A Quick Word from the Author:

If you're from the United States, then I hope your 4th was as splendid as the 30 second burst of fireworks in San Diego. It's a glorious day to eat a whole lot of unhealthy food, drink a lot of booze and blow shit up. It's how we do here. We're 'MERICA, and we have very few fucks to give. There's really not much else to say, I just wanted to wish you all a fantastic Independence Day.

Moving on…

The Way In from Porcelain Raft on Vimeo.

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 GIFT BASKET

• 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. Shit got real while we were out, barely surviving the relentless waves of terrible music as we plucked out the few golden feathers, so do us a favor and 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 MVSCLES, Infantree, Lykke Li, and Grounders.

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 Jeremy Glenn, Tours, and Royal Bangs.

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/49365677" iframe="true" /]

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 Flume and Collarbones.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

Active Child – "Johnny Belinda"

Active Child – "Johnny Belinda" (Official Music Video) from Active Child on Vimeo.

Active Child consistently makes the competition look incompetent. I have yet to hear something from them I didn't find enjoyable, and the new video for "Johnny Belinda" is hands down one of the best videos of the year, if only for it's time lapses. A haunting tune that spooks along with the clouds, this video will take you places. 

RECORD OF THE WEEK:

This week was awful. There were only a handful of Albums I find useful, and I think we can blame that largely on the 4th of July ('MERICA!). So, here's the album of the week, and the only other decent works to be had. Check it.

Maria Quiles and Rory Cloud – Long Time Coming

Singer/Songwriters exemplify what it means to be an artist in the most honest of fashions. They slave away on their own, driven by none other than a love for music. Maria Quiles and Rory Cloud provide a solid example of what happens when that effort proves it's worth. Their album Long Time Coming is a delightful tune that pushes itself through your mind in an ear-worm like fashion, serving as a perfect soundscape for the the restless. It's one of the only albums worth anything this week, so check it out. Full review this monday on EARMILK's Straight From the Teet. Purchase it on iTunes here.

Other Noteworthy Albums:

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.

Unfortunately, SFTT wasn't up this week because of the 4th or something. I dunno. But I do know that you should go check out the top albums of the year so far:

TOP ALBUMS OTY (So Far)

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.