You'll Need To Play This More Than Twice

I'm well aware my blog titles are horrendously cheesy. I hope you don't mind, though, because that's not going to change.

I was on Myspace the other day, and I was added by a wonderful band, Twice. Now, I’m guilty of scouring Myspace for amazing bands. This time, the band came to me.



Twice is made up of two students, 22-year-old Andréas Eriksen and 20-year-old Margot Poirier; Andréas is from Denmark, and Margot is from France. Since they don’t share a native tongue, they sing in English. It’s a beautiful compromise that yields an impressive result.

Their charming lyrics and catchy music will definitely make an impression. Listen to their song, “Are You?”, and then go check out their newest self-titled album, which is available for free download on their site:

"Are You?" -- Right click & Save As to download.

Official Website
Myspace

A Regular Joe and an Eskimo Walk Into A Bar...

Well, a cold front has moved into D.C., and I thought it would be appropriate to blog about the band I can't stop listening to lately, Eskimo Joe.

Eskimo Joe hails from Australia, not a colder climate, and their album, Black Fingernails, Red Wine has been on the top of the charts in their home country, and has recently made it across the pond to much acclaim.

Speaking as a New Yorker, when I stumbled across their song "New York", I was of course highly interested. At the time I was making a playlist for my state out of homesickness.

The song is evocative, and the lead singer Temperly's husky voice immediately pulls you in when he sings,

Hey, hey, I know it wasn't New York
Where I lost my mind.
Hey, hey, I know I must have left it
It was back home all the time.

I highly recommend their newest album, and as a snapshot of their musical prowess, listen to "New York":

mog.com

More about this song

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"People Are Talking" About Beat Radio

Beat Radio has been one of my favorite bands for awhile now. At once both relaxing and radiant, their songs catch your ears and make you smile.

Their new EP, Miracle Flag, has several gems on it, but the one that caught my attention was "People Are Talking." With a steady beat, earnest lyrics, and fresh sound, it stands out from among most "pop" music we hear nowadays.

If I could give you what you want
Could you fix my heart?
Could you fix my heart?
We cast away the emblems of our youth
And the morning comes
And the world is new


I'll be burning buildings until there's nothing in my way
Then I'll close my eyes and pray

Give the song a listen -- and if you like it, head on over to Beat Radio's website, where they offer up their first album for FREE.

And then tell your friends about Beat Radio, because they deserve the publicity that comes when people talk.

"People Are Talking" -- Right click & Save As to download.

Beatradio.org
Myspace

A Fine Frenzy Gives Chills on "One Cell In The Sea"

While walking into my dorm room today, I was shocked to hear a hauntingly beautiful voice emanating from my roommate's computer. Normally, she and I don't have the same music taste, but A Fine Frenzy gave me chills.

A Fine Frenzy is 22-year-old Alison Sudol. She's not just a pretty face, either; and she's got the voice to prove it.





On "Almost Lover", she evokes memories of lovers who make promises, only to leave. Her lyrics are heartfelt:

I cannot go to the ocean
I cannot drive the streets at night
I cannot wake up in the morning
Without you on my mind
So you're gone and I'm haunted
And I bet you are just fine
Did I make it that easy for you
To walk right in and out of my life?

"Almost Lover" is not the only gem from her album, "One Cell In The Sea." Her more upbeat, "You Picked Me" speaks of love that hasn't gone awry:

And all I can say
Is you blow me away

I haven't found an songstress this profound in a long while. Take a listen, and then go buy the CD. You know you want to. I couldn't offer any MP3's for this artist, but she's still well worth listening to.


A Fine Frenzy (Official)
A Fine Frenzy (Myspace)
Virgin Records

Contact

Would you like to contact Amanda?
AIM: my only appeal
E-mail: am8511a@american.edu

If you would like to send a CD, or other promotional materials, please e-mail me, and I will give you my address upon request. Please see the Legality section to see Indie-vidual's policies on physical media.

Thank you! I look forward to hearing from you all.

