A Quick Word from the Author:
Firstly, apoplogies for the absence of the Sabbath this past Thursday. I've been at a Family Reunion and my Brother's graduation, so I was staying as far away from work as possible — and on that note, congrats to all the high school grads reading this. It's also worth noting this is not the only Indie Sabbath this week – you'll get your regular does on Thursday again.
As I mentioned last week, EARMILK is currently in the gradual and delicate process of refining our features, aiming to provide more than just lists of tracks, but solid editorials. A big part of this process is creating a feature that tailors to you, the fans, and your needs. We've implemented some more changes this week to the Sabbath, mainly categorizing the sets by the 'feel' of the music, if you will, as well as implementing a few more visuals and tracking back to the Straight From the Teet features.
In the comment section below, we'd love to hear some feedback on what you think we're missing from our Features (use the Sabbath as your template). This could be anything from a News section (which will be incorporated next week), to more editorial content. Give us your suggestions – we'll consider them all.
In addition, we're always keen to submissions for the Sabbath. If you're an Indie artist who would like your NEW content to be up for consideration, submit it to me and I'll give it a gander. Please only submit tracks that are current (no more than a week old, preferably), and free to download. SUBMIT YOUR WORK
The Indie Sabbath is back, with new specs and some major changes. First off, it's on Thursdays now (Monday today due to complications). "SABBATH on a Thursday?? That makes no sense!" Yeah, well, get over it. Traditionally, we've used the Sabbath to feature the best new [free] Indie music around the web each week — and that isn't changing. But we've added a few things, including a Video of the Week, Album of the Week, and a brief recap of the best Indie posts featured here on EARMILK every seven days. Our goal is to provide more than just a list, leaving our readers with not only new music, but visuals, information and albums to explore with friends. That being said, let's get on to the eclectic array of Indie excellence.
THE INDIE GIFT BASKET
Big thanks to Straight From The Teet author Connecticutter for helping me put together the Sabbath this week – it wouldn't be quite as snazzy without his recommendations. As you'll see below, we've added a few changes to the Sabbath. Mainly, we organized the gift basket according to product. Instead of getting your presents scrambed, you can now skip to a section depending on your mood.
- The Pasture covers the basics, from Folk to Rock to Pop, and will now serve as the hub for the tracks perfect for any occasion.
- The Chicken Dance is a hodge podge of tracks that you could be excused for doing the, err… Chicken Dance to. Although hese aren't simply Dance tracks, they're all good to whip your hair around to.
- Lastly, The Tryptophan is built for those relaxed moments, where you're winding down with the aid of something herbal — or even for a time where you might just want some background atmospherics to doze off to.
As usual, we've ventured into the pastures of the Indie realm and have come back with some deliciously satisfying results. The new categories aren't changing that, so dive into some samples of that milky goodness, ripe for the picking. The day held strong and the night is young — Milk away, my fine-haired friends.
The Pasture
The Pasture is your home for the best of Indie for every occasion. Whether you're stuck in an elevator and need to sooth your companions, or in an argument with the ex and need to calm them down — these tracks are your answer. Highlights on the fresh dairy from Doe Paoro, Xavier Rudd, Angus Stone, and Seapony.
Download:Thieving Irons – Sleepwalking Into the Ocean
The Chicken Dance
If you're like me, your dancing skills are at best similar to an epileptic seizure — and that's on a good night. As a result of our less than impressive abilities, we often simply revert to the stupid moves that anyone can do, comforted with the knowledge that while we may look a bit odd, we won't look like a total jackass. My personal favorite is the Chicken Dance, something that I found myself doing to each of these tracks. Highlights on the fresh dairy from Friends, the Mynabirds, and Pomegranates.
Download: Pomegranates – Pass Away
The Tryptophan
Relax. Take a deep breath, press play and shut your eyes — these tracks will take you somewhere. Herbal stimulation recommended. Highlights on the dank dairy from Germany Germany, Dntel, and Giraffage.
MILKY FRESH
The Indie Sabbath isn't the only place you'll find the best new Indie on EAMRILK. We have a wonderful staff of talented writers churning out great tracks everyday. Here's a five track flashback of the best in Indie this week on EARMILK. Take a sip, and enjoy the dishes — these are certified fresh.
