Clans - Ode To Nothing

1. Who is he?

He is Niko Monjarez a one-man band and music producer who hails from Detroit, Michigan, but fights out of Los Angeles, California. He makes music primarily under the moniker Clans but you'll see some of his stuff under other names like Street Jobs and Marathon. Ode To Nothing came from his second E.P. L.A. Royalty (July, 2018).

2. What kind of song is it?

Clans describes himself as indie punk rock but Ode To Nothing has one regular rock riff that opens this gem and then continues doing all the heavy lifting throwing in some pop breakdowns to keep it interesting. Ode To Nothing is an attack on his own ego and being a fake ass bitch and that carries a bit of righteous anger amidst the self-contempt. 

3. Who do Clans sound like?

Portugal. The Man, PARTYBABY, and Winnetka Bowling League.

4. Which bands have influenced Clans?

Mention has been made in passing to Owl City, Passion Pit, and Rival Sons.

5. What have people said about Ode To Nothing?

"This is the most underrated artist I have ever come across" - Reddit.

"Fucking awesome" - Reddit.

"Yeah this is brilliant"- YouTube Comments.

6. Anything else?

Clans zenith is the magnum opus Glendale. Have patience it builds slowly. The video is a low-key masterpiece.

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - Kid Astray

Kid Astray It’s Alright (March'15) is fucking good times brilliant. Good enough to make a dead man dance. It starts with the perfect set up. Thirty seconds of near unaccompanied laidback singing, a little guitar plucking and synth build up then the rhythm section give it some tits and at the one minute mark the climatic all in. Arses are shaking and pussies aching. Choruses like this need to be carved in marble for future civilisations to understand the unalloyed joy of using up all the oil. Bag this tune and sell it on the corner. It’s instant happy.

No shortage of synth but it ain’t too soft Goldilocks. Just enough guitar to edge the tune close enough to indie rock that you won’t lose your street cred blasting it from your car stereo. A tune about overcoming the demons of your past, Elizabeth Wu’s voice is nigh on angelic, and provides a superb counter point to Benjamin Giortz’s more earthy lead. All told this banger is as sticky as a pre-schooler’s hands after going to the toilet and dimes to dollars you can bet this is one of the best fucking indie songs of 2015.

“You keep blinding me, with your own stupidity

It makes me curious, how you get so furious,

But it’s alright, you are gonna make it alright…”

 
Kid Astray are an indie pop band from Sandvika, a town close to Oslo, Norway. They started making sweet music in high school and this is the second offering off their debut album Home Before Dark (June’15).

Shit you need to know:

Kid Astray’s  main influences are Passion Pit, Foster the People and The Wombats. Kid Astray also wouldn't kick Michael Jackson out of the bed for getting frisky and like 80's and 90's synth pop.

The drummer’s mom’s punk band are an inspiration.

The band met and started playing together in high school. One was a Vogue model, another a junior golf champion and another a piano prodigy.

If you're looking for another Kid Astray cracker try Still Chasing Nothing.

 

Here is the Australian indie funk rockers Bluejuice and I'll Go Crazy (2014).