I’ve been pouring through these Indie Music Playlists looking for talented bands that we could feature on site, and I’ve started to notice something pretty disconcerting about the genre: most of it is really, really bad.
Indie artists have, for the most part, started indie bands because they don’t want to fit into the tidy formulas of regular pop and rock, and while there’s a certain level of credibility to such a mission statement, the end result often ends up overly-experimental and—let’s face it—kinda weird.
But once in a while there’s an indie band that not only manages a hot song, but several hot songs and even complete hot albums. They experiment, and they strive to do something different, yet they also don’t sound like trash-can banging modern performance art. Rogue Wave is one of the indie bands that does it right.
In fact, they do it so right that I hardly even consider them indie. The first two tracks on their new album, “Permalight,” are both energetic, interesting, and most importantly, identifiably musical. “Solitary Gun” sounds like something Zach Braff would pick out for his next screenplay, and “Good Morning” has a stronger drumbeat and techno edge that absolutely makes it radio-worthy.
The entire record is painted with songs as colorful as the gorgeous album cover, and while it definitely makes strong efforts to do the whole indie thing, it’s not at all offensive to those of us who aren’t exactly gung-ho about some of the goofier stuff in the genre. We’ll give Rogue Wave a full endorsement for fans of rock, alternative, pop, and electronica. It’s not kinda weird. Just good.
Check out “Good Morning” here:
Buy “Permalight” here:
There’s nothing better for my money than when Michael Bolton sings “When A Man Loves A Woman.” I pretty much celebrate the guys’ entire collection. And Taddy Porter…well Taddy Porter is NOTHING like Michael Bolton. I don’t even know why I made the comparison. In fact he’s the exact opposite. Imagine a super badass blues/rock guy that (I imagine) smokes cigarettes and puts the butts out on his arm. That is Taddy Porter. Although all of that badass stuff isn’t actually confirmed.
His voice is very similar to that of the southern stylings of Marc Broussard and the music definitely holds the same southern flavor. Add slide guitars, wicked guitar riffs and catchy choruses and you have a recipe for a great album. Add in the fact that when you Google “Taddy Porter”, a majority of the search results are for a Porter beer from Samuel Smith. How badass is that?
The album really is a mix of blues and rock with the opening track “Whatever Haunts You” sounding closer to that of Audioslave, whereas songs like “Railroad Queen” are heavy on the slide guitar/blues sound and light on the weak sauce. Check out his self-titled album for a heavy dose of solid rock. And if you want something completely not that, check out Michael Bolton.
Buy Taddy Porter:
Debi Nova – “Drummer Boy”
“Drummer Boy” is a beat driven dance track that will get your blood pumping. Costa Rican diva, Debi Nova, looks like a sexy goddess in her beach themed video. When I take to the beach I burn instantly and somehow always step on a broken shell. My escapades would not translate well to a music video, Debi’s certainly does.
Buy the single
Scissor Sisters – “Fire With Fire”
The Scissor Sisters are always good for delivering some quality dance tracks. What they are not always good for is delivering sound advice. Trust me, the next time you have a fire break out in your kitchen, don’t run and grab matches in an effort to fight the fire with fire. Yeah, just makes more fire. So make sure you listen to “Fire With Fire” for enjoyment and not as a lesson. I am guessing Smokey the Bear will not have this song on his next mix tape.
Buy the single
Florence and the Machine – “Dog Days Are Over”
Don’t let the video scare you away. Take in these Brit indie rockers and welcome their music into your collection. Yes, the video does sport what appears to be two Smurfs, or I guess they could be the blue opera lady from The Fifth Element. And yes, there is a lot of elaborate face paint, rhythmic drumming, and a head of hair that rivals Carrot Top. With all of that being said, you need to expand your horizons and take this track in. If anything, it does have dancing blue people. That’s awesome.
Buy the single
If you’re not familiar with this band, you are most certainly familiar with their songs. Unless you were born in the late 90′s in which case you might not be familiar with their songs. But that’s just weird to think about so I’ll just pretend like you were all born pre-1995. If you were born in the late 90′s and that offends you, I’m sorry. But you missed out on the best decade of this or any generation.
For those of you that DO know what I’m talking about, Vertical Horizon started killing the charts in 1999 with their #1 hit “Everything You Want.” Their second hit ” You’re A God” soon followed with quick climb to #23 on the charts and #1 in my heart. Numerous covers of their songs quickly spread to college bedrooms nationwide and their popularity grew to astronomical proportions. Their 1999 release Everything You Want went double-platinum and made these guys a staple of the close of the 90′s.
Their latest release Burning the Days is currently available to check out along with their other 5 albums dating back to 1992. If you dig the new stuff AND want to take a walk down memory lane with the classics, Vertical Horizon is touring the states this summer and are going to be coming through the Chicagoland area mid-July. And just for old times’ sake, check out the video for “Everything You Want”:
Buy Everything You Want:
Dude, you need to relax. Slip on your flip flops, grab some lotion with a good SPF, and head on down to the beach. It is officially summer and that means it is time to “chill out” and “hang ten”. That’s what the kids are saying nowadays, right? While you are frying on the hot sand you are going to need some tunes that will mellow you out. Thankfully singer-songwriter Justin James paddles by on his surf board blasting the good vibes that you are seeking.
J.J.
I don’t want to be a downer, but you need to know that a few years ago Justin was attacked by a tiger shark while he was surfing. Yeah, a tiger shark. That brush with death gave Justin a deeper appreciation for life and his music reflects his renewed focus on living life to its fullest. The music that springs forth on Justin’s second major label release, Perfect Sometimes, is collection of warm feel good tracks. This album is a follow up to his 2007 debut, Sundrenched, which garnered a lot of attention with placement on a string of television shows.
So here is the deal. We here at Fresh Scouts give you the permission to cut out of work early, drop all of your responsibilities and make a b-line for the nearest beach or water park. On the way there you will need to take the top down or shove your head out the window. And what should you be listening to on this most awesome get away? Well, Justin James of course. You’re welcome.
KC’s Personal Picks: “Perfect Sometimes”, “Missed Again”, and “Stay Close To Me”
Check out the video for “Perfect Sometimes”
Buy the Album
