Who: Little Brothers, who are, apparently, brothers. Whoda thunk? Brothers Michael and Tony Weis team up with their friend Jason Anderson to record in Michael’s basement studio and write awesome songs for … their own amusement? Michael says that they don’t tour at the moment and that they do pretty much everything they do on their own. Michael also says that he doesn’t imagine that will change anytime soon, but I have to respectfully disagree. I’m hardly an oracle on these matters, but I think these guys have a very promising future ahead of them as a band.

What: Indie rock with bits you won’t really expect: a little bit of disco-ness, some ska, a touch of Kenny G (in an awesome way)? There is definitely something about this sound that is rooted in the 70s, and maybe also the early 90s, but it’s really hard to put your finger on exactly what it is.

Where: Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Why: Honesty? I’m not sure! I think I avoided posting about Little Brothers for a while simply because I had no idea what to say. This always happens to me when I really like a new band. Don’t you find it’s so much easier to describe what you don’t like than what you do? I think I like that there’s something quite 70s (my favorite time period, musically speaking) about their sound, that their singer (I’m not sure which of the lads is on vocal duty) has a wonderfully odd captivating voice, that these are songs you can’t help but dance to, that “I Miss Those Days” (being in a bit of homesick phase right now) makes me cry a little, that these three dudes are clearly doing this just because they love it and you can hear it in every song.

When: Right now! Little Brothers’ debut EP, “Nostalgia Trip 2011″, is available right this second from bandcamp, on a pay-what-you-like system, and it seems like they’re recording more this summer. Visit them on bandcamp or facebook.

Any regular / long-term reader of this blog will know that I’m a really big Ladyfingers (aka Adam Weiner) fan; I’ve written about a couple of Ladyfingers albums already and love them so much, I never feel like I’ve managed to do them justice. Adam’s a great talent, has a fantastic and utterly unique voice, and makes music I can honestly say I’ve never heard the likes of before.

Now he’s teamed up with a whole group of dudes (there’s not too much information available about them just yet) to create Low Cut Connie, a bona fide, gen-u-wine rock & roll band. Putting on their debut LP, Get Out The Lotion, you feel immediately transported to a dark, dingy, kind of seedy bar in some backwater town. They’re playing in the back and every once in a while, someone throws a beer bottle.

Actually, my brain makes an immediate connection between Low Cut Connie and the earliest Beatles – way back in Hamburg or the Cavern Club. Known for being quite wild before Brian Epstein made them all shiny and tidy, the Beatles during that time were pure rock & roll. Listening to Low Cut Connie feels very much the same, like there’s nothing but undiluted rock in their veins – except that Low Cut Connie doesn’t have to be censored the way that even the wild Beatles would’ve been. I mean, they’re adorable and all but, c’mon, we all know the young Beatles weren’t as innocent and sweet as they looked. Low Cut Connie is just that little bit filthy, in the best way possible – making Get Out The Lotion feel both modern and old at the same time.

Low Cut Connie is getting some seriously good press already – they’ve apparently received great reviews from Rolling Stone and Robert Christgau – and not for nothin’. I’ve been a Ladyfingers fan for many years now, and I really hope this will be the project that finally gets Adam Weiner and his pals the recognition they deserve. Go grab the album now (pay what you want) from their official site and check them out on tour at a town near you.

Who: Kate and After

What: Indie pop, in a general sense – boisterous and cheerful, great for dancing about the room and singing along to.

Where: Unsurprisingly from Sweden (Gothenburg), apparently the kingdom of happy indie pop.

Why: Because they do what they do really well. They remind me deeply of the first Stellastarr* album, which I loved so so so much, but they never lived up to again. Kate and After picks up where Stellastarr* left off after their debut – danceable pop with a slightly manic edge that keeps things interesting. And keeping in mind that Kate and After is still very young (their debut single was released less than a year ago), they could definitely put out some really fun music in the future.

When: Kate and After’s “Things To Do” EP is out now and free to download via their website. The artwork features the exact Doc Martens that I wanted so badly when I was a teenager back in the ’90s (sigh, I miss the ’90s) and this only makes me like Kate and After just that little bit more.

