Shepizzle

No, indie music is very much alive. I’m just in between ISP’s right now and I don’t have an internet connection at home. I’ll be on fiber optic lines soon, so beware- posts will be coming your way at the speed of light!

Here are some killer tunes to tide you over:

• Bon Iver - Skinny Love
• Corwin Trails - Icicle
• Criteria - Me On Your Front Porch

Another gem from the submissions page has landed in the form of some really nice relaxing music. Maybe it’s that summer is upon us and I’m really digging the evening air with the Wallscenery’s demo tracks wafting in with it. Their music is relaxed and chill. They kind of remind me of plus or minus.

Plus look at the fantastic job they did of submitting their band!

01 wallscenery holler128.mp3 (2 MB)

The wallscenery demos is a guitar driven project that dabbles in spaced-out soundtracks as well as indie folk pop. Formed by James Hicken (x the little pilgrims, x battery point), The 1st WSD record was released independently in march 2008. The record is self produced, designed, recorded, manufactured, and floats from beginning to end.

More music after the bump-> Read the rest of this entry »

This post was submitted by james hicken.

Tango Alpha Tango is the brainchild of Nathan Trueb, formerly of the long-time Portland band, The Carolines. Tango Alpha Tango released their debut record in Feb. 2008 and has recently been added into rotation on 94.7 NRK in Portland, a great feat, due to the unbelievable amount of great music to choose from in this burgeoning music scene.

• Tango Alpha Tango on MySpace
• Outgo Records

These guys submitted this info through the new submissions page and I felt that it was definitely worth passing along to the rest of you. What do you think? I think that they have a unique sound… vocals are clean, tracks are mixed well, and the music is right up ol’ Shepizzle’s alley.

• Tango Alpha Tango - I Have Stopped Thinking About You.mp3
• Tango Alpha Tango - What You Wanted To Hear.mp3

Thanks for the submission and for letting me pass on some tunes!

This post was submitted by Patrick.

Menomena has been around for a few years and have a couple of solid albums under their belt. I have been a fan for a long time and I know that I say this a lot, but if you haven’t given these guys a chance you really need to. They are pure gold!

Menomena has a style all their own. You can see it in their album art, hear it in their music, see it on their website and in their music videos. They have a great mix of sound that is aided by some pretty cool looping software. Most of their music is kind of out there on the fringes but has just enough pop in it to be catchy and memorable. I love to listen to Menomena while I’m doing something that occupies the majority of my attention… there’s just something about the music that stimulates my brain.

Favorite songs include the entire Friend and Foe album and “E. Is Stable” from I AM the FUN BLAME MONSTER!

• Menomena - Muscle’N Flo
• Menomena - Wet and Rusting
• Menomena - My My

If you’re feeling daring and you don’t already have a headache, check out the band’s website:

• Menomena.com

Here’s “Rotten Hell” from Friend and Foe:

I have to apologize for the lag in writing reviews, I have had a few life-changing events occur over the past few weeks:

1. I changed positions at my day job and my personal time has suffered quite a bit.
2. I got a Wii and then got Guitar Hero III… enough said.

I have been listening to some great stuff and I’m a little bit backed up on submissions (keep them coming!). If you haven’t listened to The Glow, Pt. 2 by The Microphones from start to finish then you just haven’t lived! Here’s a bit to whet your whistle but I really do recommend listening to the album as a whole as opposed to single tracks.

• The Microphones - The Glow, Pt. 2.mp3
• The Microphones - I Felt Your Shape.mp3

These guys are not newest and freshest up-and-coming Indie music, but this album is one of those landmark albums that any aficionado of the Indie sound will appreciate.

I’m going to break the Shepizzle mold just a bit an post some Indie covers that I have stumbled upon recently. Some of these songs are originally by an Indie artist, others are songs covered by Indie bands, either way they are worth a listen.

• Slowbear The Great - Banquet.mp3 (Bloc Party Cover)
• John Mayer - Kid A.mp3 (Radiohead Cover)
• Lismore - 1979.mp3 (Smashing Pumpkins Cover)
• Josh Ritter - Blame It On The Tetons.mp3 (Modest Mouse Cover)

  Enjoy!

R.F. Maston sent me an email a while back, asked me to check out his stuff and then sent me an album. Now first of all, that’s just about as Indie as an artist can get and the personal touch of an email tells me that this guy is pretty down to earth. I’ve had The Future on repeat since I got it. Something about the vibe I get from his mellowed-out indie folk reminds me of the Juno soundtrack, but I find R.F. Maston’s music more lasting and more interesting.

The Future is R.F. Maston’s debut album and I’m hoping that he’ll tour to support his release. I would love to see how he pulls off a live show because he plays all of the instruments on the album himself. I guess some people are just disgustingly talented like that.

Have a listen, I think you’ll enjoy!

• Two Eyes.mp3
• The Future.mp3

If you like R.F. Maston, try: Andrew Bird, M. Ward, Cold War Kids. Also, pick up a copy of The Future here.

Here’s a little teaser video with an piano version of “The Future”

The Trapper Schoepp (pronounced “Shep”) Band on Shepizzle.com… it just has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? I suppose it’s only fitting that I share this indie folk rockin’ band from Wisconsin’s music with you.

These guys have nailed an indie folk sound that is genuine and fun. The vocals are good and the melodies are fun and mostly upbeat. Others have compared the Trapper Schoepp Band’s sound to that of Wilco, but I don’t know if I would go that far…

Have a listen:

• Running Away From The Day.m4a
• As Long As You’re Feelin’ Alright.m4a

I wasn’t even going to mention that these kids are still in high school, lest your prejudice stand in the way of you enjoying the music, but now that you have had a listen, it makes them that much more impressive, don’t you think?

• Trapper Schoepp Band on MySpace

Check it!