Far From Noise

Pretty much everything I like about music in this mix. Indie, female vocals, folk, and dance.
You can purchase this mix (or individual songs) from here:

1. Delta Spirit – People C’mon
   Album: Ode to Sunshine   
   This quintet from San Diego has been on tour with Cold War Kids and Dr. Dog, which I think gives a hint to their sound. They walk the line between indie and folk pretty well. This track is off their debut release, Ode to Sunshine, which deserves a full listen.
   
2. The Girls – TransferStation
   Album: Yes No Yes No Yes No   
   Not to be confused with Girls from San Francisco, this particular band is from Seattle. This recently released song will be on their full length album, Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes No.
   
3. TV On The Radio – Golden Age
   Album: Dear Science   
   Brooklyn-based band that has been called the American response to Radiohead. Expect their new LP, Dear Science, to receive rave reviews when it’s released later this year. Enjoy this little taste till then.
   
4. The Upsidedown – Silver Wind
   Album: Human Destination   
   Another northwest band, this one from Portland, just released their latest LP, Human Destination, in early August. You can see the band on tour with The Dandy Warhols.
   
5. Fan Death – The Constellations
   I’m having trouble finding any real information about this band despite the fact that they are all over the blogosphere right now. They seem to cross a lot of genres including indie and disco. I highly recommend checking out their myspace page and hearing what else they have to offer.
   
6. Pepi Ginsberg – The Waterline
   Album: Red   
   I came across this artist thanks to Liz over at The Blisslist. I gave her whole CD, Red, a listen but nothing seemed as good as this tune to me. I think the only reason it really stands out is her unusual background vocals.
   
7. Ingrid Michaelson – Be OK
   Album: Be OK   
   Great upbeat song with good lyrics. This female singer/songwriter from Staten Island, NY, has been featured on several TV soundtracks. Her latest project is a CD by the same name as this title track(due out in early October) and the proceeds will be going to cancer research.
   
8. Anni Rossi – Wheelpusher
   Album: Afton   
   I’ll just steal the description from the label: “From Minnesota via Los Angeles, 22-year old Anni Rossi is now based in Chicago. A classically trained musician from a young age, Anni is a most accomplished multi-instrumentalist.” Her debut CD, Afton, will be out later in October.
   
9. Alias – The Weathering (feat. The One AM Radio)
   Album: Resurgam   
   I’m not really sure how to classify the sound of this artist from Portland, Maine. He is known for his left-field hip-hip, masterfully produced electronic sound. This particular song reminds a little of Postal Service with a slight hip-hop beat. He released his fifth album, Resurgam (a Latin word meaning “I shall rise again”) , after moving on from living in Oakland, CA, for eight years.
   
10. Starfucker – German Love
    Album: Starfucker   
    Rather simple, repetitive song from another Portland, OR, band but I really enjoy listening to it. Their debut album is due out late this month.
    
11. Lykke Li – Breaking It Up (Punks Jump Up)
    I just like looking for excuses to post more Lykke Li. This time it’s a remix by Punks Jump Up. A well done remix and a fun song to dance to.
    
12. Tricky – Council Estate
    Album: Knowle West Boy   
    Trip-hop electronic producer from Bristol, England. This particular song off his latest release, Knowle West Boy, is a bit aggresive but the rest of the CD has a much more relaxed feel to it.
    

Apparently it’s a slow week in music and I was having the hardest time finding songs I liked for this week’s mix. I have been wanting to post a mix of all the great bands that will be playing on the second day, September 21st, of the Treasure Island Music Festival and I took this as a sign to finally do just that. Most of these bands I have covered in previous mixes but this gives me an opportunity to post my second favorite tracks.

I’m not a festival fan in the slightest, but the line-up was just too good to pass up. If you’re going, this should get you in the right mood for the show and be sure to let me know in the comments and maybe we can meet up. If you weren’t planning on going, this mix will give you a good taste and you may feel compelled to be there, and then you can buy tickets here. It should be a great show.
You can purchase this mix (or individual songs) from here:

1. The Morning Benders – Waiting For A War
   Album: Talking Through Tin Cans   
   When I first posted this Berkeley band on my third mix, I had only heard the one single. Now that I’ve heard the rest of the CD, Talking Through Tin Cans, I’m looking forward to seeing them live. I think they have good potential to get things started right.
   