Who: The Black Knights

What: “Voodoo trash blues”, as described by the band themselves. To me, they sound exactly like an unholy union between The Black Keys and Queens Of The Stone Age.

Where: From Salford, England.

Why: Honestly, I can’t get the above description out of my head – that just really is what The Black Knights sound like to me. They’ve got the raw, minimalist edge of The Black Keys, with a touch of their bluesy-ness, combined with Queens Of The Stone Ages moaning (I mean that in a blues way, not in a Coldplay way), hard rock brand of sinister. I can’t help but feel like I’m not exactly the target audience for this band, but that’s only based on the vampire-horror image their artwork gives them. I’m glad I didn’t make any assumptions based on that, because, to be totally honest, these guys are better than I ever expected them to be.

When: The Black Knights’ debut album, Sickle Sell Saturday Night, is out now on Recreation Records, and available for a pittance via bandcamp.

*Ok, so clearly I can’t do even these little posts every day. I did try though, I swear. From now until I’ve finally caught up on these emails, I’ll just stick with numbering these posts.

Who: Amanda Merdzan

What: Semi-cutesy indie-folk that’ll definitely put you in mind of Kimya Dawson.

Where: Perth, Australia

Why: Honestly, I can’t vouch for anything but the song offered below, I haven’t had a change to listen to more yet, and it’s not like this is a brand new sound or anything. But something about the lyrics in “The Last Song” one got through to my cold, cold heart when I first played it – remembering how much you’ve forgotten about times gone by, loves lost, rang a little true with me and put a tiny tear in my eye. (Don’t tell anyone, ok?)

When: Amanda’s Into The Gallery is out now and available from iTunes and the like, or from emusic here. If you like what you hear and happen to be in NYC, Amanda will be playing shows there for the next few months, so look her up.

Who: Stars and Sons

What: Pure indie pop, done up very lush and kind of explody.

Where: From Brighton, UK (just a fun coincidence that yesterday’s band was from Brighton, MA)

Why: Stars and Sons’ PR people sent along two tracks and the first one I listened to, “Fights Already Fought”, didn’t grab me at all. There’s a really good chance I might’ve left it there – it was pleasant enough, but almost not enough to investigate further. But I pressed on anyway for whatever reason and was immediately grabbed by the keyboard hook in “If It’s Good For Me”. This is the kind of pop that will be perfect for dancing about to, whether in your living room or a club, and that you would actually like to see in the charts.

When: Stars and Sons’ debut LP, Good Morning Mother is out now (buy here from Amazon UK), and current single “Futureproof” is getting radio airplay as we speak.

Sorry I had to leave you all for a while, but I’ve spent the last three weeks cleaning out our inbox in order to provide you with some lovely music. Ok, fine – I didn’t really spent all three weeks going through mail. I spent the first two avoiding it because it was overwhelming, then a weekend with my nose stuck in my laptop, then another week listening to a lot of interesting music I found hiding out in there. Now the unread mail is under control, but the stuff I’d actually like to post about is piling up. My solution isn’t a great one, but the only way I can get these bands mentioned in a semi-timely fashion: I’m making a little new-band-worksheet and will try my best to fill out one per day until things are caught up. They won’t be the most detailed posts ever, but they will at least get some good music out there onto the internets as quickly as is possible for me. So here we go, Day 1:

Who: Royal Hideouts (blog, myspace), a one-man operation whose background is in electronic music but is now giving rock a whirl, on Bad Panda Records. In case you don’t already know, Bad Panda is a “free-download netlabel releasing a new Creative Commons licensed song every Monday”.

What: Fuzzy indie pop reminiscent of The Jesus & Mary Chain with a little surfer-pop in the mix, done with an electronica edge.

Where: Originally from Brighton, Massachusetts

Why: Because this one kind of snuck up on me. I really did nearly delete the mail without further investigation, but I’m sure glad I didn’t. When I was only half paying attention, it kind of felt like stuff I’ve already heard. But when I stopped and really listened, I realized there was a lot more in there than I’d originally thought. Royal Hideouts manages to be poppy and comforting as well as interesting and vaguely experimental. Find out more over at Bad Panda’s Royal Hideouts page.

