songs.
- Company Calls Epilogue (We Have the Facts And We're Voting Yes)- This is the sequel to the song "Company Calls" on the same album. Its quite depressing, but also really awesome. It follows a similar story to its peppier cousin, but also includes some great music and is fun to listen to. It has a certain epic quality to its story telling when the music and lyrics continue to build on top of each other to create an exciting musical experience.
- President of What? (Something About Airplanes)- A great song off of Death Cab's first full length album. President of What? starts out slow and relatively simple but climax's into an insanely catchy and interesting second half. Combined with a sampling of a 1950's child psychologist, I love this second portion and it is one of my favorite moments in Death Cab's discography.
- This Charming Man (You Can Play These Songs With Chords)- For this song Death Cab's Benjamin Gibbard decided to attempt to cover The Smith's "This Charming Man." Although I definately like the original version better, I believe that this song shows off Death Cab's flexibility. It is extremely hard to cover Morrissey's voice so I give Gibbard credit for doing a pretty decent job even though to me it sounds a little weird and Gibbard botched a few of Morrissey's phrases.
- Information Travels Faster (The Photo Album)- I really, really like this song. Its interesting to listen to and I really enjoy the use of piano. Using information technology as a metaphor for a broken relationship is incredibly creative, especially coupled with a catchy chorus that works to make this song both one of the most haunting songs by Death Cab and one of the most interesting.
- Different Names For The Same Thing (Plans)- This song is interesting, it starts with a slow and melancholy piano and evolves into a strange rock/funk beat that almost seems left over from Gibbard's work with The Postal Service. Although Different Names For The Same Thing is a tad repetitive, it is pretty cool to listen to, but best suited for a hardcore Death Cab fan.
- World Shut Your Mouth (Crooked Teeth-EP)- I might be one of the few Death Cab fans ever that enjoys this song. World Shut Your Mouth is so blatantly opposite of anything Death Cab usually releases that I think it shocks true fans. This is not my favorite Death Cab song ever, but I think its fun to listen to. Granted, I Death Cab was like this 100% of the time I would not be pleased, being a big fan of deep, lush melodies; yet I think that a band can have at least one high energy song.
- Technicolor Girls (The Forbidden Love- EP)- A chill song, and a perfect addition to The Forbidden Love- EP. It's a great song to just chill out and listen to and is a great way to end the day. I really think this one should have more coverage but for some reason it doesn't.

Strings in Independent Music

2009-11-16T14:30:00.000-08:00

One of the things that makes Independent Music so great is its use of instruments in new and creative ways. I especially enjoy songs were strings are used in interesting ways. For me it adds an new touch to the songs, and many times the songs wouldn't be the same without them. So I have decided to commit this blog post to my favorite Independent songs that utilizes strings, whether it be a lonely violin (Ra Ra Riot), a 1800's sea faring beat (Vampire Weekend), a melancholy cello (Stars), or full philharmonic instrumentation (Sufjan Stevens). Enjoy!
- Your Ex-Lover is Dead (Stars- Set Yourself On Fire) - This rather melancholy song is the first song that I thought of when I considered writing about strings in music. "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" opens with a sorrowful string and horn combination which continues throughout the song, inevitably using instruments such as the cello and violin. This is perfect example of a song that needs strings, without its unique instrumentation, "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" would be absolutely lost.
- M79 (Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend)- M79 opens and is encompassed by an interesting sea faring, classical, 1800's string beat. Its fun to listen to and fits perfectly with Vampire Weekend's style. Honestly, this song took me a little to get used to, but once you do, it is an awesome usage of strings in a creative and expansive way that I have yet to hear replicated by contemporary Independent Bands.
- Can You Tell (Ra Ra Riot-The Rhumb Line)- Ra Ra Riot is an example of Baroque Pop, a sub-genre of music that focuses on strings and classical arrangements. As such, "Can You Tell" uses a violin and other string instruments almost throughout the whole song, underscoring the singers voice and also providing beat.
- Chicago (Sufjan Stevens- Illinois)- This is a weird song, but utilizes almost all the elements of a philharmonic orchestra, yet at a much smaller level. Throughout the song the multi-instrumental singer Sufjan Stevens combines a myriad of instruments (most of which are played by himself) including the violin, organ, trumpet, xylophone, a choir, and standard philharmonic percussion such as bass drum, cymbals and a few other drums I can't identify. Besides being a perfect example of strings in music, "Chicago" is Baroque Pop at its finest.
- The Age of The Understatement (The Last Shadow Puppets The Age of The Understatement)- The Last Shadow Puppets utilize strings in a way that is reminiscent of movie soundtracks. Almost all of there songs sound like some sort of soundtrack for a spy movie, and The Age of The Understatement. The song has a hurried sense of urgency, backed up by its extensive use of strings to back up the already spy sounding guitar and lyrics. This song is one of the most creative use of strings I have ever heard.
- No Cars Go (Arcade Fire Neon Bible)- The megaband Arcade Fire comprises of no less than 12 members and up to 15 members on tours. As such, they can boast a huge amount of instruments and include some classic strings in the mix including the violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp, and mandolin. "No Cars Go" shows this wide range of instrumentation and is one of the most interesting songs to listen to. Like many other Arcade Fire songs, "No Cars Go" is almost more of an experience than just a song, and effect that is bolstered by the huge range of instrumentation.
- Sea Legs (The Shins Wincing the Night Away)- This is one of the few songs by the Shins that utilizes strings. The Shins uses strings to underscore the odd arrangement of "Sea Legs" but uses them perfectly, not overpowering, but just enough to add a good back up.

