If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

Almost there now, and for those experiencing the horrors remember that this time next week all chat about presents and who you'll be spending the day with will have ceased. Seasonal burn out is a distinct possibility at this stage so in an attempt to wash the Slade from your hair why not bask in the peaceful piano led creations of Chris Garneau. Garneau's debut album 'Music For Tourists' came out last year and with
the follow up not expected until at least the spring it is left to his new EP 'C Sides' to fill the void. And what better vehicle than 'It's Almost Christmas' to reinvigorate your hunger for the season of goodwill? It is sparse, uncomplicated and brings into sharp focus Garneau's wonderful singing (just feel that Vince Guaraldi glow). 'It's Almost Christmas' might not be the best for the moment your intoxicated Granny decides to let her perm down but it has no competition when a quiet corner is the only thing you can take to save your crumbling sanity. KD

Chris Garneau - It's Almost Christmas

Watch The Video To We Don't Try

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Chris Garneau
Year: 2007

Hey, MBV have reformed and they have lost none of those loveless moves we’ve grown up with. Ooops, that’s next year so thank the lord for Sounds Like Sunset who sound like….you know who. In fact this Sydney band are not new pretenders, they have been around for 10 years conjuring 2 albums along the way, the most recent of which ‘Invisible’ included this little treasure. ‘Frequency’ is lovingly crafted, full to the brim with luscious chord swells and a vocal from Dave Challinor that is so note perfect Shields himself would be proud to call it his own. Then you find out Sounds Like Sunset are signed to the rapidly becoming huggable Architecture Label based in New South Wales confirming those suspicions that this isn’t your average commonplace group. KD

Sounds Like Sunset - Frequency

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Sounds Like Sunset
Year: 2005

If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

Here are just 2 more reasons why Celestial have been lighting up 2007 like the biggest Christmas Tree in the world. As you might suspect they are from Sweden but what you probably don’t know is that they are powered almost exclusively by just one man named Andreas Hagman. Andreas has a head full of dreams and noises and this year he decided to let the rest of the world know what it felt like. Very nice as it happens, especially if you are in the mood for a drop of dreampop, shoegaze or distorted jangling guitars. Celestial’s debut is called ‘Dream On’ and features so many indie pop classics it’s a wonder Sarah Records hasn’t risen from it’s slumber to shout it from the rooftops. ‘Nothing Happens; Twice’ has probably the most effective riff of the year and the drained through a plughole sound will probably have the kids of the early nineties crying into their discoloured Ride t-shirts. ‘Saving Up Her Wishes (For Another Christmas)’ is less invasive like all joyous Christmas tunes should be. A heavenly noise from earth to please the Gods. KD

Celestial - Nothing Happens; Twice

Celestial - Saving Up Her Wishes (For Another Christmas)

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Celestial
Year: 2007

They are probably quite young because their bio makes lots of references in the present tense to their school going days. Hmmm, matters not a jot really because for the majority of these whippersnapper gangs the snot gets in the way of listenable creation. Please Quiet Ourselves (memorise it) are one of those rare exceptions though that crop up from time to time. They already have a debut album behind them on which they present a fluid and absorbing set of instrumental skills and off-kilter vocal mannerisms. ‘The Light’ is all the evidence you need to get roped in; it’s quick on its feet with a penchant for freewheeling experimentation that doesn’t require a first in higher physics to dissemble. Now if only they could find a venue that would let them in to play. 2, 4, 6, 8, who do we appreciate? KD

Please Quiet Ourselves - The Light

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Please Quiet Ourselves
Year: 2007

If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

To some he’s God, to others he’s still just a member of that famous Sheffield band led by Jarvis Cocker (not to mention his time in Longpigs). What both sets will make of his take on ‘Silent Night’ is open to question but to these ears it is a marvellous achievement. ‘Silent Night’ is especially suited to Hawley’s heavy yet vulnerable tones, he is at his best when the momentum slows to a crawl. Further rewards come by way of the guitars, which have a slight Hawaiian twang that gives the tune a unique flavour. Hawley is currently appearing on a Arctic Monkey’s b-side ‘Bad Woman’ and as himself on the LP ‘Lady’s Bridge’. KD

Richard Hawley - Silent Night

Watch The Video To Tonight The Streets Are Ours

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Richard Hawley
Year: 2006

If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

It’s probably up there with Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s ‘The Power of Love’ in the ‘it’s not even a Christmas song’ stakes but East 17’s purposely tacked on church bells managed to fool the world back in 1994. Ever since then it has become a staple of the Christmas season rearing its not so ugly head every December. I’ve always had a soft spot for it but then I guess the auld tasteometer often gets bogged down by frostbite at this time of year. James Chapman (Maps) is also a fan, so much so that he has recorded a cover of ‘Stay Another Day’ in his own uniquely electro way. It’s been a good year for Maps and ‘Sparks In The Snow’ (which was a b-side to the ‘Lost My Soul’ single) just shows why Chapman’s next album has the potential to be truly magical. Chapman’s creations may have synthetic origins but the cathedral of noise that often emerges is so overwhelming only those with a robotic heart could fail to be moved. KD

