NAH – WOE

(RIYL: hip hop, noise, Death Grips)

Naked Days – Chai Knees

(RIYL: indie pop, lo-fi, Neutral Milk Hotel, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah)

Names – Billow Green

(RIYL: experimental, folk, Akron/Family)

Nana Grizol – Night Lights I-III & Tacoma Centre 1600(free d/l but donations go to charity!)

(RIYL: indie rock, punk pop)

Nathaniel – Fellatio

(RIYL: hip hop, soul, steamy jams)

Nature Walker – Clairvoyance

(RIYL: experimental, ambient, psych, lo-fi)

NEO – Snufkin Left, Never to Return

(RIYL: Strange things, Final Fantasy soundtracks, Moominwave)

Nice Legs – Lullaby Land

(RIYL: dream pop, lo-fi, Twin Sister. Song: Two)

Noah Young – Colorado

(RIYL: folk, singer-songwriter, Blind Pilot, Bright Eyes)

Nouns – Still

(RIYL: indie rock, punk, heavy emotion)

Of Us Giants – Nova Scotia

(RIYL: Punk, Hardcore, Manchester Orchestra)

Oh, Rose – 1919

(RIYL: indie rock, Angel Olsen, Mitski)

Old Amica – Fabula

(RIYL: ambient, experimental, electronic folk)

Orchid Tapes – Boring Ecstasy: The Bedroom Pop of Orchid Tapes (Compilation)

(RIYL: bedroom pop, ambient, dream pop, Orchid Tapes)

Orlok – Linear Story of a Relationship

(RIYL: electronic, ambient, dream pop)

Oquoa – S/T

(RIYL: folk, Americana, Great American Desert)

Painted Zeroes – S V A L B A R D

(RIYL: indie rock, “dream punk”, The Pixies)

The Past – AIRLESS

(RIYL: pop, experimental, Fang Island)

Petrichoral – S/T EP

(RIYL: surf rock, summer jams, The Beach Boys)

Pill Friends – Fade Into Nothing

(RIYL: indie rock, punk, lo-fi)

Piqua – Finds God

(RIYL: lo fi, punk folk, Defiance, Ohio)

QUARTERBACKS – Quarterboy

(RIYL: indie rock, lo-fi, Radiator Hospital, Julia Brown)

Radiator Hospital – Torch Song

(RIYL: power pop, bedroom rock, Born Ruffians)

Real Life Buildings – It Snowed

(RIYL: indie rock, lo-fi, bedroom pop)

Real Swell – Dull Dreams

(RIYL: bedroom pop, lo-fi, Happy Trendy)

Remambran – Drawing Out Cassette

(RIYL: indie rock, lo-fi, Krill)

Rick Ross – Bright Moon Cottage

(RIYL: experimental, electronic, samples)

Ricky Eat Acid – Three Love Songs (D/L here)

(RIYL: ambient, electronic bedroom pop, film scores)

rituals. – Ceramic Spaces

(RIYL: ambient, experimental, new age)

Run The Jewels – Run The Jewels 2

(RIYL: hip hop, rap, Killer Mike, Danny Brown)

Favourite Free Music of 2014 (N-R) from Wake The Deaf on 8tracks Radio.

The post Favourite Free Music of 2014 (N-R) appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Earl Boykins – FRIENDS / Everybody Likes Dogs

(RIYL: indie rock, punk, jangle)

E.L.M.H. – Life Is Super

(RIYL: experimental, bedroom pop, ambient)

Emily Hope Jacobsen – Passenger EP

(RIYL: folk, acoustic, Sarah Winchester)

The Emptiness – Sadie, Hawaii

(RIYL: pop, VH1, Arrange)

Eric Funn – No More Blue Tomorrows 

(RIYL: anti-folk, outsider, Daniel Johnston)

Family Video – Too Short, Too Long / Maybe This Summer

(RIYL: lo-fi, pop, indie rock, Standard Fare, Waxahatchee)

Fairweather Currents – Truesdale

(RIYL: bedroom pop, lo-fi, Small Wonder)

