The National just released “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” a track from their upcoming album, High Violet. The album comes out May 11 on 4AD. Enjoy!
High Violet (2010):
(mp3) The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio
Boxer (2007)
(mp3) The National – Fake Empire
Tour dates after the jump
Are you going to SXSW this year? Well, lucky you. Unfortunately, I am not able to attend this year (IndieMuse’s contributor, Nick, is going and will be keeping everyone up to date via IndieMuse and our twitter feed @musicfloss). I wanted to go ahead and include some bands that I highly recommend checking out if you do make it down to Austin. This list is far from complete, but with the overwhelming number of bands performing, we thought it would be a good idea to share some “IndieMuse approved” artists. A lot of these artists are more on the alternative folk side, but if you’re looking for “indie rock” music recs, check out Nick’s post. If we missed anyone, please include them (and a Myspace link) in the comments!
note: some of these artists are playing multiple days so check SXSW.com for venue, dates, and times.
Wednesday
Bowerbirds, Califone, The Veils, Fanfarlo, Frightened Rabbit, Born Ruffians, Joe Purdy, Princeton, Dustin O’Halloran.
(mp3) Bowerbirds – Northern Lights
(mp3) Joe Purdy – Wash Away (Reprise)
Thursday
Midlake, Centro-matic, Miles Kurosky (Ex-Beulah), Rogue Wave, These United States, Le Loup, Avi Buffalo, Seabear, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Lissie, Cary Brothers Band of Horses, Broken Social Scene, and Amber Rubarth.
(mp3) These United States – Will it Ever
(mp3) Avi Buffalo – Where’s your Dirty Mind?
Friday
Dosh, Vandaveer, Twin Sister, Jail Guitar Doors (Documentary showing), Memory Tapes, Tape Deck Mountain, She & Him, Zeus, The Low Anthem, Metric, and Sebastien Schuller.
(mp3) Sebastien Schuller РBalan̤oire
(mp3) Vandaveer – However Many Takes it Takes
Saturday
Forest City Lovers, Electric President, Pretty Lights, and Hey Marseilles.
Just the other day, I was listening to Band of Horses and this thought swept over me: “When the F*** [yes, I curse in my head] are BOH releasing their next album?!” Then, as if my inner-voice rained down on them from the heavens, they announced their upcoming album. It was magical. Their album is called Infinite Arms, and it comes out on May 18. It will not be released on Sub Pop, which means my April Fools report from a few years ago was dead on.
According to our friends over at Pitchfork, frontman Ben Bridwell said, “in many ways, this is the first Band of Horses record.” I guess we’ll see who makes better music–Ben Bridwell or Ben Bridwell & Co.
(mp3) Band of Horses – Ode to LRC
(mp3) Band of Horses – Monsters
Cool video from Lollapalooza:
‘continue reading’ for Tour dates:
I’m in love with NPR, and in particular the podcasts “This American Life” and “Radiolab.” They should be mandatory listening, as far as I’m concerned. Apart from featuring incredible stories, and addressing fascinating questions, they also contain really, really good music. As you may know, “This American Life” recently became a TV series on Showtime (you can stream on Netflix!), and their soundtrack includes some music from the band, Pale White Moon. If you are a fan of instrumental music definitely check out the debut album that released today called, Call of The Wolf Peach.
Pale White Moon’s music has an elegant, baroque sound that I really enjoy. “Heirlooms” and Yann Tiersen-esque “Sir Basil Humphrey’s House Oh The Hill” are my two favorite tracks on the album. And believe it or not, the band was able to somehow pull off using cicadas as instruments in the song, “The Seven Year Cicadas!” It’s actually enjoyable to listen to and they get major points for quirkiness. Instead of buying a sound sample of cicadas, frontman, Doug Slawin, went around New Haven, Connecticut to record. Awesome.
