There’s a certain something…organic about The Black Rabbits. On the first listen, there’s no doubt that they could’ve stepped out of a time machine straight from the British Invasion.

After a few spins of their material, it’s apparent that it’s heavily influenced by bands like The Pixies, The Ramones, The Strokes, and perhaps (and I know I’ll get people mad because I’m drawing this parallel) the Beatles. Overall, it’s an easy, uncomplicated listen. Not overproduced, simple, yet solid harmonies, and the best part, no apparent auto-tune.

The Black Rabbits are one of those indie bands that has succeeded in not only capturing a timeless sound, but has also mastered the fine art of keeping it from getting dated. Even if you’re not a Brit-rock fan (I’ll be the first to say I am not a Beatles fan!), The Black Rabbits are a new band that will still catch your ear. Check them out on Amazon if you’re interested in purchasing.

The Black Rabbits – Hurry, Hurry:
The Black Rabbits – Hypno Switch:

These guys are a band that I’ve come to enjoy recently. Coming off of a win for Best Indie Artist at the 2010 OC Music Awards, and then an April 3rd full-length album release, The New Limb is working it hard to stay ahead of the game.

Referred to by some as “melodic indie rock”, Sounds People Can Hear is definitely an album that deserves hearing from front to back. If you only check out a couple of tracks, you’ll definitely miss out on killer keyboard work, orchestral movements, and harmonies so solid that you could build yet another Yankee Stadium on top of them. Between Joey’s croon, Lauren’s masterful piano/synth work, and Adam and Danilo holding down the rest of the arrangement, you can’t help but feel like that nothing short of the absolute best went into making this album.

The New Limb stands apart from other bands not only by their excellent musicianship, but by the hard work and dedication they put into connecting with their fanbase. From what I hear, it’s not uncommon to show up to a New Limb show to be greeted with cookies or hugs. They’re also active in the local music scene, supporting other artists in their hometown of Costa Mesa, California.

Check out one of my favorite tracks from the album, “Birds and Stuff”:

The New Limb – Birds and Stuff:

If you haven’t yet acquired the Broken Bells album, stop what you’re doing right now and get it. In my opinion, it’s the must-have album to hit the shelves so far this year. I’m wholly convinced that the reason this has happened is because everything Brian Burton (as known as Danger Mouse) touches turns to gold. I’ll skip his lengthy resume’, since you probably already know it anyhow, and concentrate on the Broken Bells album.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a huge fan of the Shins. They’re good, but, to me, nothing worth writing home about. However, James Mercer completely made this album for me. His vocal style is a perfect fit to the laid back, almost Chemical Brothers-esque tracks that Burton composed.

I’ll keep this short, but I’m going to leave you with two tracks that are favorites of mine. Enjoy!

The High Road:
Citizen:

This is one of those moments that, as a music journalist, I’ve been personally waiting on for a long time.

I’ve known the guys in CastleLights on a personal level for a while now, and have been a fan of various incarnations of bands that they’ve been in (Leeland and The Blinding, among others). So, when I found out that Aaron Eaves and Jeremiah Wood (a founding member of Leeland) were working together on this project, I knew that it would be something that would blow up in a big way for them.

And, in this line of thought, I’m not alone:

Everyone needs to follow CastleLights. They’re going to be huge! – Stephen Christian, Anberlin

Vocalist Tyler Susaras enlivens you with images of space and the fantastic, deftly drawing parallels to the realm of everyday experience. Soaring choruses collide with multifaceted harmonies in songs that are both driving and iridescent, with melodies that are memorable in their pop spirit. As guitarists, Wood and Susuras each bring a distinctive energy to their songs, playing off of one another in a way that, when coupled with the hard-hitting percussion by Grady Saxman and Aaron Eaves’s heavy basslines, pushes each song into new terrain of velocity and tone. Personally, I’ve found there to be a very European glimmer to the tracks I’ve heard. You can tell they are fans of stadium bands like Coldplay, Muse, and U2, but have kept the sound from being overly pretentious.

Recently, the guys have gotten the opportunity to co-write with some major players in the industry. Knowing (and hearing) the pedigree of songwriting and arrangement this band has, along with help from guys like Joshua Moore (Caedmon’s Call/Derek Webb), and Stephen Christian (Anberlin), it’s going to be one of those albums that gets talked about before it ever gets on the store shelves.

In the near future, you can catch CastleLights at the legendary South By Southwest music week, in a showcase hosted by Connect The Dots (www.ctheds.com) on March 18th, and then they’ll be taking the stage with a recent favorite of mine, Barcelona, in Denton, TX at Andy’s on March 20th.

To finish, I’ll leave you with two singles that, until today, have been previously unreleased. You heard it here first, folks.

Saint Era:

Paint The Stars:

Today’s a mellow day, so I’m casting my vote for The Pressure Room.