Fanpage – Trip

(RIYL: indie rock, experimental, noisy clamour, Sweden)

Free Cake For Every Creature – “pretty good”

(RIYL: lo-fi, bedroom pop, indie rock)

Florist – 6 days of songs

(RIYL: bedroom pop, sad, lo-fi, Frankie Cosmos)

Flower Face – Homesick / Funeral Kid EP

(RIYL: bedroom, sad girl, sincere folk)

Fog Lake – Virgo Indigo

(RIYL: Ambient, dream pop, experimental)

Frankie Cosmos – affirms glinting

(RIYL: bedroom pop, sad, lo-fi, Adult Mom)

Garrett Walters – At the End of South Washington

(RIYL: punk, folk, Ghost Mice)

Geology – Our Intertwined Worlds

(RIYL: folk, indie rock, The Tourist, mewwithoutyou)

German Error Message – Haunts

(RIYL: ambient, bedroom pop, folk, The Microphones)

German Error Message & Lung Cycles – s/t

(RIYL: experimental, ambient, folk, The Microphones)

Girl Valley – June/July II

(RIYL: bedroom acoustic, lo-fi)

Ghosting – Virtual Saxophone Transmissions

(RIYL: vaporwave, smooth jazz, 80s movies)

Gleemer – Holyland USA

(RIYL: shoegaze, dream pop, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine)

Globelamp – Star Dust

(RIYL: dream pop, psychedelic, lo-fi)

The Goodbye Party – Silver Blues

(RIYL: bedroom pop, power pop, Radiator Hospital)

Gorgeous Bully – Smiling, Laughing

(RIYL: indie rock, lo-fi, sad pop)

Hands and Knees – American Cheese

(RIYL: indie pop, Constantines, Born Ruffians)

High Pop – Holy Smokes

(RIYL: punk, fuzz pop, Wavves)

Home Alone – There’s a Light Coming Through

(RIYL: bedroom pop, ambient, dark lonely nights)

Favourite Free Music of 2014 (E-H) from Wake The Deaf on 8tracks Radio.

The post Favourite Free Music of 2014 (E-H) appeared first on Various Small Flames.

ACAB Rocky / Kneedlez (split) – ACAB Rocky // Kneedlez

(RIYL: punk rock, lo fi, bedroom pop)

Ahava – Steal, Kill, Destroy EP

(RIYL: folk, acoustic, ambient, Julianna Barwick)

Alexia Avina – Kind Forest EP

(RIYL: dream pop, folk, intimate)

Ant’lrd – Biblioteca Nod Out

(RIYL: experimental, ambient, fuzz)

Arrange – Their Bodies in a Fog

(RIYL: bedroom pop, ambient, Orchid Tapes)

Art Contest – Math Major

(RIYL: math rock, punk, Cap’n Jazz, Dananananaykroyd, Abe Vigoda)

Astroskeleton – you are not alone

(RIYL: Nintendo, 8-bit, chiptune, power pop, Space Boyfriend)

Aunt Sis – 9 Tracks

(RIYL: indie, folktronica, Broken Social Scene)

Baby Mollusk – Baby Mollusk and the Big Babies

(RIYL: bedroom pop, indie rock, lo-fi)

Balacade – From Memory

(RIYL: indie pop, Cataldo, Grandaddy, Sparklehorse)

The Bank Trail / Lake Michigan – A Split EP

(RIYL: bedroom pop, lo-fi, ambient, covers)

Bellows – Blue Breath

(RIYL: bedroom pop, Small Wonder, Why?)

