Wolf Parade is a band that has one of the most haunting sounds that I've ever heard. Between Boeckner's vocals and the bands beautiful and eerily melodic sound, they construct a musical phenom. From their opening track, "Cloud Shadow On The Mountain", you are instantly captivated, but after you hear the last track on the album you will be allured with the rest of the bands work and future material as well. That is how hard this album will hit not only indie fans but fans of other genres as well. The music itself is very admirable and very impressive; not just the sound but how its played and assembled. Their music has a certain complexity that others (experimental bands) have tried to attain but have failed because it turns out to be a clusterfuck of "music". After listening to their music you will find yourself singing and dancing without the music even playing because Wolf Parade will haunt you after you enter their genius.
*Note: Best. Album. Cover. Ever.
LoopedEyeless
Past Works:
At Mount Zoomer
Apologies To The Queen Mary
Wolf Parade (EP) 2005
Wolf Parade (EP) 2004
Wolf Parade (EP) 2003
Track:
Cloud Shadow On The Mountain
Track:
In The Direction Of The Moon
The fifth studio album from the now Brooklyn-based band is the artsy indie decadence we've come to expect from The National. Vocalist, Matt Berninger has a voice unlike anyone else you may have heard, especially on the indie scene. It's deep and haunting; perfect for the profound, poetic, and at times dark lyrics featured on this and most of their past work. It's heavy in a lot of ways; the kind of music that you want to listen to on your headphones, close your eyes, and try to absorb all of it, There's something about this work that stays with you after you've really listened to it. This album is incredibly aristically driven. The National has drawn inspiration from paintings and sculptures. You really could listen to any of their five albums and kind of gather that it was heavily inlfuenced by abstract art and whiskey, but it's a little more prevalent on this record. It's self produced and uncompromised. I greatly respect and admire it.
RedletterDaydream
Past Works:
The National (self-titled)
Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers
Alligator
Boxer
Track:
Bloodbuzz Ohio
Broken Social Scene is every Indie music lover's dream...well it should be anyway. With over 20 members they've managed to avoid experimental disaster and keep it simple, and bring us yet another beautiful album. Most of the members from Broken Social Scene are veterans of the indie genre, all being from different indie groups they put their musical genius together and bring us their best work on this hour long story. Between banjos, whistling, and synthesizers you might think this is your ordinary indie group, but they utilize each of the band members talents and combine them together to make an unusual and inconceivable sound. Each song on this album is unique in its own way using a different formula and delightful creativeness. Forgiveness Rock Record almost sounds like an indie compilation album but it is just the work of many artist (working together) making an outstanding album.
LoopedEyeless
Past Works:
Broken Social Scene
Bee Hives (EP)
You Forgot It In People
Feel Good Lost
Track:
World Sick
Best. EP. Ever. EP's are usually overlooked by most but I'm a big of them particularly. An EP usually consists of music that wasn't finished or just didn't fit on a band's previous album or they didn't have enough material to put out a full studio album. I don't know the case for Girls but this EP is kind of a landmark for Indie Pop in my opinion. Only having 6 songs and having a running time of 30 minutes this EP doesn't lack content in any shape or form. It's cute, sad, and perfectly pieced together. Their music is stylized with a pinch of Elvis Costello, The Beatles, and The Beach Boys background ...I know I know...how? Just Listen. With the guitar, trumpets, synthesizers, and the many other instruments on this EP it makes a wonderful combination and creates a musical bliss. Girls have one other album (titled Album) and it is just as good, but this EP is a good stepping stone before you take the excursion into their life.
LoopedEyeless
Past Works:
Album
Track:
Thee Oh So Protective One
In 2008 Ryan Ross and Jon Walker excused themselves from the popular tween-rock-pop band Panic! At The Disco. They cited creative differences. It would appear that in this case that means that those two were creative and the other members of the band were not. The result is a band that does more than imitate the 60's rock sound...they have captured the essence of 60's era pop-rock. There are understated blues influences on some tracks that mix well with the inherent mellow sound. The laxed guitar and medium fidelity vocals are reminiscent of The Zombies. The two bands, although producing music decades apart from eachother, share the same appeal. Evidently, some of the tracks were written for PATD, but never came to fruition. Lead singer, Ryan Ross, has a cool and captivating vocal style that sustains the more deeply introspective themed lyrics exhibited on the band's debut album. It's elaborate and symbolic, but not overdone.
RedletterDaydream
Past Works:
N/A
Track:
Take A Vacation
After four years, HelloGoodbye follows up with their sophomore effort and a lot has changed. They've comfortably transitioned from power pop into indie rock. The tracks on the first album were dripping with teenage angst and the splendors of new adolescent love. This work has more of an edge to it. Along with the more pronounced rock influence, there are themes of apprehension and overall the sound has matured. In fact, the change may be enough to divide the band's fan base. The power popping tweens that went loco over the first album, may find this work to be a little too progressive indie rock for their tastes. The much anticipated (by me) follow up to "Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!" offers much more substance. This is still a young band, experimenting with their sound and it would appear they are heading in the right direction.
RedletterDaydream
Past Works:
Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!
Track:
Find Something To Do
Indie underdogs, Portugal. The Man, are back with their funk. "American Ghetto" is the sixth studio album from the Alaskan band. They maintain their underground status, and have managed to gather a cult following, but over the year since the release of "The Satanic Satanist", they have gained a little more critical acclaim and mainstream notoriety. The music on this album has the funk influenced guitar riffs that are the band's signature. There are also periodic uses of ambient electronic beats. The chill vocal stylings lend a sort of spookiness to the tracks. Some tracks like "Just A Fool" exhibit an inherent sadness to them, but in a way that is beautiful and magnetic rather than depressing. The lyrics are largely metaphoric and symbolic. It is clear that this is a band that strives for artistic integrity over mass appeal and I respect that.
RedletterDaydream
Past Works:
The Majestic Majesty
The Satanic Satanist
Censored Colors
Church Mouth
Waiter:"You Vultures!"
Track:
The Dead Dog
Vampire Weekend, the indie darlings of New York City stay true to form in their second major album released almost two years to the day after their self titled debut. The tracks are instrumentally elaborate. The lyrics are poetic at times, and at other times they are just fun. This is a light hearted album. Nothing about it is cumbersome. There are stories told in these songs, but they're easy going tales of coincidence, liesure, family, and optimism. This is a band that really kind of makes music that seems to appeal to their demographic. Most of their fans are white males or females between 14 and 24 from middle to upper class families with an affinity for indie-pop. If you listen to Vampire Weekend, you probably are in this group and know what I mean. What creates this appeal is recognizable throughout the album, something about the instrumental delivery I think.
RedletterDaydream
Past Works:
Vampire Weekend (self-titled)
Track:
Holiday
RSS Feed