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how to love

25 Jul

Today’s Indie: How to Love / School of Seven Bells (Lil’ Wayne cover)

‘see you had a lot of crooks tryna steal your heart’

Lil’ Wayne showed a softer side with last year’s single, How to Love, even if it was in an auto-tuned, try to serenade a wounded woman between the sheets kind of way.  Now NYC dream pop duo School of the Seven Bells have taken the same track, dressed it down and laced it with beautiful wispy smooth vocals, trickling piano and sincerity. Ah to see the world from a different angle. #indie / tory

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just breathe

20 Jul

Today’s Indie: Breathe / New Navy (Telepopmusik cover)

It is Friday and the sun has thankfully graced us with her presence. Australia’s New Navy have given us the perfect soundtrack to roll our windows down and soak it in with by covering Telepopmusik’s classic, Breathe.  The original pockets of untz have been mellowed out and met with a beach ready beat and soft, sway worthy vocals.  Freedom is so close you can taste it, just breathe. #indie / tory

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run my heart

18 Jul

Today’s Indie: Run My Heart / Twin Shadow

‘I couldn’t word the things I’ve seen / like the shake of trembling things / like the ache of unused wings’

“Twin Shadow have suffered the misfortune of being too similar to Twin Sister (by name not music) and therefore ignored,” writes beatrixtapes‘ Venya, “it’s a completely arbitrary reason to not listen to a band and I’m a fool for it as I appear to have missed out.” Ditto. I can’t believe today is my first taste of this lush 80’s inspired sound from George Lewis Jr. aka Twin Shadow. I love the subtle urgency in this song’s sound leading into the harsh reality of the chorus (‘this isn’t love / this isn’t love / Im’m just a boy and you’re just a girl’) a la Crystal Castle’s I’m Not in Love.

Run My Heart is off Twin Shadow’s sophomore album, Confess, and it is all worth a listen, as his debut, Forget. Better late than never. #indie / tory

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like dreaming of angels

16 Jul

Today’s (bonus) Indie: Angels / The xx

‘and the end comes too soon / like dreaming of angels’

A bonus track today because I finally found the mp3 of this morning’s new The xx song, and I have been melting in it all day.

I was surprised by the band’s choice of first single for September’s upcoming Coexist– Angels is a smoldering slow jam featuring only Romy’s vocals and is devoid of the ‘club inspired’ sound that the band had alluded would have a bigger presence in the album. Regardless of surprise, the song is as easy on the ears as ever: simple, beautiful, a little haunting. #indie / tory

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hey love

16 Jul

Today’s Indie: Hey Love / Miner

‘hold up your hands if you hear me / I’m callin’ honey / hold on’

In true San Francisco fashion it is a balmy 57 degree Monday in July. Sigh. Thankfully there is great music to warm us up: LA’s new Americana group, Miner, has the kind of sound that can part the clouds. Hey Love has a wonderful pace to it, starting slow and regret-filled (‘we lost our way / let love astray’) and coursing its way into a singalong hey hey flourish that has you stomping your foot along and rooting for this relationship rut to come to a close… there is such hopefulness in the sound.

The band is a family affair comprised of frontman Justin Miner, his wife, his brother, and their friends, and they self define themselves as ‘indie folkplosion.’ With resemblance to  Edward Sharpe, The Lumineers and The Head and The Heart, they have folkploded into my heart. Their Hey Love EP will debut this August – more please. And happy Monday. #indie / tory

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trails and ways

12 Jul

Today’s Indie: Miracle / Trails and Ways (Ghost Beach cover)

‘it’s a miracle / I’m in love again’

While knee deep in one of the most annoying Powerpoint projects of all time, we have had one of those day dreamy mornings of packing it all up and heading west to Hawaii to build a sustainable treehouse bed and breakfast and live our life amidst the surf and sun. Yeah, one of those mornings. What better soundtrack for it all than Trails and Way’s new cover of Ghost Beach’s Miracle? The Oakland quartet bursted into the summer scene with their beautiful song Nunca, and now this tropically infused cover can carry me right through Labor Day. The band calls their take a “dreamy, sun-bleached bossanova jam.” Yep, sounds perfect.

‘I never wanted to work for pieces of paper / but I guess that’s all I get’

As a bonus track, here is Nunca. #indie / tory

Nunca / Trails and Ways

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look at where we are

10 Jul

Today’s Indie: Look At Where We Are / Hot Chip

‘look at where we are / remember where we started out’

When this track comes on the car stereo my knee instinctively braces itself for a hand to be rested on it; it is the perfect simple reminder  to take in the person next to you, appreciate what has happened to get you there together, and to look forward to whatever lies ahead. The song is Hot Chip’s new album’s signature smoldering slow jam a la One Life Stand’s I Feel Better. Love.  #indie / tory

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first aid kit

5 Jul

Today’s Indie: Emmylou / First Aid Kit

‘no, I’m not asking much of you / just sing little darling, sing with me’

My co-contributor and other half has jokingly said we need to change our blog name to the Untz and the Folk instead of The Untz and the Indie given my recent banjo loving stringing spree, and while I laughed I can’t help but shake that this isn’t just a phase… I am totally digging the genre right now, serving as the perfect music to soak my summer in with.

Today’s treat is from Swedish sirens/sisters Johanna and Klara Soderberg, who collectively make up First Aid Kit. The duo released their sophomore album, The Lion’s Roar, this past January, and by the sound of it you would think they were coming to us by way of Tennessee instead of Stockholm. The track traces the great romantic duos in country music history, and while sibling intuition rings true in their beauitful harmonies, Emmylou has the the songbirds pleading for their own romantic counterparts to sing through life with. A delightful piece to leave you with as we head into the mountains for the next few days for High Sierra… we will be back next week! #indie / tory

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longevity

2 Jul

Today’s Indie: Longevity / Yeasayer

‘live in the moment / never count on longevity / please’

It is going to be a weird week. Tuesday becomes a mini-Friday with Wednesday off for the Forth of July and then Thursday becomes an unlikely Monday and Friday at the same time since we are taking the 6th off to head up into the mountains for the High Sierra Fest. It is going to be hard to focus through any of it, especially with the anticipation of a festival at hand, but music always helps.

Today the boys of Yeasayer remind us that life is short with their single, Longevity, off their upcoming album Fragrant World due out this August. With transfixing vocals and a chorus that pulls you right in, it is the perfect way to ease into the week. #indie / tory

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all summer long

29 Jun

Today’s Indie: Summerlong / Xylos

‘we can make it like we did all summer long / in the shade while the others all sang along’

This feels good. Brooklyn quintet Xylos presents the perfect summer anthem to stir sweet restlessness into our bones on a Friday afternoon in late June, with fresh vocals and a catching chorus met with blissful synth. While the season no longer grants the months of freedom it did when we were young, it still promises hours outdoors, cold beer, adventure and summer love. Living in a city known for its particularly grey and foggy stretches this time of year still can’t bring me down, especially with a song like this as a backdrop. It glows. #indie / tory

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