Paper Lions - Trophies

Rock

Paper Lions ran into a bit of a scuffle with their record label and needless to say, they are giving out free downloads of their album Trophies. The group is from PEI, Canada and have been playing music together since a very young age and are a very talented group. Here`s what they had to say:

In August of 2009, we raised the money to rent a studio, hire a producer, and record Trophies. A few months later, we were approached by a record label that wanted to release Trophies on our behalf. After a period of negotiation, we signed a deal with that company. They released the record in September of 2010, and everything was dandy.
Fast forward to the present: we have yet to see a paycheque for a single record sold by them. If you bought our record on Amazon or iTunes, or even at a record store, we didn’t get that money. We don’t know why. We don’t know if it’s being held somewhere, or if it’s been spent.
We asked ourselves, what do we do now? Hire a lawyer? That would cost a lot of money and take a lot of time. Ultimately, we just want people to hear the music. And in reality, this experience has given us an excuse to do something we’ve wanted to do for a long time.
So we’ve decided to give Trophies away in exchange for your email address. And we feel pretty good about it.

Here's a quaint little review of the album "Trophies" here at The Broken Speaker.

Free Download (get it while you still can):

[Video] Their single "Lost The War" from their album Trophies:

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• Written by dbattersby
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Reptar - Sebastian

Indie

Reptar is back with after a killer debut EP Oblangle Fizz Y'all which I sadly never got the opportunity to post on. Never fear, Sebastian is here. Sebastian being the title of their single which they are offering as a free download if you sign-up for their mailing list; is the latest single from Reptar. To top it all off, Reptar has also announced that they will be releasing their debut full-length album entitled Body Faucet (produced by Ben Allen) this coming May. How exciting is that?

Reptar was praised by Rolling Stone for their "...blend of upbeat rhythms, reggae-infected vocals and psychedelic textures," which is pretty spot on if you ask me. I am reminded of Of Montreal when I listen to Reptar. I kind of think of Reptar as a solid mix between Of Montreal meets The Weekend. There are probably other bands that are more similar to them, but hey, that's what I think of when I listen to Reptar (I'm not so good at these comparisons). As I re-listen to their EP, I can't help but notice that each track has a very distinctive sound and each song is relatively different from their counterparts. I've said it before and I'll say it again, versatility is key for me. Guess what? Reptar definitely shows a high degree of versatility in their music. Very catchy. Very summery. Very tasteful. Very me. That should make it "very you" too.

So, courtesy of Reptar and Vagrant Records, enjoy a free download of Sebastian!

Connect with Reptar  -  Website | Facebook | YouTube | 

• Written by dbattersby
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School of Seven Bells - Ghostory

Alternative

School of Seven Bells album entitled "Ghostory" is coming out on February 28th which is just next week and in all the excitement they have made their entire album available as a stream. How freakin' awesome is that?

Album Review
Ghostory is an album full of eerie indie rock alternative sounds encompassing the very essence of what creativity stands for. Alejandra Deheza brings a very interesting sound to the table with her soft angelic intonations. Benjamin Curtis, the other half of SVIIB is responsible for the masterful production quality and guitar. Recently, the band underwent a few changes and downsized to two members from the previous three. This is what really impresses me. A team of two have created a beautiful album full of edgy guitar riffs, deep lyrics, and a very distinct sound that is so seldom occurring in a lot of music nowadays. The duo is taking the music industry by storm and proving that again, indie/altern. rock sounds can mix and mesh very nicely with the odd electro synth melody which is shown strongly in Lafaye and Reappear. Later on, White Wind really emphasizes the more upbeat synth melodies and shows the mixing between the electronic aspect of the song with the more alternative sounds.

An album, partly based on the idea that everyone comes with their baggage, hence "Ghost" in "Ghostory". Everyone has their story and each person lives their lives differently experiencing different things in different ways. That is what makes us unique in a sense, is that we all have a very different story to tell, but as that story moves forward, it can often lead us to some tough and dreary times throughout our lives. This is where the touch on death and partly where their eerie sound probably derives from. SVIIB, in my opinion, seemed to have touched upon a very tough subject with this album and I think that is where a lot of the emotive responses are elicited throughout their tracks. Death is a hard topic to talk about, but SVIIB does just that quite endearingly and it intrigues me. Awesome chilled out, thought-provoking album with some really fitting synth waves and angelic vocals to really hit it home. Great listen.

So in part with The Hype Machine, here's Ghostory by School of Seven Bells.

