Warpaint

Warpaint is an American experimental art rock group from Los Angeles, formed on Valentine's Day in 2004. The band consists of Emily Kokal (vocals/guitar), Theresa Wayman (guitar/vocals), Jenny Lee Lindberg (bass/vocals), and Stella Mozgawa (drums/keyboards). The band's membership has also included actress Shannyn Sossamon and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. The original line-up consisted of childhood friends, Theresa Wayman and Emily Kokal, alongside sisters, Shannyn Sossamon and Jenny Lee Lindberg. The band played in the Los Angeles area for three years, writing songs ("Stars", "Beetles", and "Elephants") which would eventually comprise their debut EP, Exquisite Corpse. This is "Undertow from their debut album The Fool, which was released in October 2010.

*Be sure to check out there awesome cover of Billie Holiday's "My Guy" at AthensSoundies.com*

http://www.warpaintwarpaint.com/

Smelly Dog

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The Black Atlantic

The Black Atlantic is a Netherlands based acoustic pop band formed around singer and songwriter Geert van der Velde, former frontman for American metalcore group Shai Hulud. The Black Atlantic released their debut album Reverence for Fallen Trees digitally for free (worldwide) in August 2009. It has since been downloaded close to 100,000 times via various torrent websites, the band's own website and it's record label website. The band's core consists of Geert van der Velde (lead vocals/guitar/ukelele/keys/percussion), Kim Janssen (vocals/guitar/ukelele/keys/percussion), Matthijs Herder (vocals/keys), and Simon van der Heide (vocals/drums). There have been around ten rotating members in the band, most notably, Megan Hoffman (vocals/flute/glockenspiel/melodica/percussion) and Stef Thoen (percussion/piano/vocals). The Black Atlantic started as a project of van der Velde in his off time from his philosophy studies. Gradually the project turned more serious after van der Velde recorded his first song (a Valentine’s gift) to his then girlfriend and now wife. He eventually abandoned his studies to focus full-time on the band, and the rest is history. This is "Heirloom" off of their debut album.

http://www.theblackatlantic.com/

Smelly Dog

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Gavin Castleton

Gavin Castleton is a musician/songwriter from Providence, Rhode Island. Castleton is a founding member of the Rhode Island band Gruvis Malt, with whom he has released 5 full length albums as well as a number of various independently-released EPs. He has also released two full-length albums with action-adventure rock trio Ebu Gogo. Castleton currently resides in Portland, Oregon. From 2006 to 2008 he recorded and toured in Ebu Gogo. He has also recorded and performed with several bands and musicians, including One Drop, Paranoid Social Club, Club D'Elf, and Facing New York. In late 2007 he released A Bullet, A Lever, A Key, the progressive hip hop EP that tells the story of his life backwards, from 2054 to present day. His blog "The Great Consolidation" features entries from the future that expound on the storyline of A Bullet, A Lever, A Key and discuss his 2009 full-length album Home, summing it all up with the tale of a long term love affair interrupted by a zombie apocalypse. This is "Hope Is A Drug" off of his Random Anthems EP released in 2009.

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http://www.gavincastleton.com/

Smelly Dog

The Naked & Famous

The Naked and Famous are an indie electronic ensemble from New Zealand that formed in 2008. They are known for their driving, melodic pop with an '80s post-punk influence. The name comes from a line in a Tricky song. Centered around the talents of Alisa Xayalith (vocals) and Thom Power (instrumentalist/vocalist), the duo released two EPs before adding members to play live. The newest members of the band are David Beadle (bass), Aaron Short (synth/keys), and Jesse Wood (drums). In 2010 they released their debut album, Passive Me, Aggressive You, featuring the number one single "Young Blood" which you are hearing here.

http://www.thenakedandfamous.com

Smelly Dog

Neon Hymns

Neon Hymns are an alternative rock band from many parts of the world, with members being from Sydney, London, and Los Angeles. They formed in early 2010 and call California home as a band. The current lineup consists of Joe Pringle (vocals/guitar), Rob Ellmore (drums/vocals), Simon French (electric bass/vocals), and James Bowen (guitar/vocals). There is little to no information on this band out there on the web. They are set to release there debut EP Bio in spring or early summer. This is one of their tunes entitled "Shotgun Bible" which I am sure will be on the EP. I expect to hear more from this band once they release their first album.

