Rolling INDIE Thread 2009

From the Rolling Indie Thread 2008:
I'm betting not enough exciting things happen in indie this year to warrant starting individual threads.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, December 31, 2007 9:33 PM (1 year ago)

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I was right. As The Reverend said last year, keep it in here boys.

2009 indie albums i am really looking forward to: the school, northern portrait, asobi seksu

also i pray for a new outrageous cherry album this year

I'm hoping Golden Silvers will pull it together and debut a full LP this year (because their 2008 singles were AWESOME).

Also interested in The Joy Formidable, Asobi Seksu, Marina & The Diamonds and Honey Claws (<-- if you haven't heard "Pemporer" on their Myspace page yet, go immediately...total 1980-style Peter Gabriel jam).

other things to look forward to if they come out are-sound of arrows, broadcast, burning hearts/le futur pompiste, radio dept, john grant solo record, klima, arnaud fleurent-didier, the projects, montt mardie

sound of arrows
the radio dept.

^^^ Yes, Labrador's at the apex of their existence as a label right now.

pitchfork 100 best songs sucked ass. I've come full circle: growing up in the 90s I always thought indie was boring ass Pavement type shit / jangling quirky Pete and Pete shit. Then I started to like it and moved to Brooklyn. Now it sounds like it sucks ass again.

to put it, I think indie's peaked again

An Asobi Seksu track came on the Zeppelin the other day and it struck me that they exist exactly halfway between Cocteau Twins and Shed Seven.

Mary Timony has a new band called Pow Wow, which happen to be playing their third show ever this Saturday night while I'm visiting DC. Fun.

The Phantom Band are a bit disappointing

The Ballet seem OK. Their bassist is quite photogenic.

Yay, I bookmarked the indie thread last year. Some recent favorites:

Wavves
Mystery Jets (is Twenty One out in the U.S. soon?)
The Shoes
Blank Dogs

are people liking wavves? maybe i listened to it at the wrong time, but i remember getting through like three songs and being like "no, fuck this shit".

I listened to it again this morning after letting it cool for a couple months. Sounded better now.

Loving the Whitest Boy Alive album.

when does that come out?

March 3rd

Unfortunately I have the same problem with Whitest Boy as I did with Kings of Convenience. I love listening to it, but it's not particularly memorable.

the Blackout Beach album is PHENOMENAL. as i've said elsewhere, my favourite carey mercer (frog eyes/swan lake) ever.

Phosphorescent's Merle Haggard albums are a bit disappointing. Antony's LP isn't as good as the EP. Andrew Bird's nothing special. But yeah, Fever Ray's terrific and I like the new Bon Iver EP.

just an invite but stuff like waaaves and blank dogs are def the type of stuff that we discuss on the rolling punk non indie underground thread :)

blank dogs and pink reason and all that shit yes yes very good sir. too bad none of my totally square friends wants to see any of that shit

if i were better w/computers i would do a venn diagram of the punk and indie threads

yeah, the Blackout Beach record sounds great.
pretentious and serious as hell, but good:
at least it has guts, which most indie records lack, and the Scott Walker influence is awesome.
it's also better than (the somewhat similiar) Sunset Rubdown imo

it hugs back album out in april.. these guys are far and away my favourite thing on 4ad right now, far better than the likes of deerhunter or department of eagles. the vocals could be a little less indie-boy-apologetic but i love the tunes

Am I wrong, or does M. Ward have the greatest male voice in contemporary music PERIOD?

yes you are wrong, but it's a good voice

I'm exaggerating, obv, but only a little. I just love his voice so much, it almost makes up for the fact that I find all of his compositions totally boring.

The new M. Ward is streaming here.

I was a little put off by the Wavves album when I first heard it, but it's been growing on me the last few days.

You know who else has a crazy voice? William Elliot Whitmore. Too bad I think his song-writing is ridiculous and the music is totally silly and he throws in all kinds of awful shtick. But his voice. Like woah.

The Great Escape line-up so far:

Metronomy * Kissy Sell Out * Future of the Left * Ben Kweller * Johnny Foreigner * Esser * Passion Pit * Dananananaykroyd * The Big Pink * The Soft Pack * The Chapman Family * Micachu and the Shapes * Let's Wrestle * Bell X1 * VV Brown * Vivian Girls * The Golden Silvers * Official Secrets Act * The Handsome Family * Your Twenties * An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump * It Hugs Back * Pulled Apart by Horses * Middle Class Rut * To The Bones * KASMs * Televised Crimewave * The Joy Formidable * Cassie and the Cassettes * Tin Can Telephone * A Grave With No Name * Yves Klein Blue * The John Steel Singers

Picks of things to check out anyone?

dear god that's a shitty lineup

i love it hugs back, micachu i haven't heard but are on a label i dig so they might be ok.. not so enamoured with the rest though. yves klein blue are australian, that should tell you enough to want to avoid them

to be fair there's five or six of those bands i've not heard of, they could be incredible for all i know

Yeah, the one's I know aren't much cop, but thnaks for the pointers...

