Author Archives: Graham von Oehsen

[Indie Rock] Andrew Bird – Three White Horses

Posted by Graham von Oehsen - September 29, 2012

This past March Andrew Bird released his sixth studio album, Break It Yourself. Remarkably, he is set to release his seventh, Hands of Glory, just seven months later. According to his website, the new album will contain three brand new songs and five cover songs, and is the “companion piece to Break It Yourself.” The latest single, “Three White Horses,” is a beautiful, yet mournful song, that begins with Bird’s vocals over a strong bass line speckled with echoing guitar notes. But, the song builds to a crescendo when the electric guitar and drums come in. While the song is relatively short, it will have you stomping your feet along by the end. Andrew Bird is an expert at creating beautiful and spellbinding songs, and he does just that with “Three White Horses”.

Expect to see Hands Of Glory released on October 30th through Mom + Pop Records.

’Three White Horses’

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Alternative/Rock

[Indie Rock] Allah-Las – Self-Titled (Album Review)

Posted by Graham von Oehsen - September 17, 2012

New four-piece indie rock band Allah-Las first released their EP Tell Me (What’s On Your Mind) back in April, but have a brand new full-length album coming out tomorrow. The group hail from California and make this pretty evident through their music. With heavily reverbed guitars, harmonized background vocals and perfectly catchy tunes, they know what style they’re going for and exactly how to achieve it.

The songs on Allah-Las’ debut self-titled album have a surf rock feel to them, but also bring to mind ’60s bands like The Kinks and the Rolling Stones, with some added Spanish flair. It may not be the most polished album, but that just adds to the charm, making it sound like a true garage-y piece of work. The album’s single, “Tell Me (What’s On Your Mind” is easily the most infectious of the bunch. By the end of the song, you’ll be singing along with the chorus, swaying around to the beat. “Busman’s Holiday” could’ve been off a Kinks record, and some of the instrumental tracks, like “Sacred Sands” and “Ela Navega,” are simply fun to listen to.

’Allah
Las – Tell Me (Whats On Your Mind)’

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’Allah
Las – Busman’s Holiday’

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Overall, the album flows smoothly from track to track. Though some might sound similar to one another, each is catchy in its own way and a few even demand many, many replays, making the entire thing worth listening to.

Allah-Las’ self-titled debut album comes out tomorrow via Innovative Leisure Records.

Alternative/Rock

[Folk Rock] Night Moves – Country Queen

Posted by Graham von Oehsen - September 5, 2012

Formed in 2009, Minneapolis trio Night Moves are preparing to drop their first album Colored Emotions. “Country Queen” is one of the two singles they’ve released prior to the unveiling of the debut. The track runs along the border between folk and shoegaze, with even a dash of southern rock thrown into the mix. It also has a bit of a gritty texture to it, as though it’s being played through an old radio. Acoustic strumming is the backbone of the song, but it’s layered with echoing notes, lax guitar riffs and deep vocals. It transitions smoothly throughout and builds up, just to be brought back down by acoustic folk picking. It’s a perfect single that definitely makes Colored Emotions an album to look out for in the near future.

Colored Emotions is set to be released October 9th by Domino Records.

’Night Moves – Country Queen’

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[Indie Rock] Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits (Album Review)

Posted by Graham von Oehsen - August 29, 2012

One can’t help but get excited when first hearing about a new “supergroup”. This is exactly what happened when I discovered the indie outfit Divine Fits. Comprised of Spoon frontman Britt Daniels, Dan Boeckner of Wolf Parade and Handsome Furs, and Sam Brown from New Bomb Turks, Divine Fits is a band certainly riding on high expectations for their first collaboration, entitled A Thing Called Divine Fits.

The album mostly draws from the alt-rock genre with some electronics thrown in here and there. In “Would That Not Be Nice,” the album’s single, Daniels wails over growling electric guitar with a sound that could almost be mistaken for a Spoon track. However, this is not the theme of the entire album. “For Your Heart” is almost completely electronic with a sound reminiscent of M83. “Civilian Stripes” breaks up the distorted electric guitar with acoustic guitar, piano, and harmonized vocals. But, even with the genre changes from track to track, the album itself flows seamlessly. The songs are catchy enough to demand replay and hey, how can you go wrong with Britt Daniels?

’Divine Fits – Would That Not Be Nice’

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’Divine Fits – For Your Heart’

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A Thing Called Divine Fits dropped yesterday on Merge Records. Download the single above, stream the entire album here, and don’t forget to support Divine Fits by purchasing it here!

Alternative/Rock

[Folk Pop] A.C. Newman – I’m Not Talking

Posted by Graham von Oehsen - August 27, 2012

Although A.C. Newman is better known for his work as the frontman of the indie rock group The New Pornographers, he has been releasing solo material since The Slow Wonder dropped in 2004. Now he’s all set to release his third solo studio album entitled Shut Down the Streets. “I’m Not Talking” is its first single, and it’s a good one. Newman manages to meld folksy acoustic guitar and bright horns together with spacy synthesizers with a sound comparable to that of Freelance Whales. He has plenty of experience in creating songs that are catchy and easy to listen to, and “I’m Not Talking” is no exception. It will be interesting to see how the rest of Shut Down the Streets compares to this first offering, but it will certainly be an album worth checking out. You can download the single for free by liking A.C. Newman’s Facebook page here.

Shut Down the Streets is set to drop October 9th on Matador Records.

’AC Newman – Im Not Talking.mp3’

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[Indie Pop] Freelance Whales – Spitting Image

Posted by Graham von Oehsen - August 23, 2012

With a banjo in one hand and a synthesizer in the other, New York’s Freelance Whales have left their fans wanting more ever since releasing their electronic-folk hybrid of a debut Weathervanes in 2009. Last month they ended their quiet spell, releasing “Locked Out,” and now “Spitting Image,” both singles from the upcoming album Diluvia. As opposed to the synth-laden “Locked Out,” this new track features bits and pieces of electronics scattered throughout, but is mostly anchored by guitar picking and topped off with Doris Cellar’s cool, airy vocals. With two very different singles it’s tough to imagine what Diluvia will be like. It seems the band is going for more of a synthesized sound, but here’s hoping for a little bit more banjo.

Diluvia is set to be released October 9th by Mom + Pop Music and Frenchkiss Records.

’Freelance Whales – Spitting Image’

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[Indie Rock] Turtle Giant – We Were Kids (TMN Video Premiere)

Posted by Graham von Oehsen - August 14, 2012

Indie-rock trio Turtle Giant (who are originally from Brazil, but now based out of Macau) recently released the song “We Were Kids,” off their forthcoming All Hidden Places EP. Featuring chiming, distorted guitars and deep, laid-back vocals, the track is a well-crafted and unbelievably catchy surf rock treat. It’s especially hard to resist blaring out “Oh! Oh! Oh!” during the jolting chorus.

Today, The Music Ninja is happy to premiere the official music video for “We Were Kids.” Fittingly, it follows a few adults acting like complete children — food fighting, demonstrating spur of the moment ninja moves (!!), etc. — but more as a tribute to youth and spontaneous fun than brattiness and immaturity. It seems slightly strange at first, but by the end it’s clear that the video suits the music perfectly. Definitely worth a look and listen.

Turtle Giant’s All Hidden Places EP is scheduled to drop on September 18th, but you can stream it in its entirety on the band’s Bandcamp page.