GUIDO SCHNEIDER

ARTIST / BAND: GUIDO SCHNEIDER
SONG (MP3): AS DRY AS I CAN
ALBUM: Focus on: Guido Schneider
FILE UNDER: Minimal
LABEL: poker flat recordings
INFO: Guido Schneider has been an active producer for years, releasing mainly on his label “Neue Welten”. Not isolating himself to his studio and always having the courage to test his productions live, he has produced and co-produced (i.e. with Sammy Dee) tracks that are not only minimal but extremely functional as well as performing a number of his productions live read more from the source...

NIOBE

ARTIST / BAND: NIOBE
SONG (MP3): GIVE ALL TO LOVE
ALBUM: White Hats
FILE UNDER: Downbeat Vocal
LABEL: Tomlab Records
INFO: Niobe is the brainchild of Yvonne Cornelius, and her debut, Radioersatz, was a mysterious and surreal journey full of peculiar sounds, colourful arrangements and unusual vocals. In addition to producing this music, Cornelius also performs all of the vocal tracks. Her vocals are often filtered, sounding as if they were recorded usingold or cheap microphones, and the words are often cryptic and defy easy interpretation, acting more as textures than as signs.
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JOLIE HOLLAND

ARTIST / BAND: JOLIE HOLLAND
SONG (MP3): SPRINGTIME CAN KILL YOU
ALBUM: Springtime Can Kill You
FILE UNDER: Alternative / Pop / Folk
LABEL: anti
INFO: I dont like Robert Johnson, Jolie Holland says, but Ive got an awesome live recording of [singer-songwriter] Entrance doing Love In Vain. His version goes, When the train left the station, there were two lights on behind/the blue light was the blues and the red light was my mind/is all my love in vain? Its a nice coincidence, then, that when writing notes on her third album, Springtime Can Kill You, Holland was on a train. What she wrote, in fact (her aversion to Johnson aside), is as unvarnished and poetic as that song. As well, its a consummately eloquent sketch of the record and through-line for this bio. She writes:
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LIAM SINGER

ARTIST / BAND: LIAM SINGER
SONG (MP3): FATHER I SEE
ALBUM: the empty heart of the chameleon
FILE UNDER: multi-instrumentalis, singer-sogwriter
LABEL: tell all records
INFO: Liam Singer is a multi-instrumentalist currently residing in San Francisco. The Empty Heart of the Chameleon is his debut solo album, on which he provides vocals, piano, and Theremin. Garnering comparisons to such disparate influences as Eliot Smith, Rachel's, and John Adams, The Empty Heart... melds stripped down songs with neo-classical instrumentals and a post-rock sensibilty.
Liam has recently finished recording his new album, and will be releasing it in April of '06.
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PETER SURLA

ARTIST / BAND: PETER SURLA
SONG (MP3): SKY CHASE ROAD
FILE UNDER: Indie Folk
LABEL: tell all records
INFO: Peter Surla developed a mind for music growing up in the serene, snow-covered landscape of Northern Minnesota. He studied and performed classical trombone in college, however it was his love of guitar that inspired him most.Over the years he performed with others in various collaborations and recently moved to San Francisco to pursue his own work. He writes and records songs in his small Mission studio and is currently creating his first EP
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FINAL FANTASY

ARTIST / BAND: FINAL FANTASY
SONG (MP3): ARCTIC CIRCLE
ALBUM: He Poos Clouds
FILE UNDER: Indie
LABEL: Tomlab Records
INFO: FINAL FANTASY"In Final Fantasy you hear how Mr. Pallett's art is born of contrast, not only between pop and contemporary composition, but between the organic and the electronic, the fantastical and the domestic, the abrasive and the sweet. A perfectionist who adores the rough-hewn, he is at once hopelessly nerdy and improbably cool" NEW YORK TIMES DEC11, 2005
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SNOWGLOBE

ARTIST / BAND: SNOWGLOBE
SONG (MP3): RAINBOW
ALBUM: One River
FILE UNDER: Indie / Psychedelic / Pop
LABEL: Makeshift Music
INFO: have a unique ability create complex songs with a rich pallet of sounds in a seemingly nonchalant way. The Memphis based band continues the long lasting tradition of playing honest music for the “right reasons”. On Doing the Distance Snowglobe, (August 2nd, makeshift music) has made great steps forward since its debut Our Land Brains on Bardot Records. “The sheer wealth of instruments the band uses creates moments as jam packed as rush hour. Principal songwriters Regan and Postlethwaite manage to keep the music unpretentious with a homey, lived-in quality and a gentle, unassuming lilt. “ Infectious songs like “regime”, “changes”, “ms. June”, “Rock song” , set the pace for an eclectic but cohesive mixture of pop gems. Memphis's Snowglobe plays an entrancing blend of cosmic American music that owes as much to pioneering psychedelic country/pop legends like the Byrds and Gram Parsons as it does to modern-day fellow travelers like the Flaming Lips. read more from the source...

