Great indie discoveries

Its been a quiet week for music discoveries (and its been more than a week), but I see the view count keeps going up on this little thread so time to update.

Just one this week, and its both good and bad news:

Z, by My Morning Jacket (http://www.mymorningjacket.com/)

The band's name alone is enough to turn you off on this, but trust me, its very good. I think I'm going to have to revise my top 5 for the year to include this one. There are a couple of songs on the URL above that you can listen to, but it doesn't really capture the full essense of the album. Its somewhat theatrical in the vein of Pink Floyd or the Flaming Lips, maybe a bit subdued at times, but it flows well from one song to another rather than being just a bunch of songs.

The bad news, though, is it has "copy protection". And frankly, I refuse to buy "copy-protected" CDs. I keep putting it in quotes because its software that is installed against my wishes, that interferes with my system...that's not "protection", that's a virus.

The amazing thing is, this was apparently done without the band or even the label's permission. From ATO's website: "Neither we nor our artists ever gave permission for the use of this technology, nor is it our distributor's opinion that they need our permission. Wherever it is our decision, we will forego use of copy-protection, just as we have in the past." There are further apologies, but you get the gist.

I was lucky enough to find a promo CD from an Amazon seller that should be free of the Suncomm annoyance (but no nice CD insert). It was the only one available.

So you'll have to decide for yourself. I really try to discourage people from buying crippled CDs, but given the extenuating circumstances of it being done even against the label's wishes (MMJ is not the only band that hates such interference), this might be one time to make an exception. I've been struggling with it for the past few days, and was lucky enough to find a promo so I didn't have to sacrifice my principles.

Its Mediamax so its pretty easy to get around (there is a description of how to do it at this URL (http://www.mymorningjacket.com/cgi/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=themusic;action=display;num=11287542 42)). That's from the band's website.

I rarely get PMs so I don't check it very often - thanks for those, I'll check 'em out!

just found out about Giant Drag with that new iTunes-suggests-you-some-music thing and i'll say they are quite awesome.

look 'em up on iTunes, my new favorite band

I don't think this band is indie, but I just discovered over here. The Go! Team is all I've been listening too for the past couple of days. I think they are already huge in the UK? But that's my discovery.

I like Bloc Party and the Killers so I will definately be checking out Aberdeen City. Thanks!

Woo they're great.. liking their sound lots..

Guillemots are tipped for greatness.. maybe:
http://www.guillemots.com/

Originally posted by Sypher
Guillemots are tipped for greatness.. maybe:
http://www.guillemots.com/

mmm, me likes their sound very much. (though the text on their website is tres annoying.) I'm guessing the EP is available only in the UK for now; I'll have to put it on my list for when I'm there next month...

Wash your mouth out - I didn't recommend British Sea Power, but 'Road to Rouen' by Supergrass is my album of the year, better even than the Kasabian album or Jamiroquai's superb 'Dynamite'.

I'd have recommended My Morning Jacket, too, if I'd thought that a US band would have escaped you. Do I need to list Beck's 'Guero'?

Of this year's releases (and taking Bloc Party, Coldplay, and the Kaiser Chiefs as read), I'd also tentatively recommend 'Jackinabox' by Turin Brakes, 'Dead 60s' by the Dead 60s, 'Stars of CCTV' by Hard Fi, and '1st comes 1st' by the Paddingtons, though none of them are classic or GREAT albums.

On the subject of 'Jackogems' ('Road to Rouen', 'Kasabian' and 'Dynamite' definitely are) have you checked out 'The Music' by the Music, 'Second Coming' by the Stone Roses, '22-20s' by the 22-20s, 'Boomslang' by Johnny Marr and the Healers, 'Word of Mouth' by the Blueskins, 'Expecting to Fly' by the Bluetones, 'All Change' by Cast, and 'Bring It On' by Gomez?

