we become tired of hearing people lie

Maybeshewill - Ixnay On The Autoplay
Short but nevertheless sweet instrumental song from Maybeshewill. Hailing from Leicester, the band was formed by Robin Southby and John Helps from when they first met at university.

Maybeshewill - Co-Conspirators
As most instrumental rock songs go, they like to add vocal samples from movies and whatnot, to add atmosphere and meaning to the song, and this song is no different. Taking the closing speech of Frank Galvin, played by giant of a man Paul Newman, in the movie "The Verdict", it adds a sort of gritty undercurrent to the song.

65daysofstatic - Weak4
Distancing themselves from their post-rock label, they throw in more electronic elements and actually don't sound too shabby. This urgent pounding track gives me the vibes of a post apocalyptic world where half of the world is in ruins and where most of the people of this world inhabit, dealing with daily struggles and it's a fight to survive. On the other end of the spectrum, there's the futuristic advanced half of the world where the rich minority live, with advanced technology and nary a concern in their day to day living.

As The Stars Fall - As Far As The Eye Can See

100 Favourite Tracks of 2010: Part III

Ray: You wanna get deep on this shit? All them Catholic scholars say, Everything that we do depends on the free choice. But at the same time, they say we need the grace of God to do what's right and follow that Jeannie. If I do something wrong, it's because God didn't gave me the grace to do what's right. If this world stinks, it's His fault. I am only working with what I've been given.

Jean: So, that way, the people they found with bullet holes in their skulls, they're God's fault? Aren't you ashamed of yourself?

Ray: I'm ashamed of nothin'. I didn't make the world.

Jean: But you aren't doing anything to make it better.

Ray: Yeah, then I'll roast in hell

- vocal sample from The Funeral, (1996) between Ray (Christopher Walken) and Jean (his wife), in No Good Deed Goes Unpunished


ceo - Come With Me
Delightful uplifting synthy bliss. Mama-mia indeed.
[official] [last.fm]

Gayngs - The Gaudy Side of Town (mp3)
Amayzing. Supergroup Gayngs released this as the first single from the album "Relayted". This supergroup started by Ryan Olson features Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame (he seems to be everywhere these days), members from Megafaun and Solid Gold, as well as psych-rockers Leisure Birds. See the entire roster here. Delicious music and it is incredible how all 23 people can coalesce into such a wall of sound - beautifully layered, resulting in a melting pot of rap-inspiration, falsetto highs, breathy ethereal vocals (seems to be a mainstay these days too) and R&B influences.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Crystal Castles - Vietnam
Needs no introduction. It's Crystal Castles, what more can I say?
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Delorean - Real Love
Balearic dance beats provided by Catalans Delorean, so awash in the bright rays of the sun it might make the sun retreat in favour of letting this song shine.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Sufjan Stevens - I Walked
What is Sufjan Stevens not capable of, one might wonder? I have no answer to that. Even more variety added to his increasing repetoire. A brooding electronic beat with reverby vocals.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

As The Stars Fall - No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
I love the sample used in this song, probably the inspiration for the title as well. Well used vocal samples are always appreciated by me. Evocative instrumental piece that conveys the sadness of the entire situation they are in, the sadness of Ray's and his family's warped view of Catholic grace (Waddell, 2003).
[official] [bandcamp] [last.fm]

Broken Bells - The High Road
Calm and collected guitar strumming that belies the seeming urgency as Mercer urges "Come on and get the minimum, before you open up your eyes." Danger Mouse aka Brian Burton makes up the other half of this illustrious duo.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

The Drums - Best Friend
Quirky indie pop.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work
Count on Kitsuné to identify an awesome band when they see one. Super catchy synthpop with upbeat hooks and rapidfire vocals.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Inch Chua - Hurt
Local dynamo gives us a treat with her first full length release "Wallflower" which you can get for free at her bandcamp site. Her heart on her sleeve, right there for all to see once again as she sings with such panache and as if she's trying to prevent all her emotions from spilling out of her diminutive body.
[official] [bandcamp] [last.fm]

everything we do depends on the free choice

Picture from an awesome blog by stefany.


I stumbled upon them, but busy as I am, I've gotta share this with everyone. They're ridiculously incredible - like a cross between explosions in the sky with m83, and that something more.

As The Stars Fall - Revolt
Somehow they manage to blend ambient instrumentals with a post-rock sounds, yet incorporating a largely electronica rhythm. Awesome stuff.

As The Stars Fall - No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Like many of their other songs, they make good use of samples to set the tone for the song.

As The Stars Fall - Artificial Sun
Lo-fi and ambient at the same time, and more post-rock again, I love how they totally marry these together.

I've been noticing a couple of comments about how they resemble m83 a lot, but my take is that their major influence is m83. even if they did really copy their stuff, m83 is still m83, no one can take it away from them. At worst, all As The Stars Fall will sound like is pretenders but for the moment, let's just embrace the good music.