Monthly Archives: February 2011

Derby – Madeline EP (2011)

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The Portland band Derby just released a new EP yesterday, called Madeline. I’ve been a fan of the band’s indie pop for years, and am enjoying these new tracks. On this EP the band is experimenting with a new sound that is slightly more raw than their past albums (which are summed up perfectly by Northwest Music Blog, as an “infectious, melodic bundle of sugary pop goodness”). The new sound actually brings to mind the Raconteurs quite a bit, especial on “Madeline” and “Creeping Climbing.” The EP is available for digital download and as a limited edition 7″ vinyl, which you can grab here.

Derby is Nat Johnson (lead vocals, guitar, bass), Dave Gulick (vocals, rhodes, organ, guitar), Isaac Frost (drum/percussions), and Wayne Miller (bass). Nat and Dave started playing together as dorm mates at University of Oregon. Isaac joined the band after graduating from Oregon State University, and soon after that, Wayne joined.

Fun facts about Derby:

Gulick came up with the name Derby, while watching an English Premier Soccer game between Manchester United and Manchester City. The announcer called the game a derby (cross town rivalry).

The band has a tour van named “The Green Submarine.” In Johnson’s words “It’s green, it’s huge, it smells like wet dog, and we love it. It could use some gold dubs, but we’ll deal as long as we can still get the ipods to work through the tape deck.”

Madeline EP (2011):

Derby – Don’t Believe in You (mp3)

Derby – Madeline (mp3)

Posters Fade (2008):

Derby – If Ever There’s A Reason (mp3)

Site

Young Man – Boy (2010)

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I never properly introduced Colin Coulfield, who goes by the moniker Young Man, on IndieMuse. Given I put his EP, Boy, on my Top 10 albums list last year, this seems like as good a time as any to feature him on the site. I highly recommend his music, especially if you are a fan of Iron and Wine, Avi Buffalo, or Animal Collective.

Colin does an amazing job mixing together folk, lo-fi, and indie pop to make Boy one gem of an EP. I get completely absorbed by the memorizing melodies and Colin’s incredibly chill, layered vocals. A few of my favorite tracks on Boy are “Five,” “Home Alome,””Playtime,” and “Up So Fast.” I enjoy this album so much though that I can’t help but listen to it from start to finish.

Colin is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota and currently goes to school in Chicago (believe it or not, he’s only 21 years old). He now plays with a full band and is in the process of recording his first full-length LP. While we wait for that to release, it’s worth keeping up with his Facebook page where he sometimes releases covers and “idea” tracks.

Boy (2010):

Young Man –  Home Alone (mp3)

Young Man – Five (mp3)

Strangers (single)

Young Man – Strangers (mp3)

Site | iTunes| Youtube | Daytrotter

Sydney Wayser – The Colorful

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If you’re a fan of Andrew Bird, Yann Tiersen, or Cat Power I highly recommend checking out multi-instrumental artist, Sydney Wayser.

I’ve been listening to her beautiful 2009 release, The Colorful, non-stop this week. With all the hand claps, banjo picking, whistling, and glockenspiel goodness the album offers, we once again see that Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs hits it right on the mark. Nice work, Maslow.

A few of my favorite tracks on The Colorful include, “Lullaby,” “Banjo Bayou,” “La Di Da,” and “Oh The Places You’ll Go.” As a fan of Woody Allen’s classic movie, Annie Hall, I appreciate how one of the scenes was the inspiration of “La Di Da.” Wayser explains, “It was the scene on the rooftop after they meet at the tennis match… Diane Keaton gets embarrassed and doesn’t know what to say so she says ‘la di da’. It is this wonderfully awkward moment… and I feel like I have that moment a lot in my life.” Can I get a La Di Da to that?

Wayser is French-American and lives in New York (she’s originally from Los Angeles).  She’s only 24 years old, so we have lots to look forward to… and it sounds like she’ll be releasing a new album this year, called Bell Choir Coast. I’ll keep you posted!

The Colorful (2009):

Sydney Wayser – Lullaby (mp3)

Sydney Wayser – La Di Da (mp3)

Site | Bandcamp (only $1!) | Daytrotter (2009)