Best Indieface of March

March was a long month. Musically, it seemed like a lot was either released or announced this month on the Indieface.

Bell X1, Handsome Furs, White Lies, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The Decemberists all found themselves in my graces during the month. Several tunes produced from these new releases stuck in my head, found their way on my iPod, and resulted in me purchasing and downloading them. Always promote legal listening kids!

On a live music performance note, I was fortunate to see Tokyo Police Club, Ra Ra Riot, and Ruby Coast at The White Rabbit here in San Antonio. The highlight for me had to be Ra Ra Riot's unique brand of indie pop. Shown at right is lead singer, Wes Miles, and cellist, Alexandra Lawn. I look forward to seeing them again and reporting on more shows I attend in the future.

That's all for now! See you in April . . . .

Top Off Your Eggs With Some PB&J

Swedish indie popsters Peter Bjorn and John hit the mainstream music landscape in late 2006, early 2007 with the whistling phenomenon that was "Young Folks" off Writer's Block. Not many people may know that the quirky threesome have been together for 10 years. Their live shows get a lot of glowing reviews and for good reason; I was able to see them at Lollapalooza 2007 (not my video).

Out today is the new disc, Living Thing, off their label Almost Gold/Startime International. In this latest effort, they seem to want to bring hand clapping the same fame whistling received at their expense in the past because it pops up in almost every song along with sound sticks and synth. Some songs drag in mediocrity and musicality, but others find a way to make the syncopation work. This blend of lyrical content and sound production makes for one decent album. "It Don't Move Me", "Living Thing", "Lay It Down" and the lead single, "Nothing To Worry About" are standouts on this album. PB&J produce top quality indie pop here but if you weren't a fan after "Young Folks" died off, you may need some convincing to buy into Living Thing.

Also out today is the physical disc for the Yeah Yeah Yeah's It's Blitz!. You must hear this music. If you haven't already heard "Zero", "Heads Will Roll" and "Dull Life", now's your chance! Check out my review of the album before you venture out and pick it up.

A Few Tunes You Need to Put Indieface

Hear a hard edged, head boppin', raucous, rockin' out tune full of pop catchiness in O Shot by The Gay Blades. The song is off their debut album, Ghosts, out since last September and was released via 4Never Records through Triple Crown. They've been described as "trash pop", but any way you look at them, this is definitely a song worth investing in right now.

A band I'm really looking forward to hearing more stuff from is alt-indie band Company of Thieves from Chicago after hearing their song Oscar Wilde off their album Ordinary Riches, out since February. The lead vocals of Genevieve Schatz contain that "thing" that Suzanne Vega, Jenny Lewis, or Edie Brickell have when they sing.

Ok, the name got my attention, but the song kept me there. Having played at SXSW (their first shows outside of Europe), Dananananaykroyd from Glasgow, Scotland and their experimental, indie rock jam, Black Wax (which you can hear at their MySpace), garnered some buzz after the showcase in Austin. This tune is hand clappin' poppy goodness in the vain of Los Campesinos! and Tokyo Police Club. The track is off Hey Everyone!, the sextet's full length, debut album due out in April.

Finally today, I give you by All Too Well by Poorfolk outta Ontario, Canada. This chill groove of a throwback sounding song mimics the progressive rock stylings of bands who became popular in indie music in the mid to late 90's. They combine classic rock and alternative rock for their second indie rock album, Our Burning Street, out since October of last year off White Whale Records.

Place Indieface Artists - March 27th: A Little of The "The"

The highly praised L.A. area based band, The Henry Clay People, is an outfit you should be hearing in your ears right now via Autumn Tone Records. Their throwback sensibilities and infectious live performances make for a rockin' good time. I don't know if they should even be called "indie" because of the "classic" approach they take to rock music, but either way the "nothing extra" feel they take is what makes them stand apart in this indie rock landscape. They let out Blacklist the Kid with the Red Moustache in March 2007 and For Cheap Or For Free in November 2008. "Something In the Water" and "This Ain't a Scene" are standout songs for me off the former.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart hail from Brooklyn and dabble in a form of indie pop music that is equal parts pop nostalgia, noise rock, and shoegaze. What makes them different is also what makes them interesting to listen to. Their music is upbeat, short and to the point, just the kinda music to get you hooked. They released their self-titled debut via Slumberland Records on February 3rd of this year and also have a few EPs they have released in the past available for consumption. "Contender" and "Young Adult Friction" demonstrate the tri-headed concept well.

