Swiss Alps - S/t EP

After a long dry spell of not finding anything worthwhile and not updating my blog for a while I've finally found something that I'm liking. Swiss Alps is a jangly indie pop that is quite similar to Sea Pinks or The Drums but with a lesser emphases on recording quality. The album is pretty lo-fi with a certain quietness that carries on throughout the album. Defiantly worth checking out if you're into the jangly surf pop scene.

Kisses - S/t

With Summer upon us it only seems fitting that I not only posting again but posting summery and albums you'd take along with you to the beach. Kicking that theme off is Kisses self titled album that blends dreamy pop vibes with light and breezy sentiment. Most songs on this release stay fairly upbeat and uptempo but right in the middle you're given a break with a mellow acoustic track with a nice and simple beat that works well with the album and doesn't seem out of place at all. Kisses are working on a new album expected to be out later this year. Keep an ear out.

Purity Ring - Shrines

 After hearing about them and admittedly forgetting about them only to see them live at Sasquatch this year. Purity Ring has made a resurgence in my life in a big way. Their debut album dropped into my lap and turned out to be just what I needed. Purity Ring are a Canadian duo that churn out refreshingly modern songwriting and leave you wanting more. You could call it trip-hop. It's female vocals laid gently over bass heavy tracks that aren't overpowering. General poppyness is mixed in as well with the vocals sounding like they could be in the next hit indie song you start to hear on the radio all of a sudden. Make sure you check out this album as soon as you can and if you have the opportunity make it a point to see them live.

Sixth June - Back for a Day

Minimal synth and darkwave are two things I'd really like to get into more and have been looking into lately. I came upon a group from Berlin that goes by Sixth June. They've got a pretty great thing going. Pretty dark overall with a fair amount of fuzz that works well with the enchanting female vocals. There's not much more to say about this album except you ought to definitely check it out and I'm very very happy I happened on it..

Blazo - Colors of Jazz

I'd taken a break finding new music recently and when I tried the other day I ended up only finding one or two things. It turns out that one of them was a damn good find. Blazo is a polish instrumental hip-hop producer who is fairly mysterious. It seems he doesn't play any shows make any appearances or what have you but what he does is make great jazzy tunes that whisk you away and make you feel like you're floating on a cloud. Heavy piano and sax work really throws the jazz elements right in your face. It's likely that you'll listen to the whole thing and not realize you've listened to an entire album. In the end it's one great ride that you should look into as soon as you can.

The Black Angles - I'd Rather Be lonely single

So I finally made it to a record store day after a year or two of me not being able to make the deadline and what have you. This was a little gem I picked up at the closest record store I could get to. The Black Angels are a psychedelic rock outfit out of Texas that I've always been meaning to check out. I've heard a lot about The Black Angles and their level of praise greatly varies each time. I've heard them called garbage while on the other hand I've been recommended them many times. I've heard one of their previous albums and it was a tab bit dark for my taste. Anyway I heard they were putting out something for RSD and I looked into it and it happens to be on orange cream vinyl. I put this on my list and picked it up. Once I got home I gave all my new records a few plays and this turned out to be my favorite purchase of the day. On this single I see a pretty big change from the last time I heard them. This single is much more relaxing and much more 60s influenced. The single has two songs on it but when I went to go download the album via the download coupon inside I found that an extra track was included. It turns out they covered The Zombies's She's Not There. Lemme tell you. They do it flawlessly, you often forget you're even listening to a cover. Check these guys out as soon as you can.

http://www.mediafire.com/?kasdvcaa8jngp4d

Nikki Lane - Walk of Shame

Whenever I go to shows I rarely care much about the opening acts nothing changed when I first heard Nikki Lane opening for Noah and the Whale. For some reason when I was searching for new music I came upon her album Walk of Shame. It definitely wasn't what I remembered. Walk of Shame is a great country album with an almost smokey 70s feeling. On a couple of tracks Nikki is accompanied by another band mate to create a pleasing vocal harmony that really makes the tracks stand out. Hopefully you'll enjoy this album as much as I did.

