Well, we like to keep our noses out of expressing too much personal sentiment usually, but as we count down to Super Tuesday, it's time to peek our head out of the corner and give an opinion. I know you kids are loving the Afro/Indie stylings of Vampire Weekend - why not take it a step further with Extra Golden? The band includes two Kenyans, Opiyo Bilongo and Onyango Wuod Omari, that Barack Obama helped to get American visas. I guess they wanted to repay the favor by writing a song about him....vote Obama on Tuesday!
Extra Golden - Obama
Extra Golden official site
Extra Golden on MySpace
Barack Obama official site
Labels: AFRO, EXTRA GOLDEN, INDIE POP, INDIE ROCK
I guess we're headed out of the winter doldrums and into new release season! Pershing from Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin comes out April 8th and here's the first track! Sounds like classic SSLYBY, hyper but concise acoustic-tinged power pop.
Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin - Glue Girls
Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin official site
Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin on MySpace
Labels: INDIE POP, INDIE ROCK, SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN
The Plastic Constellations are back with a new record! We Appreciate You drops April 15th and lead single "Stay That Way" finds the boys exploring a more sentimental side...of course, in that unique PC style.
The Plastic Constellations - Stay That Way
The Plastic Constellations - Sancho Panza
The Plastic Constellations official site
The Plastic Constellation on MySpace
Labels: INDIE ROCK, THE PLASTIC CONSTELLATIONS
Hot Chip's new album, Made In The Dark, will be released February 5th here in the States! Check out the title track - a slow burning ballad? I guess they're talking about shagging...sounds good!
Hot Chip - Made In The Dark
Hot Chip official site
Hot Chip on MySpace
Labels: DANCE, ELECTRONIC, HOT CHIP, INDIE POP, INDIE ROCK
Have you ever wanted to hear a cabaret-jazz cover of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger"? Now thanks to La Pompe Moderne, you can!
Brought to light by Filles Sourires.
As for the video, bear with it, it'll pick up once the music picks up.
La Pompe Moderne - Plus Dur, Meilleur, Plus Rapide, Plus Fort (Daft Punk Cover)
La Pompe Moderne on MySpace
Labels: COVER, INDIE POP, LA POMPE MODERNE
Colour Revolt is back with their first full length, Plunder, Beg and Curse on April 1, 2008. Longtime readers may remember I offered them the title of #3 EP of 2006...In any case, "Naked And Red" starts out like a new Bloc Party power ballad, makes a sudden transition into a grimey Soundgarden groove, then hits Sonic Youth territory. Enjoy!
BTW, contender for best indie band photo ever!
Colour Revolt - Naked And Red
Colour Revolt official site
Colour Revolt on MySpace
Labels: COLOUR REVOLT, INDIE ROCK
What's it with Texas and ghosts and electro? We previously did a post on the electro sounds of Denton, Texas' Ghosthustler, and now we're gonna talk about Austin's Ghostland Observatory. Like their Texas contemporaries, they love crunchy synths and crisp beats, however, they take things in a decidedly...sexy direction!
Ghostland Observatory - Stranger Lover
Ghostland Observatory label site
Ghostland Observatory on MySpace
Labels: DANCE, ELECTRONIC, GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY
I've been feeling a need to give the site a facelift recently...so here it is. What do you think? Tying into this is an after and before picture of Amy Winehouse. Whaaaaa? I think you overshot your target.
Also, thanks, Junior, for pointing out a cover I missed last year at Berkeley Place!
Arctic Monkeys - You Know I'm No Good (Amy Winehouse Cover)
Arctic Monkeys official site
Amy Winehouse official site
Labels: AMY WINEHOUSE, ARCTIC MONKEYS, COVER, INDIE POP, INDIE ROCK
Well, I came across this Vampire Weekend video this morning and thought it was pretty fun. So check that out first, if you haven't seen it. Secondly, their album is getting a proper release on January 29 on XL Recordings. Third-ly, I haven't posted about Vampire Weekend in the past. Perhaps I heard it at a bad time, or wasn't feeling the vibe that day, but I no longer find Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa annoying. Paul Simon + The Police?
Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
Vampire Weekend official site
Vampire Weekend on MySpace
Labels: INDIE POP, INDIE ROCK, VAMPIRE WEEKEND
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks are back! Unfortunately, Real Emotional Trash doesn't drop until March 18, 2008, but have a taste of "Baltimore" now! It's deliciously Pig Lib-like...
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks - Baltimore
Stephen Malkmus official site
Stephen Malkmus label site
Labels: INDIE POP, INDIE ROCK, STEPHEN MALKMUS AND THE JICKS
Today for a dose of Canadian content we have The Whitsundays from Edmonton. They self-describe themselves as "a soccer match in '67 between the kinks and the zombies using syd barrett as the ball." Well said! These guys should probably go on tour with The Shins.
The Whitsundays - Sorry James
The Whitsundays - Loralee
The Whitsundays label site
The Whitsundays on MySpace
Labels: INDIE POP, THE WHITSUNDAYS
I must have been playing too much Guitar Hero recently as I've got 70's rock on the mind. But it did remind me of a brilliant cover The Joggers did of the classic Yes song, "Long Distance Runaround". It was released last April on the Bridging The Distance compilation featuring more indie-does-classic-rock, including covers by The Decemberists, The Thermals, Britt Daniel of Spoon...
The Joggers - Long Distance Runaround
Bridging The Distance official site
The Joggers official site
The Joggers on MySpace
Labels: COVER, INDIE ROCK, THE JOGGERS
Here's a first - LSF doing a post about the Ital-Disco revival! Although Sally Shapiro and Chromatics have been getting most of the attention recently, let's not forget about Portland's Glass Candy...check them out covering Kraftwerk's classic "Computer Love"!
P.S. If you recognize the melody, that's cause Coldplay used it in "Talk".
Glass Candy - Computer Love
Glass Candy on MySpace
Labels: DANCE, ELECTRONIC, GLASS CANDY
Recently a friend asked me about what New Young Pony Club sounded like, and in the same conversation asked about what MSTRKRFT sounded like. Luckily, I have just the thing...
New Young Pony Club - Get Lucky (MSTRKRFT Remix)
New Young Pony Club official site
New Young Pony Club on MySpace
Labels: DANCE, ELECTRONIC, INDIE POP, INDIE ROCK, NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB
So we had a little power outage over here in SF due to the crazy storm. As a result, my apartment now has no power! Yippie! So, I'm curled up in local coffee spot, Ritual. I'm still going thorugh my backlog of stuff from last year, so here's a fun take on "Sleeping Lessons" by RAC. I'm not usually a fan of the RAC remixes, but I like their stripped down take on this one!
The Shins - Sleeping Lessons (RAC mix)
The Shins official site
The Shins on MySpace
Ok, the holidays are over, time to put the car back in gear and run over anyone that gets in the way...that being said, I'd like to start off the new year with The New Year! The project is essentially a continuation of Bedhead, er, what they would have sounded like if they hadn't broken up. They've been around for a while, writing slowly and touring occasionally.
You might recognize "The End's Not Near" as a song that Band of Horses covered.
The New Year - The End's Not Near
The New Year - Chinese Handcuffs
The New Year official site
The New Year on MySpace
Labels: INDIE POP, INDIE ROCK, THE NEW YEAR
