If you are looking to dance off the rest of the summer, I highly recommend you check out Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head. I’ve been actively following them since last summer when they played The Capital Hill Block Party in Seattle. Spoon rocked the two day festival, along with John Vanderslice, The Blue Scholars, Aesop Rock, and a few dozen more bands. I went to their stage having no idea who they were, but NPSH quickly became my favorite performance there.

Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head’s music sounds like what a band with the name “Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head” would sound like. They are a synth-pop, quirky band out of Seattle who doesn’t take themselves seriously at all. They are absolutely ridiculous, and I love them for it.

NPHS just released their debut album Glistening Pleasure, which features a lot of their songs from their older Secret Crush EP. My personal favorites off the debut include L.A. Noir, Mouth Full of Bones, Holding Hands in the Shower, Hush Hush, and Beard Lust.

The just out of high school band members of NPHS include Luke Smith, Shaun Libman, Claire England, David Price, and Liam Downey Jr. I laugh whenever I look at Shaun’s “band role” on their Myspace: “Vocal, maracas, shakers, tambourine, cowbell, claps.” The rest of their Myspace page is pretty entertaining too, you should visit it. The band is touring the US this summer so be sure to check if they are coming to your city.

Glistening Pleasure (2008):

Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head – L.A. Noir

Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head – Mouth Full of Bones

iTunes| Amazon |Myspace

Feist is amazing.

Feist Singing Kids Version of “1234”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Z-DIAthbM

“1234” Music Video

MP3’s:

The Reminder:

Feist – 1234

Let it Die:

Feist – Gatekeeper

Bonus:

Feist – “Nothin’ in the World Can Stop Me Worrying ‘Bout That Girl” (Kinks Cover)

The Kinks – “Nothin’ in the World Can Stop Me Worrying ‘Bout That Girl”

Site | iTunes | Myspace

Despite how much I loved Wolf Parade’s 2005 debut LP Apologies To The Queen Mary, their hugely anticipated sophomore effort, 2008’s At Mount Zoomer, remained untouched and unzipped on my desktop for two months before I listened to it. Maybe it was because I was afraid that it would be the ultimate sophomore slump, but really I think I just wanted to give it the in depth listen it deserved. So I finally listened to it about a week ago and I must say, I’m very impressed.

While it’s certainly not as good as Apologies To The Queen Mary, the album has its own distinctive flavor. For the most part, the wild, bouncy keyboard/vocal interplay that Spencer Krug is known for (present on songs like “Grounds For Divorce” or “Fancy Claps” from Apologies To The Queen Mary) are absent. The album is much more subdued. Guitarist Dan Boeckner’s vocals really shine on At Mount Zoomer, often upstaging Krug, who I felt presented the stronger vocal delivery on their debut. The album overall is darker; more songs sound like “Same Ghost Every Night” or “Modern World.” But that doesn’t mean Krug and the rest of the band doesn’t go wild at points, like on the very Sunset Rubdown-esque “Bang Your Drum” or floating keyboard-driven “The Grey Estates.” But songs like “Fine Young Cannibals,” “Call It Ritual” and “California Dreamer,” are turbulent tunes of pounding rhythms, loud guitar and the despondent vocal delivery of Krug/Boeckner. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention how stunningly awesome the 11 minute closer “Kissing The Beehive” is, as each member of the band take turns showing off their musical prowess. At Mount Zoomer is also recorded much crisper than Apologies To The Queen Mary, giving it a sound that I think both accentuates the band’s musical abilities but also removes much of the raw, youthful sound of their first LP.

Yet ultimately, the album relies much more on generic, standard indie pop progressions. Now I’m not saying Apologies To The Queen Mary was anything groundbreaking musically, but I felt it had enough originality to earn it the high rating it holds in my book. The songs were extremely well written. And while At Mount Zoomer has dozens of great head bouncing, sing along moments, the songs simply rely on a lot of the oldest tricks in the indie pop books. But before I start over analyzing the album and finding faults that aren’t there, I’m going to end by saying that At Mount Zoomer is an excellent follow up to a nearly impossible to top debut. Sure, it’s a little cliche at points, but there’s not really a weak track on the album and it proves that Wolf Parade are still on top of their game and are still the best Spencer Krug band. Pick up the album if you’re a fan of stuff like Sunset Rubdown, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Of Montreal, etc. and check out a few mp3s from the album.

