Artist: Neon Indian

Hails From: Denton, TX

Musical Style: Indie, Alternative, Electronic

For Fans of: MGMT, Washed Out, Air

Terminally Chill

Why you should check them out:

It’s an easy/bad pun, sorry, but Neon Indian has more buzz than a, err… neon light bulb.  The band has become the leading figure of the new indie microgenre called chillwave. This new sound applies a garage lo-fi aesthetic to a sleepy 80’s-style synth pop. Much of this genre’s success can be credited back to Neon Indian’s sleek and gratifying songwriting.  There are hooks at every turn and they know how to present a cool retro sound fitted for the listeners of today.

Background Check:

The band started as the brain child of Alan Paloma, who wrote the music and lyrics, and his long-time high school friend Alicia Scardetta, who supplied visual elements to accompany the music. They released their first EP in 2008, but it wasn’t until the spring of 2009 when they released two tracks “Should Have Taken Acid With You” and “6699 (I don’t Know if you Know)” onto the web. Several indie music blogs caught wind and started to spread the word.

They released their first LP Psychic Chasms, on Lefse record in October and since then the buzz has just continued to grow.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

MySpace

Wikipedia

On Tour:

JamBase

Artist: Four Tet

Hails from: London, England

Musical Style: Electronica, Indie Alternative

For Fans of: Flying Lotus, Moby, Aphex Twin

My Angel Rocks Back and Forth

WHY YOU SHOULD CHECK THEM OUT:

Four Tet is the ambient electronic music of London based DJ/Producer Kieran Hebden. He creates lush and meditative electronic soundscapes that utilize both programmed and organic sounds. The result is a brand of electronica that is immediately accessible to almost every type of listener, from electronica neophytes to the connoisseurs.

BACKGROUND CHECK:

Kieran Hebden released his first recording under the Four Tet moniker in 1998 with a 36 minute and 25 second single, appropriately titled Thirtysixtwentyfive (John Cage strikes again). That recording was a slight departure from the music Hebden was used to playing. Most of his musical career was spent in the post rock outfit Fridge.  Hebden used Four Tet as an outlet to explore and create music that did not fit with Fridge’s music. As a result he pulled inspiration from hip hop, jazz, eletronica and minimalism.

Four Tet rose to prominence through a series of releases on Domino Records, including Rounds, which features the hauntingly beautiful, single “My Angel Rocks Back and Forth”. He went on tour with Radiohead in 2003 after their LP Hail to the Theif. This followed after a welcome reception of a remix he did for their song Scatterbrain.

To date Four Tet has released 5 albums, 4 EPs, and slew of remixes. In fact some of his best-known work is remixing other artists. Some of which include: Explosions in the Sky, Kings of Convenience, Bloc Party, Andrew bird, and The Notwists. His most recent album, There is Love in You, came out this February to universal acclaim, and he is currently on tour in Europe.

Where you can find them in cyberspace:

MySpace

Fourtet.net

On Tour:

JamBase

ARTIST: The Very Best

HAILS FROM: Malawi, France and Sweden

Musical Style: Alternative, Indie/Pop, Electronica

FOR FANS OF: M.I.A, Brazilian Girls, Vampire Weekend

WHY YOU SHOULD CHECK THEM OUT:

Malawi born singer Esau Mwamwaya paired up with the dancehall and grime step production team of Radioclit to create an uplifting, sunny and melodic record that borrows sounds from all over the globe.

BACKGROUND CHECK:

The Very Best first gained attention last December when they released a free mixtape on their Myspace page. It was part afro-pop, part sample-based electronica and it took critics by storm. The collection of songs managed to make it onto countless year-end lists, all while earning no money. Their reimaginings of Vampire Weekend’s Cape Cod Kwasa Kwasa and M.I.A’s Boyz offered glimpses of what this singer and production team could accomplish with a fully realized original album. Well now they’ve returned, almost a year later, with an album that has a more developed and mature sound, yet still retains all the contagious fun that their mixtape offered.

Their most recent record, Warm Heart of Africa, sonically follows the same formula as their mixtape: A vibrant and summery sound, with Esau’s vocals out front and Radioclits playful and thumping rhythms offering support. On their first recording they relied on samples of artists like Vampire Weekend and M.I.A, however on this record Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend and Maya Arulpragasam (M.I.A.) come to sing alongside Esau in two new and original songs.

Most of the album is sung in Chichewa, the native language of Malawi, however the joy in Esau’s voice and the range of the musical compositions from Radioclit allows for an understanding that goes beyond words. If you feel like summer may have come and gone too soon, you should definitely spend some time with The Very Best, it’ll bring back the sun right before we head into winter months.

Where you can find them in Cyberspace:

MySpace

On Tour:

JamBase