Guy Buttery & Nibs van der Spuy

I studied music history with Guy... some years ago. Guy has always been a talented musician - as long as I've known him, and in Nibs van der Spuy, he has a sturdy and spectacular collaborator. Nibs and Guy will be touring Europe next month, supporting their recent album, "In the Shade of the Wild Fig".

Quoted from their site:

After more than a decade of recording and performing together, internationally renowned guitarists Nibs van der Spuy and Guy Buttery have finally released their debut collaboration album. The album showcases their mutual interest and deep love for World Music and various folk movements featuring numerous instruments such as the cuatro, mbira, tampura, sitar and various acoustic guitars.

http://nibsvanderspuyandguybuttery.bandcamp.com

Good Morning!

At least in Europe :). Anyhow, good what you want

The Polyphonic Spree is a choral symphonic pop rock band from Dallas, Texas that was formed in 2000 by Tim DeLaughter. The band's sound relies on a variety of vocal and instrumental color by featuring a choir, flute, trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, percussion, piano, guitars, bass, drums, electronic keyboards, and EWI.

Livio by Radio CiBiGiBi

Grimes "Genesis"

I love Grimes and this song and now the official video is out. I have a second song of summer. Here it is. Grimes is amazing and she does it all on her own. I see "Genesis" is already posted but the official video is really awesome. I will let the music and visuals take over now. Enjoy!

Chrisodd

Picking only two top, favourite tunes of 2012, so far is not so simple. A load of tunes released this year have all the features of a great single/song. So I had to pick among songs that lift my spirit or make me happy or give me pleasure or a hug or all of these at the same time. I finally choose two that combine spirit-lifting and huggies. Sorry for the others.

First, a MYLO remix of "Reunion" , one of the best songs ever written by the cool French M83, from their 2011 "Hurry up, We are dreaming" LP, that came out as a single this year. Stripped down to the basics and fueled with bass liquor it turned out as a sweet, nostalgic tune: easy to dance, dream and get blissful at the same time.



Second is a non-single song from the The Beach House's second dream pop masterpiece LP in a row, from "The Hours" could stand as a single alone but the most important of all is that it's sweet melodies and dreamy arrangements plus the amazing magical voice of miss Legrand turn a simple dream pop to a hug anthem, ready to embrace and comfort you...

The Kamera Klub August

(Picture of Koi by Bruce Fraser)

It was just that kind of party. DJ Paradox Messmer provided the music - a mix of psychadelic and futuristic tunes including Dead Meadow and Pink Floyd. The Kamera Klub is a monthly event, organised by ByrneDarkly Cazalet, comprised of a two hour photo session for the participants:

Unique avatars modeling in static poses from the top pose and propmakers in Secondlife. Guests are invited to snap away as the model changes from one dramatic pose to the next to the tunes of the featured DJ. Each session has a different artistic theme where photographers are encouraged to dress accordingly. Participants are invited to display shots taken at Kamera Klub sessions on the walls of the club itself and also to join in on contests inworld and on flickr.

View the Kamera Klub pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/thekameraklub/pool/



(Picture of ByrneDarkly by Bruce Fraser)

Sean (Glassman74)

My two tracks happen to feature two female artists both of who have voices that really strike me hard.

Fist off I got Lana Del Rey who's debut CD came out earlier this year. My favorite track off of it is Summertime Sadness because the lyrics totally match her vocal style and really really touch you deep down inside and evoke strong emotions.

Second up I got an established artist who also has powerful vocals and lyrics in her past and her newest work does not disappoint while being a dramatic change of pace from her traditional sound. Cherokee is a track off of Cat Power's upcoming CD "Sun" due out September 4th, check it out! VERY different from what she usually does.