Maps - Sparks In The Snow

Watch The Video It Will Find You

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Maps
Year: 2007

Led by Ange Dolittle (he could talk to the Pixies) Eat were a stop-start juggernaut that never really took off apart from some minor success in the UK. ‘Shame’ is taken from their 2nd and final album ‘Epicure’ and picked up a good deal of airplay on MTV in the early 1990’s. The songs' colossal presence is immediately attractive and when you factor in the faultless production and an admirable disregard for conventional song structure you have a true champion of a tune. It was initially released as the lead track on the 1992 ‘Shame’ EP and you can certainly feel those ‘Nevermind’ rhythms filtering through (the video also gives clear hints of the timeline involved). ‘Shame’ is gloriously epic with supremely confident vocals from Dolittle which given his destructive drug habit at the time was an achievement in itself. A true 90’s classic. KD

Eat - Shame

Watch The Video

More Info: Eat & Myspace
Buy Songs: Eat
Year: 1992

If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

This incredible year for Christmas songs just gets better and better. Even though most of us have reached seasonal saturation by mid December this year it is all made all the more palatable when outfits like Super Furry Animals put on their snow flecked thinking caps and come out with wonders like this. SFA have even gone so far as to make a video and then topped it all off by offering the tune as a free gift from their website. The season of goodwill is alive and well. KD

Super Furry Animals - The Gift That Keeps Giving

Watch The Video

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Super Furry Animals
Year: 2007

This is a quick look into the world of music blogging. It is in no way definitive but merely an attempt to shine a light on a relatively new phenomenon.


What are Music Blogs?

Cooped up in our online world we often forget that the vast majority of people have no idea what a music blog is. Most who frequent the web will have heard of Napster but the burgeoning world of the concise review with mp3 attached is just an alien concept. With one or two exceptions music blogging is a 21st century phenomenon. It came into existence as a direct result of the onward march of technology. In simple terms music blogs are what fanzines used to be all about i.e. blathering about the music that stirs the soul. What sets them apart is their potential to reach a much wider audience and the relatively cheap running costs involved.

Music bloggers often tread a well worn path; they hear a song they like and they publish their thoughts to the web. The song is more often than not included in the piece as a downloadable mp3. Some go beyond this simplistic approach and include music news, competitions, gig listings. Music blogs are often updated several times a week which given the vast array online leads to an extravagant amount of free music to be devoured. Bloggers have a tendency to extenuate the positives; it is quite rare to find one with an inclination for discussing the stuff they don’t like (a niche market yet to be exploited perhaps). Some of the bigger operations have somewhat switched the focus away from the music element to take up a social commentator role (remember how MTV stopped playing music videos).


Who Do Music Blogs Serve?

Music bloggers write about the music that inspires them. This act fuels their motivation to discover new bands so the blogger ends up with a much richer palette to work from. This ultimately shines a light on artists who without the bloggers attention may have remained unheard of outside of their own circle. The internet being how it is (not restricted by geographical location) can result in a little known group from, say, Dublin being enjoyed by a blog reader in Christchurch (like this band, The Ugli Voilas - I Gave The World To You). Without the economic means to tour or release records outside of their own patch the group is thus reaching an audience that up to now would have been impervious to their talents. This activity can also benefit the smaller record labels who can harness the promotional power of the blogging community to help market their artists. A carefully orchestrated email shot that includes some promo mp3’s has the potential to set the blogosphere alight and push interest and ultimately sales on an upward curve. The final recipients of the bloggers sweat are its own readers. Blogs can be an invaluable resource for music fans so the trick is to identify which ones most closely match your own tastes.


What Do You Need To Become A Music Blogger?

New music blogs sprout up every day but many are fleeting. The prospect of free CD’s, getting on concert guest lists and the potential to make wads of dosh (not really) is hard to resist but fame and fortune doesn’t happen overnight. A passion for music is essential for without this there is little chance a blog will last beyond the first plea for reader comments. Think of it as a diary of your music discoveries, something that you can proudly look back on in 15 years. Having a successful music blog takes a lot of time and effort. Keep in mind that the blog post is the end of the journey; it might take you a gigabyte of deleted rubbish to get to that point. Daily updates are not a necessity but the increased visibility of a regular post is vital especially in the early stages. What you have to balance up is whether it is worth the effort involved, it may take several months before you build up any sort of readership and even then it could be a silent (but appreciative) audience.


How Do You Set Up A Music Blog?

It is relatively easy to have a music blog up and running within a few minutes. There are a raft of blogging platforms such as Blogger and Wordpress that offer free hosting of your pages and publishing tools that are easy to master. Getting a host for your mp3’s can be a little trickier if you decide to go beyond the free (and limited) hosting solutions like Rapidshare or Yousendit. Dedicated hosting is inexpensive these days and many 1st year hosting plans are heavily discounted. Dreamhost is one of the better services around. Using a dedicated host does require a limited amount of technical knowledge but there are plenty of useful help forums to get you through the challenges. Another component of any blog is the use of a stats program which is invaluable for gleaning information about the people who are reading your blog. Statcounter is a very popular free option.


Blog Resources

Once you have your blog up and running you’ll probably have a good deal of music in your own library to keep you going for a while. Of course this is a finite resource so at some stage you’ll need to look further afield. There is a raft of places worth investigating; some being more useful than others. The first stop-off should be other music blogs. You’ll spot which ones most closely match your own tastes fairly quickly. After a couple of weeks in operation you may notice emails appearing from record labels, bands and promo companies. In the main these can be a bit hit and miss so add to your spam folder as your tastes dictate. The crumbling colossus that is myspace is an invaluable resource and any zig-zag journey through its bowels can yield worthwhile results. Some record label websites are also useful; the better ones are laden with downloadable tracks. Official band websites are also pretty good, especially for the newer outfits who are trying to create a buzz.