Other songs with strings-
- Dashboard (Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank)
- We Both Go Down Together (Decemberists Picaresque)

The Postal Service/ Why they are better than Owl City

2009-11-06T14:40:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do is to go to albums I love and then read reviews telling me why the album I love is terrible. Usually for me it involves comments like "The singers voice is weird!!", "This song doesn't make any sense!" or stuff like that. Well, I was doing that for The Postal Service, and a large majority of the negative reviews said something to the effect of, "Fireflies by Owl City is so much better than this crap!" Well that annoyed me because Owl City is almost a complete ripoff of The Postal Service: so eager with a chance to shoot at the top song on iTunes I came up with some reasons why The Postal Service is better. I don't necessarily hate Owl City, I will admit to enjoying Fireflies, but The Postal Service easily defeats every Owl City song. Formed from lead singer Benjamin Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) and the lead of the techno band Dnetl, Postal Service has created an amazing array of interesting and wonderful songs in only one CD. Their debut album was their only one, and this album, Give Up is possibly one of the best CDs of the 2000's.
REASON 1- LYRICS- Owl City has some interesting lyrics, but largely they are superficial and extreme shallow. Fireflies is interesting for its discussion of insomnia, but for the most part they refer to cliche driven love or odd topics such as dental work. In contrast, The Postal Service approaches the same theme of love and writes in an adult way, making amazing metaphors or turn of phrases that make a trite topic interesting to listen to. Also, there non-love songs are interesting as well.. See "Sleeping In" to see what I mean, no other song I have references the JFK assassination.
REASON 2- THE SINGER- Benjamin Gibbard of The Postal Service has such a distinct and plaintive voice. It absolutely resonates no matter what song and fits with the tone he usually tries to convey. The Owl City singer completely copies Gibbard, using the same voice as well as phrasing and notes, except he doesn't stretch his range to higher notes and tends to be very one toned. Benjamin Gibbard beats Owl City every day.
REASON 3- THE MUSIC- If you have ever listened to The Postal Service, you know that often times the songs speed up or slow down and have extremely catchy beats that make the vocals even better. Songs like "Brand New Colony" and "Such Great Heights" show case the creativity of the music. Owl City can not compare, most of their songs using nearly the same beats and sounds and even when they chose to be creative, the songs drop into a nearly inevitable monotony.
REASON 4- THE CHEESE- If nothing else, Owl City is EXTREMELY cheesy. Even better songs such as "Fireflies" or "West Coast Friendship" have a large amount of cheese, and that's not even mentioning songs like "Vanilla Twilight" or "Strawberry Avalanche." If you don't believe me, just listen to those songs. In contrast The Postal Service has almost no cheese, and the few times it does the cheese isn't unbearable like Owl City.
REASON 5- THE TONE- This kind of goes along with the cheese. The major tone/emotion of Owl City is so over the top happy that it gets annoying. The major exception is their first album "Of June" which is slightly depressive, but still happy happy in a way. This is not to say that The Postal Service is depressing, quite the contrary in fact, yet their music deals with more real emotions, and not drug induced euphoria like some of Owl Cities songs.

