The National, Sujfan Stevens and Richard Parry – Barcarola (You Must Be a Christmas Tree)
It’s like the Super Friends of indie rock! So The National, Sufjan Stevens and Richard Parry of Arcade Fire got together and recorded two Christmas songs, Silent Night and this original, Barcarola (You Must Be a Christmas Tree). While this isn’t a catchy, uplifting yuletide ditty, it captures that sentimental aspect with a yearning tone, from a time where...
Top 5 Indie Songs by Bands With Whale in Their Name
There's lots of indie bands out there that derive their name from something to do with whales, most of them with folk tendencies. Sometimes it can be hard to sort through all of them and get to the good songs. Well guess what, I've done it for you, right here for my faithful Synconation readers....
Keeping it Long Distance: An Interview with Onra
Anyone who’s been in a long distance relationship will tell you that sooner or later, your life becomes a lot like a roller coaster: wrought with extreme moments of excitement, wonder, and sheer terror. By the time the ride’s over, you’re left feeling a little tattered, a little worn, but somehow better for having survived the...
I Want To Be Well – A Discussion of Sufjan Steven’s The Age of Adz
t's taken me a long time to collect my feelings about one of my favourite artist's latest album, and I'm not quite sure what that means. After what seemed like a long silence, multi-instrumentalist singer songwriter Sufjan Stevens released his first song based album since 2005's Illinois in the form of The Age of Adz...
Nobody’s Hipster – An Interview with John Mark McMillan
I was delighted with the opportunity to meet John Mark McMillan for an interview before his show at the legendary Crocodile Cafe, in Seattle. He's a musical performer with a commanding presence, but a distinctly welcoming and gentle personality off stage.
The Drums – Portamento: Part of the Pithy Review Series
Tuesday saw the sneak preview of a new track from Brooklyn based indie rockers The Drums, who are working to release a follow up to 2010's critically acclaimed The Drums. Portamento, the title of the new album, is scheduled to be released in September, but you get to listen to the track "Money" today, just...
Spirit They’ve Gone
Spirit They’ve Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished, henceforth known as Spirit, was the prototype to Animal Collective, and only included Avey Tare, who played most of the instruments on the record, and Panda Bear, who provided “perfect percussion.” Spirit proves difficult to get into, though, and was filled with crashing, off kilter drumming at times, and...
Destination Feels
In some sort of boyish excitement and anticipation for the upcoming Animal Collective show I’m attending, my first one mind you, I can’t seem to quit listening to the band that quite literally changed my musical viewpoint so many years back.
Ten New Tracks That You Should Know
This isn't just some list of everything that noteworthy bands have blurted out lately. Nay, it's a guide to what sounds good and what'll be stuck in your head for a while, or until I write another one of these.
Helplessness Blues
Tuesday marks the release of Fleet Foxes sophomore Sub Pop released album, Helplessness Blues. So how does it stack up? Very well.
Justice – Civilization
Today’s song comes from legendary French banger duo Justice. “Civilization” is their first new track in three or four years, by my count, and absolutely hits the nail on the head. This track beckons me to reminisce about my heady days as a club going youth (oh wait I still do that), when bangers and electro ruled...
Rising: Kisses
LA duo Kisses is popping up on my radar right now. It’s not hard to hear why, though. One listen, and you’ll be instantly addicted to the fun music and memorable vocals. While they’ve only got 4 tracks to listen to, each one of them is different and wonderful. “Bermuda” is reminiscent of the locale the...
