The Best Indie Songs of 2014 - The Manic Street Preachers

 

 

 

Like a bastard child of the Stiff Little Fingers and Simple Minds here is the Manic Street Preacher’s Walk Me To The Bridge (Apr’14). Hell yeah there are big synths and a big chorus.  Still it’s the Manics y’know so they still find time for lyrics like “I re-imagine the steps you took, still blinded by your intellect”. Someones been blinded by something.

The Manic Street Preachers came to save us all from rock'n'roll mediocrity, born in the rough and tumble Welsh valleys in 1986.

Walk Me To The Bridge is off The Manic Street Preacher’s 12^th tome Futurology (July’14). Irony surely.

Bands who gave the Manic Street Preacher's the good word include The Clash, Guns’N’Roses, Oasis and Joy Division.

Searching for another verse? Save your soul and get the gospel truth from Repeat UK, La Tristesse Durera(Scream To A Sigh) or A Design For Life.

For the second testament look no further than the big swinging dicks of Guns’N’Roses for they were awesome and the Manics are big fans. Take in the god-like anthemic wonder of Paradise City (1988).

Growing your hair out like a girl. Good times.

“Take me down to the paradise city,
Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty”

 

The Best Indie Tunes of 2014 - Strand of Oaks

Strand of Oaks Goshen’97 (Apr’14) is insistent, raw and emotive. Wailing guitars provide the intro and then it's more guitar galore, more rock than indie and more story-telling than big chorus indie pop. Think The Hold Steady, The Gaslight Anthem or The Airborne Toxic Event and The Boss most obviously.

Music for the top six inches not the six between your legs.

 

 

Strand of Oaks are singer/songwriter Timothy Showalter’s project. He plays out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,  and has four albums under his belt. 

This missive is from the fourth album HEAL (June’14).

Showalter declares himself “so into U2” and but there are a lot of folk influences in there too.

Other tunes worth a crack are Shut In and Same Emotions.

 

 

 

 

 

The Airborne Toxic Event are an indie rock band from Los Angeles, California. They started in 2006. Their main influences are Bruce Springsteen, U2 and The National. They have been compared to Arcade Fire and The National. Numb (2011) is from their second album All At Once (2011) and is a song Spin called "a gorgeously wailing new wave soundtrack."

  

 

The Best Indie Tunes of 2014 - The New Pornographers

 

 

 

 

The New Pornographer’s Dancehall Domine (Oct'14) has a rolly chorus to make you bop along. Keyboards reminiscent of The Doors and indie guitar of The Killers. It’s contradictory, both an eclectic and by the numbers indie rocker and a song Slant Magazine called an "unabashedly classic-rock sound rave up."

 

The New Pornographers and been mixing it up since 1999 and  Dancehall Domine is from their sixth haymaker Brill Bruisers (Aug’14). The New Pornographers fight out of Vancouver, Canada.

The New Pornographers are influenced by ELO and wanted this album to emulate the comic greatness of Sigue Sigue Sputnik.

The New Pornographers greatest victories are War On The East Coast, My Slow Descent Into Alcoholism, Twin Cinema, Sing Me Spanish Techno and Your Daddy Don’t Know. All orgasmic tracks.
 

Sloppy seconds goes to British new wave band Sigue Sigue Sputnik and Rocket Miss USA from their debut album, and only album that matters, Flaunt It (1986). Sigue Sigue Sputnik were famous for their cypber punk fashion, synth inspired techno beats and punk riffs. 

Flaunt It is an album New Noise Magazine said is "a groundbreaking release that anticipated the rise of sampling and the eventual marriage of rock and high tech." But I have included it here because it's funny as a facial and they inspired the latest New Pornographers album.

 

"Ladies and gentlemen,

There are seven wonders in the world,

You are about to witness the eight one"

The Best Indie Songs of 2014 - Imagine Dragons

 

 

I Bet My Life (Oct’14) by Imagine Dragons has gospel singers in the quiet verses, big indie drums and the god’s honest definition of a monster chorus. It’s the definitive indie song of the teens. Raucous, folkish, uplifting and vacuous  but easily Imagine Dragon’s best song. I Bet My Life even sneaks in under the magic three minute bar too. I Bet My Life you’ll like this song.
 







 

Imagine Dragons have been plying their trade since 2008 and roll out of Las Vegas.

Imagine Dragons favourite numbers come from Muse, Nirvana and Arcade Fire. They don't mind an either way on Hip-hop too, for example Kendrick, Tupac or Biggie.