Sorry if the British Sea Power ref offended you Jacko, I've lost track of who recommended who! I'll check out some of the other stuff you listed, the only one I've heard was The Music (and it wasn't really my thing), and Gomez, who are great.

I just finished up a month on eMusic, with lots of great discoveries. Some favorites:

Black Sheep Boy, by Okkervil River (http://www.emusic.com/album/10858/10858066.html). Sort of folk-ish, but he does rock from time to time. I like the dynamics of that. Next month I'll be downloading the "Appendix" to the album, which I guess is a disk 2 that wasn't released with the first...?

Yoko, by Beulah (http://www.emusic.com/album/10858/10858446.html). This San Francisco band broke up a year or so ago, after releasing a great album. Just got fed up, I guess. Even Yoko liked the album.

On the topic of couple-year-old albums, I'm also enjoying Logic Will Break Your Heart by the Stills (http://www.emusic.com/album/10859/10859245.html).

Thanks iMacc, that should be enough to consume my entire evening. I'll be sure to blame you when my wife gets fed up with me just sitting by the computer with the headphones on!

I finally got around to downloading "Alligator" by The National last night - what a great album! How did that not end up on more 'best of 2005' lists?

Hmmmm. I never knew that "Z" was considered indie. It seems to be on Top40 everywhere..

"Z" has certainly become well-known in the music-watching circles, but its never made it on the Billboard top 20 album charts. It held the #1 position on the Coalition of Independent Music Stores chart.

I check a few music blogs from time to time, and lately have found good stuff on My Old Kentucky Blog (http://myoldkyhome.blogspot.com/). I didn't bother with it for a long time just because of the name (sounds like some sort of Elvis blog!).

Recently they featured a guy whose band/project is called B.C. Camplight. This is indie pop at its best. Its hard not to draw the comparisons with Badly Drawn Boy, though its not nearly as heavily produced as BDB's albums since The Hour of Bewilderbeast. If anything, its almost like another Bewiderbeast (minus all the fishing and camping references, which isn't a bad thing).

The other good news is you can hear a lot of it on the cheap! B.C. has four songs downloadable for free on his website: link here (http://www.bccamplight.com/media.htm). And the entire album is downloadable from eMusic. I got all but two songs, and its very good.

Si Connelly: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=19380380

Its OK, mostly solo guitar & voice. Really needs some production to make a good EP.

Reminds me a bit of some recent music from Rocky Votolato, who I'll be seeing with Minus the Bear next month. MP3s: http://www.barsuk.com/bands/rockyvotolato/media

I just got done with two months of eMusic. The music I've been enjoying the most is Elbow's "Leaders of the Free World" and Crooked Fingers' "Dignity and Shame".

Crooked Fingers tends to sound a little like Neil Diamond, except he lets his female backup sing quite a bit on her own. A good sample download is on toolshedmedia: http://toolshedmedia03.com/ts/crooked-fingers-call-to-love.mp3

Best Indie Bands:

Rooftop Suicide Club
The Anniversary
The Arcade Fire
Architecture in Helsinki
Belle & Sebastian
The Books
Coco Rosie
The Good Life
I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business
Iron & Wine
Kind of Like Spitting
Mineral
Minus the Bear
My Morning Jacket
The New Amsterdams
The Nowtwist
Son, Ambulance
Sweater Weather
Wilco

*Alot of these bands aren't "indie" anymore...BECAUSE OF THREADS LIKE THIS!

but anyway PLEASE check out the two bolded artist...guys I know tryng to get out there...Rooftop Suicide Club is a MUST for anyone who enjoys Built to Spill + modest mouse...and sweater weather is for any postal service fans CHECK THOSE GUYS OUT!

I recommend My Morning Jacket - Z also. My favorite album of 2005.

Maybe, but i am generally glad when a small band i am a fan of becomes known by the masses.

