The Dimes

This isn't quite indie-pop, but since I do like to partake in the occasional tall glass of folk-pop, I thought Portland's The Dimes warranted a post. Sounding something like Iron and Wine meets Death Cab for Cutie and maybe a dash of The Decemberists, The Dimes make some pretty pop-y folk songs, or maybe some pretty folk-y pop songs, I'm not quite sure which. Complete with mandolins, melodicas and the mighty lap steel, The New England EP is four tracks based on stories from the Boston area. I'm no Boston historian, so I can't vouch for their accuracy, but I can say that they're four really good folk-pop songs. Head over to The Dimes Myspace to hear some songs from The New England EP, pick up a copy of their debut album, or just say hi. And if you like what you hear, you should mark all of August on your calendar, because that's when their sophomore album is due out!

Here's my favourite track from the EP:
Clara .mp3

Veronica Falls

Remember back when Sexy Kids were all the rage and I said they had a full length coming out this year? That was a blatant lie. Luckily for the pop-world, The Royal We turned Sexy Kids have turned Veronica Falls. "Love in a Graveyard" has all the oohs, aahs, faahs and laas that you would expect based on the band members' past endeavors, not to mention the jangly guitars, Roxanne's lovely voice, and the ever catchy boy-girl chorus of "I'm broken hearted, dearly departed. Dearly departed, I'm broken hearted." If you hadn't gathered based on the chorus, it's a little on the melancholy side, but there's nothing wrong with that. You can head over to Veronica Falls myspace to give it a listen (which I would highly recommend).

UPDATE: I forgot to upload this when I got my grubby hands on it, but better late than never!
Found Love in a Graveyard .mp3

Footsteps!

"Footsteps" is the new single off from Pocketbooks' upcoming (and debut) album Flight Paths, and sounds something like a jolly romp from the town to the dicotheque compressed into three minutes with you dancing the whole time. And while shopping for some vintage clothes before hitting the dancefloor sounds like a good time on its own, it gets even better, because your special lady (or laddy) is there with you the whole time! While the sentiment is nice enough, it's those boy/girl harmonies at the end that really bring it home. The "Footsteps" single comes out June 15th and Flight Paths releases on July 13th. Both will be available on How Does It Feel To Be Loved (and I'd highly reccommend picking up anything they have that you don't already own on account of how extremely ace every single one of those releases are). In the meantime, visit the Pocketbooks' Myspace to hear some of their other tracks.

Footsteps .mp3
And because I can, here's the fun video!

I'd Really Like to See You Again

I have some wonderful news for those of you with an insatiable appetite for that alternative-y, new-wave-y, New-Order-y, dance-y stuff: there's a new Thieves Like Us 12" coming out on Tuesday (actually, you can order it from Shelflife right now)! I might even go so far as to say it's even better than Play Music, particularly "To Joy." Everything you need for a home dance party is there: a driving beat, a melancholy synth line that's to die for, and some equally melancholy and catchy vocals. I don't really need to explain much more.

The other tracks aren't slouches by anymeans. "To Joy" morphed into the title "Really Like to See You Again," "American Skies" is how Miami complains about the economy, and "Desire" has been reworked from the version heard on Play Music to drive itself deeper into your head and deeper into your footwork.

Here's the title track, and the "demo" version. You can decide which you like more!

Really Like to See You Again .mp3
To Joy .mp3

First String Teenage High!

I just got the amazing news from the fine folks at Unchikun Records that they will be digitally re-releasing First String Teenage High: The Songs of Tullycraft Played By People Who Aren't on July 28th! And if that wasn't enough, this fall, Unchikun will be releasing a new Tullycraft tribute album featuring "20 or so fairly well known and respected bands!"

Anyways, here's two tracks from First String Teenage High to get you in the mood!

Murder Beach covering 8 Great Ways .mp3
Bugs Eat Books covering Sweet .mp3

And you can head over to Unchikun to stream three other tracks!