Archive for the 'indie' Category

BOTR vol 13

Published
by
billy
on March 16, 2010
in a clark, armand van helden, beach boys, best of the remix, black noise, botr, breakage, crookers, david guetta, duck sauce, florence and the machine, immuzikation, indie, kid cudi, kinkiez, lady gaga, major lazer, mgmt, mp3, music, oh snap, passion pit, peter bjorn and john, phoenix, pointdexter, quix, r kelly, remix, shout out louds, the girls can hear us, the hood, victoria, wale and we plants are happy plants
. 2 Comments

I’ve been stuck in a rut lately.  I’ve been swamped and work and when that happens I generally listen to a very small set of music over and over and over again.  The problem with this is that no new music coming in means no new music going out.  What happens is terrible.  So to spice it up I decided to bundle together another volume of BOTR (Best of The Remix).  If you’d like to check out all the previous BOTR volumes click here.

Enjoy the music.

mp3 : The Beach Boys - Wouldn’t It Be Nice (The Girls Can Hear Us Remix)
I love this remix.  It takes a classic summertime song by the Beach Boys and updates it just enough to make kids born in the last two decades appreciate the talent of the original surf rockers.

mp3 : David Guetta - Memories (feat Kid Cudi) (Armand Van Helden Vocal Remix)
Don’t be fooled by the opening forty five seconds of this remix.  When the vocals from CuDi drop in you’ll realize that you’re in heaven.

mp3 : Duck Sauce - aNYway (Black Noise Disco Remix)
I wasn’t quite sure what I thought of this track on first listen.  It sounds a lot like it’s from the late seventies, but the remixed aspect of the the song gives it a nice 2010 worthy veneer.

mp3 : Florence and The Machine - Dog Days Are Over (Breakage Remix)
This is by far the most depressing Florence and The Machine remix that I’ve ever heard.  And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.  Some days it’s good and well to be melancholic.

mp3 : Kinkiez - Nothing New (We Plants Are Happy Plants Remix)
The band is an act you’ve never heard of, but the track is worth a listen simply because We Plants Are Happy Plants has touched it.  WPAHP seems to have carved out a clever niche in the remix game and to date there hasn’t been a true competitor.

mp3 : Lady GaGa - Telephone (Crookers Remix)
I have no idea why anyone likes GaGa other than she tries really really hard to be even more abstract than Madonna ever was.  One thing can be said; even though her lyrics are Fergie-terrible at least the delivery is somewhat palatable.

mp3 : MGMT - Of Moons, Birds and Monsters (Holy Ghost Remix)
I thought this remix was appropriate what with MGMT having a new album due out this year.  Although this remix isn’t exactly club worthy it’s not problem, MGMT have always been more closely aligned with drug use anyway.

mp3 : MSTRKRFT - Bounce (OH SNAP!! Bootleg Vocal Remix)
To be honest MSTRKRFT are much better when remixing instead of creating original music, but this track had me at “all I do is party, ha ha ha ha.”  Makes me think of the Real World.

mp3 : Phoenix - Fences (The Pointdexter Remix)
If the previous remix was a mouthful of random club beats and party music this simple remix is a smooth sorbet, a sort of aural palate cleanser, a chilled out relaxing moment in the sun.

mp3 : Phoenix and Peter Bjorn and John and Victoria - One Thousand Nine Hundred and One Folks (Immuzikation Remix)
It’s been a long time since I listened to an Immuzikation Remix.  It’s been far too long.  At one time he alone sat atop the list in the remix world and here’s a nice example why.

mp3 : R Kelly vs Major Lazer - Ignition (The Hood Internet Remix)
No remix set is complete without one completely gratuitous R Kelly song.  Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce…

mp3 : Shout Out Louds - Fall Hard (Passion Pit’s Summertime Radio Remix)
If any remix could serve as the exact opposite, a counterpoint, to the previous R Kelly remix then this is that track.  Smooth and sugary like molasses this remix sounds like I usually feel on a hot summer day.

mp3 : Wale - Good Girls (A. Clark, Quix Remix)
This remix further cements in my brain that Wale and CuDi will end up being two of the most influential (or at least most long lasting) rappers in the current generation.  His rhymes remind me a lot of the iconic day of rap when Biggie and 2Pac were still around.