Might I add:

Howling Bells ( http://www.howlingbells.com)
She Wants Revenge ( http://www.shewantsrevenge.com)
Alterkicks ( http://www.alterkicks.co.uk)
Pitty Sing ( http://www.pittysing.com)

A while ago itunes had the meligrove band as its free track of the week. so i got it and fell inlove with it. I didnt want to buy the rest of the album from itunes but i found it on eMusic and its incredible.

I like The Young Knives Sypher!

Are they signed? Are there free, (Legal!), downloads anywhere?

Originally posted by bdb
Its been awhile since I've come up with anything for this thread (still listening to all the great stuff from last year), but I've been hearing more and more about this guy:

Jos Gonzlez (http://www.myspace.com/josegonzalezmusic)

Before you jump to the conclusion that this is sort of salsa music: this guy is from Gteborg, Sweden. His style is more folk, and while its unfortunately common to compare any decent male solo voice/guitar to Nick Drake, this is one guy who deserves the comparison.

The link above is to myspace, with 4 songs streaming. His album, along with some 4- and 5-song EPs that include some other good tracks, is available at eMusic (http://www.emusic.com/artist/11590/11590136.html). Yeah, you can get it on iTMS, but for the price of iTMS you can download it, Belle & Sebastian's new album (http://www.emusic.com/album/10896/10896363.html), and a couple of other albums. And it'll be MP3 so it'll play on anything. And it'll be 192kbps, not 128. Yeah, eMusic rocks.

Edit: while trying to get the To Elliott from Portland (http://www.emusic.com/album/10895/10895071.html) Elliott Smith tribute to show back up on the main page's new album list, I came across some good stuff from The Minus 5 (http://www.emusic.com/artist/11577/11577786.html), which has been getting a little press lately. Not bad.

I'll second the Jos Gonzlez recomendation. He's awesome. I first discovered him after hearing his song Crossess on In Justice. The show is boring, but they often have some great music ;)

Josh

I had a little extra time today, so I decided to check out the hit-n-miss reviews at 75orless.com. Their reviews are...you guess it..75 words or less, so most of the time is just listening. That's where I learned of Radiant Darling, Angeles Drake and some other good stuff that there is absolutely no way I'd have heard of otherwise.

First, 13 Ghosts. I don't even know how to describe these guys. Badfinger plays Beatles chords with your neighbor's garage band? There are sample tracks from the new album here (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/13ghosts), and full tracks from older albums here (http://www.13ghostsmusic.com/sounds.asp). You can really hear the progression. The thing about indie records is, the samples you hear are usually the best of the album; the fifth sample off the new album was so-so...so I'm not sure. The other four were very good, and the samples from the previous album were subdued but great.

The Steady Hand, by New Radiant Storm King (http://www.emusic.com/album/10896/10896142.html). Only 30-second samples, but they make me wonder why I've never heard of these guys. I guess they've been around quite awhile and have have some lo-fi roots, but any lo-fi that was there before is pretty much gone now. These guys are rocking! I think the guy from 75orless put it right, "The Steady Hand is the sound of 'indie' musicians unafraid to grow into something magnificent." I'll have to download it to know for sure, but looks to be one of the best so far this year. Between this and Jos Gonzlez I really need to sign up for eMusic again.

BTW, I got to hear the full album of Jos Gonzlez's "Veneer". Its not Nick Drake, and as it goes the whole album isn't as good as the MySpace samples, but its still quite good.

Both of those (Neutral Milk Hotel & Jens Lekman) are on eMusic, too. Sufjan Stevens, too. It'd be nuts to get them from iTMS.

Originally posted by violinmathchick
I second Jens Lekman; his new album is really quite good.

I saw his interview on Pitchfork. What good songs are there off his album?

There are countless blogs out there, some good, some better, some skippable. In addition to the ones bdb mentioned, gorilla vs. bear (http://gorillavsbear.blogspot.com/), and sixeyes (http://www.sixeyes.blogspot.com/) are a couple of popular ones.

