Song of the Day

Song of the Day

JOHANNA AND THE DUSTY FLOOR
Love Is A Breakable Thing

DOWNLOAD: Love Is A Breakable Thing

It’s Tuesday and in the music biz that means it’s New Release Day and Johanna & the Dusty Floor are dropping a little five-song jewel with The Forest EP, her latest collection of heartfelt, beautifully crafted stories set to the sparest piano, shuffling percussion and subtle electronic beats. Backed by the beautiful harmonies of Dani Elliott and Anthea White, Johanna’s dark vocal on ‘Love Is A Breakable Thing’ creates a foreboding mood that sent a chill up my spine the first time I heard it and haunts me still. And tonight Johanna and the band are having an EP release party at Rockwood Music Hall, one of the best places to see and hear live music in the city. The show is at 7:00PM and I strongly urge any true Friends of The List to get your asses downtown for a bit of live music! If you can’t make it, let’s show some love and head on over to iTunes and pick up the EP…it’s only five bucks! You can follow Johanna and the Dusty Floor on their MySpace and Facebook pages.

Song of the Day

APEX MANOR
Under the Gun

DOWNLOAD: Under the Gun

It has been pointed out to me that recently there has been a lot less testosterone on The List than in the past. That’s probably due to the fact that in my real life off The List I’ve been hanging out with a lotta female singer/songwriters like Nadia Ackerman and Kate Tucker and Johanna Cranitch and Chiara Angelicola and Dani Elliott and Anthea White….it’s a Hell of a problem to have, but I’m trying to make the best of it. So to keep you guys happy, I’m gonna make a concerted effort to push out a few more guy-driven tunes over the next few weeks. And just like that, a new leak from Ross Flournoy’s new band Apex Manor fell outta the sky! Ross was the driving force behind The Broken West, the L.A.-based power pop outfit that broke up late last year. Joining him are former Broken West bass player Brian Whelan along with Adam Vine and Andy Creighton. “Under the Gun” is one of the more than 25 songs Flournoy cranked out after getting over a bad a case of writer’s block and will be on their debut album, The Year of Magical Drinking, due out in January, and if the rest of the songs have such great lines as “…I apologize, my life’s become an island, and now I’m feeling under the gun…” I predict this one will be on my must-buy list next year! You can check out more of Apex Manor on their brand new MySpace page or over on their website.

Song of the Day

NADIA ACKERMAN
I Love You More

DOWNLOAD: I Love You More

Here’s a last-minute, what-am-I-gonna-do-tonight suggestion for all you NYC folks who are just sitting around looking for an excuse to get off the couch…Nadia Ackerman has an EP release show tonight at the Rose Music Hall in Williamsburg. I’m gonna be there…wanna join me?!! And as further enticement to get you interested, as today’s Song of the Day I’m offering up ‘I Love You More’, one of the six little love letters she wrote in a week, recorded at the piano in her apartment and is releasing as ‘A Little Moment, Vol. 1’. Check out Nadia on her facebook page

Song of the Day

LOVEDRUG
Pink Champagne

DOWNLOAD:Pink Champagne

I gotta thank Kate for todays song…Kate’s a BIG fan (!) of Lovedrug, a little outfit from her Canton, Ohio roots. She wanted to make sure I was paying attention, ‘cuz they’re in Nashville right now working out songs for an upcoming album and would just be tickled if y’all would give ‘Pink Champagne’ a listen. Then you can head over to either their website or MySpace page and make friends. And as a bonus, here’s an acoustic version of the song…

Song of the Day

REMY ZERO
‘Til The End

DOWNLOAD: ‘Til The End

I’ve been stuck in the Google Hole I fell into the other day when I was researching Remy Zero…Jeffrey Cain’s previous band…but it paid off, ‘cuz I not only fell across a new Remy Zero single (and probably the last one ever since the band disbanded back in 2003), but I also I discovered that one of his bandmates has actually already been on the Song of the Day! Cedric LeMoyne (AKA: Scalpelist) is one half of O+S, whose song Permanent Scar was on The List way back in March of 2009. Hey…back in the day, you played in a band and maybe you did a solo album, but these days you need a super-computing GPS to keep track of how many different bands, side projects and underground recording projects these guys are playing with! For the past couple of weeks, Remy Zero have gotten back together to play a few live shows and record ”Til The End’ to honor the memory of their drummer, Gregory Slay, who died earlier this year. True to form, the four surviving members…Cain, LeMoyne and brothers Cinjun and Shelby Tate…all have multiple recording projects going, but you can still follow Remy Zero on their MySpace page

Song of the Day

DEAD SNARES
City Sparks

DOWNLOAD: City Sparks

So this morning I check my inbox and see that Erin Maher from the indie label popantipop (The Morlocks, The Hundred Days, Spleen United) has sent me a cut from the just-released Dead Snares debut album Speak The Language. Knowing nothing of Dead Snares, I fell into a Google Hole and this is what I’ve found….

