Tideland – Lull

Tideland hails from Sterling, Virginia – a town with a history of notable local bands within the independent punk and hardcore scene such as pg.99, Sail, and Pizza. In the wake of their predecessors, Tideland has effectively carried the torch, continuing to create songs that will have you thinking it’s actually 1993 again.

With Lull, their latest full length album, they’ve effectively blended grunge rock with infectious, toe-tapping melodies. Each track is driven by grunge rock guitars and Jon Hand’s unique vocal style. The opening track, “Starbound”, begins with a heavenly drone that builds into a frenzy of rolling drums and guitar. Despite the obvious punk influences in their style, Tideland throws in a healthy dose of shoegaze elements, reminiscent of bands like Hopesfall.

While listening to Hand’s vocals, I couldn’t help but think of Doug Martsch, especially in “Carved in Mine” as the guitars complement each other with crunchy distortion and clean melodies. “Desolate” takes a slight departure from the other songs with a slower tempo and a bit of a Western feel. “Dinosaur” is another standout track with a mix of beauty and rawness fueled by the pleasantly dissonant combination of distortion and slide guitars. The closing track, “Way To Die”, ends the album on a contradictory note with a hint of both bittersweetness and optimism. As the guitars fade out, there is a sense of finality and hope that connect back to the buildup at the beginning of the opening track, and it feels like everything has come full circle.

Lull only features eight tracks, but each is robust and never disappoints. Every song stands perfectly on their own, but the album does have a consistent flow that is best appreciated with a full listen. Many bands are desperately nostalgic, looking to reclaim the glory days of music in the 90s, but Tideland pulls it off effortlessly and without pretense. Fans of influential artists like Sonic Youth, Treepeople, and Dinosaur Jr. will definitely appreciate the purity and authenticity of Tideland’s sound.

Lull is available for purchase on Bandcamp in assorted formats including mp3, CD, tape, and 12” vinyl.

© 2014, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Margaret O’Sullivan of Femmepop

Femmepop’s leading lady, Margaret O’Sullivan, is back with her third single, “Timescapes”. The infectious pop track is a collaboration with Timecop1983, the mastermind behind the synth loops and pulsating beat. Ms. O’Sullivan provided the lyrics and vocals, and together the two create a dreamy and uplifting electronic track that will stick with you.

O’Sullivan’s vocals are sweet and delicate, with powerful lyrics like, “Those days will never die cause they burn inside of me.” Delving into themes of memories and the pain of leaving someone behind, her vocals pour out with honesty and the power of love. At times, O’Sullivan’s voice is reminiscent of Madonna’s style in the 80s, accompanied perfectly by Timecop’s dreamy synth. Fans of the Drive soundtrack will also appreciate the track’s electronic 80s feel.

Femmepop’s debut album is slated for a summer 2014 release. “Timescapes” is available as a digital download from Bandcamp, and you can also listen to her previous singles, “1983” and “Beautiful Boy” as well as her 2009 EP, Kick.

© 2014, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Go Life is the dreamy new solo project of UK artist, Rhys Viney.

The second track, “Waves,” also features a prominent synth pop sound. What starts out as a slow, methodical rhythm evolves into a pulsating declaration with solid bass drum carrying the track. Viney’s thoughtful lyrics and soft vocals are tinted with pop undertones as dreamy surf guitar interjects his thoughts of loneliness and heartache.

Both “I’m Not Really Here” and “Waves” are strong tracks with a clean, polished sound. So far, Go Life carries a consistency in feel without sounding dull or redundant, and it is evident that there is a tremendous sense of creativity and genuine emotion that went into the lyrics and composition. Go Life is an aptly named project, emanating all that is and all that is possible for everyone.

“I’m Not Really Here” and “Waves” are both available for free to stream or download on SoundCloud. You can also check out Go Life’s first singles, “Keep Breathing” and “You And Me.”

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Tomas Sen – Try Solitude

Try Solitude is an eclectic, experimental album riddled with acoustic guitar and prominent piano melodies mixing with programmed drum parts and vocal samples. The debut from Jeff Thomassen was recorded in his home studio, and at just 17 years old, the Lafayette native came up with his moniker in honor of his family – one of the many themes that comes up during the course of the album. Try Solitude is somewhat of a concept album with an array of ideas that come together ranging from self-identity, love, spirituality, social injustice, solitude, and passion.

It is a reflective album with each song relating to a specific theme. Thomassen’s fascination with concept albums influenced the direction of this album. From start to finish, Try Solitude is really a journey of a young man trying to feel things out. The lyrics are poetic narratives that clearly show Thomassen’s curiosity with every facet of life. And he does so in an insightful way, with maturity beyond his years. The pseudo-concept album angle could have easily gone awry, but the honesty and passion takes it to another level.

Thomassen’s fondness of nostalgia also shows in a few tracks, particularly “Phantom Jealousy.” There’s a distinct flair for a retro sound with nods to 1950s pop music reinforced by doo-wop style vocals. “The Human Farmers” incorporates some elements from early indie masters like The Pixies and They Might Be Giants. But more modern sounds are featured on “On Earth as It Is in Heaven” with a strong synth pop flair. This broad range of influences is the perfect complement to the concept album, giving it more dimension than solely relying on the storytelling component.