"one's" < ?

I like Future of The Left, Danananaykroyd, possibly The Big Pink, Vivian Girls, The Handsome Family and possibly It Hugs Back from that list; the rest I've either not heard or wouldn't go down the road to see them

I love Metronomy. One of my favourite records of 2008. What you hoped that that Hot Chip album would sound like.
I've got a weak spot for Micachu. Although her songs are often more 'kooky' than strictly necessary.
I quite liked Johnny Foreigner when I saw them last year. Made me think of Urusei Yatsura even though they don't sound particularly alike. But in the same shout-y nois-y indierock ball park.
Can't stand the Vivian Girls. Bored/boring sub-JAMC rubbish.

I totally heart Micachu and the Shapes. Quirky in a *good* way.

yes to micachu.

Golden Silvers are one of my favoritist new bands in a long time...total early '80s Madness/Costello/Tom Tom Club kind of thing going on. Actually, a lot of the bands in that Great Escape line-up are really good.

that Florence and the Machine song has grown on me. have they an album? is it good? what i've heard of blackout beach sounded interesting. shouldnt they be on the rolling art rock thread no?

Florence still only has a couple singles, no album.

Wavves - Wavvves - awesome stuff!
Burning Hearts - aboe sleping - good stuff.

Great tip on Golden Silvers, and I would recommend Let's Wrestle (from the Great Escape line-up)
Also, I see Bricolage finally put out an LP. They've released some great singles over the past few years, especially "Footsteps." Scottish and proud. Very Postcard.

i like bricolage a lot, the singles have been pretty cool

that asobi seksu album is great.

also have been getting into The New Year. I might be a little late on it but its good stuff.

yeah i like the asobi seksu as well. "me and mary" is gorgeous

also i pray for a new outrageous cherry album this year

― Lemonade In Hammocks (electricsound), Monday, 5 January 2009 02:44 Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Outrageous Cherry
Universal Malcontents (PRE-ORDER: SALEABLE FEBRUARY 17TH)
PS, US This new set of pop songs once again showcases the band's distinctive mid-seventies sensibilities. The album is evocative of artists such as early Roxy Music, Mott the Hoople, Sparks, 10cc & Eno, & meanders at times into the improvisation realms charted by Amon Duul 2, Man, & early Soft Machine. They have reached well-deserved cult status by releasing amazing psych/pop albums on labels such as Bar None, Mind Expansion, & Alan McGee's Poptones.
Alive
CD
$13.50

I just found their self-titled CD in a 99c Store of all places.

thank you for that!
Outrageous news!

fucking awesome!!!

Is the new Trail Of Dead album worth listening to? TBH I haven't listened to any of their albums since Source Tags & Codes came out (which I wasn't really into). I liked their 1st 2 albums though.

Yeah, I don't feel like it's gonna blow anyone away who was down w/ those two at the time, although it's not *painful*, and I do like the artwork, which is these elaborate pencil drawings by the singer that have a "so this is what he's been doing in my lesson? I think we should phone the parents" vibe to them

Really like the Joy Formidable record on first listen. It's comfort food.

wavves

i like this dude but... why is he everywhere? songs are warm and fuzzy but i don't get the rush on him

Is the new Trail Of Dead album worth listening to? TBH I haven't listened to any of their albums since Source Tags & Codes came out (which I wasn't really into). I liked their 1st 2 albums though.

― I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP TO (Colonel Poo), Thursday, February 12, 2009 3:01 PM (6 hours ago) Bookmark

Well, no, it's not really worth listening to. And that's coming from someone who really digged Source Tags & Codes, but hated most of what they did ever since. Same old, same old. I keep having a high interest in every new ToD album, but I'm afraid it's over and done with. Worlds Apart even had it's moments, but also showed some major cracks in their genius. Things will never be what they were with ToD. I won't say it hurts, but it's a damn shame 's what it is.

wavves -
he is ok,but no age are a better version on teh same subject, and the record has too much fillers in it,could be a nice ep.
the hype will die soon, i predict

Yeah I think the "filler" is supposed to be regarded as something more than filler, but it's not quite successful to that end. Really it's like four or five songs and four or five instrumental tracks. It's not a bad record but don't be hoodwinked by the publicity--that's all it is, publicity, not critical praise.

On a Joy Formidable front ... dudes are aware the NME's giving the whole thing away for free? Probably wouldn't have bothered were it not for that, but am listening now and am fucking glad I did.

