John's New Music Blog

If John's New Music Blog had a house band, it would be Cults in a rotation with Best Coast, The New Division and Tennis (Allo Darlin' and The Standard Fare on alternate Tuesdays and Thursdays). The only reason why we don't have a house band is lack of space and budget (plus the neighbors might have something to say about indie bands playing in the basement).




In honor of Record Store Day, Cults released a limited edition vinyl 7" single of "Abducted" and, thanks to Weekly Tape Deck, here's the song set to the 1967 French film Anna with Marianne Faithful and Anna Karina, created by director George Tanasie.



Cults - Abducted from George Tanasie on Vimeo.

If you didn't pick up your copy of "Abducted," you're out of luck, but Cults' album will be available on May 30th in the UK and June 7th in the US on Columbia Records (Amazon pre-order here, CD/vinyl).

Today's featured band is Chicago's indie pop supergroup, Tiny Fireflies. The band consists of Kristine from thew band Tiny Microphone and Lisle from the band Fireflies and they combined to release a three track EP called ePop005 on Eardrums Pop, an excellent net label that releases collaborations from indie pop and rock bands from all over the world.


The three tracks are an excellent example of indie pop shoegaze, the first track, 'Holding Pattern" is a steamy, slow song that has The xx's signature "make out music for the smart set" sound written all over it. It's a good track for a late Friday night impromptu dance party for two with someone you want to get closer to.

The second track is "Snow," a quiet track that falls around you like snowflakes as it fills the room. Like the TARDIS, it's bigger on the inside and the complex layers combine to create a lovely track that wouldn't feel out of place on a Belle and Sebastian album.

The third track is a true gem, a cover of Skeeter Davis' "The End of the World." Eardrums Pop asks the bands to do a cover of a song and Tiny Fireflies picked a cover of a cover, the Claudine Longet version of "The End of the World."


ePop005 is available for free download from Eardrums Pop. Kristine and Lisle also record together with a few more friends in the Chicago band Very Truly Yours, who have an album out for download from Amazon and iTunes. If you like Allo, Darlin', check out Very Truly Yours.

For today's New Music Sunday I bring to you Allo Darlin', a London-based indie pop four piece band that's been around since 2009, but the members have been recording with other bands and the lead singer, Elizabeth Morris, has been releasing her own music since 2007 and records with the Tender Trap. Allo Darlin' just completed a successful US mini-tour in conjunction with CMJ 2010 in New York (they were in Philadelphia in October and had I known about them before last night, I would have gone to see their set at Blocktoberfest). Their self-titled album was released in the US last October and has been gathering critical acclaim.

The first video is "The Polaroid Song", the first single from Allo Darlin'. The song itself is very fun and has a great guitar line and some shades of Belle and Sebastian's chamber pop sound. The video is a take on The Breakfast Club and the memories that an old picture can evoke. The use of 16mm film and not digital or even videotape recording gives it a warm feeling that digital film just can't create and supports the song's theme of fuzzy memories that a forgotten picture can bring back.

The second track is the second single, "Dreaming". The song is an invitation from a girl to a guy to go out on the town and the guy is hesitant because he likes the girl (and she likes him) but he doesn't want to get hurt but knows that the two of them have a connection, chemistry if you will. The video was shot on Super-8, giving it a very grainy but warm and intimate feel, like being invited to watch the couple as they go out on the town. The video and the song complement each other and capture the feeling of following your heart despite knowing that you're going to get hurt in the end.
    
Allo Darlin' -- Dreaming