My Summer Tune Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti's Only In My Dreams

It is brand spanking new and a happy happy joy joy song. The video is cool too a little spoof on Bonnie and Clyde (which is a damn good film). I wanted to post "Baby" but no visuals are provided yet for that but is it a sexy song. I have been loving some Ariel Pink for sometime and this new one out this week "Mature Themes" (you can hear tracks there) is up there on my list. I wanna dance under and the summer moon with my sweetie to it ;-)

Zoidyn Kytori

Lumineers - Ho Hey

My choice for Song of Summer 2012, it's a spirit lifting song that captures the joy and true creativty of indie music. This is the kind of song that begs to be sung along to with a group of friends, and will bring back memories of good times when heard on the radio years from now.

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Rodrigo y Gabriela

If you haven't heard RodGab's incredible acoustic guitar work before, you're in for a real treat! Their music is fast, rhythmic and full of energy. Gabriela's technique is very unique, combining a percussion beat on the face of the guitar with lightning fast fingering on the strings. Rodrigo plays response to Gabriela, sometimes following, suddenly jumping ahead and then coming together to create a musical explosion that is impossible to sit still to. Have a listen and see if you can detect the Metallica influence in their music. If you get a chance to see them live, do so. It'll be one of the best performances you'll ever experience!

Hanuman from the 11:11 album

Kristopher Walpole

The School of 7 Bells - The Night

The School of 7 Bells is a Euphoric rush of a song and it is the law that everyone has to like it.



Plants and Animals - Light Show

Lightshow is just good old fashioned guitar Angst.

Tia Violet

Cast - Troubled Thoughts

From their 2012 comeback album Troubled Times. In my opinion they were great back in the day and they are still great now. Seen them live at Chester Rocks, June 2012 and they did not disappoint. They've still got it.

Ben Howard - The Fear

Not sure what it is about this song, I just love it. Upbeat and acoustic but yet mellow and easy listening. Its got a bit of everything. One of those songs you cant stop yourself singing along to but also makes you think.

The Dirty Glass

Paradox Messmer rocked the opening of the Dirty Glass last night, with a set of punk and post-punk thrillers that were as lively as the conversation.

The Lovely Lion

I found this new Icelandic band on www.swedesplease.net - it's a downloadable mp3, even:

The Lovely Lion - Into The Forest.mp3

Agnes Palmira

ALT-J - FITZPLEASURE

From their debut album "An Awesome Wave".

A special mention goes to this track - for the brilliant vocal and instrumental layering and dirty bass line that skip the line between dance and pop and something altogether more obscure...



KONX-OM-PAX - REGIONAL SURREALISM

And now for something completely different. A debut album from multi talented Glaswegian graphic artist/producer (also Mogwai collabolator) - Tom Scholefield. 'Regional Surrealism' is somewhere you'll want to lose yourself again and again. My personal fave of the moment.

Fuka Congrejo

Grimes - Genesis

Brilliant tune! The bass line has been in my head for some time.



Spiritualized - Hey Jane

Starting with thrilling guitar, this more than 8 minutes song never let me get bored till the end.

Giara Hailstorm

Funeral Suits - All Those Friendly People

I lack the musical mental library to tell you if a song is the baby of backwoods rock meets Polynesian nose flute porch music, but I can tell you how a song makes me feel. These lyrics are dim, but the music makes me feel hopeful, kind of like smiling through a shit storm. I like that "All Those Friendly People" makes me awkwardly dance in my chair.

This Dublin trio released their album, Lily of the Valley, on 1 April, 2012. It's easy to detect an accent (well, an accent to me, anyway) in all eleven tracks, and well, I don't hate that. In fact, I'm kind of a sucker for it.

Nicolas Jaar has a girl

He plays a very understated, minimalist, style of electronic music. This is something you would put on at the end of the night when it's just a few close friends left at the party, and everyone would dance hip to hip. I love the groovy, jazz laden feel to the flow and the latin percussion at the edge of your consciousness adds a nice bit of pizazz to it. This sound would have worked in the 60's but I don't think they would have known what to make of it.