OK, this is a genuinely great album. Shocked and happily amazed.

Yeah, most of what the NME gives away for free is anything but great. ha!

Props to djmartian for bringing them to my attention in last year's rolling indie thread.

i like these guys

http://www.myspace.com/herewegomagic

Still haven't listened to the TJF cd, but I was shocked and amazed at how good they were last time I saw them (last May or so) having caught them a few times over the past 5 years - massive leaps and bounds in songs and skills live. Was also shocked to see kids at an instore-gig the other day who would barely have been born when I was in a band with the singer back in the day, but that's getting old for you. I'm really pleased they're getting somewhere.

the joy formidable actually quite good then? I just did a poster for them and KASMs at 93 feet east on 28 march, i hadnt heard of them. should be doing visuals for them as well so do come down londoners

I don't see that Joy Formidable download on the NME blog anywhere, is it down already?

the event is being filmed so dress for excess. - straightola what goes on at these playground gigs?

I don't see that Joy Formidable download on the NME blog anywhere, is it down already?

It was a 5-day thing, I think.

Aside from the Joy Formidable, what is everyone else listening to?

The new Loney Dear album Dear John is comfortable like a warm blanket (and the best album Emil Svanängen has made yet). http://www.myspace.com/loneydear

Also, there's this band from Australia called The Middle East who apparently broke up and then got back together when people caught on to how good they were and now they're reportedly putting out a new album on an undisclosed US label later this year. http://www.myspace.com/visitthemiddleeast

Listening to other stuff too, but not "INDIE" by definition.

never heard of this middle east band.. they're playing at my local this week, shame i'm busy

totes dig that joy formidable record

been enjoying the rosebuds remix album.. i may even prefer it to the original LP

The Ideal Husband record 'no bye, no aloha' is exquisite, european girls playing hawaiian pop, oh don ho.

burning hearts album on shelflife is lovely, like a grown-up brittle stars

oh man i love Burning Hearts' "Colour Vision" - gotta check the rest.

the vocals on the burning hearts record are great, the music, not so much. not as good as either of their parent bands.

i've never heard a note of their respective bands. the names of both totally put me off but i like this BH record enough to make a leap of faith

ooo, i love brittle stars more than most things, so i guess its off to order burning hearts for me. thanks for the tip!

new cats on fire record soon!

Does anyone know anything about The Low Anthem? Their "Oh My God Charlie Darwin" is the album this month from the Rough Trade Album Club.

I'm only a Metric fan dating back to Live it Out, but the Fantasies leak I'm listening to right now is shockingly great in parts. Wasn't expecting at all to like this so much.

the Cats on Fire record is somewhat uninspiring. the Giorgio Tuma record is great though, this is where Majestic may have ended up at if they had kept going and had decided to do some things a bit bossanova. It also reminds me of Simon Turner in his Loveletter/Monday SInclair guise. Nice.

new Great Lake Swimmers record - Lost Channels - some simple and beautiful stuff here

Glad to hear someone likes Fantasies. I loved Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? and while I didn't dislike Live It Out it didn't blow me away. I'll give it a listen.

apparently a new Verlaines album is imminent.

Been listening to Chew Lips pretty hard for the past 3 or 4 weeks. Cheapo electronics with pre-new-wave guitars/bass and a singer with a voice in the Clare Grogan/Karen O vein. "Solo" just got released on Kitsune this week, but some of the demos are really nice as well (I particularly like "Play Together" and "Salt Air").

http://www.myspace.com/chewlips

Not sure if this is the best place for these guys, but I'm anxious to track down the Harlem Shakes' full-length. Their EP from a couple years ago was fantastic.

their full-length was v good! i listened earlier this week

as mentioned on the worth listening to in 2009 thread, been getting into the recent hatcham social singles quite a bit.. think the supposed orange juice influences are overstated but the tunes are pretty good

would embrace them a little more wholeheartedly if they didn't make it completely impossible for anyone outside of the UK and US to buy their stuff digitally (and have almost entirely different releases for each market, wtf?)

they were briefly mentioned on the last thread, but i just got the je suis animal album & it's really really good

reminds me of switched on-era stereolab (though JSA aren't THAT good themselves)

Honey Claws (<-- if you haven't heard "Pemporer" on their Myspace page yet, go immediately...total 1980-style Peter Gabriel jam).

― Johnny Fever, Sunday, January 4, 2009 9:47 PM (3 months ago)

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Ah ha! Honey Claws has made "Pemporer" free to download, so grab it and love it as much as I do. Favorite song of 2009 so far (maybe...if it isn't, it's really close).

http://www.last.fm/music/Honey+Claws/Healer+EP

anyone else getting into the hatcham social stuff? i like the two recent singles a lot but i can't shake the niggling feeling that it's just lame britpop spruced up for '09 and i'm going to pretend i never liked them in a years' time

also new cause co-motion ep is out for those who like such things

The Phantom Band are a bit disappointing

I finally got round to listening to the album today and quite liked it. It did pretty much everything I thought it would (Glasgow-stye rock'n'roll japery with synths), albeit without making me think "fuck yeah" at any point.

