Category Archives: MP3’s

Eureka Birds – Eureka! EP

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I’m a big fan of the Baltimore based band, The Eureka Birds. They have this really cool lo-fi, pop sound, and their piano and string arrangements bring to mind some of my favorite aspects of The Beatles’ music (gasp!).  Their lead singer, Justin Levy, is also a real scientist, which adds that much more street cred to their music. Up to date they have released one album, which I featured here, and just recently released a new fantastic EP called, Eureka! EP.

A few of the tracks I’m really digging on the 6 track EP include, “The Mountain is a Volcano,””Sarah (Sits and Cries),””There Was Light,” and “Cactus Man.” So that’s pretty much the entire thing right there. And the band is being nice enough to give it away for free on Bandcamp.

Just like with the arrangements on many Beatles songs, I find these tracks growing on me the more I listen to them. So take a listen— and if you’re not sure how you feel about it right away, definitely do this band justice by listening through a few times. It’s worth it.

Eureka! EP (2010):

Eureka Birds –  The Mountain is a Volcano (mp3)

Eureka Birds – Cactus Man (mp3)

Site | Bandcamp

Iron & Wine @ Riviera Theatre, Chicago IL (03/04/11)

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Last night Iron & Wine played to a packed crowd at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago. The show ended up being quite good, despite one potentially devastating setback: lead singer Sam Beam was battling what appeared to be a mild case of laryngitis.

At first many people in the crowd were noticeably worried that this was going to compromise the show, which is so dependent on Beam’s vocals. However, after a few soundboard adjustments, and him putting in everything he had, most people quickly realized they were still in for a great show. Members from local band, Califone, backed him on stage, and all the instrumental work was fantastic, and included some fun saxophone and jazz flute.

Iron and Wine is touring on their new album, Kiss Each Other Clean, but made sure to get in a bunch of older fan favorites, as well. They also performed some cool renditions for their popular older songs, such as “Love And Some Verses,” and “Naked As We Came.” The full setlist and photos are below.

Despite Beam’s voice not being quite as present as it typically is, Chicago still witnessed a great show. Sure, it most likely won’t be a contender if they ever release a live album, but so goes life. I highly recommend trying to catch an upcoming show if you have the chance. It’s well worth it.

Kiss Each Other Clean (2011)

Iron & Wine  – Tree By The River (mp3)

Endless Numbered Days (2004)

Iron & Wine – Naked As We Came (mp3)

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Derby – Madeline EP (2011)

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The Portland band Derby just released a new EP yesterday, called Madeline. I’ve been a fan of the band’s indie pop for years, and am enjoying these new tracks. On this EP the band is experimenting with a new sound that is slightly more raw than their past albums (which are summed up perfectly by Northwest Music Blog, as an “infectious, melodic bundle of sugary pop goodness”). The new sound actually brings to mind the Raconteurs quite a bit, especial on “Madeline” and “Creeping Climbing.” The EP is available for digital download and as a limited edition 7″ vinyl, which you can grab here.

Derby is Nat Johnson (lead vocals, guitar, bass), Dave Gulick (vocals, rhodes, organ, guitar), Isaac Frost (drum/percussions), and Wayne Miller (bass). Nat and Dave started playing together as dorm mates at University of Oregon. Isaac joined the band after graduating from Oregon State University, and soon after that, Wayne joined.

Fun facts about Derby:

Gulick came up with the name Derby, while watching an English Premier Soccer game between Manchester United and Manchester City. The announcer called the game a derby (cross town rivalry).

The band has a tour van named “The Green Submarine.” In Johnson’s words “It’s green, it’s huge, it smells like wet dog, and we love it. It could use some gold dubs, but we’ll deal as long as we can still get the ipods to work through the tape deck.”

Madeline EP (2011):

Derby – Don’t Believe in You (mp3)

Derby – Madeline (mp3)

Posters Fade (2008):

Derby – If Ever There’s A Reason (mp3)

Site

Young Man – Boy (2010)

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I never properly introduced Colin Coulfield, who goes by the moniker Young Man, on IndieMuse. Given I put his EP, Boy, on my Top 10 albums list last year, this seems like as good a time as any to feature him on the site. I highly recommend his music, especially if you are a fan of Iron and Wine, Avi Buffalo, or Animal Collective.

Colin does an amazing job mixing together folk, lo-fi, and indie pop to make Boy one gem of an EP. I get completely absorbed by the memorizing melodies and Colin’s incredibly chill, layered vocals. A few of my favorite tracks on Boy are “Five,” “Home Alome,””Playtime,” and “Up So Fast.” I enjoy this album so much though that I can’t help but listen to it from start to finish.

Colin is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota and currently goes to school in Chicago (believe it or not, he’s only 21 years old). He now plays with a full band and is in the process of recording his first full-length LP. While we wait for that to release, it’s worth keeping up with his Facebook page where he sometimes releases covers and “idea” tracks.

Boy (2010):

Young Man –  Home Alone (mp3)

Young Man – Five (mp3)

Strangers (single)

Young Man – Strangers (mp3)

Site | iTunes| Youtube | Daytrotter

Sydney Wayser – The Colorful

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If you’re a fan of Andrew Bird, Yann Tiersen, or Cat Power I highly recommend checking out multi-instrumental artist, Sydney Wayser.

I’ve been listening to her beautiful 2009 release, The Colorful, non-stop this week. With all the hand claps, banjo picking, whistling, and glockenspiel goodness the album offers, we once again see that Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs hits it right on the mark. Nice work, Maslow.

A few of my favorite tracks on The Colorful include, “Lullaby,” “Banjo Bayou,” “La Di Da,” and “Oh The Places You’ll Go.” As a fan of Woody Allen’s classic movie, Annie Hall, I appreciate how one of the scenes was the inspiration of “La Di Da.” Wayser explains, “It was the scene on the rooftop after they meet at the tennis match… Diane Keaton gets embarrassed and doesn’t know what to say so she says ‘la di da’. It is this wonderfully awkward moment… and I feel like I have that moment a lot in my life.” Can I get a La Di Da to that?

Wayser is French-American and lives in New York (she’s originally from Los Angeles).  She’s only 24 years old, so we have lots to look forward to… and it sounds like she’ll be releasing a new album this year, called Bell Choir Coast. I’ll keep you posted!

The Colorful (2009):

Sydney Wayser – Lullaby (mp3)

Sydney Wayser – La Di Da (mp3)

Site | Bandcamp (only $1!) | Daytrotter (2009)

John Vanderslice – White Wilderness (2011)

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If you’ve been following IndieMuse for any period of time you’ll probably know that I am a big fan of John Vanderslice. With the release of his new album today, White Wilderness, it seems like a good time for another feature.

If you’re not familiar with any of John Vanderslice’s music, I recommend checking out some of his older albums first, such as Pixel Revolt or Cellar Door. What makes this current release interesting is that it’s completely experimental for Vanderslice. He partnered up with the Magik*Magik Orchestra to make the album, which  gives White Wilderness a much different vibe than his previous seven releases.

Vanderslice runs a popular, artist friendly recording studio out of San Francisco, called Tiny Telophone, and first got connected with Magik*Magik after their manager contacted him about being a “house band” for the studio. Before he knew it, they decided to make an album together. In a recent interview with Spinner, Vanderslice went into some details about what that was experience was like.

“While we were recording, some were auditioning for the San Francisco Opera. They’re in a different world,” Vanderslice recalls. “I love both worlds equally, but if you don’t really know what a downbeat is, you definitely look a little stupid. There were moments where Minna was like ‘Do you know this part is in 3’ and I’d have to say, ‘Honestly, I don’t.'”

Enjoy!

White Wilderness (2011):

John Vanderslice – Convict Lake (mp3)

John Vanderslice – Sea Salt (mp3)

Pixel Revolt (2005)

John Vanderslice – Exodus (mp3)

site | amazon (only $3.99!) | Spinner (stream the full album)

Yellow Ostrich – The Mistress (2010)

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photo by sarah mulligan

Yellow Ostrich’s release, The Mistress, is among my favorite albums from 2010.

Alex Schaaf, the main guy behind Yellow Ostrich, is a treat to listen to for several reasons. First, he makes fantastic music — some have even started comparing his unique style to a modern day Neutral Milk Hotel. And second, he is the rare musician who has a true sense of what music is all about. Instead of hiding in the crevasses, attempting to create a masterpiece for years (and promoting it for even more years), Schaaf has been completely transparent with his development as an artist. Since 2009, he has released 3 albums and 4 EPs. Some of these bedroom recordings are better than others, but that raw look in is completely genuine. Artists often times are afraid to risk putting out music that might not gain traction–and are often discouraged when they don’t instantly receive positive reinforcement. It appears that Schaaf isn’t like that at all. He is on a journey with his music and has invited us along for the ride. He can make an EP with the lyrics being only words from Morgan Freeman’s Wikipedia page, and feel good about it. I think that’s pretty awesome.

The Mistress is Schaaf’s stand out album. A few of my favorite tracks include “WHALE,””Hahahaohhoho,” and “Mary.”

Schaff is from Appleton, Wisconsin (Midwest, represent!) and recently moved to New York City. He just announced a US tour supporting Say Hi (dates below), and you should definitely try to see him if possible. As rumor has it,  part of the joy of  seeing him live is watching him multitask with his pedals, kind of like Andrew Bird. He is backed by Michael Tapper on drums, who has played with We Are Scientists and Bishop Allen.

The Mistress (2010):

Yellow Ostrich – WHALE (mp3)

Yellow Ostrich – Mary (mp3)

Fade Cave EP (2010)

Yellow Ostrich  –  Bread (mp3)

site | bandcamp (FREE!)

tour dates after jump:

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Auditorium – Be Brave (2011)

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As of today, you can grab a copy of Spencer Berger’s great debut album, Be Brave. Last year I featured Spencer on IndieMuse when he was recording under the name Field; however, because of the surprising number of bands with a similar name, he decided to switch the name over to Auditorium.

Berger’s voice makes Be Brave one of the most unique albums I’ve heard in the past few years. In my mind, I place his style somewhere between David Bowie and Flight of the Conchords. A few of my favorite tracks include “Sunday,””I’m the Enforcer,” “Saturday Soldier,” and “Oh, My Desperate Soul,” although really, this entire album is solid.

Spencer is based out of Los Angeles, and first made a name for himself as writer and actor of the SXSW Audience Award winning film, Skills Like This. If you’re in LA tonight (1/18) and want to attend the release party, you can find the details here. He plays with a live band, made up of Justin Hogan, Chris Littler, Elizabeth Berger (his sister), Daya Wolterstorff, and BK Etheridge.

And remember this little advice from Auditorium’s Spencer’s site: You don’t have to call Spencer “Auditorium” in real life. He’s not like The Edge. In fact, if you called him “Auditorium,” he’d politely tell you to stop.

Be Brave (2011):

Auditorium –  Sunday (mp3)

Auditorium – I’m the Enforcer (mp3)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-f8hH268-c&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Site | iTunes

Top 10 Albums of 2010

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Hey everyone,

2010 has been a crazy year for us at IndieMuse. We’ve been working non-stop on another passion project of ours, called MusicFloss, and it’s made it difficult to share as much music on here as we’d like to. The good news is that great music continues to be made all the time, and we want to keep up the tradition of sharing our favorite albums from the year. We’ll be seeing you in January with a slew of new posts! Thanks for sticking with us.

David & The IndieMuse team

10. Broadcast 2000 – S/T feraltone

Broadcast 2000 – Get up and Go (mp3)

Broadcast 2000 – I Hold My Breath (mp3)

9. The National – High Violet 4ad

The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio (mp3)

8. Sufjan Stevens – Age of Adz asthmatic kitty

Sufjan Stevens – Age of Adz (mp3)

7. Electric President – The Violent Blue fake four

Electric President – Safe and Sound (mp3)

Electric President – Circles (mp3)

6. Young Man – Boy frenchkiss

I don’t have a separate EP list, so I wanted to throw this on here. Fantastic EP/debut from Colin Caulfield.

Young Man – Home Alone (mp3)

5. Broken Bells – S/T sony

Broken Bells – The High Road (mp3)

4. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs merge

Arcade Fire – Rococo (mp3)

3. Avi Buffalo – S/T sub pop

Avi Buffalo – One Last (mp3)

2. Beach House – Teen Dream sub pop

Beach House – Used to Be (mp3)

1. Dr. Dog – Shame, Shame anti-

Dr. Dog – Where’d All The Time Go? (mp3)

Dr. Dog – I Only Wear Blue (mp3)

Moor Hound – Love in My Jaws (2010)

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If you’re a fan of  The Avett Brothers or Iron and Wine, I highly recommend checking out Steve Marino’s music. He records independently under the name Moor Hound, and his folksy music is some of the best stuff I’ve heard this year. It all has a really genuine vibe, and if you were bummed after realizing Sufjan’s new album contains exactly zero songs with banjos in it, you’re in luck.

Moor Hound’s debut album, Love In My Jaws, released this month, and you can grab a free copy on MusicFloss or Bandcamp. A few of my favorite tracks on the album include “Virginia,” “Such A Weight,””Love in My Jaws,” “Sleeping in, and “Through A Fence.”

Marino is based out of Orlando, Florida and is only 21 years old. He makes music on the side of working a full-time job as a “computer guy” at a car dealership. I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on him.

Love in My Jaws (2010):

Moor Hound –  Virginia (mp3)

Moor Hound – Sleeping In (mp3)

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