Blush Response – Dead Air

(RIYL: shoegaze, dream pop, indie rock, Pains Of Being Pure At Heart)

Bois – Blank (out) EP

(RIYL: dream pop, soul, Bon Iver, Praything)

Boosegumps – Leave Me Alone EP

(RIYL: bedroom pop, lo-fi, sad)

Born Standing Up – Born Standing Up

(RIYL: country, folk, The Wooden Sky, The Head and The Heart)

Boy Spit – Everyone Is Cool

(RIYL: lo-fi, garage rock, Quilt, Cloud Nothings)

Broke For Free – Petal

(RIYL: chillwave, glitch, trip hop, summertime)

Camping In Alaska – Bathe

(RIYL: punk, indie rock, post-hardcore, At the Drive In)

Captive Portal – Somethign Abbadat EP

(RIYL: electronic, experimental, collages of chopped up sounds)

Cellulist – Holocene

(RIYL: ambient, drone, experimental)

Chips Calipso – I Walked Outside and Felt the Sun 

(RIYL: dream pop, surfy vibes, pysch, Evangelicals)

Cold Foamers – All Cold Everything

(RIYL: indie rock, lo-fi, Built To Spill)

Contron – Before I Hated Things

(RIYL: lo-fi, acoustic, weird old-timey folk)

DAILON – Transitions

(RIYL: electronic, beats, “future soul”)

Dead Folk – It Won’t Take Long

(RIYL: grunge, shoegaze, the 90s)

Dear – Dear EP

(RIYL: bedroom pop, lo-fi, acoustic)

We have selected our favourite tracks and made a mix for your listening pleasure. Check out the player below and be sure to tune in tomorrow for the next installment.

Favourite Free Music of 2014 (A-D) from Wake The Deaf on 8tracks Radio.

The post Favourite Free Music of 2014 (A-D) appeared first on Various Small Flames.

[Disclaimer: I say this every year, but only because it’s important] Thanks to the generosity of these wonderful artists and indie labels, you can get all of these releases for free if you wish, but there is often the option to make a financial donation. For those of you that can afford it, a few pounds/dollars to reward all the hard work that goes into making a record seems like a fair deal. Plus, it really is a win-win situation as most of these independent bands put the funds they raise towards touring or making new music. So if you like an artist’s music, give a little something and they’ll make even more music for you to listen to, or even come to your town/city and play it for you in person.

That said, we know times are tough and albums many. Remember, money isn’t the only way to reward someone. If you like an artist and can’t afford to give them some money, why not write to them? Send an email or a tweet or whatever you can to say that what they’re doing makes you happy or sad (in a good way) and thank them very much for being so lovely/amazing. Better yet, spread the word too. Tell family and friends and strangers about them. It doesn’t take five minutes to write a nice message or share an album and you can really make someone’s day. Remember it feels really good to make someone else feel good – kindness makes the world go round after all.

We will be posting part of the list each day this week. As in previous editions, the music has been alphabetized by artist. In an attempt to reduce loading times and technical issues, we have decide against embedding a track from each release. But fear not, each post will include an 8tracks mixtape with a song from each artist, so all you need to do is press play and see what takes your fancy.

If you are an artist who makes great free music, or fan of an artist who you think should be included, why not get in touch? Perhaps we will decide to feature your music in the new year.

Part one – A – D
Part two – E – H
Part three – I – M
Part four – N – R
Part five – S – Z

The post Favourite Free Music of 2014 appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Future Islands – Seasons (Waiting on You)

“It’s heartening to know that a band who have been toiling away at their craft for years can go from relative obscurity to flavour of the month with one astounding T.V performance. It’s also heartening to know that within the loose circles of pop music, there’s still an appetite for the surprising and the unusual. When I first saw Samuel T. Herring’s chest beating, lateral chicken dancing and unexpected bellowing during Future Island’s performance of Seasons on Letterman, I was bowled over—it violated every expectation I might have had of a synth pop band within the first thirty seconds and left me wondering what the hell I’d just watched by the end. It’s catchy, it’s refreshingly different, and Herring’s performance absolutely demands your attention in a way that few other songs have this year.” Dave 

Field Report – Pale Rider

“Every year I seem to fall for an album that demands to be played front to back (see: Hospice, Spectral Dusk, White Lighter) and 2014 was no different. It’s difficult to settle on a single song from Marigolden but I’ve plumped for ‘Pale Rider’, a track which exemplifies what Field Report are all about. The song deals with the pressure of meaning so much to another person, a blend of sadness and regret illuminated with sparks of intense emotion and a fierce hope. I’ll leave you with my favourite lyrics of the year: ‘now you’re cantering crooked and screaming at the wind / and shooting off flare guns in memory of the kid / his birthday was yesterday; he would have been six / oh my god, I am so sorry.’” Jon