The downside is that all this diversity keeps the album from having a sense of cohesiveness. Each song is good in its own right, but the tracks don’t flow together as well as they could. Every song has such a strong identity that at times contradicts the others.

Overall, Try Solitude is a high quality debut with a unique twist on what can be considered a concept album. It’s creative, reflective, and an impressive first showing from a young, emerging artist.

You can purchase the album in its entirety as a name-your-own-price deal from Bandcamp here.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

“Accolade” is the energetic debut track from Stickman Cartel.

London-based Stickman Cartel have been hard at work on their upcoming single, “Accolade.” Their debut track features pulsating synth, funky bass, and soulful vocals. Singer Ben Friedman’s conviction is strong in both his vocals and writing with lyrics like, “It’s a drop in your ocean – give me the accolade I deserve.”

But don’t let all of the lyrical venting fool you – “Accolade” is definitely a dance track. It’s fun, catchy, and it’s meant to get your feet moving. The song starts with “Baba O’Riley” style keyboards as the tension mounts, giving way to a burst of energetic beats in the chorus. The band officially considers their style as “indie disco” and it’s a fairly apt description. There are definitely some 70s influences with the guitars, and the drums consistently carry a strong disco cadence.

Stickman Cartel have also been known for translating their dance sound into high energy live performances. For those of you across the pond, the band will be holding a launch party on August 28th at The Waiting Room in London. If you can’t make the show, you can still stream “Accolade” here until its official release on September 2nd.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Chris Christodoulou creates an auditory adventure for the upcoming space platformer, Risk of Rain.

Music and sound effects can often be a blessing or a curse for a video game. The audio can either enhance an already great game, or sabotage the developer’s efforts with annoying or repetitive audio that distracts from the gameplay. Luckily, the creators of the upcoming action platformer, Risk of Rain, have scored a talented composer behind the game’s original soundtrack.

Chris Christodoulou has been infatuated with music since a young age. He began by taking music lessons, and went on to study music theory in Athens. It was around this time that Christodoulou also joined bands of varying genres, lending his skills at the keyboards and drums. It’s these diverse influences that came through and helped shape Risk of Rain’s unique sound. The soundtrack is not just an ordinary chiptune album – Christodoulou’s musical background adds a level of refinement that accentuates the feel of the game.

Risk of Rain takes place in the future in which there is only one survivor after a space train crash. The story unfolds on a mysterious planet with bizarre creatures and events for the protagonist to contend with. Christodoulou’s eerie synth effects paired with heavy rhythms help convey the sinister vibe of the environment and the gravity of the situation.

Much like the music from Bastion, the game’s soundtrack has some modern rock mixed with some chiptune elements. “Double Fucking Rainbow” (by far the heaviest track) is a good example of this with fierce guitar solos and double bass thundering under electronic blips. There are also some more down-tempo songs like “Coalescence” that has a sort of hypnotizing effect with its looping melodies. Christodoulou even throws in some hints of jazz on “Aurora Borealis” and a little R&B on the closing track, “Chanson d’Automne..” for an urban, industrial feel.

Listening to the soundtrack from start to finish really gives you the feeling that you’ve embarked on an epic and perilous journey in space, and there is a definite sense of progression and continuity among all of the tracks. Overall, Risk of Rain OST does an excellent job of adding to the story and enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.

Risk of Rain can be pre-ordered at Bandcamp for €4 (or about $5.34) in which four tracks are immediately available to download. The full album will be available once it’s officially released on September 4th. For those interested in the game (also set for a fall 2013 release) you can try the demo now or pre-order it here.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Intensity and beauty collide with SPC ECO’s newest single, “Delusional Waste.”

SPC ECO (pronounced Space Echo) is comprised of Rose Berlin (vocals, lyrics) and Dean Garcia (formerly of Curve on bass, drums, keyboards, programming). Berlin and Garcia have been churning out a mix of electronic and shoegaze tracks together since 2008, and recently the duo released their latest single, “Delusional Waste.”

“Delusional Waste” is sublimely ethereal with delicate vocals that surprise you with the bold declaration, “You’re a f*cking waste of space.” Despite some intense lyrics from Berlin, the track has plenty of catchy synthpop melodies and club-worthy rhythms. Garcia’s experience and Berlin’s raw, beautiful approach to songwriting blend well to create an eclectic summertime track with both depth and pop sensibilities.

There are also five other remixes of the track, including a house mix from Lady Barcelona and a more dark, industrial version by PigGYfUck. You can now download “Delusional Waste” along with an extended album mix and the other remixes at their Bandcamp page.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Family Trees is the charming debut album from Mountaineer!

Mountaineer! is the solo project from California-based artist, Danny Poissant. During the last six months of his senior year at the University of California, Poissant was also toiling away at writing, recording, and mixing his first album, Family Trees. The ten song debut album is pretty ambitious considering Poissant was also busy, you know, finishing his college degree. Although the sound quality is decisively lo-fi (given it was recorded with “crappy instruments” and his laptop microphone) there is a clear amount of thought and effort that went into the entire songwriting process.