(I've also -- FINALLY -- got the second Frightened Rabbit album, and am listening to it now. It is everything I expected and more. Only five tracks in but Fast Blood ... woah, Jesus. That's the fourth fucking track? Most bands would kill for something like that to close with. I love this band and very much want to see them live again.)

I don't get that band's appeal at all.

Really? Why? (I considered trying to explain why I love them, but realised that wouldn't be so easy; construct your own argument using the key phrases "angular", "post-folk", "just listen to that fucking guitar sound"). I guess having a liking for earnest and slightly strangulated singing in a heavy Borders accent is maybe key, too, but luckily that pushes all the right buttons with me.

And I know this doesn't mean anything by itself, but I get the impression they really, really, really care about what they do. A lot.

They really do, from what I can tell. I had a friend send them a letter way back when they were just promoting the debut and they responded with a very personal letter to thank him. They ended up corresponding with him for some time, meeting him during their first trip to Chicago and sending him gifts and links to demos and stuff.

the JJ single on sincerely yours is beautiful.

dreamdate's album sounds exactly like slumber party. i mean to the point where i thought SP had changed their name, or it was a new aliccia berg group

not a complaint

^^ once listened to that for hours on repeat

golden silvers album is pretty cool

finally listened to johnny foreigner after being put off by the idea of another los campesinos, but they're not half bad and don't suffer as much from the yelling children vibe of LC

new seeland album is my fave electrodribble lp of year so far

Normally I've liked a lot of Pitchfork's favorite indie-rock bands, but lately I've been more skeptical. I've got The Woods, Cymbals Eat Guitars and Waaves on my eMusic Saved For Later list, but I haven't been able to bring myself to pull the trigger (although I'm kind of liking The Woods' samples ATM). Are any of these really holding up, in y'all's opinion?

no

ive liked the live vids ive seen of wavves but the production on the album makes it totally unlistenable imo - the other two struck me as wholly pointless

yeah i would say those three records are just ok. haha i also have them on my saved for later list but every time i listen through the soundclips i chicken out of downloading the whole record

Really? Why? (I considered trying to explain why I love them, but realised that wouldn't be so easy; construct your own argument using the key phrases "angular", "post-folk", "just listen to that fucking guitar sound"). I guess having a liking for earnest and slightly strangulated singing in a heavy Borders accent is maybe key, too, but luckily that pushes all the right buttons with me.

Missed this; sorry. Not sure why I don't like them. I think I can't get past the singer's voice, which bugs me (and not because of the accent). Hadn't really noticed anything special about the guitar sound. But some people whose opinions I respect like this band a lot, so I'm going to give it another try.

Yeah, my growing impression of Cymbals Eat Guitar, The Woods and Waaves is "much ado about nothing."

hey Daniel, did you hear the new Cass Mccombs? i think you'll like it.

Yeah, my growing impression of Cymbals Eat Guitar, The Woods and Waaves is "much ado about nothing."

Woods are good. not the masterpiece of the decade, but modestly good.and thats enough sometimes

Yeah, Zeno's right: Of the three, The Woods' soundclips are definitely the highlight.

hey Daniel, did you hear the new Cass Mccombs? i think you'll like it.

Not yet. I'll do some "intel" this evening. (n.1)

______________________________
(n.1) Things Men Do, No. 116: "refer to gossip by some surreptitious masculine euphemism like 'intel'."

catacombs has the same atmosphere as richard davies' records imo.
sorta like Mojave 3, but more interesting.

I'm definitely missing McCombs' forays into 80s-era Lindsey Buckingham/Go-Betweens territory, because this new album is just kind of a bore for me.

don't understand the Buckingham comparision but anyway:
i like both the new record and prefection.maybe the new one is more accessible and less original, but it still has some beutiful songs in it.
(both records have their share of weak tracks,too)

"That's That" is especially Buckingham-influenced, but a good portion of Dropping the Writ falls in line with that vibe.

oh,i never listened to Dropping the Writ, thought you were talking 'bout his earlier stuff..

Not necessarily going to make me appreciate their music more, but I just watched a Wavves segment on PitchforkTV, and found them . . . endearing, maybe? Ehhh . . . will try the soundclips again.

I like Woods a lot, and the "Songs of Shame" is almost as strong as last year's "Woods Family Creeps" LP. Fuck Wavves, vivian girls, blank dogs, crystal stilts all that shit is boring and retro-derivative as fuck.

