Artist: Say Hi

Hails From: Seattle, WA

Musical Style: Pop, Rock, Indie

For Fans of: Decemberists, Death Cab for Cutie, Grandaddy

Why you should check them out:

With a whispered rapport and a three chord catharsis, Say Hi can talk about anything, from doomed relationships to spaceships with wistful ease and head nodding persuasion. Frontman Eric Elbogen crafts impeccable indie pop with a sly smile and intimate wit appropriate for any situation.

Background Check:

Say Hi is Eric Elbogen, the energetic and pop culture obsessed songwriter who has helmed the project since 2002. Originally out of Brooklyn, NY and previously known as Say Hi to Your Mom, Elbogen began recording at home, self recording his lush and straightforward indie rock in the vein of the more accessible side of the Pixies. Elbogen’s albums are almost entirely self produced and played, with the multi-talented musician taking up nearly all the parts on any given track. Elbogen began his own recording label to release his homespun creations, Euphobia Records, in 2005 giving home to his ever revolving songs about vampires and Star Trek, most notably 2006’s Impeccable Blahs, which referenced Buffy and other Joss Whedon creatures.

With a moniker shortening (Your Mom just wasn’t that aesthetic anymore) and cross country relocation in 2008, Elbogen landed in Seattle and on Barsuk Records, a perfect fit in the indie rock label’s catalog. In March 2009, Say Hi released Oohs and Aahs, the most hook laden album of Elbogen’s career. Understated and enthusiastic, the record signals a culmination of Say Hi’s previous efforts into a rather flawless concoction of pop and indie rock. Melodic and moody at times, the album is one of Elbogen’s most charming and disarming works to date.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

MySpace

ilikesayhi.com

Wikipedia

On Tour:

JamBase

Artist: The XX

Hails from: London

Musical style: Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Alternative

For fans of: Portishead, Mazzy Star, Hot Chip

Artist: Taken By Trees

Hails from: Sweden

Musical Style: Alternative, Pop, Indie

For Fans of: Cat Power, Animal Collective, Peter Bjorn & John

Why you should check her out:

If the name doesn’t sound familiar, the voice certainly will. Taken by Trees vocalist Victoria Bergsman is most well known for her performance on the ubiquitous whistle-happy tune “Young Folks” by Peter, Bjorn and John. However Taken by Trees is Bergman’s show; on this sophomore album she creates a lush and textured sound that blends her melodic Swedish pop with Near East instrumentation.

Background Check:

Victoria Bergsman’s first musical success was with the indie rock group The Concretes, a band that draws as much from the art of The Velvet Underground as it does from the summery pop of Belle & Sebastian. Bergsman left the Concretes in 2006, right on the heels of her appearance in the Peter, Bjorn & John song “Young Folks”. She created her solo moniker, Taken by Trees, and took her distinctive deadpan vocal styling to the studio for her 2007 release Open Field.

Her most recent album, East of Eden, is a slight departure from her usual sound. She traveled to Pakistan to record the album and enlisted local musicians to offer their Eastern influences to the record’s aesthetic. She also called on some of her fellow indie rock friends to help fill out the sound. Animal Collective’s, Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), supplies background vocals for the song “Anna”. And at one point in the album she pays tribute to all of the gentlemen in Animal Collective with a cover of their song “My Girls”, aptly titled for her as “My Boys”.

This is a record that is truly entertaining from start to finish.  Because of its density it will reward the patient listener, however it is also immediately accessible. It is chalk full of infectious melodies, compliments of Sweden; and exotic head nodding rhythms, compliments of Pakistan – the best of both worlds.

Where you can find her in Cyberspace:

Takenbytrees.com

MySpace

Wikipedia

On Tour: 

JamBase