Hot IQs

I woke up early yesterday morning and had no cigarettes. On my way out to the car I saw what must have been a 13 year old girl with bright red hair leaving the house of a 40-something guy that lives around the corner. She was completely messed up on cocaine or something similar and wiping her running nose. Her awkward shaking "hello" as we passed was disturbing. Sometimes the world is an ugly place but I hope she is sleeping it off somewhere safe now. That has absolutely nothing to do with the music besides the fact that the chorus of this song reminds me of that particular moment. This band is incredible and ready for mass distribution although it may not be what they want to hear. I wasn't sure whether or not to feature them since I was certain a sound like this would get constant radio play. They also have quite the music blog following but this was too good to pass up.













Hot IQs are what I would consider a fuzz-pop power trio and hail from the mountainous city of Denver, Colorado. I'm sure this is the first band I've featured from that town. I couldn't find a specific year they were formed but will make a big guess and say 2003?? Am I even close this time? They are former radio DJs that decided to take things to the next level and most people listening right now are probably glad they did. The Hot IQs website has info on the upcoming tour, music and a video for this song you HAVE to see and download. The band's MySpace page is good to hear more also. I haven't done it for a while so here is my ridiculous comparison. They sound like a cross between XTC and Naked Raygun... although it might just be me. To purchase the Hot IQs' music you will need to visit Morning After Records. My Monday is better already.





















MP3: Firecracker

La Musique Populaire (LMP)

The year was 1996 and I had just graduated from Ohio University. Sometimes I'd like to tuck myself safely away back in my trashy old $350 per month (utilities included) college apartment back in Athens, Ohio. Today's music is something I vaguely recall from that time period and maybe you remember it also? I found this on a really well done music blog and everything started coming back to me once the music began. Funny how that works ah? If you recently started checking out this blog and couldn't guess, Sunday is reserved for classic music that is usually at least 10 years old. I hope you enjoy this one and if you have suggestions for other classics give me a shout. Next week has yet to be decided, however, I have some shoegaze (not the band you are thinking) for ya if nothing else comes my way.














Ryan Bassler and Eric Haugen are the duo from Champaign, Illinois that started honing their odd musical skills together under the Lorenzo Music banner in 1992. Due to the threat of a lawsuit by some random voice-over person they needed to change the band name and La Musique Populaire (LMP) is what they came up with. This song kind of sounds like Ween and another artist from that time period I can't put my finger on. Today's feature is from the band's 1996 release Aunt Canada. You can still purchase much of LMP's older material on their very own PolyHoliday Records label. The song is also part of a compilation called Tiny Idols Volume 2 on Snowglobe Records. The release date is set for August 8, 2006 and there are plenty of lost indie bands from the mid 90's on it. Sadly, I can give you no further details on LMP and I can't even find a MySpace page for them. If anyone has additional information on this band please let us all know?














MP3: Beautiful Noise

My Brightest Diamond

The weekend is underway and it is supposed to rain all day. After listening to today's artist I started feeling the mood and am actually waiting in anticipation for the storms. My 8 year old daughter will be arriving around lunchtime and due to the weather will be bugging me to mess with the new laptop. Barbie.com it is! (uggg.) If vocal fitness and talent mean anything to you then today's feature will be right up your alley. Her voice is opera trained and absolutely beautiful. My stepfather is a bass baritone for the Columbus Light Opera so I have attempted to evolve an ear for such things. If you listen to the lyrics closely you will understand my storm reference. Nice music for a rainy Saturday.




















My Brightest Diamond is the music of Shara Worden. Originally from Michigan, she sang for the church choir and eventually during this write up I will quote the rest of her history directly from the official bio. She now lives in NYC and her new release Bring Me The Workhorse is set for release on August 22nd through her label Asthmatic Kitty. (that's 4 days after my birthday Michelle *hint hint*) If you go to the My Brightest Diamond website you can get news on her extensive upcoming tour and more. She also has a MySpace page with more songs to listen to. Oh yeah, l almost forgot the quote from her bio. Here ya go:

"Shara honed her musical prowess singing along to Whitney Houston music videos and Mariah Carey albums. When pop music wasn't enough, she enrolled in the music program at the University of North Texas, immersing herself in the songs of Purcell and Debussy. After college, she moved to New York City and fell in love with its cold winters and busy streets. She continued to study opera on the Upper West Side during the day, but at night she frequented downtown clubs such as Tonic, Knitting Factory, and The Living Room, catching performances by Antony & the Johnsons, Nina Nastasia, and Rebecca Moore. She began to spend less time sight-reading Mozart and more time de-tuning her Gibson electric guitar to play her own newly-written songs. Coaxed out of recital halls and onto the small stages of bars and clubs, Shara assembled a coterie of musicians to accompany her with bass and drums, music boxes, wine glasses, and wind chimes"














MP3: Something of an End

Apollo Up!

