Posted by Ant on Jul 5 2011 to Pop
It is time to bust open this place with a dose of rock infused pop stylings! I’m finding it a bit hard to get into a lot of pop these days, particularly what’s coming out of the indie scene. To me, it feels like they’re trying too hard to have this ‘yeah, totally don’t care and you’re gonna hear about it’ attitude, and it comes across as a little pretentious and over the top. Much like my writing. As such, it’s really nice when you hear something and it just makes you bop your head, which is evidently the universal indicator of good music.
The Demos fit firmly in that head-bopping category. It’s just really fun to listen to, or effortlessly listenable to get a bit more technical. Their music kind of reminds me of Beulah’s more upbeat tunes (like Weight of My Tears) with a pinch of the Dandy Warhols for good measure.
Guess what: I actually have an MP3 for you! Gadzooks, it is one of those days, folks. Like a lot of my posts lately, they are also featured on Bandcamp, which means free streaming music or a dirt-cheap downloadable option.
Downloads
From Lovely
Veronica – (Bandcamp – hit Download track and choose a format)
Nervous – (Bandcamp)
Daydream – (Bandcamp)
Posted by Hugh on Jun 13 2011 to Country
Hey, I can’t let Ant do all the writing or he will divorce me and in that particular scenario, he would likely get the kids. Wait, I don’t want the kids… damnit.
We’ve both mentioned the wondrous Neko Case on here before, but considering that was about 5 years ago, it is time to bring her up again. I’m not even giving you different songs than the ones we posted, because the ones we posted are so flippin’ awesome that you don’t need other ones. She has released another album in the meantime, but it wasn’t one of my favorites. Why are you still reading this? Listen to this glorious angel sing, you turkeys!
Hold On, Hold On – (YouTube)
If You Knew – (YouTube)
Posted by Ant on Jun 2 2011 to Indie
Now that Australia is snuggled under doonas and getting toasty by the heater, I find myself looking towards the warmer seasons. Isn’t it always the case? In the scorching heat of summer, you can’t imagine what winter is like, but you know you want it, and vice-versa in winter. Perhaps that’s why I’m drawn to Triptides’ recently released Tropical Dreams EP (which, incidently, was recorded in winter): it’s the kind of music that you’d love to hear when that warm summer breeze comes a’callin’ at a quiet, local beach.
Ok, I will dispense with the poetry, but I will say that Triptides plays some smooth, mellow surf rock that, despite not quite disguising its lo-fi origins (it was recorded ‘in a basement and a bedroom’ on a four track), feels warm and friendly. Yay!
Yet again, no downloadable media, but that’s alright because I again present the entire album to stream! If you like it, you could be a total pal and hand over some money for it too, with the totally awesome price of pay what you want. Just don’t be a royal douche by putting in “-$2000″.
Downloads
From Tropical Dreams
So Long to Sunshine
Diving Board
Posted by Hugh on Dec 6 2009 to Rock
If there is one thing that I don’t like about most so-called “supergroups,” it’s that people focus on how cool it is that so-and-so’s from various bands are now all in the same band, and competely ignore that their music is as inane and trite as it ever was. That’s one of the reasons why I prefer bands who term themselves a “music collective,” because they tend to focus on good music more than their invented popularity. With that, Learning Music is a music collective from Los Angeles that produces an album every month. While such a quantity may not mean there are stringest quality control standards, there are plenty of gems to be found. These songs are from October’s album, which was produced and co-written by Alex Silverman, who I have written about before. I must say, the lad has some musical chops on him.
Downloads
From Famous: The Jonny Pride Story
Ambitions – (MP3, 5.9 MB)
They Didn’t Tell Him – (MP3, 6.1 MB)
Heads A Rock – (MP3, 6.8 MB)
Posted by Hugh on Nov 24 2009 to Indie
To continue something of a trend, The Mugs are a band that e-mailed me last September, and I’m just getting around to posting them now. They are an indie rock band out of Brooklyn, and a good one at that. These songs are all from their latest EP, Ravel Day, which came out last year. They are not such a great band if your intent is to blow out your eardrums, but if you want to listen to something nice and relaxing, perhaps something similar to The Shins, then The Mugs are probably the way to go.
In other news, this is the last autopilot post for either/or, so hopefully I (or someone else!) will be back to post something nice for you to listen to.