'Hazards' of Being The Decemberists

Portland, Oregon's The Decemberists became indie stalwarts long ago, but what they accomplish with Hazards of Love is something worth of notice taking. The previous releases from The Decemberists, including Her Majesty and Picaresque, which followed a similar pattern: elaborate storytelling, conceptual in nature, but on a less ambitious scale, to bring about open interpretations of the albums' meaning behind the interaction of the characters to the setting within the album itself. The progressive, yet throwback sound and detailed instrumentation of Hazards of Love has to be audibly ingested in one sitting to fully appreciate what the band is trying to do. Some tracks land on your palate better if you know from whence they came . . . the previous song. Lots of transitional filler is in place here to keep the pace of this "love story" going.

This concept album outlined by 60's and 70's vibes is slightly more drawn out than previous releases in that the melodic nature of the songs stays on par throughout the telling of the story. "The Hazards of Love" series of songs, four to be exact, follow the story of William and Margaret and their love journey together. "Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)" and "Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)" [spoiler alert!] are the highlights of this series. "The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid" is the folksy, harpsichord-led narrative tune that sets up the meeting of Margaret and William in a forest where William is turned from a fawn into a handsome young chap by Margaret's interest in him. "The Rake Song" is the first single of the album and is only one of two or three that could stand apart from the pack as a successful, indie pop single. The song's tells of the mauling of the married protagonists' surviving "pest" kids by their father, William, who places his wrath upon them after one child caused him much grief and sorrow as a result of his bride's death during the birth of another kid, who also died. Confused? Horrified? That seems to be the point.

Whatever you may think of The Decemberists, you can't say they're unoriginal. Fans who were fans before The Crane Wife, their last full length release in October 2006, will enjoy the ride this go round. If you are just coming into the band, you may wanna listen a few times through Hazards of Love to "get it". Thus are the dangers of thinking big.

The Decemberists - Hazards of ... Playlist

Blissful 'Blitz!' Clears A New Path for Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Whatever you may read (in just about every kind of publication right now) about the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs' album, It's Blitz!, know this: I have gone out of my way to avoid reading any blog, review, or musical analysis of It's Blitz! as well as hearing any verbalization regarding the new material since it has been leaked earlier this month. I wanted to decipher for myself the surprise I felt when hearing the new songs for the first time. As a result, listening to a legal download of the entire album now allows me to interpret their "sound". So follows my impressions . . .

Karen O, Nick Zinner (r), and Brian Chase (l) are the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but their newest batch of tunes doesn't fall in line with what you may be used to from the garage/dance punk outfit also capable of engaging in expressive lyrical content. The days of Fever to Tell are over . . . at least for now.

The new found direction of the band comes about as a result of the trials and tribulations all musical acts experience when you have creative differences, personal growth, and of course, natural progression of the music and the scene itself. Since moving to L.A. in 2004, Karen O has gotten the much needed "rest, relaxation, and space" she spoke of in a recent interview with Spin. This "space" allowed the band to stay together and what came out of the relocation of one of the band mates across the country was Show Your Bones, a more mellow collection of songs from the no-less energetic trio, released in March 2006. After an EP of songs the YYY's played live, but as yet remained unreleased in Is Is came out in the summer of 2007, what did the band have left to offer? It's Blitz.

"Zero" is the first track off the new album and the first single 'purposely' released for mass consumption. Upon first listen, my heightened anticipation and excitement went from a tense state to total immersion in the sound. It took me exactly four listens on satellite radio over the course of a few days to accept that yes, this was in fact the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and yes, Karen O can still vocalize unabashed sonic sex even if it is primarily over heavy synth and a lack of garage guitars backing her. It's not like we had never heard the YYY's do electronica before [see Is Is]. "Heads Will Roll" takes the electro rock/dance feel even further, but has a darker, new rave appeal to it. Thanks to Kayne West, we were all able to hear this track on the 21st of February before it was meant to be heard, thus forcing the release date of It's Blitz! up by a few weeks to March 31st. As a fan of doing things legally, but appreciating hearing new music whenever I can hear it sooner, I was conflicted over that fact until the digital album became available a couple of weeks ago.

