Alternative & Indie Thread

[exy]

Dreamend - Maybe We're Making God Sad And Lonely (2005)
Shoegaze, Indie Rock, Dream Pop | mp3 192kpbs | 50MB

Dreamend is a Chicago-based shoegazer musical group signed to Graveface Records, whose music is characterized by textured guitar work and prominent drums and percussion. Song styles range from post-rock to bluegrass.
From the opening guitar strums of Dreamend's 2005 release Maybe We're Making God Sad and Lonely, it's readily apparent that these musicians have graduated cum laude from the Greater North American Academy of Post-Rock. It seems they've absorbed their course information well, and have capably regurgitated it for the purpose of passing their exams, but are still a long way from drawing up the personal thesis necessary for post-graduate study. It's obvious they've thoroughly researched all the masters: the trilling and chiming delayed single-string guitar lines that build to inevitable overdriven crescendo of Explosions in the Sky and Mono, the patient moments of near silence that are lulling yet disquieting of Sigur Rós and A Silver Mt. Zion, the snippets of found dialog backed by ominous dronescape of Godspeed You Black Emperor!. They've even appropriated the frustratingly gorgeous hand-constructed cardboard packaging of the Constellation and Alien8 Records ethos. Their most distinctive moments are those of actual vocalizing beyond the expanse of their instrumentals where they call to mind similar moments from Yume Bitsu. The music has that tranquil-bliss-to-apocalyptic-climax-and-back-again formula down pat, from the elegiac beauty of "A Place in Thy Memory" and "Can't Take You (Dif)," to the spoken word mood pieces of "In Her Little Bed We Lay Her" and "Mary Cogswell & Fred Vaillancourt," to the evocative travelogues of "Iceland" (again, referencing Sigur Rós?) and "New Zealand." Which sums up this release, at six songs and 35 minutes really more of an EP in the overlong-playing world of post-rock. While a great sounding record with moments of near brilliance, Maybe We're Making God Sad and Lonely is little more than a simulacrum of Dreamend's influences/contemporaries, and it remains to be seen if they will find a unique voice.

1. "A Place in Thy Memory" – 8:47
2. "In Her Little Bed We Lay Her" – 5:02
3. "Can't Take You (Dif)" – 4:10
4. "Iceland" – 5:21
5. "Mary Cogswell & Fred Vaillancourt" – 1:39
6. "New Zealand" – 10:02

http://rapidshare.com/files/203350958/Dreamend_-_Maybe_We_27re_Making_God_Sad_And_Lonely__282005_2C_Graveface_Records_2C_50MB_29.rar

[exy]

Mark Kozelek - The Finally LP (2008)
Folk rock, Sadcore, Alternative Singer/ Songwriter | mp3 192kpbs | 44.9MB

The Finally LP is a compilation album by Mark Kozelek. The CD was released on December 9, 2008 via Caldo Verde Records. According to the Caldo Verde website:
“ Over the years, Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and his earlier band, Red House Painters, has gained well deserved praise for his extraordinary songwriting. At the same time, he has developed a parallel reputation for his unique covers of other people's material. Many of these tracks were recorded for tribute albums that are now unavailable. Caldo Verde Records has now collected them in a cohesive, 10-song CD titled The Finally LP. ”

The compilation includes a country-tinged version of "Lazy" by Low, "Bedtime Lullaby," which first appeared in an animated featurette on an episode of the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba! (season 1/episode 5), and an acoustic version of Stephen Sondheim's "Send in the Clowns" recorded for the Minneapolis Bridge Disaster benefit CD. The album also includes radio show rarities, a previously unreleased version of Hüsker Dü's "Celebrated Summer" and two previously unreleased instrumentals, "The Piano Song" and "Gaping Mouth."

