Download Archives - Various Small Flames

The Pale Light Between – The Grey Estates vs. GoldFlakePaint

Jon Doyle — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 18:56:33 +0000

GoldFlakePaint and The Grey Estates are not the best indie pop band you’ve never heard of, they’re music blogs (and excellent ones at that), based in Bristol and Pittsburgh respectively, which let’s be honest you’ve probably already heard of. Earlier in April they teamed up to put out The Pale Light Between, a compilation of 20 songs from independent bands, and as ever we are playing catch-up to let you know about it. If you’re even just a casual reader of either blog then you’ll probably have some idea as to the vibe of the compilation – namely lo-fi indie pop/rock. There are good-time rock & roll songs (such as Pearl Earl’s ‘Karaoke Superstar’ and ‘Ex Marionette’ by Gal Pals), fuzzy pop songs (by Dear Tracks and Plums and Fake Laugh amongst others), gentler bedroom acoustics (e.g. the excellent ‘Can You Feel It Too?’ by Fun Home) and even some proper amp-blowing lo-fi rock (I’m looking at you Wendell Borton!).

The collection feels like a treasure trove for fans of that kind of thing and it’s a lot of fun delving in and discovering new acts. Pretty much every artist has a Bandcamp page with more material, so if you hear something you like then follow the trail and find your new favourite band.

The full tracklisting is below – the odd numbers were chosen by GoldFlakePaint, the evens by The Grey Estates:

1. German Error Message – A Lingering (Check our review of Haunts here)
2. Dear Tracks – Alive
3. Naps – Floral Mattress (Check out our review of ‘Floral Matress’ here and the band’s debut single here)
4. Sundae Crush – Toxic Slime
5. Sunshine Faces – TEENAGE PRAYER
6. Fun Home – Can You Feel It, Too? (Sprocket Session)
7. Romp – Drive
8. Echo Courts – I’ve Been Down
9. Plums – Parking Lots
10. Pearl Earl – Karaoke Superstar
11. Fake Laugh – As I Get To Know You Better
12. Littlefoot – Fever Dream
13. two white cranes – two white cranes (Check out our review of Two White Cranes here)
14. No Touching – Lighting
15. Froth – The Eterniturtle
16. Gal Pals – Ex Marionette
17. Wendell Borton – Saucy
18. Sandlot – Sober (Demo)
19. Smiling Disease – Double Locked
20. Dripping Wet – She’s Not Mine

Our current favourite is German Error Message, what’s yours?

The Pale Light Between by The Grey Estates vs GoldFlakePaint

You can grab The Pale Light Between right now on the GoldFlakePaint Bandcamp page on a pay-what-you-can basis.

The post The Pale Light Between – The Grey Estates vs. GoldFlakePaint appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Favourite Free Music of 2013

Liam Doyle — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 10:28:00 +0000

For the last two years (2011 and 2012) we have produced a list compiling some of our favourite free music of the last 12 months. The lists seem to be growing year on year and this year’s continues that trend. There’ll be several posts (probably around five), featuring bands/artists in alphabetical order. We have tried to feature a wide variety of genres and so I’m certain you’ll find something to your taste if you take the time to have a browse through. Also, it’s completely impossible to pick up every great free release in a whole year, so if we’ve missed your band or your favourite band, don’t be offended, instead hit us up with a link so we can check them out.

The aim of these lists is to present some of the very best new music and to highlight the talent and generosity of artists around the world, people who give their all in terms of time and creative energy for absolutely no monetary return. These are people who create music because that’s what they like to do, not because they want to line their pockets or have a quick flash of publicity.

All that said, there are ways of supporting every single artist on this list. Firstly, tell your friends, your family, your next-door neighbour! Spread the word and give these artists the recognition they deserve. If you like what you hear then let the artists know. The vast majority of bands on this list are not affiliated with a record label and so do not have middle men and PR agents to deal with emails and messages. So why not spend 10-15 minutes of you day writing a message of support to brighten their day a little?

It’s also important to note that each of these releases are available for free download, but many are also available in physical forms (often at very reasonable prices). Many of the download pages also have the option to provide a token cash donation, so if you really love a record on this list, then why not give a little something?

Wake The Deaf’s Favourite Free Music of 2013:

Part I: A-C

Part II: D-H

Part III: I-O

Part IV: P-S

Part V: T-Z

The post Favourite Free Music of 2013 appeared first on Various Small Flames.

