Thao with The Get Down Stay Down

Even more than I am in love with Thao with The Get Down Stay Down's music, I am in love with the group dynamic they have. Taken from the "About" section of their website:

"When the band is on tour we stop at rivers and skip stones competitively. On days off, Adam bakes bread and prepares dinner while Willis builds percussive instruments using only bottle caps and intuition, and Thao awkwardly lifts the one 10-pound weight she has brought along to stay in shape for shows. Everyone watches the Food Network and the Discovery Channel together for dessert. The three of us share many hopes; most center around getting co-starring roles in a Mentos commercial and sleeping in separate beds while traveling."

Nevermind Thao's tastefully subdued sound and amazing versatility, I want to hang out with these people!

Rocketship

Now, if you've been rocking your "Twee as Fuck" shirt since the 90's, you already know who I'm talking about. For everyone else, if you want an indie-pop cult classic, you want Rocketship. Emerging in the early 90s, Rocketship became one of the brightest bands of the indie pop scene. A little bit shoegazer rock and a little bit bedroom pop, Rocketship is your one-way ticket into the International Pop Underground.



Unfortunately, Dustin Reske eventually took on Rocketship as a solo project and now releases music in the ambient direction.

Telekinesis

Telekinesis is a Seattle-based one-man band with Michael Benjamin Lerner (pictured above with his touring band) on drums, guitar, and vocals. His debut album on Merge Records, Telekinesis! is a solid album with high points at "Coast of Carolina" and "Tokyo."

Lerner and his band are currently doing several shows on the west coast. I'm hoping to get over to The Troubadour on May 25th to see them.

Jordan Klassen

"Calgary musician Jordan Klassen's marriage of delicate acoustic guitar, melodic whistling, rhythmic toy drums, soulful fiddle and singing wine glasses have been creating a buzz in the independent music scene since his debut solo album was released in May of 2009.

Always a perfectionist, Jordan spent four years working and re-working the songs on his album, before deeming them worthy for others to hear. What resulted was a quietly intricate collection of tracks that are brimming with musical experimentation. His lyrics, both poetic and whimsical, add a charmingly quirky aspect to his multi-faceted melodies. Titled Tempest and Winter for its exploration of life's storms and the soul's winter, the finished album is a journey through periods of doubt and depression, waiting and self-discovery.

Originally hailing from Abbotsford, B.C., he got his start playing in the Indie-rock three-piece Sub Rosa before embarking on a solo career. The musician now calls Calgary, Alta. his home, and there has developed a loyal fan following as well as significant play time on the Canadian college radio circuit and podcasts.

While his music has been said to resemble the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Andrew Bird and Simon & Garfunkel, Jordan continues to present a unique sound that escapes comparison." (Kerianne Sproule).

Shot at the Dark - Jordan Klassen from Brock Mitchell on Vimeo.

Mix: Sometimes I Still Need You

"Remember the time you drove all night
Just to meet me in the morning
And I thought it was strange you said everything changed
You felt as if you'd just woke up
And you said 'This is the first day of my life
I’m glad I didn’t die before I met you
But now I don’t care I could go anywhere with you
And I’d probably be happy.'"

1. "The Garden That You Planted" - Sea Wolf
2. "Heart Skipped a Beat" - The XX
3. "Believe in Love" - The Wooden Birds
4. "Written in Heart Signs, Faintly" - Throw Me the Statue
5. "First Day of My Life" - Bright Eyes
6. "As Tall As Cliffs" - Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
7. "Talking Backwards" - Fanfarlo
8. "Don't Stop (Loving Me Now)" - Floating Action

This mix was made on 8tracks where you can follow me, mustbeyou.