I’m so late on this one, it’s kind of embarrassing. Yeah, I’m forever moaning about being behind on mail but this one may be a record – it arrived on, cringe, July 15th. Oy. Apologies, Round Ron Virgin – I’ve been enjoying this album on my iPod ever since you sent it, but my lazy ass has been slow in getting a post done. Better late than never?

Definitely, if you haven’t heard Cowabungler yet. Round Ron Virgin is Oli Chance (formerly of Oli ‘n’ Clive) along with about a zillion other musicians – members of Wet Paint, The Rumble Strips, Helsinki, and The Coastguards, among others. Their press release boasts, rightly so, that “the album features no less than 25 instruments, ranging from the euphonium to drum machines, guitaleles, and the humble yet versatile saucepan-and-floor.” Sweet! A little bit folk, a little bit country, a little bit various other genres, Round Ron Virgin manages to play with all kind of styles while still maintaining a sound of their own. “I Love You, But You Are Nuts” is a little acoustic folk-ish ditty that’s been stuck in my head for about a week, “Old, Sick & Die” sounds like New Orleans and is surprisingly life-affirming, “Sailor Song” (below) is a very odd sea shanty that makes me laugh. The sense of humor is definitely one of the best things about Cowabungler, there’s a surreal streak running throughout that keeps you on your toes. Similarly, Chance’s voice manages to sound both forlorn and like he might laugh any second, an unusual quality which I find incredibly charming.

Cowabungler is out now on Records Records Records records (which is only funny if you say it out loud, and gets funnier each time, like the Bob Loblaw Law Blog), and is free to download, remix, or redesign. Chance’s approach is to “make the album as accessible as humanly possible. It’s easy to distribute music these days, and we want to actively encourage fans to pass it on, remix it, re-work it and re- imagine it, then share it with us and everyone else through our website.” So go go go to the Round Ron Virgin website to download the album and find out more.

After – or perhaps because of – a recent-ish collection of solo albums by lead singers, none of which I could fully understand the point of (yeah, I’m lookin’ at you, Julian Casablancas, Paul Banks, Kele Okereke), I was a little nervous when I heard about the upcoming Adam Haworth Stephens solo project. Alec Ounsworth somehow managed to make an album that didn’t really sound like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, despite having one of the oddest and most distinctive voices in indie, but the rest left a lot to be desired. I’m beating a dead horse here, especially as this isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned this, but I really really don’t get why you’d put a lot of money, time, and effort into a solo album that just sounds exactly like your day job band.

So, seeing as Two Gallants are one of my very very favorite bands – a duo I feel are a hugely underrated talent – I wasn’t sure how their singer / main songwriter could produce something that was any different than what we’ve come to expect. I desperately didn’t want to be disappointed, but I love Two Gallants enough to have been optimistic.

Thank goodness, it’s all worked out rather well. Opening single and pre-release teaser track, “The Cities That You’ve Burned”, raised my hopes significantly – its infectious melody a little more poppy and catchy than Two Gallants have ever been, it showed just enough of a different side to Adam Stephens to be unexpected and intriguing. Where Two Gallants feel like outlaws from another time, Stephens is more direct and modern on this album – nothing drastic, just enough to really feel like this is a completely separate thing. Two Gallants have a definite olden-times kind of style, this is much more musically diverse. My favorite track, “Second Mind” (below) could be described as folk-soul, if such a thing existed, and is beautifully gentle – a song you could even dance to; “Praises In Your Name” is practically indie pop. The lyrics, admitting that this is only a first impression, also feel more personal on this album – if Two Gallants tell tales of America’s forgotten underclasses, these are Stephen’s own present-day stories.

The only place this more modern approach isn’t as successful is “Angelina”. The song itself is just as good as anything else on the album, but the lyrics feel contrived in a way Stephens’ writing has never been before. Only here does modern not work for him – maybe I’m just too used to the sepia-toned feel of Two Gallants, but I can’t help but feel like parts of “Angelina” don’t suit him, like he’s trying out someone else’s style to see how it fits. But this is a minor criticism of what is, overall, a really beautiful album, a definite success following a line of unnecessary solo projects. For years now, I’ve looked forward to new Two Gallants releases – I’m so happy to know I can look forward to more solo work as well.

