There Is A Way!

What has 12 legs, roams the central Scottish lowlands and is named after a famous Canadian ufologist?

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DANANANANANANANANANANANAykroyd!!!

After creating my favourite 15 seconds in indie of 2008 (One after one), and a great debut album (Hey Everyone), they have returned with their second full length ‘There Is A Way’. While not a huge departure in terms of sound they have raised their game in every aspect. The songs are more energetic and frenetic and there are melodies that will get you throwing all the post-hardcore vocalist poses and screaming into your fists. The band seem to have established their sound nicely and are supremely confident in what they are doing and it works so well. Check out this song for a taster.

 Dnnnnakroyd - Think and Feel

Wonky Beats!

This is a few months old now but if you have not yet heard it then now is the perfect time. Darwin Deez, New York's uber hip indie-popper put together this little 'mixtape' and put it up for free download as a special treat. Here's where things get interesting... This 'mixtape' is comprised entirely of samples from the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and features Darwin Deez himself rapping over the music. He also drafted in friends like Dev Hynes, KOOL AD from Das Racist and Chiddy Bang to help him on his hip hop escapade.

My favourite description of this record is this - "A Super Fun Non-Hip Hop Hip Hop Wonkavision Concept Record". That pretty much sums it up. This will not change your life, but it is a lot of fun and I really enjoy his concept of being creative through self imposed constraints.

TAKE IT!

Warmth from Canada

What?! You think there is not enough French horn in rock music? 

Me too! 

How do you feel about those country-folk troubadour types who write songs about growing up, walking the streets of their hometown, friends and lost love? 

Really?! I love them too! 

I agree, occasional quirky lyrical themes totally add to the charm of a song. 

Hey, have you heard Dan M@ngan? I think you’d really like him. He’s from a place called Smithers in British Columbia. His sophomore album from 2009, called “Nice, Nice, Very Nice”, is entirely lovely and wonderful and his forthcoming album “O’ Fortune” is due to be released soon. 

Listen to these. They’re my favourites. Tell me what you think.

Dan M@ngan - Robots

Dan M@ngan - Basket

Oh! What do you think of funny videos inspired my movies and fashion from the 80s? Yeah, I love them too. Check this out, it’s fun.

J Mass-kiss goes solo!

So, J M@scis, singer/guitarist from indie rock great Dinosaur Jr, has just released his first official solo album "Several Shades Of Why". So often, when front men do solo records, they end up sounding just like their original band and it all seems a bit pointless. Fortunately this is not the case here. Since reforming Dinosaur Jr. in 2005 JM has put out 2 pretty awesome records of fuzzy noisy pop-rock in the same vein as their output during the 80s and 90s. With his solo effort he has gone the acoustic route and stuck with the winning formula of great melodies, subtle instrumentation and superb song writing. It's undeniably JM with his distinctive vocals and excellent guitar playing yet there is enough here to set this apart from his work with Dinosaur Jr.

It makes me very happy to see JM still putting out such great music after all these years and, along with 90s contemporaries such as Pavement, Sebadoh and The Posies, showing that good old fashioned indie rock is still relevant.

J Masskiss - Not Enough

Mmmhhhhh...

Sometimes I find a band, or even just a song, which changes everything for me. It’s been a while since I found such a band or song but here it is now. The He@d and The He@rt, emerging from the current Seattle folk explosion, are a truly special prospect. Comparisons may be drawn to their Sub Pop label mates Fleet Foxes, with their acoustic folk stylings, harmonised vocals, prominent percussion elements and great song writing. Their self titled debut was released a few months ago and all signs indicate that they are going to make big waves in the near future.

Check out the lead single from the album, as well as a radio performance of the same song, below.

The He@d and The He@rt - Down in the Valley

God bless Seattle and Sub Pop records for consistently bringing us such great music.