Flash-Back Friday (No school like the old school)

Good For My Soul By The Jesus and Mary Chain

The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish band that revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim Reid and William Reid. From East Kilbride, Glasgow, Scotland , the JAMC released a constant string of albums, singles and EPs until their demise in 1998. The band reunited in 2007.
       The initial line-up, formed in 1984, was augmented by bassist Douglas Hart and drummer Bobby Gillespie. Gillespie played standing up in the manner of The Velvet Underground’s Maureen “Moe” Tucker.
        The Mary Chain’s early gigs have become the stuff of legend in underground circles. Playing in front of small audiences, the Mary Chain earned their notoriety by playing very short gigs, some lasting no more than 10 minutes and consisting of a constant wall of feedback and distortion, as well as playing with their backs to the audience and refusing to speak to them. Many shows culminated with the Reids trashing their equipment, which was often followed by the audience rioting. All of this delighted manager and Creation Records boss Alan McGee, who obviously found it very easy to get attention for the band.
         Their debut single Upside Down in 1984 was on Creation, but the following year they signed to the WEA-backed Blanco Y Negro. Who released their debut album, Psychocandy, which fused together the Reid’s two primary influences, the guitar noise of The Velvet Underground with the ’60s pop leanings of Phil Spector and The Beach Boys. The record received positive reviews and is now considered a landmark recording.

 

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Stay Away From Me By The Honorary Title

The Honorary Title is a folk-rock band composed of Jarrod Gorbel, Aaron Kamstra, Jon Wiley, and Adam Boyd. Gorbel has become known for his dark sense of humor, which often works its way into the band’s songs.

Their first release was a self-titled EP. But they received much attention and did major touring after they released a full length album on Doghouse Records in 2004 entitled Anything Else But the Truth, recorded in Nashville and New York with producer Roger Moutenot who has also worked with Yo La Tengo and Guster. Videos are available for the singles “Everything I Once Had”, “Bridge and Tunnel”, & “Frame by Frame”.

 

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Song for You by Alexi Murdoch

Murdoch moved to the US in 1998 to study at Duke University,  before moving to Los Angeles, California to be with a girlfriend.    In 1999, Murdoch spotted K.D. Lang in the grocery store and handed her a cassette demo. However, when she called two days later with interest in hearing more, he declined, saying he "wasn't ready." DJ Nic Harcourt began playing his music on Los Angeles station KCRW, which led to Murdoch selling 50,000 albums on CD Baby. Even so, he decided to turn down the record deals he was offered from major labels in order to maintain creative control. His self-published the EP Four Songs to CD Baby,  was released in November 2002 and, for a time, was the sites all-time, number-one selling record.  Murdoch's first album, Time Without Consequence, was released on June 6, 2006.   He released Time Without Consequence on his own label, Zero Summer.   

           He performed at 2003's South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Conference and that year's Sundance Film Festival  He was invited to perform at the Hollywood Reporter/Billboard Film & TV Music Conference in 2004.  

          In the spring of 2009, Murdoch embarked on a rare U.S. headlining tour, during which he  distributed a limited edition version of a new album entitled Towards the Sun that  became available later in that year.

 

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I and Love and You by The Avett Brothers

The Avett Brothers are a non-traditional bluegrass band that originated in Concord, North Carolina. The two brothers, Seth and Scott, formed the group after the breakup of the former rock band, Nemo, adding a third member, Bob Crawford. More recently, they have been joined by cellist Joe Kwon. The Avett Brothers combine old-time country, bluegrass, punk, pop melodies, folk, rock and roll, honky tonk and ragtime to produce a sound described by the Washington Post as “post civil-war modern rock”, or by other reviewers as “grungegrass”. For a long time the group eschewed labels, feeling that “none would do the music justice.” Ironically the Avetts signed to Columbia Records on Independence Day 2008 to record their fifth album with acclaimed producer Rick Rubin. It’s simply left up to each person to extract his or her own account from the Avetts’ music.”