Track listing
1. "Piano Song" (Kozelek) – 1:44
2. "Finally" (Kath Bloom) – 2:11
3. "New Partner" (Will Oldham) – 3:34
4. "Send in the Clowns" (Stephen Sondheim) – 2:55
5. "Lazy" (Alan Sparhawk, Mimi Parker, Zak Sally) – 3:30
6. "Bedtime Lullaby" (Jarond Gibbs) – 1:31
7. "Celebrated Summer" (Mould) – 3:37
8. "My Friend Bob" (Dom Leone) – 2:59
9. "If You Want Blood" (Live in Lisbon) (Bon Scott, Angus Young, Malcolm Young) – 3:11
10. "Gaping Mouth" (Kozelek) – 5:12

http://rapidshare.com/files/211212560/_282008_29_Finally.zip

[buddha00man]

many thanx

[exy]

Camera Obscura - Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi (2002)
Indie Pop | mp3 192kpbs | 47:48 min. | 63MB

You really can't discuss Camera Obscura without mentioning Belle & Sebastian. That group's Stuart Murdoch produces Camera Obscura's debut, Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi; both groups hail from the part of Scotland where Felt, Donovan, the Pastels, and Heavenly are gods; and they both write smart, sweet indie pop songs with hearts on sleeve and tears on eyelash. Stop right there if you are thinking that Camera Obscura is a copyist, though. Stop and listen, because there is much to love about the band. First off are Tracyanne Campbell's remarkably sweet and rich vocals; she sings most of the leads (though John Henderson chimes in on leads and harmonies time to time) and has the kind of voice that will melt anyone who had a thing for Tracey Thorn. The songs are hooky and simple, based on classic indie pop chord changes and lovingly spiced with all sorts of sonic candy like chirping horns, gentle organ fills, handclaps, twangy-guitar solos, and swooning strings. The girl group-inspired "Eighties Fan" is undoubtedly the highlight, but almost any other tune would fit in swimmingly on an indie pop highlights mixtape. In fact, Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi makes a strong case for Camera Obscura as one of the best indie pop bands to come down the pike since, well, Belle & Sebastian.

"...their sound is a kind of mixture of Cinerama meets Belle and Sebastian with a wiff of country-tinged pop, with their marvelous vocals and plesantly melodic instrumentation."
"Inteligent and beautiful. Sometimes they sound like Belle & Sebastian, sometimes like Sundays, but always very original and fresh." <Amazon>

1. "Happy New Year"
2. "Eighties Fan"
3. "Houseboat"
4. "Shine Like A New Pin"
5. "Pen and Notebook"
6. "Swimming Pool"
7. "Anti-Western"
8. "Let's Go Bowling"
9. "I Don't Do Crowds"
10. "The Sun On His Back"
11. "Double Feature"
12. "Arrangements Of Shapes And Space"

http://rapidshare.com/files/210100918/Biggest_Bluest_Hi-Fi.rar

[exy]

Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville (2008) [15th Anniversary reissue]
mp3 VBR~211kpbs | 95MB | 69:30 min. | Alternative Rock, Lo-Fi, Indie Rock

Exile in Guyville is indie rock singer-songwriter Liz Phair's 1993 debut album.
The album frequently appears on many critics' best-of lists. It was ranked 15 in Spin's "100 Greatest Albums, 1985-2005". VH1 named "Exile in Guyville" the 96th Greatest Album Of All-Time. The album inspired a number of imitators, and the lo-fi sound and emotional honesty of Phair's lyrics were frequently cited by critics as outstanding qualities. In 2003, the album was ranked number 328 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. <Wikipedia>

1. "6'1"" – 3:05
2. "Help Me Mary" – 2:16
3. "Glory" – 1:29
4. "Dance of the Seven Veils" – 2:29
5. "Never Said" – 3:16
6. "Soap Star Joe" – 2:44
7. "Explain It to Me" – 3:11
8. "Canary" – 3:19
9. "Mesmerizing" – 3:55
10. "Fuck and Run" – 3:07
11. "Girls! Girls! Girls!" – 2:20
12. "Divorce Song" – 3:20
13. "Shatter" – 5:28
14. "Flower" – 2:03
15. "Johnny Sunshine" – 3:27
16. "Gunshy" – 3:15
17. "Stratford-On-Guy" – 2:59
18. "Strange Loop" – 3:57 (4:56 on the CD deluxe edition)¹
19. "Ant In Alaska" - 5:48 (Reissue Bonus Track)
20. "Say You" - 3:25 (Reissue Bonus Track)
21. "Instrumental - 3:29 (Reissue Bonus Track)

http://rapidshare.com/files/216612442/Liz_Phair-Exile_In_Guyville-2008-XXL.zip

[exy]

Mr. David Viner - Among The Rumours and The Rye (2008)
Modern Acoustic Blues, Folk | mp3 VBR~180kpbs | 49MB | 41:35 min.