Enjoy - Mik

Wolf Gang has fun with it

'It' being the emerging 2010 trend of merging classic synthpop with Indie sensibilities. 'Lions in cages' sat in my Itunes playlist un-noticed for several months. The song would come on and I would just assume it was Foster the People, or MGMT, or some such. However, today I was like "Who is that anyway?" and apparently I only had 2 tracks from some sampler CD's. An hour later I'm enjoying the album 'Suego Faults' for all of it's pop sensibilities. It's like an alchemical distilation of what is great about new music in the last few years. Songs like 'Stay and Defend' blend effortlessly between synthpop touches and overtones of The The's "This is the day", but by the time you get to the title track you have a piano accord hinting at the groove to come. This album is fun and energetic, warm and comfortable, new but familiar, all at the same time.



My wife tells me that the lead singer totally has a Michael Hutchins vibe about him. I have to say I agree. - Mik

Diamond Rings-I'm Just me.

This Is Tech Pop 21st Century Electro & New Wave, Evolution. It reminds me of my childhood xx

Katt Lexico

The Shins - Port of Morrow

As their previous album was dropped in 2007, The Shins' 2012 release of Port of Morrow was anticipated by many. This album definitely exceeded my expectations and keeps me coming back to listen again and again. "Port of Morrow," in particular, stuck out to me because of Mercer's harrowing vocals combined with the song's message of rebirth and recycling of life.



Zammuto - Too Late to Topologize

I heard Zammuto for the first time when I went to see Explosions in the Sky this summer. They opened the show and did an incredible job of creating a unique atmosphere by combining video projection (mostly nostalgic home videos) with electronic rhythms and heavy vocal effects. If this song in particular doesn't suit you, I encourage you to check out their entire self titled album, which was released in April of this year... Each song differs from the last and offers a variety of sounds.

Ichabod Mavendorf

Silversun Pickups - Neck of the Woods

It's not that Neck of the Woods is any kind of 'holy crap--WOW' album, but it is Silversun do what they do best. If they just put out one, long record and strung all their songs together, you wouldn't know the difference. But with music that awesome, it's just nice to know there's more of it.

Leona O'Hanlon

R U mine - Arctic Monkeys

Can I say a song has sex appeal? If so then this is it. Edgy, raw and down right dirty! Leaves me wanting more......



It's Time - Imagine Dragons

This song inspires me-the lyrics have so much meaning and relevance in my life. It's a beautiful song. This band are one of the best around at the moment and don't get the coverage they deserve.

It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger, but then,
I'll admit, I'm just the same as I was
Now don't you understand
That I'm never changing who I am?

Cisa Batista

Imagine Fado, Rock, South America, Africa and Westerns all in the same bowl (gotta love the similarities between music and cuisine...)! That's Dead Combo and their last album released in the end of 2011 but definitely a must listen through this year now that they are starting their tour, it's made in Portugal! ;)

Scarlet Bowdit (Litteken)

I thought it would be near impossible to pick only two songs to represent 2012 so far and decided to go with my first instinct. After a quick consultation with my trusty Last.fm though, I discovered these are actually my 2 most played anyway! Not so tough after all...

Purity Ring - Fineshrine

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/45677714]

The third single from the debut album 'Shrines' was officially released last month but has been doing the blog rounds for a while now. At first listen the track is upbeat with a haunting melody but on closer inspection, the lyrics are the Purity Ring we're used to; weird and just a little gruesome!

I'm seriously looking forward to seeing these guys in November.




Daughter - Youth

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/44774110]

Yes, I know it's actually from 2011 but this little gem has seen a lot of my 2012. This track is beautiful. From it's simple beginning it builds and builds until I feel like the knot in my stomach can't take much more, then it breaks and the focus is back on the heart wrenching lyrics and the delicate, dreamy vocal.

If you haven't already, check out their EP 'The Wild Youth', you won't be disappointed.