Blog Aggregators

Music blogs are eternally grateful for the services provided by the aggregators such as the Hype machine and Elbows. These sites keep tabs on a large set of music blogs, aggregating their content as soon as it is published to the web. The aggregators have a huge audience because they have become the one-stop shop for checking out what is hot on the blogosphere at any moment in time. Getting your music blog accepted for inclusion by these aggregators can lead to significant increase in traffic.


Blog Motivation

So what makes an otherwise sane individual spend an inordinate amount of time sit at a computer screen while flicking through more songs in a single night that most people would listen to in a month? I mean unless you are one of the elite it is never going to result in anything more than a paltry monetary return so why bother? The reasons are varied and many but the core motivation tends to be a love for discovering exciting new music and sharing it with the world. In many ways an engaging or positive comment from a reader can do wonders for your motivation. You may only have 4 regulars but at least you are impacting on what those people are listening to. Blogging has in many ways replaced the diary and can be a good way to let off some steam after the trauma of the 9 to 5. Making some alternative income is another attractive carrot but don’t hold your breath. For the vast majority recouping hosting fees should be seen as a genuine triumph.


Legality

There is still a fine line between promoting an artist and using their creative output for personal gain. In most cases music bloggers are genuine music fans and the industry is slowing starting to realise this. There will always be copyright infringements but there is a growing feeling that once a blogger doesn’t abuse their position they should avoid the dreaded cease-and-desist notice (a takedown an mp3 or else request). Recurring notices can result in the termination of your hosting service but in most cases this is as bad as it gets. Of course there are outright abusers out there who consistently post full albums often with little or no information about the artist in question. On the opposite end of the spectrum there are blogs that only post music that have been officially sanctioned. With the growing acceptance of the mp3 as a promotional tool it is quite easy for a blog to thrive under such restrictions. In truth, however, most music blogs inhabit the fuzzy middle ground where one or maybe two (often unsanctioned) mp3’s are included to colour the textual end of the post. Limiting the amount of time these mp3’s are available for download is a help.

As a general rule of thumb most worthy blogs desist from posting tracks from pre-release’s due to respect to the artist (or if we’re honest, due to the hugely inflated chance of being nabbed by the web sheriff). So why would a music blogger deviate from the vast array of legally available music on offer? The simple answer is that the rudimentary nature of music blogs is to articulate personal opinion and in many cases the promo track does not square up with what the blogger regards as their favourite track.


The Future

There is no doubt that there will always be room for print media but what is inescapable is the fact that music blogging has immediacy on its side. As the internet becomes more mobile and its conduits less bulky internet based media will see their audience expand exponentially. The challenge for music bloggers will be to take advantage of this by providing a consistently good product. The pooling of resources away from the cottage industry type nature of blogs in existence today could well be the way forward. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that an aggregator in the form of a well produced and fully edited online magazine could be produced from a bank of consenting music blogs. In time the top music blogs could well become full time operations as advertisers/sponsors climb on board.

At the moment there is a concentration of music bloggers writing about the indie/alternative music scene. This could be put down to the age group involved and their rapid acceptance of new technology. This is likely to change, however, as the demographics who adopt the internet broaden and as the current wave of surfers gets older. In a few years there may well be burgeoning music blogging communities focused on Jazz, Classical or Country and Western. What’s certain is that music blogging is here to stay. KD

If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

Amusement Parks on Fire are an enticing prospect at any time of the year but their dreamy visceral soundscapes are perfectly suited to Christmas. The band started out in Nottingham 3 years ago and their journey has seen them swell from Michael Ferrick's one man show to a bulging 5-piece via recording stints in Prague and rural Iceland. The latter adventure brought them to Sigur Ros's studio which is housed in an old swimming pool in a forest 30 minutes from Reykjavik. The location and Ferrick's natural shoegaze affinities inspired the band's delightful sophomore 'Out of the Angeles'. 'The Day It Snowed' is taken from the Izumi Records compilation 'It's Not Like Christmas' released last year. The song has a dreamlike quality with Feerick's vocal humming adding to what is already a rich swirling delight.KD

Amusement Parks On Fire - The Day It Snowed

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Amusement Parks On Fire
Year: 2006

You can now buy this song on our 2008 Christmas compilation called 'An Indiecater Christmas' here!

Despite a universally poor year for indie music redemption it seems is going to come towards the end from the unlikeliest of sources. Yep, this December there has been a batch of revelatory new Christmas records. Being a fiend for all things Christmas this pleases me quite a bit, so much so that I am already hording tunes for next year’s tinsel onslaught. Here is another classic in waiting courtesy of Norwegian outfit Remington Super 60. ‘Here Comes Christmas’ is so lovingly crafted it already seems like it has been with us for years. It recalls another era, perhaps when the soft brushstrokes of Boston and Supertramp were the zeitgeist. The harmonies are pristine and never outstay their welcome making ‘Here Comes Christmas’ an ideal backdrop for the upcoming festivities. BTW, RS60 are giving a few other free crimbo numbers from their website so scoot along there if you like this. KD

Remington Super 60 - Here Comes Christmas

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Remington Super 60
Year: 2007