A great collection of Ed Harcourt-produced troubadour antics from the very formal Mr. David Viner, whose writing is on fine form here, with beautiful songs like 'Go Home' and 'Lavender' somehow taking fingerpicked, acoustic guitar-based music into a territory you couldn't reasonably brand as folk. He's an immensely likable singer-songwriter, one who doesn't excessively exude seriousness, although one whose work nevertheless commands your attention. Although several tracks seem to accumulate strings, banjo and horns, you're none the worse off for hearing Viner at his most raw and uncovered: the title track is an utterly bare-boned Bert Jansch-style acoustic number, and although elsewhere you'll find good use of those more audacious arrangements, the performance on 'Among The Rumours And The Rye' is mesmerisingly brilliant. Viner's lyrics are completely engrossing and the guitar is played beautifully - two of the more essential attributes of any singer songwriter, though two of the hardest to pin down.

1. Do What Thou Wilt
2. Lavender
3. Go Home
4. Dig A Hole
5. I've Got Mine You've Got Yours
6. From The Levee's Peak
7. Get Through This
8. Won't Cry Again
9. Thorn In My Side
10. Old Black Crow
11. Among The Rumours And The Rye
12. Bow Your Head

http://rapidshare.com/files/212907059/MDV-ATRATR.rar

[exy]

Pavement - Terror Twilight (1999)
mp3 VBR~191kpbs | 61.8MB | 44:13 min.

Since Pavement switched course with each record — Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain was nothing like Slanted & Enchanted, and Brighten the Corners was decidedly different from the brilliant, warped Wowee Zowee — it's a little disarming to realize that Terror Twilight merely deepens the sound of its predecessor. Guitars burst to the forefront every so often — most notably on the dense jam "Platform Blues" and the shouted choruses of "Billie" — yet they're usually used as texture. Nothing rocks hard and "The Hexx," which was heard on the Brighten tour as a metallic epic, has been transformed into a surrealistic dream, reminiscent of the Velvet Underground's "Ocean." That's typical of Terror Twilight — it's reflective, with the occasional flight of fancy that fits neatly into the laid-back flow. It's also the tightest record Pavement ever made, largely due to producer Nigel Godrich, who helped reign in excessive tendencies in Radiohead and Beck and does the same here. The band still sounds like Pavement — their loping interplay is unmistakable — and Stephen Malkmus' songs are typically dense and literate, yet they're easier to digest. That, along with the lack of Spiral Stairs songs, gives Terror Twilight a cohesion missing even on earlier Pavement albums, no matter how great they were. All the focus makes the album feel a little less like Pavement — after all, this is a band whose imperfections were among their most endearing qualities — and a bit more like Malkmus' first solo album, which it essentially is. Though it's hard not to miss the gloriously messy sprawl of Pavement at their peak, this carefully crafted, languid recasting of their signature sound is effective and winds up as a fitting, bittersweet farewell for the best band of the '90s. <AMG>

http://rapidshare.com/files/216246844/1999_-_Terror_Twilight.rar

[exy]

Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994)
mp3 VBR~211kpbs | 63.6MB | 42:25 min.

