Yuck : Doctors In My Bed

New Yuck b-side taken from self-released single 'Get Away' out on 18th April.

Doctors In My Bed by Yuck

Campfires : Dusty Mansions

Sunshine friendly West Coast janglisms on the latest Small Plates release, 'Dusty Mansions' by Campfires. The 7" includes 'Chasing Planets' and 'Time Flying By'.


Campfires 'Dusty Mansions'

More at smallplatesrecs.com.

Crystal Stilts : In Love with Oblivion

Moody garage-psyche-jangle band Crystal Stilts release a new album 'In Love with Oblivion' on 11th April on Fortuna Pop! (UK) and Slumberland (US). Recent single 'Shake The Shackles' is just as fuzzy as their debut 'Alight Of Night' but hints things may have moved a few more steps popwards.

'Shake the Shackles'

'Magnetic Moon'

More at fortunapop.com.

Mean Creek : Hemophiliac

Mean Creek are a four-piece from Boston whose new EP is available for free, or money if you wish, right now via Bandcamp.



More at meancreekblog.blogspot.com.

World Tour : Sparks

World Tour have signed to Cascine, one of my favourite new labels (home to Evan Voytas, Chad Valley, Selebrities etc). Their debut release is 'Sparks', a reminder that there is hope beyond the cold, dark winter nights.

World Tour 'Sparks'



More info at cascine.us.

Warpaint : Undertow

More at warpaintwarpaint.com.

Frankie Rose & The Outs : You Can Make Me Feel Bad

I love this performance of Arthur Baker's 'You Can Make Me Feel Bad' by Frankie Rose & The Outs. It features on the ex-Vivian Girls/Crystal Stilts/Dum Dum Girls drummer and friend's self-titled debut album out now.

More at memphis-industries.com.

Little Gold : Completely Fucked!

I'm something of a sucker for 3 minute, fuzzy indie pop songs like 'Completely Fucked!' by Little Gold. It's taken from a new 7" out now on NYC label Heart Break Beat.

MP3:
Little Gold 'Completely Fucked!'



More at Heart Break Beat Records.

Best Coast : When I'm With You

Summer is on the way. Play this song every day.

MP3:
Best Coast 'When I'm With You'

More at bestycoasty.blogspot.com

Angus & Julia Stone : Big Jet Plane

'Big Jet Plane' is taken from their new download only EP out on April 26th.

More at angusandjuliastone.com

ARMS : ARMS EP

ARMS of Brooklyn have released a free EP that follows up their debut album 'Kids Aflame' and to handily coincide with a run of shows at SXSW this week. Fans of the trio's cool melodic fuzz will know what to expect from the five tracks here, those that don't will find a welcome introduction.

MP3:
ARMS 'Heat & Hot Water'

Download the whole EP at any of these links:
filedropper.com/arms-ep2010
drop.io/8jgrsbz#
sendspace.com/file/hypzao

More at Gigantic Music.

Yuck : Sunday

Lo-fi, jangly indie band du jour Yuck have issued a demo MP3 called 'Sunday', a hazy teenage pop song that sounds in direct contrast to the weather I just swam back through. Yuck share one half of a split 7" released 15th March on Transparent Records with their 'Georgia' sitting opposite Herzog 'Paul Blart and The Death Of Art'.

MP3:
Yuck 'Sunday'

Go to their blog for more.

Airport Girl : The Foolishness That We Create Through Love Is The Closest We Come To Greatness

Self confessed "shambolic lo-fi indie pop" band Airport Girl are giving away their snappily titled track 'The Foolishness That We Create Through Love Is The Closest We Come To Greatness' as a free download. Released in 2000, but sounding like a decade earlier (this is a good thing), a promo video was recently discovered on a VHS tape that had never been released due to a falling out between band and director at the time.



Download it from Fortuna Pop.

Where Its At Is Where You Are : Happy Christmas EP

It's an early Merry Christmas from WIAIWYA with the latest in their free download singles club series. December's offering is a four track seasonal EP featuring Proper Songs' very own Hong Kong In The 60s cover of obscure Beach Boys track 'Winter Symphony'.



Grab it here.

Get Back Guinozzi : Low Files Tropical

Get Back Guinozzi have a naughty video for their new single 'Low Files Tropical'.



Buy at FatCat.

Arms : Kids Aflame

Lucky us in the UK have been able to get hold of the lovely lo-fi 'Kids Aflame' by Arms for a good while, but country mates of Brooklyn's Todd Goldstein's, for it is he that is Arms, have only been able to buy it on import...until now. Gigantic Music, label of Todd's daytime band Harlem Shakes, have picked up the album - plus bonus tracks - for release on 27th October. Check out the ukelele-tastic title track on video and MP3.



Download 'Kids Aflame'.

Buy at Melodic (now if you're UK) or Gigantic Music (from the 27th Oct if you're US).

Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard : 'Em Are I

An accomplished comic book artist as well as a musician, Jeffery Lewis has previously flirted with success but deliberately lo-fi recordings have stunted potential wide spread aclaim. 'Em Are I' takes a step up in production but doesn't lose any of the charm usually associated with such a move. Honest songs of heartbreak and disillusionment sit comfortably within bright and breezy two chord jams and quieter moments of contemplation. Linking musically between Jonathan Richman, Pavement and the anti-folk scene from which he emerged alongside Moldy Peaches in the late 90s, Jeffrey Lewis has come of age with 'Em Are I'.

Crystal Stilts : Alight Of Night

The wet dream of a moody 80s teenager, New York's Crystal Stilts have their debut album 'Alight Of Night' given a UK release by Angular Recordings. Haphazard 6Ts girl group influenced garage rock meets nonchalant, sombre vocals, resulting in an amalgamation of Jesus & The Mary Chain, Velvet Underground, The Cure and Joy Division. Detached introspection rules, with vocals buried deep in the mix of trashy guitars, elastic band bass and not-played-by-a-drummer-really drums. Blessed with the ability to write catchy pop songs and then destroy them, Crystal Stilts satisfy without appearing too bothered about it. Brilliant.



Download 'Crystal Stilts' from NME.com.

Buy the album on import at Amazon or get the UK version from Angular on the 16th of February.

Sonicflyer : Q&A

Sonicflyer hail from deepest Siberia, which isn't the first place you'd expect to produce a 90s indie loving band. Brother and sister Yulia and Dima formed Sonicflyer influenced by early Verve and Oasis videos shown on a local pirate TV station, before moving to London to "follow the dream". Their densely layered, escapist sound sonically references Chapterhouse, My Bloody Valentine and Ride but transports it into the 21st century.

Proper Songs had a quick chat with the band.

PS: Tell everyone a bit about yourselves and what you're up to.
Yulia: SonicYulia. I play the guitar, sing and see bats over my head when I get drunk.
Dima: I'm SonicDima, I play drums.
Rye: I'm SonicRyer, I think bass - (not very original I know).
Andrew: I'm SonicAK, Guitar and BVs.
We're currently in the studio recording a couple of new tracks that should be available for listening delectation (is that a word?) very soon.

PS: You say you're influenced by bands of the 90s, what is it about the music of that decade you find most interesting?
Dima: I think it's all about Brit-pop music of the 90s. Oasis, Stone Roses, The Verve.
Rye: It was good. The 90's are largely seen as the golden age of modern indie bands. From heavyweights like Oasis, Supergrass, The Verve and Blur through to the less well known such as Elastica - even the less well known bands were producing some top music and albums.
Andrew: The fact that it's just about due a revival!

PS: We're nearly at the point where a 00s club night is viable, what would you say the sound of the 00s is, if there is one?
Yulia: I cant say I was completely blown away by any band of the `00s, but I can mention some though: The Strokes, The Stills, The Rifles.
Rye: I don't know. The 00's sound is probably made up of parts from all the preceding decades. There's definitely a big 80's electro influence and early 90's rave too. Slick production techniques have definitely improved this decade. I wouldn't say that the qualitative quantity of 00's bands is quite as good as the 90's (personally I think 60's as the musics most productive decade) but it definitely has its fans.
Andrew: A bit like the 80's but not as tacky and a lot more indie schmindy. Been some good bands emerge in the last 4 years though.

PS: Sonicflyer are best listened to while...
Yulia: while you`re on a plane I guess, or in a car :-)
Dima. While you can see dancing foxes and flying bats.
Rye: Can't really better Dima's answer to this one.

PS: Who would play each of you in the Sonicflyer rockumentary?
Dima. Er...
Rye: Clint Eastwood would be my preference. I think AK would be played by Don King!
Andrew: I was thinking George Clooney but Don King is more realistic and much cooler. Yulia could be played by Suzi Quatro's grand-daughter, In fact maybe they are the same person!
Yulia: I think, Dima could easily play Rye and Rye could play Dima, they look alike.

PS: Give us a Top 5 of something.
Rye : Last 5 songs that my iPod played on random this morning:
1. Dali's Car - Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
2. Hold Up - The Raconteurs
3. Tears of a Clown - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
4. Jesus gave Love Away for Free - Manassas (Stephen Stills)
5. Calendars & Clocks - The Coral

Upcoming gigs:
15th Jan @ Barfly Camden
23rd Jan @ The Enterprise
3rd Feb @ Bardens Boudoir
12th Mar @ Purple Turtle

Deerhunter : Microcastle

Strumming its way into contention for the best album of '08 is 'Microcastle' by Deerhunter. The Atlanta band's third long player is a distillation of what's loved most about late 80s/early 90s indie - jangly detuned guitars, half-buried vocals, lots of reverb and a penchant for sonic experimentation - but dragged brightly into the 00s. Ranging from ambient and fragile to dense, pounding noise; the songs are beautifully constructed, appearing immediately familiar but possessing more than enough to hold the ear. 'Microcastle' sounds like a band at the height of their powers.

Grab loads of Deerhunter (plus Atlas Sound, Cox's solo project) bits at the band's blog: deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com