Insert some clever outro here.

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Anders Ponders album Nodes of Overtones

Published
by
billy
on March 4, 2010
in album, anders ponders, indie, mp3 and music
. 0 Comments

What would you get if you blended together the compositional sounds of Sufjan Stevens with modern day sing song pop folk and then poured that topping over a cake made out of Final Fantasy?  (And I guess I should clarify here; this Final Fantasy cake is the live version of Owen Pallet’s shows, not the quasi lame studio albums he continually puts out).  Stumped?  Well you won’t be for long.  What you get is Anders Ponders (and coincidentally one great album that I simply didn’t get to listen to last year.  It might have wormed its way into my best of 2009 list if I had just given it a listen last year.  Sigh).

mp3 : Anders Ponders - The Discus Incident
mp3 : Anders Ponders - Slowest Motion Miracle

From the start of the album, 2009’s Nodes of Overtones (amazon) (itunes), the similarities to Final Fantasy should be evident.  Every track contains ample amounts of violin (or possibly viola, never could tell them apart), a depth of arrangements, and the lyrics on each song tell a catchy story.  The one main deviation from the parallel comes in the content of those lyrics.  Where Final Fantasy sings songs about random events, (such as on He Poos Clouds), Anders Ponders tells short vignettes about Icarus (track 4) or his favorite fruit, Pomegranate (track 2).  In his own words he describes his sound as “A Fairy Home Companion” and I would definitely agree with that.

The allusion to Sufjan Stevens becomes more and more apparent the longer you listen to the album and culminates on the last track, Slowest Motion Miracle, where if you weren’t listening closely you could easily mistake it as a Sufjan song.

The bottom line is that Anders Ponders has created an infectious debut album that all readers of The World Forgot should listen to as soon as they can.

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Mumford and Sons album Sigh No More

Published
by
billy
on February 26, 2010
in album, folk, indie, mp3, mumford and sons and music
. 7 Comments

The debut album by Mumford and Sons, Sigh No More, is quite simply one of the most brilliant albums I have ever heard.  Other than that very serious statement (one which I have pondered over for the past) I cannot figure out what else accurately captures the mood of this album.  Far and away this has already become the album to beat for 2010 (and yes, I know it was released in 2009 in the UK, but as I’m currently based in the USA this will officially be on my list for 2010).

I’m struggling with how best to summarize an album that is beautiful, poignant, and brilliant throughout quite literally every single track.  It’s an album so good, so compelling, it prompts me to go back to my old ways of burning copies of CDs and literally forcing everyone I know to listen to it from start to finish.  It’s an album that is so well constructed that I’ve listened to it now about nine times and I honestly cannot figure out which two songs best represent the talent and craft that is apparent within each track.

For reference the following statements say nothing about the actual sound of the band, the type of music the create, but it’s the easiest way for me to explain how .  This album reminds me a lot of the debut Third Eye Blind album in that every sing song is well crafted and worth listening to.  This album reminds me a lot of Funeral by Arcade Fire in that the scope of the entire album is so epic and so moving you’re compelled to start it over again and again and again.  This album reminds me a lot of Is This It by The Strokes in that the first time I heard it all I could think to do was to immediately run around forcing everyone I know to listen to this brilliance.  This album reminds me a lot of The Weakerthans and Cloud Cult in that every song is infused with inventive storytelling.  This album reminds me a lot of Sufjan Stevens in that the composition and frequent use of layered crescendos adds to the overall impact in a way that is genuinely smile inducing, foot bouncing, simply joyous fun.

mp3 : Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More
mp3 : Mumford and Sons - The Cave

Perhaps the best way to sum up how I feel about the Mumford and Sons album Sigh No More (amazon) (itunes) is this; if I could I would force everyone who visits The World Forgot to download the entire album and listen to it before being allowed to visit any other website, go outside, or take a restroom break.