LOL, I love that Vivian Girls disc, precisely because it's retro. (Hey, I'm old and nostalgic). I like the Crysal Stilts, too, for the same reasons, just not quite as much.

Wavves might be retro, but they're fetishizing a whole different era. All that nu "lo-fi" stuff is the 90s revivalism bubbling to the surface (retro works on a 20-year lookback period, I think).

I might actually like the Vivian Girls if I could get past how they come across as such terrible people in articles and interviews.

haha

also if their songs didn't sound like the dreggiest of indie dregs

They are better than Har Mar Superstar.

yes, yes they are

im all for lo-fi as long as they remember to write hooks to go with their fuzz. eat skull's first record, for example, is really the blueprint afaic

well i mean as far as records released in the past 12 months go, like yall are discussing

Normally I've liked a lot of Pitchfork's favorite indie-rock bands, but lately I've been more skeptical. I've got The Woods, Cymbals Eat Guitars and Waaves on my eMusic Saved For Later list, but I haven't been able to bring myself to pull the trigger (although I'm kind of liking The Woods' samples ATM). Are any of these really holding up, in y'all's opinion?

i can get behind woods and (to a lesser degree) wavves, but cymbals eat guitars is inexcusable. the single is good but the album is just awful.

I couldn't get past the dreadful cover art. Am I a bad person?

Which song is the single? I bought that one blind and felt kinda bummed.

i could not get past that band name

Wavves are OK, but not everything can save rock, y'know?

If I thought How To Survive In The Woods was boring as hell, am I likely to like their new album?

The Outrageous Cherry album is pretty nice, though they're consistent at the cost of innovation again (four great songs syndrome, though the rest of the album is, like I said, nice).

I dug the Pink Mountaintops too, it was kinda fun to hear a different side of '70s rock out of that collective.

And from playing the tracks on Last.fm, yes, it is much, much better than How To Survive. Though the falsetto does get precious.

Which song is the single? I bought that one blind and felt kinda bummed.

um well i thought it was this one, good chance i'm wrong though

tbh the new cats on fire album is pretty dull.. they're doing basically the same thing as northern portrait or the lodger but with far less class (and far less appealing vocals).

its true. lodger are very nice, very sneaky feelings but spikier, yet northern portrait seem personality-less. indiepop is in a bit of a rut or i have simply lost my affinity. cats on fire man seemed as if he wanted to be flamboyant and charming on their debut but this second record is a fairly mediocre effort. lucksmiths were falling into the same general malaise on their last record, math and physics club, wake the president, bubblegum lemonade, pocketbooks, etc...there isn't an interesting thought among the lot.

yeah i basically agree. i like the 2 northern portrait EPs but save for some of the lyrics i see what you mean about them lacking personality.

A couple of things I've enjoyed of late:

Benni Hemm Hemm: Murta St Calunga. Icelandic rumpet-powered joy. The kind of music Stuart Murdoch thinks he's writing.

My Latest Novel: Death and Entrances. Occasionally jaw-dropping Celtic angst with harmoniums etc and one small but astonishing moment of GREAT BIG FUCKING ORGAN.

Er, trumpet. But ... I like "rumpet".

I heard the first Benni Hemm Hemm album a few years ago and liked it, but never followed up. I got the lazies.

This was the first I'd heard of him/them, to be honest ... got given it for a short review. Didn't expect much so was very pleasantly surprised.

the trash can sinatras album has leaked. it sounds like an album made by old guys in a pop band. i can appreciate that. frank reader's voice is a safe place for me.

i have the first BHH album, it's not bad but like a lot of morr stuff it's rarely better than ok

nothing terribly exciting in indie world for the last few weeks. i do like the sunny day sets fire album. broken records LP on 4AD might be a grower but seems terrifically boring on first listen

Have we spoken enough about The Joy Formidable? I'm not a follower of the NME, where I understand they were lionized (and their debut 8-song mini LP given away), but there's been nary a peep in the US media, yet. The trio is a bit like Tanya Donnelly (in both voice and the focus on vocal counterpoint) fronting some classic noise-pop of the early 90s, though a bit higher tempo than any I recall. So timbrally, its hard to say this is something new. On the other hand, they seem utterly incapable of writing a naff melody: there is barely any filler on A Balloon Called Moaning. Its a sunny, top-down road trip album that's been working well for me...

Or perhaps this is just old news for everyone on the rolling thread.

I think TJF is loved in here, at least. I keep coming back to that album a lot. And what I earlier believed was a weak second half has grown on me to the point where I can't pick favorites anymore.

I saw them live last week and it did almost nothing for me, although I probably wasn't in the mood for That Kind Of Thing at the time

but like a lot of morr stuff it's rarely better than ok

you should listen to the Populous album "Drawn In Basic", one of the best albums of last year.

