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Electric Blues/Vagrant
Band of Skulls aren't innovators, and they probably won't ever be.
Thrash and glow
Once in a while, a name can conveniently give you an accurate sketch of what a band sounds like.
Rendezvous
I don't remember where I was the first time I heard "I Believe in a Thing Called Love," but I do know that I hated it.
Arbutus (2012)
The debut record from Grimes, an alias of the Montreal-based Boucher, kicks off the peculiarity parade by presenting song titles steeped in cutesy affectation.
Dead Oceans (2012)
Onwards to the Wall clocks in at 16 minutes and 35 seconds, and it could shatter into smithereens at any moment.
Shangri-La Music (2011)
Don't be tricked by Bruiser's title. On album number three, the Duke Spirit are in no hurry to get into a scuffle.
30-year-old skank
Despite its seminal role in the creation of first-wave UK punk, ska in America doesn't get no respect.
Doomtree (2011)
As of this writing, no one on Last.fm has created a tag for "hyper-paced, ultra-smart, ultra-self-aware, futuristic, planet-hopping indie hip-hop."
Old sound, modern means
Ordinarily, the end of days isn't a very enticing prospect, but after hearing Tristen Gaspadarek chant "Doomsday" repeatedly, you might welcome horsemen on the horizon.
Ghostly International (2011)
In order to appreciate Dive properly, you'll need one thing: headphones.
Kind of blue
Will Wiesenfeld believes in making purposeful choices.
Temporary Residence Limited (2011)
Coliseum are a band acutely aware of their strengths — perhaps too much so.
Once more with feeling
At this point in Crystal Antlers' young career, their most powerful song is still the turbulent, desperate "Andrew."
Carpark (2011)
Tinny, lonely keyboards and aching romanticism lead the way for Player Piano's first two tracks, but a minute into "Today Is Our Life" it seems like the dude wants to create a song hopeful enough to end an '80s teen rom-com on a high note.
Temple of gloom
There's been an enormous wave of musicians gaining notoriety for creating work where they sleep, and subsequently seeing their star rise as blogs have picked up on the results.
Ghostly International (2011)
The glassy, hallucinogenic, and goofy electronics straddle this indecisive middle ground between creating something soothing and something to get your blood pumping.
Recreation Ltd. (2011)
Crystal Antlers' latest can be a pretty frustrating record — not because of what it is but because what it isn't.
Pride of strong island
For a lot of people, just mentioning Tell All Your Friends reignites a bunch of old motifs and memories. For me, nostalgia accounts for half of my affection, whereas the album's raw, naïve tenacity justifies the remainder.
High wired act
Fucked Up have always relished the idea of screwing with people's heads. Case in point: when Deranged Records issued 2002's "No Pasaran," the first of dozens of 7-inch records by the Toronto band, several indie distribution houses initially refused to stock it.
Going full burst
The indie-rock world adores its creative hermits more and more every day.
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