Legality

Just so you fools know that I am not playing around and am a considerate, law-abiding citizen, I will henceforth lay out my intentions and policies regarding the governing of this site and its actions.

Due to the extensively questionable nature of online file systems and sharing structures, I will only and exclusively link materials provided by either the artist explicitly or their parent label. No other source of online media will ever be endorsed on this site and any resulting association with either questionable or infringing sources, sites or organizations will be assumed to have been accidental, unintentional and/or uncontrollable. Additionally, upon their discovery they will be removed immediately. In no way does the author of this work or site intend on purposefully, knowingly or maliciously infringing on any copyrights defined by United States Copyright Law. Any material found on this site to be in violation of copyright law or causing an excessive and/or undesirable bandwidth usage will removed immediately upon specific written request from the medias source owner or authorized representative.

You are encouraged to submit your musical creation via digital or physical means to myself. However, by doing so you understand and agree that you are granting full rights of non-exclusive use to myself, Indie-vidual and any other associations therein I see fit. If your recording passes for something more than just garble and static on tape, I will most likely review your works and post my opinion as well as a link to no more than one (1) track here. Yet, at anytime if you wish to retract your permission of rights or have your work removed from this site you must notify me explicitly in writing.

Please note, if you do elect to submit a physical copy of your work, it will NOT BE RETURNED and may be discarded or destroyed at anytime. If you wish to have it returned, you must include a self addressed envelope or package prepaid with the correct amount of postage along with a $5 handling fee.

Due to the original and creative nature of "Indie-vidual", which is the personal written work of Amanda A. Mustafic, no organization, individual or company may repost, borrow, plagiarize, create derivative works of, and/or use any material appearing on or within this site for fear of being smote by Amanda to the full extent of the law.

Thanks!

[all text above (c) adam dexter]

Bio

Hey, I'm Amanda. I'm 18, I'm a music fiend. I grew up in Brooklyn. If I'm happy, I'm in a city. My Zune is attached to my right hand. I still have my childhood teddy bear, he's sitting on my desk right now. I keep everything -- picks, little scraps of drawings I find on the floor, concert tickets, postcards, receipts. My favorite album of all time is The Guggenheim Grotto's "...Waltzing Alone." I like office supplies more than most.

I go to American University in Washington, DC. I'm an international relations major with a minor in Arab studies, but that's so I can pay my future bills. I help set up for concerts and films on-campus with the Student Union Board. I put my heart and soul into it. I've played bumper chairs with members of The Bravery, set up more lighting rigs than I can count, and gotten way too many bruises. I plan to open up my own music venue one day, and only book bands I respect. I don't think money and music should go together; just because something may "sell" doesn't particularly mean it's noteworthy or inspiring. We need more music like that.

I always have a vase of fresh flowers in my room, I love wandering around museums, and I write poetry. My therapy, besides listening to music of course, is painting. I like getting my hands dirty. I remember once I was painting with dark red paint and someone knocked on my door. I came to the door not realizing it was all over me. My best friend thought I had murdered someone. Don't worry, I'm a pacifist. I waitress at a local pizzeria. I love it. But then again, I'm passionate about whatever I do.

Oh, and if there's a thunderstorm, and you're in DC? Look around, and if you see a crazy-looking brunette dancing in it...well, that's me.

About Indie-vidual

Indie-vidual is a little music blog, with reviews and mp3's of bands that are noteworthy. Frequently, new bands and old bands that may be new to you will be featured -- with mp3's attached, so you can get hooked too.

I will always link directly to the official label and artist websites; you won't have to worry about the RIAA coming to get you.

What makes this possible is the fact that artists and labels love sharing free and full-length mp3's. Why? Because you'll download them, listen, buy the rest of the CD put them on mixtapes, share with friends, go to concerts, buy merch...get the picture? Really, this is all a wonderful thing.

Let Indie-vidual know what you think. E-mail me and tell me what you want to hear, promote your band...just give me feedback. I love that sort of thing.

Thanks,
Amanda