Last week turned out to be a "Shoegaze-fest" that ended in a blaze of glory and I've still got last Friday's song embedded on my own MySpace profile. In the same spirit, this week was destined to turn into an indie rock extravaganza. I will try to mix things up a bit more next week but for now we are shifting into guitar overdrive. These guys just plain rock. I am not about to explain what you can already hear so I will only mention that the Rocket From The Crypt recommendation on the bio I read is extremely accurate. There are a few people on my MySpace friends list from the Nashville area and several more we added to the group a while back. I hope at least some of those people have seen these guys live and can give some sort of account. I read that they are out-o-hand good on stage. What a good way to kick off the weekend!!















The city of Nashville, Tennessee leads many to think the obvious when it comes to music, but that deserves no additional mention here. Instead, those folks might want to re-think and listen. Apollo Up! has been around since 2002 and is a great power trio from an ever present and growing scene in that town. I plan to feature more from the area soon. They are signed to Theory 8 Records and have a new release in Chariots Of Fire which came out June 13th. There is plenty to do on the Apollo Up! website and if you would like to hear more (as always) check the band's MySpace page. There is a video waiting for you there. Oh!! I almost forgot. Apollo Up! is playing at Lemmon's in Saint Louis, Missouri tonight. If you are close you will want to scratch any post-happy hour plans and go to the show.













MP3: Walking The Plank

The Wombats

The weather is still unbearably humid here in Ohio and I've switched from proper ale to 1 part water / 1 part light domestic beer... Can you imagine my sacrifice? I promise not to bring up too much randomness while I start this writeup but I need to mention a festival that happened in the beginning of May of this year. The MIDI Music Festival has been held in Beijing, China since 1997. There have been a couple of years where it couldn't take place but here is a short youtube video clip from the event this year. The reason I mention this is because today's featured band was one of 18 foreign artists that were invited to (and played) the event. I try to keep this group as internationally flavored as possible and today is a good day in that respect. Oh, and did I mention that the band is really good also???











From the historic rock town of Liverpool, UK I present to you the power pop-punk trio known as The Wombats. Murph, Tord and Dan have been playing since 2004 and have some great 7' vinyl singles already under their belt. If you like this as much as I do, you might want to contact them directly on The Wombats MySpace page. There is also a really good video there. The latest single is available on KIDS and the band's EP will be available soon. You can also visit the Wombats Website for news and suchlike. Yep...this is another DIY outfit that are going places for sure.















MP3: Lost in the Post

The Secret Life of Sofia

The heat continues here in the Midwest and to top it off we are having thunderstorms that you would think might possibly take away some of the humidity... Not a chance. Yesterday's music was wonderfully understated and today is a variation on that same low-key indie rock theme. I recently read that Money Magazine is set to rate Columbus, Ohio the 8th best large city to inhabit in the US. I only mention this since the featured band performed here last month. They just need to play a better venue next time. There is also a funny picture below of the marquee when they performed in Bowling Green, Ohio (eeeek!!) that same week. Pleeease oh please let me be the TSLOS regional consultant the next time they pay a visit to our fine State?? That aside, this is a great band I have had on constant rotation for the past 24 hours. If you've been listening while reading this you will know what I mean. I think the influences are also similar to yesterday's band as well.












The Secret Life Of Sofia are an indie rock quartet from Brooklyn, New York. Although they list no formation date, I learned from the band bio that Kyle and Ian attended music composition school together in college while Eric and Steve played in several local bands for the better part of 7 years. They've just finished touring and have a limited edition EP CD (recorded at Bento Box Studios) that you might be able to get your hands on if you visit The Secret Life Of Sofia Website. There are 3 more equally good songs to hear on the band's MySpace page as well.
























MP3: Hospital Inside Me

Eye Was an Ion

The weather turned extremely hot and humid this weekend, and since I only have a window air conditioner in the bedroom I was stuck in there with the door shut for the entire time. My computer is in there so I spent a better part of my weekend online. After checking out ridiculous websites about dogs dressed as bees and an unfortunate Kentucky baby nursery (too funny) I decided to explore a couple of artists that had left comments on our MML MySpace page. Glad I did. As you can probably already hear, today's band is heavily influenced by the music of Lou Barlow and his well established outfit Sebadoh. For this type of undertaking they sound remarkably like themselves instead of what can sometimes come off as just another simple cover band. These guys do it up right and some of the other songs have quite a different sound that gave me a definite reason to feature them. This one just happend to be my favorite but I am also I'm diggin on the song names from the 1989 movie Slacker.















Eye Was an Ion is the duo of Mac Colasimone and Ryan Kitchen from a small town outside of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. From their bio I gathered that they have been making music for quite some time. They enlist the help of friends for the purpose of recording and live shows. Some of those folks might wind up permanant members eventually if they are not careful. The band is currently finishing up their debut CD as well as constructing a website so you will need to visit the Eye Was an Ion MySpace page to hear and learn more. If the planets are all aligned properly they will be performing next time I make my way through Windsor en route to see an upcoming Uncut show in Toronto. Many thanks to Mac & Ryan for letting me feature the music.