The Larry Page (http://www.thelarrypage.com/)'s "Hobby Box" recently turned me on to these guys: The Essex Green. They're a Brooklyn-based band with a mellow poppy 60s-ish sound. A bit Belle & Sebastian-like. Their new release is scheduled for late March - the track I heard "Don't Know Why (You Stay)" sounds promising. Their previous efforts are available on emusic.

As for music blogs, I love postpunkjunk.com. He posts obscure post punk tracks interspersed with songs from newer bands that follow in that tradition. He also has podcasts!

i'm sure many of you have already heard, but the Decemberists are no longer indie. They signed to Capitol earlier this year I believe. I really hope they keep doing their style and hopefully their first major label release will be as good as Picaresque.

yeah,maybe major labels are starting to figure out that if you try to change these artists too much or dont let them go in their own direction, then they will lose the huge base of fans that many indie bands have built up over the years (Death Cab, Decemberists, Belle and Sebastian etc.).
they are also figuring out how popular indie music really is.

I picked up a few Crystal Skulls tracks from eMusic; yeah, they sound good. The name gives me the creeps, though!

I'll be seeing them in concert with MTB this Friday.

anyone listen to: oh no! oh my!(the jolly rogers)

Day Action Band? I did get the e-mail and listen to most of their songs. Not really my cup of tea, though.

Mazarin, a great indie-pop group from Philadelphia with Orange Juice listed as one of their main influences (big points!). French History buffs might also be amused.

Been hooked on Another One Goes By (http://www.mazarinband.com/03%20Another%20One%20Goes%20By.mp3)

Wonderful upbeat guitar-pop with a sweet voice to match. Reminds me of Orange Juice's 'Rip It Up' mixed with some 80s brit-pop guitar, with a hint of Brian Wilson.

-Dan

wolf parade...hands down. (if not deff the unicorns)

GOD DAMN!

If you have Realplayer, there's a Mates of State "listening party" where you can listen to the entire album.

My favorite recent albums are the UK Bands Arab Strap's "the Last Romance" and The Kooks' "Inside In, Outside Out". I also noticed that the Delgado's 2003 album "Universal Audio" is on emusic now - also highly recommended.

I haven't really listened to Vanderslice much, but the demos were good.

I keep meaning to get Rocky Votolato (http://www.barsuk.com/shop/bark049)'s latest. I still have those songs stuck in my head since hearing him in concert.

I've always liked Barsuk...though its probably just my weak spot for a doggie with a frisbee.

I have to say I'm really enjoying the new album from Built to Spill, "You In Reverse". Not exactly "indie" (they're on the Warner label) or a "discovery" (they're fairly well known), but a good indie sound nonetheless.

Foxylane - Human Robot (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=141868982&s=143444)
Mauro Pawlowski - Otot (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=131028712&s=143444)
Buscemi - Late Night Reworks (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=151283084&s=143444)
Rollznoyce - Maniac Machine (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=139154379&s=143444)

The first time I heard a song from Beirut, I really couldn't get into it...it really is very different from mainstream music. I also sort of ignored it because Sypher said its like Sufjan Stevens (whose music I'm not that fond of). :)

But after hearing a lot about it on various blogs, I decided to give it another try, and am enjoying most of it. Very interesting and unique music.

I forgot to mention - its on eMusic! A lot of good stuff has been added lately!

The first time I heard a song from Beirut, I really couldn't get into it...it really is very different from mainstream music. I also sort of ignored it because Sypher said its like Sufjan Stevens (whose music I'm not that fond of). :)

But after hearing a lot about it on various blogs, I decided to give it another try, and am enjoying most of it. Very interesting and unique music.

Hehe oops.. I didn't mean to be off putting, but the folksyness is kinda Sufjan, no?

