Tag Archives: indie

[Show Review] The Belle Game @ Cafe du Nord, San Francisco 2/6

Belle Game @ Cafe Du Nord. San Francisco, 2/6/18

Vancouver-based indie pop band Belle Game made an appearance at the cozy Cafe du Nord here in San Francisco this week. Playing in the basement of the Swedish American Music Hall to a small yet eager crowd, Belle Game put on quite the show of passion and skill. Lead singer Andrea Lo absolutely brought the energy on a Tuesday night, holding nothing back. By the end of the show, her infectious spirit was reciprocated by the small gathering of music fans in attendance.

Guitarist Adam Nanji

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[Indie/Neo-Soul] Markus Mann – On The Inside

Markus Mann
On The Inside

Markus Mann has recently released his sure-to-be-hit “On The Inside”. With elements of neo-soul, reggae, and hip hop, the eclectic sound of this track is reflective of the myriad of cultural influences Markus has absorbed over the years.

Currently located in Amsterdam and having been raised in both Trinidad and the United States, Markus’s sound is as unique as his journey has been thus far.

“On The Inside” is the first of a series of singles that Markus is set to release in the new year.

Check it out below and keep up with his progress on Instagram and Twitter

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[Singer/Songwriter Pop] Quinton Cochran – In Your Eyes

Earlier this year, I discovered talented young popster Quinton Cochran. At only 18 years old, his vocal talents and song-writing finesse will be sure to put him in line to be then next big teen pop star hailing from Canada. Anyone who loves romantic singer-songwriter pop will definitely appreciate this find!

Follow Quinton’s journey on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

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[Indie/Folk] Kevin Morby – Beautiful Strangers

Kevin Morby
Beautiful Strangers

We don’t cover tunes like this too often here at TMN, so we’re excited to bring you something that may switch up the current TMN playlist you’ve been jamming to up until this point. We’d like to turn your attention to Texas-based indie folk artist Kevin Morby’s latest single, “Beautiful Strangers.”

“Beautiful Strangers” takes listeners to a place where Texas and Hawaii meet, with Bob Dylan-esque vocals as our guide. As we woke up this morning to this tune our souls were satiated, and there was nowhere to go but up. The tune fills you with a sense of calm– like everything’s going to be okay. This feeling starkly juxtaposes the context in which the single was released by Morby— written for and dedicated to the victims of the shooting that occurred this year in Orlando, Florida. We’d like to let Morby take the floor here with his comments regarding the release: “This release is dedicated to and written for all the people I have never met but have only read about. The innocent people who were out living their lives and one day, without warning, had them taken away from them. People who liked to laugh, dance, and love in the way that we all do, but can’t anymore. All those names and faces, all those beautiful strangers…”

Despite the tragic events of that fateful day this June, Morby reminds us that love is and always will be the cure for the atrocities that have taken the form of hate crimes all too frequently in our world. Morby reminds us with “Beautiful Strangers” that love will prevail. We have nothing but it for the victims of Orlando, for the victims of hate crimes all over the globe, and for all of humanity. Today we hope that you take a moment to remember the innocent lives lost at the Pulse Nightclub, and that you feel the overwhelming power of love that music, dance, and humans can bring to one another. There is no hate that love can’t conquer, and we thank Kevin Morby for reminding us of that today.

“If I die too young, and the gunmen come, I’m full of love.”

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[Indie] Tülpa – GNATS ft. BLANKTS

Tülpa
GNATS Ft. BLANKTS

Tülpa is an artist who I always look forward to hearing from. This guy has cultivated a sound unlike any other in the electronic music scene with his intuitive musicality and willingness to improvise a unique style. The hallmark of Tülpa’s work comes in his comforting, down to earth production that eloquently captures an air of relaxation.

The producer’s most recent work, a track titled “GNATS” featuring warm vocals from BLANKTS, demonstrates his willingness to move away from the mainstream. Emotional, thought provoking production supports soft singing to create a mellow mood. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys taking time to chill out, add this one to your playlist ASAP.

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[Show Review] Deerhunter at The Observatory North Park, San Diego, CA

Deerhunter is one of our favorite experimental rock bands around right now. We’ve been following them for years, and to finally get to see them in concert was an occasion. On Friday night the Atlanta-born musicians took to the stage in San Diego, CA and delivered what we consider to be a performance solidifying their place as neo-rock superstars. Their music live seems to be the only way we want to listen to them from now on.

Lead singer Bradford Cox had a stage presence that was anticipated, but proved surprising in one respect. While we expected his presence to be profound, we weren’t expecting it to get so dance-y. It was much to our pleasant surprise that waves of dancing erupted in the crowd more often than not, namely the movement session that accompanied the latter part of “Living My Life”—a single from their latest album Fading Frontier that was accompanied by a saxophone in this live rendition. And who could forget the seductive stripping of Cox’s suspenders that followed not long after.

Towards the middle of the show the band dedicated a performance to the memory of Cox’s stepmother, set to the song “Take Care.” The song is already an enchanting piece on its own, but the band altered and extended the breakdown, taking the song to new depths that it hadn’t possessed previously. The percussions in particular led a crescendo that left the crowd in complete silence, only to erupt moments later in a reverent roar.

Following an encore, the band did a few of their older classics like “Desire Lines,” in which guitarist, vocalist and Lotus Plaza-creator Lockett Pundt sang it in its entirety. The passion and talent of the duo together was truly a sight to see. Following this came a few songs from the album that first got us started on Deerhunter, Microcastle and hearing the songs “Cover Me Slowly” and “Nothing Ever Happened” live were moments that we had hoped for but did not expect given the older date of that record.

The set wound up being, overall, everything that we could have asked for, and more. It’s sent us into a week long phase of listening to their discography, and has us being very appreciate of being able to catch them live. Hopefully, it won’t be the last time

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[Indie] MONEY – Three Days Drinking and as Many Lovers Too

MONEY
Three Days Drinking And as Many Lovers Too

Manchester-based indie rock band MONEY has become one of our favorites here at TMN. From the emotion they put into every composition to the romantically distorted lyrics, they deliver one song after the next. For them, though, it doesn’t ever seem to be about “delivering.” They’re more just one of those bands that make whatever they want to, and it happens to be …. money… every time. Wow. You may have just witnessed a live-blog epiphany.

Their newest single release came after some long awaited anticipation by TMN but we’re here to say that it was worth the wait. “Three Days Drinking and as Many Lovers Too” is a track that further solidifies the band as true melancholic talents. This almost 8-minute long epic sets the stage for a crescendo that never comes with faint vibrato strings, dry acoustic guitar and falsetto vocals from Jamie Lee who’s considered to be the driving force of the project. This ballad stays true and gets deeper rather than louder, remains consistent in its stringed components throughout its duration, and gives the listener theatrical vocals that will have you feeling just as heart-wrenchingly, pensively low as the group suggests.

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