Hearts - Johnny Neon.
I don’t know much about Johnny Neon, but I have met Lemon, the star of the “Hearts” music video.
My friend Sam summed it up quite nicely on Twitter when she said “[now that it’s winter] this song (and video) just makes you want to get a dog and have summer all over again”.
Listen to more Johnny Neon here.
Contributed by @rowaneva.
It Evaporates - TV Girl.
TV Girl is an indie-pop duo from California (where else) who just released a FREE mix-tape The Wild, The Innocent, The TV Shuffle. I can easily see this album as the soundtrack to a relaxed Sunday drive, or the unexpected house party when everyone from the bar came to your place for a nightcap, or… when you’re gardening in the sun wearing only your underpants. I don’t know! Just go download it now.
Contributed by @miss_moss.
Ho Hey - The Lumineers.
Ladies and gents, let me introduce you to one of your new favourite folk bands. The Lumineers hail from Denver, Colorado and their self-titled debut album was released last month. If you own albums by Mumford & Sons, The Tallest Man On Earth, Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver you should definitely give it a spin.
Contributed by @rowaneva.
Royal Blue - Cold War Kids.
It’s always interesting to see how a band follows up a breakthrough album that contains one stand out hit song. With Cold War Kids the suspicion was there that “Hospital Beds” might be their one-hit to make them wonders, but their follow up album is a solid listen. Nothing groundbreaking, but a nice easy listen. “Royal Blue” is my pick of the lot. A solid way to kick off a Wednesday afternoon.
Contributed by @GarethRosslee.
I Only Have Eyes For You - Beck.
Beck comes out of hiding (after a few odd - but good - Snoop Dogg influenced remixes) to do a cover version of a track made famous by the doo-wopping Flamingos in 1959. The 50’s are the age of the teenager, an all-American era of innocence - an era that has seen a recent revival by indie scenesters. Hipsters have embraced the knowingly uncool aesthetic of retro threads, Buddy Holly glasses, and generally dorkiness over the past year or so. Beck’s track may be living in a parallel universe according to his singular timeline, but it fits pretty neatly into a playlist I made that charts the indie 50’s revival - featuring bands like The Shins, Cults, Best Coast, The Raveonettes, The Magic Kids, Tennis and more. Grab it here. It’s real swell.
Contributed by @djbadly.
Born to be Wild - Timbuk3.
A good cover version can cast an old song in a whole new light, not just reinventing it for a new generation, but reclaiming it from the ruthless grip of its creators and liberating it from the weight of expectation.
Here, the classic biker’s anthem from Easy Rider, “Born to be Wild”, is born again as a lazy, loping folk-song, more suited to an equestrian amble than an excuse to get your motor running and head out on the highway.
Timbuk3 are a husband-and-wife duo who recorded a string of captivatingly quirky albums in the 90s. Their sole big hit was “The Future’s So Bright, I’ve Got to Wear Shades”, a phrase that entered common parlance as an expression of blinding optimism, even if the song is actually about an impending nuclear apocalypse.
Then again, this particular cover really is born to be wild.
Contributed by @gussilber.
Lady - Chromatics.
You’ve watched Drive, so you should be familiar with “Tick Of The Clock” by the Portland-based band Chromatics. It was also the last song on their previous album, “Night Drive” (2009). Well, if you liked that song you should probably get familiar with their brand new album, “Kill For Love”, right now.
“Lady” is, after a few listens, one of my favorite tracks. Another is the opener, “Into The Black”, a Neil Young cover.
You can listen to the album in it’s entirety here.
Contributed by @rowaneva.
Rooibok - Derek Gripper.
Derek Gripper is one of SA’s more thoughtful, classical guitarists. He’s made 9 albums, and tonight (May 12) he launches number 10, Music from the Strings of Mali, at the Slave Church in Cape Town. His site describes what he does way better than I could: “He is the only guitarist in the world to have mastered the unique and magical music of the Malian griot harp players, the masters of the ancient instrument called the kora. This instrument is one of the most complex instruments in Africa, an instrument able to perform bass lines and harmonic accompaniment while simultaneously improvising virtuosic melodic lines, creating the impression of a three piece ensemble on just one instrument.”