I think the story behind this album is really cool. Instead of Pale White Moon being a band, it’s more of a collective started by  Slawin. He dedicated the album to his hometown of New Haven, CT and got various people around his community to contribute. Read more about Pale White Moon at the New Haven Register.
Call of The Wolf Peach (2010):
(mp3) Pale White Moon – Heirlooms
(mp3) Pale White Moon -Â Sir Basil Humphrey’s House On The Hill
Jordie Lane’s music is one of the best kept secrets out there. Lane’s 2009 debut album, Sleeping Patterns, literally makes me want to go door to door and spread the goodness. His music and songwriting is beautiful and refreshing in every sense of the word. Â Sleeping Patterns is a must hear for any music fan (especially recommended for fans of Wilco, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash).
One thing I love about the album is its diversity. Lane has a gift for connecting genres in a way that expands what I imagine is most listeners’ comfort zones. His album is influenced by folk, bluegrass, country, and other genres. Â While his folk songs “I Could Die For You,” “The Day I Leave This Town,” and “War Rages On” are gems and most like the music I typically listen to, tracks such as “Fell Into Me” “Walking that Way,” and “John W. Thistle” are throwbacks to the 60s (“There Once Was Life to Come” is fantastic and brings Johnny Cash to mind). Lane’s music is extremely cultured and is a great homage to all the musicians who have helped us get where we are today in music.
It blows my mind that Jordie is only 25 years old, and wrote most of Sleeping Patterns when he was 21. Â He is based out of Melbourne, Australia, and makes up one half of the duo Fireside Bellows, alongside Canadian songwriter, Tracy McNeil. He’s shared the stage with Neko Case and Cat Power, and it’s only a matter of time before his music spreads far and wide.
Sleeping Patterns (2009):
(mp3) Jordie Lane – I Could Die Looking At You
(mp3) Jordie Lane – Walking That Way
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BMfXxC90ag&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
There’s a really cool new site called Kickstarter that allows people working on independent projects to raise funding through friends, family, and awesome folks around the internet. And better yet, funders usually get some really neat swag in return (i.e. an artist trying to raise money to record an album, will often times send it to a supporter for free). You are bound to find amazing people on this site–and given they are seeking help from the community, it’s fair to say most of them are extremely modest, unlike some of their industry “(insert mean word)” counterparts.
One project that gets a big IndieMuse stamp of approval is called Sound Through Sight: A Gonzo Road Trip to Understand Music In 2010. It’s started by Tom Williams (writer), Sarah Mulligan (photographer), and Rahawa Haile (filmaker).
Here’s a small blurb from their Kickstarter page explaining the project:
Picture Chuck Klosterman and Alexis de Tocquevillie joining Hunter S. Thompson, going not on a drug-fueled rampage across Las Vegas but on a trip of discovery across America, seeking to understand where music and the music industry stands in 2010, how we got here, and where we’re going. We are three passionate young music lovers who intend to do just that. To understand these questions and to look for answers, we are going on a Gonzo road trip, searching for insights and answers on the back roads of America. We will then write a book on the trip which attempts to answers those questions we just posed. We will also create a book of photography from our travels across North America and a short documentary about the music we encounter on this trip.
The money we are seeking to raise here will go towards printing the first edition of the book, as well as the gas, food, and other minor travel expenses we’ll need to complete this trip. (more)
If you have a few extra dollars in your pocket, you should consider helping out! A $15 donation will even score you a free copy of the book once it’s published!
Song of the day: Avi Buffalo – Where’s Your Dirty Mind
I’m really digging Cuckoo Chaos’ new EP, We Are from Deerplants. The band will be releasing their debut later in the year, and this is a sign of good things to come. If you’e a fan of Devendra Banhart, The Bowerbirds, or that general folk sound, I highly recommend checking them out.
