Five For Free #15

Wye Oak - Holy Holy

First up is Baltimore duo Wye Oak who offer us this wonderful, pounding free track 'Holy Holy', one of the highlights from their fourth album 'Civilian' which was released earlier in the year. Wye Oak break from the mould of guitar, drums and vocals boy/girl duos we've seen so much of post White Stripes, incorporating a greater amount of instrumentation both live and in the studio. Well worth going to see.

Wye Oak - Holy Holy by cityslang

Wye Oak's Website

Buy the album.





Mint Julep - Aviary

While we're on the subject of boy/girl duos - the Portland husband and wife duo Mint Julep (named after a cocktail) are set to release a new album, 'Save Your Season', in November. The first track released from it is the gorgeous, dreamy, upbeat ambience of 'Aviary'. It will most certainly brighten things up as the nights draw in.

Mint Julep - Aviary by Anorak London

Mint Julep on Myspace

The album will be available to buy from Unseen.





I Break Horses - Load Your Eyes

Experimental, shoegazey Swedes I Break Horses proved very popular when we posted a track from their stunning debut album a few weeks back, if you're yet to investigate further, get on the case! You can start by checking out another album track - 'Load Your Eyes' by streaming or downloading it below.

I Break Horses - Load Your Eyes by pmwtumblr

Free Download: Load Your Eyes

I Break Horses website

Buy the album.





Younghusband - Nothing, Nothing

Formed last year, London quartet Younghusband have already graced a few festival stages, showing off their catchy, expertly put together fusion of electronic krautrock and pop melodies. A double A-side single was released in the summer, check a cut from it - 'Nothing, Nothing'.

Nothing, Nothing - Young Husband by GreenManFestival

Younghusband's website

Buy the 7".





Trailer Trash Tracys - Dies In 55

We'll finish off with this delightful, sparkling, melodic track from Londoners Trailer Trash Tracys. This lot are well worth keeping an eye on, their album could be very special indeed. There will be a new single in a few weeks, but in the mean time have a listen to their latest, the incredibly lovely 'Dies In 55'.

Trailer Trash Tracys - Dies In 55 by DominoRecordCo

Trailer Trash Tracys on Facebook



The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook

The Sound Of Confusion on Myspace

soundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk

Wooden Shjips - West

This article also appears on www.soundsxp.com

It has been said, often erroneously, that certain bands essentially make the same record over and over again. The Cramps, AC/DC, Bo Diddley and Snow Patrol to name but a few. With the latter it seems to have been a case of find what sells and repeat, yet the other three are considered credible and highly influential artists (and to those who care to explore more deeply, far more diverse than at first meets the eye).

Diversity doesn't seem to be a word that's in Wooden Shjips' dictionary, and thankfully selling out is also something the San Francisco quartet choose to avoid. 'West', their third album proper, very much sticks to the blueprint laid down by its predecessors, and is all the better for it. 'Black Smoke Rise' is reminiscent of The Doors with its swirling organ and vocals that sound like an indecipherable Jim Morrison, 'Crossing' is a funky take on Spacemen 3's epic drones, repetition is key throughout; the familiar, insistent bass lines and rattlesnake percussion underpin each track, driving the seven curiously danceable, psychedelic grooves like a metronome.

'West' isn't merely a case of “if it ain't broke don't fix it”, it's more an exemplary understanding of the psych/drone genre, picking elements of the past and combining them to forge their own identity. Wooden Shjips have made the same record again. If this makes them one trick ponies then so be it. But, boy, what a trick.

Wooden Shjips - Lazy Bones by www.ohfancy.de/blog

Stream the album in full

Buy the album.




The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook

The Sound Of Confusion on Myspace

soundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk

Out This Week

Ivy - You Make It So Hard

Sometimes you can miss out on a band, they can completely pass you by. New York trio Ivy formed in 1994 and have been releasing indie-pop albums ever since, plus much TV and film work, yet somehow I'm hearing them for the first time. Well, good things come to those who wait, and I'm pleased to report that new album 'All Hours' sounds like a corker. Grab a freebe below.

IVY - Make It So Hard by nettwerkmusicgroup

Free download: You Make It So Hard

Ivy's website

Buy the album.




The Rifles - Coming Home

Also gracing the nation's record stores this week is 'Freedom Run', the new album from The Rifles who seem to have gathered a large cult following on the sly. The laddish tendencies of some of their earlier work seem to have (thankfully) disappeared, leaving behind a very decent indie-rock band. Wider recognition may be coming their way.

Free download: Coming Home

The Rifles' website

Buy the album.