Poor Moon - Illusion EP

Years I got into a local band call Crystal Skulls. After two albums they seemed to be done. To say the least I was none to happy. Much to my surprise I was tipped onto Poor Moon and I instantly fell in love. Poor Moon includes members who are current members of Fleet Foxes and past members of Crystal Skulls. What you get is amazing. One of the things I liked most about Crystal Skulls were the vocals. Back are Chris Wargo's amazing vocals and the twangy indie pop sounding guitars mixed in with a smooth and folky Fleet Foxes sound. Honestly I'd probably say I like this ep much more than either of the Fleet Foxes albums. But that's just me.

L'Orange - Still Spinning

Like all hip-hop, not just instrumental I find myself being extremely picky when it comes to me enjoying an album. L'Orange's latest lp Still Spinning is one of those few hip-hop albums I found myself enjoying. In a lot of L'Orange's tracks he uses clips from old newscasts, movies, tv shows ect. I've seen this used a lot by many different artists but It's something I don't think I'll tire of any time soon. On his other albums he had a more jazz or loungy sound that was prevalent throughout the album but on Still Spinning it isn't as obvious but there's some bits and pieces sprinkled though the album. Make sure you pick this up if you like relaxing instrumental hip-hop and looking for something new.

Thieves Like Us - Bleed Bleed Bleed

Thieves Like Us first made their way into my library about a year or so ago and to be honest I didn't really care for them at first. Bleed Bleed Bleed is their fourth studio album and my favorite for sure. This album could likely make it's way onto my AOTY 2012 list.  Their sound has changed a bit between the album I first heard and their latest. In Steps was the last TLU I heard and it was much more upbeat and almost had a nu-disco feeling to it. Bleed Bleed Bleed has slowed down considerably. The album is full of relaxing and fairly mellow tunes that come off as incredibly catchy. I know that Indielectronica isn't a generally accepted term but it fits so well here I can't help but describe it that way. If I had to be a bit more specific I'd likely classify Bleed Bleed Bleed as mellow and almost funky synthpop. This year's been great for music so far. Get excited people!

Pompeya - Foursome

Last year Pompeya released their debut album Tropical. It quickly became one of my favorite albums of the year and I was left wanting more. Not twelve months later my wish has been granted. On the 29th Pompeya is releasing their second LP. Like the first it's full of catchy and fairly funky songs that are relaxing but remain danceable. The electronic elements aren't as strong as they were in the first album but it exchanges them for a funky and almost dreamy sound. Pompeya is one of the many Russian post-punk/new wave groups that you should keep an eye out for . At only seven songs Foursome might have you hoping for more. It's possible that they could maintain their pace and release another album within the next year or so.

Lola Kite - I Start to Belive You

Fairly new out of the Netherlands is a band I'm getting excited for called Lola Kite, an indielectronica band that blends the mellow sound of minimal synth with more upbeat and happy synthpop or new wave. Sure that sounds weird to think of but the end product is something pretty spectacular. It's hard to describe.With a few more listens, it's very possible that this will become one of my favorite albums of the year.

Booty Thrill - Thrillwave

Booty Thrill is a funk/nu-diso artist that just released their latest lp Thrillwave is an album I've been playing non stop for about a week. While this album has killer instrumental tracks that sound like they should be playing in a late 70s disco, my favorite songs are the one that feature a hip-hop artist. With the funky music that's accompanying the rappers you sort of get a feeling reminiscent of early hip-hop like The Sugar Hill Gang.

