Small Black: Love's not Enough

Small Black is an Indie band out of Brooklyn, New York. They're mostly chill, electronica and a hint of indie. I love the combo.

The Answer Page & Red Alder: Solstice

These guys are chill as a dream.

Macnaught: Jaws

Macnaught is still relatively unknown, but is really nice, with a nice guitar rhythm behind a chill, clean voice.

Café Tacvba: Volver a Comenzar

Café Tacvba is a group hailing from Mexico City, Mexico. Deemed as rock en espanol, they share roots with indigenous population folk music as well as electronic, punk and the Jarocho style. I don't speak a word of Spanish (write but not speak), but if you don't like this song, you aren't human. The song is really intriguing (even if, like me you don't speak Spanish) because it's well done. It keeps the ear listening for changes, in tempo, in lyrics, in rhythm and I am captivated by it every time it comes on (Little Big Planet, often).

"cuantas cosas mas me puedo llevar?"

Jessica Jalbert (cover of the Replacements): Swingin' Party

Jessica Jalbert is a Canadian part of larger group of Canadians, belonging to the label Old Ugly. This cover is a smooth 1960's reminiscent piece that is about as smooth as butter. 

FISHING: Choy Lin

Fishing is a duo from Sydney, Australia who play with glitch electronica. Doug Wright and Russell Fitzgibbon are normally the vocalist and drummer for indie-rock band We Say Bamboulee, but divert attention to this side project and create remixes of other songs, as well as original work. I give their experiment a cool chill plus. 

EYEDRESS (production of Miki Hahn): Eye Know

EYEDRESS is the project of Idris Vicuña, who is the lead guitarist of the Bee Eyes. EYEDRESS focuses on psychedelic, slow beat, smooth synth and washed out vocals to produce his effects. His inspirations are 8-bit video games, mistrust, loss and psychedelic drugs, and the result is a pretty good trip. 

Deptford Goth: UNION

Deptford Goth is the stage name of British experimental pop producer, artist and chill guy, Daniel Woolhouse. His music exists as an example of real and synthetic, produced partially electronically and partially with a voice as spectral as the afterlife. His synths are pretty hip, and his beat is sparse but real enough for me. 

This Will Destroy You: A Three Legged Workhorse

This Will Destroy You was formed in San Marcos, Texas. They started out performing vocal tracks, but decided quickly that their niche was instrumental. The band name is a rejected title from an early recorded track, which they found to be pretentious, then hilarious and furthermore the name they desired. It was just abominable enough for a rock band, creating the proper amount of hatred from mothers and grandparents, alike. "Hey Mom, can I get "This Will Destroy You"'s new album?" "OF COURSE YOU CANNOT!!" It grabs your attention, makes you listen to the music, and then you're trapped in the black hole of awesome that is This Will Destroy you, caught in the gravity created from a serious blend of mellow and rock. 

A Fine Frenzy: Almost Lover

A Fine Frenzy is an American based out of Los Angeles, California helmed by the gorgeous Alison Sudol. Her voice and her skill on the piano are something out of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Her song, Almost Lover, hypnotizes and breaks hearts constantly, with strong somatic ties to memory.

"So you're gone and I'm haunted,
and I bet you are just fine.
Did I make it that easy to walk right in and out of my life?"

Sometimes it's what didn't happen the hurts the worst.

Stromae: Alors en Danse

Stromae is such a talented artist. Stromae is Belgium's Paul van Haver, having mixed Belgian and Rwandan descent, he's never really fit in. That is, however, until he came into his element with this project, blending electronic with hiphop and rap. He does a wonderful job capturing what the monotony of real life is for several folks, with the only escape being dance. And  he does so in a fashion that is clutch, topping the billboards in Europe for the year 2010, and doing the same in 11 different European countries individually.

"Qui dit proches te dit deuils car les problemes ne viennent pas seuls.
Qui dit crise te dit monde dit famine dit tiers-monde.
Qui dit fatigue dit reveil encore sourd de la veille,
Alors on sort pour oublier tous les problemes.
Alors on danse"

For you Allophones out there:
"Whoever says family also said mourning because misfortunes do not come alone.
Whoever says crisis, we talk about the world, famine and then third world.
Whoever said tiredness said walking up still deaf,
So we go out to forget all our problems.
So we just dance"

Young The Giant: 12 Fingers

Young The Giant is an indie-rock group from Irvine, California. The idea for the group came out of left field, and their name and sound matches. They go against the norm of alternative rock, and they're about as chill as my freezer. They've received a serious amount of cred, in the form of multiple top tens on the Billboard Chart for Alternative Songs.

"Padded by locks the door knob singed
A rusty close to a doorknob hinge
Remembering the sounds we used to know"

Rusko (remix of Kid Sister): Pro Nails

I originally received this track for driving a Scion tC, as well as the experience from the car. My only real complaint is the general lack of noise (which is where the CD came in), as well as the mPH limiter (~120 mPH on the version I drove, limiting its track performance a tad). The resulting experience has provided me with quite a bit of aural pleasure, including this Rusko remix of the song made famous by Kid Sister. Rusko takes the song and runs in a different direction (primarily to his home of Great Britain), providing his characteristic beats throughout the song. He also takes a beat song and makes it partially counter-beat and syncopated, introducing some serious reggae elements into the already-awesome song.