SoKo - I Thought I Was An Alien (2012)

SoKo, real name Stéphanie Sokolinski, is a French singer with a cute-ass voice. Really catchy, harmonic folksy/popsy guitarriffs with SoKo either singing, or just talking in her adorable voice and French accent about touching stuff. Props to Jake for introducing me to this!

Sample: "First Love Never Die"

- Alessandro

Uve Schikora Gruppe - Das Gewitter (1972)

So, up until this album, I didn't know too much at all about Cold War-era Eastern German music, let alone that they even had music. Starting from hearing the funkalicious "Oh Angela" (dedicated to black power and Communist activist Angela Davis) late one night and several translated Wikipedia tabs later, I came upon the state-owned Amiga record label, responsible for a majority of releases at the time. One such being Das Gewitter (The Storm), the first and only LP by Uve Schikora and his backing group. Ranging from poppy to pyschedelic to jazzy, the album constantly contorts with a graceful chaos through songs, revealing new facets with each motion. Undeservingly forgotten, Das Gewitter is a gem and satisfactory listen that warrants repeated visits for anyone either a fan of progressive rock or a newcomer to it (such as myself).

Sample: "Oh Angela"

-Jake

Estradasphere - Buck Fever (2001)

Hey, you! Did you ever want to have an album that is a big experimental rock epidemic played with at least 10 different instruments that sounds heavy as fuck but yet melodic, mixed with some instrumental versions of video game soundtracks including Mario through it? Well, you've just found the thing!

"Buck Fever" is an incredible album by Estradasphere, which is a band with 6 multi-instrumentalists that all are specialized in a completely different genre, including classical music; jazz and heavy metal. And somehow, they find a way to blend it in together perfectly! Best way to describe this would be frantic and loungy jazzpsychobungle metal. And I mean, look at the cover! LOOK AT IT.

There's really no way to describe it. Just check the sample out and find out.

Sample: "Feed Yo Mama's Meter (Remix 2001)"

- Alessandro

Potatohead - Hd.mr (2012)

So I found this somewhere and other than another project by this artist and some Japanese shit I have no information on Potatohead. Last.fm only knows an indie pop group that goes by the same name but it's not the same person. In other words: OH MAN THIS IS SOME SERIOUS HIPSTERCRED Y'ALL.

Hd.mr consists of four amazing electronic tunes with glitch-elements to dream away to, really full of sounds and extremely relaxing and relieving to listen to. I enjoyed it loads. It's not even 20 minutes long so it's really worth taking your time out to listen to this, and I guarantee you that you'll listen to it more than once.

Sample: "akneat Industrial"
Download

- Alessandro

Animate Objects - Riding in Fast Cars with Your Momma (2007)

Conscious hip-hop stuff! Classy, jazzy beats and slick flows characterize this acclaimed, but fairly forgotten, gem filled with a variety funky stuff to bounce to and slow-paced stuff to grind to.

Sample: "El Dorado"

Download

Bandcamp

- Jake

Clare & the Reasons - The Movie (2007)

So already, this album cover should be a fairly clear indicator of what to expect: at least something along the lines of "cinematic," right? Quite so. In this case, of the baroque pop variety. Featuring contributions from Van Dyke Parks and Sufjan Stevens, The Movie is chock-full of lush string arrangements, day-dreamy compositions, sharp songwriting, breezy guitar work, and delightful feminine coos with an old-fashioned sound to it. If you like Lana Del Rey, you can appreciate their same sort of retro-Golden Age Hollywood aesthetic. If you hate Lana Del Rey, you can appreciate they're a better version of her.

Sample: "Science Fiction Man"

- Jake

(major props to Alessandro for making me aware of them, in the first place)

The Wild - Set Ourselves Free (2010)

I love bands where everyone sounds like they're having the absolute time of their life during the recording process. I like especially how a lot of these bands come from the anti-folk/folk-punk movement. Be the lyrics miserable or life-affirming, you just get the sense that everything will be all right, everything will go to shit, and will happen all at the same time. The Wild certainly live up to their name, sounding unbridled and free, with bratty adult vocals, and pumping out jangly shout-along melodies to leave you bopping to your grave.

Sample: "Together on the Ground"

if you'd like to donate

- Jake

YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN - YT//ST (2011)

"YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN are a psychedelic noh-wave opera group fusing noise, metal, pop and folk music into a multidisciplinary hyper-orientalist cesspool of 'east' meets 'west' culture clash in giant monochrome paper sets."

Sample: "Queens"

- Alessandro

Andrew Hill - Judgment! (1964)

Andrew Hill was a good-ass jazz pianist/composer and really, everyone should have at least one of his albums in their music library. Here's my personal favourite: "Judgment!" (the albumcover's pretty damn cool too)

Sample: "Flea Flop"

- Alessandro

Saxon Shore - The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore (2005)

Saxon Shore is an American post-rock band and a very good one at that. I for one am really picky with my post-rock, and this is some really good stuff, even though there's more walls of sounds than the whole 'building up'. The tracks are relatively short too so it's a good album to listen to when you don't have that much time and also a good scrobbling album!

Sample: "The Revolution Will Be Streaming"

- Alessandro

Cold Body Radiation - Deer Twilight (2011)

Cold Body Radiation is a one-man band from The Netherlands. Deer Twilight is an atmospheric, dreamy album with post-rock and shoegazing elements that remind you of landscapes and cozy situations. This takes you to a whole other world, man. You should definitely check this out.

Sample: "Deer Twilight"

- Alessandro

Radio Wire Empire - Color & Colour EP (2011)

Aside from being one sexypants vocalist, Radio Wire Empire can whip up some lovely-ass synthpop songs, waveringly dreamlike with occasional splashes of the dubstep the kids love so much. So mosey on over to his Bandcamp and have a listen. Album available as pay-what-you-want.

Sample: "The Brave Hue"
Bandcamp

- Jake

Conhecido - Hometown (2012)

Conhecido is a musical project by Portuguese instrumental indie rock musician Pedro Pereira. "Hometown" is an EP with a few amazing tunes that are inspired by his attempt to leave his hometown. In his hometown, he has had good times and bad times. Lots of emotions bundled up in his struggles and achievements. All of these things are bundled up within the tunes on this album perfectly.

Sample: "Wait, It's Over?"
Bandcamp
Download

- Alessandro

Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight (2008)

Described to me as "Mumford & Sons if they didn't suck," Frightened Rabbit absolutely deliver on that promise. Their folk-pop compositions, as anthemic as they are self-deprecating, are alive with rich layers of instrumentation and fueled by Scott Hutchinson's painfully earnest lyrics about loneliness, sex and...well, that's mostly it. But yeah, really fantastic stuff.

Sample: "The Modern Leper"

- Jake

Now, Now - Threads (2012)

Combining an abundance of youthful angst with the search for adult clarity, Now, Now crafts a fine indie pop-rock album straddling between Tegan and Sara and Metric, with their sophomore effort Threads. Vulnerable, girlish vocals engulfed in moody melodies make for an appropriate soundtrack for nocturnal or cloudy day sulking. Ch-ch-ch-check it!!

Sample: "Thread"

- Jake

Laura Mura & The Seven Dwarfs - My Bootleg (2012)

I guess I'll be the one doing the first post on this blog, then. Our gay playlist will start off with some relaxing and melodic music from Laura Mura & The Seven Dwarfs from Italy. "My Bootleg" is a big recommendation for the acoustic indie pop fans. Stay gay!

Sample: "I'll Never Trap Your Memory"

 - Alessandro