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Cloud Cult track Your 8th Birthday

Published
by
billy
on February 25, 2010
in cloud cult, indie, mp3 and music
. 7 Comments

If you’ve been hanging around these parts for any length of time you’ve probably come to accept the fact that I am quite the rabid supporter of all things Cloud Cult.  Recently I’ve been digging through old mp3 discs that are stuffed in my car (I drive an ‘05 Scion xB that has a stock stereo capable of playing mp3’s directly from a CD).  Lately I’ve been fascinated with my Best of 2007 disc that includes Cloud Cult’s album The Meaning of 8 (amazon) (itunes) as the best album released that year.

The song that has caught my attention lately has been Criag Minowa’s tribute track to his late son, entitled Your 8th Birthday, who passed away unexpectedly when he was only 2 years old.  It’s quite brilliant lyrically and I cannot imagine the emotion that was poured into the writing and recording of this track (let alone the decision to include it on a studio album).

mp3 : Cloud Cult - Your 8th Birthday

Cloud Cult is currently on hiatus from touring as Craig and Connie are having a child.  They plan to begin touring again in late spring of this year although there are no plans, as of yet, to record another album.

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Freelance Whales album Weathervanes

Published
by
billy
on February 9, 2010
in album, freelance whales, indie, mp3 and music
. 8 Comments

I will freely admit that when I heard a single track from Freelance Whales I audibly groaned “oh no, not another derivative, sappy, knock off no talent hack like Owl City.”  Thankfully I was wrong in assuming that this band was going to become as simple pop attention whore with a laptop.  Their debut album, Weathervanes (which is out already as a download) (amazon) (itunes) is a solid trip through musical adventures akin to mashing together Postal Service and Sufjan Stevens.  That really is the best way to describe their sound.  Listen for yourself.

mp3 : Freelance Whales - Generator First Floor
mp3 : Freelance Whales - Broken Horse

I know I’m a scant few weeks from proclaiming my best albums of 2009, but I’m not sure I can imagine a future where this album doesn’t make it onto the best of 2010.  It would have to be a mighty fine year in music to knock this to number eleven or below.  (note : yes the album has been out as an mp3 download for awhile but I usually count an album’s release year as the year it was first published in a physical format.  And yes, I acknowledge the physical format is dead or dying, but that’s an easy way to keep everything level across the board for now).

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The Best Albums of 2009

Published
by
billy
on January 13, 2010
in 2009, animal collective, best albums of 2009, best of the year, boty, deer tick, indie, matt and kim, metric, mp3, music, noah and the whale, phoenix, the xx, we were promised jetpacks, white lies and yeah yeah yeahs
. 10 Comments

The previous two years were filled with amazing albums by amazing bands.  Picking the ten best of2007 was hard.  Picking the top albums of 2008 was almost impossible.  In contrast, 2009 was rather easy.  There just weren’t that many brilliant albums this year.  In fact there weren’t even that many great albums.  Fret not, though, there is still more than enough music to enjoy.

01 : Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (amazon) (itunes)

I don’t like a single other album that Animal Collective has ever made.  Most of their career (including their latest EP) sounds like simple repetitive noise void of any melody or musicality.  Merriweather Post Pavilion is an entire different beast.  Although the middle of the album drags a bit it easily tops the list as the best album of the year.

mp3 : Animal Collective - In The Flowers
mp3 : Animal Collective - My Girls

02 : Noah and The Whale - The First Days of Spring (amazon) (itunes)

I simply love sad and somewhat depressing music.  Noah and The Whale has taken a melancholic lyrical style and draped it over the perfect mood setting melodies.  At times this album reminds me quite a bit of the slower side of The National.  Every song is worth a listen (and if you choose the second track below you simply must listen to the very end).