Has anyone said The Automatic yet? "Monster" is such a good song. They will (probably) be big.
http://www.theautomatic.co.uk/

There's a lot of good indie stuff on The WAB ( http://www.wackattackbarrack.be/)

I've been all over the mellow lately, came across HOTEL LIGHTS (http://www.hotellights.net/), a band formed by the drummer of Ben Folds Five, though this sound isn't BF5-ey at all. Like I said, very mellow, laid-back stuff. Their self-titled album was released in March under the Bar/None Records label.

I like "Hotel Lights"...and they'e on eMusic! Another band that may be sort of similar is Midlake ( http://www.emusic.com/artist/11617/11617408.html), also on eMusic.

I can't get enough of School for the Dead or Henning Ohlenbusch.

Cold War Kids
Voxtrot

Heeeey don't detract from my comparison! I did say 'kinda' after all :D

Ooh.. and this isn't indie, but Burial released a really good dubstep album recently. es ist sehr gut ( http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/10bestcds/story/0,,1797281,00.html)

Summer is here, and its time for some laid-back music for sitting in the sun and sipping something cold.

Thao Nguyen - rootsy, bluesy, cool, acoustic indie folk.

Her website: http://www.thaomusic.com/
Hear and download: http://myspace.com/thaomusic
Hear (2-minute) samples & buy the CD: http://cdbaby.com/cd/thaonguyen
(If you're not familiar with CDbaby, about half of what you spend goes to the artist. Which is pretty cool.)

Tunng - an interesting blend of acoustic & electronic. Some of their songs are such a mishmash I just wonder why they even bother. Others are nothing short of great. A few select songs, and you have the perfect soundtrack for cruising on the fat-tired bike with the feet up in the air. There's a wonderful cover of Bloc Party's "Pioneers" at this blog (http://iguessimfloating.blogspot.com/2006/05/comments-of-inner-chorus.html).
eMusic link: http://www.emusic.com/artist/11628/11628497.html
website/downloads: http://www.tunng.co.uk/audio.html

Tunng had an iTunes song of the week recently, so good link; enjoyed that.

Not too sure about The Cat Empire though, I've heard a lot from them but been distinctly unimpressed.

I can't believe no one has mentioned Julie Roberts ( http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/julie-roberts-men-and-mascara/), who has an excellent sophomore album.

I can't believe no one has mentioned Julie Roberts (http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/julie-roberts-men-and-mascara/)

She has a beautiful voice... buuut is pop/country, not indie :confused:

Ah, so so sorry. Any way I can make it up to you? Maybe some DJ Rectangle for a laugh?

Quality. I'm sure I have a mix CD by him somewhere

It is a little hard to define indie these days, aside from the purist designation by label. Often its something to do with an unconventional sound, minimal production, and various attributes (e.g. few hooks, long guitar riffs) that don't make it play well on pop radio. Example: Built to Spill has been on a major label for a few years but their music almost sounds live, and the opening track on their latest CD is well almost nine minutes long.

But anyway, I'm with Sypher on this; I can't think of a single reason to call Julie Roberts indie, at least based on the samples from the first few songs on that album. It just sounds like country to me.

On the Lali Puna recommendation: gotta love those German electonic bands with funny names (and funny album covers with cartoon animals is a plus)! It reminds me of one of my favs, Pappelallee by Naomi (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=3718772). I've only been able to find that album on iTunes. I downloaded "Option", "Paravent", "Exit Song", and "Three Stars No Match".

I finally did myself a favor today and started listening intently to Margot & the Nuclear So and So's. They've been getting lots of blog love, and rightly so. I'm just bummed because they were here on April 21st...I'm always finding out about these things after the fact! :(

But wait, there's more (as they say on the infomercials)! You can buy the CD for a buck less than iTunes...assuming there's a Borders near you that carries it. Otherwise, its on Amazon for $9 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E6TZLK/sr=8-1/qid=1141694420/ref=sr_1_1/102-8245897-8854565?%5Fencoding=UTF8).

