Black Whales - Shangri-La Indeed

With a similar indie and folk rock infectiousness to their Seattle counterparts The Cave Singers, tied in with psychedelic pop, the occasional harmonica, and even a touch of country twang, Black Whales are undoubtedly on to something.

Black Whales - "Rattle Your Bones"

Their debut full length Shangri-La Indeed hit the net in late June, stay tuned as their buzz will break out beyond the west coast.  Give the quintet a listen.

"Serpent In The Water"

Bandcamp

The Middle East - I Want That You Are Always Happy

Few bands receive multiple posts within such a short time, but the folk/"post-rockers" named The Middle East deserve it based on the quality of their recently released full length album in mid-April.  The album's up-tempo debut track, "Jesus Came To My Birthday Party," featured here in March, falls in the minority, as peevish instrumentation and appeasingly melodic guitar hooks take over throughout the majority of the work.  Produced between tours in three different locales beginning in 2009, its uniqueness separates The Middle East from other indie bands, seemingly creating a morph of Band of Horses and Bon Iver.

The Middle East - "Hunger Song"

The Middle East - "Land Of The Bloody Unknown"

Out July 12 here in the states.

Gardens & Villa

Gardens & Villa.  They're from Santa Barbara, CA and recorded the below two tracks in Cottage Grove, Oregon in the Summer of 2010. 

If you want to try to explain who Gardens & Villa sound like, "Black Hills" hints of The Shins and Kings of Leon, while "Orange Blossom" feels like what would be a down-tempo track off of Wes Miles' (of Ra Ra Riot) Discovery project.  In reality, both tracks are unique jams in their own right.  Gardens & Villa is definitely sunlight through the blinds.

Gardens & Villa - "Black Hills"

Gardens & Villa - "Orange Blossom"

You can snag their debut album for free, by right-clicking on the songs above, or going to their Bandcamp page. 

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Lord Huron - Mighty EP

The EP dropped waaaay back in November, and last month's video release for "The Stranger" helped Lord Huron captivate us for this well-deserved post.

Mighty, the second of their first two EP's, features four rewarding songs.  Each track transforms the expected vibrance of indie folk rock into a seemingly tribal experience.  With emotionally-driven melodies and lyrical repetitions, Lord Huron's singer and writer Ben Schneider achieves exactly what Mighty was set out to accomplish, "I’m trying to develop the storytelling elements...the way in which the structures and sound choices complement the narrative...my hope is to make the songs as evocative as possible"

Lord Huron - "Mighty"

Lord Huron - "The Stranger"

I can't trust anyone or anything these days

The Middle East - "Jesus Came To My Birthday Party"

After their emotionally-driven hit single, "Blood," and 2009 EP, The Middle East are back with a new track, "Jesus Came to My Birthday Party."  If this is any indication of their upcoming work it'll keep them on pace to get the same hype and love in the states that they've been getting back home in Australia.  Their first trip to the U.S. was in Feb. '10 for SXSW, later opening a handful of shows for some relatively successful acts, Mumford & Sons and Grizzly Bear.

They're considered a musical collective by technical terms, with up to six or seven band members, incorporating everything from hand percussion to glockspiel (like a xylophone) to trumpets.  With mainly acoustic-based tracks on their first album, this single has the fullness that you'd expect from a bigger group, radiating that road trip, tapping the steering wheel down an old dirt road type of jam.  Looking forward to what's next.

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