My favorite track on the EP is “It’s Easy, Ya Know. ” It’s short and catchy, and among my favorite songs of the year. I’m also drawn to the tracks “Hymn Number Twelve,” and “Preparing for the Eternal Winter, We,” both of which creatively incorporate eerie, staticy voices to fully drive that lo-fi sound. Overall, just a solid EP. Keep your eyes on Cuckoo Chaos.
Cuckoo Chaos is based out of San Diego, and is fronted by Scott Wheeler.
We Are From Deerplants EP (2010)
(mp3) Cuckoo Chaos – It’s Easy, Ya Know
If you’re a fan of large, multi-instrumental bands be sure to check out Cuddle Magic’s sophomore album, Picture. It just released yesterday, and includes some great tracks.
The ensemble is based out of New York and Philadelphia, and made up of 12 musicians, or more, at any given time (and a 3-foot plastic penguin). Their sound covers a wide range of genres, including folk, world, and avant-pop. The diversity won’t be for everyone, but it’s always interesting to see how bands craft their music with such a variety of instruments (strings, percussion, vibraphone, clarinet, keyboards, guitars, and a whole lot more). Several tracks I recommend include “Expectations,””Anyone,””One Useful Song,” and “Say When.”
I might need to take a breather in between, but here’s the current roster in the band: Alec Spigelman, Ashley Paul, Ben Davis, Bridget Kearney, Christopher McDonald, Cole Kamen-Green, Dave Flaherty, (inhale-exhale), Eric Lane, Kristin Slipp, Lucy Railton, Max Haft, and Mike Calarese. Many of them got their training from the New England Conservatory.
Picture (2010):
(mp3) Cuddle Magic – Expectations
(mp3) Cuddle Magic – Anyone
site | label | MF (IndieMuse’s new music store where artists keep all the proceeds, cause we love em)
I highly recommend checking out Headless Heroes if you’re a fan of Beth Orton, Cat Power, or simply a fan of great cover songs. Headless Heroes is a group of established musicians who got together to cover songs spanning forty years. Artists covered include Daniel Johnston, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Vashti Bunyan, Linda Perhacs and The Gentle Soul.
The album, called The Silence of Love, is the brainchild of producers Eddie Bezalel and Hugo Nicholson. They recruited talented musicians for the album, including Alela Diane, Josh Klinghoffer (Beck, Jon Brion, Red Hot Chilli Peppers), Joey Waronker (Elliott Smith), Woody Jackson, Leo Abrahams, and Gus Seyffert.
Alela, an artist signed to Rough trade, is the female vocalist you hear on all the tracks. She was asked to take part in the project after Bezalel came across her Myspace page. The music varies from what she is used to making, but she says “it was quite liberating to just sing! And not worry about it being my record, or it being different from the type of music that I’m used to making.”
The Silence of Love (2009):
(mp3) Headless Heroes – The North Wind Blew South
(mp3) Headless Heroes – Blues Run the Game
Extras:
Nick Drake – Blues Run The Game (off  2007 release Family Tree)
I immediately fell in love with Abigail Washburn’s song “It Ain’t Easy” after one of my friends shared it with me last year. I’m not all that familiar with her music, but I continually find myself going back to this song’s gorgeous vocals and instrumentals.
Washburn has a pretty interesting background. She had no intentions of focusing her career on music, and as a hobby, experimented with a lot of different genres including R&B, gospel, and reggae. It wasn’t until a trip to China, where she immersed herself in the Chinese bluegrass culture, that this became her style. Her diverse background is apparent on her most recent release, Afterquake, which is an electronic/folk  benefit EP she made with Shanghai Restoration Project’s David Liang (it released on the one year anniversy of the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake).
Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet:
(mp3) Abigail Washburn – It Ain’t Easy
Afterquake benefit EP:
(mp3) Abigail Washburn & the Shanghai Restoration Project – Sala
About “Sala”: The Qiang ethnic minority (the group most impacted by the 2008 Sichuan earthquakes) traditionally dances around the fire while singing this song. The words contain no meaning and are simply meant to inspire dancing.