Psychedelic folk assembled by Andrew McAllister that does things similar to Bright Eyes but without outright copying anything. Each song seems simple yet when you break it down it’s amazingly complex. McAllister is joined with three others to form a cohesive unit capable of writing imaginative songs and utilizing off-the-beaten-path instruments like a banjo, melodica, and Wurlitzer. Mastering the 2-minute pop song seems to be what Vanish Valley originally intended and then decided to say “the hell with it, let’s do something different” halfway through. Intriguing elements of country, folk, psychedelia, pop, and rock permeate the self-titled debut album. So guys, how are you going to follow this gem up?

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:

These are the endearing stories that makes being a music reviewer that much more rewarding. Jon Troast is a paycheck-to-paycheck musician who recently completed a 100 Concerts in 100 Days tour, performing in gracious people’s living rooms. The album is a melting pot of Americana, pop-rock, folk, and indie singer/songwriter fare. Blessed with earnest lyrics with working-collar melodies, Jon Troast’s “Living Room” is a testament that struggling musicians can get by if they try hard enough, self-promote the right way, and frankly get out there and perform in front of people. Oh did I mention he doesn’t plan on charging for his shows in 2010, but just will rely on album sales alone to get by? So what are you waiting for? Help a man out and be rewarded with gift of strong songwriting and the wordplay of a true traveling minstrel.

Watch a video of Jon playing at a barn:

Blues-laden vocals retch out primitive emotions and observations of the art-punk world and its vibrant personalities on “To the Pouring Rain”, yet another superb addition to an already overwhelming catalog to small indie label Porto Franco Records. Seth Augustus sounds like a late career Tom Waits or even Leonard Cohen, straining to convey the imaginative thoughts streaming from his cortex into something even a drug-addled subconscious could piece together. The album sounds like the inspiration to half-a-dozen David Lynch flicks, sexy Americana folk with notes of early jazz and a more blues experimental Captain Beefheart. For you more modern music fans, look to a comparison of Ike Reilly with a more gravelly voiced narrative. Seth’s friendship, apprenticeship, and eventually his caretaking for the gravelly ill blind blues-man Paul Pena, noted for his superb “Big Old Jet Airliner” and the figure of an Oscar-nominated documentary, “Genghis Blues
”, is certainly felt throughout this excellent disc of fertile blues and art-pop landscape dubbed simply “To the Pouring Rain”. Outstanding and an essential pick for those looking for the next modern-day blues prophet.

Eccentric music for eccentric listeners. That would be the byline that I’d postulate if I was a member of Tribecastan’s PR team. Indeed, “Strange Cousin” is a strange bastard stepchild red-headed cousin whatever of varied and sundry musical styles ranging from Middle Eastern to Croatian to Swedish to even elements of punk rock. Utilizing instruments as varied as the mandolin, steel drum, yayli tambur, Jew’s harp, fujara, hurdy gurdy, Bulgarian gaida, box fiddle, Uilleann chanter, chromatic tambourine, bender, mandocello, tupan, nyckleharpa, Kelhorn, and Pakistani taxi horn. Mixing up folk music from various region across the world with urbanized pop and cross-cultural ethnic jams, Tribecastan finds its roots in a small neck of the woods of Manhattan which is a cross-roads in of itself. Inventive, energetic, and vigorously different, “Strange Cousin” beckons to the world-traveled listener that is weary of standard pop fare.