If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

In 2005 Labrador gave us the distinctly unseasonal yet fabulously attired ‘Hanging In A Tie’ from South Ambulance as a Christmas gift. Last year they served up this feast for our winter delectation (no word yet on this year’s pressie but I’m all ears). ‘Christmas On The Beach’ from Sweden’s Irene clocks in at less than 2 minutes but don’t let its brevity lull you into any sense of possible short-changedness for it is a glorious 104 seconds replete with reindeer bells and utter joy to the world. Tobias Isaksson (Bobby) runs the good ship Irene and his vocals create a unique vibe, sort-of deadpan yet entirely serious. ‘Christmas On The Beach’ should be equally at home in both Lahinch and Bondi this December. KD

Irene - Christmas On The Beach

Watch The Video To By Your Side

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Irene
Year: 2006

The Go! Team sound is a unique one, a couple of seconds are all that is required before a smile is beaming across your face. Because that is what the Brighton collective (who incidentally started out as sole trader in Ian Parton) are all about, making music that is as vibrant as Santa’s workshop the day before Christmas Eve. The Go! Team’s debut arrived 3 years ago and its heady mix of samples and riotous energy sucker punched anyone who heard it. Fast-forward to 2007 and the Go! Team are a burgeoning industry with a sackful of members and a stage show to match the effervescent sounds. Not an awful lot has changed from ‘Thunder, Lightning, Strike’ with ‘Proof Of Life’ grabbing life by the same gonads and leaping eyes-open over the edge. Samples are still a go-go like on this delicious instrumental, which contains elements of Alfredo Ricardo Do Nascimento's ‘Mulher Rendeira’. ‘Patricia’s Moving Picture’ is as tender as a bolt of lightning wrapped in several layers of fluffy cloud. In other words it is quite unlike anything else on this planet save for a couple dozen other Go! Team tracks. If this wasn’t music it would be an illegal substance. KD

The Go! Team - Patricia's Moving Picture

Watch The Video To Ladyflash

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: The Go! Team
Year: 2007

If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

Frightened Rabbit are starting to become regular visitors to these pages and they are about to complete a fabulous hat-trick of appearances with one of the best Christmas songs to appear in years. There are 2 versions of the song doing the rounds, this being the ace original but check out the video below for the hypnotic 40-piece choir version, which is the single’s b-side. The band’s debut ‘Sing The Greys’ originally came out last year but it is only now starting to get the recognition it deserves. ‘It’s Christmas So We’ll Stop’ spills some home truths about the falsitudes of people’s behaviour at Christmas. Thankfully for those who don’t want to listen to them there are plenty of instrumental and non-worded vocal distractions. Scott Hutchison has a nice folky wisp and his pronouncements are suitably bolstered by a gathering momentum not witnessed on this scale since Greg Lake decided to look to the classics for inspiration. KD

Frightened Rabbit - It's Christmas So We'll Stop

Watch The Video To The Choir Version

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Frightened Rabbit
Year: 2007

This reminds me of a band called Wilderness who appeared here earlier this year but who have since disappeared without trace. Pity, I kinda fell for their ambitious sound. On the upside at least there are new kids like the Shackeltons to fill the gap vacated. Their self-titled debut is on the way in the New Year but they’ve already made an impression with this single. What is most striking about ‘Your Movement’ is the ferocity in Mark Redding’s voice, which is more than a match for the stomping guitars. The Shackeltons come fitted with 2 guitarists so when they are playing at full tilt the noise is close to unstoppable. Of course all of this posturing counts for nowt if the tune isn’t up to scratch so it is a quite a relief when the Pennsylvania natives let the melodies drift in on occasion. You see behind the Antarctic abrasiveness lies a field of unruffled daisies. It's going to be an exciting expedition for them (and us). KD

The Shackeltons - Your Movement

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More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: The Shackeltons
Year: 2007

If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

If you’ve been reading the piece on what the indie bands regard as their favourite Christmas song ‘Little Drummer Boy’ comes out pretty much on top. The preferred version is the sanitised but totally wholesome Bing Crosby and David Bowie singalong. There have been others though that are also worth checking, namely the Dandy Warhols souped up boy racer take which appeared on the ‘It’s A Cool Cool Christmas’ compilation. Iain Archer has also thrown his hat into the ring with this understated reading. Save for the sweet acoustics and a hint of harmonium Archer’s voice is left to its own delicate devices to tackle the task. The result is a softly focused and gentle rustle that’ll entrance for years to come. It's taken from the seasonally maladjusted Izumi Records collection ‘It‘s Not Like Christmas’. KD

Iain Archer - Little Drummer Boy

Watch The Video To Minus 10

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Iain Archer
Year: 2006

The Thai airport trust probably won’t be thanking this LA 3-piece too much for stealing the ripe ‘welcome to thailand’ myspace tag but for the rest of us there’s a good old aural holiday to be had. And if ‘Ocean of Fire’ is anything to by this could turn out to be the sonic trip of a lifetime. Thailand are singer Marc Linquist, synth head Staci Roark and ace bass spinner Jonah Flicker and ‘Ocean of Fire’ is taken from their self-released debut ‘Motorcade’. It is a propulsive little number, short and sharp and instantly appealing. I’m hearing Ultra Vivid Scene and Wire, which is an appealing set of influences that could be relied upon to supply enough inspiration for a least a handful of quality albums. KD

