12FV

Fall is by far my favorite season. There’s something so nostalgic about the smell of dying plants (sounds creepy but you know it’s true) and every year I inevitably dig myself into the same hole of listening to the same handful of bands on repeat. There’s a simplicity about this time of year, even as we are hurled into the maddening blackhole that is holiday season. Fall as a season brings about a certain melancholia I find myself sinking into each year that’s only heightened by these acoustic-picked melodies. This time of year I really only want to listen to simple tunes that tell a story. Really, if it doesn’t make me slightly sad but in a good way or it’s not Born Ruffians chances are I don’t want to hear it. It makes sense when you don’t think about it. Check out the choons after the jump. I hope you don’t get caught in the same vortex as me.

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12FV

The music gods are pouring down their blessings this month in the form of new releases from indie essentials across the musical spectrum, from the fuzzy folktronica of Blackbird Blackbird to the garage rock grittiness of Thee Oh Sees. No matter where they fall on the spectrum, these songs have my ears buzzing. Most of these songs are promising teasers for upcoming followup albums. Free Energy, for instance, is set to release their followup this January. Download the tracks below, whet your ear buds, enjoy.

Featured Artists: Sea Wolf, Free Energy, Kisses, Thee Oh Sees, Blackbird Blackbird

Sea Wolf – Old Friend
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/NEWWWW%20/01%20Old%20Friend.mp3]
Free Energy – Dance All Night
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/NEWWWW%20/Free-Energy-Dance-All-Night.mp3]
Kisses – Funny Heartbeat
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/NEWWWW%20/Funny%20Heartbeat.mp3]
Thee Oh Sees – Wait Let’s Go
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/NEWWWW%20/01%20Thee%20Oh%20Sees%20-%20Wait%20Lets%20Go.mp3]
Blackbird Blackbird – All
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/NEWWWW%20/All.mp3]

Ladyhawke FaceBook | Buy LADYHAWKE on itunes

I had the distinct pleasure of snagging press passes to the Ladyhawke show in LA’s Echoplex recently. I wasn’t entirely what to expect, given I was new to her music and my camera was busted. But I rolled up any way, with relatively low expectations and a crummy disposable camera. Needless to say it was one of the best shows I’ve been to in a while. Los Angeles three-piece American Royalty got the crowd warmed up with a delightful set of distorted dance jams. They’re young, talented dudes with a lot of passion for what they’re doing and that really shows in their live performances. They were very energetic, bouncing around all corners of the tiny stage and vamping the audience with each stirring electronic pulse.

Phillipa Brown aka Ladyhawke took the stage with her crew shortly after American Royalty cleared their set. I haven’t seen a crowd so in love with a musician in a long time. She deserves it, though. I would go so far as to say that, while stellar on record, her music is much better live. A lot of the electronic, synthetic flourishes that seem evident in her recorded music are replaced with a rock and roll edge in her live shows. She’s a real rock star, which is especially rare in a female of her genre. She played a good blend of new stuff and old stuff, the audience singing along with her/shouting “I love you Phillipa!” the entire time. Even with the talent that she has, she is very humble. Despite the horrible pictures I got from it, I’m very glad to have been able to witness live the marvel that is Ladyhawke.

There’s a sort of confidence to be garnered when age-old piano melodies make even the dustiest sentiments sound like truth. Minneapolis chamber-folk sextet Dark Dark Dark are set to drop their next album “Who Needs Who” October 2 via Supply and Demand and it’s sure to be full to the brim with the musical equivalent of antique photos from a seemingly more romantic time. “How It Went Down” is a haunting preview of what’s to come, much like a trailer for some heart wrenching unreleased film from when your parents were kids. Or that’s how I see it. Comparisons like this are bound to be made all over the place. There’s something idealized in it, even if it does offer truth, a feeling that everything will work out in the third and final act. The song’s delicately graceful buildup offers a sense of escape behind a painful reminder that nothing really changes.

Dark Dark Dark – How It Went Down
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/dark%20dark%20dark/How%20It%20Went%20Down.mp3]

Indie-pop essentials Generationals recently released a single “Lucky Numbers” to their website. It’s carefree fun, it’s had me jamming all day. Maybe this means they’ve got a new album on the way? I’m getting my hopes up. Enjoy.

Generationals on FaceBook | Generationals on iTunes

Lucky Numbers
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/generationals/Lucky%20Numbers.mp3]

Free Candy

These Habits
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/generationals/10%20These%20Habits.mp3]
I Promise
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/generationals/02%20I%20Promise.mp3]

Denton, Texas duo The Colurs are near the top of my list of artists to look out for. They’ve released three tracks up for free download on their website. They sport a fresh and sweet indie pop sensibility that is bound to light up the blogosphere is upcoming months. It’s a tad early to determine just what their gig is but it looks promising. They’re on my radar and should be on yours too.

The Colurs on FaceBook | The Colurs on Twitter

Easy To Love
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/the%20colurs/Easy%20To%20Love.mp3]
Julia
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/the%20colurs/Julia.mp3]
Washed Away
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/the%20colurs/Washed%20Away.mp3]

New York indie-pop outfit Freelance Whales have come along way from their adorably unconventional 2009 debut. Since then they have amped up their sound in a big way, pumping it full of electronic flourishes. Listening to their recently released single “Spitting Image” from their upcoming album Diluvia, I couldn’t help but thinking their newfound niche sounds like what Arcade Fire would sound like on an alternate robot universe. They’ve more than grown up since Weathervanes. They’ve developed bionic limbs. It’s a good look for them, though.

Spitting Image
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/freelance%20whales/Spitting%20Image.mp3]

Free Candy

Enzymes
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/freelance%20whales/01%20Enzymes.mp3]
Location
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/album%20reviews/freelance%20whales/03%20Location.mp3]