Indie is In!*6

Female Attack!!!

Deradoorian - Mind Raft EP (2009)

Angel Deradoorian is mostly known for her role in the Dirty Projectors, she’s made a few of her solo recordings available for download online. “I’m trying something new. Still using garageband. Sounds better in headphones. Bands I play in: Dirty Projectors, Secret Surprise and the Latter Day Saints, Inlets, Mature Women, Fleetwood Mac.”

Calm and relaxing, Angel Deradoorian’s newly released EP “Mind Draft” sets a mood where I feel like I’m dining in a Asian restaurant. The daughter of two highly skilled musicians, Deradoorian inherited a passion for music. She nearly died in her first minutes on Earth. If it were not for her father, who removed the umbilical cord that was strangling her, she wouldn’t be making music today. At the age of 22, Angel has made a daring decision to release her own music and pursue her passion. Her voice is mellow with some roughness to her tone. Her instrumental technique is impressive, but so quiet it’s overwhelmed by her voice. The tempo is slow for the majority of the songs but speeds up a little towards the end. It’s a soundtrack for a Zen garden. Her musical genre is considered Afro/Beat combined with Japanese classical music and it provides the listeners an earful of interesting rhythms. I would recommend this CD if you’re looking to relax in the comfort of your own home. Or to order out for sesame chicken. -Metro Spirit 'Augusta's Independent Voice'

Lovely..lovely..!!

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca (2009)

Brooklyn, NY based Dirty Projectors are set to release Bitte Orca, their 5th full-length album and first for Domino on June 8th 2009. The album was recorded in Portland, OR and Brooklyn, NY in 2008 and will be available on CD, LP & via digital download.

David Longstreth formed Dirty Projectors in 2002 and the group now consists of Angel Deradoorian, Amber Coffman, Brian Mcomber and David as principal members. Lead single Stillness Is The Move will precede the album on 18th May and will be available on 12" and digital, with b-sides and a remix by Lucky Dragons.

Dirty Projectors will also be introducing an expanded 6 member live lineup with the addition of bassist Nat Baldwin and vocalist Haley Dekle for a number of live dates. The band will perform at this year’s SXSW in Austin, Texas before flying to the UK for an Arts Council tour with Polar Bear.

WHOOHO!!

Elizabeth and The Catapult - Taller Children (2009)

Trends stagnate. Just as the mid- to late-'90s saw a resurgence and eventual glut of demonstrative female singer songwriters, or the way 1994 was the year of third-generation photocopy grunge bands (helloooo, Candlebox), the late ‘00s are dangerously close to an overstock of orchestral backed neo-divas. That's not to discount the entire archetype, but it does put the pressure on each additional entry in the race to bring something new to the table, to be exceptional or, better yet, do both.

With welcome relief, Elizabeth and the Catapult defy the temptation to fall into stock traps. "Momma's Boy" wastes no time doing just that, appearing to relish the opportunity to weave subtle traces of Magical Mystery Tour-era Beatles-style guitar and woozy Mellotron into flapper-friendly jazz. The title track brings the poise and incisiveness of Regina Spektor spiked with 1940s-style brass and fueled pop exuberance and, oddly, beats that could've come straight out of a Beck song. It's one of those combinations that has no right working but impresses by doing it anyway. "Right Next to You" is utterly seductive, enveloping you with its cool, loping guitar accompaniment and languid, grinning Sunday-morning pace. The highly capable Catapult are a true asset and an indispensable component of the album's success: They're equally adept at crafting pure modern alt-pop in "Race You" or at switching to effortlessly upbeat, concertina colored country rock in "Complimentary Me. "

Taller Children's more ornate, elaborate arrangements are wisely broken up by sparse, strong but sensitive Joni Mitchell-style jazz-folk ballads. Elizabeth Ziman drapes her heartbroken voice all over "Apathy" and its bed of gentle, finger-picked acoustic guitar. The effect is basic but vulnerable and massively affecting, full of the quiet soul of early Elton John at his least flamboyant. "Everybody Knows" adeptly keeps things concise and calm, while retaining a pleading vibe in what otherwise could have been an over-the-top, too-long centerpiece. Restraint is the keyword here. "Just in Time" is the kind of piano/vocal closer that less graceful and skilled artists would've turned bombastic; instead, Ziman plays it down, allowing the arresting, sorrowful grace in her voice to shine through. It's her voice that's the truest star of this show: While there's an unavoidable trace of Amy Winehouse-style belting, Ziman's phrasing is far more varied and jazzy. It's acrobatic yet never showy, and the ideal medium for melodies that cascade with the natural ease of a flame between campfire logs.

Taller Children delivers adventurously jazzed-up pop with no pretentious jazz-snob stuffiness or Norah Jones blandness. It inhabits a middle ground, yet is anything but middle-of-the-road. The album positively brims with restraint, class and honesty, all executed to a T. That precision and joyful professionalism, along with Elizabeth and the Catapult's willingness and ability to change things up, makes this record one of the best-kept secrets of 2009 to date. A | Mike Rengel (Source)

GOOD!!