It may be a bit reductive to call Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain the Reckoning to Slanted & Enchanted's Murmur -- not mention easy, considering that Pavement recorded a song-long tribute to R.E.M.'s second album during the Crooked Rain sessions -- but there's a certain truth in that statement all the same. Slanted & Enchanted is an enigmatic masterpiece, retaining its mystique after countless spins, but Crooked Rain strips away the hiss and fog of S&E, removing some of Pavement's mystery yet retaining their fractured sound and spirit. It's filled with loose ends and ragged transitions, but compared to the fuzzy, dense Slanted, Crooked Rain is direct and immediately engaging -- it puts the band's casual melodicism, sprawling squalls of feedback, disheveled country-rock, and Stephen Malkmus' deft wordplay in sharp relief. It's the sound of a band discovering its own voice as a band, which is only appropriate because up until Crooked Rain, Pavement was more of a recording project between Malkmus and Scott Kannberg than a full-fledged rock & roll group. During the supporting tour for Slanted, Malkmus and Kannberg recruited bassist Mark Ibold and percussionist Bob Nastanovich, and original drummer Gary Young was replaced by Steve West early into the recording for this album, and the new blood gives the band a different feel, even if the aesthetic hasn't changed much. The full band gives the music a richer, warmer vibe that's as apparent on the rampaging, noise-ravaged "Unfair" as it is on the breezy, sun-kissed country-rock of "Range Life" or its weary, late-night counterpart, "Heaven Is a Truck." Pavement may still be messy, but it's a meaningful, musical messiness from the performance to the production: listen to how "Silence Kit" begins by falling into place with its layers of fuzz guitars, wah wahs, cowbells, thumping bass, and drum fills, how what initially seems random gives way into a lush Californian pop song. That's Crooked Rain a nutshell -- what initially seems chaotic has purpose, leading listeners into the bittersweet heart and impish humor at the core of the album. Many bands attempted to replicate the sound or the vibe of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, but they never came close to the quicksilver shifts in music and emotion that give this album such lasting appeal. Here, Pavement follow the heartbroken ballad "Stop Breathin'" with the wry, hooky alt-rock hit "Cut Your Hair" without missing a beat. They throw out a jazzy Dave Brubeck tribute in "5-4=Unity" as easily as they mimic the Fall and mock the Happy Mondays on "Hit the Plane Down." By drawing on so many different influences, Pavement discovered its own distinctive voice as a band on Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, creating a vibrant, dynamic, emotionally resonant album that stands as a touchstone of underground rock in the '90s and one of the great albums of its decade. <AMG>

http://rapidshare.com/files/216183682/1994_-_Crooked_Rain_2C_Crooked_Rain.rar

[exy]

Arcade Fire - Funeral (2004)
Indie Rock, Post-Rock/ Experimental | mp3 192kpbs | 65MB | 45:40 min.

One of the indie rock community’s most beloved finds of 2004, Arcade Fire are poised to win over even more listeners.
Montreal's Arcade Fire brings a theatricality, an intensity, an insanity, and a penchant for amazing hooks to their debut full-length. You've never heard such energy, beauty, and emotion from such a young band. Fans of Neutral Milk Hotel, Broken Social Scene, and Roxy Music's first two albums will have a new favorite band. <Amazon.com>

1. Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
2. Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
3. Une Annee Sans Lumiere
4. Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
5. Neighborhood #4 (7 Kettles)
6. Crown Of Love
7. Wake Up
8. Haiti
9. Rebellion (Lies)
10. The Backseat

http://rapidshare.com/files/217119665/aff.rar

[exy]

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (2007)
Indie Rock, Baroque Pop, Post-punk revival | mp3 VBR~211kpbs | 70MB | 47:03 min.

Upon release, Neon Bible garnered mostly positive critical reception, receiving the seventh highest score of 2007 from review aggregated Metacritic. NME reviewer Mark Beaumont commented the album "is a climactic monolith of a record in the grand tradition of melodic transatlantic clamour rock."
Neon Bible was a finalist for the 2007 Polaris Music Prize, and nominated for Best Alternative Album for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. It was #4 in NME albums of the year, fourth in Rolling Stone's list of albums of the year and album of the year in Q in December 2007. The album won the 2008 Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year. <Wikipedia>

Track listing:
1. "Black Mirror" – 4:13
2. "Keep the Car Running" – 3:29
3. "Neon Bible" – 2:16
4. "Intervention" – 4:19
5. "Black Wave/Bad Vibrations" – 3:57
6. "Ocean of Noise" – 4:53
7. "The Well and the Lighthouse" – 3:56
8. "(Antichrist Television Blues)" – 5:10
9. "Windowsill" – 4:16
10. "No Cars Go" – 5:43
11. "My Body Is a Cage" – 4:47

http://rapidshare.com/files/217111849/afnb.rar