Smith Westerns, Dye It Blonde

Smith Westerns are buzzing right now, loudly.  They are opening for Wilco for 5 shows this Spring and are getting some well deserved press for the guitar-driven rock on their sophomore album.  These Chicago teenagers released the album through the Oxford, MS label, Fat Possum Records, which has some strong artists on their resume these days that I will be posting about soon.  Enjoy these tracks and go pick up the album here if you like them.

Imagine Pt. 3

Fallen In Love

New Panda Bear Track

I'm sure most of you have had a chance to check out this song already, but its just so damn good I had to post it here. By far my favorite of Animal Collective's members, Noah Lennox delivers the goods on Last Night At The Jetty off his upcoming release Tomboy.

Panda Bear - Last Night At The Jetty

Blake Mills - Hey Lover

Dear Ya'll:

I was in the movie theater last night when I received this text from Ben: "We're getting the blog back together." Needless to say, I was quite excited at the prospect! Its good to be back delivering the kind of high quality musings on music that I'm sure you have all been missing - how did you know what was cool for the past few months??? My return post features a track* by Blake Mills, whose debut Break Mirrors earned quite a bit of praise last year. Mills is an accomplished guitarist that has played with artists such as Band of Horses, Elvis Perkins, and Cass McCombs either on tour or as a session guitarist. This version of Hey Lover, which was featured on YAGN favorite Daytrotter, is a shuffling and swampy good time that showcases Mills' unique delivery. Good stuff here.

Its good to be back!

Blake Mills - Hey Lover (via Daytrotter)

*Features a few colorful words. Don't play this one in Sunday school.

The Head and the Heart, Self-Titled

EB and I went to see Dr. Dog at Minglewood Hall here in Memphis this month and I decided to give the two opening bands a preview before we went to the show.  What I discovered was that Dr. Dog chooses great openers.  Buried Beds was the first opener and they were pretty entertaining.  The Head and the Heart followed them and they were really good.  They had more fans in the crowd singing every word than I would have ever imagined.  I was sick as a dog and they even had me getting into their show.  They call Seattle home and are making a name for themselves with a sound full of harmonies, bouncy pianos, downhill drums, and sing-a-longs a plenty.  This would appeal to those that enjoy The Avetts, Blind Pilot, Dawes and any sounds that are easy on the ears.  I strongly recommend the entire album available for download by clicking here.  I had a difficult time deciding on just two tracks to post as a preview below, but here they are...

Rivers and Roads

Ghosts

And we are back...

I had been thinking about getting the blog back together for some time now, and finally decided to pull the trigger this evening.  It feels good to be back.  A lot has changed since we last posted - mainly our headquarters moving from Colorado to Memphis and soon to be Savannah (back in the sweet, sunny South).  You will also notice that the blog has undergone a bit of a face lift.  We are completely open to any comments or suggestion regarding the layout and content.  

Our new vision is more of a community with the blog -- people sharing their thoughts, what they are spinning at the moment and things of that sort.  Also, this is a place to stop by and give a listen -always go out and buy it if you like it.  We are here to tell you about the bands and tracks that we are digging.  We aren't going to tell you what you shouldn't be listening to because we all have Pitchfork to tell us what isn't indie enough for our ears (I love you guys).

So, check it out, follow us, come back for more and give us some feedback.  We have a lot of new stuff in store for you guys.  Check back soon for a band that both you and your honey can enjoy with Valentine's Day just passed.  For now, enjoy some Thin Lizzy to celebrate our return...

Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back In Town

Arcade Fire --- Freakin' New Songs!!

Hey!  Guess what everybody?!  Arcade Fire spent some time in the studio and now there are at least 4 tracks out and they are all available for download below for the time being!  The tracks are getting a good bit of criticism, but we here at YAGN are big fans!  Download it and freaking enjoy them because they are new Aracade Fire tracks and they have only happened 2 times thus far, so consider it a treat!

Month of May

The Suburbs

Ready to Start

We Used To Wait

Lately Mix - 06.15.10

There have been so many great new releases this year by some of "Indie Rock's" biggest bands. Outstanding efforts by The National, Dr. Dog, Beach House, and The Black Keys have made 2010 one of the best years for new music in a while. We've featured each of these artists here on YAGN in the past, and today I'd like to introduce you to some songs from lesser known bands that I have discovered in the last few weeks.

