With 16 bands and solo acts, June’s music roundup was an epic month for us here at The Indie Mine. Or so we thought. July brought us 17 artists including a handful who’ve graced these articles before. Folk was as prevalent as ever, but “swamp rock” and hip hop emerged as popular genres. Our neighbors to the north (Canada) provided ample representation, but we had a number of artists from across the global make an appearance. So, once again there’s a bit of something for everyone. Grab your headphones and have a listen while we walk you through the music we discovered in July 2013.

The Coppertone – “Young Blood”

Amanda Zelina – better known as The Coppertone – has taken an interesting path towards indie status. After signing a record contract a few years ago, she wanted to break free and take back ownership of her own songs. That effort produced “Young Blood”, a single to help celebrate an indiegogo campaign to take back her creative works. That campaign would prove a success, and you can check out the song below or the lyric video.

For Esmé - For Esmé

It’s not often new artists hit all the right notes in their debut album, but songwriter Martha Meredith manages to do so under the project For Esmé. Staff music writer Jennifer Roger reviewed the album saying “there are definitely a few fun and whimsical moments, but by and large the album is a sophisticated one”. The inspirations for Meredith’s work include Fiona Apple, Regina Spektor, and Emily Haines, and you can have a listen below. 

Explorers - No Inertia

We took some liberties with the inclusion of Explorers and their album No Inertia. The band actually released the 6-track set more than a year ago, but this is the first time we’ve come across them so they’re new to us! Their indie progressive rock sound takes its inspiration from Blink-182 to Led Zeppelin and I particularly enjoyed “Bear”. Ignore the album name and artwork (I had to share an outdated Bandcamp widget) and have a listen to the full set while awaiting the band’s second album that will be released “soon”.

Flamingo Bay – “Serpentine”

It wouldn’t be an Indie Mine Music Roundup if we didn’t manage to stumble across yet another talented band that’s set up shop in Hamilton, Ontario. The trio of Flamingo Bay have released a two-song single named “Serpentine”. The tracks feature a lively, entertaining “northern swamp rock” sound. The band is currently working on their debut album Loco Pony and these two songs will be part of that release in autumn of this year. In the meantime, you can have a look and take a listen to their new video.

SPC ECO – “Delusional Waste”

The band SPC ECO (pronounced SPACE ECHO) has an interesting backstory. The band is a father-daughter duo with Rose Berlin handling vocals and lyrics and Dean Garcia handling the instrumental work along with the engineering and producing. They’ve been releasing albums for about five ears now and the most recent, Push, was covered by a number of different radio and internet outlets. Their latest single, “Delusional Waste” features a synth-pop sound, but with a heavy focus on Berlin’s vocals. It’s the first track off their next album, slated for release later this year. The music video for “Delusional Waste” can be found here.

Mega Ran – Japan Tour

This isn’t our first time discussing Mega Ran on The Indie Mine, but it’s the first time he’s been included in a music article. Confused? Back in mid-2012, the nerdcore rapper partnered with Lunar Giant Studios to create Mega Ran in Language Arts: The Game. The Mega Man superfan made news again this past month with a Kickstarter campaign for a chip-hop remix tour in Japan. With the following he has, it’s no surprise the campaign was successful. Even if you’re not a fan of rap music, the Mega Ran Japan Tour album’s still likely to appeal to classic gaming fans.

The Dirty Nil – Summer Mixtape Vol. 2: Covers

The Dirty Nil has released its second mixtape this Summer, and this compilation is all covers. Featuring songs from an eclectic mix of artists like Iggy Pop and Merle Haggard, the four-track rock album manages to highlight the destructive sound and theme of the band. Hit the music video and make sure to crank the volume up for full effect.

The Box Tiger - Set Fire

Big things are happening this August for The Box Tiger. The indie rock band based out of both Toronto and Portland, ME has  been together for nearly four years, but the lineup has seen multiple changes. However, August 6th will see the culmination of their hard work with release of their debut album, Set Fire. Featuring the lead vocals of Sonia Sturino and instrumental work of bandmates Jordan Stowell and Marcus Cipparrone (Ben Tran would join later and did do the album art), have a listen to a few of the tracks from the 10-song album.