• Dead Snares is the alter ego of Jeffrey Cain, who grew up in Mobile, Alabama and was a member of Remy Zero, and some of you might remember that Remy Zero got a taste of the Big Time when they opened for Radiohead a while back and their song “Save Me” is the theme song for WB TV show Smallville.

• Speak The Language was produced by Darrell Thorpe, who also twiddles the knobs for Radiohead, Beck and OutKast.

• Cain has recently collaborated with a few top-shelf names…notably Tricky, Afrobots, O+S and the Engine Room. He’s also recording as Isadore with a big favorite of mine, Steve Kilbey from The Church.

I’ve spent the morning listening to the entire album which is streaming on the popantipop website…you gotta check it out! Then head on over to Jeff’s MySpace page and make friends.

Mocean Worker Remixes The Rent’s Too Damn High Guy!!!

Adam Dorn, AKA Mocean Worker, wasted no time pumpin’ this one out…Enjoy!!!

Song of the Day


ANDREW BELLE (featuring KATIE HERZIG)
Static Waves

DOWNLOAD: Static Waves

As is the new trend in indie music these days, Andrew Belle got a lotta notice a few months back when his song, ‘In My Veins’, was featured in the gore-fest that was the Season 6 finale of Grey’s Anatomy, but I never really got around to checking him out until last week when I discovered that he has done this duet with Katie Herzig, who I just saw in concert and I just featured on these very pages! To say Belle has a voice that brings Coldplay’s Chris Martin to mind is easy…but it’s his phrasing and intonation that really stands out for me…and the sweet, rhythmic back and forth between the two makes this a lovely little aural interlude to end the day with…

You can check out more of Mr. Belle on his MySpace Page or over on his website

Song of the Day (Two Times)

KATIE HERZIG
Wish You Well

DOWNLOAD: Wish You Well

Wish You Well (Acoustic Live In-Studio)

DOWNLOAD: Wish You Well (Acoustic Live In-Studio)

So last week I drove 135 miles to see Brandi Carlile play at Infinity Hall up in Norfolk CT, and as good as Brandi was (and she was very good!) I left the concert with a handful of CD’s from the opening act…Katie Herzig. How this singer and (Grammy nominated) songwriter has stayed off my radar is a mystery, but now that I own the entire Katie Herzig songbook, that is no longer an issue! Each song I listen to reveals some new emotion…heartache, angst, lust and joyful happiness…it all flows from her in a euphoric wave that’s giving me goosebumps. In a soft, but strong, soprano, she delivers her smart, poetic lyrics without becoming overwrought or sappy…this is lyrical storytelling done well.

The two songs today are from different albums; the first is off of her last release of new material, ‘Apple Tree’, and the second is a reimagined acoustic version from ‘Live In Studio: Acoustic Trio’, a collection of her earlier songs recorded entirely unplugged. Check out more of Katie on her website or over on MySpace and for yet one more version of ‘Wish You Well’, check out this video of her singing it with Brandi…..

Song of the Day

NADIA ACKERMAN
When

DOWNLOAD: When

Johanna Cranitch has been whispering in my ear for a while now about fellow Aussie songbird Nadia Ackerman, and today I have something to share off of The Circus Is Back In Town, her latest album. Now chances are even if you’re unfamiliar with her music, you might know more about Nadia than you think…she’s been getting a lotta notices recently for her vocals on the new UPS ‘Logistics’ campaign…even syndicated radio talk show host Neal Boortz has been Tweeting about it…I actually think he’s got a thing for her, cuz he’s mentioned her more than once…! I suppose it’s understandable that Neil might have fallen for the girl with her breathy, beautiful voice calling out to him from the TV, but still…a teeny bit creepy.

Anyway…I love the song. The relaxed, languid way she shuffles through the verse has an almost narcotic feel to it, and the simple piano and electronic backing loop that accompanies her is both classic and psychedelic at the same time.

