Indiana-based House of Bread (not affiliated with the bread shop, sorry!) buries the competition in the indie synth pop world easily on their third installment, “Superhuman Tomb”. Having gotten their start in 2005, Omar Afzaal wanted to put together a noise-pop solo project using a simple 8-track recorder. Soon after Bob Haddad joined forces with Omar and the rest as they say is history. Dreamy and dense, “Superhuman Tomb” carries a similar torch of intricate guitar pop mastery that people came to expect from early Smashing Pumpkins. Definitely recommended if you like groups like Air, Asobi Seksu, Super Furry Animals, or just want to be able to boast that you like eclectic music that no one else has heard of and just happens to also be freakin’ great.

ps. You can download the album for free too.

311 – Love Song

The Cure’s original track bled emotion on “Love Song”, a beautiful anthem that was supposedly written about Robert Smith’s beau. While I’d never be mistaken to be a 311 fan (and who should?), this song seemed destined to be covered by the group who added their reggae and ska guitar influences with heavily reverbed vocals.

Alien Ant Farm – Smooth Criminal

Michael Jackson left us in 2009 but his music was revisited by younger fans after this great Californian crossover unit unearthed one of his best hits and made it their own complete with a quirky video.

Keane – Enjoy the Silence
Anberlin – Enjoy the Silence

Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” was such a great original tune that tons of bands covered it and we figured we’d span those vast borders by showcasing a pop band’s take and a pop-punk’s band’s version. Both are special for sure.

Nouvelle Vague – Love Will Tear Us Apart

Of course sad gothic pop artists Joy Division should be revisited bossa nova style. And that’s just what French cover outfit Nouvelle Vague does.

Nirvana – Where Did You Sleep Last Night

Kurt Cobain and the grunge juggernauts unleashed one of the best sets from the now defunct MTV series, “Unplugged”. The song was a folk classic by Leadbelly, still a relative unknown especially among the fan boys and fan girls who coveted this legendary group.

Stabbing Westward – Bizarre Love Triangle

New Order along with Depeche Mode and Joy Division are probably some of the most covered ‘80s artists and their “Bizarre Love Triangle” is the litmus test for anyone doing a good ‘80s cover. Stabbing Westward nailed it. No surprise there.

Youth Group – Forever Young

Alphaville’s classic single “Forever Young” had numerous dance remixes and a few European punk rerubs but it was when an Australian rock band was approached by the producers of “The O.C.” to remix it that it finally got its rightful due in the hallowed halls of cover fame.

The Braids – Bohemian Rhapsody

It takes balls to cover Queen. Or maybe it doesn’t. This female hip-hop duo tackles one of rock opera’s best with gusto. The music video doesn’t really fit the lyrics so much but whatever.

Oleander – Boys Don’t Cry

The Cure again? I know what am I thinking?!? Well these alternative rock misfits do the song justice and then some.

Saul Williams – Sunday Bloody Sunday

Take one of hip-hop’s biggest stars who doesn’t get his due coverage, and then have him cover the biggest pop band since the Beatles to come from the U.K.’s big hit “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and you have a gold mine of awesome. Oh and did I mention that Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails helps out on this U2 cover? Make that a platinum mine.

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.

