Grouper - Draggin a Dead Deer Up a Hill

Genre: Lush, Dark-Ambient, Experimental, Shoegaze
Year: 2008
Label: Type
Where: Portland
Like: A muffled, slow-motion replay of a tragic montage
Rating: 10/10

Also listen to: Belong, Growing, TwinSisterMoon, Inca Ore

1. Disengaged
2. Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping
3. Stuck
4. When We Fall
5. Traveling Through A Sea
6. Fishing Bird (Empty Jutted In The Evening Breeze)
7. Invisible
8. I'm Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill
9. A Cover Over
10. Wind And Snow
11. Tidal Wave
12. We've All Time To Sleep

Try It.
More about this artist.

Wildildlife - Six (Limited Edition 08)

[Psychedelic, Accessible Noise Rock, Sludge, Hookish Experimental]

Yea thats right, hookish experimental aka Animal Collective gone manic! Just what we've always wanted! These guys do everything perfectly. Watch me dance to experimental doom rock, better yet watch a twee-pop indie kid (not me) dance to this album, because it'll happen. You just wait. O.K. maybe just the single, but whatever.
This is their debut album Six, formally of the SXSW showcase, each track is different and each incredible. Wildildlife is most definitely three Seattle men of top ability, especially on the track "Things Will Grow".

Slightly Similar to These Crazies or Vice Versa: Om, Earth, Raccoo-oo-oon, Pocahaunted, A Place To Bury Strangers

Wildildlife - Six(LE 2008) (pt. 2)

Wovenhand - Ten Stones (08)

[Gothic Americana, Rock, Experimental]

Finally, heres the fifth release from David Eugene Edwards' solo project, Wovenhand entitled Ten Stones. It's a wealthy combination of lulling drones, gothic nuances, and experimental charm. It's rock solid and a respectable follow up to 2006's Mosaic.

Slightly Similar to These Crazies or Vice-Versa: 16 Horsepower, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Celestine, Jay Munly, Bauhaus

Wovenhand - Ten Stones (2008)

Chairlift - Does You Inspire You (2008)

[Electronic, New Wave, Lushhh]

In some parts this band is too cute for me or shall say bubblegum, but despite their single "Evident Utensil" the album is a pretty solid mix between cute pop and trippy electronic rock. "Chairlift formed in Boulder, Colorado in early 2006 to make live music for haunted houses. Frequenting the Broker Inn on the edge of town for empty late-night jazz shows, Caroline Polachek, Aaron Pfenning and Patrick Wimberly were mystified by the 1980's faux-gothic architecture, oak-cabinet aquariums, vacant dancefloors, fake trees, crystal chandeliers and dark velveteen booths. The inn provided them with the ideal setting for a new breed of pop: a place where subtle clashes blossomed into uncanny pleasures."Their debut album, Does You Inspire You, following their EP, Evident Utensil, is a refreshing and appropriate upgrade. The album is growing on me for sure, especially "Make Your Mind Up." Some tracks her vocal tone gives me huge chills. The album is due out in stores at the end of October.

Slightly Similar to These Crazies or Vice-Versa: Chromatics, Beach House, Fountainheads, Lights the band, Acrylics

Chairlift - Does You Inspire You (2008)

Free Blood - Royal Family EP (08) & Never Hear Surf Music Again (08)

[Electronic, Dance, Indie, Fryk Beat]

"The concept was simple: A soundtrack for parties gone awry.

Music to fuel awkward sexual dalliances, desperate yelled misunderstandings on the dance floor, toilets over-flowing with the night's collective regurgitation, lonesome midnight ramblings, hair-brained (possibly illegal) parlour games, stereo components fried by heat and moisture, backyard furniture bonfires, power outages, mass hallucination, etc." This is pretty much perfect. I love this band.

"Free Blood, the Brooklyn-based duo consisting of former !!! (Chk Chk Chk) member John Pugh and fashion designer Madeline Davy, are releasing their debut single (through Rong Music / DFA Records) entitled “Never Hear Surf Music Again” (due out tomorrow on 12” vinyl and digital download). A second single dubbed "Royal Family" (due out July 15th) comes with the title track, the B-Side "Grumpy", and some bangin' remixes from The Brothers and Greg Wilson. You can expect a Fall 2008 full length release with all these singles and more. Below are a couple Free Blood tracks and a Hot Chip remix that will help convince you of this band's greatness."

Slightly Similar to These Crazies or Vice-Versa: Shocking Pinks, Muscles, Holy Hail, The Whip, Riot in Belgium

Free Blood - Royal Family EP (2008)

Free Blood - Never Hear Surf Music Again.mp3

Free Blood - Quick And Painful (Hot Chip Remix).mp3

Thee Oh Sees - The hounds of Foggy Notion (08) & The Master's Bedroom...(08)

[Garage, Lo-Fi, Psychedelic, Acid Folk]

These two album may just be my favorite garage albums of this year, though I am not fully certain yet. There is an admirable distribution of mellow riffs and memorable hooks throughout, but theres no telling if that'll be enough to drive this band toward the same kind of acknowledgment. All I know is I enjoy, listening to them even if they've been several different bands over the span of a few years. Maybe this will be their year. I personally prefer the faster pace of Master's Bedroom compared to the lullish lo-fi sound of Hounds of Foggy Notion.

Slightly Similar to These Crazies or Vice-Versa: No Kids, White Denim, Women

Thee Oh Sees - The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending The Night In (2008)
Thee Oh Sees - The Hounds of Foggy Notion (2008)

Women - Women (08)

[Noise Pop, Lo-Fi, Shoegase]

Women is a vaguely named quartet from my beloved Alberta, Canada, signed to Flemish Eye Records. Their respectively titled debut released this July is rapidly creeping up the yearly top charts of many fellow music collectors. The album was produced my veteran Chad VanGaalen in the guys' basement. I took a quick liking to it, but I am prone to loving the tacky lo-fi trend. Nonetheless, the album is a sturdy debut.

Slightly Similar To These Crazies or Vice-Versa: David Burt, Chorus, Dr. Dog, Parenthetical Girls, Animal Collective

Women - Women (2008)

Black Taj - Beyonder (08)

[Psychedelic, Hard Rock, Southern Drive]

Hailing from Chapel Hill, but you would never know it, Black Taj is one rock band of epic proportions. They do it right. This is a beautiful example of intelligent, quality, classic rock n' roll from a group of four highly talented men. This is what music is all about. By far a better example of their driving rock ability than their debut album in 2005, their 2008 release Beyonder is a must have psychedelic, dirty rock album, specifically the leading track "Move Me".

Sounds Slightly Similar To These Crazies and Vice-Versa: Idyll Swords, Helium, Pavlo, The Black Keys, Cuban Knights, Libraness

Black Taj - Beyonder (2008)