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.
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.
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