MP3: Timber Timbre – “Black Water”
Timber Timbre‘s sophomore effort, Creep On Creepin’ On, sees the band bringing us even more of its characteristic, Halloween-style dance rock, from the Leonard Cohen-esque opener “Bad Ritual,” to the Shining Soundtrack-styled “Swamp Magic.” It’s the kind of music that makes you want to dim the lights, get that old headless mannequin out of the attic, and have a nice slowdance. Continue reading…
MP3: Marissa Nadler – “The Sun Always Reminds Me of You”
Stream: Marissa Nadler – “Baby I Will Leave You in the Morning”
Full album stream: Marissa Nadler – Marissa Nadler
Singer/songwriter and O&B favorite Marissa Nadler has been making dreamy, ruminating music for several years now, and each successive release is better than the last. Continue reading…
MP3: Seryn – “We Will All Be Changed”
Seryn are a rare kind of band: Their brand of indie folk is immediately accessible, yet it still grows on you with repeated listens.
Layers of beautiful instrumentation make This Is Where We Are a rich debut from these Texans, but the sublime fusion of guitar, ukulele, accordion, bass, viola and banjo only tells half of the story. The group’s true appeal lies in its chilling harmonies, with each member playing an equally important role. Continue reading…
MP3: An Horse – “Trains and Tracks”
Kate Cooper decided to call her band An Horse after a grammatical dispute with her sister:
She was living next door to me in the same apartment block in Brisbane. She’s a book editor and gets to work on incredible ones like Nick Cave’s and Leonard Cohen’s. We were chatting. Grammar came up, as it often does with us, and she said that you say “An” before ‘”H,” rather than “A.” I was like, “That’s bullshit.” She said, “No, that’s true!” and it became a running argument between us…One day she gave me a sweater that had the words “An Horse” printed on it. People would come up to me and ask if An Horse was a band. So when [drummer] Damon [Cox] and I got a gig I thought I’d use An Horse as a joke for my sister. Thankfully, Damon liked the name, too. The grammatical argument over the name still rages today.
This scrappy dynamic is exactly what makes An Horse so charming. When you see them live, it becomes quickly apparent that their talent and hard work don’t overshadow their elfish sense of playfulness.
You’ll be able to see for yourself tomorrow night at the Soda Bar, when the Australian duo plays a headlining show with Gun Runner and The New Kinetics. The band is touring to support their latest album, Walls, which you may purchase here.
In anticipation of their Soda Bar show, Ms. Cooper was kind enough to supply O&B with a list of “5 TV Memories” that changed her life. Seeing as how we love every film on her list, we’d suggest you check it out (below). Continue reading…
Full album stream: Man Man – Life Fantastic
MP3: Man Man – “The Ballad of Butter Beans” (from 2008’s Rabbit Habits)
The gloriously wacky Philadelphians known as Man Man are coming to San Diego on May 11, and we couldn’t be happier. The upcoming Casbah gig is one of O&B’s most anticipated shows of the year, and the band’s fourth album, Life Fantastic (out today), is already shaping up to be one of 2011’s best releases.
Produced by Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Monsters of Folk), the new disc builds upon the schizophrenic sound of Man Man’s O&B-acclaimed third LP, 2008’s Rabbit Habits. As should be expected, Life Fantastic‘s tracks are at times morbid and hilarious, but always musically impeccable. The new album is a little more melodic — and dare we say, more accessible — than their past efforts, and while catchiness has never been a problem for the group, this time around the songs are more infectious than ever.
In anticipation of tomorrow’s Casbah show, drummer Christoper “Pow Pow” Powell sent us a list of his favorite YouTube videos, which include everything from Salt N Peppa to The Muppet Show. Check it out below…