There are certain albums that resonates with listeners during a specific or important times in their lives, and Yellow Ostrich’s Strange Land is mine. This “stuff” between graduation and starting life has taken its toll on me, and Yellow Ostrich has been my go-to album for a few weeks now. With anthem-like songs dominating the first half of the album, “Elephant King” and “Marathon Runner” are two incredibly breathtaking songs at the core—with fuzzy guitars and a hint of garage rock, the lyrics make it beautiful; “I am a marathon runner, my legs are sore, and I’m anxious to see, what am I running for?” What perfect lyrics for an inbetweener, a person searching for reason in life, and I think Yellow Ostrich is seeking the same thing. While listening to their debut album, The Mistress, you could hear the naivety and innocence of the album—very raw and still searching for a sound. However, within the whole sophomore album, there is reason, there is a connection that they found. They matured into great musical craftsmen, creating hauntingly abrupt indie rock songs—with horns included. And while their lead singer may not have a classically “good” voice (much like Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes fame, yet we still gobble up every morsel of music he releases), and that shows that the indie world is more interested in how music is presented rather than if it’s “pretty”—hence the escape of auto tune that has plagued Top 40 radio. Yellow Ostrich has all the qualities of a great indie band, they are raucous but in a controlled way. They have come so far since their first album, and Strange Land is a testament to their dedication and ability to grow within the band to create an album that is meaningful with a little bit of fun added. While this album focuses on the first person a lot, it makes the album much more relatable, suggesting that the listeners have the same emotions that Alex Schaaf has—bringing the idea that we are all humans and we all experience the same things. I may be thinking too much into the album, but it’s one I’ve listened to many times, and each time I observe a new facet of it.
Indie rock has sort of been quiet recently, an influx of indie rap and neo-soul music have sort of dominated the genre for a few months, and thus, ever so refreshing comes Father John Misty. Ex-drummer of Fleet Foxes, and solo artist J. Tillman, Father John Mistry may be his most interesting project yet. Absolutely breathtaking, the opening of the album is quiet but refined–you know where the album is going to continue just from the first few notes and it’s exciting. I’ve been waiting for my “summer album”–that one album that defines the next couple of months and this is surely it.A lot of indie music albums have a good few songs and it is rare that one comes along where I put every single song into my “Favorites” playlist–and Father John Misty made it. From “Nancy From Now On” to his single “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings”, he is much like Neutral Milk Hotel in his lyrics relating to death and life. Sort of creepy, sort of haunting and definitely ethereal , this album has taken my heart and soul. Everything is perfected from the transitions between songs to the melodies to the lyrics. Nothing has been shorted, and he has shown where indie music can and should go. While some songs may be more upbeat than others, they flow into each other and it allows the whole album to be listenable and not choppy. Tillman knows his strengths and he plays to them well, he opens up his music a little more than his solo work or Fleet Foxes and experiments with different tempos and rhythms and just for this experiment, his work is extremely commendable. If you can’t tell by now, I’m madly in love with this album, I can find no faults in it and while indie music seems to be headed into an unknowing directions–at least Father John Misty can still create that type of music I fell in love with and have been for many years.
As a young girl, ZZ Ward listened to an eclectic array of music spanning from Etta James to hip-hop, and while sometimes that can create conflict in making music—she uses it to her complete advantage. Full of soul and sensual beats, the Eleven Roses mix tape offers everything to its listeners. With a voice like Adele or Amy Winehouse, Ward channels those alt-country vocal roots and uses them against R&B beats that produces an EP that just gets down and dirty. She is first and foremost a singer, and doesn’t allow the beat to beat her, instead she flows into them but with a fierce domination that many R&B female singers lack. Music like that always sounds harsh like that, but perhaps because she is a great singer, she treats the music as music and allows the melody to flow through without it being the main focus of the album. In fact, you could completely forget the melody is playing behind her because her voice and the tones set the motion for the whole mix tape and that is what is important. She has such passion in her voice that everything is believable and while you hear that “dirty” hip-hop mouth, it’s done with conviction and not for the sake of just saying it. ZZ Ward is going to be an up and coming artist, mark my words, already touring like crazy, she has two EP’s out—the Eleven Roses is free on her website, and her Criminal EP is out on iTunes. Definitely check her out if you are interested in great female singers who can create fresh and inspiring music
Better Off Dead-ZZ Ward
Damn. Venturing around in my iTunes since my “startup disc” is full (aka I have too much music), I went down to my Z’s and am so glad I put this on. Damn. This is full of funky, dirty beats with a neo-soul singer belting her damn heart out. It’s good to listen to music that goes against the fads. However, she’s like a dirty, flirty, soul version of Lana Del Rey. I also think I fell in love with her. She has a new EP out that I’m excited to check out. You can download the mixtape for free at her website.
