We all love Zooey Deschanel for a different reason. It could be because of her hilarious portrayal of Jess on New Girl (if you don’t watch this show you need to re-evaluate your life), or her adorably quirky style, or it could be because she makes great music.
Her band, She & Him (the “she” being Deschanel and the “him” being M. Ward) has just released their new single “Never Wanted Your Love,” and I have to say, it’s amazing! I love how her unique personality translates so well to this type of music.
Check it out here:
Like what you hear? Below are a few more great songs from the indie-folk duo:
Victoria Abraham defines one up and coming artist each week so you can impress your friends with your musical brilliance. This week, she tackles AlunaGeorge, a duo from London, England.
If you’re into musical pairs where each half perfectly complements the other while remaining distinct, then AlunaGeorge are just the two for you. This duo offers an eclectic mix of UK garage, R&B and pop. Basically they are an indie R&B band, which means they are the best kind of oxymoron. Plus they have British accents.
Band members: Aluna Francis and George Reid
Known for: These Brits are known for George’s clear-cut production style and Aluna’s squeaky, contagious voice.
Used in a sentence: AlunaGeorge are a delicious musical hybrid that will make you press the repeat button again and again.
Download now: “You Know You Like It”
File next to: Noosha Fox, Dirty Projectors
Fast facts: Aluna once worked as a tiler for her friend, while George used to be part of the band Colour. The two met on the Internet while working on separate projects and their musical union was forged when George remixed “Sweetheart” featuring Aluna’s vocals. Even though they met on the Internet, they don’t have a Wikipedia page.
Timeline: Read more…
Well this is a pretty unexpected cover. Usher performed Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks” on BBC Radio 1 as part of his “Live Lounge Special.”
I was expecting him to change the arrangement a bit — put some sort of soulful spin on it — but he sticks pretty well to the originally vibe. He even pulled out an electric guitar and denim vest to tap into his inner rock child. He’s getting a bit of flack for it but I love when artists cross genres. What do you think of it?
Watch it here:
Columnist Victoria Abraham defines one artist each week so you can impress your friends with your musical brilliance. This week, she tackles Boy & Bear, an indie rock band from Australia.
Australia is the birthplace of so much musical awesomeness. AC/DC, Kylie Minogue and the Bee Gees are just a few examples of famous musicians who come from the land down under. So it’s only natural that Sydney’s Boy & Bear would carry on the reputation of these national treasures. The five-person band is going on tour in Australia this April and with any luck they’ll be coming to Canada soon.
Origins: Yagoona, Sydney, Australia
Known for: The band describes their sound as “a combination of drivey indie folk and choral harmonies.”
Fun facts: Boy & Bear started out as a solo project for Dave Hosking in 2009. All the bands’ members, with the exception of Jon Hart, originally fronted their own groups, but then became friends and decided to form a band together.
Their song “Mexican Mavis” was featured on the 90210 episode, “Nerdy Little Secrets.”
Used in a sentence: “Each member of Boy & Bear looks like someone you wouldn’t be scared to introduce to your parents, plus they make folk flavoured indie rock cool again.”
File next to: Mumford & Sons
Download now: Listen to ”Feeding Line” below.
Notable lyrics: Boy & Bear sing about the struggle to remain original and figure out who you are in their song “Feeding Line,” which is just teenage-angsty enough to be awesome. Consider the lyrics below:
“My body moves in time/ We’re begging on the feeding line/ We’re lifting out above this head space/ See my body over flows/ But I got my whole damn life/ Caught up in moments entirely of yours/ But I’m finding it harder to reason in order to grow/ And finding it hard is a feeling that all of you know/ Know know.”
Career highlights: In 2009, Boy & Bear signed with Universal and in 2010, they released their debut EP, With Emperor Antarctica. They next year, they released their debut album, Moonfire, which reached number two on the ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart.
Their musical stylings won them five ARIA awards: Group of the Year, Breakthrough Artist – Single, for their leading single “Feeding Line,” and Breakthrough Artist – Album, Best Adult Alternative Album and the Album of the Year award for their debut album. Okay, you can take a breath now…
High on life after the release of their newest album Codes and Keys, Chris and Jason from Death Cab For Cutie sat down with us to chat about “What’s Indy”, getting in bed with the Twilight franchise, and their personal experiences with the band. Ben Gibbard, presumably, was busy making out with Zooey Deschanel/riding unicorns through outer space, and was not able to make it to the interview.
