Pop Times Three – Priory, Wolf Gang, and Sailor & I

     Indie Obsessive posts gravitate toward the number three. Consistent with that gravitational pull, here are three Indie Pop bands and their music.

     “Hell yeah I just got paid. It’s time to get this started.” Now there’s a theme for a Pop anthem. And it’s the “Weekend” says Priory. The band is a Portland duo formed of Kyle Sears and Brandon Rush (presumably not the Brandon Rush we just signed a multi-million dollar contract to play basketball for the Golden State Warriors).

     The features that we particularly enjoy in “Weekend” include:

     1. The cooperation between the guitar and percussion that is first heard at the 0:31 mark of the song.

     2. The addition of the choir, which is first introduced at the 0:48 mark.

     3. The switch in who functions as the “lead singer” half way through the song. 

     “Weekend” by Priory

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prioryband

Website: http://prioryband.com/

     Another force that exerts a pull on Indie Obsessive is the use of horns within Indie songs, particularly if it’s a trumpet. Wolf Gang is a London band that has released “Ghost in My Life.” The trumpet plays a minor role during the first portion of the song, but is instrumental (yes, weak pun intended) in the steady energy build that starts at 2:10.

     The members of Wolf Gang are Max McElligott, James Wood, Gavin Slater and Lasse Petersen.

     “Ghost in My Life” by Wolf Gang

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisiswolfgang

Website: http://www.wolf-gang.co.uk/

     The third song is “Turn Around” from Stockholm’s Sailor & I. The song incorporates strings very effectively.
     “Turn Around” by Sailor & I

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sailorandi

“20 Years Tall” by Sego – A song Review (and Ramblings)

      1. “Just the facts ma’am” - Sego is a Utah-to-California transplant. The Facebook page of the duo identifies the birth place of Sego as Mapleton, Utah, while the current location is Los Angeles. The two members are Spencer Petersen and Thomas Carroll.

     2. First Ramble- "Time vs Distance” – The name of the Sego song is “20 Years Tall.” That’s interesting. We understand that a “year” can be a unit of distance, since a light year is the distance that a photon will travel in one earth year. But the song “20 Years Tall” is not referring to the unit of measure that's only useful to astrologers (and maybe a fisherman describing “the one that got away”). Oh well.

      3. Second Ramble – "Metrical Rhythm” – The vocalization style within “20 Years Tall” is also interesting. It can’t be referred to as Hip-Hop, but it has the metrical rhythm that is characteristic of that genre. We aren't sure what to call it, but we enjoy this style when it is used effectively. Sego uses it effectively. At the bottom of this post, we have included a song by another Carroll, namely The Jim Carroll Band song entitled “People Who Died,” which also uses the style well. These Carroll dudes are talented!

     “20 Years Tall" by Sego (some portions of the song remind us of Beck)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SegoMusic

Website: http://www.segoband.com

     “People Who Died” by The Jim Carroll Band 

Three for Free, Legal and Recommended (“FL&R”) – The July Version

     Free and Legal Downloads? Yes, at least temporarily. Bands often temporarily permit free downloads of new releases.  The end of the offer might be based upon reaching a maximum number of downloads or the expiration of some period of time.  But at least for now, here are songs that qualify as Free, Legal and Recommended (FL&R) downloads.
    It has been too long since the last "Three for Free" post. So, there are bonuses.

     From Ireland comes “For Want of a Better Word” by Leaders of Men. The five members of Leaders of Men are Brian Ashe (vocals), Gavin Glynn (guitar and vocals), Edward Porter (guitar and vocals), Darren Lindsey (bass), and Dean Byrne (drums). “For Want of a Better Word” is the first single from the “Alexander House EP,” which is scheduled for release on August 18.

     “For Want of a Better Word” by Leaders of Men

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leadersofmen

Website: http://www.leadersofmenofficial.com/

     Fox Chapel is a band from Northampton, UK. The members are Kailan Price (vocals and guitar), Sam Collier (guitar), Joel Daw (drums), and Jonny Longland (bass).
     "No Healing" by Fox Chapel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foxchapelmusic

      Kaleida is the London-based electronic duo of Christina Wood and Cicely Goulder.

     "Think" by Kaleida [November 10 update - this song is no longer available as a free download.]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KALEIDAMUSIC

     The Travelling Band is an interesting name. The members of this Indie band from Manchester are Jo Dudderidge, Adam P. Gorman, Chris Spencer, Steve Mullen and Nick Vaal. Their recent release is “Passing Ships” (this free download is in the .WAV format, rather than MP3. If your browser doesn't show the download icon, CLICK HERE). We love the band vocals in "Passing Ships."

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thetravellingband

Website: http://www.thetravellingband.co.uk/

     Wunder Wunder is Aaron Shanahan and Benjamin Plant in the Los Angeles area, but the two are originally from Melbourne, Australia. “Sure Struck” is in the Psychedelic Pop genre.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wunderwunderband

     It has been a couple of years since the release of the song, but we’re still including “Swings & Daffodils” by Jakil. The band hails from London.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jakil