Thao's currently on tour supporting her new album, Know Better Learn Faster. Check out the title track, and her particular blend of folk and fingerpicking!
Thao With The Get Down Stay Down - Know Better Learn Faster
Thao Nguyen official site
Thao Nguyen on MySpace
Labels: FOLK, INDIE POP, THAO NGUYEN
The b-side to Grizzly Bear's "While You Wait For The Others" single is a version of the song with lead vocals by...Michael McDonald? It works, once you get past the shock of hearing mister "Yah Mo B There" and his soulful voice...
Grizzly Bear - While You Wait For The Others (feat. Michael McDonald)
Grizzly Bear official site
Grizzly Bear on MySpace
Labels: FOLK, GRIZZLY BEAR, INDIE POP, MICHAEL MCDONALD
Back in the fold here, been a busy past 2 weeks! Anyway, I have some musical catching up to do. Up first is Calico Horse, a folky, experimental band from from San Diego. Calico Horse caught my attention recently by doing an excellent and breezy cover of Radiohead's "Idioteque".
Calico Horse - Idioteque (Radiohead Cover)
Calico Horse - Gold
Calico Horse official site
Calico Horse on MySpace
Labels: CALICO HORSE, COVER, FOLK, INDIE POP, RADIOHEAD
Sea Wolf's got a new album coming out 9/22 entitled, White Water, White Bloom. In a brilliant marketing move, they've released a track that didn't make the album. I like what I hear from "Stanislaus", so if this is a B-side, I can't wait for the proper album!
Sea Wolf - Stanislaus
Sea Wolf official site
Sea Wolf on MySpace
Today I've been graced with a cover of Van Halen's "Panama" by Rock Plaza Central. It's a brooding, folky sorta take on the song...sounds more like a Will Oldham or Cairo Gang song now!
Rock Plaza Central - Panama (Van Halen Cover)
Rock Plaza Central official site
Rock Plaza Central on MySpace
Labels: COVER, FOLK, INDIE POP, ROCK PLAZA CENTRAL, VAN HALEN
Bowerbirds have a new album coming out on July 7th entitled, Upper Air. I think on "Northern Lights" they've hit the perfect middle ground between emotional and artsy - it's quite inspirational, but at the same time throws in some musical curveballs...
Bowerbirds - Northern Lights
Bowerbirds official site
Bowerbirds on MySpace
Labels: BOWERBIRDS, EXPERIMENTAL, FOLK, INDIE POP
Pitchfork's got the scoop on the new Portland Cello Project album, The Thao and Justin Power Sessions (out June 9th). The first advance single is a delightful re-imagining of Thao's "Tallymarks" featuring prominent cello!
Portland Cello Project - Tallymarks (feat. Thao Nguyen) [Pitchfork]
Portland Cello Project official site
Portland Cello Project on MySpace
Labels: FOLK, INDIE POP, PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT, THAO NGUYEN
Iron And Wine's got a new album coming out May 19th entitled, Around the Well, a collection of out of print and unreleased tracks! "The Trapeze Artist" is a 9 min epic, and the closer to the album. Throw it on, get lost in it...afterall, it is a beautiful day outside.
Iron And Wine - The Trapeze Swinger
Iron and Wine official site
Iron And Wine on MySpace
Labels: FOLK, INDIE POP, IRON AND WINE
Fleet Foxes are re-releasing their debut EP on April 8th, Sun Giant EP. Rightfully so, with their s/t album blowing up left and right, it was easy to overlook!
Fleet Foxes - Mykonos
Fleet Foxes at Sub Pop
Fleet Foxes on MySpace
Labels: EXPERIMENTAL, FLEET FOXES, FOLK, INDIE POP
Last week Neko Case released a new CD entitled, Middle Cyclone. The title track is a mainly acoustic affair, with sparse music box accompaniment! Oh yeah, and some warm reverb. It's a nice song to gaze out the window and daydream to.
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Neko Case official site
Neko Case on MySpace
Exciting day yesterday...go Steelers! But alas, back to reality. Today we have the interesting melting pot of Vulture Realty. Their sound is part Dodos, part Republic Tigers, and part Of Montreal. Folk meets experimental meets lap-pop. It's brilliant!
Their EP, We Are Vultures, is available for a free download here! Or if you prefer to support these fine young men, purchase it from Amazon MP3.
Vulture Realty - The Joke
Vulture Realty on MySpace
Vulture Realty on MySpace
Labels: ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL, FOLK, INDIE POP, VULTURE REALTY
Earlier this month Jagjaguwar released the self-titled debut album of The Lord Dog Bird. We missed it by a couple weeks. Whoops. Anyway, The Lord Dog Bird is the solo project of Colin McCann, guitarist for Wilderness. Having spent some time alone and holed up with his four track, he recorded this album. The result is a beautiful lo-fi collection of experimental and anthemic folk songs.