IAMX

ARTIST / BAND: IAMX
SONG (MP3): PRESIDENT
ALBUM: The Alternative
FILE UNDER: Electronica / Indie / Funk
LABEL: 61seconds
INFO: IAMX is the illegitimate brainchild of Sneaker Pimps front man and whiz kid producer Chris Corner. His self-produced, performed and perfected debut album “Kiss + Swallow” is a moving collection of songs for unhinged and creative mind.The content is sexual, synthetic, dark and melodic, like 80s’ electro glam soundtrack to Svankmajer film. Call it a cross between Detroit or Berlin escapades, Prince or Roxy Music’s pop, or the electronic universe of Cabaret Voltaire. IAMX erotic vocals accompanied with frantic guitar noise breaths life into the songs.On stage Chris is joined by a changing selection of close friends, and their performance is set to a visual backdrop of home videos, Japanese porno and fighting toys.Did we mention that Chris started Sneaker Pimps at the age of 15 and they went to sell a million and a half records? ‘Nuff said.
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TOBIAS FRÖBERG

ARTIST / BAND: TOBIAS FRÖBERG
SONG (MP3): SO I
ALBUM: For Elisabeth Wherever She Is
FILE UNDER: Alternative / Folk / Rock
LABEL: Cheap Lullaby Rec
INFO: TOBIAS FROBERG TRACK USED IN PANASONIC LUMIX TV COMMERCIAL. Track 1 and the first single from Tobias Froberg's forthcoming album "Somewhere in the city", a song called "When the night turns cold" is currently being used on the new Panasonic Television/Cinema advert for their Lumix range of Cameras. The ad was shot in Barcelona and features scenes shot in the back of taxis driving through the beautiful sights of the city and features the track heavily and includes a credit to Tobias in the Ad! The advert is running in the UK at the moment, will run around the rest of Europe and will soon appear in Australia and New Zealand.
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ASOBI SEKSU

ARTIST / BAND: ASOBI SEKSU
SONG (MP3): THURSDAY
ALBUM: CITRUS
FILE UNDER: Indie / Alternative / Experimental
LABEL: friendly fire recordings
INFO: Asobi Seksu presents its new album, Citrus, out May 30: eleven slices of guitar-swirling, sweet-and-sour, bilingual dream pop. Frontwoman Yuki’s voice is more assured than ever, swinging from a girlish falsetto to plaintive laments and switching effortlessly between Japanese and English lyrics, all the while anchored by the lush, turbulent guitar of James Hanna. This is the sound of a band coming into its own, and having fun doing it.
Asobi Seksu (colloquial Japanese for “playful sex”) released its debut album in 2004 to significant critical acclaim, winning rave reviews from the New York Times, Nylon, Under the Radar, YRB, and XLR8R, among others; scoring a #1 video on mtvU’s Dean’s List with the song “Walk on the Moon;” garnering a top ten spot on CMJ’s radio charts; and becoming an instant favorite in the NYC scene, playing packed shows at the Bowery, Knitting Factory, and Mercury Lounge.
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THE NEVER

ARTIST / BAND: THE NEVER
SONG (MP3): CAVITY
ALBUM: Antarctica
FILE UNDER: Indie / Pop / Classical
LABEL: trekky records
INFO: A senior thesis and a 30 foot TV screen. That's how The Never got their start. Then they were called The b-sides. It was the spring of 2000. Guitarist Noah Smith gathered a few friends from his hometown of Pittsboro, North Carolina, formed a band, and presented it as his final high school project. The performance included props, costumes, a 30 foot TV screen replica, and hundreds of TV dinners; it was a bit dramatic. After Smith graduated, it seemed an obvious decision to keep the band together. A palpable chemistry had been struck upon, particularly between Smith and also guitarist Ari Picker.
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CONNER