http://www.neonhymns.com

Smelly Dog

Blackbird Blackbird

Blackbird Blackbird (formerly Bye Bye Blackbird) is the solo-project of 23-year old vocalist/producer Mikey 'Sanders' Maramag. Blackbird Blackbird is a prolific electronic musician who released a slew of EPs along with a full-length album within the span of 6 months in 2010. Active since April 2010, Blackbird Blackbird has been featured as a most-blogged artist on The Independent UK at least three times, and accrued a massive following via Hype Machine and Bandcamp. When performing live the band consists of Sanders(vocals/synths/drums/guitar/percussion), Johnny Hwin (bass/vocals/guitar), Amy Foote (vocals/glockenspiel/percussion/autoharp), Frank Midnite (synths), and Cade Weidenhaft (drums). This is "Pure" off of his bebut album Summer Heart.

http://blackbirdblackbird.com

Smelly Dog

Local Natives

Local Natives (formerly known as Cavil at Rest) is an indie rock band based in Los Angeles, CA. The band consists of Taylor Rice (guitar/vocals), Kelcey Ayer (vocals/keys/percussion/guitar), Ryan Hahn (guitar/keys/mandolin/vocals), Matt Frazier (drums), and Andy Hamm (bass). The band came together in Orange County, where Kelcey Ayer, Ryan Hahn, and Taylor Rice attended high school. One year after graduating, they were joined by bassist Andy Hamm and drummer Matt Frazier. In December 2008, they all moved to a house in Silver Lake (Los Angeles) and started work on their debut album. Their sound has been described as "afropop-influenced guitars with hyperactive drumming and hooky three-part harmonies." Clash Music has also described their style as psych-folk, or modern worldly folk. Their self-funded Gorilla Manor album was named after the house they all shared in Orange County, where most of the album was written. “It was insanely messy and there were always friends over knocking around on guitars or our thrift store piano,” said Hahn. “It was an incredible experience and I’ll never forget that time.” Everything the band creates comes from a complete collaboration between their members, from songwriting to artwork. This is "Who Knows Who Cares" off of their debut album released in 2009.

http://www.thelocalnatives.com/

Smelly Dog

Surfer Blood

Surfer Blood is an indie rock band from West Palm Beach, FL. The band consists of John Paul Pitts (vocals/guitar), Tyler Schwarz (drums), Kevin Williams (bass), Thomas Fekete (guitar), and Marcos Marchesani (percussion), all who are in their early 20's. Surfer Blood met one fateful night at an after party for Miami’s Ultra Festival, though they didn’t attend the festival itself. After discussing music, what else, for the remainder of the night, Pitts & Schwarz decided to recruit the three other guys to perfect a couple of songs he had been working on for some time, and thus, the band was formed. If you’re wondering about the name, the band ain’t got no surfer blood in them, and actually denounce the surfer kids of their youth for making their high school experience miserable. As for the moniker itself, one of the band members just randomly yelled it out over the radio in the backseat of the band’s car, which is as good a naming process as any. This is "Floating Vibes" off of their debut album Astro Vibes, which was released in January of 2010.

http://www.surferblood.com/

Smelly Dog

I Blame Coco

Eliot Paulina Sumner, also known as Coco, is an English musician recording under the band name I Blame Coco. She is the daughter of musician Sting and actress/producer Trudie Styler. The band includes Jonny Mott (keys), Alexis Nunez (drums), Jonas Jalhay (guitar), and Rory Andrew (bass). Eliot suffers from symptoms of losing her sense of smell after a brain injury in 2009 and is obsessed with buying keyboards.

http://www.iblamecoco.co.uk/

Smelly Dog

R.I.P. Nate Dogg

Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (1969-2011), better known by his stage name Nate Dogg, was an American musician. Nate Dogg was born in Long Beach, CA. He began singing as a child in the New Hope Baptist Church in Long Beach, and at Life Line Baptist Church in Clarksdale, MS, where his father (Daniel Lee Hale) was a pastor. At the age of 16 he dropped out of high school in Long Beach and left home to join the United States Marine Corps, serving for three years. He was the friend and partner in the rap game with rappers Snoop Dogg, Warren G, RBX, Daz Dillinger and was the cousin of Butch Cassidy and Lil' ½ Dead. Nate, Snoop Dogg and Warren G formed a rap trio called 213, which recorded its first demo in the back of the famed V.I.P record store in Long Beach. The demo was later heard by Dr. Dre at a house party, who was impressed with Nate's soulful voice. As of 2004, Nate Dogg has featured in and contributed to over 40 chart singles.
In December of 2007, he suffered a stroke, according to a coordinator for his recently formed gospel choir, Innate Praise. Initial media reports suggested he had been admitted to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center in Pomona, CA after suffering a heart attack. In January 2008, it was officially reported that the stroke had rendered the left side of his body paralyzed. Doctors believed there would be a full recovery, and his voice was not affected. In September 2008, Nate suffered a second stroke. Warren G later confirmed that since the second stroke, Nate was undergoing physical therapy in an attempt to return to some normality. Nate Dogg died on March 15, 2011 in Long Beach, CA of congestive heart failure, along with complications related to his previous strokes.