And so that ends the major reasons that The Postal Service is better. Again, I don't hate Owl City, I actually enjoy a few of their songs, especially the ones from the album "Of June", but I also realize that for the most part, Owl City is a rip off of The Postal Service. For those of you who want good electronic/indie rock cross over music aimed at the real emotions and ideas of older young adults and adults listen to The Postal Service.

For kicks I have posted the CD Give Up... My favorite songs are "Such Great Heights", "The District Sleeps Alone", "We Will Become Silhouettes", "Sleeping In", "Nothing Better", and "Brand New Colony." At some later date I'll discuss these in more detail.

Head Popping Through

2009-11-02T09:56:00.001-08:00

I am pretty excited about this band, mostly because it is a band that I am sure nobody has ever heard of. I believe one of there songs was actually on an episode of CSI: Las Vegas, but it only played for a short while. At any rate, this band has all the trademark sounds of an up-and-coming Indie Rock Band. Most of their best songs are driven by an acoustic piano or guitar, and in a few cases they lean towards the instrumental electric guitar sounds of the Post-Rock movement. I find Head Popping Through best akin to early Death Cab for Cutie or any of the more mellow instrumentally driving bands floating around. Unfortunately, I would like to change my playlist to let you listen to some of this bands music, but none of it is available on Project Playlist. So just take my word for it and check these guys out, maybe one day when they make it big you can say you listened to them way before they became popular. If your not going to buy the whole CD, at least check out the songs "The Lovely Machine", "And There You Are", and "Penny Lane".

What I'm Listening To - 10/20

2009-10-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

Most of the time that I am listening to music, I'm not absolutely focused on just one artist... Although I do enjoy talking about my favorite artists, often times I find that I am listening to a miscellaneous collection of music at one time. Since my last post almost a month ago, I have definitely been listening to different songs, so whether or not you truly care.... This is what I'm listening to at this time! Enjoy!!

1. This Charming Man- THE SMITHS : For some reason I've never really started listening to The Smith's until recently, obviously a somewhat fatal mistake. This is definitely my favorite song by The Smith's so I hope you'll enjoy.

2. The District Sleeps Alone- THE POSTAL SERVICE: I absolutely love The Postal Service, and this is a great song... Starts out slow then builds up. Perfection.

3. Cancel On Me- BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB: Remember a while back when I wrote about Bombay Bicycle Club. Well back then I didn't include this song, but it is a great song, definitely underrated even by Bombay Bicycle Club standards.

4. So Much Trouble- MATT POND PA: Perfect fall song, chill, but up beat. Listen and enjoy.

5. She's Got Me Dancing- TOMMY SPARKS: This song is one of the top songs in the United Kingdom and Europe, but apparently hasn't really made it big in the United States, even on the Indie Rock scene. For the life of me I can't figure out why.

6. Untitled- INTERPOL: A great Interpol song. Has almost no lyrics but just has creepy guitar work. Does the lack of lyrics bother me at all? No way!

7. We Will Become Silhouettes- THE SHINS: An acoustic cover of a very good Postal Service song. I really can't decide which version I like better.

8. Fortress- PINBACK: Pinback has a startling wide repertoire of music, and this is definitely one of the best songs they have to offer. I enjoy the bass the most.

9. President of What?- DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE: One of the lesser known or even relatively unknown Death Cab songs, but nonetheless truly awesome, shows the creativity that made the band big to start out with.

10. I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)- THE PROCLAIMERS: Remember this song from the late 80's/early 90's? I didn't even realize that it was in my iTunes library, I also didn't realize how much I love this song.

For more Death Cab for Cutie see: http://indiealtrock.blogspot.com/2009/02/death-cab-for-cutie.html

For more Bombay Bicycle Club see: http://indiealtrock.blogspot.com/2009/08/miscellaneous-conglomeration-of-music.html

The Decemberists

2009-09-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

If I could use one word to describe The Decemberists, it would be EPIC. While it may not seem like it at first, The Decemberists is one of the most epic bands making music today, many time spinning tales of military actions, forbidden love, crane wives, chimney sweeps and the many odd characters of modern society. The multi-member band hailing from Portland, Oregon has managed to create intricately crafted music, and despite a somewhat recent signing to Capitol Records has managed to remain true to form despite an increasing popularity. On a grand scale, The Decemberists crafts music for the intelligent listener, often times alluding to historical events or major works in order to tell their story. They even have written a musical and released it as a the 2009 CD Hazards of Love. Listening them for pure musical enjoyment is the start, but to truly grasp a song by this band, one needs to dig into the lyrics and discover the masterwork behind it. These are my favorite songs, in chronological order.

