Today’s collection of music I never got around to posting about last year is built on the theme of “indie pop.” None of these tracks breaks any major barriers in sound or style. What they do offer is pop music you don’t need to feel guilty about.
Sleepwalker – The Sister Lovers
This track occupies that nice space in between DIY and studio gloss. The layers of sound betray a certain degree of studio production values, but there’s also a delightful looseness in it. You can pick up their debut EP from their myspace, or on iTunes.
Lost – The Mary Onettes
Sounding like it fell through a time warp from London circa 1983, this track is a piece of pure synth-driven pop with more than a nod of the head toward bands like the Jesus and Mary Chain and New Order. They’ve captured the atmosphere quite well, conveying the sense of quick movement across a gauzy background. Sure, it’s a little bit predictable, but once it gets going it’s just too big and exciting to resist. The Mary Onettes are actually based out of Sweden and ply their trade on the wonderful Labrador label.
Post – Oh! Custer
Finally, we’ve got this gem of a track from Oh! Custer. Far less polished than the other two tracks, it’s the sort of jangly little song that just makes your heart ache. The vocal sound distant, as if they were sitting in the backseat of a car watching your with tear-stained eyes as it drives away. I know virtually nothing about them except that they appear to be from Sweden and they write beautiful songs.