Time for listening: MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/margotandthenuclearsoandsos) the blogs (http://hype.non-standard.net/search/Margot%20&%20the%20Nuclear%20So%20and%20So's/1/)
Their homepage (http://www.margotandthenuclearsoandsos.com/)

I consider Indie as anything on an indepedent label thus my labelling of Julie Roberts.

Just a little question here, I got TV On The Radio's new release Return To Cookie Mountain but I can't seem to find lyrics for it anywhere online and their official webpage is down. Gotta link anyone?

i guess 'indie' is a confusing term - but there are plenty of bands on major labels who sound far more indie, so that definition doesn't really work for me.

As for the lyrics.. I could only find a few of the songs here...
http://www.songmeanings.net/artist.php?aid=137438960880

i guess 'indie' is a confusing term - but there are plenty of bands on major labels who sound far more indie, so that definition doesn't really work for me.Yeah, kind of odd that he posted Julie Roberts here, but not the outstanding Thom Yorke (http://forums.ilounge.com/showthread.php?t=168094) album, with an indie sound and and indie label. You messin' with us, Kris? ;)

Here's a band that I've liked for a long time but you may not have heard of: Earlimart. They just released a single (http://www.emusic.com/album/10943/10943289.html), and their previous album Treble & Tremble (http://www.emusic.com/album/10930/10930962.html) was recently added to eMusic. I bought the CD a long time ago, and its still one of my favorites.

http://www.emusic.com/artist/10556/10556241.html

Edit: FYI, they also added Snow Patrol (http://www.emusic.com/artist/10562/10562658.html)'s older stuff (not last year's "Final Straw").

I recommend Kevin Max of dc Talk fame. His first album, Stereotype Be, wasn't received well by the Nashville crowd, but it has its own following. His music has been described as many things, from alt-pop to art-rock, but his style is most definitely his own.
I forgot to add this. On his music myspace page, there are samples from the latest full album The Imposter: http://www.myspace.com/kevinmaxmusic The best song that he has available on this site is The Imposter.

My personal fav song from this album is Jumpstart Your Electric Heart!

Nice!

I've been listening to II by Espers (http://www.emusic.com/album/10945/10945751.html) a lot lately. Kind of dark & brooding, but that's just my mood sometimes. :)

I've also been playing Juana Molina (http://www.juanamolina.com/) a lot - maybe not exactly indie, since its all in Portuguese (I think!), but very nice electro-folk. I'm really getting into the odd electro-folk subgenre, and playing a lot of older stuff like N. Lannon (http://www.emusic.com/album/10828/10828013.html), and Blusom (http://www.emusic.com/album/10860/10860741.html). I'm completely baffled why the whole indie world didn't go completely gaga for those.

I can't believe I forgot about these guys: Arab Strap. (downloads (http://www.arabstrap.co.uk/content/eng/media.html)), (eMusic (http://www.emusic.com/artist/11486/11486195.html)). This Scottish duo has spent much of the past decade dealing in the tawdry subjects of doomed relationships, dishonesty, booze, sex, regret, and hazy monday morning hangovers. The lead singer mutters in a slurred Scottish accent as if he's just recovering. But above all that, they churn out music that is painfully honest, often languid & dark, occasionally strangely optimistic, and (nearly) always backed by stunning melodic beauty.

Its the hardest music to describe...but its what I often find myself going back to.

I had heard some buzz about this band, but completely forgot about checking them out. My Latest Novel (http://www.mylatestnovel.com/Le%20Homme%20Page.htm).Where did you get it? I can only find it as an (expensive) import.

And how is it that so much good music is coming out of Scotland these days?

Where did you get it? I can only find it as an (expensive) import.

And how is it that so much good music is coming out of Scotland these days?

Yes, they're selling at around $25 here in the US. I had a family member bring it for me from the UK over the weekend. It's a great CD. I'm not sure if it'll make its way over here as a domestic release, but in the meantime 4 of the 10 tracks are available to download on this blog (http://goodweatherforairstrike.blogspot.com/2006/02/artist-profile-my-latest-novel.html).