-JULY! JULY! (Castaways and Cutouts) - This is probably one of the most normal songs by The Decemberists. It's a fun song, that utilizes somewhat normal musical instruments and styles and does not really provide a story or a satire like many other of The Decemberists songs do. However, its fun, accessible and easy to listen to, a relatively good starting point for any prospective fans.

- WE BOTH GO DOWN TOGETHER ( Picaresque) - Here's a song where we start to see a story and a common theme amoung The Decemberists. Like other songs by The Decemberists this one deals with forbidden love, but does not have the tragic ending of O Valencia! ( To be covered a little later). Possibly the best part of this song is the waltz like strings and the cannon explosions of the drums. This is definately a great song to have in your Decemberists collection.

- 16 MILITARY WIVES (Picaresque)- This is definately my favorite song by The Decemberists. Although not much of a story, it is a satire of American foreign policy, but not in an angry pushy way of other bands. Rather this song is fun and inventive, just try to keep up with the numbers of the groups of people (when you listen you'll see what I mean). Not only do all these traits make 16 Military Wives, the punchy trumpets and horns make it absolutely awesome. Also, watch the music video, its awesome!

- O VALENCIA! (The Crane Wife) - Here is truly were the story telling comes about. O Valencia! is a take by The Decemberists on Romeo and Juliet, and have crafted an extreme viable story of forbidden love, complete with allusions and foreshadowing, making it truly a masterpiece of song writing. By understanding the story of this song, you can better enjoy the already entertaining muscial aspects of the song and the wonderful mixture of lead singer Colin Meloy's voice, the bright guitar and even the dulicmer at times.

- CRANE WIFE 3 (The Crane Wife)- Another relatively normal song, and one of the more subdued by The Decemberists. Crane Wife 3 is a slow song, replete with exceptional imagery and metaphorical content. Not only that but the song constantly builds up in a cresendo (for those musically inclined readers). Crane Wife 3 is relaxing yet entertaining which makes it a perfect addition to The Decemberists discography.

And so those are my favorite songs by The Decemberists. It is important to note that I didn't chose any songs from the new CD Hazards of Love. These are all great songs, but don't stand alone as well as others do, rather they are best in context with the story of the whole CD and the other songs that accompany them.

Other songs of note: Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect, Hazards of Love 1 ( The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone, and The Engine Driver

A Miscellaneous Conglomeration of Music

2009-08-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

There are quite a few bands on my iTunes were I only have a few songs from them. These are pretty good bands, they haven't developed a large collection of music so that I have purchased tons of there stuff. So here are a few miscellaneous, yet very enjoyable bands that I didn't have quite enough songs to do a full blog post on
*Bombay Bicycle Club- Relatively new, but quite talented. Most of Bombay Bicycle Club's rather unique sound comes from the odd way the singer sings by using a quasi-falsetto wavering voice. Its a pretty cool and really unique sound, and part of the appeal of BBC. Otherwise, I feel as though this band wouldn't have to much to offer. BBC doesn't have a huge fan base, but has recently released a full CD that elaborates on their sound. Personally my favorite song by them is The Hill, which really shows off the weird vocal patterns and also uses a very interesting guitar solo. Check it out, its a pretty cool song, and I also posted their song Open House, just to add some variety.

* Matt & Kim- I add Matt & Kim to this post very hesitantly, because they do have quite a few enjoyable songs, just not enough for me to do a full post on, so here they are. Matt & Kim is a two person operation specializing in a very unique brand of quirky Indie music. With pounding drums, Matt Johnson's fairly odd voice, and plenty of reverb and echos, Matt & Kim have crafted a sound that you may not be used to and may actually not like at first, but is still one of the staples of a new breed of Indie Rock acts. Expect great things from this band in the future, but for now, listen to the songs Daylight and Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare from there 2009 Album Grand.

* Fleet Foxes- Not gonna lie, Fleet Foxes took a little bit to get used to. Unlike other bands that I've blogged about, I kinda hesitate to call this Indie Rock. Indie, yes, but rock? Maybe. Fleet Foxes have developed a sort of woodsy sound. The lead singer uses a similar voice to that of the singers of Band of Horses and The Shins, but gets rid of all the electric guitars and things that make a band a rock band. However, they have developed quite a good sound and usually a very chill one. I enjoy Fleet Foxes when just sitting around chilling out. So, for your listening enjoyment, Fleet Foxes songs White Winter Hymnal and Mykonos.