Score: 8.4 out of 10

P.S. How much does that album cover kick ass?

From At Mount Zoomer:

Wolf Parade – Fine Young Cannibals

Wolf Parade – Language City
Wolf Parade – Soldier’s Grin

iTunes| Amazon| Myspace

Almost two years ago, I featured a band out of Portland, Oregon, named Derby. At the time they had released a debut album, This is the New You, and I couldn’t stop listening, especially to the song “Parade.” Derby gets comparisons to The Shins, and Nat Johnson’s vocals bring to mind Elliott Smith (the lyrics are quite different than Smith’s, though).

They have just released their sophomore album, Posters Fade, and while I can’t say that it’s one of my favorite albums, it has several really good songs on it. My favorites include “If Ever There’s A Reason,””Only What She’s Selling,” “Treetops,” “Stumps,” and “Episode. ”

Derby’s talent lies with their more mellow alternative rock. Some of their songs are a little faster paced, which I feel can throw off the quality of the vocals–especially because they lack the harmonies that Derby is known for. Granted, the album would probably become monotonous if it was only mellow songs, however, the indie rock songs just don’t do too much for me. They aren’t bad, they just aren’t all that memorable.

Derby is Nat Johnson (lead vocals, guitar, bass), Dave Gulick (vocals, rhodes, organ, guitar), and Isaac Frost (drum/percussions). Nat and Dave started playing together as dorm mates at University of Oregon, and Isaac joined the band after graduating from Oregon State University. They are not signed to a record label.

Posters Fade (2008):

Derby – If Ever There’s A Reason

Derby – Only What She’s Selling

This is The New You (2005):

Derby – Parade

Derby – Proving

Site | iTunes | Amazon | Myspace

As far as popular shoegaze (oxymoron?) goes, Ride has undeservedly slipped beneath the overbearing shadow of rock legends, My Bloody Valentine. I recently learned that the British press actually coined the term shoegaze in reaction to Ride’s live show – they would stare at the stage while playing, walls of trembling, shivering noise pulsing behind them. So, in light of what seems to be a modern, indie shoegaze resurgence (see: The Raveonettes, Mew, Blonde Redhead‘s 23, basically any indie in the last decade), it is fitting to consult the vaults, and resurrect this gem.

“Dream Burn Down” opens with an impossible momentum – huge, slightly-off kilter drums charging in, backed by a distorted, heavily tremolo’d rhythm guitar. The piercing specifics of the guitar lead are a brilliant (literally, they’re all sparkle) counterpoint to the amorphous mass of sound swirling beneath, propelling Andy Bell’s melody toward a series of immaculate noise breakdowns. As the verses proceed, the anticipation builds, the increasingly frantic instrumentation mirroring Bell’s heightened frustrations: “Waiting, hoping for a sign/That what’s forbidden can be mine/I just want what I can’t have/’Til my dreams burn down every time.” And at the resolution of each verse, the vocals dissolve seamlessly into walls of static noise, a visceral release in a wave of sound.

Sometimes I get a little carried away with my writing, but I think that’s probably a reflection of how much I want people to dig what I’m writing about. There aren’t many songs that I feel my stereo can’t do justice. And this song absolutely kills. Like My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless, “Dreams Burn Down” demands to be listened to at maximum volume on your system. This is when an 11-knob a-la Spinal Tap would come in handy.

And for a love song on the lighter, less-angsty side, check out “Vapour Trail”, also below for download. Even more swirls!

Ride – Dreams Burn Down (Nowhere – 1990)

Ride – Vapour Trail (Nowhere – 1990)

With the video below, the interview is kinda lame, but the unplugged song is real cool, done like the Take Away Films of today.