Zero - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

"Soft Shock" is a nice blend of the new electro rock style and the melancholy nature of songs like "Dudley" and "Turn Into" off Show Your Bones. "Skeletons" sounds like a passion project piece that doesn't quite hit the mark; although, props are in order for incorporating the Zinner's keyboards prominently and in a way that highlights the haunting vocals of Karen O much in the same vein as Zinner's guitar did on "Maps" off Fever to Tell. "Dull Life" is the perfect number five track for this album of 10 if only that it almost separates It's Blitz! into a synth heavy, bouncy first half from a subdued, introspective second half. "Dull Life" does a good job of bridging the two sounds the Yeah Yeah Yeahs now have established: garage, art punk and electro rock dance - the old and the new.

Soft Shock - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Dull Life - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

"Shame and Fortune" is a Zinner guitar influenced, electronic chill groove while "Runaway" is more genteel in nature and features the narrative of a relationship stylings of Karen O, at which she has proven to be so good at. We also get to hear Brian Chase's pacing on drums for one of the first times on the album in this tune. The groovy disco punk jam, "Dragon Queen", comes bopping on by next and makes you wanna clap along to the funkiness.

Dragon Queen - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

"Hysteric" has become a favorite of mine if only because it reminds me of how many times I've listened to Show Your Bones and songs like "Cheated Hearts" and "Way Out". Karen chimes in with another quotable lyric here: "Flow sweetly/Hang heavy/You suddenly complete me". The song makes you take notice once and for all that this band has versatility and cannot be pinned down by a single change in key, or keyboard in this case. Rounding out the album is "Little Shadow". Featuring an acoustic guitar in the lead-in, this track shines as an outro song should: melancholy, reflective, epic, and calming.

Hysteric - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

It's Blitz! does not simply continue the trend of indie rockers turning in their cords for keys. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have come to a place where they want to share the experience of their new found direction with the fans who love all of the previous music released. The best thing about It's Blitz! is that it allows fans of the band to continue hearing the band. If you have seen them live, as I have been privileged to do, you know the tracks on It's Blitz! will satisfy greatly the bouncy, lyric-yelling, Karen O-gawking attendee in you. Listen with prejudice and alleviate that bias with the bliss of It's Blitz! when it is released in physical form on March 31st.

Place Indieface Artist - March 20th: Brooklyn Band Makes Heavenly Noise

Asobi Seksu (Japanese slang for "playful sex") released a new album last month (February 17th), but I missed out on reviewing it then. The shoegaze, dream pop labeled, NY based band has been around since 2004, having released their self-titled debut album via Friendly Fire Recordings in May of that year. Citrus came out in May 2006. Both collections demonstrate the multi-layered approach to indie music a band has the capability of turning out if they put in the effort. High-strung playing and pedal slamming on their guitar work and opaque, elaborate musicality for their more mellow jams make Asobi Seksu a place indieface artist.

Their first release off new label Polyvinyl Records, Hush, definitely contains more of a celestial feel to it. The ambient nature of the music and the ethereal sound of vocalist Yuki Chikudate truly place this musically educated group to the forefront of your attention. "Glacially" is a bouncy little diddy that captures the harmonizing nature of Asobi Seksu. "Me & Mary" follows in the tradition of the New York sound, with drum beats in a garage rock-like nature produced in unison with the post-punk swagger known to captivate many a listener. Other standouts are "Gliss" and "Sing Tomorrow's Praise". The whole album is a departure of sorts from previous work, but you can still catch their progression as it has developed naturally. Pick up Hush today!

The 80's Are Back! At Least In London . . .

More new music worth checking out today comes via London indie rockers, White Lies. To Lose My Life . . . was released in disc form today (tracks were previously available via digital download). These moody, synth rockers from London developed a sound more in sync with Harry McVeigh's purposeful voice after originally banding under a more poppy note as Fear of Flying.

