Indie

Streetlamp: Streetlamp EP

Streetlamp is an indie band from New York that gorgeously fuses rock, soul, blues and folk into their riveting sound. Spearheaded by, Kit Oh Kein!, singer, Ryan Milligan (check out their album here) Streetlamp has that distinct alt-country blues rock sound meshed with the gritty underground hipster scene. The EP contains 6 tracks recorded between October 2011 to April 2012 and currently offered as a free download over at BandCamp.

The Embracers: Tasteful Thickness Vol. 1

The Embracers is one of those bands that are likable because they have a sound that's so familiar. Despite belonging to a saturated genre, they manage to hold their own and deliver a record that capture a laid-back, lounging-on-the-couch-being-cool vibe. Tasteful Thicknes Vol. 1 is their latest online release. It's being offered as a free download over at BandCamp and serves as an awesome introduction for the band. Currently, the five-piece has been on the road and doing the rounds in festivals which is helping them gain and solidify a steady fanbase.

The Velvet Chameleon: Dandruff

Adarsh Fernando aka The Velvet Chameleon is certainly one talented guy. Inspired by musicians like Led Zeppelin and Radiohead; the guy knows how to create sonically entertaining tracks. Dandruff contains 4 tracks and belongs to the set of EPs the artist plans to release for 2011/2012. This might seem like a short album with only very few songs but there's no shortage in interesting and likable cuts on here. The EP is offered as a free download and licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Swear and Shake: Maple Ridge

If Bon Iver and The Carpenters had a love child, then it will definitely be Swear and Shake. Their new musical venture, Maple Ridge, paints a fresh new color to the somehow predictable indie folk landscape. Hailing from New York, the band is composed of Kari Spieler, Adam McHeffey, Shaun Savage, and Thomas Elefante. The quartet was formed last 2010 upon an encounter between Kari and Adam who then recruited two of his long-time friends Shaun and Tom. After that, the rest is history filled with live performances, tours across the US, and opening acts for big musicians like Alison Krauss and Ray LaMontagne.

Grenadine: Grenadine

Grenadine is the solo project of French musician, Julie Branet. Initially trained as a violist, she started writing songs and became active with her music career in 2008. This self-titled debut carries four of her lovely tracks. Her upbeat and sweet French pop style is reminiscent of Canadian singer-songwriter, Feist, bearing catchy pop rhythms you'd want to spend time with on laid back happy days. She's also been touring to promote her sound. According to her bio, she's shared the stage with artists like Heart and The Pirate Husky.

The Black Atlantic: Darkling, I Listen

The Black Atlantic is no stranger to the pages of the Frostclick blog, their previous record, Reverence for Fallen Trees, was featured here before. Despite their rather melodic folk sound, they list metal bands like Slayer and Metallica as among their influences on their Facebook page. Whether it's a tongue-in-cheek name drop or not, if you listened to Darkling, I Listen; it's hard to find these influences. They don't seem to need it though since the group is fully capable of mesmerizing their audience with their subdued indie folk ensembles.

Magnetic Memory: Magnetic Memory EP

After years of working together on their music, four-piece Springfield, MO natives Magnetic Memory are finally ready to share the fruit of their hard work. This self-titled EP is their first compilation. Featuring 8-indie fun lovin' tracks; each song is reflective of the band's willingness to take their time as they explore and create plenty of musical reflection as well as lyrical innovation on the record. Made up of Phil Davis, Tony DeLuca, Adam Wright and Cody Lane; they consider bands like Modest Mouse, Wolf Parade and Arcade Fire as among their influences.

Renard: Robot Brainstronaut Blastoff!!!

If you like techno, video game references, and ridiculously vibrant art covers, Robot Brainstronaut Blastoff is the prescription music you need to take. Produced and made exclusively by Renard (just one of his few aliases) through his personal, independent record label LapFox Trax, this Canadian electronic music extraordinaire sequences and mixes his tracks using state-of-the-art programs and equipment.

Magic Man: Real Life Color

Dreamy and magical seems best fit to describe Magic Man. Partners in crime, Sam Lee and Alex Caplow join together to create a beautiful mix of simple indie synth pop tracks that at parts will lull you to sleep and also perk your day right up. Real Life Color is their debut compilation. According to the boys, "the songs were written at several different locations in France, including a chateau, a farm, a circus festival, and a beach cottage and brought back home to the states for further recording and editing (most of which was done in small dorm rooms and transmitted between band members with the aid of the world wide web)."