I heard this song for the first time the other night. I know Death Cab For Cutie wrote and recorded the original, but I know very little about Death Cab. So, I’ll always remember hearing it first by Cadillac Sky, where they performed it literally unplugged, before a semi-circle of fans. It was a heartwarming … Read more
If I close my eyes while listening to The Strange Boys, I see them in black and white. There is absolutely none of the high-def, 3-D, THX certified sensory overload entertainment we’re becoming accustomed to. They’re on a no-frills stage – in front of an audience of screaming teenagers. Think Mic Jagger in 1964 or … Read more
So, the new LCD Soundsystem album, This Is Happening, has been streaming over at the official website for over a week now. I’ve taken advantage of the preview multiple times, and while I’ll say that it is a totally solid effort, it’s the album’s lead track to which I keep returning. “Dance Yrself Clean,” an … Read more
My junior high years were filled with a myriad of musical tastes. For a white girl in a small Southern Illinois town of only 2,800, how I managed to listen to Radiohead and Dr. Dre all at the same time is beyond me. I still pride myself on the fact that despite some obvious misteps (Bryan Adams, … Read more
Well, what if I am never thrown that bone?And what if this tear in my side just pours, and pours, and pours?I wonder if you’ve noticed that I’m not around…The loss of a lonely man never makes much of a soundFor the past week or so, I’ve mainly been listening to Frightened Rabbit’s last two … Read more
To understand and appreciate Matthew Ryan’s music, you have to be a little lucky, at least that’s what I’ve come to believe. If you’re introduced to his catalog via the “wrong” song or album, you might not make it past the first minute or so. You might be scared off by his voice. You might … Read more
Gin Wigmore has released the video for her second single, “Oh My,” off Holy Smoke (out now). Don’t let her popstar good looks fool you; Wigmore’s equal parts bluesy soul-stirring and down and dirty rock, with a voice as distinct as Macy Gray.
While we’re all waiting to see if Mr. Adams is going to unveil any new material in 2010, I recently remembered this unreleased live cut. I don’t believe it has a title, and I’m pretty sure this is the only time he’s ever played it, so if you haven’t heard it yet, well, Happy Monday … Read more
Last week, we posted that The Kissaway Trail is set to release Sleep Mountain, the band’s second full-length album on April 6, 2010. Now, we’re excited to present the first in a series of Speakers in Code interviews with artists we absolutely adore. The guys in The Kissaway Trail talk about the band’s unique moniker, … Read more
The devastatingly beautiful (and jealousy-inducing) Gin Wigmore has taken her native New Zealand by storm and is prepped to make her Stateside debut with Holy Smoke, out March 16, 2010, on Universal Motown Records. Her unique voice adds a touch of whimsy to her acclaimed songwriting, and interestingly, she’s backed by the Cardinals on the … Read more
West Palm Beach rockers (is that an oxymoron?), Surfer Blood, debuted the music video for “Swim” over at Pitchfork yesterday. I hope this doesn’t mean tighty whities are making a comeback.
Photo credit: Christian Haag After a much needed break after the success of their second album, Our Ill Wills, Sweden’s Shout Out Louds are returning with Work on February 23, 2010 on Merge Records. Adam Olenius, the band’s singer and main songwriter, huddled up in a little room in Australia with nothing but his synthesizer, acoustic … Read more
Last week, our post on The Low Anthem detailed the band’s work on a new album in a pasta sauce factory, lead singer Ben Knox Miller’s upcoming Sunday radio show on WOXY, and the band’s huge influence in making Charlie Darwin the star of the indie music genre that he is today. This week, The … Read more
She’s got the voice. She’s got the looks. She’s got the catchy songs. Yeah, you could say native Australian singer-songwriter Katie Cole has a lot going for her these days. Let’s have a quick look/listen. Whew. Let me catch my breath. Ok. 2010 could end up being a breakthrough year for Ms. Cole as she’s … Read more
Hear the new Dr. Dog single, “Stranger” from the upcoming Shame, Shame LP (Rolling Stone) The Tallest Man on Earth talks about his new album (Paste) Watch the new She & Him video (Pitchfork) The National debuts the first track off the new album on Fallon (TwentyFourBit) Caribou announces world tour! (Merge Records) Check out … Read more
Elizabeth & the Catapult has released the second single from their 2009 album, Taller Children. Today, the band premiered the video for that spunky song, “Race You.” It’s all about the joys of returning home. Click here to watch! Want more? Check out Elizabeth & the Catapult’s awesome Daytrotter session from last November.
Vampire Weekend’s much anticipated follow-up to 2008’s self-titled debut (at not even 35 minutes long, avid fans have long been chomping at the bit for some new material) will be released on January 12, 2010 on XL Recordings. In the meantime, you can listen to the entire new album streaming here. And, rumor has it … Read more
Well, well, well. I’ve seen Brandi Carlile perform twice now, and she’s hit a towering home run both times. Out of the galaxy. No questions asked, except: Is Ms. Carlile from another planet? There isn’t much she can’t do. Her performance in Denver at the Paramount had a little bit of everything going for it … Read more
Oh, happy day. Glorious day. Rootin’, tootin’ day. I already told you about my deep, passionate love for Mumford and Sons in a previous post, but now get this: they covered my favorite Beatles song(s). This version of “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight” initially takes a darker turn, but by the end, the four English lads are a … Read more
Passion Pit covered The Cranberries’ “Dreams” last week in concert. Oh yeah. Hearing this song for the first time in seemingly ten or fifteen years makes me wanna put on my combat boots, dye my hair Kool-aid red, and pine away for Jordan Catalano. Check it out below or hop on over to The Music … Read more
Photo credit: Jeremy Balderson I’ve been dying for some new matt pond PA, I have to say. Good news! After a period of time spent in isolation in Bearsville, New York (God, I hope secluded cabin-inducing epiphanies don’t quickly become a musical cliché), the band is prepped to release The Dark Leaves in March 2010 … Read more
Last Friday, Massive Attack premiered the Tim Goldsworthy remix of “Pray for Rain” (featuring Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio and originally on the October EP, Splitting the Atom). Today, the duo debuts the remix of “Girl I Love You (She is Danger)” featuring Horace Andy. All of this excitement is in preparation of … Read more
Photo credit: Taea Thale She & Him fans of the world, rejoice! Last Friday, the indie superstar duo comprised of M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel released gobs of new information about its upcoming LP, new tour dates, and the lead single, “In the Sun,” that features guest vocals from Tilly and the Wall. I think … Read more
The recently named Boston Music Awards’ New Act of the Year, Mean Creek, has unveiled a new song off 2009’s The Sky (Or The Underground) as the band gears up to tour with the indie-rocking Destry before making a pit stop in Austin for this little festival we call SXSW. “It’s Good To Be Back … Read more
Cold War Kids debut the video for the Behave Yourself EP’s groovy single, “Audience,” today. Check it out below or over at Spinner. On top of the new video, you might wanna take a look at Current Music Embedded’s feature on the band as they “perform at a Lake Tahoe casino, battle their own immune systems … Read more
Dr. Dog is gearing up for its Anti-Records label debut with the album Shame, Shame, available in the U.S. on April 6, 2010. I’ll let the press release do the talkin’: “As a band that has traditionally built their spirited albums layer by layer in the undisturbed seclusion of their Philadelphia home studio, Dr. Dog … Read more
Wow, the good news just keeps coming. For you Kristian Matsson, aka The Tallest Man on Earth, fans who have been waiting patiently for news of his next LP, well, wait no more. His new record label, Dead Oceans, announced today that The Wild Hunt will be released on April 12, 2010, featuring “ten perfect … Read more
Midlake, a band of Denton, Texas indie rockers, is prepped to release The Courage of Others on February 2, 2010 on Bella Union. Until then, the album is streaming it its entirety over at NPR. The single, “Acts of Man,” is a somber rumination on man’s troubled history with nature. And, I think I hear … Read more
Photo credit: Matt Wignall Shara Worden, singer, songwriter, arranger, and “general mastermind” of indie rock’s My Brightest Diamond (Worden, Brian Wolfe, and Nathan Lithgow) will celebrate the upcoming Shark Remixes with a concert at the Bowery Ballroom on January 22, 2010. The new album revisits the band’s 2008 effort, A Thousand Shark’s Teeth, by re-imagining … Read more
Photo Credit: Ben Morris The five-piece band, The Kissaway Trail, will release Sleep Mountain, its second full-length album (and first in the States) on April 6, 2010 on Bella Union. It’s produced by Peter Katis (The National, Interpol), so hot damn! Coming in at 12 tracks, 11 originals and a cover of Neil Young’s “Philadelphia” from … Read more