mp3 : Noah and The Whale - Blue Skies
mp3 : Noah and The Whale - My Door Is Always Open

03 : Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix (amazon) (itunes)

Phoenix has long led the charge from radio friendly pop music to the purest pop sound imaginable.  This entire album is pure pop candy.  There exists not an errant second in the entire trip through perfectly crafted pop genius.

mp3 : Phoenix - Girlfriend
mp3 : Phoenix - Love Like a Sunset

04 : We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls (amazon) (itunes)

They have a whimsical name, they share a homeland with Frightend Rabbit, and they titled one of their songs after a rather obscure physics principle.  What more could you possibly want?  Oh, and their music is top notch.

mp3 : We Were Promised Jetpacks - Quiet Little Voices
mp3 : We Were Promised Jetpacks - This Is My House, This Is My Home

05 : Matt and Kim - Grand (amazon) (itunes)

Matt and Kim proved in 2009 what can be accomplished with a minimal setup and the simple direction of making crowd pleasing dance pop.  With catchy hooks and repeated lyrics their are tracks on this album so insidious that you’ll be silently dancing to them well into next month.

mp3 : Matt and Kim - Daylight
mp3 : Matt and Kim - Lessons Learned

06 : Metric - Fantasies (amazon) (itunes)

Most of my Metric listening comes in the form of brilliant remixes of their tracks.  For the most part their studio albums always felt flat on repeat listening.  This is the first time they’ve broken that cycle and have truly created the masterpiece of their career.

mp3 : Metric - Blindness
mp3 : Metric - Sick Muse

07 : Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It’s Blitz (amazon) (itunes)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have gone the route of Metric and finally created a masterpiece album to sit atop their collection.  The only way this album could get any better is if they could go back in time and steal their previous track Maps and put it on this album.

mp3 : Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll
mp3 : Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Skeletons

08 : White Lies - To Lose My Life (amazon) (itunes)

If The Killers ever feel the need to make another album they need look no further than White Lies to see how high the bar has been set.  White Lies have found a way to incorporate the grandiose with the melancholic and yet make every song something to sing along to.  Brilliant.

mp3 : White Lies - Death
mp3 : White Lies - From The Stars

09 : Deer Tick - Born on Flag Day (amazon) (itunes)

Deer Tick is quite possibly the greatest bar band you will ever hear.  The most interesting part of their repertoire is that their trademark live sound is captured perfectly on their studio albums.  If you like them live then you’ll love their southern rock infused albums.

mp3 : Deer Tick - Hell On Earth
mp3 : Deer Tick - Song About A Man

10 : The xx - xx (amazon) (itunes)

This album is subtle genius and yet almost forgettable.  The band recorded the album in a neighborhood garage after dark and the rumour goes that this setting contributed greatly to the whisper quiet nature of most of the tracks.  It’s by far the most mellow album on the list.

mp3 : The xx - Islands
mp3 : The xx - Stars

And there you have it, albeit somewhat belatedly.  Those are my top ten albums for 2009.  If you’d like to see my previous lists follow these links; 2008, 2007 (or click here to see all 3 years on one page).  Although this past year wasn’t near the brilliance we were presented with in 2008 it was still a solid year for music fans.  Honorable mention should be given to a few bands that were just barely nudged off of this list for some reason or another.  Modest Mouse made one of the best albums of the year but it failed to make this list on a technicality (it’s actually an eight song EP).  While albums by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, White Rabbits, and Julian Casablancas all scattered tracks of pure top ten worthiness, but sadly failed to sustain those moments throughout an entire album.

Until the next time around keep reading and, as always, enjoy the music.