MP3: Happening Soon

Variac

One of the fun things about doing this group/blog thing is running into other folks that enjoy searching for new and different music. Recently, I met this really cool blogger gal (yes I said gal) Lizzy. She has this great website called Come Pick Me Up that I highly recommend you visit for new music. Featured there the other week was a band from Atlanta that I was immediately taken with. I can think of no better way to follow up one of the greatest bands of the past than to present you with a really good indie rock band from the present. The sound might be different but for some reason they still have that same dry tank local feel to their music. Give this one a chance to kick in and you will thank me.



























Variac is a 5 piece rock outfit from Atlanta, Georgia that has several variations of their bio on the band website. I was confused (and laughing) enough to go with the following quote from them:

"In fall 2002, indoor rowing champions Kris Sampson and James Pinkstone, in conjunction with Mens Health magazine, commissioned guitarist Ryan Pitchford to write for them a victory hymnal, to be broadcast throughout the many gymnasiums to which their rowing tournaments led. Moved to tears by the beauty and power of the piece, coach Tom Tjoflat emerged from retirement, not to once again train up-and-coming indoor rowers for victory, but to proudly play percussion to what he then called the beautiful music.

By late 2004, however, indoor rowing CD sales had plummeted, and its place in youth culture had begun to wane. At the recommendation of their record label, Pitchford and Tjoflat set out to seek a vocalist who truly understood the merit of, and discipline in, championship indoor rowing, and to once again connect with the youth-driven sales market. JT Hall, a longtime fan of Tjoflats coaching skills, was the obvious choice."

There you have it...Great bio ah? You might be surprised to find out that this band is unsigned at the moment!?!?! I can't see that going on much longer at all. They have an EP in the works and there should be some sort of demo out soon as well. Check out the Variac MySpace page for more info, tour dates and a really cool video. Thanks Liz... I owe ya one.













MP3: Fitted Phrase

The Replacements (The 'Mats)

The year was 1984 and I was an awkward freshman in High School. I used to jump on my moped and ride to the Ohio State University campus area whenever I had two cents in my pocket to look for new music at the crappy little record shops. The album pictured below was one of my purchases. I remember being so disappointed when I got home to find that it wasn't the full scale punk rock assault I had been guaranteed at the record shop. Times were changing and bands like The Replacements and Hüsker Dü were maturing into a sound that would gain more widespread appeal. In both cases it was done with great care so as not to lose the original message. It wasn't until around a year later that I put away my Black Flag records and finally gave this one a serious listen. These were great times and this song brings it all back for me. I hope it does for you as well.



The Replacements were a 4-piece from Minneapolis, Minnesota that started out in 1979 and are familiar to most of you. I'm not sure when or where but they gained the name "The 'Mats" from an insult where they were referred to as "The Placemats" when starting out. There was also always a buzz of competition between them and local so-called rivals Hüsker Dü. I heard a recent online interview with Bob Mould and he laughed at the question saying they all hung out at the same clubs and it was a ridiculous take on what was happening at the time. I could keep blathering on but will instead give you the fan websites to visit. They have plenty of info on the history of the band.

Color Me Impressed

The Skyway

There is also a fairly active MySpace group dedicated to The 'Mats you should check out if you get the chance. After 5 years on Twin Tone Records and several years on major labels The Replacements broke up in 1991. The subsequent solo work of Paul Westerberg pretty much sounds like an ongoing version of his song from the 1992 movie Singles. I honestly can't recommend anything he's done solo with good conscience. Chris Mars, however, had an incredible 1992 release (to me anyway) in Horseshoes & Hand Grenades and has some great art work also. I can't find that old cassette tape anywhere... grrrr. Happy Sunday!



MP3: I Will Dare (1984)

Russian Spy Camera

The past few days have been good here with some extra nice shoegaze bands but in the spirit of mixing things up a bit, I wanted to bring something highly energetic to the table. I've got a ton of stuff to do tomorrow and will only have to drink one Red Bull and click on the group to hear this for a kickstart to my day. This is a great song that lands somewhere between the stylings of several bands I like. I can't put my finger on any one comparison and I think that's a good thing. There was an interesting Dutch review of the band by Heet Stof that you should check out for sure.



















Russian Spy Camera is the duo of Ryan White and drummer Andy Turner (with the possibility of a third member soon.) They are based in Athens, Georgia and have a very recent release in You Are a Vulture. There are 3 more songs on the band's MySpace page and you can hear much more on the Russian Spy Camera website. They are listed as being on Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records and all you have to do to purchase the new release for $10.99 (that includes shipping) is visit their store. All songs that I heard are very good and catchy.













