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INDIE ALBUM OF THE YEAR-2015

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 2015, album of the year, Alyeus, and from the sky we fall, andrew waite a & the firm, are we there yet?, blog, burning through the night, Desolate Row, fast food, Fractal Reverb, geodesic dome piece, Goodies, i can't believe my earz, independent music, independent musicians, indie, indie album of the year, indie music, Ivory Hours, Morning Light, music, nadine shah, songs to overcome the ego mind, support indie music, the best music you've never heard, the blank tapes, The Cool Whips, the easy outs, The Fall, The Quiet Things, the turnback, wordpress on December 21, 2015 by TheManicBlogger

Here it is, the 2015 I Can’t Believe My Earz Indie Album Of The Year. You can check out any or all of the albums by clicking on the album title. Thanks to all those involved in the voting, and a special thanks to all of the bands who submitted their music to us this year. To those of you reading this, please continue to support Independent Music. And finally, congratulations to the winners!

10. The Blank Tapes -‘Geodesic Dome Piece‘

I could still listen to this for days on end. The songs make me feel like I did in 1969. The album is wonderfully arranged and produced. The vocals are wonderful, and the lyrics, sardonic and witty. There is an acoustic demo version of “Do You Wanna Get High” as a bonus, and “To Your Dome Piece” is worth a few listens just for the lyrical phrasing.. This is one of those must have albums. The kind that you have to have in your collection, just because it was done. Bizarro-garage-psychedelic-stoner-surf-pop at its best.

9. Alyeus – ‘And From The Sky We Fall‘

And From The Sky We Fall is a wonderful ride. Filled with cool effects, eclectic lyrics, acoustic guitar, and I am almost certain there is an electric drill in use here!! The guitar and synthesizer collaboration is exceptional, and I thoroughly enjoyed the underlying spoken word dubbed in. The album is wonderfully written. Wonderfully executed. Wonderfully produced. This is one cool concept album. Do yourself a favor, and check it out, Listen to it in its entirety in one sitting. It is well worth it.

8. The Quiet Things – ‘The Fall‘

I am still liking this album. The vocals are wonderful, and the songs are exceptional. Incredibly original music, with the ability to create mood. The songs are wonderfully original, unique, and way cool. From beginning to end, it will have you tapping your feet, and trying to sing along. It gets inside you, and you just can’t get it out! Not a bad thing though, since The Fall is insanely good! Definitely a must have album.

7. Fractal Reverb – ‘Songs To Overcome The Ego Mind‘

Songs To Overcome The Ego Mind is an incredible journey. Progressive Psychedelic Rock, a sort of fusion of Yes, King Crimson, and Rush. The sound is wonderfully full, and complex, incorporating different orchestral themes within each track. A progressive free for all that is perfectly executed, and often unexpected. The album drives forward, taking you places that you never imagined existed. A brilliant piece of work! This is the kind of album you put on and just let it play, allowing the music to envelop you, and hold you within it. An epic sound. An epic album. Certainly one of the most incredible collections of music I have heard in a long time.

6. Ivory Hours – ‘Morning Light‘

The songs are insanely good, filled with pop melodies, great harmonies, and wonderful arrangements. The lyrics tell stories, and the choruses are insanely good. Pure pop. With a elements of rock, and blues. The vibe is dynamite. Entertaining & exciting..An incredibly wonderful listen! Amazingly pop, with bass and drums providing the perfect backdrop to exceptional melodies. The album is just plain wonderful, providing way cool pop melodies with exceptional arrangements. Go out and get 1. Or 2. It is that good.

5. Andrew Waite & The Firm – ‘Burning Through The Night‘

Burning Through The Night is wonderfully soothing & melodic. A return to the singer-songwriter days, with songs filled with heartfelt stories that resonate with me. The vocals are unique, and I dig the raspiness in Andrew Waite’s voice. The arrangements rock, and the horns & organ are a delightful. Andrew Waite & The Firm could very well be the next Blue Rodeo!! A band to watch. A band to listen to!! The album is a wonderfully satisfying journey that I plan on taking regularly. I suspect that I will have to make an endless loop as I can’t see myself getting tired of this.

4. The Cool Whips – ‘Goodies‘

3. Nadine Shah – ‘Fast Food‘

Nadine Shah has a style all of her own. Unforgettable and unmistakable! Beautiful & sublime. The songs are wonderfully written, and have been driving some to move uncontrollably. I dig this album. It is wonderfully eclectic. It is alternative. Alternative cool. Alternative wonderful. Get it today!

