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:

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.

That lucky punk blogger friend of mine, Brian Allain, has gotten himself a copy of Derek Webb’s much-publicized upcoming release, Stockholm Syndrome.

I can’t say I’m not a little jealous. Okay, I am more than just a little jealous. The couple of tracks that I’ve heard have been promising so far, but, from the rumblings I’ve heard, the best has yet to see the light of day. Like Brian, I knew that Josh Moore is a super talented producer, but just from what I’ve heard, he’s blowing the top off on this one.

It’s a strange thing to listen to a DW album and find yourself focusing on the music over the message. It’s not that the music hasn’t been good, it’s just that most of his past work has been so strong from a lyrical standpoint. But some of these songs are so fantastic sonically, I find myself thinking of the lyrics as an afterthought. For this reason it truly feels like new ground. – Brian Allain

So, put this one on your radar, people. It’s going to make a lot of noise when it comes out (and not just out of your stereo speakers).

EDIT: I’ve since gotten a copy of Stockholm Syndrome, and it’s as good as Brian says. If you like Beck, you’d love it. Check out Derek’s site to order your copy.

Twitter user @Randy_Rambo messaged New Indie Bands and was looking for some Britpop, so here it is, folks!

The Ting Tings have been getting a lot of play on this side of the pond, with a US tour starting in September. Unfortunately, if you decide to go, you’ll be subjected to Pink also.

From The Ting Tings Last.FM profile:

The Ting Tings are an alternative pop duo which formed in 2004 in Salford, England and consist of Katie White (vocals, guitar, bass drums) and Jules De Martino (drums, vocals).

They have released four singles on their current label Columbia Records UK, including the single “That’s Not My Name” which charted straight at Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 18 May 2008. The album “We Started Nothing” was released on 19 May 2008 and also charted at Number 1 in the UK.

Check out “That’s Not My Name” on Last.FM.

PS: Incidently, you should be following us on Twitter.

From Last.FM

Late of the Pier are an alternative electronic band formed in “The Home of Metal”, Castle Donington, England, in 2001.
Their main success has been throughout London and the new clubs and scenes in the area, especially in the under-18 scene with shows such as Way Out West and the more recent All Ages Concerts.
They have been met with considerable interest and released their bedroom recorded debut single Space & The Woods on Way Out West Records.
Their debut album, ‘Fantasy Black Channel’ was released on August 11th 2008 through Parlophone.

Lead singer Samuel Eastgate also has a side-project, LA Priest. He has numerous productions and has made several remixes, as well as having the song “Engine” being remixed by Erol Alkan and released via Erol’s Phantasy Sound label.

Free MP3: Late of the Pier – Space and the Woods (right click to save) courtesy of Last.FM.