ARTIST / BAND: CONNER
SONG (MP3): COLD FEELINGS
ALBUM: Hello Graphic Missile
FILE UNDER: Indie / Rock / Experimental
LABEL: sonic boom recordings
INFO: Conner is like a Swiss Army Knife: full of multi-purpose appendages, yet all anchored in a handy base. For a band that draws from such a vast musical palate, it would be easy for Conner to deliver a mix tape for their third LP. Thankfully, this is not the case. Nor is it an album that aims for quirks. While many pop bands are writing songs with marimbas, esoteric structures or spicing songs with found sounds and electronic blips, this Lawrence, Kansas band is focused on classic songwriting. Whats more, the four-piece keep their songs taut, knowing when to move and when to back off. read more from the source...

THE SLIDES

ARTIST / BAND: THE SLIDES
SONG (MP3): SLOW BULLET
ALBUM: SLOW BULLET
FILE UNDER: Indie Rock
LABEL: mVine
INFO: Imperfectly formed somewhere around the beginning of Thyme, we as a 4 piece are now settled after a couple of years together on this present course. Each throbbing member has different roots and therefore different influences, suffice to say we make up a magical musical pie!! Each of the band have been perfecting their individual arts for many years, and we're proud of the energy we put into live performances, please come and watch! We love to absorb you. We've been lucky enough to record 2 singles with producer Max Heyes (who has worked on albums with musical beings such as Primal Scream, Paul Weller & The Doves ...pretty tasty).
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A PASSING FEELING

ARTIST / BAND: A PASSING FEELING
SONG (MP3): BOOK OF MATCHES
ALBUM: A PASSING FEELING
FILE UNDER: Indie / Punk
LABEL: Less Records
INFO: This is the soundtrack to bloody knuckles. This is indie-punk. These are the hearts and souls of four young men from New York. This is "A PASSING FEELING", or "How to Never Sleep Ever". A PASSING FEELING formed in May of 2005. In August, after a sweat-hot summer in the darkest and dirtiest clubs of New York and an East Coast tour, the boys exchanged blood shots (pour a shot glass three-quarters full, fill the rest with a partner's blood and repeat) with 75 or Less Records, home of indie heros Mike Watt (ex-Minutemen) and the Staggering Statistics (ex-Afghan Whigs).
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ABOUT

ARTIST / BAND: ABOUT
SONG (MP3): THINK NILES DRINK
ALBUM: Bongo
FILE UNDER: Electronica / Pop / Indie
LABEL: Cock Rock Disco
INFO: Take 3 minutes to meet About, control freak extraordinaire. Legally registered as Rutger Hoedemaekers in the city of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, artistically embedded in the forgotten regions of pop music. Being the troublemaker in a self-made realm, About spends his time pounding on the door between band dynamics and consumer electronica, rarely losing track of traditional song structures.
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ozoni

CAMERA OBSCURA

ARTIST / BAND: CAMERA OBSCURA
SONG (MP3): LET'S GET OUT OF THIS COUNTRY
ALBUM: Indie Pop
FILE UNDER: Let's Get Out Of This Country
LABEL: elefant
INFO: Camera Obscura started in 1996. Tracyanne, John and Gavin started playing together in Gavin's parent's cellar with no drummer. They were soon joined by a guitarist called David Skirving. They recorded the 'Park and Ride' and 'Your Sound' singles for Andmoresound in Glasgow and mini album 'Rare UK Bird' for Quattro in Japan.
Richard Colburn took on drum duties live with the band and played on the 'Your Sound' single until Lee joined the band in 2000. During this time they played live shows at Glasgow's 13th Note, Hyndland Church Hall, Nice n' Sleazy's, King Tut's. They also supported Snow Patrol in the Maryhill Community Central Halls and played at the Bowlie Weekender in Camber Sands. David left the band to work on his own, (forming California Snow Story) and was replaced by Kenny. Lindsay Boyd (of Andmoresound) joined on keyboards.
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ART BRUT