Regina - Unessa

On the whole, Sweden overshadows the other Scandinavian countries on the decent-bands-per-head-of-population ratio, but every country has its great bands. Regina are Finnish and make rather exquisite electro-pop. Their second album 'Soita Mulle' is out this week and free taster Unessa(it means 'asleep' in English) is pretty much perfect, like a laid back Stereolab.

Regina - Unessa by 7Johnk7

Regina on Myspace

Buy the album.




Lanterns On The Lake - Keep On Trying

Newcastle sextet Lanterns On The Lake describe their sound as “sparkly cinematic pop”. Following a series of self-released EPs, they have signed to Bella Union who put out their debut album-proper this week. 'Gracious Tide, Take Me Home' is, well, sparkly cinematic pop! Keep On Trying is quite beautiful as it washes over you. Lantern On The Lake do exactly what they say on the tin.

Keep On Trying by Lanterns on the Lake

Free download: Keep On Trying

Lanterns On The Lake's website

Buy the album.




OBLIGATORY RECORD OF THE WEEK
Shonen Knife - Rock 'n' Roll Cake

Shonen Knife have been making noisy pop-punk for thirty years now and show few signs of mellowing. Latest album 'Free Time' was released last year in their homeland and this year in the UK. And what a fine racket it is! Breaking through the scratchy noise is this quite fantastic indie-pop track Rock 'n' Roll Cake, now out as a free download single. Warning: like cake, this track is delicious, slightly addictive, very sweet and probably bad for you. Download it ASAP.

Rock'n'roll Cake by Shonen Knife

Free download: Rock 'n' Roll Cake

Shonen Knife's website

Buy the album.




The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook

The Sound Of Confusion on Myspace

soundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk

EVOL - Close EP

This article also appears on www.soundsxp.com

Glasgow's EVOL formed only last year and are already on their second EP. 'Close' displays a range of influences from the forbidding guitar soundscapes of Mogwai (Open) through to PJ Harvey at her most ferocious (the pulsating Tired) and a whole range of 90s alternative noise-makers, from grunge (Witchtrain borrows heavily from Hole's Plump) to epic post-rock (Close).

It would be easy to lump EVOL in with other grunge revivalists such as Yuck, but in truth they're a little more diverse and a little too dark. This EP sounds like a stepping stone on to great things to come rather than the finished article, although it's still a thoroughly enjoyable ride. The intensity of the racket they make and the powerful female vocal are signs that they may be compelling live experience too. Ones to keep an eye on.

WITCHTRAIN by Evol Glasgow

TIRED by Evol Glasgow

EVOL on Facebook

Buy the EP.




The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook

The Sound Of Confusion on Myspace

soundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk

Five For Free #14

Five more free tunes!

Dead Models - Rosy

London based Dead Models are set to release their debut album 'It's Not Love' this month. If this summer's EP is anything to go by it should be filled with fantastic indie-pop nuggets, such as the joyous rush of this free taster, Rosy.

Rosy by deadmodelsband

Dead Models on Myspace

Buy the single.





Snakes Say Hisss- Comes And Goes

To Brooklyn yet again. Snakes Say Hisss make wonderfully off kilter synth/guitar/pop tunes, mixing the genres to make their own unique sound.  Comes And Goes is almost minimalist in sound, yet oddly er, maximalist at the same time, making them virtually impossible to catagorise, which is no bad thing.



Snakes Say Hisss on Myspace




Little Green Cars - My Love Took Me Down The River

You probably haven't been wondering what a collaboration between Florence & The Machine and The Duke Spirit would sound like, and neither have I. However, if I had to guess the outcome of such a match up, I'd bet a couple of quid on it sounding not unlike this fabulous track by Little Green Cars.

Little Green Cars - My Love Took Me Down To The River by franciscoo21

Little Green Cars on Myspace





Fort Lean - Beach Holiday

"Fort Lean is about getting too drunk at your own picnic. Fort Lean is about leaving the city. Fort Lean is a place where you can still see the skyline but you can’t hear any cars and you can put all your stolen wine in the stream to keep it cool and when the fire dies out you can see some stars and not too many airplanes."
They may talk crap but they make bloody brilliant tunes. Oh yeah, and they're from Brooklyn.


Fort Lean on Myspace

Buy the EP.




Library Voices - Generation Handclap

Canadians Library Voices released their album 'Summer Of Lust' last month, hopefully it sells well if royalties are to be evenly distributed between the ten strong collective! It certainly deserves to, mixing influences from 60s beat groups through C86 and upbeat indie-pop. Check out free single Generation Handclap.