The self-titled track recalls 80's synth pop with a modern indie feel much in the same manner as She Wants Revenge and Interpol. "A Place To Hide" features McVeigh's range more prominently, while "Unfinished Business" includes a church organ to frame the lyrical flow of the song. All the tracks on To Lose My Life . . . feel as if British indie rock has rediscovered its new wave/rave roots. "Farewell to the Fairground" combines old and new in the bouncy, yet rockin' sendoff message tune. Remember the dance music you can rock to? You have it here again with White Lies.

Ride the Wavves

Indie rocker and San Diego's own Nathan Williams performs under the title Wavves. He has released his second full length album, Wavves, available today. All I can say about Wavves' lo-fi/noise/art indie rock is that you might be sorry you didn't check their newest album out. "So Bored" and "California Goths" are among the more comprehensible tracks on the disc, but don't let the lack of clarity deter you. If your game is distorted sound, finding out what "beach goth" sounds like, and lots of bouncing up and down, Wavves may be the collection of tunes for you.

If I Were To Attend, SXSW Must See Bands

If I were lucky enough to have the time and funds to attend this year's South by Southwest Music Festival (just a short drive north), these are just some of the acts/bands I would love be in attendance for [maybe you'll get to go]:

Single Performances Worth Seeing - Wednesday March 18th

dd/mm/yyyy - experimental indie rock with a lot of percussion
SESAC Day Stage Cafe Austin Convention Center (2 pm) OR Emo's Jr (12 am)

Crocodile - quirky indie pop rock with bouncy beats
Wave Rooftop (8 pm)

Starf*cker - synth-heavy indie rock with catchy pop hooks
Radio Room (9 pm)

Winter Gloves - chill groove synth electropop
Habana Calle 6 Patio (10 pm)

Fol Chen - indie pop touching on indietronica sound with mainstream influences
Beauty Bar (10pm)

Port O'Brien - indie rock with a folksy twist
Buffalo Billiards (10pm)

Dan Auerbach - Black Keys guitarist/frontman goes solo
The Parish (10:45 pm)

Miniature Tigers - alternative, poppy indie rock
Spiro's (11pm)

Mother Mother - modernized take on indie pop rock
Habana Calle 6 Patio (1am)

If You Can Only Be One Place:

If you have limited time and money, plan on being at Vice where Cut Off Your Hands, The Von Bondies, Peter, Bjorn, and John, and Glasvegas are playing.

Single Performances Worth Seeing - Thursday March 19th

Arkells - Canadian indie rockers
Cedar Street Courtyard (8:30 pm)

Bishop Allen - rockin' indie pop from the BK
Mohawk Patio (8:50 pm)

The Wet Secrets - unique indie rock with horn section
El Sol y La Luna (9 pm)

Vivian Girls - Brooklyn punk outfit for indie music lovers
Aces Lounge (9 pm)

Dirty Projectors - Brooklyn experimental indietronica
Emo's Annex (9 pm)

Meat Puppets - classic grunge rockers re-up for reunion of band and sound
Stubb's (9 pm)

The Henry Clay Project - L.A. rock quartet much in fashion of The Replacements
The Independent (10 pm)

Crystal Stilts - indie psychedelic rock with punkish influences
Red 7 Patio (10 pm)

The Thermals - Portland, high-energy, alternative indie punk rockers
Red Eyed Fly (10pm)

Two Hours Traffic - alternative feeling indie rock
El Sol y La Luna (11 pm)

Golden Filter - NY based electronica/pop group with a lot of buzz
Beauty Bar (11:45 pm)

Blizten Trapper - Portland, Sub Pop indie rock artist
Radio Room Patio (12 am)

Blind Pilot - Portland, Oregon indie pop
Club de Ville (12 am)

Women - indie rock with a smoother, chill groove feel
Mohawk (12 am)

Army Navy - pop rock with melodic indie incantations
BD Riley's (1 am)

If You Can Only Be One Place:
La Zona Rosa with Dananananaykroyd (8:30 pm), Camara Obscura (9:30 pm), and Glasvegas (11:30 pm)

Single Perfomances Worth Seeing - Friday March 20th

Shiny Toy Guns - indie electro rock band based outta OKC
SXSW Live (The Bat Bar) Austin Convention Center (8 pm)

The Uglysuit - Oklahoma-grown indie rock Flamingo Cantina (9 pm)

Thao With The Get Down Stay Down - unique take on indie pop with banjo & horns

Momo's (9pm)

Datarock - indie rock electronica in fashion of DEVO and Talking Heads
Austin Music Hall (10 pm)

The Cute Lepers - mod styled, modern indie punk with pop tendencies
Red 7 Patio (10:45 pm)

Japanese Motors - beach version of The Strokes' kind of indie rock
Emo's Main Room (11 pm)

Grizzly Bear - experimental/freak indie folk rock
Cedar Street Courtyard (11:45 pm)

St. Vincent - Dallas songstress Annie Clark showing versatile indie rock flair
Antone's (12am)

Laura Marling - British singer-songwriter who delivers distinctive indie folk
Central Presbyterian Church (12 am)

The Bird and The Bee - melodic electropop
Karma Lounge (12 am)

Japanther - high-energy, goofball indie punk
Headhunters (12:05 am)

Asobi Seksu - sweet sounding Brooklyn indie rock popsters with shoegaze feel
Habana Calle 6 Patio (1 am)

Okkervil River - local Austin indie rock with a catchy nature
The Parish (1 am)

Single Performances Worth Seeing - Saturday March 21st

Say Hi - Seattle based rock sound by way of Brooklyn
SESAC Day Stage Cafe Austin Convention Center (1 pm)

Fastball - 90's Austin alt-rockers making noise on scene once again
Auditorium Shores Stage (Lady Bird Lake) (4:50 pm)

White Lies - indie rock that is dark, moody, and dense from London
Stubb's (7:40 pm)

Explosions In The Sky - Austin area post-rock band high on instrumentals
Auditorium Shores Stage (Lady Bird Lake) (8 pm)

Iran - indie noise pop-rock at its best
Club de Ville (8 pm)

Gentleman Reg - indie rock singer-songwriter
Beauty Bar (9 pm)

Harlem - Austin duo with indie rockness in their jamming bodies
Beauty Bar Backyard (9:05 pm)

Hollerado - quirky, catchy, on-the-fly Canadian indie rock
Beauty Bar (10 pm)

The Hours - British post-punk, alternative rockers
Dirty Dog Bar (11 pm)

Voxtrot - Austin indie pop rock
Emo's Jr (11 pm)

The Mae Shi - L.A. experimental, electronic indie rock
Mohawk Patio (11 pm)

Echo and The Bunnymen - Liverpool, England new ravers and rockers
Rusty Spurs (12 am)

Silversun Pickups - L.A. indie rockers who provide melodic tunes
Antone's (12 am)

Ra Ra Riot - Syracuse, NY indie pop featuring cello and violin
The Parish (1 am)

The Spinto Band - Wilmington, DE indie popsters with rock infusions
Room 710 (1 am)

If You Can Only Be One Place:

Maggie Mae's is the place to be on Saturday night. The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, The Little Ones, Anya Marina, The Republic Tigers, Youth Group, Your Vegas appear all in one venue from 8 pm - 1 am!

Indieface Show Review: Tokyo Police Club, Ra Ra Riot, Ruby Coast

I had the pleasure of being at The White Rabbit last night for a show featuring Tokyo Police Club, Ra Ra Riot, and Ruby Coast.

Although I have heard of Ruby Coast, I wasn't too familiar with their sound. Their music has been dubbed Canadian indie pop rock, so if you've read any of my recent postings, you may recognize the feel of Ruby Coast (as did I!). This unsigned, Ontario quintet played only a few songs, but I found their brief set to be a refreshing collection of head-bobbing, foot-tapping tunes. As the opening act, Mark Robert Whiting, Nathan Vanderwielen, Keith Bradford, Justice McLellan, and Corey Marshall made a good impression on the early, lighter crowd, "CAW! CAW!"ing and all.

