Posts Tagged ‘indie pop’

Review: What Laura Says – Thinks and Feels

What Laura Says - Thinks and FeelsWhat Laura Says
Thinks and Feels
Terpsikshore Records, 2008

What Laura Says opens their second release with a collection, of sorts, of musical styles: “Couldn’t Lose Myself If I Tried” opens with a gentle folk-inflected tune before it transitions (with a door knock, of all things) into an a capella medley, then making a segue into a Ben Folds Five-style piano-romp, complete with the group’s trademark vocal harmonies.

Thankfully, What Laura Says doesn’t keep up this strange method for long, opting to not make such bold breaks in style mid-song but still keeping the music convincingly engaging. “Fashionably Moral,” dark Western mood and all, bursts with acoustic energy midway through the song before settling down again, and the following track, “Illustrated Manual” marks another appearance of some nice piano-based pop — it’s clear that What Laura Says either get bored with a single style of music rather quickly, or they simply wish to showcase a bit of diversity in the music.

What Laura Says – “July 23” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/july23.mp3]

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Review: Parenthetical Girls – Entanglements

Parenthetical Girls - EntanglementsParenthetical Girls
Entanglements
Tomlab, 2008

Parenthetical Girls – “A Song For Ellie Greenwich” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/a-song-for-ellie-greenwich.mp3]

From the first seconds of Parenthetical Girls’ third release, it’s clear that Entanglements isn’t going to be one of those albums that starts with a track that doesn’t fit the rest of the record. The over-the-top, theatrical approach taken with “Four Words” marks the band’s theatrical approach as they provide an endearing twist on indie pop. (more…)

Video: Noah and the Whale – “5 Years Time”

Noah and the WhaleNoah and the Whale, a nice little indie pop group from London, are releasing their latest, Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down, on Cherry Tree Records on September 16th; to promote it, they’ve released a video for “5 Years Time,” which I’ve embedded below. The track’s cute, happy, the works — in it’s own way, it fields a certain twee feel. I’m not complaining. Watch the video after the jump, or watch it on imeem.

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Review: Stereolab – Chemical Chords

Stereolab - Chemical ChordsStereolab
Chemical Chords
4AD August 18, 2008

Stereolab’s made enough of a name for themselves by now that most releases will hit the radar of an assortment of music fans, especially those finding themselves attracted to the indie pop sound this bold outfit is known for producing so elegantly.

Stereolab – “Three Women” | download | preview at Beggars Group USA
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/stereolab_threewomen.mp3]

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Released This Week: The Telepathic Butterflies – Breakfast in Suburbia

The Telepathic ButterfliesThe Telepathic Butterflies
Breakfast in Suburbia
Rainbow Quartz, 2008

The Telepathic Butterflies – “Telescope” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/telescope.mp3]

One thing is made clear from the opening track of Breakfast in Suburbia: The Telepathic Butterflies (what a name!) are rooted in a 1960s pop aesthetic, their apparent influences a combination of the usual suspects: The Beach Boys and The Beatles, most notably, with a nice dose of surf rock playing out in the guitar tones. There’s enough of a psychedelic inflection in the music produced by the duo that citing Barrett-era Pink Floyd wouldn’t be completely off the mark, either.

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Review: Aviary Ghost – Memory is a Hallway

Aviary Ghost - Memory is a HallwayAviary Ghost
Memory is a Hallway
Self-released, 2008
Aviary Ghost – “Somewhere Else” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/2008/08/aviaryghost-somewhereelse.mp3]

There are times that self-releasing an album can be the best option for a band, especially given the many instances of hot-air blowing by music industry personnel — and it’s not just major labels that have been known to play the game in miscreant ways. Sometimes, though, artists just don’t want to deal with the hassle of marketing their release, preferring to just put the music out for public consumption.

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Spotlight: Team Genius

Team Genius / Courtesy of Fanatic PromotionAh, gentle-but-active pop music — Team Genius, who released the Hooray EP on Feb. 26, are the perpetrators of some fairly simple music, but that doesn’t mean they don’t create something addicting, too. Of course, this much is likely obvious: Much music, historically, has been simplistic, and some of it has been successful. Big surprise. Still, Team Genius provides an interesting perspective on the matter, with their irreverent indie pop taking on a variety of historical styles without much concern for public opinion. That’s where the band’s strength is, I’d argue, but given I have heard relatively little of their music, I can’t honestly make a quality assertion in one direction or another. At any rate, they’re worth writing about if just for the chance to include their over-the-top, quirky photograph. It’s a bit creepy, really.

Team Genius – “Sing Song” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/teamgenius-singsong.mp3]

Team Genius – “I’m Just An Idiot” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/teamgenius-imjustanidiot.mp3]

Spotlight: Plastic Operator

Plastic Operator / Courtesy of Fine Day RecordsPlastic Operator are an electronic indie pop duo out of the U.K. made up of Mathieu Gendreau and Pieter Van Dessel. Their music is a refreshing change from the typical guitar-drums-bass combination that has dominated the music scene for so long. The beats are thumping and the vocal melodies entrancing throughout their entire debut album, Different Places, which was released on May 14th, 2007 in Europe. They focus mainly on upbeat and catchy songs with an ’80s synth feel, but show their diversity in the song Another Sound, which features a riff ridden guitar solo. In the end, Plastic Operator is one of those bands that’s just fun and enjoyable to listen to. You can check out more of their music and a new video for the song, “Home 0207,” at their myspace page, http://www.myspace.com/plasticoperator.

Plastic Operator — “Peppermint” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/02-peppermint.mp3]

Plastic Operator — “Another Sound” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/08-another-sound.mp3]