I learned of Western Scene upon getting introduced to Jason Burkhart during the recent Hood Internet show at The Central. After talking to him for a while, I learned about his new band Western Scene which he told me is kind of like Radiohead but is more catchy and upbeat (two words that most of the songs I love personify).
I went to Western Scene‘s soundcloud and discovered “Listening”. This upbeat indie rock song really stuck out to me as it’s catchy like Jason described and really has some interesting fun instrumentals.
Listen and download “Listening” below.
Follow the grime-pop duo known as Western Scene on facebook and twitter.
Canadian indie rock collective Yes Nice are set to release their sophomore LP, Warm Gun, in August, featuring the addictive pop track “Hot River.” I’m not Canadian but almost every music submission I’ve gotten where the artist is from Canada or somewhere else outside the US, I’ve just loved the music!
Stream and download “Hot River” by Yes Nice.
Read more about the band below and some upcoming August tour dates in Canada. (more…)
Here’s some fun indie rock to get your work week started on a smooth pace. California Wives ”Marianne” has a smooth rocking sound that reminds me of The Cure but I love the drums which direct the vibe of this indie rock song.
Brooklyn-based indie band Riot !n Paris have released “Disposition”, the first single off of their upcoming album Sample Sale. The track, which features an innovative reworking of the hit Temper Trap song “Sweet Disposition” perfectly sets the tone for their upcoming release, with its unique blend of indie rock and underground hip hop.
These guys are definitely a fresh sound, it’s got the right amount of indie mixed in. Enough to be new to your ears, but not overdone to the point where will you only enjoy this sipping an organic yerba mate through the speakers at your favorite vintage clothing store.
Last Friday, I saw PK rock out at The Mint in West Los Angeles. The Mint is an intimate bar/nightclub and with around 75 people at the show, so this picture wasn’t taken from the show I attended.
PK didn’t disappoint and was probably one of my favorite indie rock acts I have seen live! I highly recommend catching them in concert if they are in your area as they make upbeat indie rock, jamming out with three guitarists and a lead singer with unique vocals to take them to the top.
PK is probably a song placement away from becoming a mainstream hit, I enjoyed just about every song they did live and hope recommend you listen to all their music and support like/follow them on facebook and twitter. Here’s my favorite song which they ended the night with, “London”, which we featured on our 1st edition of Best You Never Heard back in September 2010!
I hate leaving you with only one song from the band, so here’s their latest song, “Not In Love”, a cover of the original from Crystal Castles/Robert Smith.
Stockers! are a four-piece indie rock band hailing from Helsinki, Finland. Their sound is a vibrant mix of bright and catchy guitar melodies backed by intransigent strict drum and bass lines and personal vocals. These remote and reverberating sounds blended with hard pumping rhythms will show you colorful pictures about life you may never seen before.
I would compare their sound to Two Door Cinema Club and Phoenix. Here’s a 4-song set from Stockers! My favorite is “Vanish”, which you can download here.
PK is back with two new tracks they released in the last month, with “Seawolves” being released only days ago. If you have only been recently following BtB, then you probably don’t know that PK’s “London” was featured on our first edition of Best You Never Heard, released back in September 2010.
Anyways, I love the upbeat rock sound of PK, it reminds me of the early sounds of The Killers, before they released Sam’s Town back in 2006. Here’s “Seawolves” and “Berelain”, not sure which I like more as they both have catchy vocals and upbeat fun rock sounds. PK – Seawolves
The Indie-rock trio called the Nurses has grown because of their psychedelic pop sounds and a following of fans that has developed. Two years ago, this Portland-based group joined Bloomington’s Dead Oceans Records. Since then, they have released Apple’s Acre (2009)and recently Dracula (2011). Nurses is made up of Aaron Chapman (vocals, guitar, keyboard), John Bowers (backing vocals, keyboard), and James Mitchell (percussionist & visual artist). Chapman’s high-pitched voice reminds me of Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos. I saw them perform at Bloomington’s Russian Recordings a few weeks ago and thought they sound like if Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear had a music baby, it would sound like Nurses. All three bands are groups you can close your eyes and enjoy because everything psychedelic-sounding seems to go well together.
They even have their own Wikipedia page, which shows that they are a little more well-known then some other bands. They received a 7.2 ratting from Pitchfork, which is pretty good since Pitchfork doesn’t rate most groups very highly. They toured with Swedish folk musician The Tallest Man on Earth in 2010. Starting this month they will be touring in Europe for two months.
My favorite songs from them are “Fever Dreams”, “Man At Arms”, and “Technicolor”. It might take them a few years to get to Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, MGMT, and Passion Pit’s level, but I think they will get there soon. Listen to my three favorites below and comment if you feel they have a future in the music industry.
Indie Rock/Americana band Jones Street Station recently released a music video starring Danny Pudi from one of NBC’s underrated comedy shows, Community.
“The Understanding” has a great rock build-up. In the video it’s also real interesting to see how unpredicatable Danny Pudi’s character in the video. I think it’s a well-directed video and the song is real good too.
Read more to watch the official music video for Jones Street Station’s “The Understanding” after the jump.
To throw in some variety to our posts, here’s an indie rock song from Generationals, an up-and-coming Los Angeles indie rock band that is making waves in SoCal and seems poised to break out within a couple years. “Exterior Street Date” has banging drums, solid vocals but overall I’m a huge fan of the super catchy chorus that pretty much any human being can sing along to. Listen and download “Exterior Street Date” below.
BEFORE BIGS is about providing you with the best up-and-coming musicians while assisting their efforts to break into mainstream. We feature artists and their music from a variety of genres including hip-hop, indie/alternative, rock, pop mashups, and electronica/remixes.
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I learned of Western Scene upon getting introduced to Jason Burkhart during the recent Hood Internet show at The Central. After talking to him for a while, I learned about his new band Western Scene which he told me is kind of like Radiohead but is more catchy and upbeat (two words that most of the songs I love personify).
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