2. Port O’Brien – Fisherman’s Son
   Album: All We Could Do Was Sing   
   This song doesn’t have quite the same energy of “I Woke Up Today” that I posted on mix 9 but it has a soulful feel that can draw you in. Another local band out of Oakland this time, their new LP is called All We Could Do Was Sing and deserves a listen.
   
3. The Dodos – Undeclared
   Album: Visiter   
   Now we hop across the bay for a band out of San Francisco. This song was my second choice for New Music 5 when I posted “Park Song.” It’s a short but pretty song and still doesn’t really show the energy that The Dodos will bring to the stage. I’m looking forward to seeing their driving, almost spastic percussion on stage.
   
4. Fleet Foxes – Ragged Wood
   Album: Fleet Foxes   
   This folk, gospel, pop band from Seattle can pull off amazing harmonies. I definitely prefer “White Winter Hymnal” included on New Music 13, but this one shows that they can do a slight upbeat when they want to. They released their self-titled LP in early June of this year.
   
5. Dr. Dog – The Rabbit, The Bat & The Reindeer
   Album: Fate   
   On tour from Philadelphia, this indie folk group released their newest LP, Fate, in late July. If you like their sound, you can hear some more on mix 15 track number 6.
   
6. John Vanderslice – Kookaburra
   Album: Emerald City   
   This is my first time really giving John Vanderslice a good listen and I like what I’m hearing. Definitely some interesting lyrics. This is the opening track on his last CD, Emerald City. The entire LP appears to tell a story about a man that commits a terrorist act and his emotions and actions afterwards.
   
7. The Kills – Tape Song
   Album: Midnight Boom   
   Midnight Boom is still one of my favorite CDs of 2008. I first posted “U.R.A. Fever” on my fourth mix and there are plenty of other great songs besides these two. I was bummed when I missed this band at Slim’s earlier this year so I’m super excited to finally see them live. You can really hear the Pixies influence with this song.
   
8. Tokyo Police Club – In a Cave
   Album: Elephant Shell   
   There are only three songs on Elephant Shell that I like so I’m hoping this Toronto band plays more of their older stuff. This song is off their new record and you can hear “Your English Is Good” on New Music 2.
   
9. Okkervil River – Our Live is Not a Movie or Maybe
   Album: The Stage Names   
   I’ve been wanting to post an Okkervil River song for awhile now and I randomly came across this song because it was used on the sound track for Tropic Thunder. A folk/indie rock sound out of Austin Texas, they have a new LP due out in the next week, The Stand Ins. You can hear a song from that release on The Blisslist.
   
10. Spiritualized – I Gotta Fire
    Album: Songs In A&E   
    On New Music 7 I chose the more unusual song off Songs In A&E, “Death Take Your Fiddle.” This was my second choice and definitely has a bit more commercial appeal and might even get you dancing in your seat.
    
11. Vampire Weekend – M79
    Album: Vampire Weekend   
    If I could post the entire contents of this NY band’s self-titled debut album, I would. There isn’t a song I don’t like. I chose “M79″ because when I saw them at the Rickshaw Stop it stood out to me and had a lot of people singing along. I’m also hoping they can have their entire string section for Treasure Island because Rickshaw was too small to include them on stage.
    
12. Tegan and Sara – Back In Your Head
    Album: The Con   
    Twins from Canada, these ladies pull off the type of harmonies that only family can. I really like their last CD, The Con, and I’ve been wanting to see them live for awhile.
    
13. The Raconteurs – Salute Your Solution
    Album: Consolers Of The Lonely   
    The headliner, and rightfully so, I can’t wait to see these guys tear it up. I saw them two years ago at The Warfield and was blown away by Jack White. The guy is a monster on stage and plays the guitar like no one else I’ve seen. And I’ve been a Brendan Benson fan for a long time too so I just love this band. The Raconteurs were on my first mix I made and their CD, Consolers Of The Lonely, was one of the catalysts for wanting to start this site. It was so good I felt like everyone I knew needed to hear about it.