http://www.myspace.com/natedogg562

Smelly Dog

Foster the People

Foster the People is an indie rock band from Los Angeles, CA. The band formed in October 2009. Members include Mark Foster (keys/guitar/vocals), Mark Pontius (drums), Cubbie Fink (bass/vocals), and Zach "Reazon" Heiligman (MPC). I believe this band will take over the hype left by MGMT. There is little to no information out there on this band, so band info requires some digging. Their debut full length album, Torches, is due out on May 24th of this year. This is "Pumped up Kicks" off of the Foster the People EP.

http://www.fosterthepeople.com/

Smelly Dog

Japancakes

Japancakes is an American indie rock group based in Athens, GA. Rhythm guitarist Eric Berg formed the band with the idea of putting ten musicians in a band without any rehearsal, and performing a D chord for 45 minutes (similar to Terry Riley's In C). Japancakes formed in 1996, and since then have garnered national and international attention for their unique and woozy brand of spaced-out instrumental music. The band has never been one to shy away from plumbing the depths nor scaling the upper ethers of melody and beauty. The creation of their singular soundscapes encompasses widely varied approaches: whether they employ a singing-sword pedal steel, a throaty cello, a sparkling wash of precision-aligned synthesizers, or even a well and wisely-placed moment of silence. Japancakes are intent on emerging from their forays into musical space cloaked in pure sound. The music is direct. Whereas the listener might suspect that the absence of vocals would leave some sort of void, Japancakes deftly negate that suspicion by turning that same so-called absence into an unlimited mesh of listener interface; every moment of a Japancakes song is an opportunity for true listener interactivity. In other words, each Japancakes recording invites you INWARD to engage in a dialectic with its own particular cosmos, and furthermore, invites you to project what you please into it.

www.japancakesmusic.com

Smelly Dog

Neon Indian

Neon Indian is a lo-fi/synth-pop band from Denton, Texas. The music is composed by Mexican-born Alan Palomo, also known for his work with the band Ghosthustler and as the artist VEGA. Shortly before the release of Psychic Chasms, Palomo said he planned on releasing another album as VEGA, although this has not yet happened, and it is unclear if it ever will. In an interview, Palomo cites his father as a musical influence, "just because that's how he makes his living..he had a brief stint in the late 70s and early 80s as a Mexican pop star." He also says that he has sampled some of his father's work in the Neon Indian project. The name Neon Indian was conceived by an ex-girlfriend of Palomo's, who was also the subject of their song "Should Have Taken Acid With You." The song was originally presented as a musical apology for a missed acid date. Her positive reaction to the song spurred Palomo to continue writing more songs as Neon Indian. When performing, Palomo is joined on stage by a live band, consisting of Jason Faries (drums), Leanne Macomber (keyboard, vocals) and Lars Larsen (Live Visuals). Ronnie Gierhart played guitar and sang in the live group prior to 2011, leaving to finish college and begin a solo project (Ronnie Heart). This is "Sleep Paralysist" off of the debut album Psychic Chasms.

http://neonindian.com/fr_news.cfm

Smelly Dog

The Drums

The Drums are an American indie pop band from Brooklyn, New York. The current lineup consists of Jonathan Pierce (vocals), Jacob Graham (guitar), Connor Hanwick (drums), and Tom Haslow (guitar). Haslow only plays with the band during live events. Founding members Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham first became friends as children, having met at a summer camp. Soon after their first meeting they formed the electro-pop group Goat Explosion. The two separated for several years: Pierce formed indie rock group Elkland which quickly gained attention and was signed by Columbia Records; meanwhile, Graham formed Horse Shoes which was signed by Shelflife Records. Eventually, having both grown tired of electronic music, they decided to switch from synthesizers to guitars, and formed the Drums in late 2006, recruiting drummer Connor Hanwick. The band cite their major influences as The Wake, The Smiths, Joy Division, The Zombies, The Tough Alliance, The Legends, The Shangri-las and Orange Juice. Graham also mentions that reverb in general has played a major role in their sound: "...If reverb didn't exist we wouldn't have bothered trying to start a band." This is "Best Friend" off of their debut album The Drums.

