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:

I found a Listmania list on Amazon for the Essential Indie Albums of 2009. Lot of good choices on there (Passion Pit, Dark Was The Night Compilation, Andrew Bird), but also a few that are kind of “meh” in my mind.

Check out the list, and grab a couple for Christmas gifts!

Family Of The Year just dropped their new EP, Where’s The Sun on the 22nd.

Now, I’ve known about Family Of The Year for a while now, but when I heard there was actually an EP coming out, needless to say, I was pretty excited. It’s just really good, uncomplicated art. If The Polyphonic Spree slimmed down from 429 members to 5, that’s the kind of music that we’re dealing with here.

Down To The River kicks off the EP with a poppy, acoustic-driven singalong. Handclaps and a shaker really make it feel like you’re sitting around a warm campfire on a crisp night…just having a genuinely good time.

The vocal harmonies really tie together the entire album as a package deal. Summer Girl really highlights the huge vocal sound that Family Of The Year can get, even on such a minimally arranged song.

My most favorite song on the EP, Cast Off, is skillfully fronted by Vanessa Jeanne Long. It’s a sultry, smoky mess that perfectly communicates the pain of the breakup. Vanessa’s vocal grit really piles on the desperation in the song. However, James Buckey’s “barely working Fender Twin”-sounding solo (along with the slide work all throughout) delivers the final blow, pulling the song inescapably into a Reno-dive-bar-I-want-to-drink-until-my-liver-punches-me-in-the-face vibe.

Long story short, you need to get this album. They’re sure to take off in a big way after some of the upcoming shows that are scheduled. They are going to be playing an opening date for Ben Folds and the Boston Pops this weekend (October 2, 2009), and then going on tour with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros shortly thereafter, with dates in California, Tucson, Austin, Dallas, and Birmingham (November 3-9, 2009).

Purchase Where’s The Sun on Amazon or iTunes.

I found this band because they submitted their information on our Contact page. Lucky for us (and you), these guys are making some awesome tracks available for FREE on their website. The Fast Escape is a well-thought out album. From the lo-fi croon of The Welcoming, to the texture-laden build of A Punch To The Nose, it just all works.

It’s rare that you find a full album these days that don’t have at least 1 or 2 tracks tossed in as afterthoughts. Source Victoria’s arrangements reflect a level of compositional maturity that is tough to find these days. Tasteful, in-context solos, laid-back percussion, and using the guitar to build texture versus being the centerpoint of every song makes for an easy listen.

From the Source Victoria MySpace:

Source Victoria, known for its impactful live performances, are favorites among musicians in and around the city, including the likes of Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World, who assisted the band to early accolades and attention with a remix of the song “opportunistic.” Now, working with Grammy-award-winning engineer, Chris Testa, (Dixie Chicks, Jimmy Eat World, Switchfoot) who is mixing source victoria’s new record, the band is poised to move to the next level. Singable pop stuctures and melodies married with thoughtful and evocative lyrics (think coldplay, elbow and wilco mixed with low, elliott smith, and talk talk), source victoria makes what has been described by many as “epic pop.”

If you like what you’ve read so far, check out Source Victoria’s website, and click on the “take the fast escape” link to download The Fast Escape for FREE. You’ll thank me later!

Here’s a band called Foriegn Born that started out in San Francisco, but now is out of Los Angeles. If you like Grizzly Bear, White Rabbits, or Grandaddy, you’ll probably be into Foreign Born.

From IndieRockCafe.com

LA indie rock band Foreign Born will release their sophomore album Person To Person next week on the Secretly Canadian record label. Here are two great songs from the album to add to your summer playlist mix. The LP could be one of the biggest indie releases of the year.

Foreign Born – Vacationing People (right-click to download)
Foreign Born – Early Warnings (right-click to download)

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No matter what your taste is right now, you’re bound to find something that tweaks your pickle here.

Amazon’s Best Music of the Month

Just wanted to share this article with everyone. Andy Whitman hits the nail on the head in his commentary on the recent RIAA suit.

I think the majority of indie artists in this day and age are smart about taking advantadge of the resources available (social networking, home recording, etc.). There are plenty of them making a decent living at it to prove that point. Much like Andy said, I do hope this is the death knell of the RIAA. I can no longer see any real use for what they do other (unless they choose to become a litigation firm).

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.

From PetLions.com:

Pet Lions are an indie pop rock band from Chicago formed by guitarist/vocalist Karl Østby and bassist Shuhei Yamamoto. The two began writing and recording together in October of 2007. Pet Lions‘ lineup was completed with the addition of Tom Owens on guitar/keys and Matt Dahl on drums. The band has been playing live since July of 2008.

Pet Lions debut EP Soft Right (recorded with Brian Zieske at Gallery of Carpet) is available online now at iTunes, Amazon, and http://www.digstation.com/Pet_Lions

Free MP3: Pet Lions – Roman History (right-click to download) courtesy of IndieRockCafe.com.