Kookie Hax

Graveyard Train - One Foot in the Grave [Hollow, 2012]

Melbourne-based Graveyard Train surprised a little with their new album. This song, in particular, is a big step from the more sombre, folk-influenced male choral/ratting chains of their previous...all the better as far as I'm concerned!

Trash Deluxe

MARIA & THE MIRRORS - Gemini: Enjoy My Life

The first time I heard this it felt like being sucked out of a plane with a pair of carnival speakers strapped to my head- you really do need the vinyl instead of crappy computer speakers, for the stomach-punching bass, tho. One of the best things to come out of London in ages, and the label, Exotic Pylon, hosts a weekly radio show on the underfunded Resonance FM - sadly, a real minority when it comes to UK radio now.

Lucy (Lucretia1995)

Miserylab - Children of the Poor

Catchy, dancy, political - what more does anyone need? The last two years of 'austerity' in an incendiary mix of drums, bass and the the sublime voice of Mr King. The best, end of ;)

Moby Tenenbaum

It’s hard to believe that the two principal members of New York-based band Alberta Cross are a Swede and a Brit, because the sound of their recently released sophomore album is so distinctly heartland America. This majestic anthem of a song, 'Magnolia', provides a great example. It starts out sounding like a mid-tempo blend of southern rock and canyon rock and then segues powerfully into quasi-Gospel call-and-response -- brilliant, brilliant songwriting. Every time I hear this song, it sends shivers up my spine.



At a time when my musical preferences are definitely skewing toward noise bands and psychedelia, it seems strange that my two favorite songs of 2012 so far are both American anthems. My second pick is 'You As You Were', by Austin-based Shearwater, which has built a reputation on lovely, quiet, shimmering tunes. Their most recent album, 'Animal Noise', which came out early this year, was a big departure from their usual serene ways, rocking much harder than their previous work. This track, which is from it, feels like an exuberant sprint toward salvation, building to higher and then higher levels before it crosses the finish line a true world champion.

Mallory Cerise

Thinking of all the possible ways to describe my selections, "veiled fatality"--the strange phrase used by Martin Heidegger in his writings on art--seems most fitting: this music makes me think of the powerful, pitch-black current running underneath reality as we know it. The songs are, respectively, from Porl King's (ex Rosetta Stone, now miserylab) side project In Death It Ends and American duo AIMON, both working with the parameters of witch house but transcending them assuredly.

Troy Finkler

All The Young - The First Time

Upcoming Indie band who supported Kaiser Chiefs in Manchester in feb (yep I did go) and they are great, with a substantial following and growing! Give em a listen x

Judas Shuffle

Going Home - Leonard Cohen

Just a beautiful song by a time seasoned genius. The man can sing me to sleep every night, cutting dry humor.




Paradox Messmer

The first entry in the Best of ...so Far 2012 is by the seasoned DJ, Paradox Messmer:

Ramona Falls - Spore

Ramona Falls never fail to deliver on the dark psychedelic folk rock front, and here is a ballad that is transcendental, luminous, and breathtaking, totally hypnotic and I can't say they sound like anything else out there which is always a plus for a band to me. You must pick up this record "Prophet".

The Best of ... So Far (2012)

We, the Indie Cantina locals, have had the idea to create a compilation article of the best music so far this year. We are (more or less!) in the middle of the year, and so think it'll be interesting to see what the musicians and DJs who contribute to this blog think are the most important and lovely releases of the year... so far.

For those who wish to contribute: your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to come up with two individual songs/tracks (or best albums) that you think are absolute must listens for any music lover/visitor of the blog.

The rules:

Choose your two tracks, and write a brief two (or so) sentence reason why you chose these two tracks. Email this information to indie.cantina@gmail.com.

(Or send an in-world notecard to BruceFraser, if you want to participate via Second Life!)

And then leave the rest of us. We'll post the article, along with your comments, and at the end of the two week period (the deadline is Tuesday, 14 August 2012), we'll post a "Best of" summary piece containing all of the best songs.