The Republic of Wolves - The Cartographer [2011]

Ah, back in the saddle again. I meant to post this album several months ago, but never quite got around to it. Before we move onto the new stuff, lets go over my favorite album of the year.

What it is: a simple seven song album from the indie rock outfit, Long Island natives the Republic of Wolves.

At least, that's what I expected upon my first listen.

What I got, however, was a variable Smörgåsbord of different genres from song to song, with the album swinging between post-rock, to indie rock, to folk, to shoegaze, to metal, and heading right back to alternative with the album closing. All with the same topic; that is, the wide open ocean and maps. They, in these seven songs, manage to encompass all my favorite genres, and do so flawlessly. How they manage to perform in so many different circumstances is beyond me, but hell, it sounds incredible. Truly my personal, if not THE album of the year so far.

If only more bands managed to do this... (in a semi acceptable/decent fashion.)

Young Galaxy - Self Titled [2007]

I was contemplating writing the first sentence of this to say "Some of the most wonderful music comes out of Canada". While this statement still holds some validity in my opinion, Canada also produces some low tier rock-pop bands also (Yes, I know it's inevitable) some you might even know.

Young Galaxy seemed like at first another garage attempt at lo-fi with sub-par recording equipment. But that wasn't the case entirely. Apparently they had one of their songs in a commercial somewhere, not sure which one, but some of you might have heard it before. This band actually reminds me of a more psychedelic experience that is associated with most of the music in this genre. (A little bit of Tame Impala sort of..) If you are a veteran listener of this particular genre of music, it might seem to sound like many other bands before, and that's probably because it's true.
Still, a good listen if you like the youtube link, heres the mediafire.

Jim Noir - Tower of Love [2005]

Jim Noir aka Alan Roberts, is well, a indie-pop songwriter I assume. Whatever it is, it's good, it's catchy (and repetitive too, not like it's a bad thing) and of course for those of you that have played Little Big Planet (fuck I love the music from that game) it features Noir's "My Patch". A sample of Jim will determine if you want to listen to the rest of this album. Most of his songs are fun and as well they are repetitive and sound alike in some parts it provides a good listen for those into a pop-happy sort of deal.

mediafire

Owls - Owls Self Titled Album [2001]

Lead singer of the Owls, Tim Kinsella, is a veteran when it comes to the indie/emo scene, as he has been in such bands as Joan of Arc, Cap'n Jazz, and more notably, American Football. The owls take on a melodic, yet, fun to follow style of playing that changes as the songs go on. The theme of the songs are generally emo, however it does not fall under the category of "whiny ballads of adolescent troubles". Going through the whole album, it becomes a smooth, lo-fi ride with many of the same elements in each one of the songs that could be found in the other bands mentioned before. Sample some of their songs from their last.fm page.

The Jealous Girlfriends - Self Titled Album [2008]

I stumbled upon this while looking for unsigned indie artists. They hail from Brooklyn, New York, and have the distinct experimental indie sound that NY is known for in their songs. Most of their songs are lo-key and very mellow. An example of this is the song, "The Pink Wig To My Salieri" Found on their Myspace Page. I would defiantly give them a try, and leave a shout in their last.fm or myspace page if you like them.

mediafire link

Former Constellations - Meridian [2010]

Well, let's kick off this new blog with a little suburban gem. The band is Former Constellations (formerly know as The Gulls,) coming straight out of Glen Rock, New Jersey. The band itself has it's fair share of difficulties in making their music. Vocalist Mark Lock is a while away from the rest of the band, and as such, has to record his own vocals and send them to the band in New Jersey (Guitarist Chris Stone, Drummer Jack Biamonte, Bassist Alex Profaci.) This also means, of course, Live performances are limited to just the New Jersey crew. What's most impressive, though, is how their music comes together into seamless works of art. Even as young as this group is, in their music, you can hear the maturity that has already occurred in the music they are putting out. This is a perfect example of what every Indie band should strive to be. Just the music: free from publishers and recording companies telling one what to do. This is an example of true indie. Music for music's sake. So if you would like some more Psychedelic rock, pop onto their Facebook Page , and download Meridian. The entire album hints at your typical dad rock, Animal Collective, and Arcade Fire (among others). Its the balance between all of these that makes this album truly worth a listen.