To find out more about Nadia Ackerman, check her out on her facebook page. You can also keep your eyes on The List…I have a feeling we will be hearing…and seeing…more of Nadia in the near future. And if you haven’t seen it already, here’s that UPS commercial I was telling you about…

Song of the Day


THE VACCINES
If You Wanna

DOWNLOAD: If You Wanna

There is precious little information out the on the interwebs about The Vaccines ‘cept that this new London outfit is being set up by none other than NME to be ‘the future of everything’…! Hell, that’s a lotta pressure for a new band that doesn’t even have a MySpace page, but what they do have is a tight, uniquely refreshing Lo-Fi 60’s Pop sound that sticks in your head. I’d tell you more, but honestly, that’s about all I got…so check them out on facebook or on their interesting, if rather obtuse Website

Song of the Day

SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS
I L U (Phantogram Remix)

DOWNLOAD: I L U (Phantogram Remix)

School of Seven Bells latest album, Disconnect from Desire, is practically brand new, but the Brooklyn-based trio already has has a new digital EP set to drop September 14. Heart is Strange is one of those crazy little things that happens when the remix-masters fall in love with a band, and SVIIB is one of those bands. The EP contains only four cuts, two versions of Heart is Strange (the Radio edit and the Pantha du Prince Remix), Dust Devil (White Sea Remix), and today’s SOTD, I L U (Phantogram Remix). Disconnect from Desire has been one of my favorite albums this year, but I’m always up for a good bit of knob-twiddling. Check out more from SVIIB on MySpace or on their Website and for you New Yorkers who plan on doing CMJ this year, they’re gonna be playing the Santos Party House Saturday, October 23rd and it promises to be one of the best shows of the week!

Song of the Day


ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK
If You Want It (French Horn Rebellion Remix)

DOWNLOAD: If You Want It

You’re all gonna have to cut me some slack, but The List is gonna deviate from the normal flow of Indie/Singer-Songwriter/Guitar-Driven tunes today, because as a dyed in the wool fanboy of anything Synth-Pop, I can’t resist leaking the first new material from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark since 1996! OMD’s new album, History Of Modern, is set to drop later this month, but already the remixologists are twiddling the knobs on a few tracks that fell off the back of the truck. French Horn Rebellion has taken “If You Want It”, turned the bass up to “11” and added some club-friendly hooks and electro-fuzz and the result is a industrial, dark and dreamy, juicy kiss on the lips to all that Eighties UK synthpop we all loved back in the day…

Check out OMD on their Official Website or over on MySpace

Song of the Day

LAND OF TALK
Quarry Hymns

DOWNLOAD: Quarry Hymns

The Montreal-based Land of Talk has a perfect song to kick off what looks like it’s gonna be a very nice week. Liz Powell’s easy-going vocals, the cool shoegazey vibe and the light and airy mood the song has put me in has almost convinced me blow off the mountain of work I have in front of me and spend the rest of the day up on the roof soaking in the sun. And even though the lyrics are profoundly sad, there is a sweet sexiness that is both uplifting and hopeful…

…And on days like these
I could take apart my window
So let down, I was so let down…

‘Quarry Hymns’ is off of Land Of Talk’s second album, Cloak & Cipher, that dropped last week. Check out their MySpace page for more information and be sure to check out this acoustic version that was recorded under a bridge…

Song of the Day

MATT ELLIS
Heart Of Mine

DOWNLOAD: Heart Of Mine

It often surprises me just how much stuff I pass on to The List that fits into the Alt Country category…God knows it’s been kinda folky in here recently…but even though I spent a lotta time growing up on the farm in Saskatchewan, I never really had much use for all the twang and slide guitars. Now for some reason I find myself listening to much more down-home, country-fried tunes than I used to. Maybe it’s an aging thing…or just me bein’ a bit more open-minded…or just maybe, the music has gotten so much better over time and the line between Folk Rock, Art Rock and Country Rock just gets fuzzier and fuzzier! Anyway, a couple of hours ago, Matt Ellis…an Australian Singer/Songwriter who’s living in the Country Music capital of Venice, California…sent me his latest album, Births, Deaths & Marriages, a collection of the above mentioned Alt Country warblers, soulful ballads and Delta roadhouse jams. I’ve listened through the entire thing twice already and Goddamn it if it ain’t shuffle-steppin’ it’s way into my heart. Matt’s lonesome lyrics and Sad Bastard vocals and a parade of guest musicians have crafted a tight little hoedown with haunting Pedal Steel work from Greg Leisz (who’s played with Joni Mitchell, Sheryl Crow and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss) and guitars from Tim Young (Beck) and Nick Luca (Calexico). Go on and give him a look on MySpace or over on his Web Site

And for all you dog lovers, this video is gonna put a tear in your eye…..

