I know it’s been a while, but I’ve been listening to a metric fuck ton of music that has done nothing to inspire a post. Over the past couple of days, though, I’ve reinvested in my music library, and I come bearing for you Architecture in Helsinki.
Architecture in Helsinki is an Australia-based indie pop group who has been around since about 2003. Their music is upbeat, and (for me, at least) makes you want to dance like you’re in the 80s again. If you don’t know what that means, just let American Apparel throw up on you, add some shoulder pads, and make your hair AWESOME. Then dance like a spastic white person (me).
“Contact High” is from their 2011 release Moment Bends. Out of all of their albums, this is by far my favorite. If you enjoy 80s-inspired indie pop, you’ll love this entire album, so I suggest you go and get it.
Because I am obsessed with apples and good music, this song is pretty much made for me. If you follow me, it’s now made for you, too. Alamo Race Track is an Amsterdam-based band that’s been around since about 2001, and besides the fact that their music is great, they also have a member who plays the upright bass. Any band who can successfully fit in an upright bass is a winner in my book. “Apples” is from their 2011 release Unicorn Loves Deer (what’s not to love about that album title, hipsters?), and this guy says you should invest in their album if you love this song: 
Contrary to what her stage name implies, Marina and the Diamonds is not a band, but instead a lone singer. If you can get over the betrayal of her name, though, you’ll be treated to a great voice paired with a magical synth-pop/new wave sound that managed to make me spontaneously (and surprisingly) laugh out loud when it popped up on my shuffle. Basically, if you enjoy synth-pop and/or new wave (or just indie pop in general), you’ll enjoy Marina and the Diamonds.
“I Am Not A Robot” is from her 2010 debut The Family Jewels, and she’s set to release a new full-length album in 2012, so keep an eye out for it.
The Cinema is the newest project of Leighton Antelman, a member of the band Lydia (great band, by the way), and producer Matt Malpass. Despite the fact that this project is so new, these two talented men have produced a tiny goldmine full of wonderful music. Seriously, just listen to the tracks on their tumblr page if you think I’m lying. Their sound is full and rich, and a few of their songs kind of remind me of M83, only way, way better (For you hipsters who feel like snarking at me for not liking M83, go chain-smoke your emotions. I know I will).
While they classify themselves as indie rock/alternative, there’s also a bit of dream pop in their music, which makes it so much better than your run-of-the-mill guitar-driven indie rock because it adds a nuanced layer of sound that has kept them on repeat for me pretty much all day. Of course, Leighton Antelman’s vocals aren’t half bad, either. If you enjoy “Picasso”, from their debut album My Blood is Full of Airplanes, and you want the rest of their album, it’s available at your local iTunes store.
Today, I bring you Pegasus Bridge, a band that broke up not too long ago (this song is a little too appropriate, given that fact). I wish they’d stayed together, seeing as their music is absolutely fantastic. Like any other dysfunctional, irreparable family, though, we’ll just have to deal with their “irreconcilable differences” and enjoy the indie rock memories they left behind.
Pegasus Bridge first started to make waves in 2009 when they released their single “Yoko”, from their debut double-A side single Yoko/Paris. “Yoko” is a super catchy, upbeat song that makes you want more and more from Pegasus Bridge, despite the fact that you know you’re never going to get it. If you like this song, though, check them out on iTunes and sample their one-and-only full length album While We’re Young (you might even wind up buying it).
I’ve been away for a few days, but I swear it’s not because I’m lazy. I just downloaded several hundred new songs from about as many artists and I’ve been running through them nonstop (no, really) for the past three days trying to find one really worth posting, and I finally did! It’s good stuff, guys.
Generationals is an indie rock duo (I would go so far as to say “dynamic”) from New Orleans formed in 2008 by Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer, the co-founders of The Eames Era, a fairly popular indie band back in the earlier 00’s that broke up at some point before the immediate present. Generationals has a sound that just makes you want to get up and dance, and “Ten Twenty Ten” from their 2011 album Actor-Caster will make you do just that. Even if you’re wasting away in some drab cubicle, you’ll be shaking your ass in your ergonomic seat.
That said, play the song, dance like you know you want to, and let this make your day better for 3 minutes, no matter what kind of day you’re having.
Brisa Roché is an American singer/songwriter who is currently living in France. Her music is both English and French, and is influenced by jazz, the entire fucking indie movement (maybe not the rap/hip-hop parts), rock, and I’m sure other genres that are glaring oversights on my part. Jazz is technically what her debut album is classified under, but seeing as she qualifies her latest album as garage disco, it’s safe to say that jazz is only part of what seasons her music.
“Mystery Man”, from her 2005 album The Chase, for instance, has some jazz influence in it, but there’s also that wonderful multi-instrumental indie sound, and then there’s the fact that in parts of this song I can clearly see some bleach blonde with too-pert tits (they can be too pert, guys, I promise) and a poodle skirt dancing with some over-gelled cardboard cutout at the Sadie-Hawkins dance. Not that that last part has anything to do with what her music sounds like; really, I just feel like if I have to have the image in my head, then so do you.
Anyway, if you enjoy this song, you’ll enjoy the other tracks on this album, as well as on her other tracks. She’s definitely an artist who likes to vary her sound, and for me with the ADD, that’s pretty much awesome.
Cults is another one of those college buddy bands that just so happens to be the kind of group you thank the music gods for. Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion (yes, Oblivion) met at NYU and created this wonderful indie/noise-pop band that works on so many levels. Follin’s voice is light and charismatic, and Oblivion’s not half bad himself, although he’s more in the instrumentals than the vocals (not complaining, here).
Since their most popular song is “Oh My God” from their recent debut album Cults, I’m posting “Go Outside” from the same album (they only have the one, after all) to give you more variation. Also, this is my way of telling you to go outside. It’s most likely a beautiful day where you are.
It’s taken forever to get a song posted today, not because I haven’t had the time, but because I couldn’t decide which song by Laura Stevenson and the Cans to post. They’re all so equally awesome that I had to run through everything first to make sure I wasn’t gypping this post (and you listeners) out of something epic.
“The Healthy One” is from her latest album Sit Resist, and it will give you a great taste of just what you’re getting into when you dive into Laura Stevenson’s music; a solid dose of indie rock, mixed with a generous pinch of folk. If it sits well in your ears, be sure to look into her other work. You’ll love it just as much (and maybe a little more).
E-603 is a mashup artist who deals primarily in rap and hip-hop. His style is pretty consistent, and his music is good if you’re a big fan of rap and hip-hop; however, while he incorporates instrumentals from other genres, he doesn’t really venture much outside of that zone, lyrically speaking. The song I’ve uploaded today is one of my favorites by E-603 called “Let it Bump” from his album Torn Up, and just in case you like to listen to music at work with no headphones, it’s NSFW. That said, listen away.