2. The Turnback – ‘Are We There Yet?‘

Are We There Yet is way cool Power Pop. I seem to be involved in a love affair with this album, It makes me happy, and asks for nothing in return. It has me singing around the house. The songs are exceptional, with great melodies, wonderful harmonies, dynamite bridges & choruses, and unforgettable hooks. The Turnback have delivered an incredibly great album, that I am referring to as Power Pop of the new millennium! The production is wonderful. There is a sweet balance here, with nothing over the top. It is pure power pop perfection!! Get a dozen or so copies. Give them to your family and friends. Or keep them all for yourself. I would. And if they ever hold a parade for this release, I will be there, front and centre, with a truckload of ticker tape.

1. The Easy Outs – ‘Desolate Row‘

The Easy Outs have struck gold. The sound is insanely full, but there are no gimmicks here, just straight ahead rock and roll. Not just rock, but Jersey Rock. The kind of rock that hits you in the face, with wonderful riffs, great changes, and a kick ass rhythm section. The kind of rock that you take on a road trip, top down as you barrel along some coastal highway! Sounding like The Beatles meet The Ramones, Desolate Row blends wonderful melodies, unforgettable hooks and way cool harmonies, with high octane garage rock. It is simply a wild party, and you’re invited. You just need to get a copy, crank it up, and hold on tight!

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THE TURNBACK-Are We There Yet?

Posted in Uncategorized with tags a long way home, a place for me, album, are we there yet?, beatlesque, blog, bridges, Brit Pop, chorus, fake town, first song of summer, five days a week, harmonies, hooks, i can't believe my earz, if i were god, indie, indie album of the year, indie music, July, melody, music, new york city, October 2015, power pop, reveal, revolution girl, riffs, seconds, songs, taxman, the beatles, the turnback, tomorrow never knows, unmotivated, wordpress on November 22, 2015 by TheManicBlogger

New York City area band, The Turnback, released their new album Are We There Yet? with very little fanfare. There should have been a parade!!

The album opens with ‘Faketown‘, a wonderfully aggressive track with a cool shuffle feel, and them shifts into a wonderous blend of 1960s pop and 1980s power pop. The sound is addictive! The vocals are dynamite. Just listen to ‘Revolution Girl‘ which has an exceptional harmonized vocal track, and pay attention to the riff on ‘July‘ and ‘If I Were God‘. The hooks on ‘A Place For Me‘ and ‘First Song Of Summer‘ are outstanding. It was incredibly difficult to pull a favorite track off of this album, however we have 2: ‘Five Days A Week‘ brings a wonderful melody, a sweet riff, great harmonies, and some cool changes together, and finishes with an incredible Beatlesque ending. And while we are on the subject of The Beatles, Turnback have placed a cover of The Beatles ‘Tomorrow Never Knows‘ on the album. Turns out to be one of the best covers of a Beatle song I have ever heard! The harmonies are to die for, and they even work in the riff from ‘Taxman’ for good measure. Exceptionally well done!

Are We There Yet is way cool Power Pop. I seem to be involved in a love affair with this album, It makes me happy, and asks for nothing in return. It has me singing around the house. The songs are exceptional, with great melodies, wonderful harmonies, dynamite bridges & choruses, and unforgettable hooks. The Turnback have delivered an incredibly great album, that I am referring to as Power Pop of the new millennium! The production is wonderful. There is a sweet balance here, with nothing over the top. A contender for The I Can’t Believe My Earz Top Indie Album of 2015!! It is pure power pop perfection!! Check it out here for yourself, and get a dozen or so copies. Give them to your family and friends. Or keep them all for yourself. I would. And if they ever hold a parade for this release, I will be there, front and centre, with a truckload of ticker tape.

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THE COOL WHIPS-Goodies

Posted in Uncategorized with tags a complicated man, a vague sense of dissatisfaction, album, album of the year, American, beach blanket, beatlesque, blog, boom-shang-a-lang, Brit Pop, farfisa, filibuster, frankie & annette, Goodies, hand clapping, harmonies, hooks, i can't believe my earz, indie, indie album of the year, indie music, keys, lost in the summertime, lyrics, Manfred Mann, melody, move over aphrodite, music, on the seasaw, oregon, pacific northwest, pink lemonade, portland, power pop, riff, she did a number on me, The Cool Whips, the man i never was, tickle me with a feather duster, turpentine, where can that girl be?, wordpress on July 19, 2015 by TheManicBlogger

I don’t know how I missed this until now. The Pacific Northwest has produced its fair share of incredible Indie Music, but I seem to have missed Portland, Oregon’s The Cool Whips. The release of their 12 track album ‘Goodies‘ in November 2014, may have come to me late, but this wonderful blend of 1960’s Brit pop and American power pop will not soon be forgotten.

