Routinely produced indie pop rock by staples of the genre in Creative Commons land.
If you have been following “the scene” for some years, Emerald Park are one of the big names. They regularly have released high quality indie pop ranging from synth to vocal pop rock. Clearly aimed at broader rather than niche audiences, their sound is pleasing yet not flat.
Continue reading “Emerald Park – [2020] Basement Sessions (CC Version)”Brass indie pop from Indonesia. Refreshingly conventional piano arrangements and vocals.
If you remember the sound of Badly Drawn Boy‘s soundtrack for the movie About a Boy, this is exactly how this band sounds. Leisurely paced pop songs with pleasant vocals and recipe book song structures. Trumpets and Indonesian lyrics add flavour to some of the 11 tracks.
Continue reading “{tantrum} – [2011] {tantrum} EP”Essential indie pop/rock compilation. Only 7 tracks, each covering a different style, makes this an essential part of CC music legacy.
diym netlabel is (or was?) a netlabel focused on non-electronic genres, that is, mostly rock and pop music. I have already covered their seventh compilation, called 7, in an earlier review. This ninth instalment is a small but excellent collection of mostly, but not only, quiet music: Continue reading “Various Artists – [2011] Nine”
Radio-compatible guitar pop rock. Three relaxed songs from Sweden.
The guitar chords come easily with this release, as well as the snares and drums. The arrangements don’t win prizes for originality, yet are crafted with such care that you can even forgive them with opening with the played-to-death four-chord progression. But judge for yourself whether this is for you. Continue reading “Emerald Park – [2011] Reality Bites EP”
Folky post indie rock. This acoustic guitar vocal gem is the debut album by Italian artist Nicolas Falcon. Voice, guitar, piano (in that order) are all it takes him to write thoughtful, entertaining songs. The (apparent) love ballad I Promise features the following lines:
But I promise you baby
I’ll never let your heart break
I promise to break all the promises I make
The album contains 9 similarly ironic tracks, from ballad to pop rock. My two picks are: Continue reading “Nicolas Falcon – [2011] Nicolas Falcon”
Exceptional acoustic pop from UK. This is Fall Walk Run in a nutshell. Voice, acoustic guitar and some percussion are all this talented artist needs to capture my attention. Continue reading “Fall Walk Run – [2011] Throwing It All Away”
Nightwish without fairy dust. Hard, epic rock with strong yet soft female vocals. Slower and faster songs have their place in this 16 track album. Both rhythm and melody excel in all of the songs. It was harder than usual to select only two songs to present here. Continue reading “The Nuri – [2011] Music Box”
Adorable piano pop rock, featuring a great lead singer. I can’t claim much credit for finding this artist: Jamendo already featured him on their homepage, where I also stumbled upon him. This seven track release is a great soundtrack for everyday. During the morning commute, writing a music review, or simply chilling. Continue reading “Jonathan Dimmel – [2009] Closer at the start”
Pop rock with intense female vocals. Upbeat songs, piano ballads. Rock band and orchestral background fillings. All that and great lyrics. Simply wow. Thank you, Leslis Hunt. If you like this album that she released on Jamendo in 2009, you can buy her latest release directly on her homepage (or in iTunes). Continue reading “Leslie Hunt – [2009] Your Hair is on Fire”
It’s review Wednesday again? This week’s release made me hum several times on my way back home. Catchy radio pop rock songs, thirteen of them, Matthew Moore has created for this delighting snack of an album. From beginning to end no track disappoints. Nevertheless, I only present my two favourite ones before giving you the download link… Continue reading “MoOt (Matthew Moore) – [2010] Life Is Talkin’ Misery”
