Even In The Future Nothing Works

Tell me your name, tell me a story, edition #1 - Matt Beat / Electric Needle Room

2010-12-18T22:29:00.001-08:00

I decided to start a new column on this blog, where various personalities of distinction music related and non music related, will be approached on a spontaneous basis, and will be asked to tell me their name along with a story. Of course many of the people featured in this column are people that I am familiar with musically or non musically, some of them I have already met, and some of which I have not met before. Anyways, enjoy!

edition #1 - Matt Beat from the band Electric Needle Room
(non omitted text below)

"I am a big history dork, and I have always been fascinated with the lives of the ordinary people who have led our country as President. For a few years, I've envisioned writing and recording songs about each of the 43 Presidents of the USA. I finally got around to recording the first song, about George Washington, in the fall of 2009, and I've been recording them ever since. As a true dork, I am recording them chronologically, and I am currently recording a song about Grover Cleveland. I'm halfway done with the project! I'm releasing the first batch of President songs on Presidents Day (go figure!) 2011. I'm actually trying to raise money right now to properly release the album. To find out the details of this, check out http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1845346621/the-presidents-of-the-united-states-of-america-alb. To hear the songs already recorded, check out http://electricneedleroom.bandcamp.com/track/george-washington. I like to think the songs are not only catchy, but educational as well!"

Music Recommendation #27: Haleiwa

2010-12-18T17:55:00.000-08:00

Haleiwa hails from Sweden. The project is a solo effort of Mikko Singh, whom I’m quite fond of musically, largely because he is doing his own thing. In comparison to his previous offering, his most recent offering “Pura Vida dude”, also has a diverse assortment of instruments. The fact that the instrument selection is so diverse and also that he places what appears to be an unusually large emphasis on his instrument play are just some of the enablers in his creation of a distinguishable sound, with all practicality his own.

There is an abundance of interesting information among Mikko’s notes, and here I offer a passage he has made “Pura Vida Dude. Go out and live life. Skate Forever. Peace and love. Let’s be kind to each other, the earth and the animals. Meat is not food. Beans, fruits and vegetables. Healthy and positive lifestyle. Meditation, prayer and contemplation. Freedom of mind. Positive approach on things. Laughter and jokes. Waves breaking over a tropical beach. Have dreams. Fun and create. Palm trees. Two dolphins came by to say “Hello!”. Friends. Hope and meaning. Goodness. Sunlight.” Disclaimer: Bono had no part in that passage.

If there were more musicians like Mikko whom began to show the musicianship qualities of which he hones so well, we would most definitely feel a better known impact and importance of this artist on a music community far and wide, but until then, enjoy his songs.

Haleiwamusic.com

Music Recommendation #26: Gabe Cahill

2010-11-21T09:47:00.000-08:00

Gabe Cahill aka You Don’t Know Me, hails from Omaha, Nebraska. Musically, Gabe’s music is just as strange as it is diverse. He reaches vocal heights that recall moments of Stephen Malkmus, Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley and a dash of Conor Oberst era Desaparecidos. With regards to genre diversity, I hear recollections of Detroit Garage music all the way to eerie folk pop. At times, the songs muster up no more hope than you would find in music by Elliott Smith or Nick Drake, while briefly reaching cheery heights.

On the web: http://www.myspace.com/gabecahill

Recommended if you like: Stephen Malkmus, Jeff Buckley, The Odd Fiddler, Beck, Elliot Smith, Desaparecidos, Nick Drake, Manchester 80’s scene…

FROM: Christopher...TO: ‘Record Labels’

2010-11-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

Without a doubt, there is uncertainty as to where the physical format is going in terms of self releases and record labels, yet I still believe in the physical format. Upon looking around at the current activity, the definite change in cultural landscape of the ‘label’ has been spotted, there is an 'influx' of artists/bands running their own labels (self-release labels) in place of traditional labels, due to ‘label walkouts’ that appear to be all too common within the past several months.

These ‘self-release labels’ are currently taking the void for the ‘traditional label’, yet many of these self-release labels only intend to release ‘their own’ work, solely. For those still operating traditional labels, I think it is important to be a 'hold out', and by that, i mean not giving up, because by the time someone gives up, opportunities often times continue to show and result in ‘misses’, and it appears that in 'down times', we are more likely to be subject to more positive interaction, opportunities, you name it, than in a time when the market has fewer opportunities per an over abundance of seekers.

Some people don't like to wait too long, but when there is resurgence, those of which stay are certain to see quicker results. What I've learned is that despite the times, people come and go as they choose, and at times like these, it allows dead wood to be removed and allows those of which were meant to stay, to simply stay put.

This is a subject that recurs, but one of which undergoes little attention today, with special respect to those which have truly worked/aspired to ‘develop’ artists/bands whether it be local, regional, national, international; In order to encourage growth, it is ever important to support what is active today and it doesn’t have to be purely through ‘record sales’, sometimes sending letters/e-mails, what have you, in support of the things you enjoy, and with those certain efforts of appreciation, it is certain to perk some of us up a little, and may keep some more of us active.

Sincerely,
Christopher

Music Recommendation #25: This Girl, That Boy

2010-10-13T18:09:00.001-07:00

This Girl, That Boy, is a Canadian band, hailing from Edmonton Alberta Canada. Any band that has been around a few years, a band of which marks their only official release to date, as a 5 song self titled EP, isn’t likely going to be a story line that will capture a lot of interest, which makes it safe to say this band has been tremendously under looked considering their current musical accomplishments, and their forthcomings, which are said to be very near. In all kindness, to me this band sounds very little like their influences, all because there is a certain originality flowing in throughout their songs. Although influences may be the bread and butter for upstart bands, this band has enough confidence to go out there and for all practical purposes, to do their own thing.

EP’s rarely blow people away due to their shortness and also since they are normally served to tease and wet appetites, and this was no exception, although this self titled release certainly gives me the feeling what is next for this band certainly holds the potential to blow our ears away. What may attach listeners to This Girl, That Boy perhaps could be the emotions captured, and the poignancy of the vocals. They leave me waiting and wondering, which direction will they go and how far. Why would I worry this? I want them to play right here in Nebraska : )

On the web at: www.myspace.com/thisgirlthatboyband

Recommended if you like: Hideka, Ivy, early Keane, The Wandering Bears, Spencer McGillicutty, early Stills, late Mahogany, Sondre Lerche, Honey and Darling;

Music Recommendation #24: The Soft Hills

2010-10-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

The Soft Hills are an American band hailing from Seattle Washington. This band has made what I would describe as one of the best ‘under the radar’ albums of which I’ve ever heard. Some great bands on early releases base a certain commonality of sounds within all songs within a said release, but this newer band captures something uniquely different within their sound from song to song, within practically every song. I foresee that fans of the album(s), Kings Of Convenience “Quiet is the New Loud”, Coldplay “Parachutes”, Radiohead “Kid A”, Radio Dept “Lesser Matters”, may certainly be fans which find complete joy in the hard work displayed on The Soft Hills full length release “Noruz”.

On the web at: www.myspace.com/thesofthills

Recommended if you like: Kings Of Convenience, Radiohead, Radio Dept, Vashti Bunyan, Nick Drake;

New Stars in Coma LP

2010-08-29T02:13:00.000-07:00

Stars in Coma's latest LP And the Cloud Withdrew From the Sky is a goodun.
Let me be the first to tell you: it's really lush. The electronics are very well programmed and have a strange way of walking a fine line by being gestural and well orchestrated.

The release is out on Kingem Records - a little label started by Mark Zonda. It is the very first release on the label, but they have since released another, to all the DIY nuts out there I recommend getting on this stuff straight away so that you can have a label's discography!

Having said all that, the album has its quiet and introverted moments, namely My Hidden Fears, which I would say is my favourite track on the album, but is not necessarily the quintessential Stars in Coma number. Theres a song called NYE which is number 9.

Anyway the album is available on iTunes and through the website, as a CDR, with gorgeous artwork made by Håkan Carlsson and Mark Zonda. Staying true to the national Swedish identity, this is catchy indie-pop that will stay on your music player for extended periods.

Check them here.

Nebraska Pop Festival 2010: Press Release + Digital Mixtape

2010-08-22T11:23:00.001-07:00

Hi!

My name is Christopher and I am the curator and organizer of Nebraska Pop Festival (www.myspace.com/nebraskapopfestival), I am writing you to let you know about the second edition of Nebraska Pop Festival. The beneficiary for the 2010 Nebraska Pop Festival is UNO Mav Radio. All proceeds made from the festival will go directly to the station.

The Nebraska Pop Festival 2010, will be held on September 15, 16, 17, 18 & 19 (those dates being Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday), with a pre festival show on Saturday, August 28th

35 independent pop bands have joined forces with Nebraska Pop Festival 2010, with representation including Local, Midwest, Coastal and International;

The bands will be coming from (11) different states: Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Washington, New York & California. Also the Nebraska Pop Festival 2010 will include international bands from Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, France and Canada.

Tickets are $5 nightly and are available at the door only, anytime during each Nebraska Pop Festival event. The Friday and Saturday shows in September will be all ages. The shows held on Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday and the pre festival show, requires those attending to be 21 years and older.

Nebraska Pop Festival 2010 lineup of performers

Saturday, August 28th (pre-festival show) @ Barley Street Tavern. Official start time 8:00PM with end time approximately 1:30AM (This show is 5 USD at the door) *21+

1. The Love Technicians (Omaha, Nebraska)

2. The Sleepover (Lincoln, Nebraska)

3. Platte River Rain (Omaha, Nebraska)

4. Mumford’s (Ames, Iowa)

5. I Am The Navigator (Lincoln, Nebraska)

6. The Renfields (Lincoln, Nebraska)

Wednesday, September 15th NIGHT ONE @ Barley Street Tavern. Official start time 8:00PM with end time approximately 1:30AM (This show is 5 USD at the door) *21+

1. Panda Face (Lincoln, Nebraska)

2. Cleemann (solo) (Copenhagen, Denmark)

3. Coney Island (Madison, Wisconsin)

4. The Bedsit Infamy (Denver, Colorado)

Thursday, September 16th NIGHT TWO @ Barley Street Tavern. Official start time 8:00PM with end time approximately 1:30AM (This show is 5 USD at the door) *21+

1. You Don’t Know Me (Omaha, Nebraska)

2. Normandie Wilson (San Diego, California)

3. Dexter Poindexter (Wheeling, Illinois)

4. Electric Needle Room (Kansas City, Kansas)

5. Pezzettino (Brooklyn, New York)

Friday, September 17th NIGHT THREE @ The Pizza Shoppe Collective. Official start time 7:00PM with end time approximately 1:30AM (This show is 5 USD at the door) *ALL AGES

1. Floating Opera (Lincoln, Nebraska)

2. Gilbe (Des Moines, Iowa & Chicago, Illinois)

3. Kissing Party (Denver, Colorado)

4. The Mother Z’s (Chicago, Illinois)

5. Seaside Stars (Berlin, Germany)

6. Alone With Everybody (Toulouse, France)

7. Thunder Power (Omaha, Nebraska)

Saturday, September 18th NIGHT FOUR @ The Pizza Shoppe Collective. Official start time 7:00PM with end time approximately 1:30AM (This show is 5 USD at the door) *ALL AGES

1. Eric In Outerspace (Omaha, Nebraska)

2. Mammoth Life (Lawrence, Kansas)

3. Matty Cries (Seattle, Washington)

4. Paris When It Sizzles! (Omaha, Nebraska)

5. James and the Express (Olympia, Washington)

6. Doug Hoyer (Edmonton, Canada)

7. Maid Marian (Iowa City, Iowa)

Sunday, September 19th FINAL NIGHT @ The Sydney. Official start time 7:00PM with end time approximately 1:30AM (This show is 5 USD at the door) *21+

1. Seedlings (Des Moines, Iowa)

2. Paper City (Long Beach, California)

3. Cleemann *full band (Denmark/Omaha & Lincoln Nebraska)

4. Modes of Resuscitation (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

5. Spencer McGillicutty (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

6. The Homestories (Winterthur, Switzerland)

7. The Wandering Bears (Iowa City, Iowa)

I would greatly appreciate it if you could help us spread the word about the festival.

Here is a free mixtape from the bands playing the festival

http://www.indiepages.com/seriestwo/Nebraska_Popfest_mix.zip

NB: if you need information about bands, press passes, coordination of interviews, etc. please contact Christopher @ NebraskaPopFestival@gmail.com

Regards,

Christopher

Christopher
Curator and lead organizer of the Nebraska Pop Festival (2009 & 2010)
Post Office Box 875
Columbus, Nebraska 68602
nebraskapopfestival@gmail.com & www.myspace.com/nebraskapopfestival

Music Recommendation #23: Paper City

2010-07-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

Paper City hails from Long Beach California. For a few years now, I’ve been overly familiar with member Marisa Predisik’s various recording projects, and received a most proper introduction to her moniker of “Paper City”, in late 2009, with her self titled full length release. The “Paper City” album is filled with confidence, intelligence, and unique instrumental/vocal delivery. Vocally at times, the songs visibly recall Elliott Smith, and vocally, lyrically and instrumentally, the songs often recall Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson.

Although there are no songs on this particular album titled “steppin’ out”, “miss misery” or “peace, love and understanding”, the Paper City album is surely more than enough to keep the listeners content.

Check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/papercityband

Recommended if you like: Elvis Costello, Spoon, Joe Jackson, The Cars, Brian Wilson, Belle and Sebastian, The Smiths, The Beatles, The Police, Cocteau Twins, Elliott Smith, The Sea and Cake;

Music Recommendation #22: Anthony Rochester

2010-07-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

Anthony Rochester hails from Hobart, Tasmania Australia. I’ve been listening to his songs since sometime 2007. My most memorable introduction to the music of Anthony Rochester came in the form of a handmade record titled “Music for the Spaceship”. Upon first hearing that record, it didn’t leave my player for many weeks.

Overall the songs were very well crafted, and although he did have precious contributors on his album, he did the lion’s share. On a high note, Anthony Rochester closely evokes Erlend Oye (vocally), Kings of Convenience (all the way), and Jens Lekman (lyrically, at times). Anthony Rochester has successfully released a few full lengths, and a series of EP’s, appearing on various labels, stretching from California, to his home land of Australia. Also Anthony Rochester is well known for his collaborations with Japan shoegaze artist Hideka, and members of Testbild!, among other notables.

Check him out here: http://www.myspace.com/anthonyrochester

Also hear some of his collaborative efforts including “aaah” featuring Hideka: http://www.myspace.com/thesunshinespectacular

Download (3) free and legal songs from “Music for the Spaceship” here: http://indiepages.com/seriestwo/025.html

Recommended if you like: Kings of Convenience, Testbild!, Jens Lekman, Belle and Sebastian, The Hepburns, The High Llamas, The Lucksmiths;

We're back

2010-07-02T15:11:00.001-07:00

After an unannounced JUNE break, starting this month JULY, I will be back in the process of writing and adding additional reviews to the Even In The Future blog ++ also I will catch up with the weekly recommendations as well.

Thank you for your continued support.

- Christopher

Music Recommendation #21: The Tinycakes

2010-05-31T21:47:00.000-07:00

The Tinycakes hail from Chicago Illinois. The sole member of the band is Jim and he plays guitar and keyboard and also sings. The first time I came across his music was a few years ago, when he had sent me his (2) CD’s along with several lovely homemade comics of which come highly recommended by myself and precious others. His music to me is very simple yet honest and well crafted. Through his own words and he makes his songs for himself, but also for “People to listen to and forget about the bad stuff”, a message that he successfully conveys through humor, honesty and also through his various emotions of which he expresses from song to song.

Vocally he sounds very original to me, but at times his voice can cause cracks of laughter from listeners, especially through his humorous lyrics. In recent years Jim has succeeded in finding more opportunities for himself to perform at various independent live music venues with many of his favorite up and coming artists in Chicago.

His influences include: Jonathan Richman, Tom Waits, Syd Barrett, They Might Be Giants, Robyn Hitchcock and more.

Check him out here: http://www.myspace.com/thetinycakes

(9) free and legal downloads available here: http://indiepages.com/seriestwo/087.html

Music Recommendation#20: The Big Picture

2010-05-31T21:11:00.000-07:00

The Big Picture hails from Beijing China via Stockholm Sweden. It is primarily one member named Mikael Salomonsson, though he receives help from several talented musician friends. He’s been making music under this moniker for about 5 years now, and has successfully held performances in both Sweden and China. Basically a few years ago he had moved to Beijing to further study Chinese and while there he settled with a label which helped him release his music in China and the label also helped him with live performances there too. That label is 1724 records. Mikael’s voice has a great range, best described by me as a style closely evoking late great Elliott Smith.

His self titled known to be debut full length album was released in 2008 in USA and later also released in China. When performing live, The Big Picture has consisted of a revolving cast of musicians including Lina Cullemark (Springfactory) and Peter Gunnarson (SKWBN) among other talented musicians.

Hear more here: http://www.myspace.com/picturethisbig

Download (3) free and legal mp3’s here http://www.indiepages.com/seriestwo/027.html

Recommended if you like: Elliott Smith, Springfactory, Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, Jose Gonzalez, Minakumari, Spiders for Love, Oh Sweet Music!;

Music Recommendation #19: Sweet Sweet Concorde

2010-05-23T22:10:00.001-07:00

Sweet Sweet Concorde hails from Orebro Sweden. It is a solo project of Anders, whom also has played some with a very well known Swedish indie band named Robert Church and the Holy Community. To date his primary released recordings appear on a collection he has titled “Life In The Canopy” which is a solo effort of 10 songs, of which are apparently recorded in a bedroom. Initially without having the knowledge he had played in Robert Church, the recording quality reminded me of what it would sound like if someone recorded on the same equipment as R.C.

Whether that is in fact true maybe doesn’t matter all that much. A notable characteristic of Anders is his creativity appears to peak within every song, and this rarely occurs, especially on a debut album.

Recommended if you like the follow qualities: energetic, charm, heartfelt, genuine, humor, playfulness, etc.

(3) Free and legal downloads available here http://indiepages.com/seriestwo/041.html

Hear even more here: http://www.myspace.com/sweetsweetconcorde

Music Recommendation #18: Broken Folk Transistor

2010-05-15T22:18:00.001-07:00

Broken Folk Transistor hails from Collingwood Ontario Canada. I received a package from Ryan including (3) full CDs of music he has made under 3 different monikers. The album that struck my fancy the most is his solo project Broken Folk Transistor. One might think already, three different band names, what does this guy do with his time? Well in Broken Folk Transistor, Ryan conveys his message through 21 songs, and further cements the title of being “prolific”.

Sometimes albums by solo musicians with this quantity of songs, usually achieve quantity over the overall quality of an album, but this piece will certainly be one of the most sublime 20+ song records I’ll probably ever hear. Ryan’s lyrics, vocals and instrumentation qualities surely outmatch the work of several members within many bands. Never having heard of Collingwood before in my life, it’s easy to assume that in obscured areas that most of the time you have to do things yourself, the DIY way, as opposed to exhausting searches for band members. If/when Ryan decides to take a step out of Collingwood, he will surely garner a lot more notoriety for his musical talents.

Heavily recommended if you like early recordings from the following: Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Beck, Jesus and Mary Chain;

Check em out here: http://www.myspace.com/brokenfolktransistor

Music Recommendation #17: My Autumn Sons

2010-05-08T22:43:00.001-07:00

My Autumn Sons hails from Sweden. There are four total members, each of them having significant roles within the band. The vocals of Anna Ödlund could be described as “lush” and evoke Dominique Durand (Ivy), & Tracyanne Campbell (Camera Obscura). The male vocals tend to have a darkness/ borderline gothic sound evoking 80’s Manchester bands.

Overall the songs have a very catchy melodic basis to them, and the vocals/lyrics also take just as strong of a hold within the songs on a regular basis. There are several side projects; one I’d recommend highly is Leonwalls. Among their several videos, I choose to post their video for song “Plain”.

Recommended if you like: Ivy, Camera Obscura, The Chameleons, The Smiths, Joy Division, Peter Bjorn and John, Radio Dept, Adrian Borland;

Check them out here: www.myspace.com/myautumnsons

(3) Free & Legal downloads here http://indiepages.com/seriestwo/058.html

Music Recommendation #16: Modes of Resuscitation

2010-05-01T22:30:00.001-07:00

Modes of Resuscitation is a quartet which hails from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. One thing that has always amazed me about this band is the variety of sound that they offer up in their songs. “Triggers” for example recalls my good memories for 80’s Manchester bands like The Chameleons and The Sound. “Triggers” also evokes Joy Division in a very odd way, more so instrumentally and not at all vocally. This observation and artistry has been rarely achieved by followers of Joy Division, they usually mess up the song by trying to make their voice sound exactly like Ian Curtis, but to his own credit, lead vocalist Matthew has a distinct voice.

The band describes their sound as “New Wave, post punk, folk, and blues. Thankfully, not all rolled into one, though”. I’d say that statement is quite valid, and makes their music all the more intriguing to the beginning listener. Lyrically, Matthew would fit in quite well with the late great Adrian Borland (of The Sound fame).

Recommended if you like: 80’s Manchester including The Smiths, Joy Division, The Sound, The Chameleons, New Order; Also recommended if you like: Mahogany, Cleemann, Magnetic Fields, High Llamas;

Check them out here: www.myspace.com/modesofresuscitation

Music Recommendation #15: Äänijännite

2010-04-24T21:55:00.001-07:00

Äänijännite hails from Helsinki Finland. The first I heard of them was in 2008 and it was their song “Quantum Leap” that struck my fancy. When exploring more of their songs it becomes more and more clear the electronic basis in their songs and also a great emphasis on keyboards as well. Äänijännite’s sounds remind me of how Radio Dept could be if they were upbeat. It is normal for music in this “vein” to not catch my attention all that much, but there is something very special about this band. One significant attribute of this band is not only are they all over the place but also the clear fact that they keep things interesting.

Recommended if you like: Cleemann, Radio Dept, Television Keeps Us Apart, early Keane, SKWBN, Stereolab, early vhs or beta, Thurston Moore, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, early The Rapture;

Check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/aanijannite

Music Recommendation #14: Chuck Morgan

2010-04-17T21:41:00.001-07:00

Chuck Morgan hails from Goteborg Sweden. I must let the cat out of the bag; his real name is actually Anton Ekman. One of the most interesting qualities I find in the music of Chuck Morgan is the voice sounds very fresh, and clear. The melodies in the songs are very catchy, and accompany his voice very well. Also another interesting quality is that Anton is really quite young, in his early 20s. His song “Our Future Could Be So Bright” catches the irony. His sole full length to date is “Patchworks” and it’s a collection consisting of some of Anton’s finest songs to date.

Recommended if you like: Nick Drake, Kings of Convenience, Cleemann, Radio Dept., Ossian Ekenger, Oh! Custer, Jose Gonzalez, etc.

(3) Free and legal downloads here http://indiepages.com/seriestwo/070.html

Hear more here: www.myspace.com/chuckmorgan8

Music Recommendation #13: James and the Express

2010-04-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

James & the Express hails from Olympia Washington. When I first heard their album “Are Your Tomatoes Safe?”, I was quickly satisfied by the sound. I felt this way because the playfulness in his songs, the emotions being shared, the joy that can be heard from the vocals and the melody, among other great qualities. In the lyric writing, there is clearly parts that appear to have spontaneous lines that are classic, for example “Something New”. Songs such as “Built for Two” for example contain bucket loads of charm and loveliness.

Recommended for fans of: Anything melodic and poppy, including: Lucksmiths, Eggstone, Marshall Crenshaw, Spearmint, Magnetic Fields, Elvis Costello, Neil Young, and Beatles. Pretty much most 60's pop and Swede pop.

Check them out here: www.myspace.com/theslappies

Spiders For Love "Shotgun Wedding ep"

2010-04-04T22:24:00.000-07:00

Spiders for Love hail from Omaha, Nebraska. I’ve seen this band perform live three different times; try to understand this, ok? First time I saw them play, they had two members, 2nd time they had three members, and the 3rd time they had four members. You probably know where this is going ha! Anyways now that this tidbit is out of the way lets talk about the music.

Member DL Diedrich shares vocal duties with his wife Cryssy Jean-Diedrich and as you could possibly guess, they go back and forth in song. Originally when I first heard their songs, I thought Beat Happening meets Adam Green. On the “Shotgun Wedding ep”, DL Diedrich reminds me a lot of early Beck recordings, and it’s important to note that the vocals appear to come out forceful (at times) yet pleasantly capture moments of humor.

Despite the recordings being relatively lo-fi, they are still good to my ears. As a side note, the Diedrich’s operate Hell-o Ferocious Records of Omaha, which has made some hand releases to date; also recently they started a tape label. Both projects primarily focusing on releases for bands from the Omaha area, and they legitimately strive to be inclusive. Also Spiders for Love member Sara also plays in Omaha indie/pop band Honey & Darling.

Check them out here: www.myspace.com/spidersforlove
& here www.helloferociousrecords.com

CranKlan "s/t ep"

2010-04-04T21:42:00.000-07:00

CranKlan hails from Japan. What interests me most about this band is their huge sound, which is instantly recognized when the album is first played. After the first two songs, the 5 song EP mellows out quite a bit, becoming very poppy. The first pair of songs reminds me of what it would be like if Jaga Jazzist met Radio Dept. Vocally, the remaining songs remind me of a Japanese version of Dominique from band Ivy and also surely remind me of a Japan artist named Hideka.

Recommended if you like: Dream Pop, MBV, Hideka, Ivy, Radio Dept, Jaga Jazzist, Asobi Seksu, Mahogany, mid-late 90’s indie/alternative;

Check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/cranklan

Music Recommendation #12: Dexter Poindexter

2010-04-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

Dexter Poindexter is Tommy Komorowski. He hails from the suburbs of Chicago Illinois. Unlike the previous recommendations, Tommy is significantly different. Instead of having years under his belt, he has very few of those in music, but those years he has spent already have been precious one’s. To me, his music lightly evokes Lou Reed, Jens Lekman, Lloyd Cole, Felt, and Klas.

Tommy’s earlier recordings appeared to be focused lyrically and musically on two common lovely themes, those are life and love. His most recent material appears to emphasize largely on enjoying himself more and being playful within the songs. A clear favorite song of mine would be “Life of an Annual”. I held a conversation with Tommy a few months back; because it was relatively hard for me to decipher what music he enjoys (influences, etc.). Usually it’s very common to just throw about names, but with Tommy, he’s apart of a younger generation that is just trying to do their own thing.

Tommy’s list of coolest bands ever includes The Modern Lovers, The Fleshtones, New York Dolls and specified his favorite band as being DEVO. Some of his biggest influences include Johnny Thunders guitar playing, American Football, Sam Zurick, the vocal harmonies of Simon and Garfunkel, the lyrical styling of Adam Cox, and largely “…most of my influence is drawn from my love of Wheeling Illinois and how I feel living there, and the love for my friends”.

Hear it here: www.myspace.com/dexterpoindexterband

Music Recommendation #11: Double Dan

2010-03-26T22:58:00.001-07:00

Double Dan hails from Malmo Sweden. These days it’s remarkable seeing all the band names already in use, and that it is so hard putting together a band name unless you think “irony”. And irony there is, there is two Dan’s in this band, Dan E. and Dan L. Anyways now that we are through with the band name thing, let’s talk about their music. When I first heard this band a few years ago, I was not immediately aware they consisted of members whom have/are playing with Double Dan, Acid House Kings, and Starlet among others.

That fact was clearly a pleasant surprise. I liken their sound to a quality that is just as good as all three of those bands, and perhaps just a little better. Sadly it is not uncommon for “side projects” to slip through the cracks and achieve less notoriety, but an artist like Double Dan is more than just another “side project”, they are deserving of your ears attention. Purveyors of Swedish pop can expect to be wowed by this band.

Recommended if you like: The Honeydrips, We & Lisa, The Embassy, Club 8, Acid House Kings, SKWBN, Sambassadeur, Radio Dept, Felt, Field, Mice, Belle and Sebastian, Erlend Oye, Most Valuable Players, National Bank, Ivy, Junior Boys;

Check them out here: www.myspace.com/thedoubledan

Bamboo House "s/t"

2010-03-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

Bamboo House hails from Annandale, New York. Some of the most interesting lyrics that I’ve heard in recent memory are conveyed within these songs. Though at times the lyrics appear to have a little gloom and doom feel to them which is reminiscent to Elliott Smith’s in some ways, some of the songs do have humor attached to them, which when thinking of some of the lyrics days later, can make you crack a smile or chuckle. There are many creative lyrical phrases within the songs of Bamboo House, many phrases which I’ve not quite heard before which is an extremely rare quality these days with a lot of music having excessive usage of derivatives.

The vocals surely evoke Erlend Oye and Jose Gonzalez which is an interesting combination. The melodies have a post modern Nick Drake feel to them, but with the way the vocals are displayed along with the melodies, that eerie feel you’d hear from Drake’s songs is nearly non existent.

Check them out here: www.myspace.com/bamboohousemusic

Music Recommendation #10: Malkovic

2010-03-20T19:53:00.000-07:00

Malkovic hails from Moscow Russia. The group features prominently two members, Alesha and Sasha, both of which have an interest in creating sounds, as described by them as “indie-lounge”. Ever since I became aware of their music sometime in 2006, I’ve been a consistent fan of their work. Their most recent release “Little Estrada” is highly recommended by me, and to date is their sole full length album.

Little Estrada is a diverse album, which would most definitely appeal to fans of lounge, pop and bossa nova. Malkovic draws a lot of influence from such artists as The Free Design, Kings of Convenience, and The Notwist among others. There are a lot of great qualities to the music of Malkovic; I’ll name three such qualities: their lovely melodies, their lovely vocals, and the diversity of their sound. Another notable contribution behalf of Malkovic is they have songs written in English, Russian and French.

They do have some interesting videos to go along with their sound scapes, you may check them out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am2I9h7aAOA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_SrOv9Z9uU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWDowFwVNMM

The music of Malkovic is highly recommended for fans of the following:

The Free Design, Kings of Convenience, The Notwist, Ivy, Prefab Sprout, Acid House Kings, Stereolab, Anthony Rochester, Swedish Pop, Soviet Retro pop, Field Mice, Sondre Lerche, The High Llamas, Air France, Chamber Music, Bossa Nova, Lounge, Pop, etc.

Check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/malkovic

Music Recommendation #9: Mammoth Life

2010-03-12T20:36:00.000-08:00

Mammoth Life hails from Lawrence Kansas. This “big” band includes synthesizer, violin, drums, keyboard, guitar, bass... along with soaring male and female vocals. Some of their most favorite artists include the Beach Boys and Devo. In their new song “Boy Blue, An American Lion”, their guitars evoke The Smiths’ “Meat Is Murder” and the vocals remind me a lot of the finest moments from Mew’s “Frengers” album. The genre of Mammoth Life is best described by them as Orchestral Western Pop, Kaleidoscopic Art Pop, and Western Pop.

Their music comes highly recommended by me, especially for fans of: The Beach Boys, Camera Obscura, Sondre Lerche, Belle and Sebastian, Thunder Power, sincerity and individuality.

Mammoth Life goes on tour June/July and will be playing over 3 weeks of shows in Midwest and West Coast of the USA.

See a Mammoth Life video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Loxn_ES4kII

For more info see:

www.mammothlife.net
www.myspace.com/officialmammothlife

Music Recommendation #8: The Odd Fiddler

2010-03-05T17:39:00.000-08:00

The Odd Fiddler hails from Stockholm Sweden. Within his lyrics, main member Pell P. Arvidsson conveys charm, naivety, desperation, frustration, depression, love and death, among other things. What makes The Odd Fiddler unique is that his music is nearly incomparable to other artists, and the way in which he projects himself is a style that has allowed many listeners the ability to fall in love with the songs, or hate them to pieces. The obscurity in style is surely what attracts listeners to The Odd Fiddler, in addition to his charm and his overwhelming humor. See “The Odd Fiddler” video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B9BXSrXPHU

Check out The Odd Fiddler here: http://www.myspace.com/theoddfiddler

Check out Pell’s newest creations here: http://www.myspace.com/pellparvidsson

Normandie Wilson

2010-03-02T22:00:00.001-08:00

Normandie Wilson hails from San Diego, California. Recently she mailed me a full length CDR of her songs, and I was pleasantly surprised. I had so much joy in hearing her songs that I allowed the album to be played a few times before I caught some sleep. The joy from listening took me back to a time when I discovered the sounds of Sondre Lerche.

The vocal styling reminds me a lot of standards’, the confidence within the vocals is nearly unmatched today. At other times her vocal styling reminds me of the youngsters/twins Miriam and Johanna, of which make up Taxi! Taxi!. The lyrics are very remarkable; at times they evoke Cole Porter. The piano playing reminds me a bit of Elliott Smith and Schroder from “The Peanuts”.

In all, everything from the percussion, the piano, the trumpets, etc. all appears in the right place. Normandie’s songs are all over the place musically most obvious the lounge and pop feel, but also at times perhaps borderline jazz? Anyways I’m very happy that my ears met them.

Hear more here: www.myspace.com/normandiewilson

Music Recommendation #7: Television Keeps Us Apart

2010-02-24T20:57:00.001-08:00

Television Keeps Us Apart hails from Stockholm & Linköping Sweden. They make very “hip” sounding pop music with beats that one can easily dance to. I believe the main story lines to the songs are based on life, love & relationships. When I first heard them was a few years back, it was their song “Never Be Alone” that received the repeated attention of my ears.

The most recent release from Television Keeps Us Apart is their six song EP “A SLIGHT CHANGE OF LIGHT”, which you may download for free at their site here http://www.litdeparade.org/ via clicking their name. Cal and Axel, the sole members of Television Keeps Us Apart have been together for 4 years now, and will hopefully be around much longer.

Television Keeps Us Apart is very highly recommended to fans of many Swedish pop bands including: The Radio Dept, The LK, Oh! Custer, Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, Springfactory, Oh! Sweet Music, The Big Picture, among others…

Check them out here as well: http://www.myspace.com/televisionkeepsusapart

Artisokka “Sea Bed”

2010-02-19T19:54:00.001-08:00

Artisokka hails from Helsinki Finland. They are a six piece band with arrangements of great maturity and complexity. Artisokka is clearly one of the best sounding followers of Nick Drake that I’ve ever heard. What I like most about this band is how eclectic their sound is, with perfect sounding elements of jazz and lounge in addition to their common folk and pop sounds.

When I put this album in a few months ago, the words “more horns please” came into my mind. I’d heavily recommend Artisokka to fans of Kings of Convenience, Sondre Lerche, Nick Drake, Poland, Jaga Jazzist, and Radiohead’s “Kid A” among others.

Check them out here: www.myspace.com/artisokkanet

Music Recommendation #6: The Argyle Wishlist

2010-02-18T19:17:00.000-08:00

The Argyle Wishlist hails from Milwaukee Wisconsin. He’s been around for years making short and lovely indie pop songs. First Jesse Bell got his start with a garage pop combo in Michigan named the Keen and in 2004 began writing under his new moniker. He’s self released several EPs on his Pickupsticks label including some splits, and has appeared on compilations and has released some full lengths, his most recent being “My Thoughts Exactly”.

Recently Jesse from The Argyle Wishlist has collaborated at a distance with a French artist named Stephane, also known as Skittle Alley. Together they have penned several songs, some of which they plan to release on their imprint named The Postcard Music. Also within the last few months, Jesse has added members to The Argyle Wishlist band including Zach on bass guitar and Tim on the drums. Jesse Bell has also made some music videos including one for his song “More Midwestern” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql_QlRvK8Uc and also a video for Seattle’s favorite chamber pop band named Poland for their song “Your Sunday Book” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ5TpRlJuhY

The Argyle Wishlist has listed the following influences:
The Bats, The Beach Boys, Beat Happening, The Beatles, Beulah, Buddy Holly, Burt Bacharach, The Clash, The Clean, Elvis Costello, The Jam, The Kinks, The Lucksmiths, Matthew Sweet, XTC, The Zombies, etc.

Check out The Argyle Wishlist on MySpace here: http://www.myspace.com/theargylewishlist

Music Recommendation #5: Oh Sweet Music!

2010-02-11T19:29:00.001-08:00

Oh Sweet Music! hails from Stockholm, Sweden. Although the name is only known by relatively few people, the whistling in their song “Four Long Years” is surely recognizable already to many. Recently their song “Four Long Years” was used in a major ad campaign to help others relearn life without smoking. See the commercial here (again) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_4iNXwG7Mc

Oh Sweet Music! is influenced by world politics, and the cheery Malmo Sweden music scene. His music is highly recommended by me for those that love short Swedish pop songs with emphasis on lovely melodies, vocals, humor and of course whistling. Also their music is highly recommended if you like artists such as Suburban Kids With Biblical Names, Tafra, Springfactory, Klas, Loney Dear, Oh! Custer, The Big Picture, Robert Church, The Sound of Arrows, and other great Swedish pop bands.

Magnus is the main man behind Oh Sweet Music! but also included in the songs are members Mackan, Riley, Amanda, Mathias, Mikael, Valdet and Wilhelm.

Check them out here: www.myspace.com/ohsweetmusic

Music Recommendation #4: Antony Harding of Ant/Lonely Boy

2010-02-03T19:32:00.001-08:00

Antony Harding hails from Malmo Sweden, but also has former ties to the UK. I discovered his solo project “Ant” around 2005 through his album “A Long Way to Blow a Kiss” (2002). That album in particular struck my fancy the most. Before his solo project, Antony Harding was a drummer for the indie band named “Hefner” whom featured Darren Hayman on the vocals. Antony Harding later collaborated at a distance with poetry writer/ cartoon artist Eivind Kirkeby of Norway, and together they formed the music project known as “Lonely Boy” and released one album together which struck my fancy also.