Sage Francis is commonly referred to as a forefather and pioneer of the indie-rap movement that swept the world in the late 90′s and early 2000′s. Sage and his peers have constantly pushed the boundaries, redefining what “Hip Hop” could be every step of the way. andPOP catches up with Sage Francis and finds out the state-of-union and the differences between his world and that of the Top 40.
http://www.twitter.com/andpopsideb “We’re not good enough to play for longer than five minutes at a time.” That’s forgivable, considering they can do very, very well in those five. Tokyo Police Club has earned a great deal of praise, and, of course, attention. (They appeared on both Letterman AND Desperate Housewives!) Fortunately, they felt a bit less pressure while creating their latest album, “Champ”.
Judging by The Morning Benders’ Chris Chu, there is a sort of love-hate relationship between SXSW and the bands that participate. I spoke to him about his experience at the legendary Texan music festival, and his perception of his band’s latest release, Big Echo. [ Check out the "Excuses" video at http://YoursTru.ly ]
Follow Side B on Twitter! - http://twitter.com/andPOPsideB
So much has already been said about this band, I’m not sure where to begin. Simply put, I love them. Their latest release, Forgiveness Rock Record, has once again impressed fans and critics alike – myself included. Needless to day, I was thrilled to catch up with Brendan and Justin over (mediocre) coffee.
Right now there seems to be a general celebration of bands that challenge and distort genre conventions. Why hasn’t Brasstronaut hit people’s radar? If you’re looking for a band that turns well-established genres upside down, one listen to Mt. Chimaera proves that the band is not only creative and talented, but able to create songs that are at once strikingly original, yet accessible. (Note that the music video used here is actually for an older song entitled Old World Lies.)
It’s no secret that Lindsay Lohan has had trouble finding work these days, however there is still one role she was able to land.
E! Online reports that Lohan has signed on to play Linda Lovelace in the indie movie “Inferno.” Lovelace is famous for her 1972 porno “Deep Throat.”
This begs the question “Is this a good career move for Lindsay Lohan?” Well the reality is nobody wants to cast her as she is a box office risk, so Lohan is limited in her options. However if she is able to pull of a good performance and not look like a complete whore, this maybe the career resuscitation she needs.
Plants and animals blew listeners away with their debut album, Parc Avenue, and finally the band has delivered a follow up. La La Land seems to expand upon the rock ‘n’ roll framework of its predecessor. The boys have turned their amps up to eleven (just kidding, ten is the standard maximum), and have fully embraced the “barbecue rock” within. I spoke to the charming Montreal trio during Canadian Music Week here in Toronto.
Big Tobacco wins again… but Fucked Up doesn’t seem too crushed about it. Their name was used without permission in a cigarette ad (see the scans at http://tinyurl.com/y5xf8hy ) and after a few years of legal battles, they have lost. But spirits still seem high. Ben and Sandy talked to me about the lawsuit, their Christmas single (listen at http://tinyurl.com/yz82dny ), and how they spent their hefty $20,000 Polaris Prize.
You saw the outtakes now see the episode. andPOP investigates indie music on “Something New.”
Attack in Black surprised me in a couple ways. First of all, their former punk rock sound has gracefully matured into mellow yet rough-around-the-edges acoustic indie rock. Second, they are a ridiculous interview. I highly recommend you give their most recent album Years (by One Thousand Fingertips) a thorough listen. You’ll be surprised too. [ PS - you can watch the Much On Demand clip that I mention here:
What else can I say about Phantogram? I love them. The duo’s debut LP, ‘Eyelid Movies’, is a haunting, psychedelic orgy of beats, samples, synths, guitar and a rare kind of charm. Watch this interview, go listen to their music, and then get your friends from high school to start a band with you… It worked for these dudes. Hear more Phantogram at myspace.com/phantogram.
Woodpigeon has always crafted beautiful, delicate folk-pop, and their latest album ‘Die Stadt Muzikanten’ is no exception. They won me over with their heart-stopping live show, and I want them to win you over too. Check out WP’s new release, and the bonus album ‘BALLADEER / to all the guys i’ve loved before’, which includes recordings from their residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts.
If Liz Lee skipped class more often, she might not have landed her own TV show.
The teenage star of reality show “My Life as Liz” was just another high school student when MTV’s camera crew walked her into her broadcast media class. The crew was set to film a second season of journalism-based reality show “The Paper” in Liz’s hometown of Burleson, Texas.
That is, until they met Liz.
The spunky, red-haired, indie-loving high school senior immediately caught the attention of the show’s producers with her witty humour and stand-out style.
“They sort of changed directions after that,” said Lee to andPOP over the phone.
HPNTZ – the Rihanna/Biggie pseudo-mashup – may have garnered a lot of attention for Dan Black, but it is his album Un that won me over. Dan has an incredible talent for crafting catchy yet credible pop songs,and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to discuss his music with him.
One of the biggest British bands is crossing the pond to North America. Jordan speaks with Editors about breaking into a new market and what indie music is all about.
