After unveiling the very first podcast for Sunday's weekly roundup (which has since been followed by an awesome interview with Jonny Corndawg!), we have quite a packed Bonus Roundup this week. Get ready, because here it comes!
-Here's a lovely live performance by New Zealand band Alaska of their song "Lydian." Their debut album is due in April.
-Inspired by quite an interesting Valentine's Day, Rebecca Zapen wrote this cool folk song, "Swamp Pit."
-On February 7th, Archer Black will be releasing their debut album, Forgiveness Is A Weapon. Here's the lead single, "Onward & Down."
-Another debut album comes to us from London's Young Astronaut. It's called Fawn and is available for free at their website. Check out opening track "Hey Little Ghost," to see what you think.
-Perhaps you know Erin Passmore from the band Rah Rah, but I don't think one needs to have any familiarity with her to enjoy this great track "Downtown" from her forthcoming Downtown EP.
-One really cool thing about the internet and indie music is the proliferation of platforms for direct fan support to fund albums, shows, etc. The experimental group Aiode has a pretty fascinating proposal for their third record, White Spider Curse, a concept album that will involve interactive videos. Check out details here and listen to a recent track "4/5" below.
-The Shaking Through web recording/performance video series consistently produces awesome segments. Their latest is a session with Filthybird. You can listen to the wonderful result, "I'd Like To Know" below, but you really should click here to watch the video.
-I'm really digging this tune "Weekend Lovers" by Adventure Gallery. It's got a lot of energy and it's own bit of mystique, in that it seems to remind of a few different bands and genres, yet in a slippery, can't-quite-place-it way. It ultimately doesn't matter when it's a cool song like this, though. They have a proper debut album on the way too.
-I know Those Who Dig has a little bit of a following in Argentina, so I'm happy to share a short but sweet tune from an Argentine act, Los Jardines de Bruselas. It's called "The High Channel" and it's supposed to be from a TV show called Rocktails opening credits.
-It's not a huge stretch to go from Argentina to Italy, which is the location of the titular bridge in this song "Ponte Vecchio" by Brooklyn band Palomino. Just a really great alt-rock song, check it out!
-Between the indisputible awesomeness of Built to Spill and the prominence of the Boise State Broncos, Boise, Idaho is a city that's been on my radar for awhile. Here's the latest export that I'm enjoying, a band called Shades and their pleasant indie with electronic flourishes, "Ghostlike."
-If you're looking for an uplifting hip-hop song, look no further than "Second Chances" from Honors English. He weaves together three stories of people who had some tough times, but ultimately bounced back, stronger than ever. It's inspiring for sure and a cool track. Here's the video.
–The Foreign Films is the project of Bill Majoros and he's put out a cool rock song "Glitter" along with "Night Without The Day."
-We bring this packed Bonus Roundup to a close with Dress Rehearsal. This Canadian act has an eclectic sound that seems to belong most strongly to the folk realm, but there's certainly a lot going on. Check out "River Blue" to see what I mean.