Friendship Park - Mushy Mushy, Nice Nice

1.    Who are these chaps?

Friendship Park are Joshua Jouppi and Justin Lawes. They are a math folk-pop duo from Detroit and Brooklyn. They've banged out a handful of singles since 2014. Mushy Mushy, Nice Nice (Sept'16) is a stand-alone single.

2. What have they got to say for themselves?

Mushy Mushy, Nice Nice is indie music's raison d'etre. A wealth of brilliant, left-field, musical ideas all placed together into a wonderful melange. The kooky math-pop opening moves into indie pop-rock with some drum kicking in and a gang vocal chorus. A chorus so addictive people should be selling it in small bags on street corners. 

3. Who do Friendship Park sound like?

Josh thinks their sound falls in between Javelin and Maps and Atlases while also mentioning Jr. Jr. (formerly Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.) as a big influence.

4. What have the press said about Mushy Mushy, Nice Nice? 

“A song to slap a smile on your face and make your ass shake. Top class” – YouTube Comments.

“An intricately constructed indie pop tour de force. Sing along stuff” - The Best Indie Songs. 

5. Which bands have provided the inspiration for Friendship Park? 

Some of their main influences include Jr. Jr. , Future Islands, Javelin, Maps and Atlases and STRFKR.


6. Why should I give Mushy Mushy, Nice Nice a whip past the ears?

Mushy Mushy, Nice Nice is an intricately constructed indie pop tour de force. Sing along stuff. Infectious.


7. Do Friendship Park have any more of these solid gold masterpieces?

Don't know. 


8. Any more words?

Not a sausage. 

Monster Truck are a hard blues rock band from Hamilton, Canada. Rocking harder than Dwayne Johnson's erection since 2009 they have two albums on their battle honors. Monster Truck sound like Wolfmother grew a pair or an intense version of The Sheepdogs. Monster Truck are influenced by bands like Lynard Skynard, Grand Funk Railroad and Jimi Hendrix as well as Nirvana and Rage Against The Machine. From Monster Truck's second E.P. The Brown E.P. (2012) came their break through hit Righteous Smoke, a bombastic, riff-heavy, band chant-along, stomper of a track that re-invents the classic rock wheel.

“I was born in the fields,

The dirt my only home”

Sundara Karma - She Said

     1.    Who are they?

      Sundara Karma are an indie pop rock band from Reading, England, growing quickly in popularity. They have a handful of singles under their belt and She Said (Aug’16) is a single from their debut album Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect (Jan’17). 

     2. What's the tune like?

     She Said is a pretty indie synth-pop song with jangly guitar assist and a motormouth pace. She Said has a clever word to say about English hook up culture. Just as instantly likeable as last nights conquest and just as contagious. You know you want it.

     3. Who do Sundara Karma sound like?

     The Amazons, Spring King, Blossoms or Lisbon. The Guardian were feeling Arcade Fire, Bruce Springsteen and U2.  Trippers.

     4. What have the cut and paste merchants said about She Said? 

“Will have listeners instantly hooked” – Euphoriazine. 

“Sundara Karma are rapidly becoming a phenomenon” – Clash Music. 

“The slickest indie pop to come out of England since The Vaccines” – Gig Wise. 

     5. Which bands have influenced Sundara Karma?

The main influences are The Cure, The Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, Fleetwood Mac and Pink Floyd. 


6. Why should I give She Said a lash? 

She Said is by one of the hottest up-and-coming bands in England right now and they have banged out a belter with something to say and as sticky as a plumbers crack in summer.


7. What are the other Sundara Karma corkers?

A Young Understanding and Flame are the rock solid treats.


8. Any more words? 

No.

“He taught his heart how to be cool,

Because everyone loves a criminal”

   

     

     The Perks are an indie pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada. They are influenced by bands like Imagine Dragons, The Killers, The Foo Fighters and Cold Play. Razorblades slides off their second E.P. At The Docks (2014) and is a tasty little melange of bouncy pop with guitar grunt. Should of been huge.

