Bloc Party and Vampire Weekend are indie rock's premier polyrhythmicists (it sounds like it's spelled). Britain's Friendly Fires now enter the fray with their own drum shiftiness, and almost outdo the Party on alienation points with dense guitar clouds and strained vocals.
The Danish pair go a step further in their presentation of retro rock as something vicious. Surfy guitars, always packing switchblades, and dressed to kill, get matched with a sketchy programmed template. The genre's early days have been translated to its most modern.
With singer Morrissey (the patron saint of sad misfits) and guitarist Johnny Marr overseeing the project, the compilation of rarities and singles is both chronological and comprehensive. Its release seems perfectly timed with seasonal depression--in fact, the pairing of Morrissey's bittersweet melodies with Marr's multilayered musicianship might just provide the ideal soundtrack.
The Parisian indie duo brings Lekman levels of twee joy to bear on galloping, Mexicali-touched ditties. So what does it mean to fall between, say, Belle & Sebastian and '50s hero Richie Valens? We're not quite sure, but we think it means these are true pop purists.
A defining contributor to the indie-rock sound of California's Central Valley, Earlimart has expanded into an ambitious and accomplished band. Having retained the experimental edge and DIY approach of its earlier recordings, Earlimart still peppers its songs with layers of distortion, strings, and keyboards, but with more finesse and complexity.
One thing a lot of indie bands lack is classic rock's brawling spirit. That doesn't seem to be a problem for this Vancouver group. The group fills in a capacious soundscape--it's New Wave-ish in size--with chugging basslines, sneering vocals, and ponderous guitar licks.
A remarkable set of rhythmic traditions collides in this San Francisco group's stuff. In a typical track, cool Latin lilts will be bent beyond recognition via dark synth tones and hard house backings. They're all things you dance to--but how do you dance to all at once?
Southern indie rock, when being true to both its Southern-ness and indie rock-ness, can be a darn lovely thing. Joining the likes of MMJ and the Whigs in this dashing duality are Paper Route, blenders of wide-open vocal spaces and gleaming guitar melodies.
The glacial gloom of contemporary Canadian post-rock, the arty noiseology of the Pixies, the shrill, tenuous revelations of Modest Mouse--all are channeled in this Alberta indie rocker's weary marchers. And if things can get a bit sludgy, or loose around the fringe, consider how far Chad and Co. have come from their start playing "improvised stoner rock."
Let's start by debunking everything they've just claimed: this crackpop project isn't from Barcelona and it certainly isn't an "I." Try 29 shiny, happy people from indie mecca Sweden. IFB make the most of their orchestra, spinning kindergarten play-alongs around chirpy hooks.
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