A highly anticipated Ra Ra Riot went on next. This six-piece band from Syracuse, NY is Milo Bonacci (lead guitar), Gabriel Duquette (drums), Alexandra Lawn (cello/backing vocals), Wesley Miles (lead vocals/keyboards), Mathieu Santos (bass guitar), and Rebecca Zeller (violin). They are and will continue to be influenced very heavily by John Pike, a co-writer, lyricist, vocalist, and original drummer who unfortunately died tragically in June 2007. Putting sadness aside, Ra Ra Riot shows they can soldier on and produce unique, but highly infectious bouncy indie pop rock. Seeing them live really draws your attention to the fact that a cello and a violin in this band produce quite a sound and sight to behold. Songs like "Can You Tell?", "Oh, La", "Ghosts Under Rocks", and the closer for the night, "Dying Is Fine", really come alive with the musicality Ra Ra Riot can offer. Highly recommend seeing them on tour this spring.

Also hailing straight outta Onatrio, the final act of the night, Tokyo Police Club, shared their energetic, punkish indie rock with the patrons of The White Rabbit. Greg Alsop (drums/percussion), Josh Hook (guitar/percussion), Dave Monks (lead vocals/bass guitar) and Graham Wright (keyboards/backing vocals) brought it hard and those who strictly came to the four-piece jam act got their money's worth. Songs like "Tessellate" and "Your English Is Good" resonate well live. The band's self-titled single, "Tokyo Police Club", had the crowd shouting back at Monks as he and the boys provided the powerful set with a proper conclusion. Catch them in person when you get the chance!

[All photos courtesy shagatude's lame camara phone. Special thanks to Pip! 3.13.2009]

Music That Is Good Looking and Grrreat!

Pun intended in the title on both fronts, today's new releases need to be on your mind and indieface.

Straight outta Montreal, Handsome Furs represent the indie music mecca that is Sub Pop Records well with their second album, Face Control (out today). Icelandic music journalist and guitarist, Haukur S Magnússon, has ever so delicately given a description to the music one might experience on Face Control, as shown on the band's home page: "The songs on Face Control often cast us as the young lovers in the shadow of the system, plotting their escape, revelling in their freedom as the shackles tighten around them. In the past, freedom may have meant jumping a barbed wire fence, or crossing a treacherous ocean or burning desert. On Face Control Handsome Furs show us that in our modern age escaping these constraints has simultaneously become easier and more complicated. While it once meant hanging on, it now means letting go, and drifting off, refusing to participate in the structure that shapes and dominates so many lives, eschewing traditional values, opting instead to make up their own ways" (Magnússon also interviews the band for The Reykjavik Grapevine).

Pretty deep, huh? If the symbolic nature of the new Handsome Furs music doesn't grab you, simply allow yourself to hear the electro rock sounds they produce on Face Control. "Talking Hotel Arbat Blues" has more of a rockabilly feel to it, almost reminiscent of Eddie and The Cruisers - On The Dark Side. However, this track shys away from the electronic taste of songs like "Legal Tender", "Evangeline", and "White City". These three songs cleanly blend indie rock with darkwave dance beats. The lead single, "I'm Confused", offers up a bouncy, upbeat diddy for your 80's loving self. Indulge in your dancing pleasures with Handsome Furs and pick up Face Control.

On the indie pop front, Brooklyn's own Bishop Allen have a nice sound going for them. They fall somewhere in between a more rockish sounding version of indie pop and melodic strumming alternative rock. On their latest album, Grrr... (also out today), Bishop Allen prove they can live up to the comparisons to The Kinks, Bright Eyes, and Spoon which the major music mags have bestowed upon them. Most of the tracks on Grrr... clock in under three minutes. They are catchy, head-bobbing tunes that feel happy-go-lucky, but are revealed to be much more than they appear. "The Ancient Commonsense of Things" reflects this idea perfectly. Other standouts include "Dimmer" and "Rooftop Brawl". The message behind most of these tunes is often one the listener can relate to. Bishop Allen does a good job of shedding light on common ideas and experiences with a romanticized approach. Check out their MySpace and look for them out on tour now.

Place Indieface Artist - March 8th

It seems like music out of Canada has all my attention these days. Maybe there is something to the intent of that Canada Music Fund after all.