“I’m gonna do everything that I want to,

And you can’t stop me now”

Whilk & Misky- All By Myself

     1.    Who are these bohemians? 

     Whilk & Misky are an indie electronic duo from London. The chaps have been releasing music since 2014 and have a short player and a handful of singles on their resume. All By Myself (July'16) is a standalone single.

     2. What is All By Myself about?

     All By Myself is an acoustic, foot tapping, clap-along tune with a brass assist that is all about getting your groove on with no fucks given. Just get your snout in the trough; this tune is more contagious than a cheap Thai hookers sausage smuggler at sun up.

     3. Who do Whilk & Misky sound like?

     Milky Chance and Vance Joy say the folk at Indie Shuffle. 

      4. What have the muppets in the press said about All By Myself?

“Anthem of the summer” – NME. 

     “Infectious groove” – Abduction Radiation.   

     “Uplifting and catchy” – Chrome Music. 

  5. Which bands have put the dance in Whilk & Misky's step? 

  Some of the Whilk & Misky influences are Bob Dylan, Grizzly Bear, Jon Hopkins and Shiba San. 


  6. Why should I give All By Myself a lash?

  All By Myself brings catchy indie pop to a dance beat. Impossible to dislike.


  7. Do Whilk & Misky have any more of these treasures?

  Babe I'm Yours is the one you want.


  8. Any more words Chief?

   Nah. Jog on.

“All by myself I came to party”

Krrum is a music producer from Leeds, England, and an electronic pop musician. Evil Twin is from the man's debut E.P. Evil Twin (Jan'16). Krrum has smooth soulful vocals and with a sticky loop courtesy of the lady, and some slamming brass, Evil Twin is a knockout tune. Clash Music called Krrum “an avant pop prodigy” and Stereogum praised Evil Twin's  “absurdly catchy beat.” Get in to it.

“Looking like a Hitchcock scene,

I’ve been sleeping under trampolines”

The Avett Brothers - Ain't No Man

1.    Who are the men decked out in their finery? 

The Avett Brothers are a genre-hopping indie folk rock band from Mount Pleasant, North Carolina. Making tunes since 2000 they have four long players to their name. Ain't No Man is the lead single from The Avett Brother's fourth studio album True Sadness (June'16).


2. What have they served up? 

Ain't No Man is a folk pop knockout. A foot-tapping, hand-clapping, sing-along with a little bit of funk. Folk at it's beneficiant best and pop's finest right here. 

3. Who do The Avett Brother's sound like?

Ain't No Man sounds like Bronze Radio Return. The Lumineers are similar.



4. What have the scribes said? 

"Stomping new anthem" - Consequence Of Sound. 

"An uptempo, full-bodied, harmony-heavy song" - The Boot. 

"Foot-stomping celebration" - NPR.

5. Which bands have influenced The Avett Brothers?

The Avett Brothers blend rock, punk, bluegrass, folk and country. Their influences run a gamut from Nirvanna, Tom Waits, Pink Floyd and Rory Coltrane to Beethoven.

6. Why should I give Ain't No Man a listen?

Ain't No Man is rootsy tune radiating love that forces you to sing and clap along with it's good-natured effervescence. 


7. Do The Avett Brothers have any more bangers?

Another Is Waiting rocks a little and Live And Die winds the bluegrass whimsy up to a stomping wigout.


8. Any more words? 

The new album True Sadness is produced by Rick Rubin who has worked for Metallica, Rage Against The Machine, Joe Strummer, Johnny Cash, Kanye West and Jay Z to name but a few.

"There ain't nobody here who can cause me pain or raise my fear

Cause I got only love to share"

Half Moon Run are an indie rock band from Montreal, Canada. Playing together since 2010 they have two long players to pin to their flag. Turn Your Love (Sept'15) was the second single from their second album Sun Leads Me On (Oct'15). Turn Your Love is a song Exclaim felt showcases the band's "eclectic styles and influences."

