London’s Scanners really can carry a gloomy mood in some of their tracks but without going overboard. The indie rock band has been around for a couple of years now and even if you have never heard of them are a pretty big deal – maybe not so much in the US but I have the feeling that will be changing in the upcoming months. If you were a fan of alt rock in the 90’s as well as have love for new wave this band might be up your alley.
Don’t be held off by this though if you were not a fan of either genre as the band also carries a great melodic talent heard throughout.
I am not shocked anymore when someone tells me about something I was not aware of. There is just so much out there on the internets that I really need to rely on other people to point out the awesome to me. With that said I would like to talk about an amazing website that my pal Josh pointed out to me called If You Make It. More importantly I really want to talk about The Pink Couch Sessions.
No this is not porno...well not that I know of.
If You Make It is a website started by a music loving guy named Dave Garwacke who used to throw house shows in his basement but never really cataloged it. Realizing that there was no proof ever recorded Garwacke decided he wanted to start recording shows again but this time recording them on site for the world to see. Seeing how he was surrounded with a circle of musical friends it was not a problem to start over and once he moved to Brooklyn he was able to start where he left off, but this time with cameras.
After spending time recording shows and festivals Garwacke decided to start “The Pink Couch Sessions”. These sessions were recorded in his very own home on, you guessed it, a pink couch (as well as a few on the road). The result is an impressive intimate collection of broken down acoustic performances by many bands, some known and others soon to be known. Some of the songs are even available for free download too!
Josh recently emailed me a link to a Pink Couch Session featuring a band I really like called Bridge & Tunnel. I have been a huge fan of Bridge & Tunnel since the day the CD arrived at my front door and sadly missed a chance to see them live when they played a free house show at the Soggy Dog in Lakewood, OH. Josh was there and from what he told me I missed one hell of a show. Even if I missed it I am thrilled he sent me this link because now I know of If You Make It and am positive that it will be a weekly if not daily stop on my internet browsing habits. There is just so much music caught behind the camera for me to even fully discuss. It would be best if you just checked it out for yourself.
I have spent some time watching performances on the pink couch by many bands I really dig tonight as well as have been introduced to a few I really want to look in to more. Here are a few I liked including the Bridge & Tunnel session Josh emailed me…thanks Josh.
Remember the first time you heard something new and fresh to your ears? I know when I did and after checking out Bombadil‘s Tarpits And Canyonlands on Ramseur Records I can say it happened all over again. This Bolivian threesome really hints towards their label mates The Avett Brothers but is unique in their own and just has me wanting much more.
How unique you ask? How about a core of electric / acoustic guitars, bass, piano and drums and appearances by harmonica, xylophone, organ, synth, saxophone, trumpet, viola, charango, glockenspiel, accordion, recorder and even zampona… Yeah, almost like a folk rock Gogol Bordello.
Fans of folk and indie rock will be fans of Bombadil once they give them a chance. Check out the video below or visit their MySpace page for a few extra tracks.
About a week ago A Wilhelm Scream dropped the very entertaining video for their song “Fun Time” that appears on their most recent self-titled EP. I am really hoping for a full length release in 2010 buy these guys…