Strand of Oaks  – JM

JM is Tim Showalter’s tribute to the late Jason Molina, and more generally to the consoling and healing power of music. The lyrics are comprised of a (presumably autobiographical) list of struggles and difficult times – “And I hated all my friends, I wouldn’t let them in”, “I was sitting in the bath, cleaning off the ash” – followed repeatedly by the caveat “but I had your sweet tunes to play”. Describing how Showalter (and every single one of us) finds solace in songs, the track smoulders in a flickering twilight before igniting in a storm of wailing guitars and thundering drums, ending with: “I won’t let these dark times win, we got your sweet tunes to play”. It’s big and triumphant and sincere and it’s my favourite song released this year. Thanks for the sweet tunes, Tim.“ Liam

Photay – Reconstruct (Feat. Seafloor)

I have a theory that Photay must have stumbled on the formulae for the perfect song. Reconstruct has absolutely everything. After battering in your ears with a raw as hell bass riff, it journeys successively through a dreamily singalong chorus, a ponderous breakdown and a jazzy jam-ending. I haven’t stopped listening to it for months.” Matt

Flying Lotus – Never Catch Me (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)

“Never Catch Me sees two of the finest bring out the best in each other. FlyLo’s rhythm and grooves are matched every inch of the way by Kendrick Lamar’s flawless delivery. As songs about death go, it’s as upbeat as possible. Lines like “Looking down on my soul now, tell me I’m in control now, Tell me I can live long and I can live wrong and I can live right,
And I can sing songs and I can unite with you that I love, you that I like,
Look at my life and tell me I fight,” focus on our desire to affirm our time as worthwhile, the fear of wasting it and eventually being forgotten. Matched with a charming video, it’s been on regular rotation for a fair few months now.“ Will

The post Wake The Deaf’s Top Tracks of 2014 appeared first on Various Small Flames.

15). Swans – To Be Kind

(Mute / Young God)

14). Mogwai – Rave Tapes

(Sub Pop)

13). Madlib / Freddie Gibb – Piñata

(Madlib Invazion)

12). Deerhoof – La Isla Bonita

(Polyvinyl)

11). Aphex Twin – Syro

(Warp)

10). FKA Twigs – LP1

(Young Turks)

9). Ava Luna – Electric Balloon

(Western Vinyl)

8). Inventions – Inventions

(Temporary Residence)

7). Small Wonder – Wendy

(Father / Daughter) [Review]

6). This Will Destroy You – Another Language

(Suicide Squeeze)

5). Mac Demarco – Salad Days

(Captured Tracks)

4). Strands of Oak – HEAL

(Dead Oceans) [Review]

3). Cloud Cult – Unplug

[Review]

2). Caribou – Our Love

(Merge / City Slang)

1). Field Report – Marigolden

(Partisan) [Review]

The post Wake The Deaf’s Top Albums of 2014 appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Wolf in White Van is a story about reality and imagination and how both can be beautiful and both can be scary and both need to be treated with care. The protagonist Sean Phillips, recently disfigured, creates a postal adventure game called ‘Trace Italian’ to pass the time and escape from his injury-induced isolation. The world he creates is a desolate and dangerous post-apocalyptic wasteland, a place which acts as a safe haven where Sean and the players can not only flee their own lives but take complete control of another. In the game, players journey across the land in an attempt of finding the inner sanctum, a mystical place of safety that no player has ever reached. I don’t want to get into the plot too much as I don’t want to spoil things, but the structure of the novel’s narrative is similar to the game, orbiting some central answer or truth that is never quite reached.