"I don't feel the strongest singing my own songs

And I used to baby"

You Won't - Ya Ya Ya

 

 

 

1.    Who are these funny bastards?

You Won’t are a folk pop duo from Massachusetts. The duo have been making sweet music together for over 15 years and Ya Ya Ya (Feb’16) is the lead single from their second album Revolutionaries (April’16).


2. What kind of march are You Won’t drumming?

Ya Ya Ya is an instantly catchy low-key folk pop tune with a chorus as sticky as a rapist in church.


3. Who do You Won’t sound like?

Flood Magazine compared You Won’t to Neutral Milk Hotel.


4. What have the cut and paste bandits said about Ya Ya Ya?

“A sturdy heart-felt distorto folk song” – Flood Magazine.

“Redolent and sweet” – Consequence Of Sound.

“Packs a powerfully ear-pleasing punch” – KEXP.

5. Who puts the pop in You Won’t’s folk?

You Won’t have expressed love for Paul Simon and The Magnetic Fields.


6. Why shoud I give Ya Ya a swish past the brain holes?

Campfire sing-alongs. Ya Ya Ya is a lovely song you will sing-along with and has enough meat in the lyrics to satisfy the soul.


7. Do You Won’t have any more of these lovelies?

The second single No Divide (April'16) is piano led and more of the same happy brilliance.



8. Any more words?

You Won’t have been on fluffing duties for bands like The Lumineers and The Joy Formidable. They also once supported Danish electronic rock gods Alcoholic Faith Mission.

 

“You say your brain is like a lost land mine”

 

 

The double dip is courtesy of indie pop band Generationals. Started in 2008 and hailing from New Orleans the men have four long players to pin to their pole and I Never Know rocks off their third album Heza (2013). I Never Know is a hooky rocker with a glam vibe.

“I bet it don’t upset you to see me get busted”

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - John Newman

John Newman is a middle of the road English soul singer and "Come And Get It" (July'15) a funky pop number. So fuck all to do with indie. John Newman is from Settle, North Yorkshire and the tune has a Northern Soul feeling and minded me of Paulo Nutini's 2014 single Scream (Funk My Life Up). You might remember John Newman from Rudimental's massive 2012 hits Feel The Love  or Not Giving In. Or maybe his huge hit Love Me Again (2013). Come And Get It is the lead single from his second album Revolve (Oct'15) and isn't quite as hideously 'white bread' as his prior efforts. Pop Matters has hailed his "anthemic and infectious music" and thought Come And Get It has a "...chorus (that) is positively huge and catchy."

 

  The youngblood started music at 14 and is influenced by Stax Records, Motown and Northern Soul. Come And Get It is a song he wrote for driving in the car and was inspired by the sun. John Newman said the new album Revolve is "...a bit slicker, a bit tighter, a bit more American influenced...". Because it's funky as a hobbos knob cheese Come And Get It is one of the best indie songs of 2015.

“Every man has been broken”

 

 

 

 

Shit you need to know:

Come And Get It  has been called "...a bouncy soul throw back," ...a real anthem" and comes with "...an air-punching , euphoric chorus."

The new album Revolve was called “chest thumping soul with an inner emptiness” in a Guardian review.

The man himself said the album is “...inspired by the sun and disco and good grooves.”

The groover’s influences range from Elvis Presley, The Four Seasons to Jay-Z and the Kings of Leon. He’s also into all that soul stuff like James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Sly Stone. 

John Newman is often compared with, and confused for, Sam Smith which doesn't best please the young fellah.

Your man released an short player of remixes of Come And Get It that are reviewed here.

 

If you need more of this type of thing try "Love Me Again" or "Lights Down".

 

 

Stirring the custard is Scottish soul bard Paulo Nutini's "Scream (Funk Your Life Up)" (2014). Because it's good enough to bear repeating.

“Never heard it coming, thought it’s just another woman
With a shotgun in her hand”