Harlan Pepper - Great Lakes

I'm quite certain I'm going to love Harlan Pepper's album, Yound and Old, officially due out February 22nd. It's made by a bunch of youngsters, barely out of high school, but they have something about them that sounds much older. Maybe it's that it sounds like something a man in jean overalls should be playing amongst the haystacks, but then those playful lyrics are something that Steve Poltz would write. "Great Lakes" is a banjo driven song with clever lyrics to put a grin on your face. You can stream the entire album on bandcamp. 

Harlan Pepper - Great Lakes [MP3]

White Winter Hymnal covered by Oh Land

This is a perfect sunday treat of a song and I've been saving it all week for you. This Fleet Foxes' song is one of my favorites of theirs, but I like how Oh Land's voice seems more cheerful and then there are the spastic drums that change the song too. The video is a good one as well, be sure to check it out.

Oh Land - White Winter Hymnal (Fleet Foxes Cover)

Scott Dunbar One Man Band

 Scott Dunbar rocks an accordion like no other, in case you couldn't tell from the album artwork. He also hand sews all his own album covers. How I would love to get one of those in the mail but I'd have to move to Canada for that. I heard him months ago on CBC radio and was enthralled, but forgot until now to buy his album which is available on bandcamp for $5. Anyways he's the shit, as anyone who plays the accordion usually is. You can catch him busking on the streets of Montreal playing his own music or hits like Billie Jean, Wagon Wheel, Bad Moon Rising and a slew of others I'm sure. Gotta love a musician who so clearly just plays for the love of music. Make sure to check out the Wagon Wheel video and see his inventive percussion skills. 

Ellie Goulding - Lights (Bassnectar Remix)

It's time for a fun friday song and this is an excellent one to start your weekend off with, hell even start your morning with it. I love the sound of techno in the morning. Bassnectar works his magic with Ellie Goulding's voice floating over all the beepy boopy parts. Until it drops with some nice deep bass. If you don't already know Ellie Goulding, you should I'm hoping her voice starts dominating the radio waves instead of Britney's latest. But for now I'm extremely content with what we have here. Happy Friday! 

Lights (Bassnectar remix)

Hold Your Horses - 70 Million [Video]

How did I miss this video? How did anyone miss it? I think it is flipping fantastic. The band recreates 25 famous paintings (see if you can name them all) while performing their song 70 million. It is a bit like an OK Go video but sloppier, funnier, and I actually really like the music. Yay french bands singing in english.

néGar - Off The Ground

néGar sent me an email that piqued my interest "I grew up splitting my time between Abu Dhabi and Canada. This obvious divide between cultural traditions, and most importantly, the wide spread repression I witnessed throughout the Middle East sparked a desire to explore myself creatively, which led me to music." I think you'll be glad that she found music as her creative outlet when you listen to this song. She has a smokey deep voice that's hard to get out of your head, not unlike Cher and I mean that as a compliment.

Big Snow Big Thaw - Damn Allegheny

Here's a song you can't listen to just once. It is magnetic in its ability to pull you in to the heart of the song where you'll inexplicably find yourself stomping or clapping along with a vigor and zeal you probably didn't know you had. Frankly, I've listened to this song so many times I've lost my ability to articulate my thoughts, all I'm really dying to say is that I love this song.

Big Snow Big Thaw - Damn Allegheny

Big Snow Big Thaw is a two person band out of Pittsburgh and they just released their first EP titled Winter. You can grab it at Bandcamp for free. You can also watch their live radio studio performance of "Brackish Water" here. Jim Sabol, the banjo player and Big Snow half of the band just so happens to be a music blogger himself. Fancy that.

Jenny O. - Won't Let You Leave (Spirit Animal Remix)

If ever a song was mean to be played through headphones it was this one, well a few others come to mind too, but right now it's all about this song. Grab your best noise canceling pair, put them on, press play. Every single noise that emanates is perfect and exactly where it belongs. The original version of this song always left me wanting more, but this version amplifies that feeling by the power of infinity. I'm not the biggest fan of remixes but Spirit Animal does it right. The remix leaves the spirit of the indie-pop song intact but adds a handful of new elements and rearranges parts that do nothing but enhance this already wonderful song. I first saw this on Their Bated Breath, so thanks to David for that. I've been playing this one non-stop.

Jenny O. - Won't Let You Leave (Spirit Animal Remix) 

Lia Ices - Grown Unknown [Album Review]

Lia Ices' debut LP, Grown Unknown, could lead to her being classified as a singer/songwriter (itunes did) but there is a little something extra floating around in all of her songs that clearly set her apart from the rest, or what one might assume a singer/songwriter to sound like. Her songs are crafted around her high voice that seemingly floats above the instruments no matter if she is using strings, piano, guitar, or tambourines. Even with the variety of instruments, her songs come across as minimalist and her voice is what leaves an impression song after song. The standout track is clearly "Daphne" in which her label mate, Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver), contributes his distinct vocals.

Frankly, "Daphne", "Grown Unknown" and "Love is Won" are the most enticing and complex on her entire album and the rest pale in comparison and unfortunately blend together in a boring way. It's like getting two wonderfully perfect bites of a chocolate souffle only to eat the rest and find out that what's remaining is drier and lacking the consistency of those first delicate bites. But then again, it's still chocolate souffle so it's not a total let down. Buy on amazon. Suggested tracks: Daphne, Grown Unknown, Love is Won, and Ice Wine.

Daphne 

Grown Unknown

Lotte Mullan - Wicked Ways (Ben Taylor cover)

Lotte Mullan a singer/songwriter whose debut album, Plain Jane,  isn't due out until May 2nd, has a few tracks floating around. Including this cover of one of my favorite Ben Taylor songs. I like hearing this song about using someone for sex from a female perspective, but I do still prefer the wicked sexiness of Ben Taylor's voice. However, some of the other tracks of Lotte Mulan that I have heard are good and you can stream the first five tracks here.
 02 Wicked Way by partisanpr