Vega 4: Life is Beautiful

In the vein of recent posts, I thought I'd drop a song from One Tree Hill, too. Just because I can. 

CATHEDRALS: Unbound

CATHEDRALS is an electronic indie pop duo from San Francisco, California; they're SUPER new but have already received a ton of hype, since September of this year!!

Bowerbirds: Crooked Lust

North Carolina is home from the lovely Bowerbirds; the foothills of the Appalachians. This plays out musically, adding in an element that originates high on a hill and echoes down to us flatlanders. This song, along with most of the rest of theirs, have a folk element that is absolutely breath-taking!

I like One Tree Hill, guys, okay?!

"My conscience is an avalanche; majestic, bewildering, and wholly careless." 

We Were Promised Jetpacks: Act on Impulse

We Were Promised Jetpacks exudes awesome, via strings, keys and drumbeats. Though a little different from their normal repertoire, Act on Impulse delivers this awesome--ALL THE WAY FROM SCOTLAND. Edinburgh, to be exact. 

Los Campesinos!: Tiptoe Through The True Bits

Los Campesinos! is an indie-rock musical collective originating in Cardiff, Wales. As with any musical collective, their line-up and sounds are rather eclectic and this transfers to their sound, changing from song to song. 

Mogwai: Mexican Grand Prix

Mogwai is a band from Glasgow, Scotland. Most of their songs are elaborations on a single theme, playing it out lengthily, through the use of alternatively loud and soft dynamics, clearly defined bass riffs, and a protruding ambient sound that wavers between dark and grandoise. Their influences are include  The Cure, Joy Division, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, as well as post-rock Slint--even though the band detests the post-rock classification that is given to them.

And, yes, Mogwai is named for the Gremlin, which is spectacular--just don't feel them after midnight, get them wet, or expose them to direct sunlight

Giselle: Silk

Giselle is a native of Sydney who is classically-trained; her music feeds off of classical piano and a passion for exotic instruments. The conglomerate consists of electronic, folk, and dream pop. The use of electronics allows her to paint canvases with organic sounds and pastels comprised of her smooth, child-like voice. Also, if you've heard "Crave You" by Flight Facilities...guess who provided some vocals?! This gal. 

Hammock: (Tonight) We Burn Like Stars That Never Die

Hammock is a post-rock/ambient project involving Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson who, unlike their post-rock cousins, utilize a sound that is more dream-like that leaves your ears happy. Their sound is densely-textured, and is driven by shimmering guitar-licks, due to the use of delay. Byrd describes it as "There are times when the need to create a thing begins to interrupt your life. And if you don't give in to it, everything else starts to suffer." I'm rather glad that he gave in.

DAY JOY: Talks of Terror

Day Joy is comprised of Michael Serrin and Peter Michael Perceval, both of Orlando, Florida. Day Joy began as a friendship, and has grown through writing, recording and ample use of liquor. 

Phaeleh (featuring Soundmouse): Afterglow

Afterglow is a collaboration between Bristol-based Soundmouse and Phaeleh, with Soundmouse providing vocals and Phaeleh throwing some chill electronics in the background, which results in a rather smooth mellow track. 

Alex Winston: Sister Wife

Alex Winston  is a gal from Detroit, Michigan with a sound that's much her own. This song is so upbeat and peppy, in combination with her voice that result in an eccentric song. She knows the way inside your head--like no one else does.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Lucky Man

Emerson, Lake & Palmer is a hit-and-miss UK based band consisting of Keith Emerson (keys), Greg Lake (bass, vocals, guitar), and Carl Palmer (drums, percussion), which is the obvious source of their name. This band is famous for first their Hammond organ, then their Moog Synthesizer. This band was first introduced to me by a guru of classic rock, a man that I've worked with for the past couple years. Most of his influences musically have originated over the drink, so it wasn't at all a surprise that ELP was from Britain, at least to me. What did intrigue my ear, then my brain and then my Google-fingers was the subtle references to classical music that occur within their tracks.

Roughmath (remix of Vanity Theft): Bit by Bit

Leo Crossing, Roughmath, hails from Farnham, Britain. Leo tried his hand at several things before finally settling into the dubstep role, as the genre became more prevalent. This mix showcases his talents in regards to this particular genre, with some really nice electronic accompaniment and when the beat drops, you feel it! I kinda am curious as to the source of his vocals, though. 

I'm From Barcelona: Battleships

Contrary to what you'd think from their name, the band actually hails from Jönköping, Sweden. This band and particularly this song, are the happiest sounding things in all of existence. And, when I use the term "band," I'm using that loosely, since this band is more of a collective than anything else, being composed of something around 30 members; however, this leads to a ridiculously ecelectic mix of sounds and instruments to back up Emanuel Lundgren, the band's founder, principal singer and songwriter.

"Everyone's got bellies full of butterflies,
I just wanted to see you, my honey.
We got everything you ever wanted here tonight,
I just wanted to see you, my honey.

Adventure Club (remix of Alexisonfire): To a Friend

Adventure Club is a Canadian dubstep duo from Montreal. They're influenced by Tiesto, Flux Pavilion, Greeley Estates, Bring Me the Horizon and Skrillex while maintaining their own distinct sound. In this case, the remix is a fairly laid-back mix of the originial, lacking screaming while maintaining recognizable elements from the original. 

