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Monday, June 13, 2016

Discoverer 144: new indie findings

Here comes another trio of new proposals in our discoverer seriesTake a listen, here's indiepop fuel for your upcoming summer!

Amber Arcades. Let me introduce you to Annelotte de Graaf, a Dutch legal aide on UN war crime tribunals (recently worked helping people to leave Syria) who also happens to be a great musician. She began writing songs around 2010 while temporarily living in Philadelphia. Her initial solo, bedroom folk approach, had one release in 2013 in the form of self-titled debut EP, after coming back to the Netherlands. But Annelote wanted to move from the singer-songwriter constraints, so she flew out to New York in 2015, teaming up with producer Ben Greenberg (Beach Fossils, The Men) and a studio backing band formed by members of Real Estate, Quilt and Kevin Morby. In the meantime, she released the 'Patiently' EP that October, a collection of stripped-down versions of the forthcoming debut album plus some lo-fi recordings. But finally, here's 'Fading Lines', debut LP out just now via Heavenly Records, a stunning and diverse indiepop album, full of jangly guitars, floating melodies, dreamy ambiences and ethereal vocals. An artist to admire & follow closely.


Blue Jeans. We move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, US, to meet Tim Sendra (guitars, vocals) and Heather Phares (bass, vocals), formerly known as Santa Monica Swim & Dive Club. curious moniker under which they released EP 'Mild Honey' in 2009 on Little Pocket Records, and a split single on Oddbox in 2011. The indiepop pedigree goes even back in time, as Tim was part of the great but really short-lived Veronica Lake in the early '90s. Not enough? Well, here's more, as the couple has just released debut album 'Song Are Easy' via our friends at Jigsaw Records with the help from David Serra on drums, Justin Dykehouse on synths, plus Fred Thomas from Saturday Looks Good to Me on production duties (and a little bit of everything). and the masterisation of legend Archie Moore of Black Tambourine and Velocity Girl. The result is summery pop with a twist and an edge, echoing glam, garage and a 60's rock vibe that makes this collection of songs instantly addictive. Looking for a soundtrack to your summer season? Listen to the Blue Jeans!

The Crystal Furs. And we end in Fort Worth, Texas, to meet this indiepop quartet formed just this 2016 by Amanda Camille (guitar, vocals), Kevin Ross (keys, vocals), Harley Dear (bass, vocals), and Tanner Brown (drums). Although we began to know about them and their lovely music in late 2015 as Pentacon Six, first incarnation with just Amanda and Kevin, Harley and Tanner joined in 2016 as the band prepared for live performances and the recording of its first full-length album. The ensemble became such a new beginning last month decided to rename themselves as The Crystal Furs, putting online (name your price at bandcamp) 'The Pentacon Sessions', debut EP where they have gathered three singles released as Pentacon Six. Three slices of blissful indiepop, heavily based on guitars and organ sound (a farfisa too), irrepressibly melodic and immediate. Looking forward to the album!

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