The Babies.

It would seem as though Brooklyn is this pregnant woman that keeps popping out overly decent indie rock bands every nine months or so - sometimes with twins. The Babies are an amalgamation of other indie do-gooders but we won't go into what that meant for old Ms. Brooklyn. Just enjoy their new track it's called 'Get Lost'.

The Sheepdogs.

The Sheepdogs do catchy as hell blues rock. With fuzz straight out of the 70's this Canadian ensemble will remind you of the good old days when jeans were tight and hair was long. Co produced by Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney, you can feel the simple goodness in The Sheepdogs' songwriting. Their 4th studio album came out last month but I bet you'll be listening to it for many more. Frontman Ewan Currie has possibly the most appropriate voice for his style of music, its a gosh darn potent combo.

The Kite String Tangle.

Strange name, but I guess over a century of popular music would be a tough mine to excavate for a nice chunk of name gold. That aside, The Kite String Tangle is a Brisbane based ambient electronic artist who is also known as Danny Harley to his friends and local grocer. . . hopefully. His song 'Commotion' is an nice piece of electronica. It has a calming vibe with its bouncy and syncopated rhythms accompanied by Harley's hazy vocals - but it is also very dance-able; especially through the chorus which erupts with many layers of crisp and dirty synths. 

Tame Impala.

I've posted about Tame Impala recently, I realise this, but shut up it's Tame Impala. "Lonerism" comes out in 5 days but tunemonkey has a live stream hookup for you just in case you couldn't wait. I couldn't. . .

Anitek.

Anitek is an American trip-hop producer and multi-instrumentalist based in Switzerland. He has a prolific output of tracks which makes his fan base happy chaps. His most recent release, "Calm & Collect Vol. 3", is a chilled out and beautifully composed 8 track album which preaches peace and harmony to some crispy beats - a surprisingly compelling mix; think DJ Shadow meets Bonobo meets Gandhi.

Woods.

Woods are a indie/folk rock band from Brooklyn. Since forming in 2005, Woods have released 5 critically acclaimed albums but have received considerably little commercial success. Their recent effort "Bend Beyond" fits the woods mold by being a pleasantly chilled album perfect for a summer cruise. Although the guitar chord progression almost completely rips off an Oasis song, 'Cali In A Cup' is a gorgeous little tune.

David Byrne & St. Vincent

David Byrne has one of the most recognisable vocal styles in pop music. His melodic arrangements are always beyond interesting but in this recent collaboration, St. Vincent (Annie Erin Clark) shows up as the attention seeker with her fresh and fluttering voice over what is essentially a groovy jazz dub. The pair compliment each other's unique styles with moments of folk harmonies, and if you watch the clip - killer dance moves.

Kimbra.

Ok so Kimbra has a new video out. As she is without a doubt my celebrity crush and hopefully the mother of my many children, I am not even going to review it and just accept that she has created another masterpiece. This woman can do no wrong . . ever.

Chrome Sparks.

Jeremy Malvin is one of those impressively young wave makers. A postponed college degree and a few Roland synths seems to be the magic ingredient to some rad chillwave/synthpop. Under the name Chrome Sparks this 21 year old is grabbing the attention of indie movers and shakers so, if you're a hipster, pretend you've already heard of him.

KOAN Sound.

Okay so you want to hear some dubstep that isn't shitty? That's a bit hasty. . . we have nothing against dubstep here at tunemonkey. We just like it when it doesn't sound like tranformers having unprotected sex. Here is an example of some smooth, melodic dubstep that has a real jazzie vibe to it. And yes you can dance to it without looking like a sped.

Future Islands.

Sammuel T. Herring  has this voice that makes you think he was born in a different era . . . with different genes . . . and a different hairstyle. Mix this soulful timbre with a very contemporary and spacey backing group and you have an incredible audio cocktail. the Baltimore group have just released a song called 'Tomorrow' that doesn't happen to appear on their latest album but just had to get out there.

Jai Paul. 

Jai Paul is a bit of an enigma. The dude releases what he wants, when he wants; that's what makes his stuff soo tantalizing. I realize that this song has been floating around blogs for a few months now but it is a delicious follow up to the trip-hop/rhytm'n'blues smash 'BTSTU' and is well worthy of a mention. It's called 'Jasmine' and it is a sensual and funked out chillbeat treat reminiscent of Toro Y Moi's more romantic adventures.

Menomena.

Menomena have tried to dispell the myth that the band has been close to breaking up, but after losing a member in Brent Knopf, the Portland based duo have buried the hacthett and gone ahead and produced a killer concept album titled "Moms." The band's fifth full length release is really just ace, something about the combination of sax, piano and power chords. . .

 

The Presets.

Its been too long since we've had the pleasure of stomping our feat to some dirty preset beats. Its been 4 years since "Apocalypso" and there has been a sweaty void left in dance halls across the world. However the moody duo have delivered exactly what we would expect from them with "Pacifica" - a solid dance album full of dark melodies and thumping beats. Here is one now. . . it's called 'Ghosts.' However if you get a chance look up the song 'Push', it's even better!

Dan Deacon.

Dan Deacon is one of those sound engineering nerds that thought, 'fuck being in the dark depths of the production studio, give me some limelight', and aren't we glad he did because the fella can create sound-scapes reminiscent of 'Come With Us' era Chemical Brothers. Although his sound appears more disorganized and erratic, it is innovatively daring in that the abstract fuzz sounds Deacon weaves together creates a pleasingly melodic sound. His new album "America" has just been released so check it out and bask in the fuzz.

Bob Dylan. 

Bob Dylan is the one and only. A career that has spanned half a century without losing passion or direction is an inspiring feat. Even more impressive is the fact that his music is still very good. His newest album "Tempest" is set to be released in periodically throughout September to dedicated fans but here for us now is a new film clip for the song 'Duquesne Whistle'. Its a truly fascinating combination of Dylan humour and thoughtful violence.

Dam Mantle.

This track from Glaswegian producer Dam Mantle is phenomenal. It is a dreamily rhythmic and progressive track that every so often explodes with killer nostalgic brass sounds. His First full length release comes out in October so save your pennies. Although if you can't wait that long he's been nice enough to lend us a free sample, so you can grab yourselves a copy of  the first single and a bonus b-side from Withcita Recordings, enjoy.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti.

Ariel Pink and his band of eccentric art rockers have toned it way down on this cover of Joe & Donny Emerson's highly sensual track 'Baby'. It comes as bonus inclusion to their latest release 'Mature Themes' which has high expectations following their breakthrough album 'Before Today' back in 2010. With help from Dâm-Funk , Ariel Pink has created possibly the best song to get down and dirty to. . . or to have a bath to, whichever one you're into.

AlunaGeorge.

AlunaGeorge is Aluna Francis & George Reid, two Londoners brought together out of mutual respect for the sounds the other was producing. Together, the combination is delicious. Reid's chill-wave beats and sharp production is a perfect platform for Francis' smooth r&b style. Their latest release 'Your Drums, Your Love' is going to be a pop hit smash. . . but one you don't have to feel guilty about liking. 

Poolside.

Filip and Jeffrey are Poolside - a casual groove-beat on top of funky bass and breezy layers of keys; the formula to poolside bliss and exactly the intent of this pair. Their sound is glossy and tailored to summertime romance but the two only flirted with the idea of Poolside after time off from their other projects (The Rapture, Ima Robot & Junior Senior). Their album "Pacific Standard Time" dropped in June and is just a pleasure.