Louisville-A Silent Effort In The Night (2009)

felicia atkinson is a multimedia artist who does sound, writing, drawing, and performances. she is involved in two other musical projects, one with sylvain chauveau and the other one, stretchandrelax (on nowaki records) with elise ladoue. she made performances in different places such as at la fondation cartier, paris, the knitting factory,new york or the sala rossa, montreal.

GOOD!!

Marie Fisker - Ghost of Love (2009)

Marie Fisker comes from Copenhagen, Denmark. Her lo-fi-vintage music is a blend of blues, country and rock. A bitter sweet almost David Lynch alike imaginary expression. Marie has kept instrumentation simple but very effective; everything's carefully slotted in its place to just punctuate and enhance her silky, sultry voice.

In 2004 she established a recording studio in the backyard of an old house in the center of Copenhagen. While writing songs she recorded and invited musicians to join her in the studio. As developing the musical sound, this will be a debut album produced by herself and the drummer Jakob Hoyer (The Raveonettes).

She played at Roskilde Festival '05. Performed in London at Barfly and The Social among others. She was awarded a price of honor as The New Upcoming Artist 2005 given by Carlsberg. As part of a saturday night program portraying the great legend Johnny Cash on DR2 danish national tv, she performed a song with Kira Skov. Kira Skov and Marie Fisker has also been touring denmark as a duo. Recorded "Coepenhagen" by SODS with Steen Jorgensen for Mads Nørgaard '07 fasion show. She made 2 songs for the shot-films "New Love" by Laurence Coriat and Lœrke Vindahl and "Vi Der Blev Tilbage" by Martin De Thurah.

Spending a lot of time in the studio lately mixing the drone of guitars, soft tambourines, sampled beats and stuff Marie Fisker's debut album will finally hit the streets in May 2009!

HMM!!

Niobe - Blackbird’s Echo (2009)

Niobe is the brainchild of Yvonne Cornelius, and her debut, Radioersatz, was a mysterious and surreal journey full of peculiar sounds, colourful arrangements and unusual vocals. In addition to producing this music, Cornelius also performs all of the vocal tracks. Her vocals are often filtered, sounding as if they were recorded using old or cheap microphones, and the words are often cryptic and defy easy interpretation, acting more as textures than as signs.

Her vocal style is built around “tongue sounds”; her voice wavers and quivers, contributing to an atmosphere of uneasy enchantment present throughout these songs. The instrumental arrangements, which open up in broad sweeps, are also inventive and unpredictable. Surprising sounds interrupt the flow of some unusual rhythms, synthesized, live or sampled instrumentation. From the rhythm of some very jolly bass bubbles in the first track to a mellow acoustic guitar loop in the closing number, Niobe takes you on a strange and dreamlike voyage with her unique and inventive sound.

Yvonne Cornelius was born in Frankfurt and has been living in Cologne since 1994. For over a decade she has developed a uniquely individual approach to electronic production, as well as a style of singing ranging from diva-esque acrobatics to comic excess. Concerts in Mexico City, at Berlin’s Volksbuehne or the Batofar in Paris have already exposed her to an international audience.

GOOD!!

Alondra Bentley - Ashfield Avenue (2009)

It was impossible for the music industry to overlook the prodigal voice of Alondra Bentley, even though the only thing known about her were a couple of demo tracks. After multiple record deal offers, Alondra finally decided to release her debut LP “Ashfield Avenue”, a reference to the street were she was born in England. This debut is marked by the emerging feelings of an exciting and emotive artist who uses all her resources to distinctively carve out 12 compositions (13 in the vinyl release) that speak directly to the listener. These songs are polished and made with the honesty and the care of a truly emotive artist and a voice that is a benchmark on its own. When someone titles their album in such a personal way, it’s because there is a lot of themselves in it, and that commitment can be seen in every second of every note and helps to show the light and shadow that accompanies us in our lives.

Drawing references and inspiration from a Parthenon of great female voices, she creates a masterpiece in “Ashfield Avenue”; full of sensibility, candour, mixed emotions, which moves through sweet and sour textures and important references: from Vashti Bunyan to Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone to Judy Garland, or Nick Drake and (allow us to make a male reference) Jolie Holland. Recorded in Puerto de Santamaria (Cadiz) at Paco Loco’s studio, guest artists participated in an intimate and delicate minimalism on an album thought in great detail: starting with Cesar Verdu producing and arrangements by Joserra Semperena (also arranger in La Buena Vida among others), and the participation of Xel Pereda , (Nacho Vegas, Lucas 15), Vicente Macia (Pigmy, Carrots) Xema Fuertes (Ciudadano, Maderita), Joaquin Pascual (Travolta, Mercromina, Surfin’ Bichos), Gary Olson (The Ladybug Transistor) , Isobel Knowles (Architectures in Helsinki), Muni Camon (Maddening Flames, Remate) or Fino Oyonarte and Cristina Plaza (Clovis).