The idea of a new life is important. The game allows an existence that is far more exciting than reality yet fundamentally safe, some other dimension where the laws of physics and biology and history do not necessarily apply. For example, the dystopian world of Trace Italian might be irradiated and full of bounty hunters but death is not easy to come by. “It’s very hard to die, because all the turns pointing that way open up onto new ones, and you have to make the wrong choice enough times to really mean it.” (Pg 157) Mistakes are not severely punished and players get a second (third, fourth) chance when choosing the wrong option. This sits in stark contrast to Sean’s experience in real life where one bad decision changed everything in seconds with no hope of return.

But just how permanent and binding real life’s choices are is a matter of perspective. There is an argument that the game is not a contrast to Sean’s life but a reflection, a direct mirror of his experience. As traumatic and affecting as his incident was, he is given some semblance of a second chance. For all of the physical and psychic suffering he faces, the bottom line is that he survived. To return to page 157, it’s very hard to die.

Patrick deWitt (author of the excellent The Sisters Brothers) described WIWV as “a hymn for those who inhabit lonely universes, and a harbour for anyone who has sought refuge in a reality other than their own.” I feel this goes a good way to getting at the heart of the novel. Much of Darnielle’s song-writing concerns outsiders who are humiliated or neglected or just plain ignored, but always resisting in their own way, always fiercely alive. Sean’s disfigurement serves as an obvious example of this idea of separation and social exclusion – a young person who looks or acts or lives differently is treated with wonder or terror or both and finds he misses out on basic and fundamental aspects of the human experience through no fault of his own. Sean’s injury is obviously vital to certain aspects of the plot, but in others it is just another manifestation of a common problem – he is different. He could just as easily love men or paint his nails or collect cards and wear black t-shirts emblazoned with dragons, he would still join a vast ensemble of Darnielle’s characters who are in the same position.

Whether or not Darnielle would want his musical career dragged into every mention of his literary one is up for debate (I’d imagine it could get annoying being labelled as ‘that Mountain Goats guy’ rather than a National Book Award nominated author) but, hell, we’re a music website, we have an excuse to dig too deeply into past lyrics. I could really use some footnotes here to save clogging up the text with quotations but you’ll have to live with it. The obvious first point of call is 2004’s We Shall All Be Healed, an album that reportedly draws upon Darnielle’s adolescent years for inspiration. The song ‘Mole’ is particularly interesting, with allusions to digging and deserts and hospital beds. Some of the lines seem very much relevant to WIWV: “I came to see you up there in intensive care / They had handcuffed you to your bed / There were tubes going into you and out from you / Bright white gauze bandages at your head […] Out in the desert we’ll have no worries / Out in the desert just you and me.”

The song ‘Cotton’ on the same album also has a line which seems fitting: “This song is for the people / who tell their families that they’re sorry / for things they can’t and won’t be sorry for.” Indeed, if you look hard enough (too hard, perhaps) there are lyrics relevant to the novel across the whole MG discography. ‘Game Shows Touch Our Lives’ from Tallahassee contains the line: “People say friends don’t destroy one another / what do they know about friends?” and The Sunset Tree’s ‘Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod’ reads: “and alone in my room / I am the last of a lost civilization / and I vanish into the dark / and rise above my station.” ‘The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton,’ a contender for my favourite MG song, explores a similar outsider-with-convictions theme, namely a pair of goth/heavy-metal types planning to outpace, outlive and get even. The track contains a line which seems to capture the central tenet of Darnielle’s writing. “When you punish a person for dreaming his dreams don’t expect him to thank or forgive you.”

John Darnielle’s talent (dare I say genius) is taking the admittedly gratifying Outsider Gets Revenge story (or the sequel – Unnoticed Becomes Noticed: Through Violent Means) and making it less clear-cut, more human. Sean is not a character eternally consumed by rage or frustration, and his fixation on fantasy seems a longing for the cruel-but-clear world of binary morality and total conviction. Sean is 3-dimensional/real/alive because he is at once remarkably kind and empathetic and capable of destroying lives. In some ways he is ignorant beyond hope and in others understanding beyond all expectation. Through it all, one thing is clear: he is not evil or noble, hero nor villain. He is not Conan the Barbarian.

Wolf in White Van was published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in the US and Granta in the UK. You can buy it now from all good bookshops and bad online corporations.

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