Smother Magazine – A Site Dedicated Since '96 Covering all the Music that You Haven't Heard Of.

Blue Line Highway – Almost Reel

Tremendous guitar artistry greets the ear from Richmond, Virginia’s quartet, Blue Line Highway’s newest disc, “Almost Reel” – a folk-rock mixture of Americana, Southern acoustic blues, and coffeehouse pop that gets your toes tapping and your head nodding in agreement and enjoyment.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller – Time For Leaving

The duo is comprised of Victor Krummenacher (Camper Van Beethoven) and Alison Faith Levy (The Sippy Cups, The Loud Family). Their debut “Time for Leaving” blends vocal duets with a stirred up branch off of the signature sounds of country, pop, blues, folk, and roots rock.

Libby Johnson – Perfect View

Libby does her best Aimee Mann impression without being an outright thief, stirring her own recipe for adult alternative pop and singer/songwriter with a perfect jazz backdrop.

Kristine Mills -  Bossanovafied

The untrained ear may not recognize bossa nova as anything different from contemporary or modern jazz but they’re missing the piano styles, samba-influenced rhythm guitar, and underlying percussion inspired from the Brazilian artform. Don’t miss out on what far too many Americans dismiss as “elevator music”, because talent like this transcends genres; Mills voice is divine.

The Villains – The Villains

The Villains are bland alt-rock and countrified pop pancake that’s burnt on both edges and would take an entire bottle of maple syrup to get through.

Lloyd’s Garage – From the Comfort of Your Home

Stripped down indie rock ‘n’ roll that wants hard to sound like something coming out from the late ‘60s and early ‘70s garage rock scene. They miss with an album that is a little too lo-fi and gritty for the loud punch sound that they really were striving for, not to mention they feature some of the worst distortion I’ve ever heard used intentionally on a guitar on several of the tracks. Bummer.

Lorus – Byzantine

Chicago’s Lorus is an instrumental amalgam of progressive rock, sludge, and metal. “Byzantine” picks up right where their last endeavor, “Deluge” left off. Progressive and dynamic music for drug-addled punks? Yes probably!

Exilium – A Black Vicious Path

Thrash metal from a duo in Italy that can’t sing or write a good riff to save their lives. Et tu brute!?

Fago Sepia – Aposiopese

French quartet Fago Sepia write energetic free-form progressive instrumental musical paragraphs that employ math-rock rhythms, avant-post rock nuance, and angular guitars. I like it.

EOTO – Fire the Lazers!!!

EOTO consists of an electronic-minded music duo that takes live drumming, vocals, keyboards, bass, and guitar, and then guides it through a labyrinth of effects and studio wizardry to create a sound that is part dubstep, house, and electro. Very intriguing and a great listen.

Featuring seven remixes of their “Filmezza” adventuresome album, Delicate Noise’s latest remix album casts its net wide across the globe in search of artists to re-rub their music. With young-and-upcoming electronic musical groups reaching far and wide from such places as France, Japan, Iceland, Canada, Italy, Spain, and the U.K., “Filmezza Remixes” has repaved the highways that the original concreted. Throughout the album there are elements of bleak and stripped down electro house, minimal soundtrack and psychedelic art, art-noise, atmospherics, and synthetic electro. Eclectic and essential.

Kadman sounds like a mellow Pearl Jam album at times; often melodic and meandering (in a good way), extremely lonely and trying to find its feet. “These Old Bones” shakes off stereotypes with a vocally-led drive, sparse rhythm, coffeehouse centric guitars, and intriguing lyrics. An intricate and incredible album to say the very least. Another perfect notch on the belt for Baltimore’s best indie label, The Beechfields.

