Daily Dose - 9/22: Stornoway

Artist: Stornoway
Latest Release: Beachcomber's Windowsill
Genre: Pop/Folk/Indie

Stornoway's debut album, Beachcomber's Windowsill, is the perfect combination of intelligent pop and emotional folk, and has served as something of a soundtrack to ease my transition from summer to fall this year. It's no wonder the English quartet (at times a sextet) found themselves a home on 4AD as they fit in quite comfortably with indie heavyweights Bon Iver, Camera Obscura and Department of Eagles. That's high but certainly appropriate praise which you're likely to understand if you give their fantastic first effort a listen. The richly detailed instrumentation, arresting vocal harmonies and singer Brian Briggs' soaring melodies are about impossible to resist. Required listening for 2010, trust me.

Key Tracks: "Zorbing," "I Saw You Blink," "Watching Birds"

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This four-song set from the 4AD Sessions is worth watching in its entirety, but here's one tune:

Daily dose - 9/17: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

Artist: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
Latest Release: Horse Power EP
Genre: Electronica/Indie

Indie electronica duo Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. have made a great first impression on me with their debut EP, Horse Power, which combines bits of many popular indie genres to create something that feels both appropriately trendy and refreshingly unique. It's not difficult to hear contemporaries like Local Natives and past influences like the Beach Boys (they DO cover one of their songs, so that's easy) in the band's sound, but Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott are more than just imitators. Using an unusual smorgasbord of sounds that ranges from jazzy electric guitars to shimmering synths to subtle percussion, all under a blanket of lovely vocal harmonies, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. prove themselves to be a versatile and genuinely interesting band to watch.

Key Tracks: "Vocal Chords," "Simple Girl"

Download: Vocal Chords (via Stereogum)

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Daily Dose - 9/16: Clubfeet

Artist: Clubfeet
Latest Release: Gold on Gold
Genre: Electronica/Dance/Indie

Having drawn comparisons to Hot Chip and Junior Boys, it's not difficult to understand why Melbourne-via-Capetown trio Clubfeet are making some serious waves this year. Darkly funky grooves, layered vocals, and soft washes of synth characterize the band's debut, which generally prefers smoldering, low-key dance-rock to explosive, club-ready anthems. Even those less inclined to dig into the indie electronica scene will likely find much to love about the band's appealing mix of alternative dance hooks and smooth pop sensibility. They certainly prove worthy of the aforementioned comparisons, but Club Feet also build a head-turning style all their own on this stellar first effort

Key Tracks: "Edge of Extremes," "Teenage Suicide (Don't Do It)," "D.I.E. Yuppie Scum"

Download: Edge of Extremes - Teenage Suicide (Don't Do It)

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Daily Dose - 9/15: Frontier Ruckus

Artist: Frontier Ruckus
Latest Release: Deadmalls & Nightfalls
Genre: Folk/Americana/Indie

I've been loving Deadmalls & Nightfalls, the latest album from indie folksters Frontier Ruckus, for a few months now, so I think it's high time I spread the word. The band's intense and intelligent take on folk music is unlike anything else I've heard, an entrancing recipe of lush instrumentation (acoustic guitars, accordions, horns, drums, banjos, etc.) and singer Matthew Milia's delightfully strange and detailed narratives. Packing verses thick with vivid imagery and clever phrasing, the group's songs often take a few spins to comprehend, but exploring the frenzied highs and brooding lows of the record is an enlightening experience. A must-hear for 2010.

Key Tracks: "Nerves of the Nightmind," "Pontiac, the Nightbrink," "I Do Need Saving"

Download: Nerves of the Nightmind (via Radio Free Chicago)

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Daily Dose - 9/14: Kim Taylor

Artist: Kim Taylor
Latest Release: Little Miracle
Genre: Folk/Singer-songwriter/Americana










This has been a great year for singer-songwriters, especially those of the more traditional folk/Americana variety, and though you may not have heard Kim Taylor's name mentioned in that sort of discussion yet, you should expect to soon. Her new album, Little Miracle, drops next week, and it's a stunner. Taylor's blend of folk, blues, and pop is both emotionally gripping and sonically gorgeous, with world-weary tales delivered in captivating melodies by her rich, smokey voice. The record draws you in from the start and demands your attention right through the very last chord, a rare thing indeed.

Key Tracks: "Lost and Found," "American Child," "Fruits of my Labor"

Download: Lost and Found

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Daily Dose - 9/13: Dax Riggs

I've decided to try something different for my blog posts. Hopefully this will results in me being more consistent. Less words, more music, sound good?

Artist: Dax Riggs
Latest Release: Say Goodnight to the World
Genre: Rock/Blues/Psychedelia

Dax Riggs may be familiar to those who followed his underground rock and metal projects (Acid Bath being perhaps the most famous) but most of us I imagine haven't been introduced. If that's the case, take the time to check out his latest offering, Say Goodnight to the World, a dark pop-rock record that includes blues, metal, and psychedelic influences combined in a surprisingly catchy and accessible whole. It's an enjoyably sinister and consistently fun ride proves Riggs is quite capable of handling a diverse set of tracks ranging from blazing rockers to eerie ballads.

Key Tracks: "Say Goodnight to the World," "You Were Born to Be My Gallows," "No One Will Be a Stranger"

Download: No One Will Be a Stranger

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Review: Mountain Man - Made the Harbor (* * * 1/2)

After a few years filled with the emergence of high-profile indie bands like Girls and Women, both of which are comprised entirely of males, perhaps we shouldn’t be at all surprised to find that a band named Mountain Man is not, in fact, a man, but three women. And really that’s a welcome surprise in this case, as such a seemingly straightforward moniker conjures thoughts of yet another sup-par songwriter attempting to follow the success of breakout acts Fleet Foxes, Tallest Man On Earth, and the like. These girls will still appropriately be lumped in with their fellow folk revivalists due to their earthy, sparse sound and nature-themed lyrics, but Vermont’s Molly Erin Sarle, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig and Amelia Randall Meath have created something uniquely lovely on their debut full-length, Made the Harbor. (Continue @ In Review Online)

Review: The Drums - The Drums (* * * 1/2)

In the past, any noteworthy Beach Boys emulators seemed to hail from Southern California or somewhere similarly beach-oriented, but with the re-popularization of the surf/pop/rock genre, it’s anybody’s guess as to where new bands of that sort come from these days. Initially, with last year’s Summertime! EP, New York City’s own the Drums seemed a prime example of a young band whose sun-and-surf-obsessed songs put them at odds with their locale, especially on their most notable tune, the '60s-style pop anthem “Let’s Go Surfing.” But with the release of their self-titled full-length debut, the group incorporates a greater range of their other sonic and lyrical influences into the mix, revealing themselves to be a more complex and interesting band than we (or I, at least) might have given them credit for initially. Blending their love of sun-soaked hooks with a darker, '80s indebted vibe à la Joy Division, the boys craft a fine first effort that—while containing a few misfires—manages to build upon the promise of their early releases. (Read the rest @ In Review Online)

Review: Best Coast - Crazy for You (* *)

For young writers and aspiring musicians, some of the most frequently heard advice has got to be “write what you know.” This is obvious counsel, to be sure, but true in many respects, especially in the realm of pop music where people generally respect honesty in songwriting. We like artists who share their stories with us and reveal the more intimate details of their lives, allowing us to connect with them through their experiences. But sometimes, even when a musician is eager to get personal, we find there simply isn’t much about them that we care to hear. Such is the case with the latest lo-fi, beach-pop phenomenon Best Coast, fronted by puzzlingly popular newcomer Bethany Cosentino and featuring former Vivian Girl Ali Koehler along with Bethany’s former babysitter (seriously), mutli-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. Adrift somewhere between SBhe & Him-style balladry, polka-dotted 50s girl groups, and fuzzy, Vivian Girls-esque pop-punk, Best Coast makes music that is hazy and sun-soaked, and it’s not difficult to hear the appeal in Cosentino’s casually strong voice. But on the band’s debut, Crazy for You, Cosentino’s inane songwriting fails to engage on any level and her vacuous insights into love and loneliness reveal no depth whatsoever to her personality. (Read the rest @ In Review Online)

You Should Know: The Silver Seas

It would be easy to mistake the Silver Seas as having arrived via time machine from 35 years ago rather than forming this past decade. Though the band has only been releasing music since 2004, they seem to have more in common with the likes of Steely Dan, Jackson Browne or any number of 70s pop-rock icons than with their current peers. The Nashville group navigates the pop music of their chosen decade much like The Clientele do the 60s, seeking not to combine classic influences with modern trends, but rather emulating the past right down to the instrumental flourishes and production details. Yet somehow, though the Silver seas remain firmly entrenched in a slice of musical history, their music comes across as much more than a simple copy of their obvious influences. Their third album, Chateau Revenge, is a lovely classic pop record featuring smooth grooves, fantastic melodies, and fine songwriting that makes this a must-listen in any decade.

The record covers territory from gorgeous lite-rock balladry ("Jane") to disco-tinged night music ("The Best Things in Life"), only occasionally showing signs of its more modern origin. With not even one misstep among the 12 tracks, Chateau Revenge is an album you really can't afford to let pass you by.

Key Tracks: "Another Bad Night's Sleep," "Jane," "What's the Drawback"

Download: Another Bad Night's Sleep (Zipped MP3)

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