But, what makes this album one of the best we’ve heard in a long time is that each song creates its own unique mood and is built on a subtlety and beauty that borders on ideal dreaminess.

To sum up, it’s an album full of “human” sound. One of those that make you feel alive and awake. It makes you burst into tears with a smile on your face. All this achieved, in spite of the limited resources, and with a great deal of inspiration. An exceptional voice, if there was ever one, Alondra Bentley has achieved that thing that is so elusive in music but that is fascinating when it appears: magic. (Source)

GOOD!!

Zee Avi - Zee Avi (2009)

Zee Avi is just 23 but she’s an old soul. A huge talent in a petite frame bringing a universal message from the unlikely birthplace of Borneo, an ancient island east of Malaysia which remains an untouched, natural paradise, an apt description of her songs.

How Avi came to record her debut album in L.A., the first joint release from Ian Montone’s Monotone Label and Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records, is a true 21st century tale of the way the Internet has transformed the music business and shrunk the globe in the process.

Born in the tiny town of Miri in Sarawak on the island of Borneo, Zee grew up near the South China Sea in a liberal, encouraging household where her father owned an energy consultancy. “I was bred to be a lawyer,” she says, but music was in her blood. Her father’s father sang and played double-bass, accordion, violin and guitar in bands.

At age 12, Zee moved from Borneo to Kuala Lumpur where she has been based since. At 17, Zee started locking herself in a room for hours on end to learn to play guitar. Guitar took a back seat for 4 years while she was studying fashion design in London. When she returned to Kuala Lumpur, she picked the instrument back up and began writing songs and performing with a band.

Malaysia SWEETT!!

Liechtenstein - Survival Strategies in a Modern Wolrd (2009)

Liechtenstein is a Swedish indie pop band from Göteborg. They are quite new on the indie music scene, as they will only release their very first album later this month, on the 26th. The band is a perfect trio: Naemi takes care of the bassline, Renée is the guitarist and Elin plays the drums; they describe themselves as “falling and stupid, young and laughing”, so it will certainly draw the attention of teens, but they will also capture the eye of those hipsters who still think they’re young and laughing, so basically the band took care of their target audience.

The album sounds great! They represent the genre quite well. It will definitely be successful among fans of other indie pop representatives like Belle & Sebastian or Headlights, but also among the fans of Saturday Looks Good to Me, the lead singers having almost identical voices. You will also find similarities to Electrelane, a couple of their songs having that electro sound, very close to the experimental indie sound of Electrelane. They have already released singles like “Roses in the Park” or “Stalking Skills”, which you can hear on their MySpace page, next to other tracks of their first album.

The band already confirmed their presence at the New York Popfest, where the band list is absolutely incredible. They will also have other concerts around the USA and of course, in their home town, in Sweeden. So unfortunately, the other European fans will have to wait to hear them live and a simple visit to their Mypace homepage will just have to do for now. Listen to their songs listed on their page, as it will surely get you to push the repeat button, over and over and over again. Enjoy! (Source)

Sweden YAYY!!

Pony Up - Stay Gold (2009)

Pony Up is an indie pop band from Montreal, Canada. They formed on New Year’s Eve 2002 and, upon developing a relationship with singer Ben Lee, released their debut, self-titled EP in 2005 on his Ten Fingers label.

Make Love to the Judges with Your Eyes is the first full-length from Pony Up, released in April 2006. To promote their debut, the band toured Australia extensively in the summer of 2006, where their single “The Truth About Cats and Dogs (Is That They Die)” would later be voted #47 on the world’s largest music poll, Triple J’s Hottest 100. A second full-length is in the works.

Pony Up has recently supported The Mountain Goats on tour. Lisa Smith and Laura Wills joined the touring lineup of The Dears in September 2008.

Montreal-based indie quartet Pony Up have announced the release of their sophomore album. Stay Gold will be self-released on May 30th. The record will be available for digital download and physical orders through the band's website.
Twee HMM!!

Leona Naess - Thirteens (2009)

Leona Naess was born in New York, grew up in London, returned to America, studied anthropology, got a record deal at 22, modelled for Calvin Klein and dated Ryan Adams, but the songwriter says she would rather shoot myself than listen to my own story. Following the sudden death in 2004 of her father, Leona disappeared for a while, cutting herself off from the music scene. Recently, over the past two or three years and while living in London, Naess began playing again, teaming up with friend and producer Sam Dixon for daily writing sessions at his home, and here and there with other musician friends. Thirteens brings together the best from this prolific time - astonishingly pure songs songs of mourning and realisation and muted joy. Sadness has rarely sounded so sublime, from the slow, beautiful drift of opener Ghosts In The Attic to the plaintive and confiding Heavy Like Sunday. The record holds happier moments too, reflecting Naesss unassailable mischievous side: the giddiness of Lipstick, the rollicking Unnamed, written drunkenly just before her fathers death, and the spirited, rabble-rousing single Leave Your Boyfriends Behind.). This is the UK retail and has 2 bonus tracks.

GOOD!!