I guess if I had to describe The Album Leaf it would be something like "dream pop" or "downtempo". A lot of it is instrumental, though sometimes he brings in guest vocalists. His work differs from a lot of downtempo in that it uses more real instruments along with the synthesizers. Its great stuff. "Into The Blue Again" is due out on September 12th.

Have the Decembrists been mentioned here? Her Majesty is a very easy album to get into - check out Song for Myla Goldberg.

FFA Coffi Pawb will sound good if you are a fan of The Super Furry Animals.

Check out:

Olivia Neutron Bomb
We are Scientists

Its been awhile. I noticed I hadn't mentioned Venice Is Sinking (http://www.veniceissinking.net/home.asp), another band I'm planning on downloading further from eMusic. Its a bit like Margot & The Nuclear So and So's, which has been discussed recently. Also new stuff from The Hold Steady (http://www.emusic.com/album/10962/10962800.html) sounds pretty good (a lot more rockin' than Venice). The new album from Sparklehorse (http://www.myspace.com/sparklehorse) is great, too (but their website is horrible)!

LUKE A YOU ARE MY HERO!!!!
haha i know these guys...awesome band, i'm glad they are getting new fans!

I noticed I hadn't mentioned Venice Is Sinking, another band I'm planning on downloading further from eMusic. That one is a great recommendation, I really dig their sound. Another reason to re-up with emusic. Thanks!

I recently acquired Diane Cluck's album 'Oh Vanille/Ova Nil (http://importantrecords.com/images/content/release_pages/imprec049_release_page.htm)'. Maybe not exactly indie, more on the singer/songwriter folksy side. The vocals are incredible with nice harmonic structures, and the music is very pretty.

Good news about the US release, with any luck these guys will get some good exposure here. You're right about "Wrongfully..." - it's one of the weaker songs on the album, but "When We Were Wolves" is a great song. I haven't heard the clip to which you refer, but if it's 30 seconds of the 'when we were wolves' refrain, don't use that to judge. It's really a great song. PM me if you feel like a more extensive sample ;).

About time for this thread to be revived!

A great indie pop band I've discovered recently (they're on emusic btw) is The Format. The sound reminds me a bit of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah crossed with Beach Boys, sort of. It's really fun, lots of singalong potential :D. Their 2006 release "Dog Problems" is an all-around great album. Highlights (IMO) are Oceans, Time Bomb, and Snails.

Dunno if these have been posted before, but this is what I've been listening to lately, for those of you into indietronica:

German: Guther, Lali Puna, Ms. John Soda

Belgian: Go Find, Styrofoam, Fat Jon and Styrofoam (hip- hop, indietronica callabo)

Austrian: B. Fleischmann

You can get them on iTunes too.You can get about anything on iTunes. Its worth pointing out when they're on eMusic, because you get about three albums for the price of one on iTunes. Plus, the bitrate is better, and they don't have nasty DRM.

Its been awhile, but I found something good: Tones of Town, by Field Music (http://www.emusic.com/album/10996/10996742.html). Got this following a tip from the eNewsletter by Eric Lawrence (KCRW).

This music reminds me of some of the progressive rock of the 70s, with a lush sound that a lot of music back then just didn't have. In some ways its all over the place, but it always manages to come together. Highly recommended!

Malcolm Middleton of Arab Strap (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Middleton) fame released his third studio album last week A Brighter Beat. I have not heard this myself but from what I have read it follows much the same formula as the stuff he did with his defunct band. Arab Strap fans will be able to familiarise themselves with the almost masochistic tale of relationships and sex. It has been said that Middleton's lyrics would not seem out of place on a suicide note, but do not let that put you off, the quality is superb :)

Another day, another Leeds five-piece. However, unlike the Kaiser Chiefs, iLIKETRAINS have some substance to their work without relying on evilly contagious gang choruses. The band's mood is perfectly matched by a dab of cornet here and there for good measure. The resulting experience is a very pleasant one, and I eagerly await their first full-length LP. Some of their work can be found on iTunes (at least in the UK store) and the band's Myspace can be found here (http://www.myspace.com/iLIKETRAINS).

i'm really liking
Josh Ritter - Animal Years...which i missed in '06
Bishop Allen - Year EP project...a different EP every month...genius
Arizona - Welcome Back Dear Children
and my new fav
Elvis Perkins - Ash Wednesday

Bishop Allen - Year EP project...a different EP every month...genius

That may be the most delightful thing I've ever heard!

