Recent Posts
Dawes’ “Stories Don’t End” Review
I first found about Dawes from Chicago’s 93XRT radio station. They played their song “Time Spent in Los Angeles” off their sophomore album Nothing is Wrong. I enjoyed what I heard so much I decided to check out the rest of the album. I instantly found one of my new favorite rock/folk bands.
Last Tuesday (April 9th), Dawes’ third album Stories Don’t End was released in the U.S. I had anxiously been waiting for the new album for a little over a month now. The new single “From a Window Seat” grew on me, and all the excerpts from the album’s other songs had me even more excited.
I’ve listened to Stories Don’t End almost exclusively and non-stop for the past five days, and it has reaffirmed to me Dawes is one of the best kept secrets in rock today. More…
What A Gift: Recapping My First SoFar Sounds Experience
My gift is my song and … this one’s for you.
~Elton John, “Your Song”
What a gift musicians give us.
As I sat in a cozy Deep Ellum living-room-turned-secret-concert-venue yesterday, taking in the sights and sublime sounds of my first ever SoFar Sounds show, that simple thought kept ebbing into and flowing out of my mind.
What a gift musicians give us indeed, especially those of us who are not musicians but wish we were.
I wish I could be the patriarch of a music family – like Seth from Home by Hovercraft or Dennis from Yells at Eels. I wish I could lead friends in playing songs I’d written – like Michael from My Wooden Leg or Jacob Metcalf. I wish. I really do.
But I can watch musicians produce their sonic gifts with not one iota of jealousy. Just awe.
As I tweeted yesterday, sometime during the midst of what was one of the most splendid musical experiences I’ve ever had: I am absolutely blown away by what I am experiencing right now.
Indeed I was. And I’d like to share with you my impressions of each of the wonderful musical acts that performed yesterday.
PAPA: A Band You Need to Know About
It’s been awhile since I’ve written anything here at Indie Christmas. I apologize for that. It’s not that I haven’t been listening to some good music–I have. But when it comes to recommending music, (or books and movies) I feel like my reputation is on the line, so I wait till I find a band I really really like and am confident most of you will too.
I’ve found that band.
Meet PAPA. A band from California that has become my most recent musical obsession. More…
Band of Horses Release New Album Release Date, New Song
Indie folk/country band, Band of Horses, has released the title, release date, and first single (Knock Knock) off their new album Mirage Rock. Mirage Rock is the band’s follow up to their Grammy nominated Infinite Arms and will be released September 18th.
Pre-orders are availble through iTunes and Amazon. If you pre-order it off of iTunes you get the single Knock Knock instantly and am exclusive track entitled Ego Nightmare.
Take a Listen to Andy Hull’s New Song “When I Met Death”
Frontman of Manchester Orchestra, Andy Hull, has a new solo album that was released today. Rolling Stone is letting you listen and download the track “When I Met Death” for free.
It’s a magnification song. I’ve had it on repeat for the last 30 minutes, so I thought I’d share it with you all.
Hull has also released some Midwest and East Coast dates. Enjoy! More…
Two Gallants Announces New Album “The Bloom and the Blight”
Indie rock/folk duo from San Francisco, Two Gallants, announced today their new album titled “The Bloom and the Blight” will be released on September 4th on ATO Records.
This is the band’s first record on ATO records, and their first full album release in five years. More…
Father John Misty’s Terrific New Album ‘Fear Fun’
I have spent much of the last 72 hours listening to Father John Misty‘s new album Fear Fun. It is outstanding.
(Father John Misty is the name of Josh Tillman’s new solo outfit; Tillman is the former drummer of Fleet Foxes.)
I heard “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings” on Indie Rock Cafe a few weeks ago, and I liked it well enough, but it didn’t blow me away.
However, once I got tickets to see Father John Misty play here in Dallas – show is tonight at Sons of Hermann Hall – I figured I better delve into the entire record and get myself prepared.
I sure am glad I did, because it is filled with outstanding songs.
Indie Christmas in the Spring 2012 Playlist
The time has come for a new playlist.
There are few blog posts I prepare and write that give me more pure enjoyment than when I have a new playlist to publish. And this playlist – Indie Christmas in the Spring 2012 – will be the first one that is officially published first here at IndieChristmas.com.
(To see previous playlists, which were all published first over at MSF, click here. To learn the background behind “Indie Christmas,” click here.)
Now onto the list, which you an conveniently play right here in your browser simply by clicking on the buttons next to the song names.
“Guttersnipe” and “Crime of Passion” by Bhi Bhiman
I’m quite glad that HearYa.com has entered my normal rotation of sites to find great new music. I just posted about The Glory Fires, and now I’m back with another terrific artist: Bhi Bhiman.
He recently did a live session with Hear Ya, which has now served as my introduction to his acoustic guitar and vocal greatness.
“Righteous, Ragged Songs” by Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires
Over at HearYa.com today, Woody blogged about a new band he found – Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires. They are a rock/blues/country band that definitely sounds like Alabama, as Woody describes. Not the band Alabama, the state.
Here’s my favorite song so far, called “Righteous, Ragged Songs.”
“How Do I Know” by Here We Go Magic
I love it when the first song a new IRC Best New Releases playlist is badass. It usually portends good things for the rest of the playlist.
The latest such playlist by IRC kicked off with “How Do I Know” by Here We Go Magic, and it’s a terrific little slice of tasty indie goodness. Listen and enjoy:
MP3: “How Do I Know” by Here We Go Magic
And it has an interesting video to go along with it:
“Someone Purer” by Mystery Jets
As the week ends, I thought I’d share with you the song that has gotten the most rotation on my iPad and iTunes this week.
It’s “Someone Purer” by Mystery Jets. It’s guaranteed to put a hop in your step.
“Spore” by Ramona Falls
There are two new Best New Releases posts up over at Indie Rock Cafe, so you should spend some time over there, just as I will be.
I’m not even passed the second artist yet on the first post, and I already have a song to share: the terrific “Spore” by Portland-based Ramona Falls.
“Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons
Here is a very intense song, for those of you who like intense songs.
It’s called “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons. The video below is actually a promo video for The Secret World. The visuals seem pretty appropriate for the song.
“Bodies” by Savoir Adore…Where Have I Heard That Before?
My new music friend, whose recommendations you will start seeing more and more and this site I’m fairly certain, sent me the lyric to this song the other day, and I then posted it. As soon as I started listening to it, I knew I recognized the tune from somewhere.
See if it sounds familiar to you too. The song is “Bodies” by Savoir Adore.
Other recent featured songs:
- “Fighting Kind” by Ainslee Wills
- “Merrymake It With Me” by The Republic Tigers – Song and Lyrics
- “Bodies” by Savoir Adore
- “Down The Road” by C2C
- “Ho, Hey” by the The Lumineers
- “Solid Gold” by AU
- Of Monsters and Men Concert Review – Park West Chicago, IL
- Listen to Of Monsters and Men’s Debut Album “My Head is an Animal.”
- “Dust Bowl Dance” by Mumford & Sons
- “The Right One” by The Phenomenal Handclap Band
