Latest Alternative/Rock Posts

[Indie Pop] Day Wave – Drag

Posted by Ivan Chung - April 9, 2015

Day Wave
Drag

In the age of electronic music, many indie acts could struggle to appeal to the masses. Oakland-based musician Jackson Phillips a.k.a Day Wave once again proved otherwise with the release of “Drag”, a track that possesses an organic sound that is supported by the lo-fi vocals. The quick drums complement the clever guitar melodies, as the sustained vocals further bring out the uplifting vibe of the track. It’s one of those songs you’ll catch yourself singing along to after a couple of listens.

With only three tracks under his belt, Day Wave showcases his ability to create music with endless mellow melodies. As he continues to put out hits after hits, we simply can’t wait for what’s next for the talented musician.

Ciaran Lavery & Ryan Vail – The Sea at Night [TMN PREMIERE]

Posted by Clayton Warwick - April 9, 2015

Sometimes, two of the least expected things can come together and create something truly beautiful. That’s exactly what we’re staring down right now, as we gaze into the haunting, surreal collaboration that is Ciaran Lavery & Ryan Vail.

Coming from two different worlds, these two couldn’t be further apart musically. Ciaran is a young alt-folk singer from Aghagallon, who has racked up an impressive 11 million plays on Spotify and was recently picked as Zane Lowe’s “Next Hype.” Ryan Vail is a minimalistic electronic artist who has won the support of the blogosphere, garnering respect and adoration for his intricate use of synths and found sounds.

Combining their two talents, these two have created a cataclysmic combination of worlds with their mini-EP, Sea Legs. We’re fortunate enough to bring you one of them this morning, gleefully premiering “The Sea At Night” for your listening pleasure.

Cinematic? Yes. Haunting. You betcha. This song is an epic quest worthy of the most intense pieces of film or TV, casually transcending generations with their timeless sound. The classic instrumentation comes to life with subtle guitar work, radiating sections of strings, and a booming bassline, which is coupled with soft, atmospheric layering. Everything melts together in a state of pure bliss, leaving the listener pleasantly lost in this lush, vast soundscape.

‘Sea Legs’ is released via Quiet Arch on April 17th in Ireland and April 20th in the UK.

’Ciaran Lavery & Ryan Vail – The Sea at Night’

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’Ciaran Lavery & Ryan Vail – The Colour Blue’

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From Indian Lakes – Runner (Ansible Remix) [TMN PREMIERE]

Posted by Clayton Warwick - April 8, 2015

Coming off a stellar album release back in October of 2014, Yosemite-based indie rockers From Indian Lakes are entering back into the blogosphere to help promote their upcoming tour. This time around, they’re bringing their sounds through the interpretations of a handful of remixers, one of which we’re premiering here today.

Formed by singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Joey Vannucchi, this unique outfit has since expanded to include Justin Stanphill (guitar and vocals), Chris Kellogg (bass and vocals), Tohm Ifergan (drums), and Enrique Gutierrez (keys and vocals). Their sound glows with articulated intention, thoughtfully crafted from start to finish. “Runner” embodies that calculated style, boasting a calming instrumentals, percussion-style vocal hums, and vocals and lyrics that pleasantly call on associations of one of our all time favorites, Ben Gibbard.

With those vocals and minimal instrumentation, Ansible had a somewhat blank canvas to work with. Crafting a subdued, ambient, and luscious soundscape, we’re instantly taken away for a few brief minutes. Highlighting the calming ride is the accentuation of the original vocals, which effortlessly glide along the aforementioned production. It’s simply gorgeous and should quickly find it’s way into that playlist you have containing Bonobo, Tycho, and Emancipator.

’From Indian Lakes – Runner (Ansible Remix)’

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’From Indian Lakes – Runner’

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TOUR INFO:
4/9 Knitting Factory Brooklyn, NY
4/10 The Barbary Philadelphia, PA
4/11 Stanhope House Stanhope, NJ
4/12 Jammin Java Vienna, VA
4/14 Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC
4/15 The High Watt Nashville, TN
4/16 Masquerade Atlanta, GA
4/17 Backbooth Orlando, FL
4/18 Epic Problem Tampa, FL
4/21 Fitzgerald’s Houston, TX
4/22 Stubb’s Austin, TX
4/23 Club Dada Dallas, TX
4/24 The Spot El Paso, TX
4/25 The Works Albuquerque, NM
4/26 Nile Theatre Mesa, AZ
4/28 Troubadour Los Angeles, CA
4/29 House of Blues San Diego, CA
5/1 Constellation Room Santa Ana, CA
5/2 Slim’s San Francisco, CA
5/3 Strummers Fresno, CA

[Festival Preview] Lightning in a Bottle 2015 + Playlist

Posted by Brooke Ferguson - April 8, 2015

Do you hear what we hear? It’s the sweet, sweet sound of festival season and it’s about time we get our eyes, ears, and minds ready for another year of sensational performances, overpriced beer, conflicting line-up times, and shower-less days to make us smell like regret the next morning. If you’re anything like us over here at TMN, then you understand just how important festival season is to us. Come on, who doesn’t love to spend hours upon hours of our weekends listening to some of the most talented artists from around the world while also connecting with like-minded individuals at the same exact time? Well, considering they’re not a wook…(please see THUMP article for more information on how to spot and avoid said wook).

With Coachella making it’s first pit stop this weekend and later this month, we can’t help but pack our bags a few weeks in advance because we’re prepared to take on this years Coachella head on. Clearly, we’re just really excited, but not because festival season is finally here, but because we just realized that we are 7 weeks shy of attending the latest and greatest gig, Lightning in a Bottle. Stationed out in the beautiful Bradley, California, LiB is back again and this time with loads of talent and entertainment that’ll rattle your bones and change your life all at the same time. We missed last years festivities and after listening to everyone and their mom (literally) tell us that LiB was the best thing to have ever happened to their lives, we can’t help but shed a million tears for not being present in the moment with some of the world’s most positive and uplifting people on this planet.

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[MP3 Playlist] Indie Dojo (April 2015 Round #1)

Posted by Allegra Azzopardi - April 7, 2015

Change, oh change, oh change. It sure ain’t easy. You get yourself all settled in your comfort zone and then good ol’ change comes a knocking on your door. As hard as it may seem at the moment, we have to learn to embrace it as best as we can. And honestly, there will always be some things that remain the same. Like the Indie Dojo posted every Tuesday morning. If you need something to ground yourself until the dust of change finally settles, we’ll be there. We’ll be the cactus to your dusty desert if you will. Take that however you please.

’The Landing – Then Comes The Wonder’

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’Morning Harvey – Smith Street Swap Meet’

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’Pocket Panda – Setting Sun’

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’The Japanese House – Pools To Bathe In’

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’Josh The Cat – Let’s Start’

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’Oh Sister – For The Dales’

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’Dana Sipos – Portraits’

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’The Lake Poets – Dead Horses’

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’Jack R Reilly – My First Panic Attack’

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[Event Recap] SXSW – The Highs and Lows of our Week in Austin, Texas

Posted by TMN Staff - April 6, 2015

Another SXSW is in the books, and as we look back with aching feet, muddy clothes wrapped in plastic bags, and a phone full of video clips and pictures, we’re slowly trying to process everything that went on during this intensely crazy week. It was one to be remembered, that’s for sure, providing ample amounts of “Only at SXSW” surprises, newly discovered artists, and, of course, plenty of BBQ.

In lieu of a lengthy, play-by-play recap of everything we experienced, we’re going to change it up and just cover some of the high and low lights. Our hopes are such that you will not only put some acts on your list for this upcoming year’s touring season, but also learn how to SXSW better and more effectively in the years to come.

THE HIGHS

Our dance card was admittedly jam packed, as you would expect from us. Since we don’t focus on a particular genre, our schedule often looked like a game of Tetris, numerous colored blocks stacking on top of each other quicker than we could anticipate. With that in mind, we tried to divide and conquer, leaving certain ninjas to review their favorite genres.

Mew: We’ve been waiting to see Mew for the better part of a decade. If you could peek into our all-time play count on Spotify, you would notice that “Am I Wry? No” has garnered an absurd amount of plays. Our adoration goes further back than Spotify days though, discovering this act long, long ago.

Their live set was absolutely flawless, with Jonas’ vocals echoing what we’ve heard through our headphones in so many walks around our college campus. It was truly one of those life-affirming shows, reminding us of exactly why we started doing this.

’Satellites (Acoustic)’

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ELEL: This band of relative newcomers stole our hearts, and did so in one of the hardest venues to do so. We caught them in a small hall, that was less than forgiving acoustically. Their ability to overcome that, and still get a crowd of people to dance and smile was notable. “40 Watt” particularly shone bright, giving us a glimpse of their unique harmonic abilities. We can’t wait to catch them on tour, as we’re sure they’ll be bringing this seven-piece to every major city really soon.

’40 Watt’

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[Event Preview/Denver Giveaway] Bag Raiders w/ Action 52 & Rose Quartz- 4/10 – The Bluebird Theater

Posted by Matthew Bloss - April 6, 2015

Kimbra
Miracle (Bag Raiders Remix) + Denver ticket giveaway!

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Australia’s Bag Raiders have brilliantly maintained a coveted spot between the staunchest of electronic and dance aficionados, and full-fledged mainstream success in a way so few acts have the ability, yet countless artists aspire to. The duo behind indie-dance gems like “Shooting Stars”, and “Nairobi” are bringing their skills behind the DJ booth for a special DJ Set this Friday at Denver’s Bluebird Theater, and we’ve teamed up with our friends at AEG & Global Dance Music to give away a pair of tickets for one lucky winner. Rounding out the bill are a pair of TMN darlings out of the burgeoning indie scene of Denver, CO: Action 52 & Rose Quartz.

Fresh off of a superbly composed and wonderfully executed EP: Axis of Love, Rose Quartz has been sharing their sound all over the contiguous U.S. lately, behind a nationwide tour with Generationals and Ishi; and never come close to disappointing anyone in attendance for one of their hometown shows. Finally, kicking things off will be the underground tipping, fun loving house music of Action 52, who last landed on these hallowed pages with their take on Ludacris’ “How Low”. Needless to say, we’re getting positively jazzed up for this one, and as always, it just wouldn’t be half as fun without a couple of our Ninja friends in attendance as well. Entering this one is a cinch. Just “like” The Music Ninja Facebook page here, and comment with your favorite Bag Raiders tune below in the comments section for guaranteed entry. We’re announcing our winner on the day of the show, so stay tuned for the reveal!

There are a few rules, of course:
– The event is all ages, so tell all your friends to increase your odds of winning!
– You are responsible for your own transportation.
– You must bring a valid form of ID to pick up your tickets at the Bluebird Theater box office.
– You must find a TMN representative and let them buy you a shot (or Red Bull for our non legal friends)
Good luck Ninjas!