We Live On Cliffs will be out this coming Monday / Tuesday (the 27th or 28th, depending on where you are) on Saddle Creek Records. Pre-order directly from the official site or Amazon UK.

New year, new month, new band day. And the new band in question is a doozy, let me tell ya! Dragging Pianos from Queensland, Australia is – as far as I can tell – one man named Sam, and according to his myspace his buds help him along. His debut EP’s called The Food Chain and the title song is oh so pretty. How pretty, you ask? If it was a girl she’d be running around scantily clad in a Lenny Kravitz video. That pretty. As per usual I know very little else about the band so if you know more, please do pay it forward.

We are pulled in by a wistful female voice accompanied by a banjo which create a warm yet melancholy mood. Meanwhile, the sparse lyrics are merely there to highlight the song’s echo-y rhythm and the end result is as hypnotizing and enchanting as a constantly repeated mantra. Judging solely by this song this band doesn’t seem to need fancy tricks to create a wonderfully complicated landscape, but manages to still sound very much homemade. I really hope it promises more beautiful things to come.

I haven’t been this excited about a new band in a while! I came across London three-piece The Loveburns earlier today and was immediately hooked. This band has a truly unique sound which they call “zombie lullabies for the darleck dancing generation”. They certainly know their way around a rockabilly beat, but manage to sound like they’ve rediscovered the early incarnations of punk tucked away in the corners of an abandoned haunted house turned electro art pop venue … Yeah, you know what, they already described their tunes best so my sad, abstract attempts and everything else that comes after the zombie lullabies quote can be ignored. Before you do that, let me say one more thing, run on over to iTunes, Amie Street, eMusic, or Amazon for their debut single “Detector”. It’s deliciously dark, dirty and bluesy, but be sure to go to their MySpace and listen to “Reality Land”, “Profit Margin” and the hypnotizingly weird “Adoration”. These songs made me drop whatever I was doing and write up this fuzzy little post.

I bet every high school has a group of quirky, creative, arty, barefoot, nature girls that even the popular cliques observe with envy. Their seemingly carefree, unique ways and disregard of trends, only to start their own, give them an air of cool – not that they would care about a silly little thing like that. They wouldn’t look out of place in Haight-Ashbury circa 1967, but it seems they would make themselves at home wherever you’d plop them down.

The Half Sisters, the self-proclaimed busking queens of Brighton, are that group of girls. Their music and personal style is quirky and sweet, yet outrageous. They’re three sisters from Brighton who play guitars, the ukulele, the flute, and a vast array of objects that’ll function as percussion. They play light-hearted, fun and catchy songs that are perfect for the summer. “Our Dancing Skeletons” is the song that drew me in on their MySpace, but the still “Untitled” song on youtube is the one that made me love them so. As far as I can tell they haven’t released anything yet, but you can catch them playing their hearts out on the mean streets of Brighton.

Listen to “Our Dancing Skeletons”:

Check out the lovely “Untitled” song:

Marshmallow Pop Orchestra mysteriously popped into our inbox this week and I was immediately intrigued. Mostly because the music is interesting but also a little because their unusual collection of listed influences (the Pixies, Cyndi Lauper, T. Rex, and Bright Eyes, among others) is all stuff I like. But then I read their email more carefully and realized that the bonus tracks they’re offering include a “Pittsburgh Steelers fight song”. OH, SNAP! These guys are from my (and aDawgg’s) hometown! (Further evidence: another bonus track called “Surfin’ the Monongahela River”, one of Pittsburgh’s famous three.)

I’m going to go ahead and assume that Marshmallow Pop Orchestra fits our New Band Day rules because there’s no information about them. Anywhere. I’ve got no story, no background, no band member names to give you all. (Marshmallow Pop Orchestra, is that you? Come out of hiding and tell us more about yourselves!) Their email / press release (also the only information on their website) only says that this album, Songs To Fly Away To, was “written, recorded, and mixed very quickly between March 2007 to March 2009″ and that it seems to have been a fairly spontaneous affair: “Many musical parts and lyrics were written and recorded while the zip disks were running.” Oh, and if all that wasn’t enough to pique my curiosity, their own description of themselves is “Department Store Orchestral Music for 30 year olds”. Excellent.

