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!

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.

In popular music, independent music, often generally abbreviated as “indie”, is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing. – Wikipedia

I was having a conversation the other day about where exactly the line is drawn. Sure, it’s easy to say bands like Paper Rival as truly indie. They were unsigned and still made a mark on the genre/industry. On the other hand, you have bands like The Dears who are label mates with Silversun Pickups. Not exactly bargain basement and do-it-yourself.

Leave us a comment, and tell us what your answer to the question “What is indie music?”

Out of the ashes of three Texas bands comes Houston’s Holy Fiction. Previous band experience has made the members a tight, professional outfit even in their early stages of development. Despite only an EP and a single South By Southwest show to their credit (a full length LP is due by the end of the year), you’d never know it from their polished, pop-oriented sound and driving live performances.

Combining the drone and delay of 90′s shoegaze with jangly guitars, soaring strings, and falsetto-inflected vocals, Holy Fiction’s music is difficult to fit into a clean category, but impossible to call anything but rock.   With roots in Waco’s post-punk Ethan Durelle and Lake Jackson’s pop-punk Hemyah, epic bridges peak into percussive breakdowns that simultaneously recall Mono or early-career Jimmy Eat World.

Emo is something of a dirty word in modern musical lingo, but there was a time in the late 90′s that it was less invective when bands like Mineral and Sunny Day Real Estate melded West Coast punk with the crushing power of My Bloody Valentine to create brooding, beautiful music.  How that music somehow became synonymous with whiny kids in hoodies is best left to true professionals, but what is encouraging is that folks who grew up as fans of those bands are now taking those influences and distilling them into something new and exciting.

Currently, their EP is only for sale at their live shows, but a majority of its tracks, along with unreleased pieces from their forthcoming full-length, are available on their MySpace page.  They tour in and around Texas, too, so if you live near there, be sure to check them out live!

Can’t Miss Tracks: More Than Ever; Two Small Bodies

If Freddie Mercury and Barry Gibb had a love child, it would be Mika: a Lebanese-born Parisian singer/songwriter now living in London.  He is a BRIT Award winner, and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance Recording with his single Love Today.

In 2007, he rose to notoriety with his debut release Life in Cartoon Motion, which featured the single Grace Kelly.  The song found its way into the US more than once on MTV’s The Hills and as the opening to the 2008 movie What Happens in Vegas.

Life in Cartoon Motion is a roller coaster of styles and sounds, ranging from the melodic kiss-off that is My Interpretation, to the fun, child-like Lollipop.  The album also features another light-hearted track titled Big Girl: an ode to the beauty often overlooked in the shapelier women of the world.

Mika’s second album,  The Boy Who Knew Too Much, is scheduled to drop September 22,2009, shortly before he kicks off his North American tour stretching from Boston to Seattle, with a few visits in Canada as well.  The first single,  We Are Golden, a showy pop anthem featuring the Andre Crouch Gospel Choir is already available for download.  The album also features By The Time: a beautiful collaboration with Imogen Heap.

If you’re looking for something more fun, out-there, and playfully honest, then you cannot pass up getting to know Mika’s music.

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.

From the Sleeping At Last page on Last.FM:

Since the release of 2003’s Ghosts, the members of Sleeping At Last have logged in thousands of miles on the road, earned heaps of critical acclaim and continue to refine its well oiled alternative rock machinery. From early spot dates with Zwan to touring with Switchfoot and Bleu to time with Yellowcard, Something Corporate and The Format to a solo headlining jaunt, the Chicago based trio has amassed a considerable following in all parts of the globe , connecting with its artistic melting pot of swelling anthems and lyrical sincerity. Along the way, the group also scored the sublime single “Say,” which shot straight to the top of Fuse TV’s “Oven Fresh,” leading to the band’s encore appearance on the network’s most popular program “IMX.”

If you’re a fan of bands like Keane and Coldplay’s mellower material, you’ll love Sleeping At Last. You can pre-order the new album, Storyboards, and get an immediate MP3 download from their website.

New indie rock band Paper Route has been making some big waves recently.

From Paper Route’s Last.FM page:

Paper Route is an American indie band from Nashville, Tennessee formed in 2004. The band’s self-titled debut album was released August 29, 2006.

Paper Route is composed of Chad Howat (bass, piano, programming), J.T. Daly (vocals, keyboards, percussion), Andy Smith (vocals, guitars, harmonica), and Gavin McDonald (drums). Howat, Daly, and Smith first began playing together late at night after a previous musical endeavor had disbanded. On their website, Paste magazine deemed Paper Route an artist to watch.

If you haven’t already, order Absence right now!