CHVRCHES: Now Is Not The Time

Chvrches (which is pronounced churches) is a Scottish electronic band residing in Glasgow who have some serious talent backed up by some serious brains and careers. The vocals and sometimes-synths are done by Lauren Mayberry, who has a Bachelor's in law and a Master's in Journalism; Iain Cook, the guitarist, bassist, sometimes-synths and sometimes-vocals, was with two other bands, as well as a passion for film/television, while the synths, sampler and sometimes-vocals Martin Doherty was a member of another band prior. The two male members were long-time friends, and this project started because of that. Mayberry was known to Cook from her days in Blue Sky Archives and suggested she be vocals for them. Their influences are a bit like the Cocteau Twins, MJ, Depeche Mode and perhaps more.

"Nothing now can ever come between us
As we hide and watch the city burn
There is much that I still want to tell you
But now is not the time to speak of love."

Oberhofer: You + Me (Still Together In The Future)

Oberhofer is a New York City, NY based project of Brad Oberhofer. Brad has been asked on tour with a number of artists because of his aclectic sound and indie feel, such as Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian, and The Morning Benders.

Jacoo: A World of Peace

Jacoo is...very new to the scene. And by very new, I mean that Jacoo is a 17 year old from Norway who spins some chill beats in a pretty profound way. 

Josh Pyke: Middle Of The Hill

Josh Pyke is an Indie singer-songwriter located in Sydney, Australia, who has been compared to the likes of Elliott Smith, with his songs that put human emotion under a microscope, and shows that they're rather complex, abstract, and fascinating. 

Elvis Perkins: Doomsday

Elvis Perkin's (LA, CA) song blend melancholy and uplifting in the same capsule. With his father's death from AIDS in 1992, and his mother being on 1 of the 2 planes that hit the World Trade Center, it's not hard to see why.

Though I forget your name;
I remember your sweet face.

'Til Doomsday, fiddle, I.

Man, I went wild last night;
Oh, I went feeling alright;

Florence + the Machine: Heavy In Your Arms

Florence and the Machine are absolutely delicious, with their heavy indie feel and Florence's RIDICULOUSLY good voice.

"And is it worth the wait
All this killing time?
Are you strong enough to stand?
Protecting both your heart and mine?"

Morgan Page, Sultan & Ned Shepard, BT featuring Angela McCluskey: In the Air

I'd summarize the works of all these artists, or I could just use this AWESOME dance song as an example instead! 

Woods : Back To The Stone

Woods is a Brooklyn, New York rooted band that plays somewhat strange but upbeat indie-rock songs that feature harmonic voices and sounds!

The Veils: Sit Down by the Fire

The Veils, a New Zealand based band residing in London, England that sounds deliciously like The Smiths, Jeff Buckley, and Joy Division in a single capsule.  

The Head and the Heart: Rivers and Roads

The Head and the Heart is a band based out of Seattle, Washington. With most of the band members being Seattle transplants, they write and play songs that speak of the newness of a fresh start, of the ghosts which were left behind, of moving forward, all of which are brimming with a soulfulness and hope for a better life than the one we had all been sold.

Scott Matthews: Eyes Wider Than Before

Scott Matthews started off with an ambivalent relationship with music, but obviously reversed that situation. Maybe it is Britain's magic, or maybe it's just situational, but he obviously pulled out of it and has mastered the art of mellow and chill and embodied it in song form, with "Eyes Wider Than Before."

Tarkio: Keeping Me Awake

Tarkio...wait, isn't that the guy from the Decemberists? OH MY GOD IT IS! Active from 1996-1999, the band was a pleasant alternative-country set, with enhancement from Colin Meloy's creative writing. Like anyone who's gone to college, Colin was once a frustrated college student, too.

"Leaving this behind was my first mistake
and I’m not so strong
to be satisfied by all the things I’ve done
by all the things it threw away."

Margot and the Nuclear So So's: Broadripple is Burning

Margot and the Nuclear So So's is an Indiana-based 6-piece band focusing on indie-rock and orchestra-pop with clear vocals, and interesting lyrics.


"Don't look at me that way,
'cause I'll be hangin' from a rope;
I willl haunt you like a ghost."

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone: Optimists Vs. The Silent Alarm

CFTPA was an unlikely project of Chicago-bound Owen Ashford, unlikely because it blends blues-soul with keys, which sounds like a terrible idea, but it isn't. It's rather quite the opposite AND IT IS SO CATCHY!
His songs are a blend of playful keys and rather in-depth character studies, summed in a neat line of lyric.

"skeletons of cigarettes and empty cans and bottles"

Damien Jurado: Sheets

Damien Jurado is an indie singer-songwriter from Seattle, Washington who (like Jason Molina) is associate with Secretly Canadian. His work has been featured in items such as One Tree Hill, which boosted his popularity with the following of the show, as well as made me watch (oh dear, there goes my life) JUST to see the song in action. His indie-folk sound and gorgeous lyrics catch me, every time.

"Is he still coming around like an injured bird needing a nest?
A place to rest his head in a song you'll regret
Lord knows I don't want to compete
But I still sleep in the very sheets he's been in"

BASTILLE featuring Ella (cover of TLC and the XX): No Angels

Four whopping names come together and cover an amazing 90's and a separate haunting song in a spectacular fashion; the result is an amazing  mashup cover!!!