Independent Music Discoveries, Issue #10

Another round of fab independent musicians in this continuing series, with 3 of them being from New York this time around...suggest your favourites in the comments!

The Royal Chains - Pop / Rock - New York, USA
The Royal Chains are a 3-piece group (Adam Roddick: singer/guitarist, Dan Lawley: bassist, and Mike Stefanov: drummer) based in New York that combine the best of tuneful pop of days gone by with a surprisingly raw edginess. Umbrella (freely downloadable at Last.fm), released last year, makes for a varied and delightful listen, from the grunge-crunch of "Kickback" through the sunshiny "Again and Again" and dark, ironic "Instant Happiness". The Royal Chains are a group to watch- highly recommended! You can check their tunes out via their website's music player and on MySpace Music.

Hakim Callier - Production Music - New York, USA
According to his bio, Hakim Callier is a music producer and audio engineer based in Harlem, New York, and son of Rick Callier, a Grammy-nominated DeBarge music producer and arranger. Hakim and Rick have collaborated to produce Songs in the Key of Me. Currently a work in progress, the EP is very cool and eclectic, with my favourite being the exotica-tinged "Paloo". Hakim runs an excellent blog, and also has recently written an insightful piece on the 'Loudness Race' for Music Think Tank. Stream Songs in the Key of Me from Hakim Callier's Bandcamp below!

Joel Dobbins - Pop / Rock - Pennsylvania, USA
Joel Dobbins is a talented young singer-songwriter who crafts heartfelt tunes and then, with his latest release Investment, gives them away for free! "What's Come Over Me" is Joel Dobbins at his best, a sweet, soft, electro-tinged melody with just a dash of the Postal Service. Investment is an album which, in many ways, is the sound of an artist still trying to find himself, but who says a little soul-searching can't be fun to listen to?

The Lastsmith - Experimental - Norway
Wow. It has been a long time, if ever, that I've actually heard music that reminded me of the Residents that was not Residents-affiliated. The Lastsmith is T. Svaland's (Epikurs Euforie) solo project. His album Yardstuck (available for free download at Last.fm) is a curiously weird little trip through sound-sketches like "Bedrock" and "The Woman of the Snow".

Cheval Sombre - 'Other' - New York, USA
Produced by Sonic Boom, with Dean & Britta as guests, Cheval Sombre's new self-titled LP (available from Dean & Britta's shop) is a chilled-out mellow fest of psych-folky goodness. Particularly noteable is the cover of the Doors' "Hyacinth House" and "Little Bit of Heaven", listenable at MySpace Music.