Thailand - Ocean Of Fire

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Thailand
Year: 2006

If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

Sufjan Stevens is something, not content with just labouring on the mammoth 50 states project he also finds the time to record a different Christmas EP every December. Last Christmas his label Asthmatic Kitty decided to group the EP’s together on the 5-Disc ‘Song For Christmas’ compilation. As you’d expect Stevens does a good job of restoring traditional themes within the context of a modern record. Many of the arrangements are low ebbed and pensive but never result in a dull listen. With such an array of goodies on offer it will probably take you a few Christmas’s to work your way through the whole set. I’m only onto disc 3 and find myself completely taken with ‘I Saw Three Ships’ from Hark! and this little snow melter ‘Come On! Let's Boogey To The Elf Dance!’ from Ding! Ding! This is one of the many outstanding Stevens originals that are speckled amongst the traditional carols and hymns and is guaranteed to give you goosebumps whether you love or detest the season of goodwill. KD

Sufjan Stevens - Come On! Let's Boogey To The Elf Dance!

Watch The Video To Put The Lights On The Tree

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Sufjan Stevens
Year: 2006

You’ll know this one if you spend any time whatsoever in the company of a television. I won’t spoil it by telling you where it is employed suffice as to say it is an entirely perfect jingle that straddles a wobbly line between annoying and catchy. In fact the Orba Squara roadshow has been used to maximum effect on a number of different adverts, which must have come as a nice surprise for Mitch Davis. Davis employs a restrained Boy Least Likely To sense of childlike fantasy in his music, helped in no small part by the use of a toy piano, some glockenspiel and a softly tugged mandolin. ‘Perfect Timing (This Morning)’ is made all the palatable when twinned with Davis’s vocals, which are so hushed they could act as a ready replacement for the nightly bedtime story. Orba Squara's debut album 'Sunshyness' is out now. KD

Orba Squara - Perfect Timing (This Morning)

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Orba Squara
Year: 2007

Ah, doesn't time just fly. We've already reached the 3rd annual 'best of' for this site and it only feels like yesterday that our eagerly bestowed platitudes were hungrily applied to the majesty that is the Aphex Twin's 'Goon Gumpas'. That was October 2005 and just 2 months later along came a list of our most loved albums from the previous 12 months. 2005 was a remarkable year for indie music and even if 2006 failed to steal its thunder there was much to saviour. 2006 was also mp3hugger's first full year of operation so it felt right that at the end of it we should spill the beans on our Top 42 songs of the year. Which brings us neatly along to this years crop, which despite some stellar moments has hardly been a bumper harvest. With so many of the big hitters failing to produce the quality albums we expect of them it quickly became apparent that 2007 could be showing the first signs that the shuffle generation are getting their just rewards. The evidence is mounting that the album may indeed be in its death throes, why even those ace poppeteers Ash called time on their long player days. For what it's worth my favourite album of 2007 was Folklore's deeply imaginative 'The Ghost Of H.W. Beaverman' which proved to be a stunning tale that weaved and bobbed like Cassius Clay in his prime.

If truth be told things on the single front weren't a whole lot better. The one startling change this year was the hugely increased volume of freely (and legally) available music. Of course in many cases this meant that there was more rubbish to trawl through but the power of the promo track as a means of garnering interest is likely to become more apparent as digital replaces the harder medium. Take a gander at the official site of any band worth its salt and you are likely to walk away with at least 1 freebie and be treated to the online equivalent of the listening post (the dreaded stream). For the first time in the history of recorded music the consumer is being given the opportunity to sample the goods before purchasing (radio still has its place but you can't beat the online experience for getting you where you want to go quickly). This can only be a good thing and should, in theory at least, allow the cream to float to the top.

So here are mp3hugger's Top 42 tunes from 2007. These are the songs that have soundtracked our balmy summer evenings (all 3 of them) and illuminated the long dark nights of winter (the 362 others). To ensure an even spread there is a limit of 1 track per artist/group.





42) Efterklang - Cutting Ice To Snow

‘draws a hugely impressive victory from the jaws of rampant experimentation’


41) The High Violets - Chinese Letter (Ulrich Schnauss Mix)

‘ethereal outpourings that remind one of a young cranberry’


40) The Innocence Mission - Love That Boy

‘conjures fond memories of Harriet Wheeler sans background of jangle’


39) The E.L.F. - Cockroaches

‘the thinking kids' JCB song’


38) Sigur Ros – Hljómalind

‘more documentary evidence to cast a legend’


37) Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen

‘alien bossa nova nourishment for both your cardiovascular and sound systems’


36) Sally Shapiro - He Keeps Me Alive

‘could be St. Etienne were they to push the euroticket even further’


35) Eagle Seagull - I'm Sorry But I'm Beginning To Hate Your Face

‘bulbous basslines, Eli Mardock's curved pronouncements and the general sense of instrumental abandonment’


34) The Go! Team - Patricia's Moving Picture

‘a rocket bottled’


33) Celestial - Fragile Heart

‘a piano line as loose as an old pair of Joe Bloggs’


32) Ravens and Chimes - General Lafayette! You Are Not Alone

‘a soothing ointment for ears fatigued by daytime radio’


31) The Electric Pop Group - My Only Inspiration

‘the love song rewritten’


30) Jonquil - Lily

‘a banshee beat without the scares’


29) Dan Deacon - The Crystal Cat

‘put this sigue sigue in your spudnik’


28) A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Things Only I Can See

‘how to explain this wonderful noise to an unbeliever, you can't, it's either a you get it or you turn on the radio’