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Vampire Weekend remixed by Miike Snow

Published
by
billy
on January 7, 2010
in indie, miike snow, mp3, music, remix and vampire weekend
. 5 Comments

I’m so done caring about this band that I don’t even care that you don’t care either.  At all.  I do however find this fresh remix by Miike Snow to be perfection.  I would care if their next album was going to sound more like this and less like them.

mp3 : Vampire Weekend - The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance (Miike Snow Remix)

Sorry for the brevity, and the snark, I’m working on my Best of 2009 list as well as compiling a massive dance party mix list that needs to last through 4-5 hours of a wedding reception (talk about pressure).

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Andrew Belle track Static Waves

Published
by
billy
on November 25, 2009
in andrew belle, indie, mp3 and music
. 1 Comment

I receive literally loads of email on a daily basis from artists and publicists alike looking for a quick mention or a short review here on TWF.  Often wading through this morass is more tiring than reward but it all feels fine when you stumble upon a gem like Andrew Belle.  First of all let me congratulate him on cutting his hair.  Your publicist/manager/assistant/whomever should be thanked mightily for cleaning you up a bit.  Secondly let me say that I hope his upcoming album, The Ladder, is as solid as the first preview track I was sent.  (Album is out on February 23rd of next year).

mp3 : Andrew Belle - Static Waves

In a lot of ways this track reminds me of Greg Laswell’s amazing album Three Flights from Alto Nido (which I put as the 5th best album of 2008).  Trust me, it’s a good enough song that you should impulsively download it from the link above and enjoy it over this extended holiday weekend.  And if you’re from parts of the world other than the United States you might as well enjoy it while you’re at work tomorrow.

Cheers.

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We The They track Pastures

Published
by
billy
on November 25, 2009
in indie, mp3, music and we the they
. 0 Comments

At first listen this track, off of their album The Shabby Road Sessions (CD Baby) (itunes), makes these boys sound like a new version of California centric surfer pop.  If you’re thinking of early Phantom Planet or the only good Rooney album then you’re right on track.  Unfortunately if you head over to their myspace page (and I mean come on, you don’t have a proper website?  It costs, what, about $50 a year for a cheap as site like this?) you’ll soon find that this just might be the only gem they’ll ever find.

mp3 : We The They - Pastures

At least we can hope they’re not a one trick pony.

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First Aid Kit covers Fleet Foxes

Published
by
billy
on October 30, 2009
in cover, first aid kit, fleet foxes, indie, mp3 and music
. 2 Comments

I stumbled upon this little gem of a cover this morning while I was listening to music at work.  A friend sent me the link and I thought I would pay it forward.  The track is a fairly straightforward cover of the Fleet Foxes classic Tiger Mountain Peasant Song.  If you like what the ladies have done with it (somehow I think they make it even more haunting than the original) make sure you check out their myspace page from some more great songs.

mp3 : First Aid Kit - Tiger Mountain Peasant Song (Fleet Foxes Cover)

Or if you’d rather jump right into more music by First Aid Kit you can find this track on their album Drunken Trees (amazon) (itunes).

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Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros track Home

Published
by
billy
on October 27, 2009
in edward sharpe, edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros, folk, indie, mp3 and music
. 3 Comments

I think this song is out to get me.  I remember vaguely watching this band play late one night on Letterman.  And although they seem to be a random collection of hippies and vagabonds there was something about the oft repeated refrain of “home is wherever I’m with you” that held my attention.  I mean basically, this track which hails from the 2009 album Up From Below (amazon) (itunes), is the epitome of the modern indie folk classic.  There are two singers, male and female, whom sing in a throwback call and response style of vocalization.  There’s more whistling than an Andrew Bird album.  There exists a musical break about ninety seconds into the track that would do the trumpet segments in Sufjan Stevens songs proud.  They even take a break in the middle of the song to talk over the musical background.  To be honest I’m not sure there’s a stereotype that they missed.

mp3 : Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Home

Now all they need to do is drop the “and the Magnetic Zeros” from their name and they might be a respectable group.