*Ra Ra Riot- Ra Ra Riot's sound is not especially unique in the Indie Rock world. Their type of music is a sub-genre called Baroque Pop, or music utilizing strings and emotional lyrics. If you are familiar with Arcade Fire or Sufjan Stevens, those bands are baroque pop. Though maybe not especially unique, Ra Ra Riot still has quite a bit of talent to create a worthy addition to modern Indie Rock. My favorite part of the music they make is the blatant use of string accompaniment. For me, that makes their songs just that much better. So if you want to listen to some emotive Baroque Pop, check out Ra Ra Riot's songs Can You Tell and Dying is Fine.

And for some truly miscellaneous songs. These are songs very much like other bands, and the only ones I own of the respective bands.
If you liked the Fratellis check out:

- Don't Make Me Wait- Lockesley
-Bang Bang Your Dead- Dirty Pretty Things

Fans of the Kooks may enjoy:

-Golden Touch- Razorlight

And people who just like good music, check out:

-Paralyzed- Rock Kills Kid
-Thinking of You- Test Your Reflex

Tokyo Police Club

2009-04-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

Before talking about Tokyo Police Club it is best to know first of all that they are NOT from Japan. Rather they are a Canadian Indie Rock Band originating in Toronto. Tokyo Police Club gains some influence from Modest Mouse and the Pixies so I decided now would be a good time to discuss them, since Modest Mouse has been featured since the middle of March and its interesting to see their influence in other bands....
However, Tokyo Police Club has a different sound to them. They use a quirky, edgy, and urban sound coupled with electronic beats in some cases and a caustic voice by the lead singer, who also plays insane bass lines. Tokyo Police Club is not good at rocking out for a long five minute song, rather most of there work is quick two and a half minute bursts of pure Indie Rock. While Modest Mouse went for long and thoughtful songs, Tokyo Police Club blasts away with intense music coupled with strangely quirky yet inventive lyrics. So far Tokyo Police Club has released two albums...

-A Lesson In Crime-

* Nature of the Experiment- An interesting song, and an odd one even for this band. Uses a electronic beat and back up female vocals. This song is weird but enjoyable once you get into it, but not really a good representation of Tokyo Police Club's overall sounds.

* Be Good- The best song on A Lesson in Crime. Be Good is only two minutes and five seconds but manages to cram those two minutes full of screaming guitars and rapid fire lyrics. Be Good really doesn't have a slow moment and is a great workout song.

-Elephant Shell-

*Your English Is Good- This is my favorite Tokyo Police Club song. It also shows the stylistic change in Elephant Shell. Instead of rapid fire beats and caustic vocals, Elephant Shell focuses more on longer songs and in my opinion is much more musical. Your English Is Good is no exception. This song is catchy and exciting, and is actually the longest Tokyo Police Club song on my iPod at a little over three minutes in length, but it shows off the ability of Tokyo Police Club to create exciting and substantial music.

*Juno- Juno is a short quirky song with pounding drums, interesting lyrics, and even a xylophone apparently. Juno is short, but seems to stretch out longer than it actually is, and shows off the lead singers way off manipulating words in order to create an interesting song with lyrics that are actually worth getting to know.

*Tessellate- When listening to Tessellate it is hard to believe that this is the same the Tokyo Police Club that released A Lesson In Crime. Tessellate is a very good song that actually has very good music and isn't just a blast of crazy sounds. Tessellate is also a pretty good example of Elephant Shell, with many of the other songs on the CD having a similar song, albeit with a few minor adjustments.

Even though Tokyo Police Club is relatively new on the Indie Rock scene, it shows the makings of a successful band that will build popularity as it becomes more mainstream in the realm of Indie Rock. In most regards Tokyo Police Club is one of the best new bands out on the market with its caustic and urban rock.
- Other songs of note: In a Cave, Graves, Sixties Remake

*If you like Tokyo Police Club, check out Vampire Weekend. Vampire Weekend is also a very new band and has similar vocals to Tokyo Police Club, but with more of an almost sea-faring sound to them. Be warned, many Vampire Weekend songs have swearing, and are not marked as explicit on iTunes. I've included them in the playlist for this post.