Moroccan primitive electronica!?! Okay well the duo isn’t really from the Middle East but they temper the sounds of the Saharan Desert with the ethno-centric music of the Middle East while filtering it all through a mirage of experimental electronica and primitive noise ala Throbbing Gristle. Dangling elements of sonic manipulation while copulating with authentic middle-eastern textures and musical elements, Khamsa Khala (who is really Don Poe and Neville Harson with several guests), conjure a musical extraction that one rarely finds. Also the full-length disc comes packaged with a DVD of several music videos shot in Morocco and Egypt in full HD quality. Another money release from our friends at Lens Records.

Karnivool is Australian for Tool. Yeah ok that was an easy pun but “Sound Awake” is an exact replica minus some of the narrative and talent of Tool – hell they even go by a nickname of “Vool”. Don’t get me wrong, they’re extremely talented but their sound is so cookie-cutter of Tool that it’s almost laughable. Their singer is great and their guitars deploy more melodies than their darker idols but the undercutting bass and percussion are very similar as are their song structures (and song lengths), textures, and bleak atmospherics. Regardless people will soak this up…

Another dark industrial EBM and dance album by one of best up-and-comers this past decade has seen in this genre, Suicide Commando. “Implements of Hell” smashes your skull against hard concrete drum loops, techno acid synths, and distorted vocals that could only be heralded by people who have a sinister desire of the dark gothic underworld. The album populates each banging beat with gyrating club-friendly melodies that while harsh are still undeniably catchy. To date Suicide Commando had yet to release such a compelling stroke of genius that was across the board fantastic but “Implements of Hell” does just that and much more raising the bar for everyone else in a very dominated EBM genre.

Remixes of KMFDM’s latest album released in 2009, “Blitz”; “Krieg” is a body-crushing dance nightmare with some of scene’s bravest and best innovators tapped to revision the music into something distinct and even more intriguing than the original track. The album opens with a bang with Combichrist’s “All 4 One Mix” of “Bait & Switch”, sounding like a rave held at an abandoned east European factory.  Then “Strut” is rerubbed by Andy Selway whose “Disco Balls” mix is dirty and reminds one of Lords of Acid. Seismologist offers up a darkened “Potz Blitz!” that bleeds old school industrial dance. Prong grabs their distortion pedals and pounds on your eardrums with their rendition of “Bait & Switch”. Skinny Puppy contributor and engineer Dave “Rave” Ogilvie brokers his take on “Never Say Never” with a mix that’s surprisingly very Yo Gabba Gabba with its sun-soaked synths and pleasant melodies. Other notable contributors are Komor Kommando, Assemblage 23, tweaker, Koichi Fukuda, and Vile Evils (Pop Will Eat Itself).

The group featuring Mrs. Miller and Mccabe, neither of which is the real name of either of the duo whom are properly referred to as Victor Krummenacher (Camper Van Beethoven, Monks of Doom) and Alison Faith Levey (The Loud Family, The Sippy Cups), performs stirring indie pop with an Americana twist. But refusing to be slipped into a specific genre cabinet, the group delves into Southern blues, folk, pop ballads, roots-rock, jazz, and pleasant acoustic. It’s foot-stomping fun that refuses to succumb to any industry pressure to sound like this or that. I love that. And you will too. Looking for the next big thing that none of your hipster friends have heard yet? Pick up “Time for Leaving” and you won’t be disappointed.

Peep a video for these indie pop rockers for the title track:

Lesson 1 for those of you in unsigned bands hoping to get review coverage and notice in the music industry – first impressions are key. And no I’m not just talking about the fact that the first 30 seconds of your first song should be killer (that’s a no brainer folks) but it’s the little things, like the look-n-feel of your packaging. Some bands subscribe to the notion that they should put airplane size bottles of booze in there (awesome and much appreciated, keep ‘em coming!), others have cute 8×10 press cuts (yawn, please no more brick wall photos, thanks!), and then the inventive take it from the very first look – what and how you pack your music that’s sent via the mail. Get Laid nailed it – excuse the pun. Not only did they use Simpsons stamps, which is universally noted as ‘awesome’ but they put their vinyl in a decorated package. Going that extra mile means the world and shows that you really REALLY want folks to open it up to see what surprises lay inside. “Pretty Weathered” is a female-fronted proto-punk, spazz, and crusty indie rock outfit that deploys intriguing stop-and-go guitar chugs while firmly nodding to their hardcore brethren. “Decca A.D.” is oddly a B-side but could be their lead track. Easily mistaken for D.C. era post-hardcore and dare I say, emocore, Get Laid is one up-and-comer that everyone worth their salt in the music biz and Regular Joes who just want to be in the know for the next best band. Love it.