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/48708176" iframe="true" /]
"This crew hides their influences well enough to avoid the derivative tag, but you can still feel enough familiarity to stay in the groove." (Original Post)
"'Others' is dissonantly beautiful. Eerie female utterances are powered behind crestfallen melancholy, fused with a combination of organic and electronic instruments." (Original Post)
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/47957365" iframe="true" /]
"A tune about his refusal of the enticing bright lights of NYC and LA for a more down home locale one can presume is May's native Oxford, Mississippi." (Original Post)
"The track is seduced with gentle howls from the guitar and Gillespie, while visually paired with black and white memories of their favorite bar in East Village." (Original Post)
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/48641106" iframe="true" /]
"A groovilicious chill-beat with a healthy dose of sexy synths. Fantastic." (Original Post)
VIDEO OF THE WEEK:
This week's highlighted video comes from the trio Basement Batman. and their visuals for the track "Chemistry" Some may know I'm an avid Batman fan, but that's certainly not the reason I chose this video.
Basement Batman – "Chemistry" from Jay Sprogell on Vimeo.
The video is the last installment before their upcoming album release, and is a fun ride. I'm still not exactly sure what the hell is going on in it – but the music paired with the story create an intriguing theatric that was enjoyable from start to finish.
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/41138827" iframe="true" /]
RECORD OF THE WEEK:
It was an incredible week for music, particularly Indie, with a slew of debuts from a number of bands. Personal favorite Metric dropped their first LP in a while, and the Mynabirds hit hard with the first real taste of them yet. But perhaps no record this week is more honest and captivating than that of the eccentric wildlings known as Friends. Their debut album Manifest! is wonderfully organic, and reflects their goofy stage presence with twelve delightful tracks.
Friends – Manifest!
Driven by percussive grooves and flirtatious vocals, Brooklyn sweethearts Friends' debut album Manifest! finds a modern middle ground between post-disco and '60s girl group sounds. The album was co-released by Fat Possum and Lucky Number and features all three of the previously issued singles that put Friends on the radar, most notabely the hit 'I'm His Girl.' A sight to see on the stage, the album lives up to their upbeat reputation, but provides little more information on the band's sound and objectives than what was already known. Full review this Monday on EARMILK's Straight From the Teet. Purchase it on iTunes here.
Other Noteworthy Albums:
Teen Daze – All of Us, Together
Liars – Wixiw
Gregory And The Hawk – Come, Now
Jukebox the Ghost – Safe Travels
Oddisee – Odd Renditions
Metric – Synthetica
Xiavier Rudd – Spirit Bird
Jupiter – Juicy Lucy
The Mynabirds – Generals
DELIVERIES FROM THE TEET
Each Monday two things get me through the day — Mashup Mondays and Straight From The Teet — the latter of which has become a very important piece of the Indie scene here on EARMILK. Earmilk author Connecticutter has been slaving through the madness and producing a compilation of album reviews unlike any other — and he's done this for a good while. While the longevity of his work is impressive, the volume and quality is the reason it stands alone as the best review compilation on the internet. An honest Op/Ed that strays away from the pretentious, Strait From The Teet offers and inside look into seven new albums each week, spoiling their plots brilliantly. Below is the collection of tracks and a links to the corresponding albums, and you can check out the entire post HERE.
MONDAY: Sigur Rós – Valtari
TUESDAY: Japandroids – Celebration Rock
WEDNESDAY: The Temper Trap – The Temper Trap
THURSDAY: Chet Faker – Thinking In Textures
FRIDAY: Fight Bite – Fight Bite
SATURDAY: MayMay – MayMay EP
SUNDAY: Ty Segall & White Fence – Hair
THROWBACK: Alias & Tarsier – Brookland/Oaklyn (2006)
WANT MORE INDIE SABBATH?
There's plenty more where this came from. Click the link above to check out the rest of the Sabbaths, and stay tuned in for more of the best in Indie as well as everything else, right here on EARMILK.
Upon this day, I declare that Indie music is leaps and bounds more pure than anything else, and the term "Indie" means not that a band isn't mainstream, but that a band has been able to hold on to its roots, even through fame and fortune. While the wonderful thumps and womps of other genres get me grooving, it will always be the sui generis of Indie that guides me to the homeland. And for that — I both thank it and applaud it — for it has brought me great pleasure in the past and will so in the future.