The music of “Ant” and “Lonely Boy” is strongly recommended if you like heart felt acoustic songs with lovely vocals.

You may download (3) free and legal songs from “Lonely Boy” at this link http://indiepages.com/seriestwo/017.html

Check out Ant and Lonely Boy at MySpace

http://www.myspace.com/lonelyboyandothertragedies

http://www.myspace.com/antonyharding

Music Recommendation #3: Old Time Radio

2010-01-27T19:41:00.000-08:00

Old Time Radio hails from Gdansk Poland. They are a three member band which formed initially almost 10 years ago. The band has a very eclectic sound which I’d associate with simplicity, obscurity and all out lovely. Together as a band, Old Time Radio has completed a few albums with their most recent offering being a long player of Christmas songs, all of which are written by the band.

Old Time Radio comes heavily recommended to fans of bands such as Kings of Convenience, Stereolab, Camera Obscura, Radio Dept, Warm Morning, Robert Church, The High Llamas and others.

The members of Old Time Radio are as follows: Tomasz Garstkowiak (vocals, guitars), Magda Szkudlarek (vocals, synthesizers) and Piotr Salewski (bass guitar).

Check them out here: www.myspace.com/otradio

Royal Chord “The Good Fight”

2010-01-27T10:19:00.001-08:00

The Royal Chord band hails from Melbourne Australia, with ties also in Guatemala and the UK. Among the many many bands/artists in Australia, Royal Chord is one of the most interesting that I’ve heard from that land since my introduction to artists such as Anthony Rochester and Agnes Kain. The lyrics to Royal Chord’s songs seem simple yet they are very meaningful. The vocals recall early Feist, early Cat Power, and the Dreamers. The backing music has certain uniqueness to it as it reminds me of what I would hear from early Beach House.

Royal Chord has been touring the world off and on throughout the last few years, would be good to make the effort to see them.

Check them out here: www.myspace.com/royalchordroyalchord

Tweefort

2010-01-26T11:51:00.001-08:00

Tweefort is music and art collective which hails from New Haven Connecticut. Dan and Aileen started Tweefort in 2009 with a mission. That mission is to bring “pop” bands through New Haven to do live shows and to work hard in hopes of building a cohesive following around the music they promote. Recently they expanded their mission into also promoting artists via physical compilations which they have released on Tweefort. Tweefort has also started releasing free download net releases of singles and ep’s from bands which they like.

Everyone’s contribution to music is unique regardless of whether they are a fan, a promoter or contribute to a band. The theme of the compilation series is to showcase bands from Connecticut and abroad, with some of the bands already having played a show organized by Tweefort and some with hopes of doing so in the future. Tweefort has a new compilation coming forward in February, and certainly many singles, ep’s, etc. releases coming out this year as well.

Tweefort has a broad sense for the many sub genres of “pop” bands and welcomes those interesting in playing a show to contact them.

More info here: http://tweefort.com/about/

kissing party "the hate album"

2010-01-26T11:26:00.000-08:00

Kissing Party hails from Denver Colorado. Their lyrics have certain sweetness to them and are presented with a natural sing along structure. The vocals are soft and lovely. Their melodies recall early Stills, early Strokes, Joy Division, and Hearts By Darts.

Although Kissing Party may not be very well known yet, these songs certainly provide a potential for far more. One important aspect of quality to note is that there are many indie/pop bands which haven’t quite made it as far in terms of progress and recording quality as Kissing Party has reached in their 4 years as a band. Recent trendoid bands like PAINS haven’t quite done it for me or much of anyone. Bands with a little more seasoning than PAINS such as Kissing Party are perfectly capable for filling the void from those feelings of disappointment.

Check them out here: www.myspace.com/thekissingparty

Best Kept Secret Tape Label's 13 years...

2010-01-25T18:29:00.001-08:00

A good friend Alessandro has put to rest his life long labor of love. Below is a statement which he released regarding the demise of Best Kept Secret.

"January 2010: just a quick note to let you all know that twelve years and one-hundred and fifty-two releases (well, one-hundred and fifty, since a couple of them never actually happened, despite having been given a catalog number) later, Best Kept Secret is ceasing operations for good.

A number of circumstances (mostly personal) have left me without much of a choice and have thus led me to eventually make such a painful decision.

There are a million things I may write about how fun it was to run Best Kept Secret, the difference the label has made in my life since its early days and what the support of anyone I have come to know (and sometimes meet) and dealt with over the years has meant to me, but I believe that some things are better left unsaid, as I guess that everyone is aware of how it feels when factors we have no control over force us to give up on things, situations or people we really care for.

I will therefore go ahead and send out a big THANK YOU and just as big a HUG to anyone who has helped us with things we could not do ourselves, to all the bands/artists who have trusted us with their music and to anyone who has taken the time to write about our releases or has otherwise supported us along the way by buying or trading for our tapes or simply by showing appreciation and providing encouragement with a few kind words.

As for the back catalog, I will do my best to maintain availability of the releases that are currently not deleted already for some time (possibly through the end of the year). Both the main site and this page will also remain visible for a while yet.

And this is about it, I guess.

So long, everybody."

The Desks "The Same Mistakes"

2010-01-16T20:47:00.000-08:00

The Desks are from Australia. It is a boy named Jeff and his guitar. Some of the songs are upbeat while others have the ability to tug on the heart strings quite a bit. A quality in songs that is very similar to early Bright Eyes or Teitur for example. One thing that sets The Desks so much apart from other songwriters of his kind is he can surely jam pack an album full of songs that seemingly fit together remarkably well.

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/desks

Music Recommendation #2: Kevin Wright/The Party and the Guests

2010-01-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

Kevin Wright is a musical genius who has been involved in music for nearly 30 years through various music projects including his solo “Mr Wright” and “The Dreamers”. Kevin Wright’s style is very unique and is described commonly by fans as lounge or bossa nova.

His influences are diverse and include some of the following: soundtrack music, Serge Gainsbourg, Joao Gilberto, Syd Barrett, Nat King Cole, Robert Wyatt, Avant Garde, etc.

His long awaited solo album “Diary of a Fool” was released in 2009 and was followed by an announcement that it would be his last solo album. Now, Kevin Wright is shifting a lot of attention towards his NEW music project called “The Party and the Guests” (pictured above with member Boll Bundy). Together with Boll Bundy, they have made an album of well crafted songs which should see a release sometime early on in 2010.

Here’s (3) free downloads from Kevin’s final solo album http://www.indiepages.com/seriestwo/063.html

Links to his music projects:

The Party and the Guests http://www.myspace.com/thepartyandtheguests

Mr Wright http://www.myspace.com/mrwrightandalways

The Dreamers http://www.myspace.com/thedreamersspace

Jonas Schwartz - Am I Even Close? (CD-R)

2010-01-12T06:44:00.000-08:00

It seems that every blogger is like "oh man, sorry I haven't been posting lately", that is every blogger who is not getting paid. Many of the regularly updated blogs have an income and people do it as a job. It's our (I mean you too) responsibility to keep unpaid independent blogs up to keep people knowing about great new acts bands like Jonas Schwartz.

I just got a CD-R from this guy with a hand written track listing. No myspace plug, no contact info, no nothing! Which brings me back to a notion on an Asian indie pop compilation I got through Series Two, it said "Let us all share and enjoy music." I think that is a beautiful statement which Jonas personifies.

When I first put the CD on, I thought it was something my girl friend might like, well at least I would like to listen to in her company on a nice relaxed overcast afternoon. It sounds like a rainy day, but is beautiful in the same manner. The vocals kind of strain sometimes in an almost lo-fi way, but this is very much folk, with melodies reminiscent of some Alela Diane stuff. Anyway, if you are relaxed, visit his myspace (which I had to google!!)

http://www.myspace.com/jonasschwartz

Music Recommendation #1: Poland

2010-01-05T19:51:00.000-08:00

The band Poland, hails from Seattle, Washington. I was first introduced to their music around late 2007. Their late 2008 release of "Most of Them Are Clockwork" would be found in many listings for albums of the decade, that is if the people that made such lists actually heard this album. In September of 2009 they quickly followed up with "Please Interstellar Policeman". With lyrics and melodies simply described as "poignant", this band is a must hear, especially for hardcore fans of The High Llamas, Testbild!, Ian Curtis, Todd Rundgren, and The Beatles.

If you ever have the chance to see their live performance, it is a must. I consider my experience seeing them at Nebraska Pop Festival in 2009 as the best that I've seen to date. They rocked the roof off the building.

Members of the band include: Mark Bombara (guitar) Mark Romanowski (guitar, voice) Shane Peck (drums, voice) Noah Wilson (bass) Lydia Nor (voice) Janet Utterback-Peck (violin) Karen Halliburton (violin) Brianna Atwell (viola).
In total the members of the band have over 100 years of music experience easily. With such a lifetime dedication towards music, you can't go wrong with this band.

Members of the band also appear in the following bands actively today: Laguna, Mr. and Mrs. Muffins, Pretty Abandoned, and others;

Total of (6) free and legal downloads here http://www.indiepages.com/seriestwo/040.html and here http://www.indiepages.com/seriestwo/085.html

Their MySpace is here: http://www.myspace.com/polandmusic

Joseph's End of the Year List

2009-12-31T23:13:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,
I been so busy of late but with any luck I will be increasing (dramatically) my postings.
Instead of acknowledging the artists here, I will acknowledge the labels who I think have done consistently good things this year:

Badminton Bandit
These guys live around the corner from me. They are special, there is a loose relation to the Good Boys hip hop posse, who totally rock.

Meupe
I don't know much about these guys, their releases are kind of dark, but I like their ethos. The Ambassador From Everywhere nights are really something to watch out for.

Tomlab
The first of two Canadian labels, kind of affiliated, love Mt Eerie, and LOVE the David Shrigley artwork usage.

Blocks Recording Club
I have been listening to a release that showcases their artists practically non-stop and the Picastro album is finally out!

Rainbow Quartz
For consistency and reliability in awesome indie pop.

Series Two
The most personally important of the bunch, because Christopher's heart and dedication are so strong, that anything Series Two does is worthwhile.

I hope everyone's New Year was great.

Series Two Chris' 2009 year end list

2009-12-31T16:55:00.000-08:00

*Here is a listing of best albums introduced to the ears of “Series Two Chris” during the year 2009. The list prominently contains albums released during 2009 year but may also include a few from year(s) prior. Among the few hundred albums heard during 2009 by me, here below I present my list of albums I enjoyed the most.

BEST FULL LENGTHS:

1. Cleemann “45 Minutes Mostly About Caring”
2. Poland “Interstellar Policeman”
3. Minakumari “Rasa”
4. Homestories “Click-Click-Clack-Clack”
5. Mr. Wright “Diary of a Fool”
6. Nebraska Pop Festival mixtape
7. Kings of Convenience “Declaration of Dependence”
8. Malkovic “Little Estrada”
9. Spencer McGillicutty “Games”
10. Zanin’s Magic Crayon “S/T”
11. My Autumn Sons “Perfect”
12. Series Two Compilation: Volume 15 through Volume 23 (9 CD set)
13. Hearts By Darts “S/T”
14. Series Two Christmas Compilation
15. Chuck Morgan “Patchworks”
16. James & The Express “Are Your Tomatoes Safe?”
17. Mammoth Life “Kaleidoscopic Art Pop”
18. Brave Radar “A Building”
19. Pennyhawk “The Mystery Mines”
20. Artisokka “Sea Bed”
21. Argyle Wishlist “My Thoughts Exactly”
22. Tinycakes “The First Two Years”
23. Christopher Ostrom “Audio Loading…Please Wait…”
24. Mother Z’s “S/T”
25. Landerim “Shallow Draw”

Honorable Mentions (FULL LENGTHS):

Pretty Abandoned Quintet “Searchlights”
2 out of 3 rule “Really Elementary”
Andras Toth (his three long play CDRs)
We & Lisa “Dreams Within A Dream”

BEST EP’S/SINGLES:
1. Thunder Power “Love Yourself”
2. Mr. & Mrs. Muffins “S/T”
3. Transmittens (3 inch)
4. Jodi & the Morning Glory Parade “Every Morning We Must Say Good Morning”
5. Mari Shimamura “S/T”
6. Old Time Radio “Find the Difference”
7. Double Dan “At Dawn”
8. Cowboy Indian Bear “S/T”
9. Weak Ends “We”
10. Man From Another Place “The Loneliest Cowboy”
11. Astruval “S/T”
12. Robert Church and the Holy Community “Wizard On Fire”
13. Opaluc “Including Five Tracks”
14. Pedestrian Pets “Over”
15. French Woods “The TV Outlaws”

MOST ADMIRED PERSONALITIES (no particular order):

Cesar (Zanin’s Magic Crayon/UK)
Dereck (Cleemann/Son Ambulance/NEBRASKA)
Gunnar, Jeanne and Michael (Cleemann/DENMARK)
Hiroho (Hiroho’s Music Friends/JAPAN)
Edward (Workerbee Records/IOWA)
Bibo (Cuddle Pop/INDONESIA)
Matt (Electric Needle Room/Mav Radio/NEBRASKA)
Will (Thunder Power/City Weekly/NEBRASKA)
Jef (Barley Street/NEBRASKA)
Nate (Ames Progressive/IOWA)
James (Tinycakes/ILLINOIS)
Andrew (Fensepost/WASHINGTON)
Yves (Hands & Arms/FRANCE)
Jesse (Argyle Wishlist/Postcard Music/WISCONSIN)
Danny (Tweefort/CONNECTICUT)
Joseph (EIF blog + very good man/AUSTRALIA)
JuanCar (Toxicosmos/SPAIN)
Javi (Shake Finger Pop/SPAIN)
Tomohiro (Flannel/JAPAN)
Matt + Chris (Charlie Big Time/UK)
Sergio (A Pleasant Dream/SPAIN)
Eike (Das Klienicum/GERMANY)
Thomas (Pigeon Lane/GERMANY)
Shane, Mark B & R, “Brian”, Noah, Nanda, Janet, Karen; (Poland/WASHINGTON)
Anders (My Autumn Sons/SWEDEN)
Kevin (Mr. Wright/UK)
Andy & Becca (Mother Z’s/ILLINOIS)
Casey (MAV RADIO/NEBRASKA)

Honorable mentions: Special thanks to all that make “Series Two” what it is today. And to all that ever supported the bands and all the projects I’ve worked so hard for.