27) Ai Phoenix - You And I

‘shuffles along with its socks around its ankles’


26) Patrick Watson - Giver

‘sweet jangling chords, remarkable vocals and an off-kilter momentum’


25) Lavender Diamond - Rise In The Springtime

‘Becky Stark is going to be a star’


24) Seabear - Libraries

‘the melodies practically levitate in the air’


23) Folklore - The Vet

‘indie pop in the grand old tradition with twee vocals, jangling chords and a heart so ripe with activity it could power a small hamlet’


22) Club 8 - Whatever You Want

‘2007's most huggable piece of whistling appears about midway in, waltzing in time with Komstedt's dah dah do's’


21) Cloud Control – Vintage Books

‘deep on inventive harmonies and zig zag instrumentation’


20) Beat The Devil - Shine In Exile

‘Ray can produce a harmonium, a curiously awkward looking instrument with a set of lungs as terrifyingly awe inspiring as her own’


19) Caribou - Melody Day

‘colours your summer as well as those far off days when sand will be replaced by a mountain of fluffy snow’


18) Fanfarlo - Fire Escape

‘the offspring of a union between a gorky zygotic mynci and a super furry animal’


17) Band of Horses - Is There A Ghost

‘the most possessed song the bearded ones have ever written’


16) Fujiya and Miyagi - Ankle Injuries

‘unlikely to become a terrace favourite’


15) Venice Is Sinking - The Grey Line

‘distinctly slowcore, all trailing strings and half hearted beats adding up to sumptuous melancholy’


14) Andrew Bird - Heretics

‘so devoid of tired indie clichés it could almost create a genre on all its own. MozArt Rock anyone?’


13) Videohippos - Lazer Jet

‘a frantic exhibition of light and sound’


12) Gui Boratto - Beautiful Life

‘subtle twists are unveiled as the tune builds steadily to a restrained climax’


11) Panda Bear - Take Pills

‘hang in there during those misleading warped vinyl early moments because the surf will soon be up and the good times will definitely be rolling.’


10) Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan

‘will become the cornerstone of indie mixtapes for years to come’


9) Grand Archives - Torn Blue Foam Couch

‘what’s lost and lonely and finishes up like a barnstorming epic?’


8) Super Extra Bonus Party - Softly

‘goes all Mr Hyde spinning completely out of control with a flotilla of searing chords and some heavily undulated beats’


7) Dappled Cities - Fire Fire Fire

‘Sydney has an impressive new attraction’


6) The Arcade Fire - Black Waves/Bad Vibrations

‘after the funeral comes the grief’


5) Akron/Family - Ed Is A Portal

‘every one of its many detours blooms into a rollicking good time’


4) Mumblin' Deaf Ro - What's To Be Done With El Salvador

‘sparse and generally acoustic but somehow sounds much bigger than it actually is’


3) Hello, Blue Roses - Shadow Falls

‘somewhat like a heart that has just been robbed of affection’


2) Montag - Going Places

‘imaginatively conceived from the collective imaginations of over 70 interweb dreamers’


1) Loney, Dear - Carrying A Stone

‘tell me I am not the only one who is reduced to a crumbling heap whenever they hear this’

If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

The shame is of course is that the Cocteau Twins didn’t get to write an original Christmas tune but this is the next best thing. Taken from the limited 1992 release ‘Snow’ it displays what the Cocteau Twins were all about, namely Robin Guthrie’s shimmering guitars and Liz Fraser’s equally spellbinding vocals. ‘Snow’ also included ‘Winter Wonderland’ but ‘Frosty..’ takes it by a nose by virtue of its fluffy light heartedness. We should thank our iceblink luck for songs like this. KD

The Cocteau Twins - Frosty The Snowman

Watch The Video To Iceblink Luck

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: The Cocteau Twins
Year: 1992

You can now buy this song on our 2008 Christmas compilation called 'An Indiecater Christmas' here!

Matt Gorny is the Specimen and works out of Brooklyn. His music has appeared in a couple of films and he has a particular knack for winning song competitions. So far nothing really of imaginative consequence you might say but that’s the trouble with a myspace page, it doesn’t really paint a revealing picture. Thank the lord then that they decided to include a primitive media player in the top right hand side of myspace profiles because that’s where the real magic is stored. Look there on the Specimen’s page and you will find the splendiferous package of jollity known as ‘Wish It Would Snow’. It certainly marks a departure from the Specimen’s debut EP ‘Do U Damage’ but I guess that’s what faces all aglow will do to you. ‘Wish It Would Snow’ employs those self same faces and for once it doesn’t sound cloying, instead it captures the magic and innocence that is at the core of the holiday season. KD

The Specimen - Wish It Would Snow

Watch The Video To Do U Damage

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: The Specimen
Year: 2007

If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

First off I'd like to thank Mike Cleare of My Brother Woody for giving me the heads up on this lost Dennis Wilson gem. You’ll look for the longest time before you’ll find a seasonal tune offering such soul and depth. Hardly surprising given that Wilson was a founding member of the Beach Boys. He recorded 2 solo albums before his untimely death in 1983 but only his debut ‘Pacific Ocean Blue’ was ever given an official release. The follow up ‘Bamboo’ never saw the light of day, which seems rather odd given the continued love affair with the Beach Boys. ‘Morning Christmas’ was recorded during those ‘Bamboo’ sessions and is characterised by Wilson’s sensitive piano led harmonies. The church bells add seasonality and the lyrics describe a joyous rhapsody of the simple things that make this time of year so special. KD