Modest Mouse

2009-03-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

If there was ever a misnomer of a name, Modest Mouse is it. With crashing vocals and weird sounds, this Mouse is anything but Modest. Modest Mouse is a stable of the modern Indie Rock musical group. By using catchy guitar rifts and a large number of creative sounds and musical techniques, Modest Mouse has created music completely unlike any other. Early albums from the 1990's and early 2000's show cased a softer side of their music, however with the release of "Good News for People Who Love Bad News" Modest Mouse set the sound that has made them extremely popular in the past five years. Personally, Modest Mouse is one of my favorite bands in my iTunes, and provides catchy and interesting lyrics. Going by chronological order of CD releases, these are my favorite songs.

- This is a Long Drive With Nothing to Think About-

*Dramamine- This is Modest Mouse's first album, and aspiring fans may not want to start with it first. However, I like Dramamine mostly for the musical background. While the lyrics aren't amazing, the music and its guitar riffs are. This song is perfect for driving, with nothing to think about.

-The Moon & Antarctica-

*Gravity Rides Everything- A very calming song, which as you get more into Modest Mouse music will find is very odd indeed. Gravity Rides Everything has a very Shins-like feel to it (Shins to be covered later).

-Good News for People Who Love Bad News-

*Float On- The most popular Modest Mouse song, and its not hard to hear why. Float On has a catchy and irresistible guitar line that repeats throughout the song, coupled with the type of lyrics that has made Modest Mouse famous. Float On has a great sound to it that is a must have for any Modest Mouse fan.

*Ocean Breathes Salty- Also a very good Modest Mouse song. Ocean Breathes Salty has a very, well, oceanic sound to it, but actually has nothing to do with the water in the verses. This song showcases Modest Mouses strengths of both catchiness and creativity, in a nice three and a half minute package.

-We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank-

*Dashboard- Easily my favorite Modest Mouse song. Dashboard has a weird sound to it and incorporates a few interesting instrumental choices including brass instruments and violins. Dashboard is one of the most upbeat songs that Modest Mouse has put out and is a staple of 2000 Indie Rock. Dashboard is a perfect choice of song, that while it may seem odd at first, becomes unforgettably catchy.

*Fire It Up- After to roaring sounds of Dashboard, Fire It Up slows it down a little, and is more representative of the album its contained on. Fire It Up has a very chill feel to it, but doesn't get dragged down in its on lyrical verses, as some other Modest Mouse songs do.

So now you have Modest Mouse. I wish I could tell you that if you like Modest Mouse you could check out this and that band because they are similar. I can't. Modest Mouse is completely unique, on a variable island of musical attributes. But than again, that's what Indie Rock should be.

Other Songs of Note- Missed the Boat, The World At Large, Little Motel, Never Ending Math Equation

Death Cab for Cutie

2009-02-24T17:58:00.000-08:00

Compared to last weeks post, Death Cab for Cutie is a departure from the high energy party rock of the Fratellis, rather Death Cab chooses to keep their songs relatively slow and thoughtful. Death Cab has been a staple of Indie Rock since the early 2000's and has released a ride range of albums including the three latest and best known albums Transatlanticism, Plans, and Narrow Stairs. Death Cab has grown in popularity since their early days and has become one of the best known Indie titles to date. Personal I think the best albums are Plans and Transatlanticism, so I'll give you a rundown of some of my favorite songs.
-Transatlanticism-
*The Sound of Settling- One of the most upbeat and exciting Death Cab songs, as well as one of the most Indie sounding offerings. At just over two minutes longs, The Sound of Settling is energetic and catchy but one of the most underrated songs by this group.
*Transatlanticism- The song from which this album takes its name. This song is amazing and interesting to listen to. Possibly it is my third favorite Death Cab song and is very akin to early Coldplay. Don't let the eight minute length daunt you, this song is worth the buy, especially for long drives or just chilling out.
-Plans (my favorite album)-
*Marching Bands of Manhattan- My favorite Death Cab song. Personally I think this song is the best one by the band. Its hard to explain why I like this song, but I really do. It's a love song, but is written in such a way that no matter if you are in love or not, it is still very good and a treat to listen to. If I could recommend any Death Cab song, it would be this one.
*Crooked Teeth- My second favorite Death Cab song. I think this song probably epitomizes the Indie side of Death Cab. It is fun and snappy, instantly recognizable and also thoughtful at the same time.
* I Will Follow You Into The Dark- An odd Death Cab song, being completely acoustic. Its very good, but if you like it and try to find another Death Cab song like it, you will be hard pressed.
* Soul Meets Body- The flagship song of Plans. Has a very cool techno beat and really showcases Death Cabs overall creativity. This is possibly the easiest Death Cab song to get to like.
-Narrow Stairs-
* Bixby Canyon Bridge- Narrow Stairs saw a departure from the sound of Plans to an almost more grungy sound. I personally don't like alot of songs on the album, but Bixby Canyon Bridge is one of my favorite overall Death Cab songs. It has a sound akin to '90's indie rock bands like Hum and has a very interesting sound. This is one Death Cab song you should check out.

