Indie Music Universe

By Kristin Anderson

On my search for some quality indie to pay forward, I stumbled across a indie folk band that has helped to solidify the existence of some happy music. Thao With the Get Down Stay Down has succeeded in forcing our spoiled, overindulged, grumpy listeners to smile again. Remember smiling people, it's that thing you do when you're not all wrapped up in your own little tragic universe of perspective.

The band members consist of Thao Nguyen (guitar, vocals), Willis Thompson (drums, percussion), and Adam "The OK BIRD" Thompson (Bass, bird noises). Willis Thompson and Thao Nguyen met at a re-enactment in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, and then found Adam Thompson one summer at a Richmond delicatessen, gingerly slicing. They got in a van together and stopped every night in different places. Got out, played music (often for real live people) and then got back in and rambled to the next town.

Thao With the Get Down Stay Down recorded one album, drove around and flew to and fro, and then recorded another. Both albums document the musical collaboration of many friends and colleagues and the efforts of one Thao to understand human interaction at all, ever. Their latest Know Better Learn Faster was released on 10/13/09 and is making a serious impact on its impressive show line up of all the indie hot spots you could hope to visit. (check out the tour dates on  www.myspace.com/thaomusic )

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Popularity: 20% [?]

A big thank you to all those who voted in our first contest ever!  Well, the results are in and the winning design is design #3.

We randomly selected one grand prize winner and two runner ups from the group who voted for the third design.  Congratulations and a big round of applause to Tomika, the first place winner, and Frode and Simon — our two runner ups (go ahead, clap with us — and use your hands only).

Although this was our first contest, we plan on having many more in the future, with great prizes and exiting new music.  We plan on doing another one for Thanksgiving and also a couple of smaller giveaways in between.

So be sure to check out our Twitter site at http://twitter.com/indiemusicu to see the new design in action and to be informed of our upcoming giveaways.  If you missed this one, get yer tails on the next one!  Also, if you haven't already connected with us on Facebook (who's not on that site nowadays??), we'd love you as a fan.

Click here to connect with us on Facebook.

Lastly (then I'll shut up — for now), we are in the process of revamping the site.  We're gonna hit you with a lot of great new content, including exclusive interviews, event listings and guides, great editorials, more reviews, more exciting new music, and hot naked men and women.  Well, maybe not that last part, but you catch my drift.  We're going to be bigger and better (man I hate cliches, but I can't think of anything better this late).

One last thing…I know I know — last little blurb, I promise!  For all you indie musicians, bands, and artists, we have some exciting new opportunities coming up for you to be featured and exposed to a lot of hungry indie music fans (in a good way, of course — c'mon, I was seriously joking about the nudity comment above). 

Take care, and in the meantime, rock those faces off!!!

Popularity: 19% [?]

Attack the City was formed in the spring of 2008.  Sean met Sam, and wanted to start a band.  After a few lineup changes, the core of the band was created.  ATC is heavily influenced by electronic hard rock bands such as The Receiving End of Sirens, Saosin, and Underoath amongst others. Attack the City blends ambient electronic beats, catchy vocals, and driving rhythms with heavy guitar driven riffs.

In March 2009, ATC was picked up by Boston label District Kills Records, and recorded with producer Bryan Russell (Envy on the Coast, Straylight Run, The Academy Is…,). They released their debut EP titled Hostages on July 14, 2009.

Instrumentation:

Johnny Melanson:  Vocals

Sean Killary:  Guitar, sequencing

Sam Morgan: Guitar

Nick Grieco: Bass, Vocals

Rudy Olivares: Drums, Programming

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Popularity: 21% [?]

III by Espers

2009 release from the Neo-Psychedelic Folk trio. After what seems to be an interminably long gap and born into an inextricably changed world, Espers III walks among us, finally and finely. It’s not as if Espers completely disappeared following their acclaimed first and second albums and tours. They played the odd show here and there but with time and focus given to Meg Baird’s solo album Dear Companion, The Valerie Project project and Helena Espvall’s collaborations with Masaki Batoh and others, not to mention the launching and flight of Greg Weeks’ Language of Stone label, three years passed like a day or two in the life of Espers. Picking up the threads with ease, Espers III was intended to be an aural reversal of the layered sound of II.