Library Voices - Generation Handclap by Nevado

Library Voices website

Buy the 7".




The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook

The Sound Of Confusion on Myspace

soundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk

Sad Day For Puppets - Shift Another Color

This article also appears on www.soundsxp.com

To coincide with November's Japanese tour, Swedish five-piece Sad Day For Puppets are set to release a compilation of rarities, b-sides and new versions of tracks from their debut EP 'Just Like A Ghost'. Available digitally worldwide (and with a CD exclusive to Japan due in October), 'Shift Another Color' is more than just a tying up of loose ends for completists, it also acts as a great introduction for those new to SDFP's sparkling melodies and squalling shoegaze guitars – matching the quality of their two studio albums thus far, whilst also being a concise seven tracks.

Last year's stand alone single Again opens proceedings in grand fashion. Few bands could afford to not include a song of such calibre on a studio album, and the same can be said of 2009's double A-side When You Tell Me That You Love Me/Withering Petals And Dust, the former of which appears twice here; the heartbreakingly tender original version and the blistering, surging rework. Three previous EP tracks are also given the walls-of-guitar makeover. Set Alight is the most successful, the injection of sonic steroids boosting what was already one of their finest moments, whilst Big Waves is also improved by a less drastic facelift, retaining the fragility of the original. Less successful is the beefed-up remake of Hush which loses some of the soul and sweetness of its 2008 predecessor.

On the whole any criticism of 'Shift Another Color' is nitpicking, there isn't any filler here and the compilation of these recordings is useful and worthwhile rather than a fan-exploiting cash-in. It also marks a transition for the band, the lullaby-like melodies remain intact but are being increasingly coated with layers of guitar which are more than worthy of comparisons to the likes of My Bloody Valentine or Dinosaur Jr. SDFP are gradually evolving, honing their sound, and the fact that they're still relatively unknown is criminal. Bring on the next album.

Set Alight 2011 Sad Day For Puppets by HaHa FONOGRAM


Sad Day For Puppets 'Big Waves 2011' by Sonic Cathedral

Sad Day For Puppets on Myspace

Buy the album





The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook

The Sound Of Confusion on Myspace

soundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk

Out This Week

Five choice new releases!

Caveman - Decide

Rarely a week passes without a mention of the musical hotbed of Brooklyn. Such was the demand for Cavemen's debut album that they've released it early as a download. A pysical release will be available later in the year. The four members got together to make top quality, traditional indie-rock after being dissatisfied with the respective bands they were in. Surely they can be satisfied with this.

Caveman - Decide by GirlieActionInge

Free download: Decide

Purchase info and another free download are available on Caveman's website

Stream the album in full





St Vincent - Surgeon

Experimentalist (with the emphasis on 'mental') Annie Clark, AKA St Vincent,  releases her second album 'Strange Mercy' this week. The reviews have been amazing and the signs are all there for a breakthrough of sorts. Having spent time as a member of the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens' band, she seems to be having a lot of fun making her own wonky concoctions, and long may she continue.

St Vincent - Surgeon by snipelondon

Free download: Surgeon

St Vincent on Myspace

Stream the album in full

Buy the album.





Girls - Vomit

San Francisco's Girls seem to have less fun, but rarely has lonliness and hopelessness sounded more uplifting than on Helhole Ratrace from their 2009 debut. Back with a second LP and emotions are again running high, as exemplified on the freebe Vomit. Girls once again  look destined to be highly ranked in the end of year polls.

Girls, "Vomit" by The FADER



Girls on Myspace

Buy the album.





Miracle Fortress - Miscalculations

'Was I The Wave?', the third album from Montreal trio Miracle Fortress has been available on import for a couple of months but now has a full UK release. Current single Miscalculations is a lovely piece of electro/indie-pop. A second free track is available on their website.

Miracle Fortress - "Miscalculations" by indiemusicfilter

Free download: Miscalculations

Miracle Fortress' website

Stream the album in full

Buy the album.




OBLIGATORY RECORD OF THE WEEK

S.C.U.M - Whitechapel

It's taken a while for S.C.U.M to get around to completing their debut, but it was time well spent. The Londoners have perfected their brand of dark, psychedelic post-punk and created a unique (and rather wonderful) sound. The menacing intensity and throbbing base shine brightest on the single Whitechapel. You can stream the edited single version below - but it's not a patch on the full album version so give the whole thing a spin.

S.C.U.M - Whitechapel (Single Version) by Mute UK

Stream the album in full

S.C.U.M on Myspace

Buy the album.




The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook

The Sound Of Confusion on Myspace

soundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk