She, Sir

A band that blew me away when I listened for the second time, only because the first time I was distraught. She, Sir’s music seems to rise from subterranean aquatic myths and turn into a heavy haven of smoke.

The music really seems to float above and around you while you lend your ears to it. It’s the kind of sound that simply clicks without delay, disheveled over-exposed guitars and droning drums with just the right amount of pastel-toned angst. My Bloody Valentine meets a less distorted version of The Jesus and Mary Chain, Darklands-era. And less dreary and suicidal. With one ear and chord twisted around a despondent tome (there’s an underlying layer of sad), and another few ears scratching at the gates of major keys and happiness. She, Sir are from Austin, Texas, but this reflects landscapes of black-sanded beaches of Iceland.

It makes me think of so many things, like all good music. It brings back memories I didn’t know I had, awkward feelings I didn’t know I was supposed to have. What they inspire to me is a state of a priori. As in preemptive. Music you knew should be, even though you hadn’t heard it before. Like Plato’s world of immuable ideas. Where what we associate with things are ideas in fact – the idea of a chair for instance, is eternal (ok, bad example). She, Sir engraved the idea of happy, sad, snow globes, rainy windows, children running on a deserted beach, smoke and tunnels, a collage of slow motion that comes to full effect when the songs are done and you want to hear them all over again. I’ve come to long for their music when it’s not there. But I hit play again when I’m sure I can take it all in. I am in awe.

she,sir – I Love You, Blowtorch Eyes mp3

she,sir – The Clandestine mp3
she,sir – Monarch mp3

Think of that state of elevated drowsiness right before you go to sleep, when music comes to you, but then you forget about it the next day. She, Sir nailed that. Instant classic that will drive me merrily insane.

As such, I strongly recommend a purchase (their self released LP)

a loose cannonball part 1 (mxtp)

A pletora of artists for you on this.. (I’m considering terminating eashfa or updating more rarely than I have because well, that’s the tragedy of my character and I can never really finish off what I start) one of the final posts.

I get urges to post like anyone else. But then I type and retype things and annoy myself and others, and read other audio blogs. Some of which actually say things. Lots better than I.

I might consider podcasting though, then I’d feel more useful! Anywho, here’s a fully-furnished indie-perspective playlist. If you’re not indie, you still need the indie perspective. Because indie sounds so .. backyard with disneyland potential.

The Catchy Ones

Matt and Kim – Yeh Yeah mp3
(props to Matt and Kim for posting the music on their site) – they were supposed to be touring with French Kicks. Alas, now they tour still but no French Kicks (dates on the site natch) , and you can hug them for me. An electro fuzzball of keys and drums, stomping hot, there’s a lot of nerve in the vocals and a lot of drums to set an otherwise setting-down summer on fire.

Ratatat you should’ve heard of until now. I have a propensity for music that goes all out on layers and melody instead of focusing on words.. Ratatat don’t need no words! the “band” name itself follows universality rather than contextual meaning. They are sort of a feast aren’t they.

Ratatat – Wildcat mp3

This is the part where indie leaves conspicuously. The Futureheads are a great band, and they surpassed britpop 2005 tendencies with a gimmick you’d expect from 40’s TV commercials, but the syncopated vocal harmonies work like a charm forgotten. Skip To The End doesn’t have the polivalence of Decent Days and Nights, but I’m just nitpicking here, it’s worth listening to much more than say, most of Razorlight’s last LP.

The Futureheads – Skip To The End mp3

Golden Smog are left almost Jeff Tweedy-less as Gary Louris steps in with the vocals. Turns out, this is good:

Golden Smog – 05-22-02 mp3

Brightblack Morning Light (formerly BrightBlack) have a stunner of a record and a corker of a website. This is the type of music that’s so chilled I can see it coming straight out the freezer along with a fairy-like duo, their trees and rivers thrown in. The Brightblack bargain.

Brightblack Morning Light – Everybody Daylight mp3 (via Matador Records)

 

 

Switches have Graham Coxon as a fan (they’ll be touring with him in October) and while the backbone of their music might remind you of generic britpop, they’re rehashing it as orange-juiced breed of classic rock where you might even hear a couple of familiar new-wave style riffs and coordinated bellowing. Something very catchy about them – maybe it’s the clap-instigating drums. Their myspace has 4 downloads, so get ‘em while they’re still indie. Also, they have an EP out.

Switches – Message From Yuz mp3

 

End Of Part 1

 

 

The Diggs

The Diggs have been around since 2003 and don’t much appreciate the emo label that’s oft apllied to them, instead they focus on being melodic have a classic approach to classic rock instruments – they play them. So it’s not emo per se, just emotional.

It’s guitars all the way for the NYC guys and they describe their style quite accurately: Mid-nineties indie rock and ethereal English pop with a touch of shoegaze. The choruses are poppy indeed (though I wouldn’t call the overall sense I get from the songs as Britpop) and Everyone’s Starting Over will regail your 90s-rock nostalgic needs (think Sonic Youth’s Goo). Moreover, the remix updates it, giving it a more space-y, electronic blur, especially the bubbly keyboard that contrives a bit of “happy” over guitarist/vocalist Timothy Lannen’s melancholy tone.

Get it here:

The Diggs – Everyone’s Starting Over (Cassettes Won’t Listen remix) mp3

You can hear the original and read a review here.

And you can buy their LP, Commute, here.

Fields

I don’t know how I hadn’t heard of these guys until they sent me a random message on myspace. I’m glad they did, really, random for one person is great news for another. When location says ” Birmingham/Rekjavik/London” I can’t help but have high anticipations, and I proved to be substantially right when the music started.

Fields are electronic with a rock twist, or vice-versa. The vocals can seem subdued by the ceaseless guitars and keyboards mish-mash. Other than that, it’s pretty impressive. If the likes of The Radio Dept are up your alley, these guys will be too.

If You Fail We All… mp3 link

Heretic mp3 link

And if you liked that, you’ll want to see them in the flesh:

Wolfmother and ¡Forward, Russia! ,FIELDS and The Maccabees have been lined up for MTV’s Spanking New Music tour in November. Acts who have played on the tour in past have included Kasabian, The Kooks, Editors and Bloc Party.
And the dates:

Glasgow Carling Academy (November 5)
Dublin Olympia (6)
Leeds University (8)
Manchester Academy(9)
Birmingham Carling Academy(10)
Bristol Carling Academy(12)
Brixton Carling Academy(15)

Polytechnic

More Transgressive Records Goodness.
Polytechnic came together as The Conversation in March 2005, playing to a packed house at the Academy within 3 days of forming. Since then the band have gigged around Manchester, earning a rapidly growing fanbase and a name for high-energy shows. (source)

Polytechnic, as an indie band making their own no-budget videos, have a sparkly punk-pop sound to rival many a mainstream band. They’re like The Beach Boys for a new generation. So if you do enjoy a. indie rock without being a snob about it, b. actually understanding the lyrics and c. a tinge of melancholy added to an otherwise pop-ward epidermis. And they started playing only three days after they were formed.

Polytechnic – Won’t You Come Around mp3

Polytechnic MySpace (where one might want to listen to their latest single Pep)

pic courtesy of cocoen