Dominant Legs have already been named a “band to watch” by Stereogum, so if you don’t trust me, you can trust their endorsement. The “band” is really Ryan William Lynch, a dude from my old hometown of San Francisco, with the assistance of a chick named Hannah Hunt. They stubbornly insists on having fun. Dominant Legs been compared to Arthur Russell quite a bit, and I get the reference. It’s folky dancepop, well and tightly crafted, and lots of fun.
Highly recommended.
Tags: Indie Pop
Wots the deal with Local Natives? Do they make catchy indie pop or are they trying to make a statement? Are they accessible weird like Of Montreal, offbeat weird like Animal Collective, pop like Fleet Foxes, good like Grizzly Bear, or great like Arcade Fire?
The answer to all these questions: Yes.
Gorilla Manor, the debut album from L.A.’s Local Natives, is one of the most interesting records I’ve had the fortune to hear this year. There are elements of a lot of indie bands you’ve heard before, but I don’t think you’ve heard them in this combination. Or with this level of versatility. This band can do wicked choruses primed for indie rock concerts or radio airplay (“Airplanes”); tribal David Byrne stuff and chant-rock (“World News”; “Sun Hands”); Beach Boys/Beach House pop (“World News”); basic rock and roll (“Camera Talk”); and far-out freakfests (“Shape Shifter”). There’s even a Talking Heads cover (“Warning Sign”) that does justice to the original. No. Dare I say it? It surpasses the original. They’ve got great lyrics, great harmonies, and the music is tightly crafted and performed with intensity and power. In fact, the harmonies and “jam sensibilities” make this album so dense and rich that it’s impossible to identify any breakout performances or bandleader here. The band is a unit–a force of music. It’s not often that one hears a group as well knit as this one.
This album gets my highest recommendation. On Frenchkiss records, home of Passion Pit, The DoDos, and The Antlers. Fast becoming one of the greatest indie labels out there.
Airplanes
Airplanes video
Tags: Indie Pop, Indie rock
The Golden Dogs are best known as a live act–they’re full of energy and pop, and this year they release their third 
full-length. It’s also their first album since 2006, so they took their time, did it right. A very solid collection of tunes.
Tags: Indie Pop
The coolest thing about Royal Canoe‘s “The Co-Op Mode” is that the band collaborated on writing all of the songs–it’s a true band album. This creates a party atmosphere for this indie-pop record that sounds like Vampire Weekend might, if that band was actually alive. I’ve always said that VW are pretty flat, and Royal Canoe adds the much-needed spark of improvisation.
No, wait, that’s not true. The coolest thing about this album is the grinding beat of “Red House Row,” an awesomely perfect pop song.
No, that’s not true. The best thing is the cover! It’s a scream!
I guess there’s a lot to recommend this record. Check it out.
Me Loving Your Money
July 3 Winnipeg, MB @ West End Cultural Centre
July 8 Regina, SK @ O’Hanlon’s
July 9 Saskatoon, SK @ Amigos Cantina
July 10 Edmonton, AB @ Brixx Bar & Grill
July 12 Penticton, BC @ Voodoos
July 13 Vancouver, BC @ The Media Club
July 16 Calgary, AB @ Broken City
July 22 Ottawa, ON @ Zaphod Beeblebrox
July 23 Montreal, QC @ Lee’s Trois Minots
July 24 Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dee’s
Aug. 27 Morden, MB @ Morden Corn And Apple Festival
Tags: Indie Pop
If you like your indie pop with a strong smell of 1970s AM radio, then you’re going to crap your pants over Territory, the third album by Two Hours Traffic. It’s about as happy as can be, full of sun and smiles, harmonies and hooks, oooh-ooohs and all kinds of fun.
Take it to the beach and have a blast!
Tags: Indie Pop
Elton John is a slut. He’ll play for anyone, if they pay him enough. He proved that when played for this fathead homophobe’s wedding. But at least he got a million dollars of the radio-hack’s dough.
But in addition to being a slut, he’s a damn fine songwriter. My personal favorite EJ album is Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. Someone Saved My Life Tonight gives me chills.
Here’s my ten favorite Elton covers . . .
10. Take Me To the Pilot-The Quiet. This is like Van Morrison doing the song.
9. Bennie and the Jets-Animal Liberation Orchestra.
8. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road-Keane
7. Daniel-Ari Heist. Another performer who few folks know about, but who knocks it out of the park every time.
6. Rocket Man-Bill Janovitz. Slow and gentle. It’s not so much what Bill does with it, it’s what Bill does with every song he covers. Tremendous performer.
5. Bennie and the Jets-The Beastie Boys.
4. Rocket Man-My Morning Jacket. The perfect band for this oft-covered song.
3. Tiny Dancer-The Foo Fighters.
2. Ryan Adams and Elton himself, live at the Grand Ole Opry. If you haven’t heard the whole show, you owe it to yourself to go here and enjoy it. It’s from back when Ryan was at the height of his powers, and the two of them alternate doing each others songs. Here’s a taste:
1. Bill Shatner.
And for those of you who stick with my posts, and read ‘em all the way through, here’s a zip file of all the songs mentioned above.
I just missed Pete Francis at Jammin’ Java in Vienna last month, and man am I pissed. Pete’s latest album, The Movie We Are In, is fantastic. It’s 
retrospective retropop–a collection of perfectly crafted, well sung, and deftly played tunes, with spot-on production, an acoustic feel (with electronic accents), and vivid, bright colors. The album seems bursting with sunlight, glowing warmer with each listen. It’s the kind of thing you hear once and immediately want to hear again.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say this one of the best releases I’ve heard so far this year.
There, I said it. For fans of: Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson’s solo work, Phish.
And it’s just nine bucks at Bandcamp.
Tags: Indie Pop
Cute, catchy, sexy. These are three words I’d use to describe the music of West Virginia’s Normandie Wilson, a painter/songrwiter/multi-instrumentalist with a particular penchant for piano and smart pop lyrics. They’re also three words I’d use to describe Petty Booka, but the difference is that where the Booka sisters rely heavily on charm, Wilson shows versatility. Her web site says little–and I only found it by poking around. All I know about her is that she submitted a home-burned CD, a handwritten note, and a picture of a stick dude on a surfboard. The album is terrific–a collection of pop songs washed between instrumental pieces that are interesting and perfect transitions between her fun songs and her more introspective ones. I’m offering one of each as a taste of this great album. It’s is a keeper that’s grown on me more and more with every listen.
Her album is out in July on The Whatever Project label.
Let This Space Live Free From What You Were About to Say
Singin’ In The Rain (Gene Kelly cover)
Tags: Indie Pop
The band Elephant Stone may be named after a Stone Roses song, and they do share that retro/fuzzy sound, but the band owes more to The Byrds or The New Pornographers than English underground. The Montreal band eschews arty “math” rock in favor of psychedelipop treates written by Rishi Dhir, formerly of The High Dials. At the same time, being that Dhir was trained in Indian Classical music, compositions like Duhn bring to mind The Beatles’ flirtations with the sitar.
Good stuff.
Tags: Indie Pop, Indie rock
The new Apples in Stereo release is a change of pace. It’s almost like disco.
“Dance Floor‘”
Tour dates follow.
Apr 20 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
Apr 21 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
Apr 23 – Middle East Underground – Cambridge, MA
Apr 24 – Castaways – Ithaca, NY
Apr 25 – Bug Jar – Rochester, NY
Apr 27 – Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH
Apr 28 – The Pike Room – Pontiac, MD
Apr 30 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
May 1 – Turf Club – St. Paul, MN
May 3 – Turner Hall – Milwaukee, WI
May 4 – Billiken Club – St. Louis, MO
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