Time for Sweed-dish...

Whats up with Swedes and indie-pop brilliance? Jeebus

This band reminds me of the Magic Numbers with a more obvious raw indierawk crunchy folk-pop feel... numnums!

Consume... concur.

The Sweet Serenades - Balcony Cigarettes

The Sweet Serenades - On My Way
(reminds me of a much more poppier strokes?)

HIGHLY INFECTIOUS to ALL humans and most apes.

The Sweet Serenades - Coming Closer

"Open up the gates and just let it flow... oh... Come Closer..."

The Sweet Serenades - First Taste of Trouble

"Tell me baybeh where you been soo lawng?"

Quoting another site: "The Sweet Serenades was officially formed in Stockholm, Sweden 2002. The sound is mainly influenced by great songs, broken hearts, sexual frustration and musical acts as Tom Waits, Clap your hands say yeah, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, ACDC, Eddie Meduza, ABBA, The Technicolors, The Perishers, The Shins and many more. We call it Jungle Rock. Or testosterone Pop."

Official Site

Downthewholerecordhereonmegaupload thanks to zisuyan.

14 days - 7 ways -- Episode Four Prelude: Intro to Alt. Country

It's been overdue - primarily due to the big move; but here lies unraveled Episode Four. Drifting onwards into more of the whole Alt.country/Americana obsession of mine, this next artist is more country than indie obviously but the drawl of it all is pretty sweet tugging on them heartstrings y'all. In other words - it's all out country, so a heads up, if you're not a country fan than this might be your downward spiral into, if not country, than most certainly Alt. Country.

*Note: at this point, I feel it prudent & essential to make this blogisode a prelude to the actual episode Four and proper intro to Alt. Country

Possibly my favorite genre - my darling alt. country artists include, in no particular order: Neko Case, Ryan Adams, Old 97's, Kathleen Edwards, Hem, Teddy Thompson, Josh Ritter, The Mountain Goats, Lucero, Iron & Wine,  Caitlin Cary, Cory Branan and more. 

  (Wiki says: Alternative country is a term used to describe a number of country music subgenres that tend to differ from mainstream or pop country music. The term is sometimes known as alt-country and has included country music bands and artists that have incorporated influences ranging from American roots music, bluegrass, rock & roll, rockabilly, acoustic music, americana, honky-tonk, alternative rock, folk rock and punk rock.)

It'll be preposterous NOT to post some of my favorite alt-country tunes right here, right now. Ofcourse that again will be hundreds of songs, but let's start with the basic starter pack.

Mid-Blogisode Special - Alt. Country Starter Pack

 

Neko Case - This Tornado Loves You

key-lyric: besides the dazzling opening lyric "My love I am the speed of sound...", deep into the first verse Neko says: "I have waited with a glacier's patience... smashed every transformer with every trailer till nothing was standing... 65 miles wide" (the whole song is lushfully brilliant)

Old 97's - Designs on You

key-lyric: "You can go ahead and get married & this'll be our secret thing... I won't tell a soul except the people in the night club where I sing"

Ryan Adams - Dear Chicago

key-lyric: "You know the girl you said I'd meet someday, well I got something to confess; I picked her up on friday, she asked me if she reminded me of you - I just laughed & lit a cigarette, said that's impossible to do"

Kathleen Edwards - Goodnight, California

key-lyric: "You don't even have to speak, if you keep looking at me..."

Hem - So. Central Rain

R.E.M. cover - So. Central Rain is one of the most gracefully brilliant songs ever written.

So blogisode four shall descend later with a little bit of Caitlin & Will and a whole lot more of Alt. Country. Grr.

7 honey-dipped indie recommendations - the 7 blogisode series. This was prelude to blogisode four. Emme Packer/Madi Diaz/Kate Tucker/Prelude: Intro. to Alt. Country/Caitlin & Wil/Voyces/Portico/Special - Indie Undercover

My Monsoon Mixtape of Love: The Defintive Mid-Season Special....

Since the "14 days - 7 ways" series has been quite popular, I've decided to stretch it out a little. There has been some absolutely brilliant new music that's been coming out & i've been trying my best to wrap my zen around it. So, in appreciation of some tracks that have been on heavy rotation in my head & in my car & at night when I slip to sleep, let me dangle these beauties in front of you to pick ripe & feed on...

Also - I mentioned that there is a secret catalog of Dye Corduroy's country/alt. country songs that I've written & tucked away. I've decided to surface some of the tracks from the series - Havoc County. If anyone wants lyrics, please let me know & I shall post them.

So here they are, the dye corduroy alt. country ditty complete with slide guitar & heavy breathing (heh) & a few gems of tracks to slap on your ipod/whatevermp3deviceyouuse/iprepferthecreativezen & go driving in the rain/sun/humiditylikeatonofbricksburstingyourhairintoanafro:

(You can stream the mp3s or download them by right-click & save target as all you want)

Dye Corduroy - Havoc County
key-lyric - "razorblades & blunt perceptions/ easy girls & congruent men... havoc medicine"
Alternative country

Garrison Starr - Unchangeable
key-lyric - "everybody is laughing out loud to hide all the fear they feel/ everybody has made up their minds on what to believe is real"
Alternative pop

Death Cab for Cutie - My Mirror Speaks
key-lyric - "i always fall in love with an open door...."
Indie

Sarah Blasko - We Won't Run
key-lyric - "there is far to go now, let's not waste a minute more..."
Indie-pop

Bim - The Battle
key-lyric - "did i win the battle or lose the war? i am unsure"
Indie-electro-acoustic pop

Claire Burson - 1000 miles

key-lyric- "listen to your records in the dark and think of us"
Alt. country

Palomar - Our Haunt
key-lyric - "with you gone i lost my peace of mind/ but we all... walk on... walk on..."
Alternative




7 honey-dipped indie recommendations - the 7 blogisode series. This was blogisode one. Emme Packer/Madi Diaz/Kate Tucker/Mid-Season Special/Caitlin & Wil/Voyces/Portico/Special - Indie Undercover