The Real Feel by Spiral Stairs

After a five-year absence, Pavement guitarist and Preston School Of Industry mainman SPIRAL STAIRS (Scott Kannberg) returns with a heart-on-sleeve (but occasionally tongue-in-cheek) songcycle about his complicated personal life. Spiral maintains his trademark melodic whoops and Flying Nun guitar licks, but overlays a layer of melancholy and wisdom, as well as a touch of Peter Green blues. Alert listeners will also spot Richard Thompson, Captain Beefheart, and The Died Pretty. The album was recorded in Australia with a diverse crew of talented people, including members of the Posies, Gersey, Ian Moore and others. It was mixed in Seattle with Jon Auer (Posies , Big Star). Spiral is assembling a new touring band including former members of Preston School Of Industry and others, and will be performing the new album worldwide in 2009 and 2010.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Singer/songwriter Johnny Nicholson reflects a deep and diverse talent. Unafraid to venture into new territory, he’s lived in California, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Europe. Nicholson’s motley of adventurous explorations in geography is paralleled with his musical styles. He can play it all, from pop folk, to reggae, to smooth lullabies, to rock.

Grown in Geyserville, CA, Johnny picked up the violin at age five and the guitar at age seven, he has been writing, recording, and performing for the better part of his life.

"Ultimately, Nicholson is an artist you would take with you to celebrate, to ponder, and to live. While his sound is predominantly smooth and calming, Nicholson also produces music to match the many moods of life. Easy to relate to, the singer/songwriter seamlessly tells snippets of his autobiography…" (Lauren Proctor, Northeast Indie In Tune)

By January 2010, Johnny will have graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, where he has been studying, practicing his craft, and building Monkey Rock (TM) Presents/Records/Apparel. Johnny founded Monkey Rock in 2006. The organization has grown into a community comprised of artists and friends, from all over the world, who support each other by working, promoting, and performing as a group. May ‘08, Johnny released his first EP (available on iTunes), March ‘09, Johnny was selected to work in a songwriting workshop with Paul Simon, and June ‘09, Monkey Rock had a featured article in The Boston Globe. In January ‘10, Johnny will release a new record – with a video for each song, produced by different independent animators/film-producers.

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Popularity: 23% [?]

Swim (To Reach the End),” off their forthcoming debut, Astro Coast, is pure left coast– from the echoing Brian Wilson harmonies to the Weezer-esque power pop chorus.” - Pitchfork

“You’ll be hearing more from this band for sure.” - Spin

“Surfer Blood make accomplished, hook-filled indie rock with clever arrangements and great harmonies, as performed by four guys who can actually, you know, play.” – BrooklynVegan

On January 19, 2010 Surfer Blood will release Astro Coast, their debut album, on Kanine Records. Surfer Blood will be playing a string of shows in NY during CMJ, and is scheduled to tour with Art Brut and Japandroids in November.

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Popularity: 14% [?]

Greetings, my fellow indie music lovers!

We are pleased to announce our very first contest at Indie Music Universe — the Halloween Twitter Background Contest.  We’ve got a great prize to give away, so listen up…

We need your help in choosing the best Holloween themed background design for our Twitter page at http://twitter.com/indiemusicu.  We have four great designs that were created by our talented staff of artists. 

Here’s how the contest will work.  Check out the four links below.  Each link will bring you to a page that displays a model of a Halloween Twittter background.  After you take a look at each one, fill out the form right under the links.  Leave your first name, email address, and write which design you like best in the comments box (i.e. design 1, design 2, design 3 or design 4).  Be sure to choose only one.

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Popularity: 14% [?]

