Seasons echoes the Brooklyn rock scene in a very good way.  The garage feel to the production sets this apart from some of the other music that make have many of the same components. I love the loose percussion that holds in the bouncing bass riffs that all make for quite danceable rock music like on the Latin flavored "Maybe". My favorite track is the tom - tom fueled "I Won't Be There" which has an addictive melody running through it.  The intermittent nature of "Young" is a really cool little device for a song.  The vocals are straight ahead and strong. Continental Breakfast (Darren Higgins and Camilo Medina) are from Chicago. Here are some of their show dates:

2/25 - Cafe Ballou w/ Jake Simmons

3/4 - Empty Bottle w/ Parting Gifts

3/18 - Schubas w/ The Constellations


These simple lo fi folk ditties showcase the vocal harmonies on here nicely. "God Damn The Amperand!" is my favorite track on here. The way that the vocals and guitar chase each other makes for a very effective device. Thanks to The New and Very Welcome for the free download!

Thanks to D. C from The Waiting Room Radio Show for the tip. You can hear more songs by cool bands like this on his show. Get his awesome pod casts for free on iTunes.



Continuing the tradition of great roots music in Chicago is Jon Drake and The Shakes. Side A is a country themed indie EP that will have you tapping your feet to these songs in no time. From the melodic ease of "Elizabeth Johnson" to the raucous stomp of "Gustav" this EP is a short but sweet ride. Thanks to Jon and the band for the FREE download. I have seen them perform a few times and they make a big organic sound live, they are a band you have to see in person. Jon played Dedicated Ears Songwriter Showcase a few months ago and I have posted a video I took of that below!




Motorama - Alps  is a free download on freemusicarchive.org. Love the bottom end on this release. Reminiscent of Interpol with those slinky bass lines and the lower octave vocal. A great mix it is! Indie dance music from Russia. Thanks to Motorama and FMA for the free download!



Laura Stevenson and The Cans carry on the fine tradition of good roots music from the place that we know as Brooklyn. Mike Campbell, Alex Billig, Peter Naddeo and Chris Parker Make up The Cans who play omnichord, organ, accordion, trumpet, glockenspiel and Laura plays banjo and piano.  It's really cool to hear the trumpet at the same point of the mix as the 90's indie guitar on "Landslide Song, The Dig".  Above all Laura's vocals are really strong and remind me quite a bit of Kristen Hersch, which is a great thing. Thanks to Laura and The Cans for the free download.


As much as I get out to shows and network here in Chicago,  it still amazes me that I have not heard of The Laureates yet, but I'm glad I came across their music on FMA.  I think the mix here is done very well as the vocals are on the same level of the guitars.  These songs have some punk influence as well as being rooted on both garage and indie guitar. Chad Preston wrote these songs and then recruited Peter Gray, Adam Penly and Crawfie Ward to complete the band .  Kontrol has a variety of instruments including organ, trombone, trumpet. "Cooler Birds" is my favorite track with it's woozy guitar and reverb vocals.  Thanks to The Laureates and FMA for the FREE download. The band also has a 7" for free download as well.


Various Artists - Voy a Explotar Soundtrack is a freemusicarchive.org is a free download on freemusicarchive.org. This is a soundtrack for an upcoming film by Gael Bernal Garcia and Diego Luna's production company. If you haven't seen their films you should. Record labels passed on this so they put this up here for free. There are quite a few artists that I already have music by like Jovenes y Sexys and Album. There are some really nice songs on here. Have a listen. Thanks to the artists and producers of this music for the great free download. Thanks to F.M.A as well.


Atlas Sound - Bedroom Databank Vol I  is a free download on fremusicarchive.org. Atlas Sound is the solo project of Bradford Cox of the group Deerhunter.  These bedroom recordings are similar to the songs that are on his Logos album which are experimental in nature. He puts the bed in bedroom with these songs that use both instruments and glistening machine sounds to create an interesting array of vibes.  Most notable is the blissed out beats on "Afternoon Drive".  There are four of these albums on Free Music Archive with over 50 tracks.  Get them now. Thanks to Bradford and the good folks at Free Music Archive.

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