As might be expected, slightly fewer tunes make up our final monthly mix of the best of the downloads from MM – no panic tho’, the quality of new tunes on offer more than makes up for it. And as always, some new ones for you too means a top banana mix of twenty cracking songs to play in the New Year.
The Cheatahs – The Swan
A swirling, smoking riff and a rough ‘n’ ready feel is mixed with 90s slacker indie influences and a bit of shoegaze – all to more than good effect.
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Beach Fossils – Careless
All sinewy jangle bouncing along on the back of hurtling, punk-ish drums.
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Criminal Hygiene – Rearrange Me
Skater-punk’s bitter ode to unhealthy relationships, full of rough and raspy vocals met with a charging bassline.
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Download Grave Babies – Over And Under Ground mp3 (from Crusher)
Catchy, but nevertheless slathered in their signature overdoses of distortion.
Split Screens – Deep Down
Pink Floyd style subtle psychedelia and Beck style emotion.
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Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo – Christmas Time Is Here
Sweetly harmonious festive version of a Christmas classic, also featuring Kristina Train, Rumer and Ren Harvieu.
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Download Fires – Untied mp3 (from Angels In The Dark EP)
Imagine the scuzz-rock blitzkrieg of Butthole Surfers, combined with the melody and songcraft of Urge Overkill.
Blackfeet Braves – Vicious Cycle
60s era psychedelia bathed in twangy reverb and infectious melody, resulting in lo-fi psych pop fitting for the most epic trip.
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Download Los Campesinos! – A Doe To A Deer mp3 (From A Doe To A Deer)
Indie popsters’ festive offering complete with alcoholic undertones.
Download Balto – Smokestacks mp3 (from Monuments EP)
Voices sail out in harmony over a dusty, spaghetti western guitar twang and heartfelt emotions are laid bare at your doorstep – tangled, delicate and rich.
James Yuill – Lost In California
New offering from folktronica master from as yet untitled new album.
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Download Tom Williams – Christmas (So Much Better When You’re Here) mp3 (from For Folk’s Sake It’s Christmas)
Another festive goody.
Jack Hardman – Plymouth
An ethereal and wintery song, filled with warm harmonies and covered in spring reverb – folk music with a psychedelic tint.
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American Royalty – Honey & Queen
Delivers a warm groove with a touch of Yeasayer / Little Dragon about it.
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Hero Jr. – Ann Boleyn
Indy-based foursome combine soaring vocals, stinging guitars and driving rhythms blurring the lines between ’70s classic rock, the angst of the Alternative Nation and modern indie-rock.
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And to finish off we have another raucous track from Criminal Hygiene. Next up is a new track from unique, otherworldly singger-songwriter Ólöf Arnalds, Treat Her Kindly is taken from the forthcoming album Sudden Elevation (out on One Little Indian US release 5th March, UK 4th February). We have Giant Giant Sand’s sage words and loungey rat-pack vibe on Not the End of the World with this track taken from the deluxe version of their excellent album Tucson. Then there is the Kinksian pop melancholy and Television Personalities wry punk disaffectedness of Campfires lo-fi weirdo musings – try the primitive pop of Fortune Teller from forthcoming album Tomorrow Tomorrow (just click through to download for free).
And lastly, hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Hawk and Dove is an indie rock band whose calm-before-the-storm sound has been described as the “loudest quiet band you have ever heard” and “the psychedelic country David Bowie never wrote.” On their forthcoming debut album, This Yesterday Will Never End, the band mixes hauntingly beautiful ballads with thunderous stoner grooves to create a sound quite unlike anything else. Download Things We Lost So Far.
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