I’ll admit that I haven’t listened to the whole of Songs To Fly Away To, but I’m excited to do so. What I’ve heard so far is a combination of early 60s surf music, Bruce Springsteen, 80s bubblegum pop, new wave, and yes indeed, there’s a little muzak in there.Songs To Fly Away To does kind of feel like an extended demo but the roughness isn’t distracting, it suits their music very well. It’s a bit of a fuzzy mess but in a good way.

You can hear more at MarshmallowSpace but, really, why bother when you could just go ahead and download the whole album – free – plus all the glorious extras (cover art and all) over at their blog/website?

I was a sad sniffly heap last week so I didn’t get to write the posts I wanted. I don’t have any excuse for missing yesterday’s other then, I’m lazy. Anyway, I decided today IS New Band Day just because I said so. Excuse my totalitarian decision, but this band is worth it. The band in the spotlight this week is Chicago’s very own Soft Speaker. They haven’t released anything yet, but they do have a free download on their official site. I was blown away by the slightly alarming yet wonderfully catchy “Read The Rags” on their MySpace site. Their sound, as far as I can judge it from the few song, is a mix of different influences, from alt-country to grunge, to psychedelic rock, but they’ve definitely got the hang of writing a song that’ll set up camp in your brain. They’re a band that seems to still be testing the waters, but I’m already loving these first few steps on the shore. I’m sure they’re gonna make a huge splash when they do come into their own. Alrighty, now that I’ve totally milked the whole water metaphor, enjoy the single and keep an eye out for their self-released EP, Conditions.

Stolen from Stereogum, recommended by No Age – ok, so I’m not especially original today but I can’t help it, these Crocodiles are fantastic! There’s not a lot to say that Stereogum (and many others) hasn’t already said (especially the Jesus And Mary Chain comparison, so true), except that while most people seem to be pimping “Neon Jesus” (which is very good indeed), I’m actually more taken with “Summer Of Hate” (below). Also, I like how their genre on CrocodileSpace is listed as ‘visual’, which somehow makes sense.

Crocodiles’ debut album, Summer Of Hate will be out April 28th. While you wait, check out more excellent tracks at their MySpace.

I came across British band Peoples Person Club the other day on the myspace. Their joyful, high-energy tunes piqued my interest but, as is often the case, their page gave no info. So. Very. Frustrating. Anyway, my investigation continued and I got the name John Ridgard off of one of their pictures, so I went a-googlin’. All I could find was a write-up of the band, so if you’ve learned anything about the band in this post it’s all courtesy of the lovely folks at Shattered Satellite. That includes the song, because sadly myspace is no longer the quick and easy provider of new music of yore.

Apparently, John Ridgard is the elusive frontman and founder of the Leamington-based band. They turn a mix of fuzzy guitars and electronica into a quirky but dreamy amalgamation of happy. The songs on their page are amazing, they have spurts of psychedelia and power pop, but the band already clearly has a wonderfully unique indentity and sound, very rare for a new band. “Our Greatest Invention” is going to announce their existence to the world in 2010 according to Shattered Satellite. I’m partial to the melodic, drum ‘n bass beat, alien voices, bleeps and handclaps, all ending in what sounds like a dirty phone call on “Don’t Get On Anyone Else’s Trip”.

I guess there was a little burn-out going on, because our long 100break was also a big fat music break for me. I barely listened to anything and I most definitely didn’t discover any new bands. Luckily, our inbox was flooded and I recently (um, yesterday) discovered Sheffield’s Screaming Maldini waiting for me in there.

Screaming Maldini are students Nik (producer/writer/various instruments), Tom (drums), and Andy (trumpet) who left previous bands to form something both more interesting to hear and to play than what they were involved in. They took themselves to their studio in the outskirts of Sheffield to record some songs amidst the trees and horses. Their influences seem to be quite broad, producing music that is both pop and indie, new as well as retro. There’s more than a touch of that British post-punky indie sound we all know and love, as well as a generous helping of Burt Bacharach-y goodness (especially on “The Extraordinary”). And horns. No joke – there aren’t nearly enough horns in pop music today, and that very unique touch is one of the first things that will grab you about this band.

