Sounds like: The Avett Brothers, Mississippi John Hurt

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

What’s so good?
Can indie music and bluegrass co-exist? Do “indie” music listeners denounce themselves from knee-slappin and banjo-pickin? If we take “indie” in the literal sense, that is “independent,” then absolutely, bluegrass should damn well fit within the paradigm of indie music, so long as it’s some quality tunage. All that said, the Devil Makes Three isn’t your protypical bluegrass band. Many a folk have told me that this band turned them on to bluegrass …keep reading →

Sounds like: Panda Bear, New Order, Daft Punk

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

What’s so good?
Last January, I bought a CD-R from Joseph Denny, aka Spirit Spine. Ten dollars and a week later I received a package with a nice hand-written note and one of the best albums I heard all year. I was struck by the fact that such an incredible album was …keep reading →

Sounds like: Aphex Twin, Autechre

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

What’s so good?
So is he or isn’t he? I’ve found it generally bothersome that Jase Rex’s curious moniker seems to demand that reviewers and promoters passionately proclaim that, in fact (and often in less-than-clever wordplay), he is NOT merely another electronic musician. Perhaps then, it’s just been out of spite that I’ve never found Another Electronic Musician (or AEM) to be particularly exceptional. But his newest album, States of Space, has got me wondering …keep reading →

Sounds like: Little Boots, Lykke Li, The Knife

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

What’s so good?
Recipe for La Roux
1. Mix Flock of Seagulls’ style with the looks of Rupert Grint (see index: Ronald Weasley)
2. Combine a dash of The Knife’s electric riffs with strong femme vocals
3. Dance until blended

Listing musicians like Madonna and Prince …keep reading →

Sounds like: The Black Keys, R.L. Burnside, Black Diamond Heavies

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

What’s so good?
Grab your whiskey and get ready to rage. I’ve never heard a more powerful and gritty blues rock duo than these guys. Left Lane Cruiser is a two man outfit out of Ft. Wayne, Indiana. They’re a couple of thrashers that can play the hell out of some punkesque garage blues. Think along the lines of a possessed Black Keys, Jack White without his cute peppermint outfits, or even ole’ R.L. Burnside fresh off divorcing his sixth wife and a four day bender …keep reading →

Sounds like: Iron & Wine, Jack Johnson, Wilco, Joshua Radin

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

What’s so good?
I couldn’t help but smile the first time I heard Bahamas LP Pink Strat. Though it was a rainy day in San Francisco, as I listened to the dreamy tunes of Afie Jurvanen, I was transported to summer bliss. You see, Jurvanen is a Toronto musician who doesn’t let the cold Canadian winters into his songs. He’s spent the last few years playing piano and guitar with popular Canadian bands like Feist, Jason Collett, Howie Beck, and Hayden …keep reading →

Sounds like: Bloc Party, Foals, Tokyo Police Club, Vampire Weekend

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

What’s so good?
What do you get when you cross three Irish dudes, some guitars, and some heavy electronic influence? Well, you can get a ton of things, one of which is the sound produced by Two Door Cinema Club, a modern contemporary trio bringing us some seriously catchy tunes on their debut, Tourist History. While we wrote about them back in April of 2009, this album illustrates the band’s range while simultaneously keeping to a central theme …keep reading →