MP3: Curanderismo

The Brother Kite

Since the latter part of this week ended up being a complete shoegaze-fest here in the group, I figured the only thing I could do is end it with a big wall of guitars. A big bang if you will. There are so many bands out there that interpret this particular sound of the early 90's in so many different ways; I might have to come up with some sort of list of the good ones on my actual blog. I could use some help for sure and ask that you submit some ideas beyond what I've featured here. Btw, today's band is fantastic and will need be high on the list for sure. I'll need to get started on that straight away.



















The Brother Kite (yeah I am totally distracted by how good this is also) are an indie rock quintet (+ Apple iPod) from Providence, Rhode Island. The sound is familiar to most of you and done quite well. In June 2004, after developing for almost 3 years, they released an 8 song CD and today's feature just happened to be on it. Check The Brother Kite website for news and upcoming tour dates. You might also want to visit the band's label Claire Records on the web or on myspace. TBK also has the compulsory MySpace page with two more songs to download and all of the merchandise is available through Tone Vendor. I think I'm all 'linked out' for now but will also mention that the new CD Waiting For The Time To Be Right is coming out on September 12, 2006... How's this for Friday music ah??



















MP3: Simply Say My Name

Sleep Out

Ok, here is the deal. Recently I've been trying to spend more than one day featuring bands from the same city or area. It won't happen all of the time but if you see that I am featuring something from a location even remotely close to where another good artist is based please let me know. Deal? After nosing around a bit at one of the best music blogs there is, I found another great ORD band. Alan asked a couple of quick questions you should check out. Yep, we are staying in The Windy City for some more good music that I hope you enjoy.



















Not unlike yesterday's featured artists, Sleep Out are from Chicago, Illinois and are a five piece that you will be hearing more from in the near future. The debut album I Was Your Shroud is ready to be released tomorrow, July 14th. There is a subsequent release party involved at Schubas in their hometown tomorrow night also. If you go to the Sleep Out website there is some more info on the band. The new full-length album will be released through the their brand new label(s) March Records / Zero One Infinity. Also check out their MySpace page for more good music. I'm not even going to try to explain the sound you can already hear. This is just some good stuff to get your ears around.

MP3: Old Mare

STAR

One of the bands that inhabits my friends list sent out a bulletin the other day announcing a new song that was available for download on their profile. Like usual, I dropped what I was doing and jumped over to check it out. After the first 20 seconds or so I was ready to feature it. The song is only 2 minutes and 4 seconds so it's a good thing the music here is on a loop. They could have probably stretched it out to triple the length and not lost anyone's attention. The wall of sound created by the accomplished guitars of Scott Cortez combined with Shannon Roberts's self described "vocal terror" seal the deal for me. Lovin' the shoegaze here.















As mentioned above, Chicago, Illinois based STAR features the guitars of Scott Cortez. Scott also has another music project that dates back to the early 90's in Loveliescrushing. He's been putting out that textured and layered guitar sound for quite some. Shannon Roberts writes the lyrics and Theodore Beck rounds out the trio on percussion. Check out the STAR website for three more downloadable songs and also their MySpace page for another song. They have a blog there where you can find two videos also. They just finished recording their first two CDs and will be releasing them soon. More please!















MP3: Pure Gold Reason

Harry's Gym

There are 3 things that make this and the MySpace group worthwhile and of course you have to listen to my drivel on the subject. Most bloggers will agree with me I would hope. 1) Finding the music, which has been the goal here since last November. 2) Having people message us saying that they love and bought music from the artist we've featured. This was only happening a little in the beginning but since the blog started, it is happening daily. I'm not exaggerating at all. 3) The actual artists thanking us for posting them on here and on the ever-growing group. As is usually now the case, today's song is going to have some messages coming our way. This is some really driving pop music that needs to be heard.

Harry's Gym is the indie pop quartet from Oslo, Norway that used to be known as Dharma. They changed names and built the Harry's Gym Recording Studio all in the span of 6 months. They have a promo out now and you can go to the Harry's Gym website to download this as well as two other songs from it. These songs are great. You can also visit the band via their MySpace page and say hello. Below (between pictures) is a quote from the studio website that explains what they have to offer... It is run by drummer Bjarne Stensli and is very nice.



















"The studio is situated along Lo river, Oslo, a calm area about 25 min. walk from the city centre. With kitchen and hygiene facilities it stretches about 120 sqm. This is a small personal studio primarily consisting of one dry recording space and one ambient space. The studio can offer a great deal of live recording possibilities. The equipment is based on classical rock recordings in modern time, that means good pre-amps, sway compressors and last but not least, the microphones!!! Everything is transferred into pro-tools HD system. A tool that enables a world wide selection of processing possibilities."
























MP3: City Rats

The Floor is Made of Lava

I dropped Michelle off at the airport last night and have been down ever since. We sat at the airport bar and had some drinks before she left and then I got lost in the parking garage trying to find my precious little Mazda3 to take me home. I got back to find an empty flat with a couple of things she forgot and needed to pick myself up. What did I do? I started looking for music. I couldn't find anything that fit my mood so I went in the opposite direction. Sometimes you find the coolest things in strangely obvious places and that was my fortune after visiting 3hive for the first time in months.