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Bit Shifter track Hexadecimal Genome

Published
by
billy
on October 20, 2009
in bit shifter, indie, mp3 and music
. 4 Comments

This post is a little off the beaten path today.  The track hails from a 2006 EP called Information Chase and it contains no lyrics.  Although this isn’t the first time I’ve posted a purely instrumental track this does mark the first time I’ve posted an instrumental track that’s composed entirely of bits/bleeps.  Just think Nintendo era soundtracks with serious club credibility and you’re on the right track.

mp3 : Bit Shifter - Hexadecimal Genome

I enjoy this track, I hope you can enjoy it as well.  It’s not for everyone, but that’s ok.  If you’re really into it head over to 8bitpeoples for more.

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The Weakerthans track Night Windows

Published
by
billy
on September 17, 2009
in indie, mp3, music and weakerthans
. 4 Comments

I have found myself to be a bit on the obsessive side over the past month of my life.  I was again moved back to part time at work (which really means part time pay, which is just over sustainable) and alongside that came extra hours, even days, of leisure free time.  Now you might think that I would use this time to do what I love.  That I would use it to peruse music blogs, stream tracks from myspace to last.fm, attend shows, and download bootlegs.  But for some reason I haven’t done any of those things (although I did score some rare tickets to see Sufjan in Bloomington in a few weeks).

I guess I shouldn’t really say “some reason” like it’s this ambiguous metaphysical reason that’s leaning upon the edge of my subconscious.  I realized today exactly what the situation is.  When I have too much free time, without structure, without a framework that keeps me busy and organized I drift into a mode that is somewhat lazy, partially obsessive, and mostly bent on finding a path of least resistance.  And so I’ve been doing what every quarter aged person with too much time on their hands does in the United States (or really the entire world).  And that has been nothing.  Nothing at all.

Oh sure I’ve listened to music, I’ve played video games, and I’ve complained to my friends about my lack of adventure (and perversely my lack of will to seek said adventure), but mostly I’ve done nothing with my time.  Nothing at all (well nothing at all that I could show you and say “look what I have done.”)

And so that brings me to this post about The Weakerthans track entitled Night Windows.  I love this band, I love this track, and I love the album it hails from (Reunion Tour (amazon) (itunes).  In fact I love the album so much it has been the only album I’ve listened to in my car over the past three weeks.  I finally took it out after I realized just how obsessed I’ve become with the album; how stuck I’ve become in this routine of listening to one thing over and over again (I mean c’mon, I actually have memorized, word for word, 9 of the 11 tracks on the album).

mp3 : The Weakerthans - Night Windows

And all this rambling brings me to this track.  This track written about losing someone.  This track which I believe is the perfect commentary on the war the USA is currently fighting (in two countries no less).  This song is quietly desperate and melancholic.  It’s filled with honest emotions and genuine heartache.  And I know every word as if I wrote it myself.

It’s been said that John Samson (lead singer of The Weakerthans) wrote this song for a friend of his whom died in the war in Afghanistan.  It’s also known that the title is lifted from a painting by the artist Edward Hopper.  It’s a beautiful song and I feel that if I don’t share it with everyone it will be stuck in my head for ages and I won’t ever listen to another album.

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We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls

Published
by
billy
on August 24, 2009
in album, indie, mp3, music and we were promised jetpacks
. 7 Comments

I do apologize for the lack of posts during this past week.  I really must apologize.  But I fear I was busy scoring tickets to see the upcoming Sufjan Stevens mini tour (yes, I’ll be there in Bloomington to see him play), galavanting about the countryside for an all to brief weekend, and listening continuously to the latest album by my new Scottish obsession We Were Promised Jetpacks.

