[MP3] Javelin remix The Very Best’s “Julia”

I was just listening to The Very Best’s Warm Heart Of Africa this morning and noting how awesome and refreshing the Radioclit/Esau Mwamwaya duo is, so imagine my surprise when Stereogum noted a new remix of their great song, “Julia!” I’ll save you the trouble, I was very surprised! […]

[Video] Sufjan plays awesome new song live

The artist: The incomparable Sufjan Stevens. The song: “Too Much Love” (according to the title of the video). It’s a 7-minute epic played by Sufjan at a show in Ithaca Wednesday that features brass, synth, guitar, piano and a whole lot of talent. The quality of the video is pretty outstanding for YouTube. And […]

Flotilla, kinda wanna be ya

I’m beginning to think Canadians are putting something extra special in their girls’ food. They must be! I mean, so much female vocal talent coming from the country at once, it’s just not fair! We’ve already featured The O’Darling, my last post was about Metric, and Stars, as you should know, are one […]

Metric adds several U.S. tour dates

Canadian Indie Rockers Metric recently announced some new U.S. tour dates in support of their hit album Fantasies, and yippee, Maryland’s on the list! (Sadly, and surprisingly, NYC is not. Then again, it is Metric, who don’t work traditionally. Label? Yeah, right.) If you’re in D.C. you know Baltimore’s not that far, and […]

[MP3] Holopaw: “The Art Teacher and the Little Stallion”

Florida’s Holopaw is gearing up to release their third album, Oh, Glory. Oh, Wilderness, and in preparation have decided to share “The Art Teacher and the Little Stallion.” Hey thanks! The song is track one, side one on the album and it introduces the character “Little Stallion” who apparently […]

[MP3] Cleemann: “Emphatic”

Cleemann is the one-man project of Danish multi-instrumentalist Gunnar Cleemann. His debut, 45 Minutes Mostly About Caring, features songs about personality-aspects (“Righteous,” “Ambitious,” “Optimistic”) and is the first part of a trilogy of albums exploring songwriting and the inner-self (deep!). While the music isn’t strikingly fresh, it’s solid and […]

Otis Heat

On Portland trio Otis Heat’s debut album, Oh Yeah Oh Yeah Uh Huh, they have two very distinct sides. On one hand they play the lazy, downtrodden, blues-influenced alternative folk rock that is just tremendous. Very impressive. The rest of the time, they play funky jam-bandy material that just seems, well, lesser. It’s […]

Indian Wars evoke purest of pure garage rock

The “garage rock” phenom has been played up and down and all around over the last decade. Remember when the White Stripes were considered “garage?” Ever listen to Little Steven’s Underground Garage? But at the heart of the scene is just fun-loving people making dirty, fuzzy, fun-loving music. It’s garage rock without the […]

Yo Gabba Gabba! to release album

For those of you under a television rock or an “I’m an adult” rock, Yo Gabba Gabba! is a kids show that regularly features indie bands playing songs about moral values and silly things. Legit! Now, they’re releasing an album, Music Is Awesome!, featuring some of those songs alongside their other regular stuff. […]

Monsters of Folk is surprisingly solid on debut

Ever since Cassadaga, I’ve regarded new Conor Oberst projects warily. I’ve always been a fan of Bright Eyes, but his work after never really did anything for me — it all struck me as nice and pleasant and boring, for the most part.

So, maybe the trend hasn’t changed and I should be […]