Hugs,
Christopher

Best of 2009

2009-12-31T05:52:00.000-08:00

Top 10:
1. The Mary Onettes - "Islands"
2. Afternoon Naps - "Parade"
3. Cheap Red - "Cheap Red"
4. Burning Hearts - "Aboa Sleeping"
5. The Besties - “Home Free”
6. A Sunny Day In Glasgow - "Ashes Grammar"
7. Camera Obscura - "My Maudlin Career"
8. Dream Date - "Patience"
9. The Drums - "The Drums EP"
10. Summer Cats - "Songs For Tuesdays"

Honorable Mention:
11. The Lovely Eggs - "If You Were Fruit"
12. Bricolage - "Bricolage"
13. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - "The Pains of Being Pure at Heart"
14. Let's Wrestle - "In The Court of The Wrestling Let's"
15. Hiawata! - "These Boys and This Band is All I Know"
16. Brilliant Colors - "Introducing"
17. Cats On Fire – “Our Temperance Movement”
18. The Raveonettes - "In and Out of Control"
19. The Legends - "Over and Over"
20. Very Truly Yours – “Reminders” EP

Worth a listen:
21. Suburban Kids With Biblical Names – #4 EP
22. Bad Lieutenant - "Never Cry Another Tear"
23. Dum Dum Girls - "Dum Dum Girls"
24. The Pastels & Tenniscoats - "Two Sunsets"
25. God Help The Girl - "God Help The Girl"

Haunted Stereo-Cross The Sea EP

2009-12-21T18:14:00.000-08:00

Haunted Stereo is a 5+ piece "folk/pop" group from Southampton in the United Kingdom. "Cross The Sea" is their most recent release, an 8 song EP. This all may be true, but there is much, much more to be said about this group and this release. I'll focus on "Cross The Sea" which has been released as an EP but plays more like a LP. Listening to the 30 minute disc you hear both female and male vocals, guitar, bass, drums, violin, piano, melodica, accordion...and more. Though it never feels cluttered or forced. Everything falls into place beautifully. Each song stands wonderfully on it's own, yet I get the feeling that none of them could exist without the others (or I'm glad they don't). This is what I mean by it playing more like an LP, each song flows perfectly into the next. "Cross The Sea" is a very charming, passionate and sincere record with no wasted moments, it is wonderfully paced and has a rather timeless quality. It will certainly be getting repeated plays on my stereo.

To find out more about Haunted Stereo please visit: http://www.myspace.com/hauntedstereomusic or
http://hauntedstereo.co.uk/

Mr. and Mrs. Muffins "s/t" ep

2009-11-23T22:29:00.000-08:00

MR. & MRS. MUFFINS is a true story of two muffins united in love in Jakarta. Now the Muffins reside in Seattle. Together they share lovely melodies, whistles, and of course lots of love in their songs. My most favorite muffin creation has to be “The Ladybird’s Theme” which is a song that sports some of the most lovely vocals I have ever heard. Looking forward to more fully baked creations coming from them soon I hope.

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/mrandmrsmuffins

Panda Face "Panda Face" ep

2009-11-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

Panda Face hails from Lincoln Nebraska. When he is not is his natural habitat being held by a beautiful woman wearing gloves, he is making some interesting bedroom recordings. They sound very funny yet cool at the same time. Panda Face recalls lots of memories of songs from artists such as Erlend Oye, Niklas Tafra, and Flannel.

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/pandafacebboy

Starshy "Short + Sweet" ep

2009-11-23T20:56:00.000-08:00

Starshy (formerly Bubblegum Summer) hails from Glasgow Scotland. He’s been making music for a while now and this EP is his comeback effort. Under his new moniker, Gary makes some very interesting experimental sounding pop music and appears that he has reinvented himself in some positive ways. The songs are all still very listenable and still maintain the catchy element to an extent.

In his free time, Gary now operates Bubblegum Records and is planning some EP releases and compilations forthcoming. Also he now organizes occasional “pop nights” in Glasgow.

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/bubblegumsummer

The Feelds - "Save Me"

2009-11-16T08:52:00.000-08:00

The Feelds are a family band, fittingly made up of John and Katy Feelds. John does the music. Katy does the lyrics and vocals. I love the whole husband and wife band dynamic and the Feelds really make it work. John's jangly instrumentation is perfectly complemented by Katy's sometimes off-key vocals. The first two songs on this three-song ep — “Save me” and “ You got me crying” — are straight up jangle. The third song — “You don't know” — cranks it up a bit and really closes out this short promo disc on a high note. This is really fun ’90s-inspired indiepop.

The Feelds on MySpace

Rannoch - s/t ep

2009-11-16T08:46:00.000-08:00

The insert I received with the self-titled Rannoch ep says it has three songs on it. Really there are four songs on the disc … the fourth being some very faint but pretty guitar plucking to close out the cd. Rannoch plays that darker, moodier Swedish pop — possibly along the lines of The Radio Department. The four-piece creates lush, dreamy pop that doesn't sound like it was recorded in someone's bedroom, which it was, according to the band's MySpace page.

Rannoch on MySpace

The Homestories “Click-Click-Clack-Clack”

2009-11-01T11:21:00.000-08:00

The Homestories hail from Switzerland. They are one of the few bands from that land that have been given reviews by the Even In The Future blog. That land surprises me in regards to how much great music is actually coming out of Switzerland right now, so take note. Homestories remind me a lot of early songs from The Chap. Their playfulness, the fun and the upbeat to their songs also reminds me a lot of bands like Springfactory and Suburban Kids With Biblical Names.

The Swedish influence to their songs takes the cake at least for me anyways. I really love bands like SKWBN but this full length release by the Homestories puts the sole SKWBN full length to shame.

Check them out here: www.myspace.com/thehomestories

Spencer McGillicutty “Games”

2009-11-01T11:01:00.001-08:00

Spencer McGillicutty hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play some very lovely pop songs that have well thought out arrangements. The band features a total of four primary members although the album features an army of 18 additional contributors. The vocals in the songs are very pleasant and in many of them they include the voices from most or all primary members of the band. The vocal styles are quite professional as they remind me a lot of Beach Boys, Elliott Smith, Ben Folds Five and Belle + Sebastian. With such a display, Spencer McGillicutty could be perceived as overachievers or perfectionists.

Instruments included on the album include: acoustic guitar, harmonica, electric guitar, piano, bass, keyboard, trumpet, trombone, tambourine, Hammond organ, glockenspiel, vibraphone, accordion, timpani, tubular bells, wind chimes, triangle, congas, cowbell, sleigh bells, xylophone, slide guitar, vibraslap, shakers, castanets, claves, wood block, drums, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, viola, French horn, flute, oboe, clarinet;

Check them out here: www.myspace.com/spencermcgillicutty

Delay Trees "Soft Construction EP"

2009-10-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

Before any notes escaped from this excellent EP, I was struck by how gorgeous the cover art and liner work was. Pictures drawn from old family photo albums show beaming kids ankle deep in the water and young mothers driving their first cars, all assembled in a perfectly faded layout by cAPS LOCK HELSINKI.

The 7 songs that make up the insides of this great packaging are just as wonderful as the shell; ethereal, reverbed dream pop that fits the band's name perfectly. These melancholic songs shimmer with an atmosphere and depth which is more than evident in the opening track "Desert Island Song", and in the straight ahead beat and chiming chords of "Tarantula/Holding on". The spacious instrumental, "Resurrection of Sonic Blue", serves as a fitting closer with its huge, echoing guitars and distant, falsetto backing vocals. The Finnish band has received much praise from the International community on this release and one listen from this strong debut illustrates why.

http://www.delaytrees.com
http://www.myspace.com/delaytrees

Line And A Dot - Debut EP

2009-10-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

There is an awesome new British female folk artist called Line And A Dot, her debut EP is coming out on a small London based label called "Things To Make and Do".

She has toured NY 3 times, showing dedication indeed. If you had talent to the likes of Line And A Dot you would have dedication too. It's like, girl is going places. Her songs have a shambly jangly huggable sweetness to them, music for people who like nice things.

Her label says she is similar to "Elliot Smith, Alela Diane and Neutral Milk Hotel." but I think that it's a little more like this: strings sometimes as delicate as Final Fantasy's plucking, energy on par with Hallelujah the Hills, vocals to the likes of (Devendra Banhart collaborator) Jana Hunter and a feel that is like holding hands with your favourite gal (or guy).

Check her at http://www.myspace.com/abovethevaultedsky, and her video at http://vimeo.com/5822610.

The Yellow Melodies "The Championship Cup"

2009-10-22T07:13:00.000-07:00

"The Championship Cup", a 2008 release by The Yellow Melodies, is an EP in the truest sense of the term; an extended-play, 6 track record on thick 10" vinyl. This format is where "mini" albums really work best. Instead of acting as a placeholder for a full length album, it exists as it's own cohesive unit. This Spanish band has assembled a complete musical statement here, and it is a lovely one.

Opening with a great staccato guitar and piano progression (and laden with wonderful string work) the title track, "The Championship Cup", bounds through at a succinct two minutes and twelve seconds. Things quickly transition into "They'll Come True", which takes a page straight from the Troggs songbook until veering into louder territory with super fuzzy guitars and big drum build-ups. This loud-soft dynamic works well here and helps build a sense of urgency within what would otherwise be a fairly straight forward folk-pop song. Finishing out the A side is "The Sunshine of Your Dreams", also featuring prominent strings, which starts which a great march-feel on the snare and builds up through a stand-out chorus and ultra fuzzy synth solo.

The B side of this record is just as enjoyable with the opening track, "Something That you Do", plowing through a classic pop chord progression which is further enhanced by soaring back vocals and a buzzing organ track. "I Want to be with You" has a slight 90's indie rock feel, even with hints of Lou Barlow in the vocals, and is defined by it's swelling lead viola line . The final track, "Mr. Sand and Mrs. Sea, is more epic (both in length and feel) with a long, slow, shoegaze-esque build and another great, overdriven organ melody. This 2008 release can found at the band's website and through their label, Clifford records.

the yellow melodies
myspace.com/yellowmelodies
clifford records

Year Of The Dog “Island Hymn”

2009-10-12T12:50:00.001-07:00

Year Of The Dog hail from the small but still wonderful state of Vermont. The thing I really enjoy about this band is that they have crafted an entire album of fresh and unique sounds which is commonly pleasant for those tired of hearing too much derivatives. It is clear that they are musicians that draw great influence from the obscure or artists considered by many as being mysterious. They take that influence as more of a great inspiration by creating obscure sounds of their own and not necessarily borrowing them directly from those influences.

If you are a fan of bands like Radiohead, Nick Drake or the works of Feist and feel like you have played the heck out of their albums, this album by the Year Of The Dog is another you can play the heck out of.

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/yearofthedogmusic

Brave Radar "A Building"

2009-10-11T14:06:00.001-07:00

Brave Radar's band members hail from Montreal Canada and Sydney Australia. The band describes their genre of music as being a mixture between Surf, Soul + Pop. I would liken their style to a very nice retro pop/ experimental pop type of sound. The vocal styling evokes Thurston Moore, Brian Wilson and at times a more independent sounding Thomas Mars. To me, Brave Radar is possibly one of the better under the radar bands of today.

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/braveradar

Plêiade - FF (2008)

2009-10-09T20:47:00.000-07:00

Plêiade (no idea how to pronounce this one) are from Curitiba, Paraná
(Brazil). It’s hard to find any information written in English about them. But here’s a starter:
They’re glowing indie-pop of south America that we all love. What’s more is they mix in elements of folk and alternative rock, with an electronic tweak. Forming in 2006, the 5 piece includes members assigned to the following two instruments: ghost guitar and elegant guitar.

As an Australian reading that I wonder if it is an error in translation, but I sincerely hope it isn’t. Those are awesome adjectives to relate to guitars. The term “ghost” as an adjective means manifesting, but not actually existing. Which really makes sense of their guitar sounds.

FF is a recommendable album to any fan of South American indie pop, but to draw a couple of well known comparisons, they are similar to the Crayon Fields and to some of Dreamworld records’ mid 80s releases.

http://www.myspace.com/bandapleiade

Blanda "Self-titled 7 inch"

2009-10-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

"Lamna Mig Ifred" is the wonderfully bouncy "A" side to Blanda's 2008, self-titled 7" release. The track is rich with tight harmonies, punchy bass work and scrappy lead guitar lines (taken straight from the bridge pickup) which are all layered on top of sunny, country-esque chord progressions that resonate with a slight tinge of Americana. An upfront "Byrds" influence is laced amongst the pop overtones, with vocals slightly reminiscent of Nick Drake and bits of Camera Obscura apparent in the intro and harmonies.

Based out of Stockholm and Kalmar, Sweden, the band seems to evoke California more than Scandinavia on this side. West Coast harmonies and late 60's melodies dominate on this track and give it a well worn feel that makes the first listen seem like an old favorite.

The "B" side, "Aningar Om Dig", takes a more minor turn with the addition of strings and slide work drenched in reverb that almost perfectly mimics the swells of pedal steel. Here again, the group manages to combine those subtle, slight country elements with a strong sense of Swedish pop and arrangement to produce a superbly strong track. Several instrumental sections dominate this song with a fitting guitar and string crescendo in the finishing fade. Combined with great packaging this is a excellent record that demands multiple listens.

Information on the band can be found here: www.myspace.com/blandaband
and here: fashion police records

Pennyhawk "The Mystery Mines"

2009-10-06T05:49:00.000-07:00

Pennyhawk hails from Ames, Iowa. The singer-songwriter approach from member Kate Kennedy is very confessional. The songs tell a story that is semi personal at worst and not too vague. The 9 song album features not only vocals, percussion and guitars but also flute, accordion, clarinet, and trumpet.

The vocals, lyrics and variety to the songs surely grab the listeners attention throughout this album on a very consistent basis. Qualities that very few songwriters possess today. Their live show can be described as fun, playful and spontaneous. Also would like to note that "The Mystery Mines" release is the first that I've seen with a hand stitched cover.

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/katekennedymusic

Thunder Power "Love Yourself" ep

2009-10-06T05:46:00.000-07:00

Thunder Power hails from Omaha, Nebraska. They craft meaningful and catchy songs. Among their influences is Belle & Sebastian and thunder. Their song "Take A Hike" is quite possibly one of the catchiest independent pop songs in recent memory. A band like Thunder Power may not be considered by many (other than myself) as better than Belle & Sebastian, but I must note I enjoy listening to Thunder Power over any album by B + S or Camera Obscura any day of the week.

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/thunderpowermusic

Iowa Super Soccer “Lullabies To Keep Your Eyes Closed” LP

2009-09-29T01:16:00.000-07:00

Iowa Super Soccer are like a warm cup of tea on a cold winter’s afternoon. They are soothing, beautiful and well matched to your mood. Their 2008 LP “Lullabies To Keep Your Eyes Closed” is one to listen to in an intimate environment.

The bands’ website says “Iowa Super Soccer was concerting with artist like Mark Kozelek (USA)” I’m going to go ahead and assume that means they opened for him, which would make sense: a good unsigned act opening up for a more established one. The comparison is also slightly relevant in terms of the “feel” of their sound, if that makes any sense.

They started as a band in July 2004, 2006 saw them release 2 demo EP's ('Iowa Super Soccer' and ‘Teenage dreams so hard to beat’). This LP is their debut LP and is out on GUSSTAFF RECORDS/LETTERBOX.

On certain tracks there is a major contrast between the female and male singers. Really soft and luscious vocals against the slightly obscure Polish male voice creates an interesting play, there are some awesome background harmonies too, listen to "Cold" it's great.

http://www.myspace.com/iowasupersoccer

Ben Shoben - s/t ep

2009-09-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

The vocals on the self-titled ep by Londoner Ben Shoben are charmingly buried under crisp guitars and distant drums. They peek out at just the right times during these 3 pop songs. “Don't You Go Changing Your Mind” is a nice dreamy opener. “Five Long Miles” throws in a twist about halfway through the song with some more aggressive guitaring … it's a nice change. “Right Place, Wrong Time” is a bit more upbeat and probably fits the “britpop” description better than the other songs. This is a nice offering … I'm ready to hear more.

http://www.myspace.com/shobenb

The Upstairs! - "Hockey Please"

2009-09-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Upstairs! - “Hockey, Please”

The Upstairs alternate between cute pop songs and utter rock-outs. Normally, I'd say pick one or the other, but this really seems to work on “Hockey, Please.” Maybe it's the lo-fi production. Maybe it's the singer's voice that makes the cute songs not quite as cute as they could be. Either way, it's all pretty seamless.

“Hockey, Please” opens with the sing-along “Hockey League Of Her Own.” It's a toe-tapper for sure. After a very quick 2 and a half minutes, the song disintegrates into reverb and feedback, which opens the surfy, rockin' ballad “I'd Surf Pine Trees.” It builds, it falls and before you know it, you're back in full-on cute mode with “I Love Wednesdays.” It keeps going like this … alternating, until you get to what might be the gem on this album, “She, She, She, She.” “She” bounces along with stacatto drums and upbeat vocals.

Bottom line with this record: Go to their MySpace, send them the $6 and get a copy of “Hockey, Please.”

http://www.myspace.com/upstairsupstairs

Iris Waves ep

2009-09-12T18:29:00.001-07:00

Iris Waves is from Oslo, Norway. The music project consists of Ida Nicoline & grand guests. This CD came to me with very lovely drawings that consisted of a grown cuddly looking bear sitting on a log having tea with his/her little dog friend. The songs are very peaceful, lovely and playful all in one. The voice is very distinct sounding and could be compared to some of the finest female vocalists in our own music collections.

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/nicolines

Kites With Lights "The Weight Of Your Heart" ep

2009-09-12T17:51:00.001-07:00

This artist has a very well produced grouping of 5 songs, though the information surrounding this release is a tad bit over stated. The songs take on their own life at times while most times they come across as a very strong derivative of bands like Postal Service. Each song of Kites With Lights nearly matches the emotional output of songs by artists such as Junior Boys.

The beats for this album are very dreamy sounding with some of the beats worthy of being replayed until you get rather sick of them and then require playing them again. This smallish grouping of songs is a sure start to something that could be very special. I highly appreciate receiving a danceable album such as this.

http://24hourservicestation.com/artist/kiteswithlights

Secrets In The Salt - "Krill Through Baleen"

2009-09-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

All that jangle … all that head-bobbing goodness you've been hearing so much about … it's all provided by Secrets In The Salt. Handclaps, catchy rhythms, harmonies, whistle solos and jingling tambourines round out the offering on “Krill Through Baleen.”

The band mentions The Shins and The Kinks, among others, as influences. I'd agree.

The problem with “Krill Through Baleen” is it's too short. Just as it starts to really pick up and draw you in it ends after only six songs. The gem on the short album (and sounding most like The Shins) is the first proper song, “Hello Sam.” Keyboards open before tambourine and sweet vocals kick in. By the time the pace picks up a bit your head is already bobbing … and it'll keep bobbing until the album ends.

http://www.myspace.com/secretsinthesalt

Some Beans - "Fear and Loathing"

2009-09-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

So Noel left Oasis … and Blur hasn't really done anything as a band in recent memory. So what. Who cares? Just listen to Some Beans instead. Some Beans should be able to get you that brit pop fix you need. With some song sounding like Oasis' early offerings and some sounding Blur's more experimental songs, Some Beans have their bases covered.

“All Too Real” opens the CD with a great bass line before the smooth vocals kick in. A great looped beat carries us deeper into the album. “Dark Days” offers a good comparison to Oasis. From song structure to vocals, Liam and Noel would be proud. “All About You” has an almost ’70s R&B sound to it. It really works though and adds some depth to the album. On a few songs I'd swear I was listening to Damon Albarn. “Fear and Loathing” ends well with the low-key “Eight.”

Though Some Beans obviously borrows heavily from Oasis and Blur, it doesn't really matter. Honestly, I'd rather listen to Some Beans.

http://www.myspace.com/somebeansuk

Nebraska Pop Festival: fan photos, review & results

2009-09-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

The 2009 edition of the Nebraska Pop Festival (A benefit for local UNO College Radio named "Mav Radio), I personally consider a success in the sense that new friends were made, it was fun for all, & we had 24 great bands that took part in playing during the festivals' 4 days. Each member from each band that I personally met seemed to be genuine and passionate about playing Nebraska Pop Festival & supporting UNO's Mav Radio. Also enjoyed meeting and interacting with the supporters in attendance. Of the special guests that traveled from outside of Nebraska many of them did so out of the kindness of their hearts and came on vacation and others had the success of building a tour around their appearance at the Nebraska Pop Festival. While the traveling bands were in Omaha they enjoyed the many beautiful attractions in which Omaha had to offer including the world renowned Henry Doorly Zoo, The Art Gallery(s), The Old Market, Live Music, the Parks & Trails, Omaha Royals baseball game(s); among other things. And also many of them were able to enjoy the unique tastes of food from a variety of restaurants in the Omaha area.

If any of the fans/bands have photos or videos of Nebraska Pop Festival in which you would personally like to share instead of hoarding them, we would appreciate that you send them to nebraskapopfestival@gmail.com or let us know about them on myspace.

I would like to say that proudly, we announce that WE ARE COMING BACK AGAIN FOR A 2ND NEBRASKA POP FESTIVAL IN 2010. Stay tuned.

THANKS TO THE BANDS:
Official list of the bands that performed NEBRASKA POP FEST 2009 is: Zanin's Magic Crayon (UK/Italy/Brazil), Argyle Wishlist (Milwaukee), The Sleepover (Lincoln, NE), Honey & Darling (Omaha), The Tinycakes (Chicago), Pennyhawk (Ames), Spiders For Love (Omaha), Transmittens (Lawrence KS), Mr & Mrs Muffins (Seattle/Jakarta Indonesia), Poland (Seattle), Strega (NYC), Talking Mountain (Omaha), Electric Needle Room (Omaha), Hanwell (Des Moines), Labrador (Germany/Denmark), Cleemann (Denmark), Dereck Higgins (Omaha), Mammoth Life (Lawrence KS), Thunder Power (Omaha), The Love Technicians (Omaha), Andy Butler & band (Lincoln, NE), Cowboy Indian Bear (Lawrence KS), At Land (Omaha), The Mother Z's (Chicago), Darren Keen (Lincoln, NE);

WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT:

UNO's Mav Radio & personnel, the fans, Pizza Shoppe in Benson for providing discounted meals to the bands, The City Weekly, The Reader, OWH, Tim McMahan, Slam Omaha, Joseph Walsh (Australia) for designing flier/logo/CD cover, Chris @ Indiepages, Dereck Higgins, Nui Noraset, Hype Machine alliance blogs, the wonderful community of Benson/Omaha & those from abroad, equipment sharing of local bands, the local bands/musicians/fans that hosted traveling bands for safe place to stay during the festival and for meals provided, We'd like to thank the sound guy's Jeff @ Barley Street & also Jeremy @ The Waiting Room. We would like to also thank Jeff for sharing a night of the festival at Barley Street and would like to thank Marc & Jim for supporting UNO MAV RADIO & for sharing (3) nights of the festival @ The Waiting Room. A very special thanks to Hiroho of Japan for the MANY handmade commemorative pop festival compilation- distributed for free to fans @ Nebraska Pop Festival & in Old Market. Thanks to those in the local music community that helped spread the word. Special thanks to Brando for putting up fliers in Omaha and also would like to thank the local bands for this also. Would like to thank Matt Beat for the fliers/participation/contacting the blogs/helping bands with directions ;) & for his foot work in Omaha with the promoters;.We'd like to thank Matt from Omaha for video graphing during all 4 days of the pop festival. Also a general thanks to all others that helped make this possible. A thanks goes out to Christopher (myself) for organizing the bands that played the Nebraska Pop Festival and responding to the over 1000 messages sent by e-mail & MySpace on the behalf and for the good of this special Nebraska Pop Festival. Very sad the the festival had to come to an end following (4) great, fun & memory filled days. As I have said proudly above and I will say it again, WE ARE COMING BACK AGAIN FOR A 2ND NEBRASKA POP FESTIVAL IN 2010.

many hugs,
Christopher

Craig McElhinney

2009-08-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of seeing Craig perform last weekend at a house party hosted by a friend of mine named Tanya (check her music blog). I had seen Craig in person the previous weekend at a Bowls club concert that Bermuda's drummer organised, but never before that weekend. Note that the above is the only picture of himself on Craig's myspace - he is a very smart looking young man in real life.