Atlanta may not be best known as a haven for post-hardcore outfits, but perhaps with the self-titled EP by Lakehurst is Burning from one of my personal favorite indie labels, Reason Y Records, that could all change in a blink of an eye. Angular guitars combine with splendid melodies that brine together the best offerings of DC post-hardcore/indie rock ala Fugazi and the smart emocore (you know, what REAL emo is/was?) that so many rock musicians these days seem to have sadly forsaken for the ridiculousness of screamo and bland noise rock. The Paper Champions unfortunately fell apart after six great years in 2008, but Lakehurst is Burning, which features three out of four members of that super group, formed in its wake shortly thereafter. If you don’t know – and few that consider themselves “in the know” wouldn’t, The Paper Champions were gifted with plenty of success ranging from a prized inclusion on Deep Elm Records’ widely acclaimed “Emo Diaries” compilation series and also their “Ask Emma” was featured on MTV’s coveted Road Rules soundtrack – their ’04 debut full-length “Weekend of Compromise” being one of the early success of the aforementioned Atlanta imprint Reason Y, but it was their 4-song EP, “End. Transmission” that was their most critically acclaimed album. Sadly that band is no more, but if this self-titled debut EP shows us anything, it’s that the creative juices and intelligent songwriting that went into each passionate cut that The Paper Champions penned hasn’t been lost and indeed seems to have been fostered into something new being just as propulsive and essential. How’d they get this interesting moniker you ask? Well the band name is a reference to an air force base in Lakehurst, New Jersey where brother Jason (vocals/guitar) and Brad Neubert (drums)’s great-grandfater manned the tethers for the doomed Hindenburg zeppelin that tragically burst into flames killing 36 people. Despite the bleak band moniker, the album is a refreshing and captivating adventure of post-hardcore indie rock with gritty song structures of intriguingly paced time signatures and mature yet dark lyrics. Fascinating album that seemingly offers something new and exciting with each listen.

Buy Entire Album on MP3 on Amazon | Listen to “Captain, This is Crazy” [Free MP3 Download]

Watch a Live Video from their CD Release Party:

Cincinnati indie-pop via British pop influences, The Minor Leagues’ fifth album out on indie label, Datawaslost, is an astonishing presence. Collecting lyrical stories that would make any rock opera blush crimson, “This Story Is Old, I Know, But It Goes On”, is a dashingly brilliant soulful and melodic jaunt down the Memory Lane where Pulp, Apples in Stereo, Blur, and the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” reside. Helping out on the album is a who’s who of studio wizards and musicians of past and present such as John Kathman (Nirvana in ’93), Josh Combs (Kinks in ’67), Luke McGlasson (Specials in ’78), Hilly Kenkel (Ronettes in ’62), and Amanda Lee Anderson (Belle & Sebastian in ’99) forming an pop-rock orchestra septet that traverses the best elements of ’60s Motown soul, ‘70s rock (with a quick nod towards glam), and the best of Brit-pop from the ‘90s. “Good Boys” is easily the best track on this fantastic album with an entertaining up-tempo and fingersnapping melodies. Catchy? Absolutely and then some. Fun? Without a doubt – after all a band that lists Hilly Kenkel as a “choir of one” and “laughing” as an instrument “played” by half a dozen folks in the studio is seriously ready to put the L’s and O’s in LOLing. Building off of the standard rock set-up of guitar, bass, drums, and vocals, The Minor Leagues add in the complexities of cello, trumpet, trombone, viola, off-the-beaten-path percussion instruments such as triangle, sleigh bells, tambourine, umbrella (yes), bongos, with plenty of kazoo to please. Great way to end 2009 with a smart album of undeniably awesome catchiness and pop glitz with replay ability of infinity and beyond (thanks Buzz) all recorded in four bedrooms, a couple of band rooms, and two living rooms that surprisingly sound like a multi-million studio affair.

Listen to “Good Boys” [Free MP3 Download]

Listen to “The Love That Never Was” [Free MP3 Download]

Tera Melos is one of those amazing experimental bands that you can try to describe and just fall flat. They do pretty much everything that you could possibly imagine that’s awesome and do it damn well. Toss in ambient, weird time signatures (that actually work and don’t sound contrived), a bevy of effects/samples, and all of this from one a trio of dudes from California. Stunning. Shine it up and crank up the speakers. Oh and check them out live with seminal experimental maestros Melt-Banana on the West Coast…

Dec 11 – Chop Suey – Seattle, WA – Seattle Stranger Show Pick
Dec 12 – Dante’s – Portland, OR
Dec 14 – Blue Lamp – Sacramento, CA
Dec 15 – Glass House – Pomona, CA Also w/ All Leather
Dec 16 – Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA

For a totally fun and totally free download of their “Idioms vol. I”, go to their bandcamp site. You will not regret this!

For more information, visit the usual suspects:

Official Site

Tera Melos on Myspace
Their label, Sargent House (yes the imprint that Omar Rodriguez Lopez has put together, you know that crazy guy from the Mars Volta!)