Even though his most recent music has been out since September of last year, yet another artist out of the Great North deserves to have your attention right now. Hailing from Nova Scotia by way of Hamilton, Ontario, Matt Mays is a Canadian singer-songwriter who mixes his rock paintbrush in equal parts alternative rock and folk, while dabbling along the way in the electronic arts to highlight a portrait of the artist as a young man, as James Joyce might get you to see. He previously has maintained a presence as a member of the Canadian alt-country group, The Guthries, from the late 90's through the early 2000's. Some have dubbed his sound early Tom Petty/Elvis Costello; others have seen him evolve into more of a Beck/Nine Inch Nails influenced sphere of musicality. Whatever you might hear in his music, Matt Mays is sure to bring about an enjoyable experience.

Continuing in the country-western voice of The Guthries, Matt Mays released his self-titled, debut album, Matt Mays, in 2003, but didn't make a real name in indie music until 2005 when the heavy rotation single and accompanying video, "Cocaine Cowgirl", splashed onto the Canadian music scene. It's a tune that could easily get mistaken for a mid to late 90's alternative diddy, which I just happened to get reared on. The track was off Matt Mays + El Torpedo, his first album with new four-piece backing band featuring Jarrett Murphy on guitar, Brad Conrad on organ and pedal steel, Tim Baker on drums, and Andy Patil on bass. Standouts on the release also include, "St. George's Lane" and "Time of Your Life (Til' Your Dead)", which also conjures up throwback 90's alt-rock.

All this is preface to what is before us now. Released in September 2008, Terminal Romance carries the creative spirit of Mays further than it has ever been before. Tracks like "Tall Trees" and "The Hunter, The Hunted" demonstrate the references to Petty, while the title track rides the rockin' ability of a piano into an epic, Springsteen-like jam. I realize the implications of throwing a comparison out there like this, but if you aren't a fanatical Boss fan who refuses to recognize the inescapable influence the man has had upon music, you might be able to hear me out on this one. Judgement free zone here guys ;-). Also worth mentioning is a film project/soundtrack that Mays developed in 2006. Music for the film, When The Angels Made Contact, proves as eclectic as ever while movie info can be found here.

If you've been asking yourself where you can relive the music you might be missing from yesteryear, you can get it today in Matt Mays & El Torpedo.

A Solo Shot of The Blues

Dan Auerbach is one half of the bluesy indie rock, Akron, OH dynamic duo, The Black Keys. He released his first solo album, Keep It Hid, last month, which is steaming now on his individual MySpace page. What you don't know about Mr. Auerbach is that he is much more than the guitar slinging, jam rocking, hipster he appears to be when he fronts The Black Keys; he is actually a classic-styled singer-songwriter as well.

In Keep It Hid, Auerbach stays true to his Black Keys roots in some songs, such as "Heartbroken, In Disrepair", which stands out as excellent extensions of that music, but this tune also contains a reverb effect not often seen with beat producer and Keys band partner, Patrick Carney. He also branches out into folksy sounds in the lead track, "Trouble Weighs A Ton". "My Last Mistake" is a catchy, groovilicious song that could be played on mainstream modern rock radio. Auerbach channels the feel of Cat Stevens in "When The Night Comes" and cranks up the psychedelic touches in "The Prowl".

All in all, Auerbach shows he has something else in his repertoire besides deep down dirty blues. He has flavor to his soul. Check out Keep It Hid and other Black Keys projects coming up in the future.

Getting Irie With Bell X1

Learn the name: Bell X1. If your don't know Irish indie stalwarts Bell X1, you need to insert them into your indie music catalog. They're back with a supercharged sound to accompany some past personal favorites in the popular, more subtle singles "Rocky Took A Lover" and "Eve, The Apple of My Eye" off 2004's Music In Mouth.

Bell X1 have a new synth-infused album, Blue Lights on the Runway, out today that'll make you bounce ("The Ribs of a Broken Umbrella"), groove out ("Amelia" and "The Great Defector"), and reminisce about 80's pop ("A Better Band") and 90's alt-rock ("Breastfed") all at the same time! They also show vast range in the hauntingly sweet ballad, "Light Catches Your Face". All ten tracks on the disc can be considered semi- to all-out epic, but not in a way that distracts the ears from the song's intent. Get the new stuff and enjoy the happiness you will feel all throughout your body.

Overall Rating: 8 out of 10

Follow this link to enjoy all the tracks from Blue Lights on the Runway on your listening device of choice.