Nite Nite – How to Touch the Moon

Imagine if Bjork’s voice was put to a backdrop of Siouxsie and the Banshees and you’ll conjure an image of Nashville’s Nite Nite’s brand of gothic rock.

Gerald Krampl – Innocent Wasteland

Sober minimalism of ambient meets classical, “Innocent Wasteland” reaches out past the more traditional feel of spirituality and meditative healing that he had been composing alongside his wife and poet Hilde who passed away a little over 7 years ago under the name Agnus Dei. He also wrote and created a multimedia project about the Holocaust. Gerald focuses on the mellow side of things with this reflective journey of classical ambience. Beautiful.

Matt Weston – Seasick Blackout

Experimental noise and compositions that is staggeringly different from most anything this side of John Zorn that you can find. It’s weird and different and sure and if you give it a chance (and you damn well better), can help propel your musical tastes into a whole new surreal chapter. Not for the feint of heart.

Listen to a sample [MP3]

Proud Simon – Anchors Aweigh

Nice album title pun guys! Journeying through Americana, folk, and alternative pop, Proud Simon write great songs that are poetry wrapped in rhythms and harmonies. Nice and since you can download it for free, you might as well give them the old college try, eh?

Download the EP for Free!

Ramblin’ Dawgs – Shoot ‘em Up

New Jersey natives that play your standard blues rock bar music. Nothing special but entertaining enough that you’d probably go out to see them again and have a good time. Isn’t that what it’s all about sometimes?

Elaine Lachica – I Think I Can See the Ocean

New York’s Elaine Lachica is a classically trained soprano and her music is extremely intricate and inventive in the vein of the Cocteau Twins and Regina Spektor. Nice.

Gabriel Johnson – Fractured

Trumpeter Gabriel Johnson blends electronica releases an album on Carmen Rizzo’s label whose worked with the likes of Coldplay, Paul Oakenfold, Jem, and Seal to name a few. “Fractured” takes the notion of jazz to the modern era and spins it up a bit. Intriguing.

The Bodies Obtained – Dead Plans

Experimental electro that dapples in gothic rock, industrial, and noise, The Bodies Obtained are a wealth of avant-garde but their post-punk/post-electro soundscape does take a while to grow on you.

The Heligoats – Goodness Gracious

Smart indie rock from Chicago from a band that’s been a bit of an after thought in a way for the folks in the group off and on for a decade now. Melancholy melodies and loosely strummed guitars form the crux of “Goodness Gracious” and everything builds from there on out. Definitely an album you need to re-listen to a few times to fully soak in all of the nuances that are going on – no that doesn’t mean it’s an art rock album filled with weird studio tricks, but that it just needs proper time to be absorbed the right way. Good stuff.

The Sexy Accident – A Merry Christmas to You – Remix

I guess I was a little late on the timing of this one. Power-pop remix of the band’s X-mas song with clips from “It’s a Wonderful Life” along with the original and the b-side, “Say Goodnight”.

Yukon Blonde – Yukon Blonde

‘70s era pop-rock with power pop chops and lucrative melodies rich decorate the catchy harmonies breathed out by Canadian indie outfit Yukon Blonde.

Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba – I Speak Fula

Malian musician Bassekou Kouyate has been around the music world for a long time and jammed with the likes of Bonnie Raitt and U2’s Bono as well as gotten praise from Eric Clapton. His chosen instrument is a derivative of the banjo, known as the ngoni, or ‘spike lute’. He in fact has taken the instrument and created his own magic with it, creating his own trademark sound and one that cannot be copied. “I Speak Fula” is an album that is a great testament to his great accomplishments and his musical lineage.

U-Melt – Perfect World

Progressive rock with plenty of grooves, “Perfect World” by U-Melt is their third studio album and was recorded in their home studio in Brooklyn, not that you can tell with its dashingly grand sound.

Sambada – Gente

Afro-Brazilian brilliance from Santa Cruz, California? Seems unlikely but boy does it ever work with elements of surf-rock, reggae, and funk blended effortlessly by a band who likes to show off their capoeira talents as well. Radical.

Various Artists – Happy Holidays from Ye Olde Hometapes 2009

Again I’m not so topical, but better late than never! Home is where the tapes are. Hometapes, one of the best indie labels out there, was kind enough to mail out old school cassette tapes (wow am I really THAT old now?) to friends and family. Featuring some of the best on their roster of awesome, the compilation is also available for free digital download here.

Robert Valente – Alive

Pop-inflected melodies percolate this folk/country hybrid, “Alive” by Robert Valente, an unsigned artist from California. Lyrical it’s astute and matched nicely with well-blended instrumentation. Nice.

Hallowed Butchery – Funeral Rites for the Living

Doom metal from one of the coldest states in the U.S., Maine. Symphonic doom that trails the line between hard-edged soundscape and something along the line of Neurosis, Hallowed Butchery is a fascinating listen.

The Dojo Workhorse – Weapons Grade Romantic

Calgary-based The Dojo Workhorse pumps out coffeehouse indie pop that feature eclectic instrumentation such as the lapsteel guitar, cello, viola, tap dancing (yeah that’s right), and the glockenspiel. Vocally they’re on point and could easily be a featured band at a Starbucks near you – though I doubt that they’d go that commercial, they’re far too “lo-fi”.

Real Vocal String Quartet – Real Vocal String Quartet

Given the band moniker and the self-titled album, you can imagine what you’re getting – vocals and violin/viola/cello. So now that we’re out of the “no-duh” category”, I’d like to point out that this isn’t chamber music – there’s African trance, circus/klezmer bluegrass, influence.

Chaos Invocation – In Bloodline with the Snake

Debut by German atmospheric black metal outfit; yes it’s clichéd and typical but if you’re into this genre, why not check it out?

Virtual Humans – Transcend

Brazilian group that boasts (?) they have no “real” singers but in the same breath say how their focus on lyrics about human subjects is key. I guess they’re trying to do something pretty cerebral here but it falls flat, both in their delivery (I think they should actually ABANDON the notion of singing since they can’t) and their mantra. The only coup they pulled off was convincing me it was worthwhile to give their yawning barf of modern college pop-rock a listen. If Elvis Costello was dead, he’d haunt their asses.

Bridges & Blinking Lights – Heroes, Guns & Snakes

Chunky guitar hooks bridges the indie pop harmonies and their energetic rock mantra. Their singer reminds me a bit of the dude from My Morning Jacket but the one complaint I have is that it really feels at times as if he’s holding something back. Definitely an album for those of you looking for something off the beaten path of more traditional indie rock.

Carnaval – 2

Due to complications with the recording studio, this second album of stoner rock from Slovenia by Carnaval is their first debut album; that drama aside, Carnaval churns out chunky guitar-centric stoner wailings with dense song structures.

Concentric – Immeasurable

Milwaukee’s acoustic instrumental trio Concentric composes complex progressive music that is sharp, brilliant and special – far from what you would classically dub “acoustic instrumentals” (I swear they have blast beats!). An intriguing listen and something for those of you looking for something unique and off the beaten path but still amazing and catchy.