I can tell you that The Floor Is Made Of Lava are 3 guys from Copenhagen, Denmark and have only been around since March of 2006. This might seem as ridiculous to you as it did me considering the big big sound that matches their big sense of humor. I'm hearing early 90s again here with Chicago bands like God & Texas and a tiny bit of Helmet in the vocals. There is no website for the band as far as I know, so you will want to jump onto the TFIMOL MySpace page to hear more music. The Compton song is great! I'm now going to attempt a cocktail Michelle made for me with Absinthe when she was here... wish me luck. I'm loving this band.

MP3: Do Your Sister

The Wonder Stuff

As usual, Sunday is reserved for digging out an old classic song rather than sharing any of our newer discoveries, and it's about time I featured one of my favourite bands in the world here. Besides, I'm going back home to London (don't remind me) today, so featuring a band I won't need to spend all day researching might be a good plan... and speaking of going home, we have Things To Do, so forgive me if this write-up isn't the best in the world, but it's going to be done straight off the top of my head in about two minutes flat. I was having a hard time deciding which song to go for, but Casey likes this one, so this one it is.














Formed in 1986 in Stourbridge, UK, out of the ashes of From Eden (the other founder members of which went on to form Pop Will Eat Itself), The Wonder Stuff started off as a four-piece consisting of singer/guitarist Miles Hunt, guitarist (and vocalist) Malc Treece, bassist Rob Jones ("The Bass Thing") and drummer Martin Gilks (recruited from The Mighty Lemon Drops). This song, Unbearable, was their first widely-available single release (following the self-released Wonderful Day EP), and came out on Polydor in September 1987; the version you're listening to is a slightly different version from the Eight Legged Groove Machine album which was released in August 1988.

The Wonder Stuff enjoyed considerable success on the UK (and to some extent, US & Australian) indie scene, known as they were for their raucous live performances and for Miles Hunt's big mouth. They split up in 1993 after 18 single releases (including 'Dizzy', recorded with British comedian Vic Reeves which reached number 1 in the UK charts in November 1991) and 4 full-length studio albums, playing their (supposedly) last-ever show headlining at the Phoenix Festival in Stratford-Upon-Avon. However, they reformed in 2000 for a string of Christmas reunion shows, playing to capacity crowds for five nights in a row at London's Forum as well as at JB's in Dudley, where the original line-up had played their first show more than 14 years earlier. More 'greatest hits' type shows were played over the next few years, but in 2004, the band returned with a new lineup (including the band's fourth bass player, Mark McCarthy (Rob Jones had left the band in 1990, and died in 1993) and drummer Andres Karu) and new material; the album Escape From Rubbish Island was released in September of that year on independent label irl. Since then they've been regaining popularity while touring the UK extensively, as well as notching up 35 dates across the US last spring. Their latest album, Suspended By Stars came out in March this year, coinciding nicely with the 20th anniversary of the band's inception.




















Anyway. Like I said, we have stuff to do... enjoy Sunday's chunk of bouncy indie-poppiness, and while you're at it check out their website, the very informative unofficial site Room 512 (where you'll find various audio and video downloads amongst other things) and the band's MySpace page where you can hear some of their new material. Oh, and if you get the chance to check the Stuffies out live at any point (they're playing several UK dates this summer and most likely have a US tour coming up in the near future too), they really are one of the best live bands you could wish to see.















MP3: Unbearable

Saturna

Since we were in Portland yesterday (music-wise, that is), I decided it would be best to stay there for another band that is completely different. I was searching around for other PDX bands and stumbled upon some great music that reminds me of the early 90s. This song actually made me think of everything from the obvious in Jesus & Mary Chain and Love & Rockets to early Urge Overkill and even KISS!! Well... I might be joking about KISS (kind of). Anyway, the dirty guitars are a wonderful listen and well worth a feature here.













It's not clear from the Saturna bio when they were actually formed but in a few other reviews I read, it was mentioned that they've been around for a few years. I'm not one to guess so I'll just tell you that today's song is from their debut six-song CD ...All Night. It is available from CD Baby for $7.99 USD and each of the three songs I heard has a slightly different sound. Some are more shoegazey while others (like this one) are straight-up indie rock. All three were really good. There is a MySpace page to hear more but downloading from there is always a pain in the ass, so I recommend a visit to the Saturna website for this and another song.

MP3: Just For Thrills

Talkdemonic

I was hitting up a few of the bigger blogs yesterday and found a great song on Gorilla vs. Bear that needed to be featured here. I've heard a few other instrumental songs by this particular duo that I liked but this one grabbed me. I'm not sure that I've ever posted a song with a banjo featured this clearly out in front. It's kind of nice... Really nice in fact. This song actually brings to mind something that late 80's Rounder Records artists The Horseflies would have done. Anyone remember them?













