The ground hog seems to have definitely gotten
things right – winter continues with a vengeance for those who are accustomed
to such weather or not (looking at you Southeast!) Why not use the time indoors to check out new
bands like Temples, Big Data and Jamestown Revival, along with new releases
from Fanfarlo, Cut Copy, Gardens & Villa, Bombay Bicycle Club and
more. As always, the playlist ends in a
chill out mode thanks to tracks from Caspian and Hammock.
Link to listen here, enjoy!
1. "Free Your Mind" – Cut Copy
Australian synth pop quartet Cut Copy has released its fourth album since 2001, with songs promoting the concept of individual freedom. “Free Your Mind” is the title track and single for the collection, using swirling layers to connect the power of positivity embedded in this dance tune.
2. "Colony Glen" – Gardens & Villa
Santa Barbara indie rock quintet Gardens & Villa is back with a sophomore album, Dunes. Working with DFA producer, Tim Goldsworthy, the song “Colony Glen” relies on a solid synth backbone for a more extroverted sound.
3. “Shelter Song” – Temples
English pysch rock band Temples was formed in 2012 by singer-guitarist James Edward Bagshaw and bassist Thomas Edison Warmsley. The “Shelter Song” shows this new group’s taste for heavy reverb with a tuneful take on songwriting.
4. "Dangerous" – Big Data
Big Data is an electronic pop duo (Daniel Armbruster and Alan Wilkis) that uses music as a message to rail against user privacy and other perils of the internet age. “Dangerous” is a solid pop single from the debut EP, I.O. – EP.
5. “Landlocked” – Fanfarlo
London based indie pop quintet Fanfarlo released its third album since 2006, Let’s Go Extinct. With influences of folk, indie rock and post-punk, the song “Landlocked” highlights Swedish musician Simon Balthazar’s warm baritone over a busy mix of electronic and acoustic instruments.
6. "Tourniquet" – Jeremy Messersmith
Messersmith is a prolific singer/songwriter based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With an unusual analogy for a love song, “Tourniquet” is a quirky but catchy tune off Murmurs, his fifth album since
2006.
7. "Shake" – The Head and the Heart
Seattle indie folk rock band The Head and the Heart recently released its second album, Let’s Be Still. The single “Shake” is emblematic of the group’s aesthetic of sunny male/female harmonies over acoustic guitars.
8. "Red Eyes" – The War On Drugs
“Red Eyes” is the single off the third album since 2005, Lost In the Dream, by Philly indie rock quintet The War On Drugs. The band’s signature wall of sound via guitars brings an epic jam, for almost five minutes of group swagger.
9. "Forever" – Painted Palms
San
Francisco based cousins Reese Donohue and Christopher Prudhomme recently
released their debut full album as Painted Palms. “Forever” is the title track, a
multi-sectioned paean to 60s psych pop utilizing the tools of modern electronic
production.
10. "Giants" – Bear Hands
This
Brooklyn indie electro quartet released “Giants” as a stand alone single. With
the wavering synths, melodic guitar lines and punchy vocal delivery, the song
is instantly memorable yet ready for many a replay.
11. "The Letterbomb" – Milagres
Brooklyn’s indie rock band Milagres relies on the
sweeping, artistic vision of singer and songwriter Kyle Wilson. “The Letterbomb” combines explosive
percussion and Wilson’s storytelling vocals as a teaser single for the upcoming
sophomore album, Violent Light.
12. "Step Out" – José González
José González of the Swedish band Junip contributed three songs
to the soundtrack of The Secret Life of
Walter Mitty. For “Step Out” he
embraces a cinematic approach to his indie folk songwriting, expanding the
music palette with orchestral instrumentation and multi-generational vocals.
13. "Luna" – Bombay Bicycle Club
“Luna”
is the single from So Long, See You
Tomorrow, the fourth album by England’s indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club
since 2005. The song features singer Rae
Morris as a female counterpoint to Jack Steadman’s vocals, amid a swirling
soundscape over tabla and mallets in a worldview of percussion.
14. "California (Cast Iron Soul)" – Jamestown Revival
New
band Jamestown Revival joins childhood friends Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance
flaunting their Texan roots in this song about moving to L.A. Their harmonies
and acoustic instruments blend in an easy jam, clearly demonstrating that all
ties to home clearly remain intact.
15. "Pulaski at Night" – Andrew Bird
Singer
and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird recently released a seven song EP, I Want To See, based on this wistful
tune referencing his home base of Chicago. His distinctive, laid back vocals float easily
over the eclectic musical arrangement.
16. "Hymn for the Greatest Generation" – Caspian
Caspian,
an instrumental post-rock band since 2004 from Beverly, Massachusetts, had to regroup
after the sudden, unexpected death of bass player Chris Friedrich last summer.
The group went on with the tour in supporting a new EP, Hymn for the Greatest
Generation. This title
track opens the collection that now has even more depths of emotion.
17. "Then the Quiet Explosion" – Hammock
Hammock is an ambient post-rock band from Nashville,
Tennessee, formed by two guitarists in 2005, Marc Byrd and Andrew
Thompson. They craft larger-than-life
songs with live instruments, electronic beats and haunting electric guitar
lines, such in “Then the Quiet Explosion” from a sixth album, Oblivion Hymns.
A few years ago, Grammy-winning
electronic musician Moby switched coasts, relocating from New York City to the Hollywood Hills. He recently appeared on the L.A. NPR station KCRW’s new program “Press
Play” to discuss the decision (listen to the entire program here) as well as "Morning Becomes Eclectic" where he played some "random songs." He also discussed "the dark side of digital photography" and his belief that the apocalypse has already happened. (Listen to that program in the KCRW archives here.) 
