Neutral Milk Hotel-In The Aeroplane Over the Sea

As the name of the band suggests, Neutral Milk Hotel is a pretty obscure band, that I actually know very little about. I can best describe their as a combination of folk and lowfi rock coupled with bizarrely poetic lyrics. As far as lowfi music goes though, the production is actually very clean. There may not be a whole lot of effects (especially on the singer's voice), but you still don't feel it was recorded by your dad's walkman. Sure, it doesn't have the perfectly tuned pitch found in pop songs, but that is part of this style's charm.

I found this album digging through pandora the other day while studying, and I dig it. Might be too weird out there for some, but in my opinion it is actually a very accessible album. Sure its out there, but still within reach. Highlights include "King of Carrot Flowers Part 1" "Ghost" and "Two-Headed Boy." Give it a shot.

Hope you enjoy

Chief-Modern Ritual (2010)

Chief is a band local to the Los Angeles area that I became familiar with this weekend as they performed a free concert on campus that one of my good buddies booked. I almost missed the show due to the unforgiving gridlock of traffic conspiring against me whilst returning from a Costco run (fuck you, LA), but I luckily made it right in time for their first song. I instantly was into them, and in my opinion they blew the headlining band out of the water. The only bummer was that the fire marshall for the venue on campus only allowed around 100 people to attend even though the room's capacity appeared to be much higher. Oh well.

In my opinion these guys have some serious potential to gain popularity, which is why I want to help spread the word by sharing this album with you. Their sound is folky with a hint of indie--gently propelled by smoothly alternating/layered vocals offered by all four band members, honest lyrics, and mellow grooves. Don't hesitate, satiate that appetite for some fresh tunes...you'll be into it.

So, download here, and as always, don't forget to support the artists too.