Talkdemonic is the duo of Kevin O'Connor and Lisa Molinaro from Portland, Oregon. They started making music together in 2002 and have since gone on to tour with several bands including Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and The National. They released an excellent cd, Beat Romantic on March 21st of this year through Arena Rock Recordings but the song featured here is NOT on it. Instead, it is part of a compilation put out by PDX Pop Now. Stop by the Talkdemonic website to hear some of their past material as well as a current song from the new CD. Also stop by their MySpace page to say hello but don't expect music there. It's just a normal profile and might even be a fan page. Not sure, but I think it is the band?













MP3: Ending the Orange Glow

Panda and Angel

Guess what?? It's officially Awkward Sentence Day here!! Since I have some other things I need to be doing I'll leave this as a first draft. It's a good thing the music is splendid.















I've got a really nice rock song to feature today so hopefully our hosting site (EZArchive) isn't screwing up in order for you to actually hear it. You might think this is another electronica feature from the first part of the song, but it then builds into wonderfully frenzied guitars throughout the song. Not really a shoegaze sound but still slightly reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine. Panda and Angel are a 5-piece rock band from Seattle, Washington. They formed in 2004 and have a self-titled CD EP coming out July 27th on their new record label Jade Tree. Lead Vocalist Carrie Murphy was in another band, Touchdown Eagle that sounds quite a bit like Salem 66, an 80s band I featured several months ago. The Panda and Angel website is currently under construction so you will need to visit their MySpace page to hear more. The other song there is Mexico and is a little bit different... but equally good.















MP3: Dangerous

Hello Saferide

I googled 4casey4 the other day and came up with much more than I had ever realized was out there. Yep... I drive a Mazda3, listen to Bob Mould and comment on foreign news articles and various music blogs. If you google "Casey Lowry" it comes up with a sub-category for me also (I am not a bull rider btw). Strange stuff, but nothing interesting enough for me not to post the availability of my complete online existence. We've probably all had stalkers at some point and today's song is a good representation of what must be floating through the minds of the bored, curious and obsessive. Add High School into the mix and you have a song that could be an anthem for the next big teenage television drama.















We need to go back to Stockholm, Sweden once again for this artist. Hello Saferide is the banner of lifelong musician Annika Norlin. If you go to her MySpace page you might find yourself there for quite some time. The songs are all as infectious as acoustic guitar based music can be and fantastically twee-ish. Then, of course, there is always the Hello Saferide website with news and more. On June 14, 2006 Hello Saferide released a new EP titled "Would you let me play this EP ten times a day" in Sweden. If you visit Razzia Records you can purchase past and present work... Also, check out Annika's bio to find out why I (too) found myself wishing I was a lesbian.
















MP3: High School Stalker

Larytta

Ok, how cool is this!!! Creaking doors sampled to perfection and twisted around in a sultry, creepy little package. One of the samples creates a sound almost exactly like a saxophone. After finding this song on Music For Robots, I have been playing it continuously for around a week and was going to skip putting it on the MySpace group, instead using it as my own profile music. I'm selfish like that, but then decided the decent thing to do would be to share this interesting music. This is also the first artist(s) I've featured from Switzerland.

Larytta is the duo of Lary Pec and Guy Meldem from Lausanne, Switzerland. They've been making experimental music since 2004. You can hear more of this at the Larytta MySpace page and I have to say that it really is worth the visit. The self-titled 12' EP is available on the band's label that is aptly named Creaked Records. There is no official band website beyond MySpace for now. This song also won the almost impossible approval of my 8 year old daughter. That definitely is no small feat.

MP3: The Money

Terrene

Back to normal business since I actually have to go into the office for a bit today... The summer is full on now and what better way to start off a holiday week than to feature a crisp, clean indie spacerock band that brings the season to your senses? I found this one while browsing the friends list of a favorite band on our combined MySpace friends list. It's one of the many ways I track down music. Good bands usually have good bands as friends, that's a given, but this one was really nice. If you go to the Terrene MySpace page you will find that all of the songs are about as radio-friendly as it gets. I picked this one because the energetic percussion brought me to the edge of my chair while listening. It's all good stuff.













Terrene is based in Seattle, Washington and has been around in its current form since 2003. John Dylan is behind it all after spending the late 90s writing music under a different banner. They released a full-length CD, The Indifferent Universe in 2004 but for some reason I couldn't find where to purchase it. The band is (amazingly enough) not signed to a label, so you might have to contact them directly. If you go to the Terrene website there are more songs and news. You can also pick up this nifty glow-in-the-dark t-shirt there.














MP3: Media Sift (Through Heart Rises)

King Missile

Yup. You've probably realised by now, if you didn't as soon as you heard the intro to this song, that we're segueing from one penis-related song straight into another. A theme weekend, if you will, but after yesterday's offering, He's Got a Penis on His Head, we couldn't resist following up with this one as this week's Sunday classic.


