Their live performances, generally at smaller venues, showcase their use of three-part harmony and southern rock feel, and are admired for being intense, energetic, and soulful. The Avetts have been picking up steam opening for Dave Matthews Band and playing SXSW and Newport Folk Festival.

 

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Where Does The Good Go By Tegan and Sara

Tegan Quin and Sara Quin (born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on September 19, 1980) are identical twins and Canadian singer-songwriters, performing as Tegan and Sara.

      They initially played as Plunk in 1995, and lacked a drummer and bass player. In 1997, they used their school’s recording studio to record two demo albums: “Who’s in Your Band?” and “Play Day”. In 1998, they made an early breakthrough by winning Garage Warz Battle of the Bands, a local music competition in Calgary. Since then, the two have toured with Neil Young, Rufus Wainwright, Kaki King, The Pretenders, Ben Folds, The Killers, Rachael Cantu, Vivek Shraya, CAKE, Gogol Bordello, Hot Hot Heat, Ryan Adams, Veda Hille, Little Birdy, Iron On, Little Brazil, Bryan Adams, and Weezer, and they performed a show at Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair. They are signed to Neil Young’s Vapor Records in Canada, and to Sire in the United States as their previous label, Sanctuary Records, is no longer releasing new music in the United States. Currently, Tegan lives in Vancouver, British Columbia and Sara lives in Montreal, Quebec.
       When they were competing in Garage Warz, they were known as “Sara and Tegan” because that is how their mother registered them on the competition forms. Their first album, Under Feet Like Ours, was initially released under the name “Sara and Tegan”.

 

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Thistled Spring by Horse Feathers

After fronting several rock bands in his native Idaho, singer/songwriter Justin Ringle moved to Portland, OR in 2004 and began focusing on acoustic music, playing open mics regularly under the moniker Horse Feathers. In 2005, multi-instrumentalist Peter Broderick heard a couple of Justin’s demos and offered to help flesh them out. In February 2006 the duo went into Skyler Norwood’s Miracle Lake studios and recorded their debut album, ‘Words are Dead,’ which was released that September on Portland label, Lucky Madison. Later that year, Peter’s sister Heather Broderick joined the group on cello and by 2007, Horse Feathers began featuring a rotating cast of instrumentalists backing Justin’s guitar and vocals.
Justin and the Brodericks returned to Miracle Lake studios in the fall and winter of 2007 and recorded ‘House With No Home,’ which was released on Kill Rock Stars in the spring of 2008. Around that time, Peter left the country to pursue music in Europe, and Nathan Crockett was enlisted to cover violin duties. Several months later, Heather also left the group to pursue other musical projects and cellist Catherine Odell came on board. The current lineup was rounded out at the beginning of 2009 when Sam Cooper joined as a multi-instrumentalist. As a four piece, the group has been touring extensively and is currently recording a new album for release on Kill Rock Stars in March of 2010.

 

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Free Energy by Free Energy Free Energy is a Philadelphia, PA band which includes Scott Wells, Paul Sprangers, Evan Wells, Geoff Bucknam, and Nick Shuminksy. Wells and Sprangers were both in now-defunct Hockey Night. Free Energy broadcasts melodic, hook-laden rock tunes with a heavy dose of bombastic glam and classic dust.

       Where the similarly hook-tastic Hockey Night was reminiscent of Pavement and Truman’s Water, Free

Energy shares more similarities with the heroes of old: Thin Lizzy, Cheap Trick, Boston, Fleetwood Mac,Bruce Springsteen, La Dusseldorf and pretty much every beloved rock band from the canon of classic rock radio. “The Energy,” which they are not commonly referred as, draw their inspiration from the deep well of sweet a.m. radio water.