"May be the most promising female voice to smack the indie rock world in years" – indyweek.com

Ume (pronounced ooo-may) has built a reputation as one of indie rock’s most electrifying live bands.  With their new critically acclaimed and self-released Sunshower EP and recent breakout performances at SXSW, NXNE, and Fun Fun Fun Fest, Ume has launched into the international spotlight DIY style.  Ume is set to tour with the legendary Meat Puppets and Dead Confederate in September and then record their highly anticipated full-length.

Behind Ume’s explosive music is an unassuming trio. Guitarist/vocalist Lauren says (in her southern drawl) that show after show she meets people who don’t think she could possibly have played in punk rock bands for over a decade. She has even had audience members ask if the guitar parts were pre-recorded, because "nobody could play guitar like that, wail, and flail around so much on stage." Sorry folks, this pint-sized shredder is the real deal. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 14% [?]

Dead Man’s Bones by Dead Man’s Bones

Dead Man’s Bones began recording, and quickly decided that the songs needed the special creepiness and longing of massed children s voices to complete the sound L.A. s Silverlake Conservatory Childrens Choir was brought in to the studio, and Dead Man s Bones, the album, was born. Some of their songs reflect the music they listened to a little bit of doo-wop, and artists such as the Shangri-Las, The Shags, Company Flow, Sam Cooke, James Brown, Bobby Vinton, Joy Division, The Andrew Sisters and Daniel Johnston, to name a few. In addition, the artistic aesthetic of old Universal horror films, vaudeville music-hall numbers, and silent-screen melodramas infest the music.

In & Out of Control by Raveonettes

According to the Raveonettes Sune Rose Wagner, it is incredibly hard being in a Danish rock n roll band cause of this damn thing we have called Jante Loven (Jante Law), which basically tells Danes not to feel superior to any other man, woman, child or beast. This translates into everyone being very scared of thinking highly of themselves and in the music world means that you’re no better than this band or that band.

The Raveonettes have always hated repeating themselves, and so they set the bar really high for In And Out Of Control. It’s a strange mixture of modern and old, dark and happy. It’s about rape, violence, lost love, suicide, not caring about what other people think of you and most importantly being mad and angelic! Jante Loven doesn’t mean anything to the Raveonettes cause they know they made a better album than anybody else out there!

Goat (Deluxe Remastered Reissue) [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] by Jesus Lizard

Re-mastered in 2009 by Steve Albini and Bob Weston. Vinyl packaged in deluxe gatefold album jacket with 12" x 24" double sided color insert including never before seen photos & extensive liner notes by the band & by journalists who were there. Vinyl also includes a digital download coupon for the LP, plus 5 bonus tracks not included on the LP itself. HQ-120 virgin vinyl pressing made at RTI. CD in deluxe Digipak with 14" x 20" double sided color folder including never before seen photos & extensive liner notes by the band & by journalists who were there. CD also includes 4 bonus tracks.  Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 13% [?]

Damiano Rossetti is the singer, songwriter, guitarist and spiritual leader of Opera Glasses, an Italian quartet carrying an obsession for darkwave music in general and The Cure in particular.

Enchanted with the juxtaposition of melancholic lyrics and peppy, pop arrangements, Opera Glasses tries to create a similar vibe in their music. Opera Glasses’ debut album, Wearing Masks, finds the band creating their own brand of magically upbeat musical pathos.

Influences include The Cure and friends…not only that….but a certain kind of sufferance, traceable in the nostalgic world of dark 80’s new wave; a sort of “quiet desperation”, emerges between the lines. Songs that span the space between marked deep tones, and more soothing solutions through songs with a recognizable pop new wave structure, more often melancholic, and held together by dreamy lyrics which go beyond the damned and romantic, to dark and melancholic. Songs are written by Damiano Rossetti the group voice and guitar, as well as the OPERA GLASSES’s founder.

Donning the same heavy-hearted musical spirit of bands like The Cure and Morrissey, The  OPERA GLASSES brings a contemporary feel to 80’s emo-rock, creating original yet familiar sounding musical compositions that pay tribute nicely to the genre. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 15% [?]