1 - Us Vs. Them - Common Prayer

2 - Black Hand - Cotton Mouth

3 - o0O0o0O0o - Oberhofer

4 - Glorylight & Christie - Cotton Jones

5 - Marathon - Tennis

Lately Mix - 06.15.10 - Yousendit Link

The National, High Violet

The National's new album, High Violet, has been out for well over a month now, but I just wanted to give it a little love here on the blog.  It is a freaking awesome album.  You all should pick this up and listen to it many, many times.

Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine

An A-list of indie and alt-country artists have come together to lend their versions of some of John Prine's favorite songs for the tribute album Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows, due out on June 22nd.  Artists featured are Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver), Conor Oberst, My Morning Jacket, Josh Ritter, Justin Townes Earle, The Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show, Drive-By Truckers Deer Tick and Those Darlins.  Pretty strong line-up, don't you think?  It is a worthy tribute album for the legendary singer/songwriter.  Check out two of my favorite tracks below and go ahead and pick this one up on the 22nd.

The Avett Brothers - Spanish Pipedream

My Morning Jacket - All The Best

Pre-order the album here

Delta Spirit, History from Below

Delta Spirit's sophomore LP History from Below is a slow burner without many catchy songs like their debut's "Trashcan".  It took a few listens to really appreciate, but once it caught I have found more to love with every listen.  Another one of those albums that will serve you well for enjoying a few ice cold beverages outside as the sun sets on these long summer days.  Make sure to pay attention to the background sounds on one of my favorite tracks "Scarecrow" because they really take the song to another level.  You can picture the band out on their porch recording as cars pass and birds chirp.  Good stuff.

911

Scarecrow

Purchase the album here Delta Spirit, History from Below

The Black Keys, Brothers

I read somewhere My girlfriend told me that she read the following in reference to The Black Keys' latest effort, "The Black Keys are like pizza -- even when it's bad, it's good."  Now, while I think that is a pretty funny, I totally disagree.  I think that Brothers is one of their stronger albums as of late.  It is fun and different at times and has been on heavy rotation around here.  My only complaint is that it does run a little long at 55+ minutes.  Below is a link to my favorite track off of the album, "Everlasting Light," which displays Dan Auerbach's falsetto.  A great track followed by links to two recently released videos for the first two singles on the album.  

Everlasting Light

Tighten Up video link


Next Girl video link

Blitzen Trapper, Destroyer of the Void

Blitzen Trapper's latest Destroyer of the Void is a great album.  Their sophomore album, Wild Mountain Nation, displayed their taste for eclectic alt-country/spacey rock and had some great tracks.  Their third album, Furr, saw them lay some of their eccentricities to bed for a more focused effort.  Destroyer of the Void continues in the vein that Furr began, but it is not a continuation of it by any means.  The latest is a rootsier (I just made that word up) album.  The songs are stripped down and the album is not covered in the fuzz of their previous efforts.  They seem to be growing up.  This is a great album and the more I listen to it the better it gets.  Check out the 2 songs below and decide for yourself.

Also, check out another song on Scott's previous post here.

Sadie

Evening Star

Band of Horses, Infinite Arms

Hey there everyone.  It's been a long couple of weeks around here, but luckily during this time there have been many albums released.  Over the next few days, I am going to post about them.  These are ones that most of you have heard already, but maybe someone hasn't.  Just humor me and enjoy.


The new Band of Horses album, Infinite Arms, is not a masterpiece by any means, but Ben Bridwell and the new line-up's third effort is definitely a fun one for summer.  The album leaves a lot to be desired lyrically and the band's sound continues to grow from their early sonic anthems to jangly 70s rock/pop easy-listening.  It is a perfect soundtrack for your next summer cookout -- a true crowd pleaser.  It slows down a little bit in the middle, but ends strong.  One of my favorite tracks, "Older", is linked below.  


Well, there it is guys and gals -- I just busted my posting slump.  I am easing back into things seeing that I haven't really been on the cutting edge as of late, but at least we are both back in action!


Older

Thursday Mix - The Giving Tree

In honor of the upcoming Blitzen Trapper release Destroyer of the Void, I decided to make this slightly tardy Thursday Mix around one of my favorite songs on the album, "The Tree." I know I'm a bit late for arbor day, but enjoy anyway!

1 - Blitzen Trapper - The Tree (featuring Alela Diane)

2 - Up a Tree (Went This Heart I Have) - Cotton Jones

3 - Family Tree - TV On the Radio

4 - Among the Pines - AA Bondy

5 - Apple Suckling Tree - Bob Dylan

Thursday Mix - The Giving Tree