New York City's King Missile has actually been around in various incarnations since 1986, led by the poet/singer John S. Hall. I'd never heard of them until 1993, though, when I was working in a record shop and the owner brought back boxloads of stuff from a buying trip to the US... he had loads of copies of a sampler CD called Spew 2 and let me have one (I have no idea what happened to that CD... it was a great compilation, I want it back!)... and this song was on it. My sixteen year-old self was highly amused: hee hee, he said 'penis'... and thinking about it, I've clearly not matured much since then, as Casey and I have sat sniggering at the lyrics all weekend.


















The song's taken from Happy Hour, King Missile's fifth album. These days they're known as King Missile III, their last release being 2004's Royal Lunch. A collection of John S. Hall's poems has been published, titled Jesus Was Way Cool. There's a King Missile MySpace page; I'd assumed it was a fan profile, but nope, it seems to be the real thing.

Anyway... no doubt most of you will know this one, but I'd pretty much forgotten about it so it's good to hear it again. We were all set to carry on with the theme, um... theme, next weekend, and were getting very excited about Gynaecology Weekend. Then we realised that nobody's actually written a song on that subject, to the best of our knowledge, so we had to shelve those plans. Although if any of you enterprising bands out there are up for the challenge, maybe we can work something out!

MP3: Detachable Penis

Surplus People

I've been in a goofy mood as of late and so when I stumbled across today's band on the Swedesplease blog I felt obligated to listen. If you check this blog regularly you know I have a penchant for frequently posting experimental electronica. This one might be more along the lines of experimental insanity and thats probably why I love it. The Nintendo Gameboy sounds and the megaphone vocals might be enough for me, but when I realized the subject matter for the song I instantly knew they were getting featured. Come on now... Who wouldn't want to hear a song about a guy with a penis on his head???













Surplus People is a female trio from Stockholm, Sweden. Front woman Magdalena not only uses a megaphone for vocals, but also represents the horn section for the band. They formed in 2001 and, up until recently, used a motorcycle club as a practice space. There are a couple more wild but good songs to download from their MySpace page. You can also visit the Surplus People website to buy the 2006 release, the 2004 release or both. Some of you can buy them through Cocohippo, but all of you can contact the band directly. There is even mention that you can send cash in an envelope!













MP3: He's Got a Penis on His Head

The Living Blue

A great way to start off the weekend is to have a solid indie rock band and that was just what I was looking for. After seeing numerous reviews on this band I was surprised I had never even heard of them. When a song is this straightforward the predictability factor gets thrown out the window. Sometimes a simple formula that relies heavily on energy rather than intricate soundscapes can turn quite a few heads as this band did mine. Simply put... these guys rock.













Although the vocals sound British at times, The Living Blue are an indie/garage rock quartet from Champaign, Illinois. They've been around since 1997 and used to be known as The Blackouts. The song featured today is from their latest full length release Fire, Blood, Water which came out in October 2005. It's available through the band's label Minty Fresh records. There is a nice Living Blue website to get a limited amount of info. I suggest going to their MySpace page to start off with. Some more great songs can be found there. Also, The Living Blue will be touring the US for the better part of the summer, so check the dates for your area.













MP3: Tell Me Leza

Catholic Gaydar

When I ran across this band the name had me laughing. With a name like Catholic Gaydar, I couldn't resist checking out their music. This is probably the shortest song I've featured at 2 minutes and 12 seconds but is really nice and catchy. They probably could have stretched it out to around the 4 minute mark without compromising anything. If you replaced the vocals on this song with those of Stephin Merritt it could easily double as just about any early Magnetic Fields track. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada is home to indie pop group Catholic Gaydar (I'm still laughing a bit). The band is primarily the music of Matt Packman who is also part of Sharp Like Knives.















I heard another one of their songs that sounded more along the lines of experimental folktronica (hate that word). They have a MySpace page to hear more but I couldn't find an official website for them. From what I read Catholic Gaydar's debut album is due to be released some time in 2006. If you can get past the name and pink man panties, the music is really good.















MP3: Don't Let Go

Bonus MP3: Cigarettes and Sleeplessness

More hosting site woes...

Sorry, everyone... yet again EZArchive is giving us grief: the whole site seems to be down this morning, which means that (as just about every song on here is hosted on EZArchive) most of our MP3 links aren't working right now.

So, apologies if you've been trying to listen to stuff and not getting anywhere, but please do keep checking back, because as soon as EZArchive sort out their latest glitch (which, fingers crossed, will be VERY shortly), the links will all magically start working again.

Not happy... there has to be something more reliable than this!