He used to be in a band called Eleventh He Reaches London, who I have never seen, though judging by the amount I hear of them, they are also worth your time. Anyway, done with introductions; Craig's music is made by a guitar and approximately 3 other machines that he puts on tables (but not a laptop - or at least, I don't remember a laptop). The music is easily classified under the umbrella term of 'experimental'.

I deem it more as beautiful noise, that isn't noisy. His sound is clear and well thought out, in a surgical manner, as the music he is making matters. He knows the importance of his execution in providing an experience, he is very talented and affiliated with one of my top 3 western Australian labels (Meupe). His music is of that special breed which helps you focus but grabs you from inside, holding you until it concludes.

Also, go to his myspace and absorb the 5 tracks he has up. Here is the place to buy one of his albums.

Sugarspun – Moon Candy

2009-08-21T11:28:00.001-07:00

Moon Candy, an EP from Sugarspun, a quartet from San Francisco, is every bit as sweet and enticing as the band's candy coated name. Harmonies abound, hazy vocals that sweep through thick, layered guitars. Pop writing is in full force, with influences melded – as if they were cooked in an oven – into a shiny new whole. One can hear bands from Teenage Fanclub to the Jesus and Mary Chain, the only link a good hook and a love of song craft. It’s that perfect blend between feedback and more comfortable sounds.

The EP starts out with chimes and lyrics about a rocket being built for the singer, before winding up into a soft punch of catchiness. This whimsy continues throughout the charming EP and the songs evidence a similar sense of build. Boys and girls trade vocals for a sense of at times, jubilant bounciness and at times a real sadness, such as in the song “Absence.” They remind me a little of Papas Fritas, vocals traded and despite the sadness, a sense of fun in music is never lost.

http://www.myspace.com/sugarspunmusic

www.sugarspunmusic.com

Minakumari “Rasa”

2009-08-15T14:55:00.001-07:00

Also known as “Mina” she comes from Japan. She makes very soft songs that make you want to “chill” and she cites her inspiration as being from Indian classical music & Bossa Nova among other things. The backing music gives me the same feeling as lets say Kings Of Convenience’s “Quiet is the new loud” album although there is a little more instrumental variety I am hearing from Mina. The voices she makes are just as memorable as those that appear on albums such as “Frengers” by Mew.

There is nothing “scary” about Mina although some of her songs have an eerie vibe to them as would songs from classic Nick Drake albums or Elliott Smith’s “Figure 8”. Her music is described as being “calm, sweet, & relaxing” and I’d say that is valid. A perfect album to sleep on, rest on, and to play to others especially children and female friends ;)

Artists such as Minakumari bring up an argument rarely touched that is Japan is an ever growing pop scene with some very strong sounding and very appealing artists that ears from around the world need to hear and experience for them selves. Go check her music out now.

Check em out here: http://minakumari.net/

Weak Ends “WE” E.P.

2009-08-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

Weak Ends is a band that comes from Orlando, Florida. They make songs that combine a mixture of Indie Pop and Shoegaze. I honestly hear more pop than the latter. They are said to be influenced by Radio Dept and Camera Obscura. The female vocals remind me quite a bit of Camera Obscura & Autolux.

In addition to the references already made the songs remind me a bit of very early music from Shout Out Louds. The band offers their E.P. for the price of 3 US Dollars. Get yours today. Also I got a nice T-Shirt with mine. If you would like one of those I’m sure that costs a little more ; )

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/weakendz

French Woods “The TV Outlaws EP”

2009-08-15T14:45:00.001-07:00

This is a side project from Rickard (Robert Church) based in Sweden. It is very rad and fundamentally different in style by far compared to Robert Church. I am glad to be hearing this CD. It reminds me quite a bit of the feeling I get when I am hearing Jazz music. The songs are very interesting as the experimental aspect doesn’t take hold and ruin them.

It’s very possible that some of these song(s) were improvisations and there is nothing wrong if that holds to be true. A very similar artist I must note would be Jaga Jazzist. Most of the tunes from this EP would work well for many bands as backing music. As I have referred to before sometimes people wished certain songs didn’t have vocals on them because the music sounded so much better and the vocals maybe sound a little crap. Here is maybe one of the best examples of great music minus the vocals around today.

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/frenchwoods

Ofeliadorme “Sometimes It’s Better To Wait” EP

2009-08-15T14:44:00.001-07:00

They are based in Bologna, Italy. The female singer has one of the most beautiful higher voices I have heard in quite a long time. She gives others that have this same characteristic a run for their money. Very few high voices in general grab my attention in this way for good. Seriously yet strangely think as if Elliott Smith or Conor Oberst were female (yeah) this is what it would sound like maybe. It is ever so evident that there was a lot of time and hard work put into this album and the efforts show the listener well.

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/ofeliadorme

Opaluc “including five tracks EP”

2009-08-14T21:48:00.001-07:00

They are a 3 member band from Japan. They play some of the most beautiful Indie Pop sounds from that land. There is a lot of love, heart, charm and other things to these songs I surely have not had the pleasure of hearing as often as I would like. According to the site for the label (MiMi Records- Portugal) which released this fine album they say that the music is a mix between Japanese and Portuguese, the latter I would have never guessed largely since I am not exposed to music and or language rooted from the land of Portugal.

Also if you look into more information of the label which released these recordings you’ll surely learn and be surprised at it’s humble beginnings.

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/opaluc

The Fox and the Bramble “NOTRE MEMOIRE” ep

2009-08-14T21:47:00.001-07:00

Move over Oxford, UK this band “The Fox and the Bramble” is moving in. They come with very cute and lovely songs along with a nice handmade CD. The songs will surely meet and greet anyone that will appreciate them for what they are. This is an all age friendly album (whatever that means). The album is full of creative sound ideas not prominent in ordinary pop bands/songs and the song craft aspect will surely be appreciated by the listener.

Check em out here: http://www.myspace.com/thefoxandthebramble

Santa Monica Swim And Dive Club “Mild Honey” ep

2009-08-14T21:45:00.001-07:00

This is a fantastic side project of Saturday Looks Good To Me released by Little Pocket Records of Ohio. With a name like that you’d maybe think they are from California but this band is actually based in Michigan/New York. The songs have a good “old” sound to them. The song “Kara Keely” has a great feeling behind it with the clapping and playful lyrics and tone from the vocals. “Buried In Snow” has a sunshine pop feel to it despite the title not necessarily meaning that. “Mild Honey” is full of perfect songs for both Spring and Summer.

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/santamonicaswimdiveclub

The Mystery Books “Russia”

2009-08-14T21:44:00.001-07:00

The Mystery Books are Riley and Matty. They are from Gainesville, Florida. The recordings have a very nice DIY pop sound with a very emotional feel to each of the songs. The organ included in on these songs makes them stand out. The voice and emotional tones from the songs remind me quite a lot of Antony Harding in his project “Ant”. And when I think a little more it comes to mind that Riley’s lyrical styling and voice remind me quite a bit of ‘early” Conor Oberst and Teitur recordings.

Riley and his friend Brian started a label in Gainesville named DEL-TONES RECORDINGS which put out this release and other fine handmade releases.

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/themysterybooks

Bare Love To Bare Soul by El Mars

2009-08-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

El Mars, aka Raimonds Gusarevs, is one fantastic song writer. This album of his, Bare Love To Bare Soul, is a great example of superb song creation. At times he reminds me of Beirut. At other times I am reminded of one of the most beloved movies of our time, Amelie. I’m even sometimes reminded of Flight of the Conchords! (There are only a few times when that actually applies.) His guitar work mixes with his vocals quite well. He is also a wonderful lyricist. I am told a story as I listen to Bare Love To Bare Soul. This album is calm and collected, well structured, and quite enjoyable; I’ve listened to it around seven times in just two days. There are a lot of good songs on this album and altogether, it’s very sound and secure as a whole, not to mention that this album is a progressing story from start to finish. My favorite tracks on this album are tracks 4 (“Painting Horses As They Dance Their Nights Away”), 5 (“Carving Images”), 7 (“Stars And The Sand”), and 11 (“Bare Love”) stand out to me the most, even though all of the songs on Bare Love To Bare Soul are solid songs. “Painting Horses As They Dance Their Nights Away” is a really nice and calm track. It makes me feel like I am sitting on a porch, looking out at a wonderful sunset, sitting with those I feel strongest about, just in utter happiness. “Carving Images” resonates the sounds of Beirut the most, but it is still a unique track on it’s on. Raimonds does a good job creating a heartwarming song where nothing in it makes me feel negativity. In “Stars And The Sand” he creates a solemn sounding track with a dreary voice and low-lying guitar. It still remains as one of the stronger tracks on the album however. His guitar layering in this song is fantastic. “Bare Love” is by far my favorite song on Bare Love To Bare Soul. Raimonds Gusarevs created a song that I am probably going to love for the rest of my love. This song is so incredibly good. His guitar work mixes so well with the vocal layering he does in “Bare Love” and my heart just explodes with happiness from this musical masterpiece. When you come across a song like this, you don’t forget it. Instead, you want to share it with those that are closest to you, sharing the joy you have just felt from such a striking transmission of sound. This final track is definitely the most complete track on the album. It’s always good to end on a strong note and our friend, Raimonds Gusarevs, aka El Mars, does just that. This is definitely something everyone should experience. Even just one listen to this album will get you hooked. You’ll be glad you listened. I’m actually going to go tell my girlfriend and all my friends about it now!

http://www.myspace.com/elmarsmusic

UPDATE: Okay, so the more and more I listen to this album, the more and more I love it. I was showing my friends this stuff and realized how much I really enjoy it. Raimonds Gusarevs, you are brilliant. This music is wondrous. Keep it up!! (P.S. Everyone should check this out.)

Reefy Seadragon by Dog Age

2009-08-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

I find it very fitting that these Norwegians have titled their CD “Reefy Seadragon.” The title just emanates Norse Myth. This CD is far from being about Norse myth however. In addition, you don’t find too much alternative-pop music to be about such topics; those topics are left to the creators of death, black, and progressive metal. This is not metal. This is pop. When I popped this CD in, I was automatically reminded of those old shows on TV, back in the day, where people would dress up in huge, untimely costumes where they would be parading all over the screen in the show. I can see the little children running around getting extremely overzealous about the arrival of such costumed creatures. Anyways, Dog Age are a good band. I don’t have music like this on my iPod. I am hard to please with music such as this; it’s cheery, happy, old-school, and poppy. I feel as if Dog Age would have been a band in the 60’s and 70’s. Not my era of tastes, but these guys do a great job. Tracks 4 (God Lives Under The River), 8 (When I Was A Young Boy), 9 (Mystical George), and 11 (Tea, And A Wife) are my favorite tracks on “Reefy Seadragon.” These songs are superb. With each listen, I grow more aware and appreciative of how complete these songs are. There are moments of solitude which grow and grow until there is sound, sound, sound, coming at you. The keyboard work in these songs adds another dimension to these songs and contributes greatly. It’s the little things that make a huge difference, and Dog Age sees that. There are Les Claypool-like guitar riffs and songs that remind me of Of Montreal, with “Tea, And A Wife” producing that sound most reminiscent. Another song worth mention is track 3, “The Puppeteer.” It’s a nice instrumental song to lull you into calmness and coolness, generating an ambient feel. All in all, they have a very solid sound. Throughout most of “Reefy Seadragon”, Dog Age reminds me of a toned down Dungen, who, I believe, are also from Norway. Those Norwegians know what they are doing with music!

http://www.myspace.com/httpwwwmyspacecomdogage

The Meat Riot by Marsh Branch

2009-08-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

Marsh Branch rocks. Her album, The Meat Riot, is fast-paced, driven, and fueled by sweet-ass distorted guitars. The Meat Riot was completely written, arranged, and played by the ever-so-lovely Marsh Branch. I can just see myself watching her jamming out in a house show somewhere, just getting the crowd going. I really find the strong point of The Meat Riot is the distorted electric guitar work she does in this. The electricity flowing from the songs is really fun. I mean, what else could be as fun as rambunctious rock music? She sings with anger and emotion. She sings with a point to prove. She sings to sing, sing, sing. The past couple of CD’s I have reviewed where solo attempts at music. To hear such fueled work makes me happy that music even exists. Marsh Branch must have felt a sense of completion when finishing this album. Finishing an album is one of the better feelings in the world. When you can look at something you’ve just created, by yourself, wow, what’s better? I know Marsh Branch felt this. You can tell she was full of determination in creating this album; it definitely shows. Great job Marsh Branch, great job.

http://www.myspace.com/marshbranch

WALK "Cave Man Game" ep

2009-08-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

WALK are based in LA, California. The sounds they do make are very interesting. Among their many proudly listed influences one name sticks out for me. That name being Elliott Smith. The vocals by this band most closely resemble Aaron Espinoza (Earlimart) and strangely the backing music sounds like something Elliott Smith would have done in his albums from Figure 8 to prior.