The album kicks off with ‘Tickle Me With A Feather Duster‘, with a dynamite 60s beach/surf melody, great harmonies, and lyric like “come on babe don’t filibuster, don’t be such a little tease, tickle me with a feather duster, please”, and a few “yeah, yeah, yeah”s for good measure. ‘Move Over Aphrodite‘ delivers a great bridge, some way cool reverb, and wonderful farfisa. With a great hook, and wonderfully pop hand clapping, ‘On The Seesaw‘ has a way cool Frankie & Annette, Beach Blanket thing going on. ‘She Did A Number On Me‘, offers a great melody, nice harmonies, a cool riff, and wonderful keys. ‘A Complicated Man‘ gives a terrific bridge, with some really sweet guitar, which is highlighted again in ‘Lost In The Summertime‘. The keys in ‘Where Can That Girl Be?‘ are reminiscent of Manfred Mann, as it highlights the way cool changes, and killer bridge. ‘A Vague Sense Of Dissatisfaction‘ delivers some wonderful harmonies, while ‘Turpentine‘ offers a great guitar solo, and more tongue in cheek lyric with “she tells me what to do. I think I like it too”. The guitar rocks in ‘The Man I Never Was‘, and once again, the keys are incredible. ‘Pink Lemonade‘, offers wonderful harmonies, an exceptional melody, and a great hook. The riff is way cool, and I dig the Beatleseque vocals. The final track, ‘Boom-Shang-A-Lang‘, throws in some dynamite hand clapping to an unforgettable chorus, and hook. The keys are great, the guitar sweet. A perfect song to close out the album. Favorite tracks: ‘Tickle Me With A Feather Duster’, ‘Pink Lemonade’, and ‘Boom-Shang-A-Lang’.

‘Goodies’ is a wonderfully fun time. 12 amazing songs with unforgettable melodies, sweet harmonies, and addictive hooks. Add to all that great changes, and farfisa, and you get a perfectly pop album! Amazingly cool! I like this band. I like the sound. I like the album. Despite being released at the end of 2014, we just have to bend the rules and include it in the I Can’t Believe My Earz Indie Album Of The Year for 2015. It is just that good! Check it out for yourself: https://thecoolwhips.bandcamp.com/ and then buy 1 or 2. Definitely a must have album.

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THE RED RAILS-A Living Fiction

Posted in Uncategorized with tags 1970s, a living fiction, acoustic, beast, blues, canada, canadian, Cream, fill my hands, funk, fuzz, in a whisper, indie, indie album of the year, indie music, lions, melodic, music, on the line, one in the attack, ottawa, prisoner, reverb, rock, save her soul, the black crows, the ocean, The Red Rails, wolf stomp records on May 23, 2014 by TheManicBlogger

Something is happening in Ottawa, besides the usual graft and deceit propagated by politicians and bureaucrats. The local music scene in Canada‘s capital just keep delivering music from some wonderfully talented bands.

“A Living Fiction“, the new album by Ottawa’s The Red Rails, is scheduled for release on Wolf Stomp Records in July, 2014. I have previewed the 10 track album, and was not disappointed. The album rocks from start to finish, beginning and ending with way cool reverb on “Prisoner” and “Fill My Hands“. I found wonderful ‘fuzz’ in “On The Line“, and a 1970’s melodic rock feel while listening to “In A Whisper“. There are great effects, and a western style guitar/tex-mex sentiment to “One In The Attack“, and beautiful acoustic guitar in “The Ocean“. “Lions” offers a way cool mini drum solo, and I dig the funk bass line, and way cool guitar found in “Beast“. I heard great changes and transitions throughout, but I particularly enjoyed the changes in tempo and time signature evident in “Save Her Soul“.

The Red Rails offer a classic rock sound immersed in blues. A sort of Cream meets The Black Crowes. With a 21st century edge. I like it! This is not background music. This is an album you play in its entirety. In your car. While taking a 40 minute drive down a highway. Make sure it is a highway. You cannot drive slow while listening. A serious contender for Canadian Indie Album Of The Year.