I Heart Hiroshima - Punks [indie rock]

I Heart Hiroshima is a three-piece indie rock band from Australia. Pretty neat song. And, they don't have a bass guitar apparently. This is "Punks" from their first album Tuff Teef released in 2007.

I Heart Hiroshima - Punks from We're Wolf on Vimeo.

Sad Day For Puppets - Sorrow Sorrow [nu-gaze]

I've previously made a post about Sad Day For Puppets, the Swedish nu-gaze band. Here's another pleasant piece by them. This is "Sorrow Sorrow" from their 2010 album Pale Silver & Shiny Gold, which I actually received in the mail just last week. Contrary to the title, this song is actually pretty uplifting. 

Regarding their album, I was initially a little dismayed that it was only 37 minutes long (10 songs). But after listening to the entire album, it really was a non-issue considering the number of songs that I actually ended up liking. Super.

The Shoes - Wastin' Time [indie electronica]

The Shoes are a French duo. This song is from their first album "Crack My Bones" released earlier this year.

Al Bizzare - Fire Breazze (Original Mix) [trance]

I don't think I'll be making as frequent entries anymore. It was pretty casual when I was doing this on Google Plus and doing it at the pace I've been doing so far is probably a tad bit unsustainable.

Anyway, here's a nice trance tune I found the other day. There's not too much information on Al Bizzare, only that it consists of two Russians dudes. Super.

The New Pornographers - Crash Years [indie]

The New Pornographers is an indie band hailing from Vancouver, B.C. and their latest record just came in the mail today. I wouldn't call myself a die-hard fan but I certainly enjoy the stuff they put out. Good instrumental layering, strong and varied vocals (they have three great vocalists to work with), and thoughtful lyrics.

This is "Crash Years" from their 2010 album Together.

The Union Trade - Everyday Including Holidays [post-rock]

The Union Trade is an American indie post-rock band, which formed in 2006. Reviewers say that this band's sound involves combining post-rock instrumentals with a variety of guitar and vocal effects. Also, reviewers and the band itself often refer to their music as "cinematic post-rock", though I have no idea what that means.

Anyway, this is "Everyday Including Holidays", an instrumental piece by The Union Trade, though much of their other work does feature vocals, from their 2008 album Everyday Including.

A. A. Bondy - I Killed Myself When I Was Young [folk]

A. A. Bondy is a folk artist from Alabama. His solo career started after his previous gig, Verbena, had disbanded. Compared to Verbena's stuff, Bondy's solo work has been described to be more traditional and minimalist. Interestingly, his music has been featured on a number of TV shows such as House, Friday Night Lights, and Bones.

This is "I Killed Myself When I Was Young" from his 2007 album American Hearts.

Ulrich Schnauss - A Letter From Home [ambient techno]

This is "A Letter From Home" by Ulrich Schnauss, a German electronic musician. This song is from his second album A Strangely Isolated Place released in 2003, which showed a notable influence from the likes of Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine (I swear I'm not purposefully trying to bring every post back to shoegaze).

But whatever the influences, I found the entire album a very soothing experience. Listening to a few of the songs really seemed to transport me to another place, a more simple and calming place. It was actually for one of the other songs on this album that I had wanted to make a video of the song set to visuals of driving through somewhere remote.

But you know what's even more remote than the countryside? The vastness of space (with good audio quality to boot).

"A Letter From Home" from Uwe Heinrich Adler on Vimeo.

Asobi Seksu - Trails [shoegaze, dream pop]

Asobi Seksu is an American shoegaze/dream pop band. They were originally known as Sportfuck but changed their name shortly after the release of their first EP in 2001, saying that they found it juvenile. Interestingly, Asobi Seksu is just a play on that name: Asobi means game/play whereas Seksu is clearly just a japonification (or whatever) of sex.

This song, "Trails", which can be found on their latest album Fluorescence (2011), is a great tune that features elements from both the shoegaze and dream pop genres. It starts off with shoegaze-esque guitar instrumentals, reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine, and later transitions to a more ethereal sound. All the while we are treated to Yuki Chikudate's vocals, which are strong enough to maintain its ground in the midst of all the varied instrumentation.