Song of the Day

JOEY RYAN
Broken Headlights

DOWNLOAD: Broken Headlights

One of the perks of being in New York is being able to listen to new music every single night and last night Vienna Teng was doing her Farewell Tour at the Highline Ballroom and I was there…front row & center! Vienna is truly one of the most gifted artists I’ve heard in years and it rips my heart out to think she’s packing up her piano (at least until she gets her Masters from the University of Michigan) because even as talented as she is, it’s damned near impossible to survive in the music business…unless you shake your ass around like GaGa or Beyoncé! But this isn’t about Vienna…it’s about the guy who opened for her, a darkly funny Angeleno named Joey Ryan. Joey took the stage wearing a slightly ill-fitting tweedy suit, carrying nothing but a guitar that was ‘older than his parents’…and he went on to totally win over the crowd, most of whom had probably never heard of him! His folksy, self-deprecating banter between songs has a real Luka Bloom quality about it, except that where Luka would typically be moaning about how horrible life on the road is and that he misses Ireland terribly, Joey lamented about how life on road sucked and he missed the lack of weather back home in L.A.!!!

Joey’s gonna be playing a solo gig at the small room at Rockwood Music Hall this Friday and will back in New York on September 22nd, this time playing Stage 2 at Rockwood with Amber Rubarth. ‘Broken Headlights’ is off of his new EP, Kenter Canyon, and I strongly advise you all to head on over to his MySpace page and give him a look!

Song of the Day


LISSIE
In Sleep (Live)

DOWNLOAD: In Sleep (Live)

It’s been almost a year since I turned you guys on to Lissie Maurus when I leaked ‘Everywhere I Go’ from her stunning debut EP, but yesterday she dropped Catching A Tiger…her first full-length album…and it is a bit of a surprise. Where the EP was dark, blues-infused and introspective, the album is more upbeat, sunnier and filled with twangy country pop themes. The Rock Island, Illinois native calls L.A. home (and must hang with the cool kids ‘cuz she even sang at Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore’s wedding), but recently relocated to London to jump-start her career. In fact, the album has been out in Europe since early this summer and she’s deep into a tour of the continent and won’t get back to the States until later this Fall. This live version of ‘In Sleep’ isn’t on the album…it’s a little bonus for all you guys on The List! Enjoy, and then head over to MySpace and make friends with Lissie.

Song of the Day

ZOLA JESUS
Sea Talk

DOWNLOAD: Sea Talk

Growing up in rural Wisconsin must have made Nika Roza Danilova think her name isn’t quite unique enough, ‘cuz when she’s on stage she would prefer if you call her Zola Jesus. I stumbled across her new EP, Stridulum, the other day and being a fan of all things Goth, was immediately taken by her Siouxsie Sioux-like vocals and the sparse, haunting, industrial backing track. She’s getting lotsa notice overseas…in fact, she’s opening for Fever Ray all over Great Britain before she heads out on her own European tour in September…then back State-side where she’s criss-crossing the country, including a gig in NYC at the wonderfully creepy (and just a bit Goth!) United Palace Theater October 2nd! This is some really cool shit and I think you all should head over to MySpace and make friends!

Song of the Day

BEST COAST
Boyfriend

DOWNLOAD: Boyfriend

Bethany Cosentino does a killer homage to 60’s girl groups like The Shirelles, The Shangri-Las and The Chiffons with her sad, lo-fi ballad, ‘Boyfriend’, off of the just-released Best Coast album, Crazy For You. The song has a wonderfully retro, transistor radio/mono sound and is so wrapped up in treble-heavy guitars and cymbal crashes that you’d swear they let Phil Spector outta jail to produce the thing! Head on over to MySpace for more from Best Coast.

Song of the Day

TIM CHAD & SHERRY
The Love I Make

DOWNLOAD:The Love I Make

I’m gonna get back to spittin’ out the free tunes with a wonderously boogylicious funk number from from the Nashville quartet, Tim Chad & Sherry. Apparently there is no one named Tim, Chad, or Sherry in the band, which was put together by Brian Kotzur, who used to drum for The Silver Jews. ‘The Love I Make’ is from their just-released debut album, Baby We Can Work It Out, and you can follow the boys over on their MySpace Page