http://bootythrill.bandcamp.com/

Dawn Solaris - The Dawn Solaris Ep

So there have been a string of fantastic bands from my home town but keep breaking up. It just so happens they usually have several members that are involved in most of them. If I remember correctly it started with Time to Fly then they broke up and formed Alligators which broke us as well and now they're Dawn Solaris. Each one of these bands has been pretty spectacular. The first was a alt rock band that has secured it's spot as one of my favorite bands of all time. I didn't care for Alligators as much but it was a totally different sound. They had a real melancholy and slowcore kind of feeling. Now in Dawn Solaris they seem to have struck a middle ground in terms of the speed and emotions in their music. Dawn Solaris is an indie pop/rock band that sounds a bit like Geographer in terms of vocals and their instrumentation. Hopefully this band will stick around for at least an album or two because I can see them putting out some truly great music.


http://dawnsolaris.bandcamp.com/

Jupiter - Starlighter Single

 I try to keep my posts limited to full length albums and the occasional Ep. Sometimes this won't work though. I'll find an artist that I enjoy a lot only to find out they only have a handful of singles to offer. Sadly this is the case with Jupiter. They're a french nu-disco outfit that features a female vocalist and very danceable tracks. Out of all the nu-disco groups I'm a fan of Jupiter is probably one of my favorites despite the fact they only have a half a dozen or so songs in their discography.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsSd58CiGQs

The KVB - Always Then

Surprisingly facebook can be a useful tool for finding new music. I "liked" an artist's page and I saw a post in my stream that mentioned that they had just released their debut album. Not only was I excited to hear that I also found out that the artist I had been listening to was actually a side project for another band called The KVB. The KVB is a dark and noisy post-punk band that reminds me of a much more harsh Trust. This album is about as dark as I can stand. Their sound teeters on and off with a shoegazey kind of sound. They do a cover or These Boots are Made for Walkin' that is dark and very noisy. You can barely hear what he's saying but if you can make out what he's saying you can hear the chorus through the droning of distorted guitar. Definitely worth a listen, not usually my style but that could all change after hearing this album.

Nym - Warm Blooded Lizard

I'm not usually a hip-hop fan but I cam across Nym recently and it might be time to change my tune. Warm Blooded Lizards is an album that draws inspiration from old spaghetti western flicks and their tunes. Almost entirely instrumental this album has killer tracks that are not only memorable but are made even more enjoyable with all of the samples chosen. There are two tracks that feature vocals. Bandida has regular rapping over the beat while Hanging features female vocals that compliment the music nicely.

Claps - Wreck

 I found something really special tonight. This is Claps's debut LP. Wreck gives you dreamy yet dark minimal synth. It remains ethereal while keeping you entertained with it's vocals that keep you level headed with it's popish vocals. Not every song drones on without any sort of energy though the poppier and more upbeat songs still maintain some sort of dark undertones that define the underlining sound of this album. I highly recommend this album.

Charles Bradley - No Time for Dreaming

Fairly new to the soul scene I'm pretty in the dark when it comes to the genre. But with No Time for Dreaming you're presented with emotional and classic sounding soul music that sounds fresh in this modern age of music. Charles Bradley released his debut album in 2011 and he's gained moderate popularity among the "indie" scene. He played last year at Bumbershoot and I had the pleasure of seeing him. He was a great and passionate performer. I look forward to seeing him at Sasquatch this may.

Videobend - Summer 1974 EP

I came about Videobend in a mumuplayer session. We had been uploading our own material and critiquing each others work. Videobend's sound could be described as instrumental hiphop with a sort of  80s vibe to it. You could compare it to Com Truise without the heavy synths. His work is available on bandcamp now. It's name your own price so you could potentially put in zero and come away with a free ep. If you're so inclined feel free to donate a dollar or two.

http://videobend.bandcamp.com/album/summer-1974-ep

The only sample I could find isn't from this ep

Sare Havlicek - Toscana Nights

When you first hear about nu-disco you're ought to image a very straight disco sound full of funky riffs and danceable beats. Although what you get more often than not is electronic music that has a very synthpoppy feel with disco elements thrown in. Don't get me wrong; I love that sort of sound. I really do. But sometimes I wish nu-disco had more of a classic disco/funk sound. Toscana Nights gives you the electronic sound of modern music while staying close to classic disco. You get a true blending of the two. You might want to call this record a straight disco album but you can hear enough modern elements and modern ideas that coincide with the nu-disco of today. On "White Russian" you're greeted with a harsh buzzing synth. It quickly shifts to the familiar wah sound that you get out of some of the funk or disco of the 70s. I'd definitely love more of this sound on nu-disco records. 

Beat Connection - Surf Noir EP

Beat Connection is a local band for me at least. Hailing from the wet and rainy reaches of Seattle, Beat Connection churns out wonderfully accessible pop music. Warm, wet, and mellow can easily describe the sound of Beat Connection. Songs on this EP will leave you with an image of a closeup of a leaky faucet. The sounds of the ocean are all over this EP. Seagulls take control of the intro of  "In the Water". They help set up the mellow and oceanic feel you get throughout the rest of the track. I foresee great things from Beat Connection, and I for one am getting more and more excited to see them at Sasquatch in May.

Some By Sea - Get Off the Ground if You're Scared

Although Some by Sea's run only lasted a few years they've managed to create two albums that I would consider to be near perfect; Get off the Ground if You're Scared, and On fire! Igloo. With their use of soft piano a mix of string instruments and a soft yet brilliant voice Some by Sea gives you a listening experience you won't soon forget. Whenever someone asks for a winter album this is the first one I recommend. Tracks like "There's a line in the sand. Are you afraid to cross it" and "Walk a straight line, Keep a straight face." make you want snuggle up and watch the snowfall until you fall soundly asleep. Without a doubt in my mind, anyone who likes sweeping gentle indie folk/indie pop will fall in love with this record immediately.

French Films - Imaginary Future

If you'd consider yourself a fan of The Drums or even Beach Fossils this is an album you need to check out as soon as you possibly can. Truly the only bad thing I could say  about this album is that it ends. French Films takes the superb quick surf pop of The Drums and throws a heavy dose of new wave that gives the album that little bit of extra oomph that makes it stand out amongst the other readily available surf pop. I can't give this album enough praise. It does it's genre justice so well you'd swear they're from the warm shores of California instead of the frigid lands of Finland. Definitely check this out, I don't see how anyone could find this album anything other than stellar.

The Almighty Defenders - S/t

Here's an album I've found myself listening to non stop for a few weeks. Now it's a few years old but I'd say it's definitely worth sharing. The Almighty Defenders is a super group with members from The Black Lips and King Khan & BBQ Show. So you should know what to expect. Great mellow indie rock that gives you a strong retro vibe. You get a 60s almost psychedelic feeling off of the tracks. Some tracks chug along and leave you smiling like in  "Bow Down and Die". Others drag on in sort of a weird manner and sort of feel like an impromptu jam. Making use of tambourine and simple hand claps they really drive home the "feel good" vibe throughout the album.

Ed Masuga - Lonely Dog

The first Ed Masuga album I downloaded was fantastic and up until recently I hadn't taken the initiative to download any of his releases. I sure am glad that I did. With Ed Masuga you know what you're getting, feel good folk and alternative country at it's best. Lonely Dog makes use of quick skillful guitar work, classic lap steel country sounds, honky tonk  piano, and of course harmonica. You'll be left with a yearning to pack it all up and move to a simpler place.

Small Black - Moon Killer mixtape

After a hiatus from the spotlight Small Black has released a new mixtape. It plays like any album seeing as it's as long as any full length album. Their sound primarily stays the same although they seem to have taken some of the chillwave out of their sound. Their new sound is more of a blend between chillwave and just mellow synthpop. Heems from Das Racist is featured on two of the tracks; one in the beginning, and one smack dab in the middle. Though not a fan of his addition to the mixtape I understand that it could bring them potential listeners seeing as Das Racist had gotten quite popular. It's nice to see Small Black back on their feet and making great music.

