Duck & Cover :: Indie rock music writing from Arcade Fire to the Zygotic Minci

Formerly the world's number one DJ, Clive Rudloe's career nosedived following an incident at Ministry of Sound in 2008 . The Above & Beyond film crew joins him shortly after his decision to ditch his assistant in favor of a new heavyweight manager.

Sounds Like: It's going to be a cool, cloudy kind of day RIYL: Bon Iver, Elliot Smith, Age Pryor, Nick Drake, Iron & Wine A Few Words: Hands up, who like sad songs! That's right, we all do. Or maybe nobody does--I can't actually see your hands. I just assume people like sad music because musicians keep making it. And also because I like it. And since the sun isn't out today, I've been listening to the acoustic musings of young, East Coast singer-songwriter, Peasant. I had to through "young" into the adjective list because Peasant (Damien DeRose) was 19 when he self-recorded his first album, fear not distant lover , in his 1 bedroom apartment. With another release in 09 ( On the Ground , distributed through Team Love ), he's now off on a European tour. Upon his return he plans to record a third album, Shady Retreat , on his own in a converted springhouse studio in the woods. It's easy to lump Peasant in with other Americana, Folk, or the gamut o...

Division Day is set to strike with their sophomore release, Visitation released Tuesday, August 18th via Dangerbird Records. To prepare you for this innovative new record we wanted to share with you the video for "Surrender." Inspired by this song, a fan was flushed with creativity and images from the 1977 Japanese cult film, Hausu . The result is gore-encrusted-mythological-journey that matches the experimentally bold "Surrender." Don't forget to watch out for the cats with glowing eyes.

Sounds Like: Not quite post punk, not quite new wave RIYL: British Sea Power, Pere Ubu, (early) Joy Division, Hot Cha Cha From the Press Release: At a time when music descended from “punk” and “new wave” has been reduced to it’s most rudimentary and lo-fi elements, Mystery of Two continues to pursue the original artistic aspirations of the genre---believing that art and music can be unfamiliar and challenging, without sacrificing accessibility. Much like their musical touchstones—The Feelies, The Voidoids, Talking Heads, and Pere Ubu—Mystery of Two follow the axiom that the unconventional can be created through paramount musicianship, attention to song-craft, and sonic structuring. Their self-titled follow up to 2006’s Arrows Are All You Know , finds Mystery of Two further traversing the boundaries of experimental pop, and no where is this more evident than in the masterful guitar playing of singer/guitarist Ryan Weitzel. Channeling Robert Quine (Voidoids) and Richard Lloyd (Televis...

Americana songs tend to root their lyrical metaphors in one of two themes: road trips or redemption (one often leading to the other). Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons head straight for the latter in "Born Again," the single released from their upcoming album Death Won't Send a Letter , due out on 29 September. The video is a beautiful montage of bathtub baptisms and revivals in the heat of summer's lingering sunsets. On a more personal note (and filed neatly in the "just saying" department), if my church had played more music like this (especially with a sultry blond organist), I may have given religion a chance. But they didn't. And I wouldn't. Probably more to do with the fact Catholics don't like to appear to be enjoying themselves--should have hung out with more Baptists, I guess.

Listen to The Octopus Project's Golden Beds EP here . Austin four-piece The Octopus Project are excited to reveal their brand new video for "Wet Gold," one of the featured videos on their brand new Golden Beds Enhanced EP (Peek-A-Boo Records), which includes five different tunes and seven brand new videos! Josh Lambert in the band talks about the making of the video: ...it was wet and cold! We filmed it in Galveston a couple of months after the hurricane hit, so it was pretty devastated. The whole city (specifically the beach) was filled with debris and completely ripped up buildings -- totally creepy. There was a pretty gnarly fog that day as well, so it only added to the eeriness. Making the video was a blast! Yvonne spent a couple of days learning semaphore and was spelling out "Wet Gold" when we filmed it. I've never been colder in my life. Standing in the ocean all day long in the middle of January wouldn't be first on my list of things to do in the...

download The Wooden Sky’s “Something Hiding For Us In The Night” mp3 here RIYL: Wilco, Allman Brothers, Flaming Lips From the Press: Currently in the midst of their Bedrooms and Backstreets Tour, Toronto-based outfit known as The Wooden Sky are preparing for the release of their second album under the name If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone . The CD drops on August 25th through Black Box, distributed by Fontana North. The band has spent the last few weeks playing unconventional spaces like rooftops, backyards, campfires and parks, but is now pleased to announce a more traditional tour through Canada supporting Elliott Brood starting on 9/26 in Sudbury and ending up in Victoria on 10/8. The album is also now available for pre-order at www.myspace.com/thewoodensky Upcoming Tour Dates 9/26 - Sudbury, ON @ Townehouse 9/27 - Sault Ste. Marie, ON @ Lop Lops 9/29 - Thunder Bay, ON @ C2 9/30 - Winnipeg, ON @ West End Cultural Centre 10/01 - Regina, SK @ The Exchange 10/02 - Saskatoon,...

RIYL: The Dodos, The Dirty Projectors, Atlas Sound, Blitzen Trapper Sounds Like: Art rock you can dance to. A Few Words: Despite their somewhat awkward name, Here Is What Is sounds and performs like musicians bound for larger venues. Their short EP ( Done Before it Starts ) is the musical equivalent of stuffing a watermelon into your back pocket, yet they accomplish the feat with ease. While just over 30 minutes long, the EP is filled with ethereal harmonies floating over lyrics as tight and punctuated as the underlying, danceable grooves. I had the good fortune of catching their CD release party at Vancouver's Media Club, which only reinforces my earlier melon-in-back-pocket analogy. For those who've been, you know how small the stage is; fitting four musicians up there is a challenge, on a good day--let alone five. But up they went--the entire quintet--and launched into their set as though there was enough room to contain their massive sound. The pace and structure of the ...