http://thedrums.com/

Smelly Dog

Maps & Atlases

Maps & Atlases is a rock group from Chicago, IL, equally influenced by folk and experimental music. They have often been labeled as a math rock band though their music has developed a slightly more pop-oriented style over time. Maps & Atlases formed in the fall of 2004 when the founding members met in art school at Columbia College Chicago. Shiraz Dada (bass), Chris Hainey (drums), Dave Davison(guitar/vocals), and Erin Elders (guitar) first came together trying to find a sound that was both technical and organic, along the same vein as their musical influences. Shiraz Dada is the only member of the group who was born and raised in the Chicago area. Chris Hainey is originally from Texas, Dave Davison from Pennsylvania, and Erin Elders grew up in Hawaii. Dada is also a sound engineer and recorded all of the band's early material at their studio/practice space. The group was also featured in a Pabst Blue Ribbon advertisement in The Onion (to add to their growing fame). This is "Israli Caves" off of their debut album Perch Patchwork released in June of 2010.

http://www.mapsandatlases.org

Smelly Dog

Twin Shadow

Twin Shadow is the stage name of American musician George Lewis Jr. Lewis was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Florida, before eventually relocating to Brooklyn and adopting the Twin Shadow moniker. In 2010, he released his debut album Forget, produced by Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear. The album has been described as "steeped in 1980s new wave", "building from streaks of haunting synth textures" and "hazily new wave-tinged pop". I couldn't seem to pull up much information on this band as a whole. I am fairly new to this band and look forward to seeing them live when they stroll through town. This band has a lot of potential if it sticks to its roots! This is their song "At My Heels" off of the debut album.

www.twinshadow.net

Smelly Dog

The Soft Pack

The Soft Pack is a garage rock band hailing from San Diego, CA, but is now based out of Los Angeles. The band was originally named The Muslims, but changed the name due to "ignorant and racist" comments. The current lineup consists of Matt Lamkin (vocals/guitar), Matty McLoughlin (guitar), David Lantzman (bass), and Brian Hill (drums). Matt Lamkin has stated Soft Pack can describe the band as being "well mannered" or it can refer to a device that when worn is intended to convince others that the wearer has a penis. Having released records through labels such as 1928 Recordings, Sweet Tooth Records, Caspian Records and I Hate Rock n' Roll, the band is currently signed to Kemado Records. The band's single "Answer to Yourself" was the final song streamed on WOXY.com before its sudden shutdown on March 23, 2010. The song has also been used in the new Grolsch beer commercial that aired in August of 2010. This is that very song off of their debut album The Soft Pack that was released in February 2010.

http://thesoftpackofficial.com

Smelly Dog

Best Coast

Best Coast is an American indie rock band based out of Los Angeles, CA. The band currently consists of Bethany Cosentino, who writes all of the band's songs and fronts the group, multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno, and former Vivian Girls drummer Ali Koehler. The band is recognizable for their fuzzy, low-fidelity sound in the vein of surf rock. They signed to the labels Mexican Summer (US) and Wichita Records (Europe), who released debut album Crazy For You in July 2010. Prior to this the band released a number of singles on smaller independent labels, including Make You Mine on Group Tightener and Something In The Way on Dean Allen Spunt's Post Present Medium label. The band made a decision not to include material from these releases on their debut album. This is "crazy For You" off their debut album of the same name.

