Microcastle

Flaming Lips come to mind immediately (they are probably so sick of hearing that) but then so does Mazzy Star, Pixies, Yo La Tengo and a plethora of proto dream pop bands from 1994: But wait, this is 2008 an they’ve taken it to a new level. Pleasant indie rock/pop, male/female vocals, guitar bass drums. What you would expect from the Kranky label if they released a pop band, like they have. Pretty stuff, what I keep telling ya’ll about the new interesting indie rock/pop hitting our mailbox.

1) the Lips feel, a slow swaying yet lush rock instrumental brief intro
2) upbeat melodic yet subdued pop
3) upbeat new wavey surfy minimal beat, like twee pop grown up
4) a dreamy LA mazzy star/spaceman dash to this, grows heavier later, put this on a mix tape for the girl you like
5) heartfelt female vocs, like a sober Kim Deal, a slow ballad with just vocals and electric guitar (minimal vocal dubs), then with 1:15 remaining kicks into a rockin version of all said before
6) brief, freak folk with guitar and nice spacey effects
7) piano ballad, with lovely echoey embellishments midway, dreamy
8) experimental feel with minimal instrumentation and vocals, no real beat
9) upbeat and almost “normal”, just a nice song
10) a simple song with a slight psyche 60’s feel to it (12 string electric?), mid paced slightly surfy backbeat
11) subtle waltzing, swinging rock, mellow, but then with about 90 sec remaining it mutates into ambient chill noise collage
12) somber melancholy feel to it to begin with, a swaying arpeggio guitar that ends with a wall of sound near-bash out