Brothertiger - Golden Years

By far my favorite chillwave artist has finally released his debut Lp. Golden Years is exactly how chillwave is suppose to sound. It reminds you of a simpler time perhaps in your childhood. It throws you back into a warm summers afternoon where all you want to do is lounge around or float down a lazy river. The album is altogether a more relaxing experience than his previous releases. There are still some tracks that have a danceable beat but the majority of the album is mellow and ethereal. This will undoubtedly end up on my aoty list at some point.

Digitalism - I Love You, Dude

The more I listen to this album the more I find myself enjoying it. "I Love You, Dude" is a fantastic dance album that will keep you moving while at the same time keep you wanting more. Digitalism is a dance/electrohouse duo out of Germany. They're released two full length albums the first entitled: Idealism.

Work Drugs - Aurora Lies

Out of nowhere I came upon the sophomore release by Work Drugs and I've got to say I'm impressed. Their first album was amazing and I'm seeing the same effort and beauty the first album had. It teeters on a fence between Lo-fi Synthpop and regular Chillwave. Nevertheless the genre you still get songs that make you feel like you're cruising down a main street in Miami in the 80s with the top of your convertible down. Download this if you fancy yourself a fan of good music.

Brandenburg - Part Two

If you've seen me in a sharethread or two you're bound to see me share quite a lot of Russian Post-Punk. I don't really have an explanation for that other than I've found tons of amazing modern Post-Punk coming out of Russia. I came upon Brandenburg a few months back and I downloaded all of their work. They've released a slew of EPs but no full album. That being said this is their latest EP. I sort of guessed they were done putting out new music so essentially this is why I'm sharing this ep. They show great promise and the fact that they're still recording new music is great news. They've probably edged out Motorama or Human Tetris as one of my favorite Post-Punk bands. To be honest I never got into classic Post-Punk so my idea of good Post-Punk may be different than yours.

I could only find a sample from an older EP.

Paleo - Song Diary

David Andrew Strackany is a folk musician who plays under the moniker Paleo. A year or so ago I found Paleo through Pandora or something like that. I never really paid much attention to him and he sat in my library patiently waiting for me to rediscover him when I was ready. I came upon the album I had downloaded months before and I like it but it was a bit upbeat for the kind of folk I was expecting from the voice I was hearing and I thought to myself that he could make stellar quiet calm relaxing folk music. Little did I know he had been recording a song every day while on tour around the country. These songs were available on his webpage. I downloaded most  of what I could find but I could only come up with 149 songs.  Most of the songs start out in a similar fashion. Most songs start out with the line "Time and Time again." It sounds like you can't do much with that template but David takes each song in a new direction filling each song with beautiful lyrics and really heartfelt instrumentation. Recorded mostly on the road the song diary is as hauntingly beautiful as it is Lo-fi. If you dissect some of the songs you get a picture of a emotionally unstable and generally depressed  man who just happened to be blessed with an amazing gift for songwriting. This collection will probably stay a favorite of mine until I'm gray and old. No song feels rushed or half assed. I've also included his latest album in which he goes back to his upbeat folk. Be warned though most songs in the song diary are labeled Sunday Prayer (Roman numeral) so if you want to keep track of your favorite songs you'll need to label them yourselves or heart them or favorite them (Whatever your music player does). I also plan on purchasing the entire DVD so upon request I may be able to upload all of it.

http://www.mediafire.com/?d06q6yfg18hyamy
http://www.mediafire.com/?bfhnt95okacopty
http://www.mediafire.com/?e96mi2ed796efl5
http://www.mediafire.com/?x6cxynyvdvo57ob

Kinack - Ondas

The other day some /mu/tant started a bandcamp thread with his project linked in the original post. I usually don't browse these threads but I sure am I did this time. He described his music as "Trip-hop, Downtempo, and Chillout" These seem to fit quite well. The album is sort of this swirling ride that you can imagine playing in the background of a movie as they're traveling across a desert. I find myself forgetting that I'm listening to an entire album. It all sort of blends together into one spectacular song. Usually when I hear an album where all the songs sound alike I can get bored easily because of the repetition. With this album however I can get lost in the music and really appreciate it's beauty as a whole. All in all it's a spectacular album with great instrumentation and execution. The only thing I hate is that damn wallpaper, I mean it would be fine if it didn't have that awful filter. Seeing as that's my only real gripe I'd highly recommend this album to just about anyone.