This track, Rooibok, is from a 2009 album, Ayo. If you can make his launch tonight, it’s going to be evening of music that will stay with you forever.
Contributed by @chrisroper
Lover’s Game - Geographer.
I discovered San Francisco indie-rockers Geographer when they opened for Ladytron on their last tour. Apparently, Michael Deni started Geographer after finding a synth in the street one day. They explore big, textured walls of sound for a trio, with Nathan Blaz on electric cello, Brian Ostreicher on drums, and Deni handling guitar, synths and some pretty impressive vocals.
Picking a track to feature on NDT from “Myth”, their latest release, proves difficult. “Lover’s Game” is arguably the least dense track on the album, but exemplifies the loveliness in their songs. Whether guitar-strung or synth-soaked, upbeat or melancholy, Geographer has that something that has made them my favourite new discovery.
Contributed by @orchidhunter.
Swallowing the Decibels - Yeasayer.
Everyone was so busy slobbering over Yeasayer’s first LP and absolutely hating the second that the “End Blood” EP went almost unnoticed. Released in April 2011, it was a “purge of our brains” to “make way for new ideas”, the band said.
This track demonstrates one thing that Yeasayer do better than anyone else - experiment with instruments to the point where you have no idea what you’re listening to. Is it a synth? Is it a guitar? Who cares? It’s awesome.
Contributed by @ComradeSipho.
House - Kindness.
House is a track from “World, You Need a Change of Mind” - the debut album from Kindness, the brainchild of British singer-songwriter & producer Adam Bainbridge. Pitchfork probably said it best in their review of the album, “…washed-out new wave, strobing disco, atmospheric balladry… Kindness represents the end-point of the chilled aesthetic that tints our memories of the summer of 2009 until they have the look of an Instagram photo.”
Contributed by @miss_moss.
The Weary Kind - Ryan Bingham.
There are two types of people who’ll read this post and listen to this track. You’ll know which camp you’re in because if you haven’t seen the movie “Crazy Heart” this won’t ring any bells. If you haven’t seen the movie “Crazy Heart” you need to do something about that with utmost urgency. For the rest of you - enjoy.
Contributed by @GarethRosslee.
Seer - Motopony.
This weekend I discovered Motopony. I know pretty much nothing about them apart from the fact that they are based in Seattle, that they’re a quartet and that they released their debut album last year. They aren’t even on Wikipedia and their own website is in a type of ethereal English I don’t really understand (read the about section).
Anyway, none of that matters. Their self-titled album is fantastic. It’s kind of bluesy with a folky twang. I’ve shared “Seer” today, but “June”, “Wait For Me”, and the lead single “King Of Diamonds” are all stand out tracks.
Definitely one of the albums of 1971, um I mean 2011.
Contributed by @rowaneva.
You Saved My Life - Cass McCombs.
This was the first Cass McCombs song that I fell in love with. It was the (wilfully lo-fi) video that did it. Beautifully ordinary, simple and direct. Shock, hype and immediacy are such a big part of success on the interwebs, so it’s wonderful to see such a subtle, intensely personal artist getting props from all corners. Recommended albums are, hell…any of the last four will do. Get them all. Winter’s coming.
Contributed by @djbadly.
Call Me Down - Alphaville.
I love it when older bands prove their continued relevance by crafting creative and surprising music. Alphaville is one of the few bands that managed to survive the collapse of New Wave through active reinvention. It’s been more than a decade since their previous release, and 2011’s Catching Rays On Giant shows that Alphaville is still capable of glorious hooks and catchy melodies.
“Call Me Down” is the first track in the band’s career not to feature Marian Gold on lead vocals. Session keyboardist Martin Lister does an excellent job singing the verses, I think, and his voice is buoyed up by that of Gold on the choruses.
Contributed by @orchidhunter.