Yeh, I'm a huge fan of TJF. In the running for my end-of-year list, that album -- which is wonderful given that I only picked it up because it was free!

Yeh, I'm a huge fan of TJF. In the running for my end-of-year list, that album -- which is wonderful given that I only picked it up because it was free!

^ How the fuck did that double-post happen, then?

I saw TJF in Glasgow about 2 weeks ago and they were fantastic. Investigating the album now.

Benni Hemm Hemm has just moved to Edinburgh apparently, and My Latest Novel are Glaswegian, and Broken Records are from Edinburgh. Is this the Scottish thread?

just wait til the school album comes out

my latest novel aren't glaswegian, they're from Greenock and Gourock iirc. Girl I know used to go out with one of them I think.

bridal shop's 'in fragments' ep is great. they are quickly turning into the band i wish the radio dept would be. well, back when the radio dept released records.

I went to school with 2 of TJF, (my first band was with the guitarist, and she joined another of my bands for a bit later as well), so I'm really pleased they're doing well, although can't quite believe they're headlining Highbury Garage in September. Also, I should probably listen to the album again.

andrew prinz needs to produce the bridal shop album.

Just giving a cursory listen to the new Starlight Mints album (which I didn't even know was coming out) and it's flippin' good! Especially "Paralyzed". More synthy-pop than I remember them being, but way fun.

Does anyone else like the Title Tracks single? Very, very catchy power-pop. One of my favorites of the year for sure.

new single by saint jude's infirmary has some lovely new order meets the go betweens moments, v nice

Not out for a while I guess, but new Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson is really, really good.

fanfarlo album download is $1 from their site til july.. get into it http://www.fanfarlo.com/

Sort of obsessed with this song right now (and have been off and on for the last month)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pib8eYDSFEI&fmt=22

my sad captains album is pretty good.. sounds like a typical fortuna pop record even though it's on stolen

the last 2 series 1000 cd/7 on shelflife (champagne riot, socialist leisure party) are a+

New clean album 'mister pop' has leaked, only just listening for first time but I sorta like the first three songs which is three more than I liked on 'getaway'. some country-ish things happening on the third song. female backing vocalist is new. who is she? fourth song-meh. i dunno, sometimes i think that they think they are more sophisticated than they are. fifth song-meh. probably end up deleting this one too. 'moon jumper'-pretty stupid. argh, can't we have another magick heads record instead?

hey keith, do you have that brasilia cdr with the purple & silver/wax paper sleeve?

new wye oak album is really really really good

as is new desolation wilderness

summer cats album on slumberland is half good half crap

the champagne socialists 45 on slumberland is heaps better than i expected it would be, sounds like they've bothered tailoring the song to the sound rather than just flinging excessive reverb at any old tosh

"Play Some Pool - Skip Some School - Act Real Cool: A Global Pop Tribute to Bruce Springsteen"

i'm way too scared to check this out as i fear it's even worse than i imagine it has to be

slumberland is going to release a bats ep later this year. i think out of slumberland's "new" bands i really only like the lodger.

I've come around pretty favorably toward The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Crystal Stilts, but there's a lot of junk on the current roster.

really? i think the bricolage and liechtenstein albums are very good indeed.

In fairness, I only ever had a mild interest in Slumberland the first time around as well.

I should listen to the whole Bricolage album (I've only heard the first track). Liechtenstein was a little bit too in my face, though.

yair if you like postcard era-orange juice and don't mind a band being quite derivative the bricolage album is a lot of fun

Orange Juice is actually a blindspot in my music knowledge. I know people love em, but I just never got around to checking out their records. Got a favorite?

either the ostrich churchyard or the heather's on fire discs are essential imo

you can't hide your love forever also excellent and much easier to find than the other two

you can't hide your love forever is genius from start to finish

liechtenstein benefit from being in the 'well they're not as crap as the vivian girls' category but it's still pretty meh. i forgot about pains of being pure at heart, i like them quite a lot. haven't heard bricolage or most of the other things jim mentions. summer cats are kinda horrible.

i was kinda predisposed towards disliking them for reasons i won't go into here but two or three of the SC tracks are quite good. unconvinced the album works terribly well as a whole though

liechtenstein benefit from being in the 'well they're not as crap as the vivian girls' category

yes this is kinda true and also how i feel about brilliant colors and dum dum girls, will see how i feel about them when their albums surface

Dum Dum Girls are alright, nothing spectacular. Haven't heard Brilliant Colors yet.

the school / george washington brown split 45 out today.. any time is a good time for something new from the school

(album out october hooray)

Ramona Flla - Intuit.

actually it's Brent Knopf from Menomena.
a singer/songwriter folky record,with beautiful production and an attitide that reminds me of Shearwater (mixed with Red House Painters) - where the line between kitschy twee and high art isn't clear.
but thats fine - it sounds like a great record.

Am very much enjoying what I have heard from these chaps: http://www.myspace.com/thedrumsforever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OsTUnkqSi4

I love that it was probably made for no money at all (camera and software expenses aside).

the innits new album is lovely laidback pop without veering into twee territories. v good indeed.

Love Postcard-era Orange Juice and am enjoying Bricolage, as promised. It is to Orange Juice as the Stray Cats are to rockabilly. I mean this both in the analogistic sense and in the sense that it actually sounds a little bit like the Stray Cats to me.

oddly enough i can see it

This might be the wrong thread. Still, can anybody help me identify this album cover?

http://i29.tinypic.com/6gc3dt.jpg

... by the way it is for cheating in a pop quiz.

too late....

"William Fitzsimmons – The Sparrow and the Crow"

I couldn't remember the name of the album, but I recognized Fitzsimmons' huge beard.

Wing & Tusk sound as if they've listened to the Czars quite a lot.

I'm betting not enough exciting things happen in indie this year to warrant starting individual threads.

― Johnny Fever, Monday, December 31, 2007

Nostradamus-like. Eerie.

I'm honestly surprised at how long that thread for The xx has gotten, so even I'm not perfect.

To be fair, this year a lot of the interesting indie-stuff is back-loaded into the fall and winter season. So we'll see.

more exhibits in the "orange juice are the #1 hip indie influence of 09"

socialist leisure party - head in the hay (dude from action painting! fwiw)
neils children - reflective surface

^seem to be ripping off the same song

a sambassadeur album in january, but then labrador never releases anything without an 18 month delay. what happened to the sound of arrows album? not even mentioned on their website any more. the new single is fantastic.

i am tentatively excited about a new sambassadeur album. i liked the last one a lot, but i am starting to tire of the labrador aesthetic a little

sambassadeur have a really likable sound, they don't tinker with it much, it's easy to believe that they'll make another lovely record. the radio dept single was pretty dull. sound of arrows sound like a kaleidoscopic carnival now and they are clearly the most exciting thing labrador has.

Radio Dept - their first album was great, but pretty much everything they've done since then isn't up to much, I figured it was due to half the band leaving.

I'd got Socialist Leisure Party mixed up with Champagne Socialists as the band Action Painting! dude was in, duh.

haha it's easy to do, particularly with the other recent shelflife band being champagne riot

clearly the riot leisure socialists are the NBT

Does AA Bondy count as indie still? I like his new record when the devils loose

what happened to the sound of arrows album? not even mentioned on their website any more. the new single is fantastic.

They parted ways with the label.

Radio Dept... such wasted potential. Lesser Matters is easily one of my favorite albums of the last ten years. Still listen to it pretty regularly. Their second album was okay but not nearly as good. None of the newer stray songs have done much for me.

bridal shop are the new radio dept, or at least they seem like they might make a really fantastic album in a similar vein, someday.

and probably a good thing that sound of arrows have left the labrador ghetto. they've clearly got greater ambitions.

OTM about Lesser Matters. I've only liked the occasional, rare song from their other output.

You know what? I was thinking of the Pulling Our Weight EP. Lesser Matters is still OK though.

actually all of the radio dept releases apart from the last two rote lackluster singles are worthwhile and rather good. 'pulling our weight' - great, 'this past week'-great, 'pet grief'-great, 'lesser matters'-great 'where damage isn't already done'-pretty good, other singles-mediocre b-sides and remixes.

looks like the new clientele album has leaked.

I like Pet Grief but not as much as the more guitar-driven Lesser Matters. Based on "Freddie and the Trojan Horse" and "David," they seem to be continuing in the Pet Grief direction.

new Crayon Fields is very nice. very Cardinal/Moles-y. i think. new Midaircondo is very good as well.

i think i would like CF a LOT more were they not held up as some sort of gods here

i know there's basically no other remotely decent current pop bands in melbourne, but still

are they really? they don't have any status here or at least I am not aware of anyone who cares about them. i didn't care before but this is a very good record.

i know there's basically no other remotely decent current pop bands in melbourne, but still

When the hell is there going to be another Deloris record?

apparently they were still recording one earlier this year but i don't know what the status of it is.

the first Crayon Fields record - Animal Bells is a near masterpiece of minimalistic,airy and a little twisted zombies/beach boys pop songs.
the new one,sadly, isn't so special,just the regular indie twee pop record.

increased recording budgets have a tendency to do that

it still sounds pretty shabby but i think it's great. a considerable improvement on the first.

i wish the psych/VU influence and sophisticated backing vocals werent gone, but at least they kept the minimal plug-and-play guitar sound

i have been hearing this song quite a bit lately. looking around for a video and see they did Letterman recently:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUBQk_pn_js

new rose melberg album i see. anyone heard it? bitter experience with the maturing of twee songwriters has me very tentative

I'm glad that Edward Sharpe song is starting to take off a little. I love it (and the rest of the album too).

I'm not quite sure what point I was missing wrt the Phantom Band back in April, but they are way better than my dickishly dismissive comment there suggested. Really grown on me, that album. Seems to be a local favourite, too, but sadly unloved outside Glasgow ;_;

speaking of scotland, the school album has been pushed back to february :(

What's that got to do with Scotland?

but sadly unloved outside Glasgow ;_;

speaking of scotland

What's that got to do with Scotland?

Seems like an obvious connection to me.

oh shit sorry they're from wales

New Thao album out, Know Better Learn Faster. I'm going to download and listen to it tonight.

saint judes infirmary album is v v good. the go betweens fronted by nick cave & pj harvey with peter hook on bass. but less exaggerated than that sounds

i know you guys never really listen to me, but the new album by the hussy's kicks ass. they're getting more and more like a female fronted pulp every record

also surprised at the lack of discussion of the drums on ilm. i really like the summertime EP even if it does drip with whatever it is that hipsters love

Couple of tracks on the Drums ep are great, but the band needs work. I'm sure they'll get better, though. I have the faith!

I have vague memories of The Hussy's from a few years ago, but a female-fronted Pulp? Will have to re-investigate.

taxi taxi! have an upcoming album on fierce panda, in the meantime an earlier s/t ep is very very good in a less-intense-cat power kind of way

whoa electricsound - The Hussy's and Saint Jude's Infirmary? Didn't think I'd ever hear about those bands again after 2006... Bought both early Hussy's EPs and was really struck by their potential - way better than they looked like they should be. And St Judes' hearts were clearly in thge right place, though that early LP was kinda moribund.

Do either have labels etc I could write to for promos? Lemme hit google...

both bands self-released their latest records afaik so i'd be myspacin' em

this surfer blood single sounds to me like if the futureheads were asked to write a thin lizzy song

i really like the drums and that whole beachy sounding thing that went on in the summer like washed out and neon indian, does anyone know if the drums are releasing a full length? and im really digging girls' album is anyone else?

yeah moshi moshi are putting out an album for them in the new year

the drums that is. not girls (the band), who i have no interest in

o cool. i haven't listened to all of the girl's album i just really like "lust for life" and "hellhole ratrace"

omg I love this new song by Best Coast so much. Fuzzed-out vibe, girl-group catchiness.

^i dig, wish i hadn't used up all my downloads yesterday

It's free from the label: http://www.blackiris.tv/project/label/8

That's ace. As is Dancing by Standard Fare, which I'm getting really addicted to http://www.myspace.com/standardfare

i keep hearing their name & now i have no excuse to not check them out

just noticed this from the second post: 2009 indie albums i am really looking forward to: the school, northern portrait,

both are coming out next year ;_;

I like that "Dancing" track. Great chorus.

Can't wait for The School's album, their live set is sounding like a greatest hits already.

^^^^^^

the ep and single are perfect, i'm damn near bursting to hear the lp

the school album news from Liz: "album 15th feb, subject to change but it's currently on target. it's called Loveless Unbeliever"

woo

they have a song on the new cherryade christmas comp too

and another christmas comp too http://www.bubblewrapcollective.co.uk/music.htm

(I'm not just posting the link because we're on it too, oh no not at all)

neat!

Have Candy Claws any sort of status oputside of the Denver/Fort Collins area? They are local and swirly and repeptitive and lovely. They write songs about fish. You should try them Jim, if you haven't, I think you'd like them.

the brief clips on emusic sound fantastic, i'll be getting the album for sure

allmusic.com starting a best of '09 indie-pop link already

http://blog.allmusic.com/2009/10/28/my-early-picks-for-indie-pop-best-of-2009/#more-2022

couple of things there i haven't heard of..

there's a 5-track best coast EP up on emusic now if you guys dug the 45

just heard the song "blood bank" for the first time - I have to say, that first verse is a great & economical piece of writing

well I don't have to say exactly but I thought I would

quite like tht quadron record dunno if they are indie but they are swedish

I meant danish when I typed swedish :/

Ah someone else loves giorgio tuma! It is the breeziest summer record of the year like a new and improved version of the Crooner. It seems like it should have been on Siesta. I need to find his first album.

i absolutely cannot stand that bon iver record :(

Looking forward to the Ghost Society full-length coming in 2010 (this song's from it), but they've been on my radar all year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtFsSjxun20