Like Bells Chimes In

It only seems appropriate that the second I go on a tirade about post-rock, along comes yet another band that fits into that category that's actually quite good.

Introducing, Like Bells. Predominantly instrumental, this trio of Oberlin College / Conservatory students don't shy away from a catchy melody and songs of pop-song length...utilizing their instruments to their fullest (violin /viola, guitar, drums, cpu) to create songs and arrangements that are both beautifully complex and accessible.

Sounding something like the Dirty Three meets Godspeed and maybe even Do Make Say think, their songs are melodic and pretty damn good. Their album hasn't come out yet, but you can check out a couple of songs from it.

Download: Atlas
Download: Yeti

Submarines/Morning Benders Tour Give Stuff Away

The holiday season might be over, but don't let that mid-winter blues settle in just yet… The Submarines (the Iphone band) and The Morning Benders have one more present for you...In conjunction with their upcoming North American tour (kicking off on Today), The Morning Benders covered a track by The Submarines…and The Submarines returned the favor by covering a Benders song; and they're giving them both away to you for free!

Here are the dates of the tour...
Jan 29 2009 The Loft at UCSD La Jolla, California
Jan 30 2009 Detroit Bar Costa Mesa, California
Feb 1 2009 Club CongressTucson, Arizona
Feb 3 2009 Stubb’s BBQ Austin, Texas
Feb 4 2009 The Pontiac Garage Dallas, Texas
Feb 7 2009 Local 506 Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Feb 8 2009 Black Cat Backstage D.C., Washington DC
Feb 9 2009 Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 10 2009 Mercury Lounge New York, New York
Feb 11 2009 The Bell House Brooklyn, New York
Feb 13 2009 Middle East Boston, Massachusetts
Feb 14 2009 Il Motore Montreal, Quebec
Feb 15 2009 The Drake Hotel Toronto, Ontario
Feb 17 2009 Schuba’s Tavern Chicago, Illinois
Feb 18 2009 Triple Rock Social Club Minneapolis, Minnesota
Feb 20 2009 Hi-Dive Denver, Colorado
Feb 21 2009 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, Utah
Feb 23 2009 The Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, British Columbia
Feb 24 2009 Chop Suey Seattle, Washington
Feb 25 2009 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, Oregon
Feb 27 2009 SLIM’S (Noise Pop 2009) San Francisco, California
Feb 28 2009 Troubadour Los Angeles, California

Download: Tour Single (Zip File)

The Georgia Armada Has Been Unleashed

I'm not the biggest fan of post-rock. For the most part, I think alot of it is just muso wank. Mogwai can go fall in a ditch as far as I'm concerned. There's a reason why bands are post rock...because they couldn't write a proper pop song if their life depended on it.

In addition to being the most pretentious musos on the planets, I can't stand most post rock because these guys that go by the names Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, David Sylvian, Bill Nelson etc etc have already been there and done that and did it ten times better. That being said, there are exceptions. Every once and a while some instrumental band will come along and actually create beautiful music that doesn't call for vocals. A. Armada are one of those bands. Their album Anam Cara is a massively epic wide screen sort of record with guitar riffs that go on for miles and miles and then for a few more miles. It's spacey shoegazey stuff that kills. This is a band that truly needs no vocalist to tell a tale, their melodic cascading waves of noise do that for them. Yeah, ok I like them.

So, if you think of post rock the same way I do then you can think of A. Armada as the post rock band it's ok to like.

Download: The Moon Shifts The Sea The Sea Shapes The Shore The Shore Shakes The Sand The Sand Sinks The Ship

Quick...Venice Is Sinking!

Venice is Sinking plays orchestral pop, that's lush, rather expansive, and absolutely adorable. Founded in Athens, GA in 2003, this five-piece outfit eschews facile categorization. Its sound is familiar but hard to pin down, rooted in cinematic arrangements, subtle genre tweaks, and clear, ringing harmonies. The band’s 2006 debut LP, Sorry About The Flowers, gained national attention for the crystalline male/female vocals of singers Daniel Lawson and Karolyn Troupe and for Troupe’s deft layering of her instrument of choice, the viola, which makes few appearances in rock history.

The new album, AZAR, finds Venice is Sinking widening its palette and deepening its focus, tackling the idea of location’s ability to influence our lives. Growing musically since the band’s debut, the group, challenged by engineer Scott Solter (Mountain Goats, John Vanderslice, Pattern is Movement), shed some of their past influences and started from scratch. As a result, AZAR is a dynamic work of beauty and ambition: the songs are meticulous, vertical creations, tackling tiny, specific moments and exploding them outward. It's a beautiful effort and when that viola chimes in it's pop heaven. Orchestrated chamber pop hasn't sounded this good in a long time.

Download: Ryan's Song

Dead Heart Bloom Return!

Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Boris Skalsky formed New York City-based Dead Heart Bloom in 2005. The band has garnered a sturdy fan base since then, receiving comparisons to the "eclectic eccentricity of Beck" and the "dramatics of Bowie" from the rock criterati. Reviewers have also named Mark Kozelek, Jeff Buckley and even "Pet Sounds"-era Beach Boys as comparisons.

Earlier in 2008, the band released the first and second of their three EP series, Fall In and Oh Mercy. Dead Heart Bloom now returns with In Chains, continuing the stylistic experimentation of the series but exploring a softer dimension. In Chains is wrapped in reverberated vocal lines, poignant acoustic phrases, and laid back drum shuffles. The EP is a fitting end to the series: lyrically and musically wistful, settling in a sigh of resignation.

The lead track is a great hazy, foggy tune that's sweeps in like a breeze and carries you away to another time and another place. It's like the best Simon and Garfunkel song you've never heard and will haunt your soul with its dusty swept drums and pedal steel guitars. See for yourself...

Download: Flash In a Bottle

You can check out the other EP's at the Dead Heart Bloom website.

This is Indie Rawk.

What is it about living in Chapel Hill? Is it something in the water? It seems that if you live there you sort of instinctively have the ability to RAWK. Alabama transplants, Western Civ seem to be no different. In their short time in the capital of all things indie this band has started to sound like it belongs on Merge and hanging out with Polvo and Superchunk while watching UNC basketball games.

I guess you could say that Western Civ is yet another band that's been beamed from the 90's to 21st century indie world. Listening to their album, Shower The People You Love With Gold you would find it difficult to believe that this band doesn't have textbooks filled with notes on how to make noisy, obnoxious rock and roll from the library of Steve Albini.

Making their album even more appealing is the fact that it was recorded with the assistance of one Mitch Easter. This of course means the thing is going to sound unbelievable and up the RAWK quotient even more. That being said, Shower The People You Love With Gold comes out on February 24th and should be worthy of some attention.

Download: Capitol Steps
Download: I Am A Waterfall

Time For A Happy Fun Party

Anybody out there remember the early 90's when bands like Material Issue ruled the world? When Urge Overkill was singing about Sister Havana (my ex-lived across the street from where they filmed the video). I do...and apparently Middle States do as well.

Here's this band in the tail end of the first decade of the 21st century and they sound so much like every band from 1992 I had to make sure I wasn't still doing my radio show at UM. Think of Middle States as a comfort food if you happen to remember the golden age of Indie.

Anyway, songwriter, singer and guitarist Wes Morden enjoyed mild acclaim as a sideman with a variety of Minneapolis acts (that sort of explains the bands sound), as well as peculiar notoriety as a busker of ‘50s Rock and Roll music. The desire to front his own band led him to enlist guitarist Ben Glaros (an accomplished solo performer in his own right) to form the Middle States. Without backing or promotion, the Middle States released their EP Great Portland Street in 2004. Wes and Ben re-grouped, made several line-up changes, and slowly assembled what would become Happy Fun Party. Yes, the title is ironic and only took them five years to put together. But what's five years when you've been beamed in from the early 90's?

Download: No Curse, No Drunk, No Fight
Download: Thought Control