http://www.bestycoasty.blogspot.com

Smelly Dog

LoneLady

Julie Campbell, better known as LoneLady, is a musician from Manchester, England. Campbell graduated in Fine Arts and discovered that she hated being in bands before embarking on a solo career. Inspired by post-punk legacy of her hometown, as well as classic college rock of the '80s and early '90s, LoneLady began her forays into lo-fi art punk by making four-track recordings with her guitar and drum machine in 2004. Her first single, Hi Ho Bastard/Fear No More, was released by Filthy Home Records in summer 2005. That fall, LoneLady issued the Have No Past EP and began playing solo gigs around Manchester. Her first show outside of the area was a showcase at 2006's SXSW festival. In 2007, LoneLady connected with two musicians, Oid (drums) and China Tom (keys), and the project became a trio. The Army/Intuition single arrived early that year, just before another appearance at SXSW. That fall, LoneLady inaugurated Too Pure's singles club with Early Comes the Haste/Joy; released in a limited edition of 500 copies, it marked the band's first sessions in an official studio. LoneLady signed to Warp Records and released the limited-edition single Inmaterial before issuing her debut album Nerve Up in early 2010. This is her song "Intuition" off of the debut album.

www.lonelady.co.uk

Smelly Dog

Kings of Convenience

Kings of Convenience are an indie folk-pop duo from Bergen, Norway. Consisting of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe, the musical group is known for their delicate tunes, calming voices, and intricate and subtle guitar melodies. Øye and Bøe both compose and sing the songs. Øye and Bøe were both born in 1975 (Øye on November 21 and Bøe on October 25) and have known each other since they met while participating in a geography contest at the age of 10. At sixteen, they played together in the band Skog ("forest") with two other friends, releasing one EP, Tom Tids Tale, before breaking up and later forming the Kings duo. There first album (released 2001) was a great success and a remix album was released shortly afterward. After this breakthrough year, not much was heard from the band. Øye spent the next few years living in Berlin and doing solo material, releasing music under the DJ Kicks series as well as a solo album titled Unrest. He also has a side project named The Whitest Boy Alive. It was not until 2004 that the Kings' follow-up Riot on an Empty Street was released. Once again, the band had a period of inactivity, which led to speculations that they had stopped working together. It wasn't until 2009 that they released their 3rd album entitled Declaration of Dependence. This song is "Mrs. Cold" from that very album.

http://www.kingsofconvenience.com/

Smelly Dog

Dum Dum Girls

Dum Dum Girls are an indie pop band from California currently signed to Sub Pop Records. Their name is a homage to The Vaselines album Dum Dum and the Iggy Pop song "Dum Dum Boys". The group also cites The Ronettes, The Ramones, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Patti Smith, Spacemen 3, and Mazzy Star amongst their major influences. The current lineup consists of Dee-Dee (vocals/guitar), Jules (guitar/vocals), Bambi (bass/voclas), and Sandy (drums/vocals). Taking their name to the next level, each of the girls has "Dum Dum" tatooed on a finger. The band's sound and persona have likened them to "The Bangles mating with the Cure". This is "Jail La La" off their debut album I Will Be. A photo of Dee Dee's mother is what graces the cover of this album.

http://wearedumdumgirls.com

Smelly Dog

Fol Chen

Fol Chen is a musical group from Los Angeles, CA. They are signed with Asthmatic Kitty records. The current Members are Samuel Bing, Sinosa Loa, The Booksman, Gmo, Julian Wass, and Patrik-Ian Polk. The band has "maintained utmost secrecy from the start", and frontman Samuel Bing drew a black mask around his eyes for a performance on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic in July 2009. The band wore Hamburgler eye makeup for their performance at SXSW in 2009 as well. The cover art for the two albums so far also features silhouettes, and the music video for the song No Wedding Cake features the theme of being masked by representing the band members as cartoon animals. I don't know much about the band, but you can see some live material on YouTube. This is the band's video for "Cable TV" from their debut album Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made.

http://asthmatickitty.com/fol-chen

Smelly Dog

Bonobo

Bonobo, the stage name of Simon Green (born March 30th, 1976), is a British musician, producer and DJ. Green has recorded and performed solo DJ sets under the name Barakas as well. Bonobo's first release was in October 1999 with the song "Terrapin" on the Tru Thoughts compilation When Shapes Join Together. He released his debut album Animal Magic on Tru Thoughts in 2000. With this album, completely self-produced and mainly self-instrumented, he became one of the "new downtempo pioneers" and his chilled, beat-driven music captivated press as well as many major labels. While often touring solo, and performing DJ sets, in 2004 Bonobo opted to follow the growing trend amongst electronic acts of playing with a full band. The band plays live renditions of studio material, with a singer, keyboardist, guitarist, saxophonist, string section, electronics, and drummer. Simon Green mainly plays bass guitar, and leads the band from the middle. This is the song "Flutter" from his 2nd album Dial 'M' for Monkey.

www.bonobomusic.com

Smelly Dog