Site | MySpace | Big Ole’ Fan Website | Amazon |

For those who like Sufjan Stevens, The Shins, Rogue Wave, and Jeremy Messersmith I highly recommend checking out the band Aloha. Their albums have been in my iTunes for a while, but it’s not until the last week that I have given them the listen they deserve. Their 2007 release Light Works has a really nice sound.

The 7 track LP is a lot less experimental than the band’s other releases, which they’ve built their name off, but I personally like it more. It is really mellow, and a perfect prescription for productivity. Truthfully, there are only a few times that you are going to ask “what song is that?” Light Works is not an album set out to impress, meaning you’ll want to listen to it in its entirety. Like The Album Leaf, you probably won’t grow an attachment to any particular song. The most rememberable songs include “Body Buzz” “The End,””Gold World” and “Passengers.”

Aloha has a really interesting background. They first began to form in 1997, and the four bandmates, Tony Cavallario, Matthew Gengler, Cale Parks, and T.J. Lipple are scattered across the east coast, hailing from Cleveland, Brooklyn, Rochester, and Washington DC. Even though they live in different places they manage to get together to make music. I think that’s really cool. Some bands give off the impression that they formed because it was convenient. However, it can be restricting to allow location to be a collaboration barrier. If each of these guys wanted to make their lives easier, they could probably just start up their own bands in their selected cities. They don’t settle for that though, and are so passionate about what they do, they will travel whenever and wherever to make music. People who know Aloha’s history like their music that much more.

Aloha is signed to Polyvinyl records.

Light Works (2007):

Aloha – Body Buzz

Aloha – The End

amazon | itunes |myspace

“Constructive Summer” is the lead song off the Hold Steady’s fourth and soon to be released (July 15h) album, Stay Positive. The Hold Steady is unabashed in their reverence for Springsteen, someone I never got into, but an influence easily appreciated in their sound. Their songs are sincerely melodramatic, turning even the most mundane adolescent memories into epic victories or hallmark stories, typically laced among fluid piano breakdowns and sharp, classic-rock guitar solos. The hooks are huge, and the stories even bigger.

The song opens: “Me and my friends are like/the drums on Lust For Life/We pound it out on floor toms/Our songs are sing along songs” amid overdriven power chords and intricate, angular guitar spurts. It’s a one two punch to the adrenaline gland. They’re drinking on top of water towers and raising toasts to “saint Joe Strummer,” doing everything I’ve always romanticized as summer.

As my first official post with indiemuse, I’d like to share it with you. And if you dig this sound, grab a copy of Boys and Girls in America, and work from there.

m4a: “Constructive Summer” – The Hold Steady

From their first album, The Hold Steady Almost Killed Me

“Certain Songs” – The Hold Steady

Site | MySpace | Amazon

Several months ago I featured These United States, and mentioned how much the DC scene is changing from the punk scene it used to be known for. The new alternative/folk scene emerging is really exciting to witness. Gypsy Eyes Records is among the best independent labels in DC, and carries many of the artists that are changing the way DC, and the rest of the world, experiences music.

One of their signed musicians, Mark Charles Heidinger, a.k.a Vandaveer, is worth your attention. I’ve been listening to his 2007 release, Grace and Speed, pretty much non-stop recently. It’s great folk music for just sitting back and hanging out. When I’m looking for something a little lighter to listen to than Nick Drake, I put on Vandaveer. Mark has a gift for story telling, and really pleasant vocals. His new sound draws a nice distance from his former rock band, The Apparitions. Tracks like “However Many Times It Takes” are bound to bring Dylan to mind.

Every song on this album, besides “2nd best” which I don’t care for all that much, is stellar. I can’t even give you a list of my favorites, they are all fantastic. Other album reviews bring to light how the first half of the album has much more solid lyrics than the second half, but I don’t necessarily think that has to be viewed as a flaw with the album. Heidinger shows a lot of song-writing talent, much more than the average musician. Though some songs are better written than others, it doesn’t make his songs bad in any sense, some are just less lyrically based.