Downloads
From Ravel Day
Could It Be – (MP3, 4.9 MB)
Mile Seven – (MP3, 5.2 MB)
True – (MP3. 5 MB)
Posted by Hugh on Nov 19 2009 to Alternative
I mentioned the band Kingsbury a while back in one of my posts, so why not write about them again? Their latest EP, Lie To Me, came out late last year so isn’t particularly new anymore, but it is still good music that you crazy kids have yet to listen to. Their music is likely best described as atmospheric rock, more about setting a mood than blowing your mind with explosive guitar riffs. It is great music to relax to, preferably with a cold brew in hand. Another thing I love about this band is that they release all their music for free! I always like bands who would prefer to have their music heard than make a few bucks. That said, I am sure they also like making bucks, so go ahead and buy their albums if you like them. Or heck, donate your life savings! Remember to check out their site for more free music, too.
Downloads
From Lie To Me
Lie To Me – (MP3, 6 MB)
Back On The Orange Grove – (MP3, 7.3 MB)
As I See It – (MP3, 4.3 MB)
Posted by Hugh on Nov 16 2009 to Rock
Sometimes, it appears that I read my e-mails and forget about them for an entire year. I remember reading the e-mail The Bookhouse Boys from bloody ‘ol England sent me last July, but never got around to responding to it. Procrastination wins the day again, I suppose. But as luck would have it, they are not procrastinators, and released their song I Can’t Help Myself as a single, and also released a vinyl EP. And in a few weeks, in early December, they’ll have another single out. I have the video of their song I Can’t Help Myself for you to watch. It’s a great rock song, drenched in blues, that manages to fit in some trumpeting. That’s right, trumpets. How many rock bands do you know that have two trumpet players in the line-up? My guess: not very many! There are also two awesome beards and a leggy brunette in the video, so pretty much all your bases are covered.
Downloads
From I Can’t Help Myself
I Can’t Help Myself – YouTube
Posted by Hugh on Nov 14 2009 to Rock
Sometimes you can’t find new songs that completely blow your mind with their awesomeness, and unfortunately that is more often the rule than the exception. Luckily for us, it doesn’t have to blow our minds to still be good music. Regrets & Brunettes are in the second category, the category of good songs that probably won’t get hyped to death. They are releasing their debut album, At Night You Love Me, on December 1, and if you are in the mood for music to actually enjoy rather than music to get all worked up about, then it might just be the album for you.
In unrelated news, either/or will be on autopilot for about a week, but I’ve set some posts up to auto-publish themselves so hopefully they will! While I’m gone, please remember to send band and song recommendations to me at eitheror.hugh@gmail.com.
Downloads
From At Night You Love Me
Post Punk – (MP3, 5.8 MB)
Uh-Oh – (MP3, 5.8 MB)
Posted by Hugh on Nov 9 2009 to Alternative
When I went through my inbox the other day, there was maybe a hundred e-mails that still needed sifting through. I believe three or four were about one band, Lemonwilde, which I suppose is a good way to grab someone’s attention. I’m glad they did, anyway, as their music’s pretty good! They released their EP, Red Room, in March, and now it is a free download. I would recommend them to anyone who likes Radiohead, Calla, or Kingsbury. If you’re not yet familiar with such bands, then think of it as rock that focuses more on intelligent lyrics than crushing guitar rhythms – the thinking man’s rock music, if you will. If you fancy yourself a thinking man type, then you should definitely download the EP. If you end up liking it, make sure to do them a solid and buy it, and keep an eye out for their upcoming album.
Downloads
From Red Room
Red Room EP – (Zipped MP3s, 23.2 MB)
Posted by Hugh on Apr 22 2009 to Indie
Mock Orange is a band I’ve been sitting on for months now, so it’s high time I’ve posted them. The album these songs are from, Captain Love, did not manage to capture my attention as a whole, but songs like World Of Machines certainly did. Undeniably catchy and slightly odd at the same time, you’d find yourself singing along if the lyrics made more sense. Song In D isn’t nearly as catchy, but one song of musical herpes (in a good way, I swear) is enough for any album.
Downloads
From Captain Love
World Of Machines – (MP3, 4.5 MB)
Song In D – (MP3, 5.1 MB)
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