On the surface, Family Trees is mostly a lighthearted and quirky album, but it’s also very reflective on the experiences of young adulthood. Musically, the first half of the album is the most childlike and whimsical featuring softer sounds and twinkling xylophone. Tracks like “Cetacea” especially capture the innocence and wonder of childhood. The lyrics, however, tend to stray into the darker end of the spectrum. A strong example of this change is in “Sleepy Ghosts” when Poissant recalls, “You asked me what it’s like to die/I wish I did, but I don’t know/Just bury me, it’s getting cold.”

The album shifts mid-way with “The Rain Song” which has a grittier feel compared to its predecessors. The second half is more mature and exotic with ukulele and Spanish-style acoustic guitar. Vocals tend to take a backseat to the guitar and rolling percussion, but Poissant’s style is very similar to Meric Long of The Dodos. Unfortunately, the vocals are only present in a handful of songs, and it would have been nice to hear more.

Overall, Mountaineer! is an intriguing debut project with a range of styles that makes it more than just lo-fi. There are elements of rock, pop, folk, and even world music that keeps things fresh and interesting.

Family Trees is out now and available as a name your own price download from Bandcamp.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Martha Meredith’s project, For Esmé, commands attention with creative lyrics, powerful vocals, and dynamic instrumentation.

The singer-songwriter genre can be fairly predictable; but Meredith’s new project, For Esmé is different, choosing to deviate from the norm with elements of contrast and surprise. The album’s opening track, “302”, begins with an uncomfortable 25 seconds of silence before giving way to echoing synth. It’s just one of many instances that Meredith plays with the friction of opposition. The entire album hinges itself on a constant tension, pushing and pulling between polar opposites. Meredith’s vocals sway between sweet and sultry, while the accompanying band provides an equal amount of drama with eloquent strings and pulsing rhythms.

Lyrically, the themes are intelligent and refreshingly honest. Meredith explores a range of topics, particularly diving headfirst into the longing of hopes and dreams, as well as exploring the effects of fear and pain. These polarities are not only present from track to track, but also within each song. There is noticeable attention paid to the fact that at any given moment life can be simultaneously good and bad. “Alice” is a track that epitomizes this with Meredith’s hauntingly beautiful line: “I’m gonna harness that hurt and make it work for me.”

This complexity and reflection is what makes For Esmé so unique. There are definitely a few fun and whimsical moments, but by and large the album is a sophisticated one. This maturity can partially be attributed to some of Meredith’s influences – Fiona Apple, Regina Spektor, and Emily Haines. The same spunk and emotion can easily be heard in Meredith’s voice in each track, and fans of those artists can easily appreciate her vocal and lyrical style. Overall, For Esmé is a strong debut that commands attention from the very start. Martha Meredith breathes new life into the saturated singer-songwriter market with creative lyrics, powerful vocals, and dynamic instrumentation that’s sure to surprise.

You can stream the album in its entirety on Bandcamp. For Esmé is also available for purchase on iTunes and Bandcamp in both digital and vinyl format.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Young Canadian duo, Two Peace Extra Spicy, throw their hats into the rock and roll ring with their debut EP, Sophia.

Youth and rock music have been synonymous since the days of Elvis and Chuck Berry, so it only seems natural that brothers James (18) and Ryan (15) Guarascia would be drawn to the sounds of old school blues and rock. Founded in January of 2012, the Canadian duo wanted to simply call themselves Two Piece but settled on Two Peace Extra Spicy due to their feisty nature on stage. Despite the odd name, the brothers do impress with their debut EP, Sophia, but there are still some evident growing pains.

There’s no doubt about it – the brothers are clearly influenced by artists like The White Stripes and The Black Keys. Their entire album revolves around that same stripped down rock and roll sound, but it doesn’t always work as with the aforementioned bands. The opening track, “Dark Lonely Road” has a great bluesy feel, but at just over 3 minutes, it overstays its welcome. Unfortunately, there is a noticeable tendency for the songs to feel a little long and monotonous despite their solid beats and catchy hooks.

Frustratingly enough, it can be hard to latch on to those hooks, because the guitar is drowned out by the drums thanks to the overly clean guitar sound, particularly in “On a Cloud.” Ironically, James’ vocals come out fuzzy and the lyrics are also difficult to make out due to heavy layers of effects. It would have been nice to hear more of the distortion on the guitar, rather than on the vocals.

Despite all of this, Two Peace really seem to nail it with the closing track, “Made Up My Mind.” It’s by far the strongest track, effectively blending their influences all while mixing it up with the most energy and versatility.

Overall, Sophia is a great effort but falls short, and in the end, just feels anemic. The brothers are on the right track, but they’ll have to expand on their influences rather than mimic them to really stand out. With such a basic rock style, they really need one strong element to push them to the next level. At the moment the brothers definitely sound like a two piece, but without the spice. The good news? There’s still plenty of time for them to grow as musicians and form their own unique style.

Sophia is out now and available at their official site, as well as at iTunes US and iTunes Canada. You can also stream the EP in its entirety on SoundCloud here.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.