Mountaineer! – Family Trees

Mountaineer! also makes their album debut this month with the release of Family Trees. Mountaineer! is the solo project from California-based Danny Poissant. In Jennifer’s review, she deemed it “mostly a lighthearted and quirky album, but it’s also very reflective on the experiences of young adulthood”. Rock, pop, folk, and world music all make an appearance in the eclectic mix of ten tracks.

The Hotelles – Show You Around

We’re actually pretty familiar with The Hotelles’ work having covered them multiple times including back in February’s Music Roundup. The British rock trio is back with another EP titled Show You Around. I’m consistently surprised by the sound coming from these guys considering their young age, but they’ve continued to improve with each new release. This three-track set continues that trajectory.

David & Clara – “Don’t You Want To Be Famous”

David & Clara makes a return trip to our music roundup having been included in May’s edition. “Don’t You Want To Be Famous” is the latest single from the human/laptop duo. The latest track continues the band’s trademark combination of David’s vocals and backup music/effects from “Clara”. If you happen to live in the Tempe, AZ area, you can catch David & Clara at the city’s Center for the Arts on their open mic nights which will pick up again in September.

Latka – My Bright Heart

Latka makes their first appearance on The Indie Mine. Members of the four-piece band from Winnipeg, Manitoba have been together for years and released multiple EPs. However, July 6th marked the release of the full band’s debut album, My Bright Heart. The eight tracks of pop rock – and a sprinkle of punk – buzz with a variety of instrumentation (violin!) backing up the vocals.

Alex Leggett – Captain

Folk/pop artist Alex Leggett hails from Gananoque, ON and makes the music roundup with his most recent album, Captain. The five-track set of songs features the singer/songwriters’ strong vocal talents which are accompanied by an often uptempo combination of acoustic guitar, double bass, and percussion. I’ve included title track “Captain” below, but the toe-tapping “Wicked Things” is my personal favorite song off the album. Have a listen and find your own favorite.

Bonzie - Rift Into The Secret Of Things

Chicago-based Nina Ferraro, aka Bonzie, is one of the youngest musicians to make our list this month. That youth belies what she’s accomplished in her young career having opened for Iron and Wine and performed at Summerfest 2013. August 13th marks the launch of her debut album, Rift Into The Secret of Things. You can check out the music video for “Felix” which features a male harmony part by The Milk Carton Kids’ Joey Ryan, or have a listen to the track below.

The Woodwards – “The Wood”

The Woodwards are back! It was just last month that we highlighted their folk noir single “Nothing”. Much like “Nothing”, “The Wood” is all about Peter Schuyff’s vocals and the entertaining lyrics in general. This track, though, features a stronger blues sound thanks to the guitar and bass work. It’s also part of The Woodwards II, the next album from the group which is due out in late October.

Nate “Suave” Cameron – “No Justice No Peace”

Another returning musician from last month’s roundup is Nate “Suave” Cameron. Suave has returned with “No Justice No Peace”, a single made from the artist’s internal reflection on the Trayvon Martin case and trial. Once again accompanied by collaborator Prospek, and with the help of DC hip hop artist Kam Royal, Suave shares a story about trust, oppression, and freedom. In an effort to share a song that’s so close to his heart, Suave has made the song available to download for free.

Trash The Brand - Trash The Brand

With so many different genres covered, surely there must’ve been something that tickled your eardrums. Have any favorites from the list above? Any other lesser known or indie bands that caught your attention in July? Let us know by leaving a comment below. We’ll see you back here next month.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Our indie music coverage here on The Indie Mine must be getting noticed, because we’re being contacted by a lot more bands and public relations reps than we’re used to. So much so, in fact, that we can’t possibly cover every new album, single, or other news story in fine detail. However, rather than risk missing out on helping you discover something good, we present to our readers this month’s indie music news roundup. As you’ll see, there’s definitely a Canadian theme running below, and the genres are so disparate that I think there’s a little something for everyone. Sit back and have a listen to these great artists.

