INDIE ROCK SONGS

One of the big 'new' groups of 2007 on the indie circuit was definitely Silversun Pickups.

The band's impressive debut EP Pikul in 2006 was followed by the brilliant release of Carnavas, which was still on The Billboard 200 chart as of last summer and peeked at No. 5 on the Top Independent Albums in 2006.

Carnavas was the band's first full-length release under the direction of the respected rock producer Dave Cooley (who has worked with Smash Mouth and Citizen King).

The album included a number of indie blog favorites, especially the exhilarating single "Lazy Eye."

So One AM Radio records put out a remix CD last month that includes four remixes of "Lazy Eye" and two remixes of "Little Lovers So Polite".

For SSPU fans, the remixes are a worthy listen to, but don't get to excited. Others who are annoyed by SSPU for their own various reasons, may point to this remix release as more evidence for their dismissal of one of L.A.'s most talked about rock bands in the past year.

MP3s:

Silversun Pickups - Little Lovers So Polite (One AM Radio Remix)

In The Time We've Got - (One AM Radio Remix)

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Labels: Best Indie Artists, Dance, Electronica, One AM Radio, Remixes, Silversun Pickups

The RAC mix of The Shins "Sleeping Lessons" track is much like the original - dreamy, melodic and engaging, starting off slowly with lo-fi vocals and guitar and harp strings coupled with ambient keyboard interludes and a bad bass line.

More than half way through the song, the enthusiastic climax - a driving, infectious chorus - reaches exhilarating heights.

By the time it all winds down, listeners may find themselves wanting that forward-marching chorus and up tempo beat to keep going, much the way Arcade Fire's "Neighborhoods" song trio does.

In fact, "Sleeping Lessons" has the unmistakable feel of Arcade Fire's now-famous style of sweeping, indie chamber pop-rock music. To be featured on the cover of Time magazine must say something, but if Arcade Fire made Time, The Shins should definitely get their cover (or should they? eems to be quite the rage these days.


Rather, "Sleeping Lessons" ends much like it started - unpretentious and soothing, even slightly psychedelic, sprinkled with metered harp and guitar strumming that slowly fade behind the megaphone-style lo-fi vocals.

Nevertheless, the failure to capitalize on the driving and infectious chorus that makes the song so memorable was a miscalculation on the part of The Shins. The boys of the band could have really taken the mix to its logical next level - extending the beat, if you will, but they didn't. I so wanted them to embrace the chorus and run with it for a few minutes, rather than little over one minute.

This "failure to communicate" to the masses leaves the door wide open for some electronica deejay or need-a-hit band to do a butcher-job style cover version of "Sleeping Lessons" some day should The Shins ever fall from grace (no signs of that yet and eagerly awaiting the next album).

When you consider The Shins' enormous global popularity in rock music now, it is not a stretch to imagine this song ending up in a Volkswagen, Toyota or GM commercial. Ugh, right?

It's amazing what you can do with one finger - like point out who's to blame for that.

Vinyl lovers alert: This RAC mix is recorded from vinyl; if it's not, prove me wrong because I hear the signature snap, crackle and pop of vinyl in the beginning of this mix, but not on the official music video version.

Labels: Artists, Best Indie Songs, MP3s, Remixes, The Shins, Top 100