       Via blog posts on both Hockey Night and Free Energy My space pages, they promised “more news, shows, a limited DFA 7” single, videos, a mockumentary, recipes, safety tips, sound legal advice, sure bets, and where to go for the best deals.”

       Nicky STTX, the drummer, can currently be seen in the hit viral youtube clip “WoodTalk with Nick Shuminsky.”

       Free Energy is signed to DFA Records. James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem produced Free Energy’s upcoming record STUCK ON NOTHING, which was released March 9th, 2010. Expect the drums to be dry, yet warm; punchy and crisp.

 

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Breathe Me by Sia

      Sia Kate Isobelle Furler, to use the name her musician parents gave her, already has a staggering track record. If her name itself - pronounced ‘See-ah’ - isn’t familiar to millions, her voice undoubtedly is.

       In 2000, the Adelaide born singer scored a bolt from the blue Top 10 hit with her debut single,Taken for Granted. Pairing her unique Australian drawl with the strident strings from Prokofiev’s ‘Romeo & Juliet’, the track was championed by Trevor Nelson and had Sia performing live on Jo Whiley’s Radio 1 show. Her debut album, Healing Is Difficult, arrived to similar cries of ´the next big R&B thing’. Then, to cap it all, she added her jazzy slurs to two tracks on Zero 7’s Simple Things album and became the unmistakable voice of the year’s coolest down-tempo soundtrack. All the pieces for a phenomenal career seemed to be in place.
       And then nothing.
      “I went a bit mental after that,” she explains, before letting out a laugh that would stop traffic. “No seriously, I needed therapy and everything.” She recovers her composure only long enough to explain that going from hero to zero left her confused and frustrated and that it was a really enjoyable time, those moments of feeling like a ‘Coolio’! But sadly they’ve passed now.
      Brandishing both wicked humour and brutal honesty, it’s sometimes hard to know exactly when Sia’s joking. What is certain is that, with fragile beauty, a collaboration with Beck, and swathes of sensual soul-searching, ‘Healing Is Difficult’s long overdue follow-up, ‘Colour The Small One, rekindles thoughts of an all conquering phenomenon and will surely make her a ‘coolio’ once again.

 

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Sia - Breathe Me |

Temazcal by Monsters of Folk

Monsters of Folk is an indie/folk supergroup consisting of Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes and Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band), Mike Mogis (of Bright Eyes and Lullaby for the Working Class), Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) and M. Ward (of She & Him as well as a successful solo musician). All share guitar duties, with Oberst, Ward and James sharing vocals. Ward also plays keyboards and Mogis plays drums on the album. Monsters of Folk originally came together in 2004 and toured as Bright Eyes, with Jim James and M. Ward, and developed the name Monsters of Folk while on tour. The band released their self-titled debut album on September 22, 2009 on Shangri-La Music.

 

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Faded High By Gayngs

Gayngs is record producer Ryan Olson’s new music collective/supergroup that is made up of members from bands like Bon Iver, Solid Gold and Lookbook; as well as Doomtree rappers P.O.S. and Dessa, among others. The group premiered their debut single “The Gaudy Side of Town” on Fader

Recent Minneapolis BTW Gayngs is essentially the project of producer Ryan Olson (above) with Zack Coulter and Adam Hurlburt of Solid Gold, but there are so many extra hands crammed into the hot tub each track it feels more like a community effort. Relayted opener “The Gaudy Side of Town”  included the vocals and guitar of Justin Vernon (Bon Iver).   You should also hear Michael Lewis’s sax, Megafaun members Brad Cook on slap bass and Joe Westerlund on drums, and a few others circulating around Coulter’s keyboards/beatbox and croon. The smooth, upbeat 7-minute “I want your body on me” jam “Faded High” includes an even bigger cast … along with airy vocal melodies and overlaps, soulful guitars, electronic blips and whirls, and a dust-kicking drum breakdown just before the backward key/guitar weeping finale.