The Covers Mix: Volume #3

Jon Doyle — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 16:22:00 +0000

Volume three of our Covers Mix series is a go.

Tracklisting:

1. Heroes (David Bowie Cover) – TV On The Radio
2. Shame (PJ Harvey Cover) – Japandroids
3. Close To Me (The Cure Cover) – WHY?
4. Float On (Modest Mouse Cover) – Blackbird Blackbird
5. The House That Heaven Built (Japandroids Cover) – Beat Radio
6. Going To Georgia (Mountain Goats Cover) – Sledding With Tigers
7. Still Life Blues (Elephant Micah Cover) – Small Sur
8. Runaway (Kanye West Cover) – Parts & Labor
9. Flume (Bon Iver Cover) – Emily Sprague
10. Lovely Allen (Holy Fuck Cover) – Shugo Tokumaru
11. Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ (The Velvet Underground Cover) – Bry Webb & Casey Mecija (of Ohbijou)
12. Whirring (Arms Cover) – Windmill
13. Wonderful (The Way I Feel) (My Morning Jacket Cover) – Trampled By Turtles
14. End Of The Line (Travelling Wilburys Cover) – GSJF
15. Constructive Summer (The Hold Steady Cover) – Kelly Hogan
16. Texas In A Drawer (Heidi Spencer Cover) – Conrad Plymouth (Now Field Report)
17. Red Candle Bulb (Withered Hand Cover) – Meursault
18. Yulia (Wolf Parade Cover) – Dan Griffin
19. Kettering (The Antlers Cover) – Sean Atkins
20. Golden Age (Beck Cover) – Strand Of Oaks

As usual if you like what you hear then go out to shows and buy stuff.

(P.S. Be sure to check out Volumes I and II if you haven’t already)

The Covers Mix: Volume #3 from Wake The Deaf on 8tracks Radio.

The post The Covers Mix: Volume #3 appeared first on Various Small Flames.

WTD’s Summer Mix: Part II – Night

Jon Doyle — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 16:58:00 +0000

The second part of our summer mixtape. The idea behind the mix was to capture the cyclical nature of the ideological endless summer; Part I took you from early morning to late afternoon and Part II (hopefully) picks up the baton and carries on into the night. It’s a rather eclectic mix with the four of us here each picking a few songs. The first few songs see you through early evening before an electronic-driven party atmosphere arrives. Catch a lift home with Ryan Gosling through the neon-drenched city and sit outside and watch the stars pass. See through the dead of night with Jason Molina before sunrise with Trouble Books. Hopefully you can then loop both mixes so the ‘day’ starts again. I’ve written a little bit more about the idea here.

Hope this works out.

Part II // Night – Tracklisting:-

26. Gospel – The National
27. Asa – Bry Webb
28. Ponytail – Talons’
29. Late July – Small Houses
30. Seeds of Night – The Cave Singers
31. Swamp Dragon – Spirit Tramp
32. Voyage – Kodak To Graph
33. Brooklyn Sunset – AFTA-1
34. Late Nitez – MedicineHat
35. Lost In Tokyo (Jacques Greene Remix) – Koreless
36. Sun (Midland Re-Edit) – Caribou
37. Higher Ground – TNGHT
38. Nostromo – Fortune Howl
39. Salt of Love – Groundislava
40. Cotton Flower – Future Islands
41. Fineshrine – Purity Ring
42. A Real Hero – College (Feat. Electric Youth)
43. Seventeen – Youth Lagoon
44. Anthems For a Seventeen Year-Old Girl – Broken Social Scene
45. Catharsis – The Wandering Lake
46. North – Arrange
47. Singing Sailors – Sad Souls
48. O’ River – The Horse Thieves
49. Long Desert Train – Jason Molina
50. Lurk Underneath – Trouble Books

2012 Summer Mix – Night from Wake The Deaf on 8tracks Radio.

Again, please support the artists on this mix. Our intention is to share our favourite music with others so hopefully you like what you hear and buy some records.

We tried to do something a bit different with this mix and we’d love your opinion on the idea/track listing. Does it work at all or fall flat on it’s face? Do you have any good themes for a future mixtape? Let us know on Twitter, Facebook or the clunky Tumblr message system. We would love to hear from you.

The post WTD’s Summer Mix: Part II – Night appeared first on Various Small Flames.