Independent Music Discoveries, Issue #11

Another lovely round-up of independent artists you ought to be listening to! Recommend your favourite indie artists in the comments. You can check out the rest of the installments this ongoing series here.

The Watermarks - Indie / Alternative / Electronica - Texas, USA
Some of the coolest music I've heard in ages, the Watermarks have made their EP Thoughts Like Bombs available for stream/download at their official site! A little post-punk, a little shoegaze, loads of glorious electronic moments piled in...the stylish grit is back in electro-rock, baby! Take a listen to my fav tracks from the EP, "Fast Song" and "Face the Wall".

Elika - Indie / Electro / Pop - New York, USA
Trying Got Us Nowhere (streamable/downloadable at Last.fm) is the debut album from indie-pop duo Elika, comprised of Evagelia Maravelias (vocals / keyboards / drums) and Brian Wenckebach (guitar / keyboards / programming). With influences like "Slowdive, Karen Carpenter, Boards of Canada, Nico, and Squarepusher", Elika have created a glorious, eclectic glitter-chilled soundscape unlike what you'd find with virtually any other band around today- check out "The Whip" and "They'll Hate Us"!

The Powdered Cows and the Toy Throat Alarm Clock - Psychedelic / Indie / Experimental - Dorset, UK
Thanks to John P. for letting me know about these fellows. The Powdered Cows and the Toy Throat Alarm Clock are a collective based around multi-instrumentalist Martin Roberts. I Guess I'm a Ghost is their latest EP (full-stream here), which I highly recommend for it's unpinnable, drifting quality, and especially for the nearly-8-minute ethereal epic "Silverpilen". You can grab loads of free tracks from on their Last.fm page- meanwhile, have a listen to "Pilots of the Opposition" and "Smartie at a Party".

Shark Speed - Progressive / Progressive / Progressive - Utah, USA
Though their MySpace Music page might say 'progressive' x3, it is more a description of band spirit than of genre. Shark Speed play a sort of jangly, sometimes ska-tinged, indie rock that is summery and fun to listen to, while mathy musical complexities whittle away in the background. Their debut album Sea Sick Music is available for full stream on Last.fm- listen to "I'm a Machine", a catchy stand-out track from the release!

Real Ones - Indie / Folk / Rock - Bergen, Norway
Real Ones are a psych-tinged Norweigian folk-rock group whose All For the Neighbourhood album is due for release later this year. Their MySpace Music description is quite apt: "You’ll hear the zany joy of The Flaming Lips, the cocooning otherworldly warmth of alt-country lynchpins Wilco, with the universal thoughts and perspectives of The Band" Their cozy atmosphere is something to get lost in- have a listen to "Every Dog Has Its Day"!