Dennis Wilson - Morning Christmas

More Info: Wiki & Myspace
Buy Songs: Dennis Wilson
Year: 1977

You may remember I did a review on the brightly inventive duo Mikrofisch about a week ago. As a direct result of that post Matt Keppel from Microfilm got in touch and said I might be interested in his project because they were in some respects Microfisch’s electronic cousins. That got me interested and thinking about what a great place this online world is when out of the blue you can be served with a song as inspirational as ‘After Dark’. This is cool electronica to the core and retains a robotic infrastructure right down to its distorted voiceovers. ‘After Dark’ scuttles about with naked ambition and somehow succeeds in sounding both danceable and reflective. Microfilm are based in Chicago, a city with a rich history in progressive dance invention, yet they lean heavily on European inspirations. This may be a tad more aggressive than the Field but no less rewarding and marks this Chicago duo out as potentially one of dance’s new champions. Right now in the underworld a new orbital is forming. KD

Microfilm - After Dark

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Microfilm
Year: 2007

If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

This should go down a bomb (sorry) at seasonal gatherings over the next few weeks. Originally imagined by Phil Spector in the early sixties it has been given plenty of new directions since Darlene Love’s pristine original. Some have been a twist too far but that hasn’t stopped U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Death Cab For Cutie amongst others from getting their snow mitts all over it. So the last thing we need is another take I hear you holler, well just give these Belfast lads a chance because they’ve worked absolute wonders. Rocky O’Reilly and Shaun Robinson have already lit up our tree with ‘Breakfast In NYC’ so it’s no surprise that their close harmonies sound so special on a Christmas record. This is so melodic it could have Brian Wilson thinking that the sixties have never ended. KD

Oppenheimer - Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)

Watch The Video To Breakfast In NYC

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Oppenheimer
Year: 2006

The Raveonettes are a duo from Copenhagen who released their 4th album ‘Lust, Lust, Lust’ last month. Image wise they are a marketing dept's dream ticket; indie chic and good looks always help the cause and if it’s backed up with some nifty musical goods then limousine time will surely ensue. Sharin Foo and Sune Rose Wagner don’t tend to get too caught up in the dynamics (there's no live bass or drums on the new album), instead they focus their efforts on constantly reinventing their Jesus and Mary Chain meets Lush sound. This means that each new album brings a bright new fuzz laden spectacle like ‘Dead Sound’. Foo’s shimmering vocals are in marked contrast to the blazing chords with only the periodic electronic tingles providing a snatch of quiet solace. This is undoubtedly cool by numbers but that doesn’t stop it from figuring amongst the songs of the year. KD

The Raveonettes - Dead Sound

Watch The Video

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: The Raveonettes
Year: 2007

You can now buy this song on our 2008 Christmas compilation called 'An Indiecater Christmas' here!

Right, I can’t hold off on this one any longer. From the very moment I clasped ears on ‘The Grey Line’ I was smitten. To make matters better it’s a Christmas song so I know that every December from now on I will be gleefully wallowing in its sad verses. Venice is Sinking have made an appearance on mp3hugger before, just last year their ‘Pulaski Heights’ came it at #11 on our list of favourite songs for 2006. Fancy they might even break the top ten this year with ‘The Grey Line’. Karolyn Troupe and Daniel Lawson somehow capture the magic that is Low at Christmas through their moving vocal expression. It’ll stop you in your snow tracks and in some cases it may even have you releasing warm salty water from your eyes. The music is distinctly slowcore, all trailing strings and half hearted beats adding to the sumptuous melancholy. ‘The Grey Line’ is taken from the Kindercore label’s new album ‘Xmas 3: War On Christmas’ (quickly now, there are limited edition copies with free comics) and is as near a perfect respite from the push and shove of modern day yule. KD

Venice Is Sinking - The Grey Line

Watch The Video To Pulaski Heights

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Xmas 3: The War On Christmas
Year: 2007

Before you ask Marmoset are new world monkeys, apparently they are a highly active primate. As it happens Marmoset is also the name of a set of 3 cheeky chaps from Indianapolis. For a time it looked like the latter was in greater danger of becoming extinct given that their new album ‘Florist Fired’ is their first recorded output in 5 years. Fronted by the Beatles obsessive Jorma Whittaker Marmoset exhibit on record exactly why making the thing that pays their bills might be a slow affair. ‘Missing Man’ is undoubtedly lovely but it also identifies a group of men for whom knuckling down scarcely registers as a worthwhile activity. That said it leaves an indelible impression, probably having the legs to extend beyond its 1:53 length. That's the beauty of it though, carefree, near inactive and totally huggable. KD

Marmoset - Missing Man

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Marmoset
Year: 2007

If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

Although it may not have been strictly written for Christmas and certainly wasn’t written by Matt Pond (Lindsey Buckingham in fact) this song will forever be welcomed at my snow-covered wreathed doorway. It is taken from Matt Pond’s 2005 release the ‘Winter Songs’ EP, a collection of tunes recorded in the blazing heat of the previous summer. This and the lushly dispatched ‘Snow Day’ are the EP’s highlights. Like all the best Christmas tunes ‘Holiday Road’ boasts a soft focus even if Pond’s vocals initially mirror a grizzled Peter Gabriel. Before you know it though your fatigued ears are being treated to an engagingly warm carol service that’ll soon spread to the rest of your body until you resemble an inviting windowsill glow light. KD