Another album I've been listening to lately is The Besnard Lakes' (http://www.thebesnardlakes.com/) debut: The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse

Thanks everyone for all the other recommendation...

So, you know how it is, there's this album that you have been meaning to check out for a while and finally you get your hands on it. Well that's the same sequence of events I have just experienced with Beach House's self-titled jaunt. It comes highly recommended from gorilla vs. bear (http://gorillavsbear.blogspot.com/), and there are some free .mp3s on the site if you do a little digging.

With the weather recently taking a turn for the good the album has come into its own. It is the perfect accompaniment to sun-kissed afternoons or soothing evenings in the garden. The melodies are superb, maintaining this dreamy quality throughout its short duration. The promised of The Sound of the Summer!!! is often misplaced, but to Beach House it is perfectly applicable.

Has anyone else heard it?

My Brightest Diamond is a pretty cool band (or person, really).Their label is streaming the entire album at this link (http://asthmatickitty.com/quicktime/mbd/mbd_landing.php). I love it when a label has enough confidence in their music to let you hear the whole album before asking you to buy it!

I'd heard of this band before, but somehow I just never bothered to look into them. Maybe the samples on eMusic didn't really clue me in on how good this was. Its definitely on my list for my next eMusic visit!

Thanks, man!

Thanks, man!

No problem. And, if you get the chance to see them/her live, do it. It's better than the studio stuff.

I've been listening to a band called Battles recently. Their amazing new single is called Atlas, and, if you desire, is available through the iTunes Music Store. Has anyone heard them, or have anything else to recommend? I want to get this thread back on track.

Check out Young Galaxy (http://www.arts-crafts.ca/younggalaxy/index.html), a Canadian indie (shoegaze?) pop outfit whose new s/t release, on the rarely disappointing Arts&Crafts label, is just wonderful. The band have garnered comparisons to groups like Stars (a member of which it features), but since I like Stars and really enjoyed 2004's Set Yourself on Fire, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Young Galaxy is available on emusic. Standout tracks: Lost in the Call and Lazy Religion, but they're really all very good.

edit: I heard the non-album track 'The Golden Coin' off their Swing Your Heartache EP on XM's The Verge (a great new-music source for me lately) the other day. It's a must-download. I really can not stress enough how awesome these guys are. The album is really shaping up to be one of my favorite of 2007. Get it, get it, get it!

No problem. And, if you get the chance to see them/her live, do it. It's better than the studio stuff.

Never a truer word spoken. Saw MBD support Sufjan Stevens in Glasgow last year and they were brilliant, but I was very disappointed with their album. The whole album was really down and dirge-like. I thought the production made the songs a lot weaker.

I know I have mentioned them before but I feel as though I need to stress the band Battles once more, just in case you weren't listening! Monday saw the release of their dbut full-length LP Mirrored. The band have been described as the finest example of Math Rock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Math_Rock). Their style is unique and best sampled very loud.

It's an album you have to completely immerse yourself in. Complicated time signatures are met with playful choruses and juvenile screaming, as songs meander though the more trying part of the music scene. Songs take on the mantle of epics, quite often out-lasting 6 minutes - the result often being very enjoyable.

I am really interested in anyone who has listened to it, and has a comment to make. So what are you waiting for? :p

Definitely the single Atlas, and try Tij also. I am aware that this is not to everyone's taste but it is brilliant!