ARTIST / BAND: ART BRUT
SONG (MP3): GOOD WEEKEND
ALBUM: Bang Bang Rock And Roll
FILE UNDER: Indie Pop
LABEL: Fierce Panda
INFO:
They’re an eccentric, motley bunch who have more in common with Half Man Half Biscuit and Pulp than they do with their oft-compared ‘influences’ The Fall. Vocalist Eddie Argos (an ex-goth obsessed with Jonathan Richman and Vincent Van Gogh) had previously been in a band, The Art Goblins, in his hometown of Bournemouth. Their stage show would see him “playing a vacuum cleaner” and escaping from a sack. They sounded not unlike cult Glaswegians The Yummy Fur and had songs such as I Wanna Be Johnny Dean and Disco. Another ‘project’ was The Welsh Elephant, who penned the should-be-classic Fuck The MSP (which contains the catchy refrain “Nicky Wire can suck my cock!”).
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DYLAN IN THE MOVIES

ARTIST / BAND: DYLAN IN THE MOVIES
SONG (MP3): AUGUST MOON
ALBUM: Feel the Pull
FILE UNDER: Alternative / Indie / Rock
LABEL: The Gentlemen's Recording Company
INFO: Dylan In The Movies is the musical vehicle of Boston-based singer/songwriter Brian Sullivan. Following the 2000 release of his debut album “Don’t Postpone Joy”, which received local radio play and international airplay on the WB’s Dawson’s Creek and Summerland, the 31-year-old began work on a batch of songs that would become the forthcoming EP “Feel The Pull”. Produced by Sullivan and musical partner Brian Brown (Juliana Hatfield, Bill Janovitz), the recording took place at an old Victorian house located in the haunting setting of Salem, MA and at Boston’s legendary Fort Apache Studios.
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LISA GERMANO

ARTIST / BAND: LISA GERMANO
SONG (MP3): TOO MUCH SPACE
ALBUM: In The Maybe World
FILE UNDER: Singer Sonwriter
LABEL: young god records
INFO: Lisa began releasing her music in the 90's, first on Capitol Records, and then several more albums through 4AD. Perhaps most notable among them were the fantastic Geek, The Girl, and Excerpts From A Love Circus. These records created a very special "antique", lost carnival atmosphere - extremely personal, simultaneously self-effacing and confrontational missives of emotional damage and impossible love. She received a fair amount of acclaim at the time in publications ranging from independent-oriented fanzines and magazines and on to Spin, Rolling Stone, etc. In 2003 Lisa released the absolutely beautiful and wrenching audio journey Lullaby For Liquid Pig, featuring woozy paeans to alcohol, fantasy landscapes and out-of-focus dreams. Her side projects/collaborations include the album OP8 (with Giant Sand and Calexico) in which she is the featured singer, and diverse hired side-person stints with David Bowie, Neil Finn, John Mellencamp, Simple Minds, Iggy Pop, Sheryl Crow and others. As an artist/performer, in my opinion, she's right up there with the cadre of strong, emotionally raw challenging and original women singers such as PJ Harvey, Maryanne Faithful, Cat Power and Bjork, and it’s about time Lisa had her due. in the maybe world features some of Lisa’s best songs to date. Typically, her (self) production and arrangements are inventive and completely unique, the words cut right to the core and her voice carries you gently off into a world where the distinctions between beauty, loss, love and pain tend to blur. The songs are immediately gratifying and sensual, but are also ultimately complicated and reward repeated listening. I hope you enjoy the music ! - Michael Gira/Young God Records
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THOSE TRANSATLANTICS

ARTIST / BAND: THOSE TRANSATLANTICS
SONG (MP3): IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
ALBUM: Knocked Out
FILE UNDER: Indie / Rock / Pop
LABEL: suburban spraw lmusic
INFO: Those Transatlantics' debut LP, "Knocked Out" is available now (!) for online purchase and mail order (the press/retail release date is April 25th) on Detroit indie label Suburban Sprawl Music (Javelins, Thunderbirds are Now!, Celine Dion, Red Shirt Brigade, etc.). Singer Kathleen Bracken's shimmering vocals and deft sense of melody are prominently featured; a delicate sailboat bobbing-and-weaving across a choppy ocean of dreamy pop psychedelia. The band has firmly tied themselves to the mast, providing layers of lush harmony that keep the whole thing on a steady course. Songs like "In Your Neighborhood," convey a sense of musical playfulness and subtle social metaphor only hinted at on the band's previous releases (2004's "Stealing the Pause" EP, and 2005's "You're Seated in the Back" EP). The song's infectious call-and-response vocal recently caught the ears of Scion, who created a video for the song that will appear in future promotions for the automaker. Those Transatlantics are touring nationally this summer in support of "Knocked Out." Look for them in your town! In the meantime, check out the following:
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