Colin has a magnetic voice - he sounds like Phil Collins and Win Butler at the same time!
The Lord Dog Bird - The Gift Of Song In The Lion's Den
The Lord Dog Bird label site
Labels: EXPERIMENTAL, FOLK, INDIE POP, INDIE ROCK, THE LORD DOG BIRD
Apparently now it's cool to cover Yes! Today's track finds the Grizzlebees doing a stripped down and droney version of the Yes classic, "Owner Of A Lonely Heart".
Grizzly Bear - Owner Of A Lonely Heart (Yes Cover)
Grizzly Bear official site
Grizzly Bear on MySpace
Previously on Let's Sexy Fighting...
The Joggers - Long Distance Runaround (Yes Cover)
(Sorry, I'm having Lost withdrawal or something!)
Labels: COVER, EXPERIMENTAL, FOLK, GRIZZLY BEAR, INDIE POP, INDIE ROCK
Sweden is rocking me these days. Recently I've posted about Oh! Custer, Studio, and now Wildbirds & Peacedrums. Consisting solely of Mariam Wallentin and Andreas Werliin, W&P really packs quite a punch! Free roaming vocal melodies meet tribal Dodos drumming and sometimes a glockenspiel is involved...
Their debut album, Heartcore will be re-released April 28th.
Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Doubt/Hope
Wildbirds & Peacedrums official site
Wildbirds & Peacedrums on MySpace
Labels: EXPERIMENTAL, FOLK, INDIE POP, WILDBIRDS AND PEACEDRUMS
The Cairo Gang gets their name from a group of British Intelligence agents who were assassinated during the Anglo-Irish War. Despite the violent connotations of the name, The Cairo Gang is quite low-key and understated. Primarily the project of songwriter (and occasional Beth Orton guitarist) Emmett Kelly, they've been described as "picking up smack dab where Elliot Smith left off". Sounds good so far...
When I popped onto their website today I was immediately smitten with "Some Sort Of Sympathy" and its quiet intensity. I hope the boys don't mind, but I've nicked it from their MySpace page. Just to show you, music doesn't have to be loud to be powerful.
The Cairo Gang - Some Sort Of Sympathy
The Cairo Gang on MySpace
Labels: EXPERIMENTAL, FOLK, INDIE POP, THE CAIRO GANG
The Dodos are one of the red hot bands in SF right now and it's pretty easy to understand why. Experimental, but with pop sensibilities, The Dodos are here to stay! They have a new album coming out March 18th on French Kiss entitled, "Visiter". They play an already sold out show at Noise Pop, then cut across the southwest to Austin for SXSW!
Time to throw in a comparison to another artist - a more accessible Panda Bear!
The Dodos - Fools
The Dodos - The Ball
The Dodos official site
The Dodos on MySpace
Labels: EXPERIMENTAL, FOLK, INDIE POP, INDIE ROCK, THE DODOS
I caught Thao Nguyen filling in with The Rooftop Vigil (formerly Parasol) a few months ago and now I'm here to tell you about her solo work - We Brave Bee Stings And All will be out January 29, 2008 on Kill Rock Stars. On it, you'll find the most toe-tapping and wistful alternative-folk songs you've ever heard!
Thao Nguyen - Swimming Pools
Thao Nguyen - Feet Asleep
Thao Nguyen official site
Thao Nguyen on MySpace
Labels: FOLK, INDIE POP, THAO NGUYEN
Stumbled across this Grizzly Bear cover of 60's girl group The Crystals' "He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss" from a live performance on KEXP earlier this year. These guys are so good, I didn't even notice this was a live performance! Even though the subject matter of the original song is already dark, the grizzlebees really managed to bang out a really haunting rendition!
Grizzly Bear - He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)
The Crystals - He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss
Grizzly Bear official site
Grizzly Bear on MySpace
Labels: EXPERIMENTAL, FOLK, GRIZZLY BEAR, INDIE POP
Grizzly Bear is a 4 piece experimental folk band from Brooklyn, NY. Sound is somewhere between Espers and Animal Collective. sort of funny that they're on Warp Records, but good music is good music, right? Give these guys a listen, good old fashioned folk songwriting + experimental bits keep it very interesting. Listen to "On A Neck, On A Spit" and I doubt you'll be able to keep from tapping your toes once it gets going.
Below we've got 2 tracks from Yellow House, and a track from the remix album, Horn Of Plenty. I love how the remix was able to keep the core feeling of the Grizzly Bear song while changing it to a quasi trip-hop song!
Grizzly Bear official site
Grizzly Bear on MySpace
Grizzly Bear- On A Neck, On A Spit
Grizzly Bear - Lullabye
Grizzly Bear - La Duchess Anne (Safety Scissors Remix)
Labels: EXPERIMENTAL, FOLK, GRIZZLY BEAR, INDIE ROCK, REMIX