From The Pressure Room’s MySpace:

Formed in September 2006, The Pressure Room are a London based 5-piece. The band manage to take the guitar/bass/drums/piano/vocals format to new levels through their use of soundtrack-esque piano and guitar scapes, break-beat rhythm sections and haunting vocal melodies. Despite the originality of the sound, they also know how to deliver an infectious riff and anthemic chorus.

Personally, I find it’s really piano-driven (much like Coldplay), with sparing (but powerful) doses of strings and guitar. It’s music that, when you put it on, forces you to come down from whatever adrenaline high you’re currently succumbing to.

You can download a 4 track EP here.

The Pressure Room – Somersault

When I first listened to this band, my first though was that they sounded a LOT like Relient K. And, come to find out, it was for good reason, as their latest album was produced by Mark Lee Townsend. Townsend has produced nearly all of Relient K’s material, along with being credited to producing The O.C. Supertones and The Wedding.

Even though they come from the (great?) state of Arkansas, Deas Vail is straightforward indie rock band with a southern California slant. Andy Moore’s guitar work reminds me of bands like Phantom Planet, or even Chris Walla’s guitar work on a older Death Cab For Cutie album.

Vocally, Wes Blaylock doesn’t flirt with falsetto like most front men. He takes it out to a seedy dive bar and then on the way home, he has his way with it. That being said, it would be remiss of me to not mention the keyboards/synth work of Wes’s better half, Laura Blaylock, or the rhythm section comprised of drummer Kelsey Harelson and bassist Justin Froning.

Deas Vail is on an upward momentum, touring with acts like Mae and Owl City over the next few months (and probably coming somewhere near you). You can find the latest album, Birds & Cages, on AmazonMP3, and it’s available starting today.

Classifying themselves as “New Garage”, The Swipes are a German band that have deep roots in the protopunk/garage punk genres. Upon listening to the song Nighthawk, there definitely is a surf rock slant to some their material that surprises you now and then.

Previous incarnations of The Swipes have been fairly successful, being loved by legendary British DJ John Peel, and making frequent appearances at Liverpool’s Cavern Club. They are also currently ranked by Somojo’s Top Rock chart (a major UK music site)

Among bands that they list as influences are The Hives, The Strokes, The White Stripes, The (International) Noise Conspiracy, Boss Martians, The Von Bondies, and quite a few others. If you’re a fan of ANY of these bands, I think you’ll find The Swipes to be a great addition to the collection.

Departing a bit from indie bands, and veering into a slightly different direction, I’d like to introduce you to an electronica solo artist called Owl City.

Owl City is a project of Adam Young, whose work you may have heard on a Reliant K song, “Terminals”. Lead vocalist, Matt Thiessen, returned the favor by contributing guest vocals on “Fireflies“.

I heard “Fireflies” because of an iTunes Genius suggestion today, and instantly fell in love, and just as instantly, purchased the new album, Ocean Eyes.

Saltwater Room is another favorite of mine; it’s the first appearance of Breanne Duren, who, in my opinion, really adds another level of accessibility and personality to the album (much like Jenny Lewis did on Postal Service’s Give Up).

Here’s the skinny, readers: If you like what Ben Gibbard, Jimmy Tamborello, and Jenny Lewis did with Postal Service, you will LOVE Owl City. In fact, if you didn’t know better, you could easily mistake Young’s voice (and writing) for Gibbard’s. Young has a knack for writing catchy hooks and verses that latch into your brain and won’t let go.

Smart, sweet, poetic, vivid lyrics make Memphis-based singer/songwriter Josh Threlkeld’s music stand out from your run-of-the-mill dude with a guitar.  His first album, For Starters, found immediate success, driving Threlkeld to head back into the studio nearly immediately.  His second album is expected in late 2009.

Each song on For Starters is wrought with stories of love and want mingled with soul that is entirely Memphis.  Threlkeld’s voice is easy and smooth, often soaring, beautifully compelling the listener to enter into the story with him.  Musical accompaniment for the album is simple and supportive of the mood naturally set.  Songs like Southern Charm paint pictures of warm Memphis evenings with music drifting through the thick air, and young hearts swelling with fondness.  Worth It entices thoughts of devotion and a blind dash toward love.

You can check out the entire album on Josh’s MySpace, or you can pick it up on his website!

The Jealous Sound is a Los Angeles emo/indie rock band composed of vocalist and guitarist Blair Shehan (formerly of Knapsack), guitarist Pedro Benito (formerly of Sunday’s Best), bassist John McGinnis, and drummer Adam Wade bassist Josh Staples, and drummer Bob Penn.

Not much is out there on this band, other than the fact that they went through a long period of uncertainty (even as far as the Village Voice accusing Shehan, saying that he “went crazy and more or less disappeared”).

Drama aside, Shehan has the post-grunge/emo sound dialed in and locked down. Tracks like The Gift Horse showcase why they are a perfect match to current tourmates Sunny Day Real Estate.

Free MP3s:
The Jealous Sound – For Once in Your Life
The Jealous Sound – The Fold Out