The Orphic Fiddler

“Seven Times” - Zoe Boekbinder

I have no idea why Zoe Boekbinder’s not the indie darling of blogs everywhere. She’s better than at least 95% of the crap I see slathered lovingly across the likes of Pitchfork.

“Kokko - Eagle Of Fire” - Amberian Dawn

So, if you’re so into Finnish metal that you actually know who Amberian Dawn is and have been listening to them since the release of their very first single (*ahem* I may be only slightly obsessed with Finland, just a little, just kind of), you probably have your own opinions about Heidi Parviainen leaving the band and being replaced with Capri Virkkunen. I actually like Capri’s voice. It’s gruff. It’s interesting. But I’m not sure she’s as good as Heidi for “Kokko.”

Whatever, I’m excited to see where the band goes from here. Metal on.

“Young And Beautiful” - Lana Del Rey

From The Great Gatsby soundtrack. For the love of glamour, let’s just have her record the next Bond theme already.

“Thrift Shop” (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Cover) (Bart & Baker Electro Swing Remix) - Postmodern Jukebox

A old school cover of a modern hit now remixed back into modernity. Oh, technology, you make life fun.

“Letter of Intent” - Ducktails

Ducktails’ new album, The Flower Lane, sounds as though the band were attempting an indie cover for an ’80s sitcom theme song. It’s not bad, but a lot of it is boring. (I do kinda like “Timothy Shy,” but that’s probably because it has a sort of Elton John vibe to it.)

Maybe I’m just sick of twangy guitars and soft-voiced youths trying to sound especially sweet and indie. Excuse me, but I’ll stick to Real Estate. At least Matt Mondanile’s other band isn’t quite so goddamn twee. Though it’s still not far off.

(Also, please, why is there such a deficiency of emotion in current indie pop? The vocals lack inflection and everyone stands about in music videos as though they’ve been severely medicated. Indifference to the world has always been “cool,” but this is something eerily beyond that.)

“Locusts” - Widowspeak

The extremely simple video for one of the simpler songs on Widowspeak’s recent album, Almanac. Honestly, I don’t think it’s fully representative of what that LP has going for it - yeah, “Locusts” has that thin airy quality that defines Molly Hamilton’s pretty little voice, and it’s got the steady hypnotic beat that runs throughout, but it’s lacking the intricacies of the waltz-like “Thick as Thieves” or the edge of “The Dark Age.” Well, edge for Widowspeak.

Anyway, Almanac is lovely, and you should listen to it.

“Space Oddity” (David Bowie Cover) - Commander Chris Hadfield

“Space Oddity” as sung from the International Space Station.

“Say That” - Toro Y Moi

A good deal of the drive behind Toro y Moi’s most recent album, Anything in Return, lay in the challenge of creating a pop record that wasn’t “processed and bubblegum.” And, you know, I think Chaz Bundick got a real handle on that. The solution, it seems, is to funk up the beat and play with the bass more than your usual superstar. Oh, and mellow those vocals. No divas here.

Also, the video for “Say That” is so unbelievably dorky that it propels itself into endearing. Good luck figuring out that mix, Lady Gaga.

“I’ll Be Around” - Yo La Tengo

Still catching up on notable releases of this year so far. (And still going through albums that were released in January. Holy hell, there’s been too much music in 2013 already.)

I’m extremely neutral toward Yo La Tengo. I certainly don’t hate them - how could you, really? they’re so pleasant - but I can’t quite comprehend their cult status either. I suppose I’m just not one for indie-pop of the acoustic guitar persuasion, unless it’s very very interesting. Fade’s a peaceful album, anyhow. There’s nothing whatsoever to dislike about it. But there’s also not a whole lot to fuss about either. It’s just something relatively calm to listen to.

At the very least this video will teach you how to make tortilla soup, and that’s worthwhile.