Avec A

If you like noisy rock that is heavily influenced by Sonic Youth you are really going to enjoy the music here today. We actually left the house in search of a few cocktails last night so the write up might be a bit more to the point than usual. Today's song is really good and one I knew was going to be featured here as soon as I heard it. Avec A is an indie rock trio that used to be named Avec Aisance. They are from Amsterdam, Netherlands and formed in 2002. The last album from Avec A titled Vivre Dans l'aisance was released at the very beginning of 2004. It is available through distributor Konkurrent.nl (Dutch language). If you visit the Avec A website, you can contact them directly via email to order it. Also on the website are quite a few songs and 3 videos to download. All of the other songs are this good and even more influenced by the early 90's era SY stuff!



















I read in a couple of the brief reviews I could find that the band makes some of the instruments they use to accent their songs. They are also currently working on new experimental material for a 2006 release. They have a MySpace page with not much info but more good songs to hear. I was jumping around the living room to this... unplugged bass in hand. My downstairs neighbors must love me.

Oh yeah, this is the album to look out for...



















MP3: In The Line of Judy

Bridges and Powerlines

I don't usually accept MySpace friends requests from random bands too often these days unless there is some sort of communication beforehand so when I received a request from this one, I was a little confused by the familiarity. I featured a band from New York City on the MySpace group in February that was probably one of my favorites so far. Sunspots had a song called Carmen and it was only a demo. You can hear that song on the MySpace page we created for this blog. Check that and tell me you are not appalled at this horrible case of plagiarism. Shocking to say the least!! We at Milk Milk Lemonade were simply disgusted, I can tell you.

Of course I'm joking.



























The band decided to change up names to avoid needless legal hassle since they are actually going somewhere and not sweating a minor detail unlike another band that previously trademarked the name. Pffft! Check out the new Bridges and Powerlines website to get more info and obviously their (new) MySpace page to hear more music. All songs are extremely good so there is no need to be reluctant when it comes to release time. Love it.













MP3: Carmen

Wild Honey

Sometimes the most rewarding part of this whole music searching thing is when I can find small bands in really great locations. After spending the entire weekend at the largest non-corporate music and arts festival in the United States (across the street from my apartment), I was definitely in the mood for some outdoor-friendly festival type sounds. I had to search no further than my own MySpace friends list to find the perfect music for the start of the week. We'll just need to go visit one of my favorite cities in the world for this one.















Athens, Greece is home to the exceptional quartet Wild Honey. Annita (Voice), Monsieur Poirot (Guitar, Voice), Paul Joe Alketas Clint> (Bass), Ottomo (Drums) have a crisp clean acoustic sound that deserves multiple listens. There is no official website that I am aware of but you might want to visit the Wild Honey MySpace page to download this and another equally mesmerizing song. If this doesn't make you smile... um.

MP3: 1000 Spaceships

Grr.... technology sucks

Okay, we have been having something of a love/hate relationship with EZArchive, the site (I just typed 'shite', which might be more accurate right about now) where the vast majority of the songs (as well as a lot of the pictures) on here are hosted. That means that for most of tonight, anyone trying to listen to or download any of the tracks on here will most likely have had no luck at all and encountered some nonsensical error message instead.

Sorry about that. Normal service will be resumed just as soon as EZArchive have ironed out whatever glitches they're suffering from right now, so if you've been having problems, please keep checking back. And while I'm on the subject... if anyone knows of any reasonably-priced and (most importantly) reliable hosting sites that don't suffer from downtime on a daily basis, we'd be more than delighted to hear about them.

We have a bloody excellent song to put up on here for today/tomorrow... watch (and listen to) this space.

Ride

I've probably used the term Shoegaze a bit too loosely in the past and need to clear up any confusion I created for people who are just begining to enjoy independent label music and want to know its origins. There are quite a few people here that will be able to correct me or at least add to my geeky thoughts.













The term shoegaze(ers/ing) was jokingly introduced in the UK by a journalist from the NME around 1989 or 1990. It was meant to poke fun at the apathetic and/or shy attitude towards live performance where the musicians made more eye contact with the floor (shoes) than the audience. The droning guitar sound borrowed heavily from US rock bands of the previous few years such as Dinosaur Jr. and Hüsker Dü. There was a dreamy pop spin adopted by some of the more mainstream UK bands to calm it all down and Ride would be a textbook example of the lighter side of the spectrum. I have to be honest and group them in with Teenage Fanclub or The Jesus and Mary Chain instead of attempting to compare them to MBV. I loved the 1990 release Nowhere and think I still have the original casette tape of it in my basement somewhere. I'll probably go search for it later this evening.













Ride were from Oxford, England and formed in 1988. Creation Records was their label and probably should have been the focal point of this writeup but it's too late now (I stopped home briefly from a festival to write this). The song featured is from the band's March 1991 EP Today Forever. There are plenty of sites dedicated to Ride but I recommend starting at the MySpace fan page to hear a few more songs. The Vapour Trail track is there and was really the only song to receive frequent air play here in the states. Frontman Mark Gardener has his own music on his MySpace page you should check and if you like what you are listening to, also visit rideOX4 and ticket2ride. Plenty of good info on both sites. Ride is a great part of the shoegaze phenomenon's beginings.













MP3: Today