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

Just before leaving NZ I ended up bunking with James and Ami for a bit. Technically I was not in the same bed and I slept in a different room, but I wanted to use the word "bunking" because I think it sounds neat. Hanging out at their place had its benefits, like drinking on their back deck in the sun, but the greatest was exposure to a world of music. The muse living within James extended my music collection from the 200 songs I'd been listening to since I was 16, to an overwhelming collection and a new appreciation for music that lives outside of the retard stuff we hear droning on the radio. And one of these bands I was introduced to was Beirut. I was hooked. After two unsuccessful attempts to see them (first tour sold out in London the day before I arrived, and then they pulled out of the Benicassim festival a few weeks before I was to go) I was all but giving up hope. But in January of this year a golden platter was put in front of me. After selling the platter for a...

"[I Was a King]'s self-titled album confidently weaves together shoe gaze, indie rock, and pop to create a product that can appeal to both the cynical and the cheerful." - NPR Buy I Was a King from Amazon Sounds Like: Elefant 6 RIYL: Sonic Youth, Apples in Stereo, The Thrills, The Clientele, My Bloody Valentine (circa Strawberry Wine) A Few Words: Noregian fuzz pop quintet I Was a King marries Byrds-era flower power melodies (so readily employed by The Clientele) with the distortion that set apart bands like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine. The result isn't earth-shattering, but it has something that Apples in Stereo always lacked: subtlety. The album, which features collaborations from Sufjan Stevens, Danielson, Ladybug Transistor and Serena Maneesh, clocks in at just over 30 minutes. Yet the robust composition, layering, and instrumentation makes it feel more like 35--maybe even 40. The tracks tend to be void of guilt or angst, musing instead on the decadenc...

Guest post by David Schutz Buy Here Anonymous from Amazon. Sounds Like: They’re on the verge of an iPod commercial RIYL: Shins, Built To Spill, Film School A Few Words: At first glance, Eulogies' second, Here Anonymous , comes across like it’s pre-fabbed for Apple’s ad division. Driven by Peter Walker’s restrained, lilting vocals (a la Shins, Chairlift, Shins), the quartet engages for the most part in jangly, mid-tempo, middle-of-the-road indie rock. When they’re going through the motions (“This Fine Progression”, “Eyes on the Prize”), they’re predictably boring and ultimately marketable. But sometimes they throw a wrench in the formula and things get good. “Bad Connection” is weighed down by a subtle melancholy that Walker seems bent on trying to sing his way out of. The resulting tension creates a more complicated emotional landscape than on other songs, where optimistic and dejected feelings tend to inhabit different sections, fearful of stepping on each others’ toes. “Da...

Music producers and musicians, ranging from Frank Z to Chuck D, discuss (well, rant about) the demise of the music industry. As most of us know, the music industry as we knew it in the 80s and 90s is already dead, but the remaining litigious execs in the RIAA are holding the last note of their swan songs as long as possible. Will the digital music "revolution" replace the old model with something better? I think the jury's still out on that one, but judging from the fact that both Bacardi and Starbucks have a music division, the horizon is not entirely sunny. The original post and commentary can be found on CrunchGear .

I just wanted to take a minute to say 'thank you' to everyone who submitted music. Mere minutes after the Help post , the Duck & Cover mail box was innundated with suggestions. To be honest I was surprised. Not that I believe D&C readers don't care, merely because there was so much good stuff I hadn't heard before. So, thank you, everyone. Everyone, that is, except Mark, who suggested Medeski Martin and Wood. Does this look like a Trustafarian blog? Have you read a reveiw of Phish on here? No. No, you haven't. Just kidding. I appreciate all the emails, and I'm excited to get started writing things down. You'll hears tunes from An Horse, Rainbow Arabia, The Forcefield Kids, Naam, Quest for Fire, and Low Anthem. . . Christ--there are so many! I'm suddenly realizing how much work I have before me. I better get typing. Thank you again, team listeners. Sincerely, Jamie

Help! For the past two weeks, my inbox has received a steady flow of new tunes from various labels and media agencies. The problem is that everything just sounds contrived and heartless . I know I've been guilty in the past of just posting whatever comes through (apologies for that. It was a momentary lapse of judgement), but I've been careful to restrict my reviews to music that is not only under-the-rader, but more importantly music that is unique and interesting. Duran Duran impersonators and imitators of Pet Shop Boys just don't make the grade. So I need your help. What have you been listening to? Send me a link to some tracks, a MySpace page, an mp3: anything. I need to break free of this rut! Send your emails and files to duckandcovermusic[at]gmail.com. And hurry! Yours truly, Jamie

Guest post by Dakin Snyder The show, advertised to begin at 9:30pm, didn't start until well after 10pm, with the organizers citing "technical difficulties", likely resulting from OWL's web feed. The crowd was somewhat lethargic and entitled at first; the kind of vibe that can be expected when you put too many hipsters in one room (enthusiasm on command is not our forté) until it was apparent that Snoop was on the way out. All of this changed when Snoop hit the floor, and the evening only went up from there. Snoop played a mix of old and new, bringing out a selection of special guests, (the names of which I didn't fully catch and haven't been able to track down; so apologies) including the phenomenal DJ Quik, creating a near variety show atmosphere. Towards the second part of the show, when the chronic smoke began wafting up from the floor and Snoop's uncle got down with a smooth r&b number inviting everyone to "smoke weed, get drunk, and fuck...