Old English – Prose & Kahns

Back on February 5th, Ontario-based band Old English released their first album, Prose & Kahns. While most indie bands start off with a small EP, Old English has produced an album containing a whopping 11 tracks, the first of which we’ve included below. Readers who are into brit-rock, shoegaze, electro-pop, or folk will want to give this a listen. The full album can be heard through Bandcamp.

City and The Sea – Action Figures

Late last year we brought our readers news about a post-apocalyptic-themed music video released by City and The Sea. Well, more than two years after their last EP release, this band from Hamilton, Ontario has launched a new EP, Action Figures. The band’s lineup has been retooled since their last album, and we’ve included one of the tracks for your listening pleasure.

Mark Martyre – Down, Record

The Canadian music scene is very much alive and well as evidenced by our third Canadian musical act in a row. Mark Martyre actually released his latest album Down, Record back in September of last year, but we only just found out about it. My first thought upon hearing the album was Tom Waits, and fans of him and the folk genre in general should give the album a listen.

JonnyDebt – Prince of the Golden Horseshoe

This 11-track album from Ontario-based group JonnyDebt actually released right at the start of 2013, but the band’s been hard at work since the release including debuting a music video for the track “Bronze”. The  band strives to bring a lot of energy, and you can get a taste of that in the track below.

Kovak – “Radiate”

Electro-pop band Kovak released their latest single “Radiate” back on February 11th. The UK group from Brighton has drawn comparisons to Blondie, and work on their full debut album is expected to wrap up this spring. Since the release of “Radiate”, they’ve also unveiled a remixed version by producer Youth. You can have a listen to the original below.

Anchor & Bear – Anchor & Bear

Last summer, I had the pleasure of listening to Brian Bringelson’s album Shipwrecked Commotion under the project name Paul Starling. The California-based singer has now formed the duo Anchor & Bear with girlfriend Katy Pearson aka Bearkat. Their folk rock album of the same name released in early February. The playful setlist is as toe-tapping and easy on the ears as anything you’ll listen to this year. Because this is a collaboration, we’ve included tracks featuring each of the artists below.

A*Star – “Flashbulb” and “Black and Blue”

Similar to our last act, A*Star features another musical couple, Perry Pelonero and Kim Welsh. Their self-named genre ‘Arenagaze’ combines indie-rock and dreampop. They’ll be releasing two split 7″ vinyl singles, one in each of the next two months. For now, though, their individual tracks are available to listen to via Bandcamp. We’ve included “Black and Blue” below.

Marie Avery - The Fire

Marie Avery is another Ontario-based musician, and just a few weeks ago released her 5-track album The Fire. The album covers the trials and tribulations of the last four years of Avery’s life. The songs feature the theme of duality, and we’ve included the first track, “Heavy”, to give a sense of what this artist’s music is all about.

Illitry - “Goshen”

Illitry is all about capturing sounds and turning them into music. Their first single “Goshen” was released a few weeks ago, and the Canadian band is currently touring Toronto, Hamilton, and a few other locales. They seem to have a fondness for blending traditional instrumental sound with electronic music, and you can check out their single right here.

The Hotelles – “Movie Reel” and “She Hasn’t Slept For Weeks”

Last December, we brought you news of The Hotelles releasing their new EP Ignore Me. The band is following up that high-energy album with A/B side single “Movie Reel” and “She Hasn’t Slept For Weeks”. The release date is scheduled for March 4th, but the tracks are available to listen to now.

Glass Ampp - Half Empty

We round out our look at February with a new album from Toronto-based Glass Ampp. The 5-track EP Half Empty shows off their reverence for classic rock guitarists and releases March 9th. In the meantime, have a listen to “I Know U Know” off the album.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

The quality of their sound and production is even more surprising when taking into account how young the band members are, ranging from ages 14 to 21. The band starts touring London on December 15th at the Amersham Arms. Music fans outside the UK can also judge for themselves because the band has released a music video along with the release of the EP.

© 2012 – 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.