In Elliott Smith songs it was common that he would do all the instruments in most of his songs while for this band WALK they have four members putting together all of the sounds. The whole recording sounds as if the band members share a lot of common interest in influence and playing abilities. Which is rare for a band these days. This ep sounds relatively good aside from the recording being relatively lo-fi and also the vocals being a little hard to hear at times.

check em out here: www.myspace.com/thewalkspace

Young Michelin ep

2009-08-13T18:25:00.001-07:00

This band hails from Aline, France. They have an appealing retro sound. The guitars funnily sound a lot like The Strokes “Is This It” album and some of the jangly guitars remind me of some early independent pop bands as well. The French lyrics are fairly catchy also. With just 3 songs on this CD, it is very likely you will hear more from this young band soon.

Check em out here: www.myspace.com/youngmichelin

Astruval self titled

2009-08-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

All that I know and remember initially of this band is their member Thomas and that they are based in Switzerland and also through research found out that they have released three different songs on three different compilations by the now defunct CDR label named Asaurus. This full length CD has been very well loved by me for many months. It got pushed to back burner and now it’s on the front burner. These simple bedroom recordings are very heartfelt and meaningful to the listener to say the least. This CD is highly recommended for the fans of early Radio Dept or Asaurus Recs, if you can find a way to get your hands on it.

Murena Helena – Fierce Pale Hen

2009-08-07T04:29:00.000-07:00

Released in 2008, Fierce Pale Hen is the 4th album that Muarena Helena have made. This makes a lot of sense to me, on my first listen I was under the impression that this was their debut - this intrigued me, as to how a band could be this well formed and constructed so early on. Anyway, this is not something to hold them back for. They’ve been on a journey to arrive here.

Starting in Canada and relocating to London, this is apparent in their sound, outside of the U.S. Canadians are well liked people, and MH are no exception to the rule. They make very thought-through pop with an emphasis on the instrumental side of things. Whether you call the experimental rock, I don’t know, but I saw that on the internet somewhere. “We'll Think of Yetis” was the standout track to me, it’s the newer side of post-rock, that doesn’t like to be labelled.

And so it shouldn’t be, Muarena Helena (I’m not sure if that ‘a’ is meant to be there - it seems to disappear and reappear), are very much worth your time, I recommend them to people who like The Tumbled Sea or Theo Angell.

There are one or two songs available for free download from their website. But you'd be better off to get the whole album!

Trio Pigalle

2009-07-28T23:45:00.000-07:00

Trio Pigalle are three dudes from Sweden. Max Olsson, Gustav Broman and Sebastian Hegedüs. Their album “artwork” is probably one of the best I have seen, ever. Though not for technical ability, just for awesomeness. You can see it here.

In terms of their musical prowess, they are talented young men. There are elements of psychedelia apparent, that are accompanied by an extremely chilled out vibe. The music has a very relaxed feel to it, reminiscent of a more stripped back and coastal version of Cinematic Orchestra’s early material.

The drums are very delicate, and melodious guitar strums alongside a friendly bass line. I recommend this music to people walking down busy streets. This will put everything in perspective and make you feel as though you’re strolling down a sunny + carefree street, to a friends house.

http://www.myspace.com/triopigalle

Matchu "self titled" ep

2009-07-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

Matchu sings so softly and sweetly on this 2 song release. The disc is accompanied by some hand made drawings that serve as the artwork. These songs could best be described as "chill" and would fit well with a good weather day or even to share with younger children. Five minutes is definitely not enough time. I wish to hear more.

www.myspace.com/daisydaysdaisydays

Mari Shimamura ep

2009-07-24T17:19:00.000-07:00

These sounds by Mari are very "electronica" and "ambient" and "lovely". In a way they make you want to just get up and dance. They are feel good sounds that are sure to produce some good dreams at bed time. It's not very often that you hear listenable, exciting and somewhat energetic music of this kind. Mari has been described by one as being "powerful". I'll describe her music as being "full of good sounds". Album is especially for those that are fans of Royksopp’s “Melody A.M.” album. Very happy that my dear friend Hiroho brought this music to my ears.

Check em out here www.myspace.com/marishimamura
This special edition CD was distributed by my dear friend Hiroho and his page is www.myspace.com/alfa2000

Anne Bacheley “Headquarters”

2009-07-24T17:17:00.001-07:00

Anne hails from Poitiers, France. She makes nice bedroom pop songs that come across in a very simple and relaxed manner. Anne’s vocal delivery strikes my fancy quite a bit considering how basic it may be viewed as by others. The selection of instruments and arrangements to these songs are very cool, especially the guitars. Some of these songs to me are so good that they leave me speechless.

I’ll most definitely be listening to this record for as long as it will play. “Headquarters” is a prime example of what one of the best Bedroom pop records of this particular decade would sound like. Anne is also in the great line of active pop artists in France that I would highly recommend to others and some of those names are The Wendy Darlings, Skittle Alley, and Purple Submarine Orchestra to say just a few.

Check em out here www.annebacheley.net

Jodi In The Morning Glory Parade "every morning we must say good morning" ep

2009-07-13T00:06:00.001-07:00

The band Jodi In The Morning Glory Parade hails from Bandung, Indonesia. Upon listening to the first song it's quick to get the impression that these are happy songs for happy people and happy couples. Sorta reminds me briefly of I'm From Barcelona or even great songwriters like Sondre Lerche. When listening further it brings to mind a lot of great memories of hearing songs from the obscure Japan band named Flipper's Guitar. The voice to these songs is very sweet and when they sing along it makes for an even more lovely experience.

Check em out here www.myspace.com/soundsfromjodi

Alone With Everybody “Sad songs for Friday evening” ep

2009-07-13T00:04:00.001-07:00

Upon listening to the intro song “Eyes blurred with tears” I just knew from the voice I was hearing something that reminded me of “west coast” sounds and I found myself digging through my record collection to come up with what these new sounds reminded me of. I found myself stopped within seconds at the California band named Earlimart.

The songs by Alone With Everybody fit the theme of the album title. The sad of them in a way painfully evoke Elliott Smith songs and the piano gives me this Erie sense which I have gotten from listening to albums like “figure 8” for example. And speaking of Elliott Smith since his passing people throw his name about so much it’s lost meaning. In the sense that I compare Alone With Everybody to the likes of him is quite valid.

It does make me wonder what would happen if Alone With Everybody made a follow up to this with a “cheery” album. I am sure if that happens the end result would be beautiful.

Check em out here www.myspace.com/alonewitheverybodypop

Citified "Absence" ep

2009-07-13T00:02:00.000-07:00

When this album is put in the player you don’t really know what to expect. What you first hear is so extremely melodic music and it’s catchy and it carries on throughout this album. The lyrics are “so so” but I think those that listen to this album will be paying most of their attention to the melodies. I am curious to know if this band is able to put together a full length this catchy. In the song “Dutiful Scout” there are many sounds that I hear that recall 60’s pop. And in the song “My Family Cup” to me is a lot like beautiful shoegaze music. The opening songs from this album also give off a great dreamy feeling.

Check em out here www.myspace.com/citified

Andy's Tea Party

2009-07-12T23:59:00.000-07:00

The vocals are very playful yet distinct and they take on many different directions as the songs on the album go more and more forward. It’s very evident and clear of the Swedish pop and mainstream influences amongst the songs. I get reminded of many things when listening to this album. Funnily it reminds me of the approach Chuck Morgan has to his songs and also recall the vocals from The French Kicks.

Check em out here www.myspace.com/andysteaparty

Foreign Cinema – Non-synchronous Sound

2009-07-12T16:10:00.001-07:00

Like a breath of Arctic air, Foreign Cinema sound a bit like New Order. The songs are regulated, cold, and emotionally challenging. The album cover presents a female with headphones, and the back, a male with a small movie camera. These photographs are in black and white, and that only complements the starkness of the album. Not one note is extra or out of place on Non-synchronous Sound. As the title implies, it's a slip from synchronicity, where everything matches up with life; the starkness gives an otherworldly quality to the album. There's a Depeche Mode cover. It fits in so well one might not even notice it was a cover.

Overall, the album has a deliberate, plodding feel - but not in the sense that it will drag you down. Rather, Foreign Cinema wants every beat to count, most notably on "Lovers and Killers," the standout track on this album.

www.myspace.com/aforeigncinema

Robert Church & The Holy Community (hype!)

2009-07-04T21:46:00.000-07:00

Yay! New Robert Church & The Holy Community videos – the only thing sweeter than their sound are the beautifully naïve animations that make up the videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou-MUH7Mizo
is the video for “Skinny Rabbit” which will definitely be a summer classic for all of you kids in the Northern hemisphere (here in Australia it’s wet - *sad face*.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1T04qnMwZ0
is the other video for “ The U S of A” and it perfectly exemplifies the introverted questioning apparent in 21st century indie-pop. “It really makes me wonder” is plastered over the screen, but don’t be left probing this track, because it will have you on the first listen.

These songs will appear on “Los Tres De Canarias” a release that will be out on Fox Pop Recording Co before summer is over (in the coming months). Keep an eye out and make sure you don’t let this one pass you by.
http://www.myspace.com/robertchurch

Jane Woody & Angel Eyes – Total Miracle

2009-07-04T01:43:00.000-07:00

“Heart broken every weekend, deciphering: lover or friend?” is one of the first lyrics we hear and what the front page of the pocket size zine that accompanies this album states. Quite fitting as Jane Woody touches on most romantic notes.

The first time I listened to this I was content, unbeknownst to me the album started again, and hearing the opening track “Tiny Ants” for the second time really stood out. This is indie-pop disguised with some heart plucking strings and beautiful female vocals.

There is a lo-fi feel to this entire package, the music is put together in such a way that we know she is for real. Don’t worry about anything, we are putting out music that comes from us. There is strong keyboards and a very gestural vibe throughout.

I have the 77th of 150 copies of this LP, get your hands on one before they’re all gone. The music coupled with the zine = everything you need.
www.myspace.com/janewoody

Nebraska Pop Festival MIXTAPE Free

2009-07-01T17:34:00.000-07:00

Download the Nebraska Pop Festival mixtape here:

http://www.indiepages.com/nebraskapopfestival/popfestmix.zip

Here is the track list and MySpace link for each of the bands :)

1. Poland - Finally September www.myspace.com/polandmusic
2. Transmittens - The Sea At Night www.myspace.com/transmittens
3. Strega - I Don't Think You Know www.myspace.com/streganyc
4. Cowboy Indian Bear - Mathematicians Colour www.myspace.com/cowboyindianbear
5. Zanin's Magic Crayon - A Kind And Green Night www.myspace.com/zaninsmc
6. The Tinycakes - Huge Spinning Ball www.myspace.com/thetinycakes
7. The Argyle Wishlist - A New Leaf www.myspace.com/theargylewishlist
8. Cleemann - Absent pt.1 www.myspace.com/cleemann
9. At Land – Running www.myspace.com/awesomesupply
10. Labrador - Caleidoscope Aeroplane www.myspace.com/labradormusic
11. The Mother Z's - Check-Out www.myspace.com/themotherzs
12. Electric Needle Room – Wikipedia www.myspace.com/electricneedleroom
13. Sweet Pea - Cut Out Magazines www.myspace.com/wearesweetpea
14. Mammoth Life - Convoluted I www.myspace.com/officialmammothlife
15. Mr. and Mrs. Muffins - The Magic Cloud www.myspace.com/mrandmrsmuffins
16. Pennyhawk – Seeds www.myspace.com/katekennedymusic
17. The Sleepover - Built For It www.myspace.com/thesleepoverlincoln
18. Spiders For Love - What Am I Doing Here www.myspace.com/spidersforlove
19. Probably My Son - Hum, Hummingbird! www.myspace.com/probablymyson