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.

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.

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!)

Download Capybara’s “Soft” [MP3]

10/08 – Eugene, OR – Sam Bond’s Garage
10/09 – Davis, CA – KDVS In Studio
10/10 – Davis, CA – House Show w/ Muzzle of Bees
10/11 – Oakland, CA – Mama Buzz Cafe
10/12 – San Fransisco – Kimo’s
10/23 – San Diego, CA – The Habitat
11/05 – Albuquerque, NM – Heaven & Hell
11/06 – Las Cruces, NM – Equinox
11/07 – Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
11/11 – Austin, TX – Momo’s
11/19 – Houston, TX – Mango’s

Earlier this week, a new Radiohead MP3 was leaked…its title is “These Are My Twisted Words” off of their upcoming “Wall of Ice” EP which is set to hit via the Internet virally at first, or so goes the rumors. Also check out the riveting charity track, “Harry Patch (In Memory Of)“.

Don Chambers is excited for the release of his new album Zebulon out on Warm Electronic Recordings in early September. To celebrate the occasion, he’s touring with Goat as a backing band (see confirmed dates below) and Drive-By Truckers. Musically Chambers explores Southern styling of rock ‘n’ roll with beaten throaty vocals and a wailing guitar swagger that conjures up the Tom’s – Petty and Waits. The traveling troubadour sound is unwavering and haunting, check out “Highwater” [mp3] featuring Patterson Hood.

August 4   – Barley’s Taproom  Knoxville, Tennessee
August 8  – 40 Watt – Habitat for Humanity Benefit, Athens, Georgia
August 21  – Flicker Theatre, Athens, Georgia
September 12  – Georgia Theatre CD RELEASE SHOW with Liz Durrett, Athens, Georgia
September 13  – Sky City, Augusta, Georgia
September 15  – BAMA Theatre with Drive-By Truckers, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
September 16  – The Bohemian , Greenville, South Carolina
September 17  – Headliners with Drive-By Truckers, Columbia, South Carolina
September 18  – Amos South with Drive-By Truckers, Charlotte, North Carolina
September 19  – Norva with Drive-By Truckers , Norfolk, Virginia
September 27  – The Drunken Unicorn, Atlanta, Georgia
September 29  – Varsity with Drive-By Truckers, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
September 30  08:00 PM – Bottling Co. with Drive-By Truckers, Hattiesburg, Mississippi
October 1  – The Lyric with Drive-By Truckers, Oxford, Mississippi
October 4   – The Rocket , Asheville, North Carolina

Three new tracks from Biclops (ex-Postman Syndrome / Day Without Dawn), from their summer 2008 4-song demo, have just been uploaded to their website. The band is putting the finishing touches on their debut record, which will be released sometime in 2009. The group has not signed with any label as of yet. Look for the group to play some local shows and small tours while a longer tour should take place this winter.

[myspace]

Charlie Barnard is set to release his “Ivory Serpents & The Starving Tree” album of psychedelic pop on Skyeyesea Records on July 28th.

Retro it up with Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head whose album “Glistening Pleasure” came out on July 15th. Smother reviewed and loved its bevy of synth-laden melodies. Preview this quirky outfit’s “Me + Yr Daughter“. Much recommended.

Catch Atlanta-based Christian metalcore mavericks Norma Jean on Warped Tour all summer debuting tunes from their “The Anti Mother” that is set for release on August 5th on Solid State Records. Featuring guest appearances by Chino Moreno (Deftones, Team Sleep) and Page Hamilton of Helmet fame, “The Anti Mother” is sure to shred expectations.

Paramore is set to hit the stage with Jack’s Mannequin, Paper Route, and Phantom Planet later this month. Check them out on tour now in support of their well-received “RIOT!” album out now on Fueled By Ramen.

Abigail Williams and their brand of the Gothenburg-style melodic death metal are hitting things off in the Thrash and Burn tour featuring Darkest Hour, Parkway Drive, Misery Signals, Winds of Plague, Arsis, and many others. The band will showcase songs off of their upcoming full-length debut on Candlelight Records, “In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns” which boasts a guest appearance by none other than Trym Torson (Emperor/Zyklon).

Here are the confirmed dates:

Jul 29 – Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque NM
Jul 30 – Diamond Ballroom, Oklahoma City OK
Jul 31 – Beaumont Club, Kansas City MO
Aug 01 – Attic Club, Dayton OH
Aug 02 – Birch Run Expo Center, Birch Run MI
Aug 03 – Robot Mosh Fest, Milwaukee MI
Aug 04 – Pearl Room, Mokena IL
Aug 05 – Headliners Music Hall, Louisville KY
Aug 06 – Peabody’s Down Under, Cleveland OH
Aug 07 – Penny Arcade, Rochester NY
Aug 08 – Northern Lights, Clifton Park NY
Aug 09 – Webster Theatre, Hartford CT
Aug 10 – Crocodile Rock, Allentown PA
Aug 11 – Irving Plaza, New York NY
Aug 12 – Huntington Music Hall (Monkey Bar), Huntington WV
Aug 14 – Crazy Donkey, Farmingdale NY
Aug 15 – Palladium, Worcester MA
Aug 16 – Sonar, Baltimore MD
Aug 17 – Norva, Norfolk VA
Aug 18 – Lincoln Theatre, Raleigh NC
Aug 19 – Masquerade, Atlanta GA
Aug 20 – State Theatre, St. Petersburg FL
Aug 22 – White Rabbit, San Antonio TX
Aug 23 – Java Jazz, Houston TX
Aug 24 – House of Blues, Dallas TX
Aug 25 – Club 101, El Paso TX
Aug 26 – Marquee Theatre, Tempe AZ
Aug 27 – House of Blues, W. Hollywood CA

National Product is doing the “Endless Summer Tour” this year along with 1997. Peep their brand of pop-punk/indie rock via the video for “Medicated” or just catch them on tour…

August 14 – Bakersfield, CA @ The Dome
August 17 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
August 19 – Spokane, WA @ The Blvd
August 20 – Boise, ID @ The Venue
August 21 – Ogden, UT @ Club Boom
August 22 – Grand Junction, CO @ VFW Hall
August 23 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
August 24 – Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
August 27 – Kansas City, MO @ Mainstreet Café
August 29 – Chicago, IL @ Reggie’s Rock Club
August 30 – Lansing, MI @ Mac’s Bar
September 2 – Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Platinum Lounge
September 3 – Rockville Centre, NY @ Vibe Lounge
September 5 – Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock Café
September 7 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Steppin’ Out
September 11 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
September 12 – Orlando, FL @ Backbooth
September 19 – Dallas, TX @ The Door-Prophet Bar
September 20 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
September 22 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
September 24 – Las Vegas, NV @ Jillian’s
September 26 – Hollywood, CA @ The Knitting Factory
September 27 – Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction

Plus and more importantly than anything, preview the new Blacks Kids album immediately. Their official U.S. debut “Partie Traumatic” is something that kids will listen to on a boombox in Sweden while getting drunk. For serious!