Mega Roundup

Having abjectly failed to regain control of our In-box since returning from holiday, we are still working our way through a sackful of new bands, new albums, new singles, new tracks, new demos and everything in-between. So with apologies for the delay in posting some of these, here is one awesome round-up of stuff that has caught our ears, our imagination, or, best of all, both.

First up is Terrible Beauty a track of swirling hypnotic texture-pop from the Daymoths upcoming sophomore album,

We have more heartwarming hobo-pop from Skipping Girl Vinegar, full of lyrical twists and sonic layers – You Can comes from forthcoming album Keep Calm, Carry The Monkey.

Download Skipping Girl Vinegar – You Can mp3 (from Keep Calm, Carry The Monkey)

Five years after the breakthrough of their debut album We Came Here to Die, the Arkansas music collective Bear Colony return with their new full-length Soft Eyes. The first taste is the densely melodic Flask Retort.

Download Bear Colony – Flask Retort mp3 (from Soft Eyes)

Royal Canoe is a six piece indie pop-rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Show Me Your Eyes comes from new digital only single Purple and Gold and is as catchy as it is quirky.

Download Royal Canoe – Show Me Your Eyes mp3 (from Purple And Gold)

By contrast Kings of Lowertown play what they describe as “…deep Ottawa Valley dirt blues“. They have an EP released on the 31st October, but you can check out some tracks on their Bandcamp page here. This is the excellent primal blues chug of Down Tobacco Road.

Download Kings of Lowertown – Down Tobacco Road mp3 (from Kings of Lowertown EP)

The Sugargliders have a twenty track retrospective compilation of sweetly chiming indie pop from this much loved and sorely missed Australian band out via Matinee Recordings. This is lead track Ahprahran. You can order from Matinee here.

Dundonian three-piece, the excellently named Fat Goth release their second album Stud via Hefty Dafty Records on 28th January 2013. Grab the fast-paced, dirty basslines and thumping lightning quick beats of album opener (the also excellently named) Debbie’s Dirty Harry.

Fjords are a five piece electro-indie outfit from Cardiff, their Dead Diamonds EP was released on 24th September. Click through to download the glacial synths and dark dance rhythms of Russian Doll.

King Of Spain’s recently released album of spacious indie rock and jaunty pop hooks, All I Did Was Tell Was Tell Them The Truth And They Thought It Was Hell has been growing on us with every spin, and the jaunty Green Eyes might well be our favourite track from the record.

Download King Of Spain – Green Eyes mp3 (from All I Did Was Tell Was Tell Them The Truth And They Thought It Was Hell)

Daytona’s self-released EP Storm So Long has been out for a little while, but free track Undertow is a gem of understated indie swirl – all fatigued vocals and pulsing bass, so just in case you missed it first time round…

We posted the excellent upbeat, ultra catchy Summer In The City by Freedom Fry back in July, and Jesse James showcases another side of the duo entirely, being a beguiling slice of melancholic indie pop.

Gus By Heart is the work of Swedish singer and songwriter Gustav Svedung. Late last month, he released his debut single, the yearning and plaintive Hideous Sounds, and it will be followed by the cassette EP Rather Be Singing Than Thinking, which is out tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Driving Cassady, a quartet with members from both the US and Sweden, have a debut EP release On the Ties out now. It is a mix of warm American with garage rock fingers and some good ole Tex Mex. Think the Black Keys jamming with Jim Morrison and Sly & The Family Stone.

Download Driving Cassady – You Ain’t The One mp3 (from On The Ties EP)

Lastly Calaca Strides is a dark, experimental folk musician based in the North West of England. Having recently completed a second EP called Brittle Breeze, the lead track is called Row by Row and can be downloaded here. You can get the whole EP from Soundcloud here.