Vandaveer is currently on tour with There United States (who he is involved with) in the UK. Go to their site to check out their tour dates.

Grace & Speed (2007)

Vandaveer – However Many Takes It Takes

Vandaveer – Grace & Speed

Live Performances:

Vandaveer – The Streets is Full of Creeps

Site | Myspace | iTunes |Amazon

I wrote this after seeing the Federal Reserve, a collective of established, and like-minded alternative/folk musicians, perform on June 2nd at Iota in Arlington, VA. They played acoustic sets, and used basic folk instruments (including the chair for percussion). Not gonna lie, I was a little tipsy when I wrote this, and it’s advisable that you just skip down to the bottom. You’ve been forewarned!

Tonight, I saw the face of music. Music is when a group of friends decide to play together for no other reason then to play. Music is when there are no backstage’s or VIP’s. When there are no tickets or merchandise. Music is when there is no order. When there is no formula. No sets. No expectations. Just music. Music doesn’t tolerate bureaucracy. It sure knows how to disguise itself, but it’s not music. Not fully.

Music allows for mistakes. It allows you to make a fool of yourself. If it doesn’t, then it’s worth asking why it’s being done. Is it for fame or fortune?

Music is entrapped. It’s asked to be freed. It wants to be listened to. Piracy concerns are concerns of fools.

In today’s world, it’s difficult for music to be music. The demand can’t be that pure. Musicians need to eat. Label execs need to buy luxury cars. But that doesn’t mean all has been lost. Not after nights like tonight.

Thank you Federal Reserve for showing me the face of music.

The Federal Reserve collective is made up of These United States, Vandaveer, Kitty Hawk, Revival, Brandon Butler, Rose, Let’s French, and more. They play the first Monday of every month at Iota, and their tour schedules usually dictate who shows up. Mark Charles Heidinger, of Vandaveer, explains that the idea of a collective formed after “several of us relocated from parts all over and thought a collective of some sort might ground the group in the scene and serve as a mutual launching pad.” Several bands from the collective have been signed to DC’s Gypsy Eyes Records and a Federal Reserve compilation can be purchased from their store.

These United States – First Sight | Site

Vandaveer – However Many Takes It Takes | Site

Kitty Hawk – Move Me | Myspace

Brandon Butler – Sparks | Site

Revival – Hollywood | Myspace

I first heard Port O’Brien opening for Rogue Wave back in October of 07, and at first I sort of brushed them aside as another indie band that would be forever opening for other indie bands, never quite able to break on through. After having listened to their album All We Could Do Was Sing, I feel bad for feeling that way. It wasn’t that their live show was unenthusiastic or fun to listen to, I had intentions to look them up after the show, but I never got around to it (maybe it was because Rogue Wave’s show was too awesome). The album is much fuller than what I remember of their live show; it has string arrangements, some sound clips of the ocean, and layered vocals. “When I Woke Up Today” was both the opening and closing song for their set. It sounded better the second time when the audience started to sing along, sounding more like it does on the record. Though I’m not sure of the nautical experience of Modest Mouse or the Decemberists, Port O’Brien seems to have some authentic experience as it is poignantly expressed in “Fisherman’s Son”.

Every summer, Van works on his father’s commercial salmon fishing boat, the Shawnee, on Kodiak Island in Alaska. The work is exhausting and the weather could be much better, but the contrast between the serenity of the wilderness and the rigorousness of the labor seem to cause quite a bit of musical inspiration.

– from their website

The album has its soft and delicate moments as in “Don’t Take My Advice” and its rockin’ out moments like in “Pigeonhold”, but it all works together in the end. Don’t be a fool like me and brush this band aside, give them a chance and I think you’ll enjoy them. Here are a few tracks for your listening pleasure:

MP3: Port O’Brien – I Woke Up Today

MP3: Port O’Brien – Fisherman’s Son

MP3: Port O’Brien – Don’t Take My Advice

Catch them live at one of these upcoming dates:

Website | MySpace