I would have killed to see these boys play with their compatriots (my other favorite Scottish band Frightened Rabbit - who is absolutely insanely good in concert), but alas they did not come close enough to central Indiana on their tour.  Fortunately they have released These Four Walls (amazon) (itunes) and quite honestly, it is brilliant.  It’s the type of brilliant that lets you know that these boys, will, in fact be on the top ten list at the end of the year.  It’s the type of brilliant that blacks out all other albums for a solid week while you attempt to sate your addiction on these eleven songs.

mp3 : We Were Promised Jetpacks - It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning
mp3 : We Were Promised Jetpacks - Quite Little Voices

Not only are those two songs catchy, driving, Scottish rock, but there’s also a track on the album entitled Moving Clocks Run Slow.  If I’m a sucker for anything it’s allusions to principles of physics in song titles.  You got me good We Were Promised Jetpacks (wonderful band name by the way), you got me good.  Get the album, thank me later.

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Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson

Published
by
billy
on August 14, 2009
in album, indie, miles benjamin anthony robinson, mp3 and music
. 2 Comments

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson is a singer/songwriter out of Brooklyn who released his self titled debut, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (amazon) (itunes), in July of 2008.  If I had to pare down my review to as few words as possible I would say the following.  Miles sounds like an urban version of a one man band.  It’s as if Bon Iver holed up in a bustling New York borough instead of an isolated cabin.

mp3 : Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Buriedfed
mp3 : Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - The Debtor

Overall it’s a great first album.  Granted there are some rough bits, possibly even some songs that you won’t absolutely love when you first meet, but overall this is a solid debut album and I’m looking forward to what he produces next.

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Throw Me The Statue - Moonbeams

Published
by
billy
on August 10, 2009
in album, indie, mp3, music and throw me the statue
. 0 Comments

There are two words that immediately jumped into my head the first time I listened to the debut album by Throw Me The Statue.  The first word is giddy.  Giddy because that’s how this music makes me feel.  It’s heartfelt, genuine, indie pop.  At times they’re acoustic Weezer, at times they spark like The Anniversary, and in other moments they are Band of Horses.  Overall they’re a solid band with interesting music.

The second word is disbelief.  This album, Moonbeams (amazon) (itunes), is solid from opening to close.  Every song has something of interest, some little slice of creativity that you’ll find you enjoy.  I’m going with disbelif because I honestly can’t belive it took me two years to finally hear this album.  It was released/recorded in 2007 and I’m just now, finally, hearing it.  Where have all my music loving friends gone?  Why was I not force fed this album years ago?

mp3 : Throw Me The Statue - Young Sensualists
mp3 : Throw Me The Statue - About To Walk

These tracks are but a taste of how great this album is.  I can’t wait to hear their latest effort (which dropped just last week, August 4th 2009, so I’m not that far behind anymore).  Trust me though, this is an album to add to your collection.

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The Raveonettes - Lust, Lust, Lust

Published
by
billy
on August 4, 2009
in indie, mp3, music and raveonettes
. 2 Comments

Lately I’ve been listening to a load of bands that I had never heard of before I got a job that keeps me sitting down for the better part of the day; parked behind a computer screen.  Internet radio is a lifesaver after lunch and it’s been quite a treat to get to listen to loads of new music (none of which I actively have to pursue).

This album, Lust Lust Lust (amazon) (itunes), was released in 2007 by The Raveonettes.  It starts off moody, packs in a lot of guitar fuzz and distorted wall of sound, and honestly feels a bit depressing by the end.  But it’s the good sort of depressing.  Ok, so that sounds a bit awkward, but that’s honestly how this album feels.  Moody, somewhat depressing, solid throughout the entire album, and drenched in a melancholic haze of guitars and lo-fi distortion.  It’s almost as if you’re standing at the back of the bar after a long night of drinking and music and this is the last act on stage for the night.

mp3 : The Raveonettes - Hallucinations
mp3 : The Raveonettes - Sad Transmission

Hallucinations is the second track off of the album and I’m leaning towards admitting it’s my favorite song by The Raveonettes.  Sad Transmission, however, comes in a close second for two reasons.  First of all even the title sounds depressing.  Secondly it sounds as if they sample the bass line from Duke of Earl throughout the entire track.  Brilliant.  And they’re from Denmark too.

+ The Raveonettes @ twf hype elbows site myspace amazonmp3 itunes
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