'Please Return it' - The Posies

'You Avoid Parties' - The Posies

If I was ever a 'groupie' of a band, these guys were the ones. Somewhat local boys, from Bellingham, Washington, this band probably had as big an influence on my own music style as anyone. Melodic, sickly sweet harmonies that got stuck in my brain. Maybe they will get stuck in yours too.

'You Avoid Parties' -

Bjork

Continuing in the Icelandic vein...the First Lady of Icelandic pop Bjork. She recorded her first album in 1977 at the age of 12! She played in punk bands through her teens with interesting names like 'Spit and Snot', 'Exodus', Jam-80, and Tappi Tíkarrass (which means "Cork the Bitch’s Ass" in Icelandic). She got together with the soon to be members of The Sugarcubes to form KUKL ('Sorcery' in Icelandic) in 1986, and soon the band changed their name.

The Sugarcubes released their debut album, Life's Too Good, in 1988, to critical acclaim in both the UK and the US. They first came to notice in the UK when radio DJ John Peel played "Birthday". It became an indie hit in Britain, later voted single of the year, and a college radio hit in America. The Sugarcubes released two more albums before an amicable break up in 1992. Here's "Birthday":



Bjork has released seven albums post-Sugarcubes each with a unique and varied sound, or a particular theme. My all-time favorite Bjork tune is from her second album 'Post', an electronic album, released in 1995 and featuring production from Tricky, Howie B, and Graham Massey of 808 State. This is "Hyperballad":



Bjork's latest album 'Biophilia' was released last week. Each track has an iPad app, and Biophilia will be the world's "first app album" in collaboration with Apple. Björk has described the project as a multimedia collection "encompassing music, apps, internet, installations, and live shows". Other instruments used on the album and in Bjork's live performances harness lightning to create sound. Her lead single is 'Crystalline. The song was composed using one of several specialized instruments custom built for the project.



These last videos are by frequent collaborator Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep, The Green Hornet).

Feldberg - "Dreaming"

Feldberg is an Icelandic duo formed by Eberg (Einar Tönsberg) and Rósa Birgitta Ísfeld from Reykjavik. This sweet slice of pop was featured on the Kitsune 9 compilation.

Star Slinger - Remix of "Rollerskaters - Sleep Tight"

When I first heard Star Slinger, I didn't think much of them. In fact, I found them kind of annoying. But, as it is with many new sounds, they grew on me. And – while I still prefer Rollerskaters original version of this song on Summer Guide 11 – Star Slinger has managed to find a regular spot on my at-home playlists that I shuffle through the day.

Enjoy.

Elena Leaves (2011) ~ An Autumn Indie Mix

Every autumn I release an "_____ Leaves" mix, where the blank is filled in with something relevant to my life at the time. This year Elena, who's become like a member of our family, is going back to England. Tomorrow, actually. We will miss her dearly.

Links are at the bottom of this post. I have prepared a torrent and an iTunes playlist for those of you who would like to purchase straight from iTunes and support the amazing artists/bands whose tracks make up this great list.

Enjoy! 

Elena Leaves (2011) Tracklist

1. Got It All (This Can't Be Living Now) / Portugal The Man
2. Beautiful Trash / Lanu
3. You'll Be Mine / The Pierces
4. Our Hearts Are Wrong / Jessica Lea Mayfield
5. Almost There [feat. Lauren Hillman] / Opus Orange
6. Charlie Parker / I'm From Barcelona
7. Shotgun Smile / The Monday Mornings
8. Tigers / Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
9. Whole Love / Wilco
10. Matador / Maria Taylor
11. Culture War / Arcade Fire
12. White Hill / A Little Nothing
13. Blackeye / Love Inks
14. My Mistakes / Eleanor Friedberger
15. Red Alert / CSS
16. Chinatown / Destroyer
17. An Old Photo Of Your New Lover / The One AM Radio
18. Options / Gomez
19. Stay, Please Stay / Oh Mercy
20. Into The Wilderness / Burning Hearts
21. East Harlem / Beirut
22. Look At Me Now / The Elected
23. I Think I'll Call You Mine / Parlours

Purchase "Elena Leaves (2011)" from iTunes (your $$ go to artists)
Download "Elena Leaves (2011)" as Torrent from Demonoid