The cast:

M. Vincent Vaughner Noyce: vocals
Katy Morley: vocals
Maggie Wander: vocals
Channy Moon Casselle: vocals
Justin Vernon: vocals, guitar
Ivan Howard: vocals
Phil Cook: keys
Adam Hurlbert: bass
Brad Cook: bass
Jake Luck: keys
Maggie Morrison: vocals
Joe Westerlund: drums

 

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Anyway You Like It  by Holly Golightly

          Holly Golightly started her musical career as a founding member of all girl garage band Thee Headcoatees, a Billy Childish/Thee Headcoats splinter group in 1991. She spent a good few years as a Headcoatee before making her debut solo record, The Good Things, in 1995.
        Where the Headcoatees sound was a blend of girl-group sounds and three-chord garage-rock, with all the original songs coming from the pen of Billy Childish, Holly’s solo sound is more a blend of pre-rock electric blues, folk, soul and less frantic elements of rock & roll. Apart from the wide range of covers of such artists as Willie Dixon, Ike Turner, Lee Hazelwood, Wreckless Eric, and Bill Withers, Golightly also writes her own material.
      Since her debut LP in 1995, Golightly has been very prolific, releasing fifteen albums and a bounty of singles for a wide variety of labels. Holly’s sound has remained remarkably consistent throughout, but each record has a quality that sets it apart from the other releases.
      In 1999 Surefire released an LP, In Blood, on which Billy Childish and Holly Golightly sing duets and the two of them celebrate One Chord, One Sound, One Song.
      2001’s Desperate Little Town, released on Sympathy for The Record Industry, another collaboration (this time with Dan Melchior) marked a bit of a stylistic diversion as it is a relaxed and mostly acoustic record. In the same year she also collected up all thirteen of her singles and E.P’s onto one double album called Single’s Round-Up.

 

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Islands by The xx

The xx are a trio formed in 2005 at London, England. The band members are Romy Madley Croft (vocals, lead guitar), Oliver Sim (vocals, bass guitar), and Jamie Smith (beats, MPC sampler). Rounding out the group was Baria Qureshi (keyboards), who left the group because of the pressures of an intensive touring schedule.

Bonding over a shared love of dark, emotive 80s guitar sounds and the high-end sheen of American R&B, The xx’s unique sound befits a band whose wide range of influences combine beautiful, hushed vocal duets and a brilliantly inventive use of samples and low-end frequencies to produce stark, sweet, melancholic pop.

The group released their debut album xx on 17 August 2009. The album was recorded in a small garage and produced by the band. It garnered critical acclaim and has been generally well-received, scoring an average of 86/100 based on 24 professional reviews. Also it ranked on “best of the year” lists with Rolling Stone placing it at #9 and NME placing it at #2. CNN recently did an incredible profile package piece on the band.  Four singles were released from xx album: Crystalised, Basic Space, Islands and VCR.

 
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Good Woman by Cat Power

Charlyn Marie Marshall, also known as Chan (pronounced “Shawn”) Marshall, was born in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. on 21 January 1972. After dropping out of high school, she started performing under the name Cat Power, while in Atlanta, backed by musicians Glen Thrasher, Mark Moore, and others. She soon moved to New York City, United States in 1992, then later opening for Liz Phair in 1994, she met Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth and Tim Foljahn of Two Dollar Guitar, who encouraged her to record, and played on her first two albums, 1995’s Dear Sir and 1996’s Myra Lee. In 1996 she was signed to Matador Records, and released her third album, What Would the Community Think, which spawned a single and music video, “Nude as the News”.

Shortly following the release of What Would the Community Think Marshall disappeared from the musical scene, initially working as a baby sitter in Portland, Oregon and then moving to a farmhouse in Prosperity, South Carolina with boyfriend Bill Callahan (who performs under the name Smog). The plan was to permanently retire from music but during a sleepless night resulting from a nightmare, Marshall wrote several new songs. These songs would make up the bulk of Moon Pix. The album was recorded at Sing Sing Studios in Melbourne in eleven days with backing musicians Mick Turner and Jim White of the Dirty Three. The album was well-received by critics, and gained her recognition in the indie rock scene. However, during the subsequent tours she grew tired of her own material. This resulted in a series of shows during 1999 involving Marshall providing musical accompaniment to a series of screenings of the silent movie The Passion of Joan of Arc.