Now, I don’t proclaim to know that much about punk music, but I do know when I enjoy it, and garage punk rockers, Bad Sports is the perfect music for running around during the summer. Since I just graduated from college, I was looking for some music that I could just fully rock out to that would make me forget that I have to be an adult now. From Denton, Texas this trio understands the art of punk music—quick, short head banging songs bring this short album to a mere 31 minutes. However, it’s the essence of punk, isn’t it? The Ramones and The Clash barely have songs lasting longer than 2-3 minutes, but each song Kings Of the Weekend is full of great musicality and catchy tunes that could easily go against an indie song that lasts 3-4 minutes. Playing at SXSW in 2011, Bad Sports is rising to the occasion; and while Pitchfork called their music, “bubblegum-punk”, it is more the fact that these punk songs are actually musical instead of guitars thrashing about that makes it even more listenable. There are thousands of punk bands that don’t have the lyrical and melodic aspects to the music, and while some may like that, it’s completely unlistenable to me. Bad Sports takes the essence of punk music and turns it sideways and makes it enjoyable. Garage punk has formed its own class in the indie world, bands like Black Lips, The Hives, and The Strokes have made the genre popular again, and Bad Sports can most definitely hold their own within that genre. This review is short and sweet, much like Bad Sports’ album.
Bad Sports-Kings of the Weekend
An acid trip in the 70′s, that’s what I liken to listening to Deep Sea Arcade. While I’ve never taken the drug, they appear to have the same effects listening to their music, very dreamy yet with hard rock music qualities, this band is like the current Zombies. Somewhat in a daze, “Girls” is a high energy trip in itself, let’s just say if they were to make a music video to this song, I expect weird geometric shapes to float across the screen. But, these guys have talent, the guitar is so intricate that even on a first listen you are forced to hear the density and depth of the instrument, and what comes next is the dreamy, hazy higher voice of the lead singer that transports the music onto a whole other level. It’s a blend of music that shouldn’t work, but somehow these Aussie’s have captured the sun-filled afternoons on the beach and put it into a indie rock album.Opening for bands like Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Modest Mouse, this band is gaining attention, and for a good reason: they are eclectic and electric. Hand claps, 70′s guitar riffs, rhythmic drumming, this band takes the sound of Best Coast and blends it with Wye Oaks’ and it creates a higher energy, badass record. The album as a whole is a great debut record, while it will be interesting to see how they develop as a band, for now they have a great thing going. They have entered an indie scene that worships the likes of 60′s and 70′s musicians, and can appreciate the sound that Deep Sea Arcade has created. With eerie vocals and fuzzy melodies, Deep Sea Arcade should start making a splash in the States very soon
Remember that awful band, Owl City? How that song, “Fireflies” was played incessantly on Top 40 radio? Well here is a band that takes the same sound as Owl City, but The Candle Thieves actually contain talent and an indie pop energy that can’t be beat.While vibrant piano melodies swarm this album from beginning to end, the almost childlike sound is motivational and forces the listener to keep listening, to hear what the message is. The first song has no lyrics, but is somewhat of an overwhelming anthem to start the whole experience. “Flowers for Peggy” is one of those songs you could have sworn you’ve heard in countless romantic movie montages, and while it’s not sappy, it’s an upbeat tune that could easily be stuck in your head forever. Scott McEwan and The Glock have created an album that should have dated back to the 60′s and 70′s with bands like The Mamas and the Papas,The Hollies , and Katrina and the Waves. Full of perfectly poppy melodies, the sound is whole and with what sounds like a full horns section, everything is truly groovy. While the album takes a slower and less energetic turn in the middle and end,the creativity does not slack. Gorgeous laments and odes to love and the world pushes this album forward into a direction not expected. Still the pianos make themselves evident, almost as if they wrote the songs around the amazing piano melodies they created. While the album picks up near the end, it’s not the same as the beginning, it’s matured, it’s become something else completely. That’s the beauty of this album, what starts out as somewhat superficial becomes more than just a throwaway record, it becomes a listenable album, one that can be listened to over and over. And in those continued listens, a new sound or new meaning will appear each time, and that is certainly the perfect characteristic of this album.
Folk music is a fickle genre, and what people consider indie folk is a genre used far too liberally, but when one stumbles upon a true indie folk band, love can happen. Young Believers, a band full of Americana roots, banjos and lyrics relating to nature–a band that truly understands the reality of folk music, a band from York, England. It always shocks me that Europeans understand folk music better than Americans nowadays, but this five piece band is the epitome. Easily relatable to the likes of Bob Dylan, singer William Sharpe has the folk voice perfected, hushed yet powerful, raspy but clear. But even in their song “Man vs. Nature”, hints of The Smiths and Morrissey appear, and with political aspects with a hint of folk punk allows the song to become its own indie folk song. In the background, the music sounds almost like a blend of dirty southern Americana with a 70′s classic rock vibe that gives Young Believers an edge. As folk music tends to sound repetitive, this band immediately changes it up with their more quieted and hushed single, “Fear Walks With You”. A chilling song with lyrics such as “the dancing girl moves like the sea, she’s bathed in different destinies, calmly whispers in your ear that madness chances you”. Poetic and seemingly out of a E.M. Forster novel, Young Believers are not just an indie folk band, they have created a beautiful sense of fear and tragic moments that is put channeled through music which allows listeners to relate. And isn’t that the true nature of what folk music is supposed to be? Emotional and powerful with soft undertones of gorgeous melodies, and with a twist of that English rock. Young Believers are picking up steam, already opening for bands like Slow Club, Mystery Jets and Sons & Daughters, it is easily believable that this band will continue to produce perfectly crafted indie folk rock music.
