Part Time

have featured San Francisco bands before, and Part Time is another post worthy addition. This quartet delivers music buffed to a soft shimmer by waves of 80’s music. Hell, the the video alone is well worth the price of admission. So, grab your lover’s hand and fall into this.

Girls – Honey Bunny

Girls

San Francisco based duo Girls obviously has a penchant for music well before their generation. Honey Bunny the second track from their upcoming Father, Son, Holy Ghost LP is a Beach Boys-esque laced track that is as much fun as it is infectious. A must have on the summer playlist no doubt. But this isn’t the only gear this bands has, their track “Vomit” shifts into a somber guitar-driven rocker that is great for a bit of head noddin’. Check them out.

secret knives // the garden


 
The New Zealand band Secret Knives more than likely is a band not too many of your friends have heard of. Well, that shouldn’t be the case, because their latest release LP Affection (via A Low Hum Records) is giant. It is that rare album where you can press play and let it ride. From beginning to end it doesn’t hit a snag. Secret Knives’ music is categorized as shoegaze. If you don’t know what shoegaze is it is a term coined in the late 1980s as a subgenre of alternative rock that had its beginnings in the U.K. Basically, it means music that incorporates lots of guitar effects, i.e. distortion, reverb, phase, flange, and delay. Regardless of what category Secret Knives music falls into doesn’t really matter. What matters is that they are a magnificent band worth listening to. So, spread the word. Peace. Continue reading “secret knives // the garden”

Joe Pug – Live Sessions

I may be new to the whole music blog thing, but that doesn’t mean I can’t recognize amazing music when I hear it. The main reason I do this is to share music that makes me happy. Joe Pug is an artist that makes me smile every time I listen to him. His music is Folk music at its absolute finest. It is stripped down and wholly authentic and without pretension. But no matter how poetic I attempt to sound in regards to describing his music, it will not come close to the beauty on full display when you hear for yourself his musically magic.

Joe Pug – How Good You Are from HearYa.com on Vimeo.

Joe Pug – Call It What You Will from HearYa.com on Vimeo.

Wooden Shjips – Lazy Bones

Hey, I know people. And one of the people I know recommended that I check out the band Wooden Shjips. I did a bit of research and this band hails from San Francisco and first debuted in 2006. Although they have had several releases since ’06 I am not familiar with their full body of work. I will say this though, I am really digging their latest release titled Lazy Bones  and it is absolutely sublime. Check it. Peace

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Senator

What can be said about Stephen Malkmus that hasn’t already been said? He’s old school indie and a brilliant artist. From his years with Pavement to his new stuff with the Jicks he still manages to deliver. I am loving the first release off of their new album Traffic Mirror. This song is called Senator, and brings to mind a certain wiener of sorts. The track Senator is epic, and regardless of the social or political commentary this song makes me smile and tap my toes.

Its All About The Music

What up world? My name is d. durand aka double-D. Its simple, I am starting this blog because I am a huge music fan. Yes, I dabble in other genres of music from the deep Delta Blues, Jazz, Rap, R& B, and World, etc. However, my preference is Alternative and Indie music. For some the terms alternative and indie are interchangeable. However, back in the day alternative music was usually defined as the music that wasn’t mainstream, i.e. very few people heard about  it. For multiple reasons, alternative music received very little air play, and more often than not the majority of Alternative music originated out of the U.K. The Punk scene of the late 70’s and throughout the 80’s, which fostered bands like The Sex Pistols, The Cramps, and Bad Brains et. al. Yet, in spite of its humble and obscure beginnings Alternative music has stood the test of time. The alternative/indie scene has evolved into a multi-headed Hydra of musical delight. How fucking poetic is that?

In regards to Pop music, historically ‘alternative/indie’ music rarely found its way onto many top music countdowns or charts. Yet, little by little the oddity that was alternative music crept into the ranks and the hearts of fans worldwide. In 1992 one of the biggest, and rarest, examples would be Radiohead’s http://radiohead.com/ first major hit “Creep”. By any definition this was an alternative music success story. In the U.S. it was voted #31 by VH1 in their best songs of the 90’s.
http://blog.vh1.com/2007-12-13/top-100-songs-of-the-90s/

I Like What I Like

The music that is so strongly identified as ‘alternative’ music is viewed by most as an alternative musical choice to Pop or Mainstream artist. But for a growing number of music lovers alternative/indie is the only genre of music worth listening to.  Over the past two decades the genre has grown tremendously and the alternative/indie field is now as diverse as it’s contemporary counterparts of Pop, R&B, Rap, and Country.

Indie = INDEPENDENT

However, by definition ‘indie’ music is categorized as music created by bands not signed to major labels or bands who own and/or self-produce their own music. Typically ‘indie’ bands do not follow the usual route established by major labels, and by doing so they enjoy greater creative freedom and benefit significantly by keeping the majority of the profits generated by their hard work. But whether or not a band or singer songwriter is classified as ‘alternative’ or ‘indie’ doesn’t determine whether or not they pass mustard as far as I am concerned. I like what I like, for instance the band Passion Pit http://www.passionpitmusic.com/ is signed to the independent label Frenchkiss based in New York and is therefore viewed as an ‘indie’ band. However, a similar band MGMT http://www.whoismgmt.com/us/home is signed to Columbia Records, a major player in the music industry. Regardless, I like both bands because they create music I enjoy listening to. Period. And not because one is or isn’t considered an ‘indie’ band.

Puttin’ In Work

I have been around for more than a few decades, and I have been and I remain an ardent die hard fan of the pioneers of the ‘alternative’ music scene. Bands like: The Smiths, Bauhaus, Hüsker Dü, The Housemartins, Joy Division, Love & Rockets, Echo and The Bunnymen, XTC, Siouxsie Sioux and The Banshees, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The The, New Order, The Cure, R.E.M., The Sugercubes, Jane’s Addiction, Eurasure, They Might Be Giants, Sonic Youth, and Portishead just to name a few. These bands paved the way and their influence is evident in so many of the alternative or indie bands making music today. Like most music consumers I am constantly on the look out for new and exciting music. So, not only will I be sharing my musical favorites and discoveries with you but I welcome your suggestions as well.