Matt Pond PA - Holiday Road

Watch The Video To So Much Trouble

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Matt Pond PA
Year: 2005

Very few tunes this year can match Band of Horses’ ‘Is There A Ghost’ for thrills played out with fine precision and ecstatic propulsion yet Say Hi’s ‘Northwestern Girls’ comes pretty close. For his 5th album (‘The Witches And The Glitch’) Eric Elbogen has decided to ditch half his moniker and it’s hard to argue with the decision. And even though the album won’t be in the shops until next year you can get it directly from his website straight away. And get this, as well as getting a brand new shiny CD you also get a limited edition t-shirt and some badges. Even those who prefer to chew on their thrills instantly are catered for as the package includes a complete set of high spec DRM free mp3’s. Not bad, looks like Mr. Elbogen has been doing his homework, quite unlike most of the cloth eared buzzards that have been running the music industry since 78’s were considered quite de rigueur. ‘Northwestern Girls’ is a splendid turn of events for Say Hi showing that behind all the twee faffing about there is actually a talented band with balls of steel. KD

Say Hi - Northwestern Girls

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Say Hi
Year: 2007/2008

If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

This is a brand new entry for Christmas 2007 from sonic entrepreneur Daniel James (Canon Blue). ‘Halcyon’ is one of 15 recordings by a collection of artists trying to rekindle the true meaning of Christmas. So you won’t be treated to the usual raft of seasonally adjusted wastrels, instead the feelings transmitted are genuine. ‘Halcyon’ is a lush affair, much as you’d expect from a man who has released an unheralded classic in ‘Colonies’ earlier this year. Signed to Danish label Rumraket James fetches cool experimentation from his soul and presents them to the world as soft aural tapestries. So ‘Halcyon’ flits from the speakers like it is in a state of reverse. Brooding and atmospheric the mood lightens considerably when the cascading vocals begin to dominate the scene and an imaginary perfect world emerges. From this day forth ‘Halcyon’ should establish itself as a true addition to the canon of Christmas songs you hold dear. KD

Canon Blue - Halcyon

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: That Fuzzy Feeling
Year: 2007

Probably the one thing I will take from 2007 was that the more enjoyable albums of the year were the ones that pushed the boat out a little. Or a lot in the case of Super Extra Bonus Party whose self-titled debut album featured so many styles it was hard to know what clothes to wear when listening to it. With my narrow mindset I generally kept to the stuff that stuck to the indie handbook, which left me with 2 absolute belters. I’ve already waxed about ‘Softly’ but I couldn’t let the year close without mentioning this super absorbent instrumental from the Kildare collective. Just listening to it makes me happy and sad all at the same time. I love jangling guitars you see and when they are pulled off with a raging honesty it really is a thing of beauty. In football parlance it’s the sight of Barcelona making a 22 pass move that ends up with Lionel Messi executing an overhead kick into the top corner. Gooooaaaaaallll. KD

Super Extra Bonus Party - Propeller

Watch The Video

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: Super Extra Bonus Party
Year: 2007

This goes out to anyone who was a fan of DIY pop in the mid 1990’s. I mean if you were of such a disposition it’s hard to dismiss any band that have a song called ‘Let’s Kiss And Listen To Bis’? An impossible job really but Mikrofisch’s cause is further aided by the fact that their music is quite fetching. Ok, it may sound like it was recorded in damp pantry but the sentiments and sense of wayward melody are hard to resist. Silvi Wersi and Mawe N. Klave live in different countries but when their paths collide out come the casio’s, broken down drum machines and a set of voices not heard since Manda Rin and Sci-fi Steven turned older. ‘(No One Listens To You When You've Got) Flat Hair’ has natural appeal as its sturdy bass line forms a spine from where all manner of giddy escapades rally around. The chorus is pretty non-descript but the rampant indiscipline in the music is somehow joyously appealing. Not quite masters of the universe just yet but they have the time and the inclination on their side. KD

Mikrofisch - Let's Kiss And Listen To Bis

Mikrofisch - (No One Listens To You When You've Got) Flat Hair

More Info: Official & Myspace
Free Songs: Mikrofisch
Year: 2007

If you like Christmas music then you'll love the mp3hugger curated Christmas compilation 'An Indiecater Christmas', you can buy it here!

If you’ve been reading the feature on the Christmas songs the world of indie goes for you’ll have noticed that a recurring favourite is Low’s majestic ‘Just Like Christmas’. Originally released 8 years ago the song was part of Low’s contribution to the sound of December. The song remained untouched for 7 Christmas’s until a little known one man band called Ingo Star Cruiser decided it was time for a reworking. Blasphemy roared the congregation but even they had to admit that the more they listened to it the more they felt like there could be room in their hearts for two ‘Just Like Christmas’s. The changes are not too drastic; in fact many of the essentials remain untouched save for a gender vocal switch. Elsewhere you’ll find a neat electro wiggle and an ecstatic fade out that really should be used to canvass support for the art of the cover. Pete was so pleased with the results that he decided to record a Swedish and French version too. This is the 1st in a series of 24 seasonal indie numbers that’ll bring us right up to Christmas Eve. KD

Ingo Star Cruiser - Just Like Christmas

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Songs: It's Not Like Christmas
Year: 2006