Screaming Maldini are currently unsigned, though I suspect that won’t be true for long, and are rehearsing a live band (with some additions to their usual three-piece line-up) ahead of touring later in the year. Check out “Secret Sounds” below, find more tracks at MaldiniSpace or join their Facebook group to find out more.

I’m breaking some New Band Day rules with this band, but I say rules be damned! Yes, I am just that rebellious. This band is not brand-spanking new as their debut album, Twist And Hold Til Morning, came out in October last year. But they’re an amazing band, they started in the noughties, and they’re new to me – and them’s the only rules I’m following today.

Steve Hefter And Friends Of Friends from Baltimore make deceptively innocent sounding songs about life, love, ‘bullshit’ and their mom hooking up with – gasp! – a lawyer. Twist And Hold Til Morning has some truly beautiful music and the oddball lyrics are deliciously captivating. Their upbeat mix of folk, country and pretty melodies is bespeckled with lovely flecks of melancholy.

   Steve Hefter And Friends Of Friends – Pants
   Steve Hefter And Friends Of Friends – Why A Lawyer

Sometimes you find some music you really love but you just don’t know what to say about it. That’s what’s happened to me with the lovely Grey Anne. A Portland musician with a wonderful voice, Grey Anne sings odd, slightly quirky songs that are both folksy and funky. As for not really knowing what to say about her – I like her a lot but I have no idea how to explain why. I’ve had a listen through her whole debut album, facts n figurines – it grabbed me from the very first track and just kept getting better as I listened. There’s a lot of folksy girl singers out there, but Grey Anne has something different, something that makes her not just another folksy girl singer. The songs have a light, sing-songy feel, but also have a little darkness and oddness to them – both in their sound and lyrics. Give “Flapjack Devilfish Flies Again” (below) a listen – I’ll be very surprised if it doesn’t make you want to pick up facts n figurines right away.

Hear more at Grey Anne’s myspace page, or buy facts n figurines now through Greyday Records’ shop or emusic.

   Grey Anne – Flapjack Devilfish Flies Again

Two years ago, we were very sad to see the demise of one of our all-time favorite live bands, Soledad Brothers. They made their energetic, stomping, stirring bluesy garage performances look so easy. We had a great appreciation for all the members of the band, but we especially liked the way Ben Swank turned into a frantic haze of hands and feet behind the drums. So when I came across London-based The See See’s MySpace page, I was pleasantly surprised to see his name in the line up.

If you’re a fan of the Soledad Brother’s fast paced rock ‘n roll, The See See’s mellow seventies rock-inspired psychedelic folk tunes may not be your cup of tea at first, but give them a chance, because their sound is wonderfully rich, exciting, and timeless. They actually sound like they’ve been playing together forever and with seasoned musicians like former Eighteenth Day Of May frontman Richard Olsen in the mix, they’re bound to create something beautiful. My favorite song on the site is definitely the upbeat “Clap Your Hands and Shake A Chain”. They’re debut single came out in May, but is impossible to get a hold of now and they’re second one is on its way. There’s also talk of an album released some time next year, so there’s exciting times to come!

OK, so now that I’ve proven that I don’t always pick bands that have no further information than ‘from the UK or thereabouts’, I’m back to not knowing anything. I first came across the The See See, but when I heard Richard Peter Snapes & The Lie Awakes’ enchanting “Land We Share” I had to, ehm, share. Apparently, Richard Peter Snapes was a solo artist for a while, but decided he wanted to be in a ‘real’ band and now he and The Lie Awakes are a band of five, who merrily make songs with a luscious, big, full sound. Their next(?) single will be released in January. Surprisingly, I have no idea whether they’ve had any other releases, but the sweetly melodramatic, yet upbeat “I’ve Made Up Stories” would make a incredibly good debut single. My favorite song on the site is the aforementioned “Land We Share”. It’s dreamy, sweeping, passionate .. just lovely.