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.