Artist: Caribou

Hails From: Dundas, Ontario, Canada; London, England

Musical Style: Electronic, Indie Rock

For Fans of: Animal Collective, Stereolab, DJ Shadow, Dntel

Odessa

Why you should check them out:

Canadian-born electronic musician Dan Snaith is a one-man show: if you hear a sound on one of his tunes, chances are excellent that he played it, sang it, sampled it, or stole it. As both Manitoba and now Caribou, he’s managed to artfully genre hop his way through several critically acclaimed albums, culminating with 2010’s Swim.

Background Check:

Dan Snaith’s work as Manitoba gained instant attention in the electronic world. After moving to London and releasing his second album, 2003’s Up in Flames, Snaith introduced his music to the wider public.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Dictator’s frontman Richard “Handsome Dick” Manitoba sued him for trademark infringement. Undeterred, Snaith reemerged as Caribou to release The Milk of Human Kindness [2005, Domino], a spirited but uneven affair that combines elements of indie rock, trip-hop, and Krautrock—and a shout-out to electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick.

Next up were his two strongest efforts, both released for Merge: 2008’s Andorra and this year’s Swim. The former is a little more shoegaze-y psych, the latter a bit dancier, but both exhibit Snaith’s tasteful ear and talent for alchemy: an innate ability to combine disparate layers of sound into something fresh, melodic, and interminably hummable.

Caribou shows include a full live band. The current lineup features Snaith on vocals and percussion, backed up by Ryan Smith, Brad Weber, and John Schmersal.

–Matthew Dube

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

official website

myspace

On Tour:

jambase



Artist: Please Dept.

Hails From: Brooklyn, NY

Musical Style: Pop, Electro, Indie

For Fans of: They Might Be Giants, Stephen Malkmus

Baptist Party

Why you should check them out:

The often expanding duo of Chris Hembree and Matt Harty of Please Dept. bring you Vomit of Light, an album so full of jovial narratives and stick in your head melodies you’ll be coming back for more.

Background Check:

The longtime project of Brooklyn based singer/songwriter Chris Hembree, Please Dept. has gone through several formations since their start in 2002. “I’ve performed with many setups over the years,” explains Hembree. “Conventional four-piece band, keys and accordion duo with prerecorded beats, and most recently: keys and drums duo (with Matt Harty).” And through such lineup reconfigurations, at its core, Please Dept. is all Hembree. Enlisting the help of whichever contributors happen to be available on any given night, each live set is tailored specifically for the lineup, keeping things “more interesting for everybody.”  It’s no surprise then that a band founded on improvisation and change should create songs equally as versatile.

With upbeat indie pop grounded in Hembree’s playful and humor backed vocals, Please Dept.’s fourth and most recent release, Vomit of Light, plays like a catalog of charismatic sing-along’s with fun fueled electronic flourishes. Citing such comparable “talk-singing” vocal influences as Stephen Malkmus and Lou Reed, Hembree’s unconventional lyrics and vocal style remain all his own. And while the majority of Please Dept.’s live performances center around the venues in their native New York City, with hooks so catchy it surely won’t be long until this band hits the road and plays near you – and there’s just no telling what form the band might happen to take next.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

myspace
Please Dept. website

On Tour:

Artist: Discovery

Hails From: New York City

Musical Style: Electronic, Indie, R&B

For Fans of: Vampire Weekend, Ra Ra Riot, The Postal Service

Orange Shirt

Why you should check them out:

The glitchy, glitzy synths that electronic duo Discovery leave behind in their path are more than mere bread crumbs for a safe return.  Full of experimentation and pitch-shifting software, the band brings a playful and charming array of R&B beats and cooling hypnotic harmonies.

Background Check:

If the sharply angled electronic dream pop that emerges from Discovery’s debut album, LP, is an eyebrow raiser, it may be due to the source. The duo is made of Vampire Weekend keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij and Ra Ra Riot singer Wes Miles, both of whom have become known in the indie world for re-framing classic sounds in new exotic arrangements–but, you know, in rock bands. Here the two embrace a wholly different slice of pop, combing R&B beats and a bedroom like intimacy for an inviting and innocently pulsating record.

The two friends first began collaborating and recording sans guitars in the summer of 2005, before either formed the groups they’re now known for. The project always remained close to the pair, an escape into a quirky and irreverent avenue of the of scattered rhythms, dazzling digital hues, and Miles’ rioting yell reduced in a simmering sauce of falsetto crooning and whispered yearning. With guest appearances on their debut by the likes of fellow Vampire Weekender Ezra Koeing and the Dirty Projector’s Angel Deradoorian, the group has emerged from back burner curiosity to full-fledged wonder duo in the making.

Like the best kind of side project, Discovery is the yin to Batmanglij’s and Miles’ rock n’ roll yang. But at the end of the day, Discovery is about having fun, celebrating music and dabbling in something new. Where Discovery is headed is still a mystery. These two are, after all, a couple of busy artists. It is a sure thing though, that wherever they end up, you’ll want to see what they discover.

–Charlie Swanson

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

Discovery web site
MySpace

Merch:

Kung Fu Store