I've uploaded it onto mediafire but if you enjoy this you should think about purchasing his work at http://kinack.bandcamp.com/album/ondas

Mintel Rose - Atlantique

Recently I had been messing around with the last.fm radio looking for some new stuff and I came across this French Nu-disco group. I'm fairly certain I was playing a radio station for a group that is a part of the Valerie Collective, a blog started by a musician that goes by the pseudonym "College". Everything included in their blog has a distinct 80s sound and is usually Nu-Disco or some sort of synthpop. Mintel Rose is no exception. Their sound is obviously taking cues from 80s pop. The end result is an extremely danceable and fun album. Enjoy.

Balto - October's Road

Balto is folk at it's best and it's most beautiful. When I first found Balto my first reaction was to try to compare them to some other artist. When in reality they're something totally unique and new. The bulk of the album was written after and inspired by the vocalist's trip through Siberia. He took in all that he experienced and created an album that catalogs his journey and the people he met. This theme isn't an underlining tone or something that you need to search for. It's right there from the beginning, and continues throughout the entire album.

Love Lake - S/t

Love Lake is a bedroom project from Minnesota that blends standard indie pop with a lo-fi aesthetic. While upbeat and overall pretty happy Love Lake's debut album still retains some scratches and fuzziness. Tracks on this album can give a lazy and sunny feeling like on "Yasmin" and "Paper Balloon". Other songs give you a quicker and straightforward pop feeling see "Curses" and "Ghosts". There's a lot of promise coming from Love Lake and I'd love to see what he does next.

Anoraak - Wherever The Sun Sets

 

Anoraak's Wherever The Sun Sets is an album that at least for me makes me feel like I'm out on the town late at night in the eighties. This synthpop album isn't your average quick dancable fun synthpop album it's slower and gives you a feeling of floating down a lazy river. Anorrak is a group coming out of Nantes, France so you can hear the accent in the singers voice but to me it adds character and without the accent the album wouldn't be as strong as it could be. The vocals are primarily male but in a few songs there's a female singer that takes over for a few songs and her voice is also infused with some sort of noticeable accent but it still helps make the album instead of break it. Don't take my word for it. Have yourself a listen.

Forbidden Hollywood - Bite EP

Here's an Ep I found not too long ago from a band that is showing a lot of promise. Half of the band The Tapeaters, Forbidden Hollywood is a new disco and New-Wave band hailing from the Russian Federation. There's some amazing synth work on this ep. A few seconds into "The Morning After" you're greeted with a blaring synth that leads into a danceable track that should immediately grab your attention. Definitley looking forward to whatever this duo has in store for us in the future.

Kakkmaddafakka - Hest

 

 Kakkmaddafakka is a Norwegian band that is sort of hard to classify. I suppose you could call it Indie Pop even though that isn't all that descriptive. Hest makes use of quick instrumentation and vocals seem to work on every track. I might get some flac from this but their syle reminds me a little of Of Montreal in that it's a quirky and fun at times. There's also quite a lot of variation on this album. "Gangsta" has a reggae sound that is instantly noticeable and it works quite well.

DVAS - Society

  I can't think of any other album to start my blog off with. Lets get started.We've got ourselves a synthpop/disco outfit that hails from Canada. DVAS's debut album has a slew of danceable tracks and even a funky and sexy track thrown in ( Look for "Back 2 Basix").