 

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How To Fight Loneliness by Wilco

Wilco is an American rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar’s departure from that group. Wilco’s lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt remaining from the original incarnation. The other current members are guitarist Nels Cline, multi-instrumentalists Pat Sansone and Mikael Jorgensen, and drummer Glenn Kotche. Wilco has released seven studio albums, a live double album, and three collaborations: two with Billy Bragg, and one with The Minus 5.

Wilco’s music has been inspired by a wide variety of artists and styles, including Bill Fay and Television, and has in turn influenced music by The National and Cherry Ghost. The band continued in the alternative country of Uncle Tupelo on its debut album A.M. (1995), but has since introduced more experimental aspects to their music.

Wilco garnered media attention for its fourth album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002), and the controversy surrounding it. After the recording sessions were complete, reprise records rejected the album and dismissed Wilco from the label. As part of a buy-out deal, Reprise gave Wilco the rights to the album for free. After streaming Foxtrot on its website, Wilco sold the album to Nonesuch Records in 2002. Both record labels are subsidiaries of Warner Music Group, leading one critic to say that the album showed “how screwed up the music business in the early twenty-first century.” Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is Wilco’s most successful release to date, selling over 590,000 copies. Wilco won two Grammy Awards for their fifth studio album, 2004’s A Ghost Is Born, including Best Alternative Music Album.

 

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 Can't Take a Lover(Talkin In My Sleep) By Whiskeytown

Whiskeytown was an alternative country band formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1994. Fronted by Ryan Adams, other members included Caitlin Cary, Phil Wandscher, Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, and Mike Daly. They disbanded in 1999, with Adams leaving to pursue his solo career.

The band is considered one of the genre's most influential and successful,  along with Uncle Tupelo, The Jayhawks and The Old 97's. Like these acts, Whiskeytown gradually expanded its sound outside the confines of alt-country, while still keeping roots in acts like singer/songwriter Gram Parsons and alternative rock band The Replacements.

Despite the fact that the band only released three albums, none of the albums feature a consistent lineup, with only Adams and Cary remaining constants.

In 2009, Adams indicated that the band may reunite in the near future.

 

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The High Road by Broken Bells

Broken Bells is an American indie rock band featuring artist–producer Danger Mouse (billed by his real name, Brian Burton) and James Mercer, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the Portland indie rock band The Shins. The project was first announced on Tuesday, September 29, 2009. The pair decided to work together after meeting at a Danish music festival in 2004 and finding they were fans of each other's work. Mercer and Burton began recording together in secret at Burton's Los Angeles-based studio in March 2008 and describe their material as "melodic, but experimental, too".

On December 14 the band released their first email update, in which a binary-coded message stating 'The High Road is hard to find' was displayed, offering a link to the band's web page, now with a new color scheme, for 'further details'. On the morning of December 21, the band informed fans in an e-mail message of the release of their debut single "The High Road", which was made available as a free download on their official site. The self-titled debut album was released in the U.S. and Canada on March 9, 2010.

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Daylight by Matt and Kim

Matt & Kim are an indie power pop duo from Brooklyn, New York consisting of Matt Johnson (vocals, keyboards) and Kim Schifino (drums, vocals). Formed in 2004 and currently signed to the Fader Label, they released their self-titled debut album in October 2006 and their second album, Grand, was released in January 2009. Their do-it-yourself attitude towards music, dance style rhythms and energetic performances have gained them a substantial international following and a formidable online presence through social networking and media sites like YouTube and MySpace. Regulars at festivals such as SXSW and Lollapalooza.