Death Cab defiantly does not have the rock sound of most other bands on the market, rather they have a more thoughtful sound where each song is unique and different and very, very good. Death Cab for Cutie ranks among one of my favorite bands to date.
-Other songs of note- I Will Possess Your Heart, Your Heart is An Empty Room, A Lack of Color, Summer Skin

The Fratellis

2009-02-17T19:48:00.001-08:00

The Fratellis is an Indie British Rock band originating in the music hotspot of Glasglow, England. For the most part this threesome make it big on UK records but has not for the most part gained a large fan following in the United States aside from an iTunes commercial that played the single "Flathead". Many of the Fratellis songs feature upbeat and catchy lyrics coupled with overall music reminiscent of bands such as Supergrass. To date, the Fratellis have released two albums and two EP's on US iTunes in the following order: The debute album Costello Music, the accompany EP Flathead, the sophmore album Here We Stand and the accompany EP Look Out Sunshine. Here are my favorite Fratellis tracks:
-Costello Music-
*Chelsea Dagger- My favorite Fratellis jam. This song is almost completely unforgettable with its catchy lyrics and equally catchy guitar riffs and drum beats. This is a great place to start for any prospective Fratellis fan, and if you don't catch yourself singing this song to yourself without noticing, this blog may not be for you (minor joke).
*Baby Fratellis- Personally, the most underrated song from the Fratellis. Although it is moderately low on the US most purchased list, last I checked it was top on the UK list. Irresistable and fun, Baby Fratelli is an incredibly solid Fratelli offering.
*Whistle For the Choir- The oddball Fratelli song, but one of the best. This song is slow and melodic but catchy and amazing. Lyrically, the song is very well defined and if you don't really like the party side of the Fratellis, this song is for you. Like I said, its an oddball, no other Fratellis song really sounds this way at all, but it is one of the best and most mature that they have put out.
-Flathead EP-
*Flathead- The showcase of the Fratellis for the American musical market. Oddly enough it is not ranked very high on the UK iTunes charts. Flathead has a similar sound to Chelsea Dagger but is much lighter and ambivalant sound. This is a song that any skeptical person should feel pretty safe in buying. It is catchy, fun, and a great single.
-Here We Stand-
*My Friend John- My favorite Here We Stand offering. Defiantely the most accesible of the album and also one of the catchiest. While Here We Stand for the most part has more lyrically mature songs, this one feels the most like Costello Music and is very fun to listen to.
*A Heady Tale- Why do I like this song? THE PIANO! This song uses a new addition to the Fratellis in Here We Stand, and that is a keyboard. A Heady Tale has a different sound than most other Fratellis songs and is also longer than most others by about a minute, but showcases John Fratellis musicality and vocal talent. Also sticks in your head like crazy.

And so you have the Fratellis. Slowly they begin to make the mainstream market, and its not hard to see why. For a person wishing to take a little break from the radio, but keep in familiar territory, the Fratellis is perfect.
-Other songs of note: Henrietta, For the Girl, Creepin' up the Backstairs, Tell Me a Lie, Mistress Mabel
-Coming soon- Death Cab For Cutie, Modest Mouse, The Shins, Arcade Fire

Welcome!

2009-02-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to the Indie/Alternative Rock Spotlight blog. Some of you visiting may be familiar with my reviews work "Reviews of Anything I Feel like Reviewing" at http://zachreviews.blogspot.com/ a small time movie review blog. This new blog is one that I am excited for because it will let me discuss the various music that I enjoy. Now let me explain... The music I enjoy is not very mainstream so thats why I'm going to share it. On a somewhat weekly basis I plan on discussing a group, a album, or maybe even a specific song and them adding it to the music playlist for my blog. I hope you'll enjoy.