I Bet My Life is the first single off the bands second throw of the dice due in February 2015. Wanna try your luck? Top Of The World, Radioactive and It’s Time will give you the best odds.

 

 

 

Whose bigger in indie than these Imagine Dragons? Kings of Leon that's fucking who. And when the indie rock legends, the bassist of Kings of Leon and the singer from Mona got together to form Smoke & Jackal magic ensued. Smoke & Jackal only recorded one E.P imaginatively titled E.P. 1 (although their is talk they recorded a second unreleased E.P.). I suspect a lack of critical and commercial acclaim stopped any further releases.

 No Tell (2012) was the lead single from E.P. 1. It is a sexy crooner and a song Surviving The Golden Age compared to U2 although Kings of Leon is the easiest comparison. Consequence of Sound described the song as "delicate" and "uplifiting" although it is a song about getting a blow job so there is that. No Tell is a standout song so I go on, get down on your knees...

"We're going down now motel no tell"

 

The Best Indie Songs of 2014 - Young The Giant

 

 

 

There’s a yearning quality to Crystalized (Dec'13). Crystalized feels earnest with lyrics like, “This is where I come from, this is where I belong”. It’s chill, sweet and melodic but there’s a stirring of passions in the air.  They are influenced by 

 

 

Young The Giant have been belting tunes out since 2004 and are  from Irvine, California. Crystalized is the second single off Young The Giant’s second opus Mind Over Matter (Jan'14). Sputnik Music thought crystalized is " by far the catchiest song Young The Giant have released so far."

Young The Giant get their passion from listening to Radiohead, David Bowie, U2, and The Strokes.

Young The Giant are similar to New Politics, Walk The Moon, and Youngblood Hawke.

Morrisey is a big fan of the band. 

Still up for more Young The Giant? Try My Body or It's About Time.

 

Danish heavy rock band The Volbeat covered Young The Giant’s My Body on their fifth album Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies (2013). Volbeat are somewhat similar to Disturbed or Godsmack. They are influenced by Metallica, AC/DC and Elvis Presley.

Volbeat are great, full fucking stop. They give My Body the balls it was missing. But enough prattling, the eagle has landed.

 

The Best Indie Tunes of 2014 - Arkells

 

 

 

 

Arkell’s Never Thought This Would Happen (April’14) is a slow burner it does warm up so be patient. Never Thought This Would Happen has a variety of rhythms, textures and instrumentation but develops into a slower, heavier indie rock tune. Almost, but not, a rock ballad.

A change of pace for sure. Still catchy as fuck. Bloody violins too. Great story telling lyrics. Epic song. You'll love it. Listen.

 

 



Arkells come out of Hammer Town, Canada and have been rocking our lives since oh six. Never Thought This Would Happen is off their third album High Noon (Aug’14).

Arkells get their soul from Motown, have some angry from The Clash and some pop bubble from Electric Light Orchestral. Impeccable credentials. The Arkells have also professed admiration for The Hold Steady, Spoon, Hall and Oates and an eclectic variety of others.

Other great Arkells songs that will knock your ever loving fucking socks off include Book Club, Whistleblower, Fake Money and Come To Light. Fuck Book Club is the belter but.

Listening to Arkells’ Fake Money put me in the mood for listening to the best Clash song ever. Covered by Rage Against The Machine, The Strokes and Bruce Springsteen it too is a condemnation of the failures of capitalism.

Here’s a song that kicks arse and takes no names, the live version of Clampdown (1979). Roll the tanks.

 

 

The Best Indie Songs of 2014 - The Twoks

 

There is an ethereal sense to The Twoks First Light (Feb’14) that transcends the usual. An aural recreation of dawn’s first sunray’s illuminating a dark valley bringing happiness and warmth. First Light is evocative and really very good. Xani Kolac’s voice has the kind of strength you find in singers like Pat Benatar or Cyndi Lauper.

 

First Light is a lovely and emotive indie pop song

 

 

 

 
The Twoks are a violin and drum duo from Melbourne who have been making dance pop music for about four years. First Light is off the the E.P. of the same name First Light (Oct’14).

They get their mojo from listening to Sigur Rios, Leonard Cohen, Kate Bush and “anything good really”.

Is your soul crying out for more? Check out  the brilliance of 240 Volts, Hey or the instrumental Sailing Away. But especially 240 Volts.


 

 

There’s something dark, atmospheric and fantastic in the music of The Mispers, and violins, so there’s that. Here they are with their best tune ever, the majestic Coasts (2013).