Check out previous posts on SVIIB if you would like more info. on them:

1) School of Seven Bells - Lafaye (Scissor Sisters Remix)

2) School of Seven Bells - The Night

Connect with School of Seven Bells - Website | Facebook | YouTube | iTunes |

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Conner Youngblood - Sketches Pt.1

Bluegrass Singer/Songwriter

I have followed Conner Youngblood for quite some time now and I have to say, he is one of my all-time favourite artists. I have been absolutely loving his tunes since I first started listening to him just about over a year ago. I have previously posted on tracks of his like Monsters, Drift, and his Lil Wayne/Float On mashup which are stunning chill tracks. One thing that really gets me about Conner Youngblood is that he experiments with different sounds which you can hear in his mashup and his track Monsters which showcase his versatility as an artist. That to me is what shows a good artist, is there versatility.

Anyway, Youngblood has done something really special and has released a mixtape almost a month ago with a few new tracks. This is a good day. No, this is a great day. In particular, the one song that really stands out to me is Australia which he released in 2011. I find it is just such a chilling tune between the lyrics and the drums. I really liked the video he made on the making of Australia. It was really interesting to see what goes into making a song behind the scenes. Every artist has a different method of how they compile a song and all of the instruments and it was really cool to see how Youngblood does it (video below). On a side note, I even featured Australia in our Best of 2011 Indie Mix which you can sift through in your spare time here.

Sketches Pt. 1 is the name of the mixtape. That can only mean one thing: there will be a Sketches Pt.2? I hope so, but until then, enjoy the bliss of his tracks from Pt.1. I guess I shouldn't get a head of myself now should I.

Enjoy a full stream and a free download of his blue-grassy mixtape "Sketches Pt.1" below:

[Free Download] Conner Youngblood - Sketches Pt.1

 

Connect with Conner Youngblood  -  Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | SoundCloud |

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Gentlemen Thieves - Grand Prix

Electronic

Gentlemen Thieves released a track called Grand Prix a few months ago and I am really late getting to this. Grand Prix is a really cool and really fresh electro track that definitely deserves some attention. I'm particularly enjoying the switch from the electronic aspect of the song to the guitar riffs mixed in between. I thought it's a really nice touch. This song will be featured on Gentlemen Thieves EP which is currently in the making. You can also download the track for free from their Facebook page here. Enjoy!

Update: Gentlemen Thieves has also more recently released their 2nd track from their upcoming EP entitled Playboy. You man also take a listen to that here on their SoundCloud.

|Free Download| Gentlemen Thieves - Grand Prix

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School of Seven Bells - Lafaye (Scissor Sisters Remix)

Indie

School of Seven Bells is set to release their new album "Ghostory" on February 28th and I am really excited. They have a very distinct sound that I really enjoy listening to. In anticipation of the release of their album, they have released a couple of tracks. First, School of Seven Bells released The Night and more recently released Lafaye with the accompanying Scissor Sisters Remix.

Take a listen to both Lafaye and Scissor Sisters rendition of Lafaye below. Really great whole-hearted indie rock that really pays tribute to the multi-talented duo. I am still so excited for the album to come out!

The Scissor Sisters remix also added a very nice electronica sort of spin to the song with their interesting vocal edits at the beginning to the intricate instrumentals such as the piano chords that you can catch if you listen closely and the drum patterns which fit extremely nicely with the song. A really awesome rendition of the track which really appeals to the kind of music I enjoy listening to.

Connect with School of Seven Bells - Website | Facebook | YouTube | iTunes |

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Blind Pilot - We Are The Tide

Indie Folk 

It's been a bit hard to find the motivation to write these and I apologize; as short as they are. Working full-time here in Ottawa you'd think I'd find some sort of inspiration from this beautiful city but no, nothing seems more precious than regular sleep.

Since there hasn't been a post on Blind Pilot here before it would be more sensible to start from the beginning with their release album '3 Rounds and a Sound', but I've decided to do that later. Their most recent album, We Are The Tide is a build on their successful initial release.

Blind Pilot is an indie-folk group hailing from Portland, Oregon. If I had to compare them to anyone else I'd say they sound somewhat similar to Horse Feathers. Unfortunately I can't do that because they do have their own distinct sound. This is highly evident in their vocals provided by Israel Nebeker. If you're looking for a group well beyond capable of blending trumpets, banjos, acoustics and vocals into a wonderful melodic masterpiece of an album, this is a good place to start.

To truly appreciate aforementioned blending I'd recommend some good speakers or some decent headphones. Proceed to crank the volume over 50%, sit back and appreciate every little inclusion. While not being instrumentally intricate, the combination of subtle strums and hums coupled with some elegant vocals provokes an almost gratuitous emotional response.
Of course if you want quality I'd highly recommend picking up their album.

Connect with Blind Pilot  -  Official | Myspace | Facebook | Twitter

• Written by Eric Leung
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