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La Snacks (Austin, Texas)
Myspace

"The blissfully slacked-out La Snacks would have found good company in the mid-’90s sandwiched on a Pavement/Archers of Loaf bill, but even Pavement rarely wrote songs as simultaneously snarky and reverent as Emo Kind of Love." - The Onion AV Club



:La Snacks - Kristen Was A Meteorologist:


Izzy Cox (Hollywood, California/Austin Texas)
Myspace

"I first heard Izzy Cox at a coffeehouse gig we played together in Pasadena. She walked in with her metallic guitar and tiny amp and sang her heart out. She captivated me with her authentic style that seemed to harken back to the days when women belted out tunes with more passion. Her songs are honest, revealing and thoroughly entertaining." - SMtv Music.com






The Physics of Meaning (Durham, North Carolina)
Myspace

"With a focus on character-driven narratives, Hart crafts beautiful bits of chamber rock that tell the oft-times tragic tales of a multitude of characters." - KEXP



:The Physics Of Meaning - Aeroplanes And Hurricanes:




The Lovely Sparrows (Austin, Texas)
Myspace

"I submit to you another reason to pay attention to Austin - The Lovely Sparrows." - Daytrotter



:The Lovely Sparrows - Department Of Foreseeable Outcomes:




These United States (Washington, DC)
Myspace

"These US definitely have a rowdier sound when they are on stage and I honestly can't tell you whether I dig the more tightly controlled, lap-top world of the recorded album or the roadhouse show they put on live. I like 'em both. The important thing is the songs, the lyrics, the intimate melodies are there no matter what." - Music For Robots



:These United States - West Won:




The New Wine (Hordaland, Norway)
Myspace

"Old wine in new bottles? These gentlemen from Bergen present a fruity mix of The Whitest Boy Alive, Phoenix and even some Italodisco. The result is a slightly synthetic brew, perfect for swinging. Best thing of all is that you do need to drink half a bottle of wine to do so. A few songs of The New Wine suffice. Positive side effect: this stuff does not cause hangovers." - Eurosonic Festival 09 Magazine






Midnight Masses (Brooklyn, New York)
Myspace

"Undeniably informed by Fulbright's complex spirituality and his father's untimely death, the band’s songs emerge unrepentantly melancholic, but mesmerizing in their ability to uplift." - Altsounds.com



:Midnight Masses - Heaven:




Eastern Sea (Austin, Texas)
Myspace

"Perhaps one of my favorite discoveries of the past year...if this tune [The Menu] (and the entire EP for that matter) is indicative of this band’s future, I think Austin and the rest of the indie-pop world will be hearing a lot from this homegrown act for a while." - Texas Music Matters



:Eastern Sea - This Is Holborn:




Follow That Bird (Austin, Texas)
Myspace

"The trio delivers a heavy yet melodic punch, bruising riffs and bass lines accentuated by Tiffanie Lanmon's fervent drumming and Lauren Green's punkish, jagged vocals." - Austin Sound



:Follow That Bird - Run With Knives:




Deastro (Detroit, Michigan)
Myspace

"22-year-old Randolph Chabot, also known as Deastro, takes 80s new/synth wave, blends in some emo/indie rock and a lot of electronic/dance to create enchanted, emotional 16 Candles/Neverending Story fantasy-dance pop." - My Old Kentucky Blog



:Deastro - Parallelogram:




Ume (Austin, Texas)
Myspace

"January may seem a bit early to declare the best record of 2009, but I am prepared to set caution aside and predict that this time next year UME will be topping best-of lists. The band’s new EP, Sunshower is at once beautiful, brutal, flawlessly executed, and completely unpretentious. It’s the type of record that grabs the listener immediately and demands repeated listens. It’s the whole package - as close to a perfect rock record as has come out of Austin (or anywhere for the matter) in quite some time." - Austin Sound



:Ume - Sunshower:




The Always Already (Austin, Texas)
Myspace

"The Always Already play a darkly likeable post punk reminiscent of most Canadian bands you’re currently listening to, with a healthy dose of British new wave of the non Joy Division variety." - Music Emissions



:The Always Already - Kinetic Hillsides:




The Flying Eyes (Baltimore, Maryland)
Myspace

"...A rotating rainbow of magnified droplets illuminates the background and on stage below, The Flying Eyes tear into an ear-splitting set. As if channeling Jefferson Airplane, this band has captured a 1960’s psychedelic sound with uncanny ease..." - The Baltimore Sun



:The Flying Eyes - We Are Not Alive:




Neiliyo (Austin, Texas)
Myspace

"Low-fi" does not quite fit because it has such Beat Happening connotations...has anyone on the Internet coined a phrase for dudes who just use a MacBook and a Telecaster to construct heartwarmingly simple dance songs?  Mac-Fi?" - Party Ends



:Neiliyo - Ain't Over:




Divided Like A Saint's (Athens, Georgia)
Myspace

"The ever-imaginative Divided Like A Saint's seems to have done the unimaginable in creating a band dreamlike and cerebral enough to measure up to its name." - Knoxville.com



:Divided Like A Saint's - Talking Animals:



Middle Distance Runner (Washington, DC)
Myspace

"These insanely catchy rockers (think the Strokes) are the city's pick-to-click for mainstream success." - Spin






Birds and Batteries (San Francisco, California)
Myspace

"A little bit country, a little bit rock n' roll, a little bit electronic and all kinds of intriguing pop."
- The Onion AV Club



:Birds And Batteries - Star Cluster:




Daniel Francis Doyle (Austin, Texas)
Myspace

"It's hard to pinpoint exactly what Doyle's skree sounds like. Something akin to being chased by a machete-wielding maniac in the woods." - Austin Chronicle



:Daniel Francis Doyle - How Can You Work:




Mothfight (Austin, Texas)
Myspace

"The Victoriana-obsessed Mothfight may prefer the crinkle of yellowed newspapers and the whir of nickelodeons, but the band’s sound is undeniably New Millennium. Led by former Octopus Project guitarist Kevin Adickes, the Austin group combines synthesizers and found-sound samples with classical instrumentation (including violins, banjos, and musical saws) and barbershop harmonies, creating flickering glitch-gospels that open a temporal wormhole between past, present and future." - The Onion AV Club



:Mothfight - Hopscotch:




Batata Doce (Atlanta, Georgia)
Myspace

"...Quickly rising among the ranks in the local Atlanta scene, Batata Doce isn't so easy to pin down, as they seem to draw influences, creating a sound completely their own.  Light and fun yet technically savvy, their music blends punk and garage with something a bit Latin." - Pine Magazine






Felix Obelix  (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
Myspace

"It's a record that has more depth and complexities housed in its four tracks than many pack in a full-length...It will draw you in, and the attraction only gets stronger with repeat listens." - The Daily Tar Heel



:Felix Obelix - The Heart Monitor:




Maus Haus  (San Francisco, California)
Myspace

"This is pop bent through the surreal lens of krautrock and cosmic psych" - SF Weekly



:Maus Haus - Rigid Breakfast:




Steve Burns And The Struggle  (Brooklyn, New York)
Myspace

"Steve Burns has returned to his first love: music. Anyone fearing an album of Pee-Wee-ish singalong songs can rest assured - Songs for Dustmites was created with adults in mind; it is lush and symphonic pop music." - Performing Songwriter Magazine


 



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