 

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 Set You Free by The Black Keys

The Black Keys are a two-man blues-rock group from Akron, Ohio, United States which formed in 2001, consisting of singer and guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney. The band name was inspired by a schizophrenic artist and friend in Akron, who used the term “black keys” to describe things he disliked or people he did not trust. The Black Keys have roots in traditional blues and psychedelic rock stylings.

They released their first album, The Big Come Up, in 2002, followed by Thickfreakness in 2003, and Rubber Factory in 2004. October 2005 saw the release of the DVD Live, recorded live at The Metro Theatre in Sydney, Australia March 18, 2005. In 2006 they released Magic Potion, as well as the lesser-known Chulahoma and a single version of Your Touch.

One of their trademarks is their preference for simple, lo-fi recording techniques. They refuse to use big-name studios, and do most recording, producing, and mixing themselves. Most of Thickfreakness was recorded in about 14 hours in Carney’s basement, using only an early 80’s Tascam 388 8-track recorder. Often, their recordings still have background noises (such as an owl hooting).

 

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Sort of Revolution by Fink

Fink (real name Fin Greenall) is a singer-songwriter, producer, and DJ who grew up in Bristol, England. Fink is also the name of the touring trio fronted by Greenall himself, accompanied by Guy Whittaker (bass) and Tim Thornton (drums).
Fink’s recording career began as an electronica artist with Ninja Tune Records release of the album Fresh Produce in 2001, a well received chill-out set that fitted neatly with the output of the label. However, it was his first studio recording as a vocalist, 2006’s Biscuits For Breakfast, that saw him emerge as the label’s first singer-songwriter and launched his career as a performing artist.
Built around his bluesy voice, finger-picking acoustic guitar and the stripped-back live rhythm section, Biscuits boasted a fledgling pop sensibility while retaining the signature Ninja Tune vibe - a fact not lost on a swelling crowd of industry luminaries, notably Zero 7, who promptly invited Fink to support them on their UK tour, and Nitin Sawhney, with whom Fink guested at the 2006 Electric Proms.

 

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 Morning by Iron and Wine

Iron & Wine is the stage and recording name of folk rock singer-songwriter Sam Beam (born July 26, 1974). He currently resides in Dripping Springs, Texas, outside Austin and has released three studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a live album (a recording of his 2005 Bonnaroo performance). The name Iron & Wine is taken from a dietary supplement named “Beef Iron & Wine” that he found in a general store.

 

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 Knife  by Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear is a four-piece indie folk band from Brooklyn, New York. Their music uses melody and ambiance in conjunction with hazy-eyed choruses, whistles, piano, banjo, and several woodwind instruments.

Grizzly Bear was originally the solo project of Edward Droste (vocals/guitar), who recorded his debut album Horn Of Plenty at home. The record was originally meant for his friends, but it eventually circulated and got a proper release in 2004, this time with the help of Christopher Bear (drums/vocals). A re-release with a bonus disc of remixes was issued in 2005.

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Miss Misery by Elliot Smith
Steven Paul “Elliott” Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003) was an American songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity. His primary instrument was the guitar, but he was also proficient at piano, clarinet, bass, drums and harmonica. Smith had a distinctive vocal style characterized by his “whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery” and use of multi-tracking to create vocal harmonies.

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My first indie song du jour:

Bright as Yellow  by The Innocence Mission

The Innocence Mission are a folk band featuring the beautiful, mesmerizing vocals of Karen Peris, and the guitar backing of her husband, Don Peris.  Their signature style is dreamy slow songs, with beautiful melodies.
The original band, including Mike Bitts (bass), and Steve Brown (drums), was formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the early 80s when the members met during a Catholic school production of Godspell. Although all members of the band have contributed musically, Karen Peris does most of the group’s writing.   Download mp3 http://www.divshare.com/download/11014525-403