Back in August Spanish indie rockers Polock released their first album Getting Down From The Trees. The Valencia natives’ ten-track full-length sounds at times like an old record by The Strokes or Arctic Monkeys, but what I couldn’t shake during my first listen through was how every song seems like it could easily be a tune off the next Phoenix album. Perhaps it’s the accented vocals, which are actually far more similar to those of Polock’s compatriot Ekhi Lopetegi (of Delorean) than Thomas Mars’. I highly recommend that you pick up the group’s debut LP over at Mushroom Pillow. It’s definitely no Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix but I’ll go ahead and place Getting Down From The Trees above United and Alphabetical and right alongside It’s Never Been Like That. If they’re as similar to Phoenix as I’d like to think, I’ll have to make sure to catch Polock live next time they hop across the pond. Catch ‘Fireworks’ below.

Polock - Fireworks

Satellite Stories is a young four-piece indie-rock outfit from Oulu, Finland. Their pacy riffs and catchy choruses warm up even the most frigid cities of Northern Finland. On the first listen I placed these guys right alongside the likes of Two Door Cinema Club and Tokyo Police Club. Their electronic-influenced rock is refreshing and invigorating. Satellite Stories describe their songs as “jangly, angular, energetic and always danceable indie rock”. The band dropped their Promo EP at a show on September 9th. The four-track release features ‘Kids Aren’t Safe In The Metro,’ ‘Mexico’ and ‘Helsinki Art Scene’ as well as one “secret” tune. Always good for an adrenaline rush, Satellite Stories are touring mainly in Finland at the moment but I’m foreseeing a larger, international tour in the near future… Check out their current dates and a great unplugged version of ‘Kids Aren’t Safe In The Metro’ on the band’s Myspace.

Mexico by satellitestories

Satellite Stories - Helsinki Art Scene by satellitestories

Satellite Stories - Helsinki Art Scene by satellitestories

Boston duo Magic Man (Sam Lee & Alex Caplow) debuted in January with Real Life Color on the brilliant Arcade Sound Ltd. (Blackbird Blackbird, Millionyoung, Teen Daze). Written on the organic farms of the French countryside, at “a chateau, a farm, a circus festival, and a beach cottage and brought back home to the states for further recording and editing (most of which was done in small dorm rooms and transmitted between band members with the aid of the world wide web),” the album is a beautiful mix of electronic tinkering, scattered synths, accentuated beats and wonderfully crafted vocals. Snap up the ten-track Real Life Color free here.

Magic Man // Bandcamp // Myspace

On Tuesday August 24th, six-piece orchestral indie rock outfit Ra Ra Riot will follow up their 2008 debut LP The Rhumb Line (2008) with The Orchard. Last month the band released the Boy EP as a precursor of what’s to come. And to show their appreciation for all the downloads and approbatory reviews, they are giving away a brilliant remix of the track ‘Boy,’ courtesy of the mix mestre himself, RAC’s Andre Anjos. The Portland-based remixer has a long list of stunningly exquisite renditions of mainly indie rock tunes, but his jazzy, funk-beat take on ‘Boy’ is sold gold. Andre starts off by building a subtle dreamscape out of Wes Miles’ melodic vocal on top of Alexandra Lawn’s and Rebecca Zeller’s supple strings. He then slices up the bass-drum, which is ever-present in the original, adding a catchy, foot-tapping beat that runs through most of the four minute remix. In short, like all of RAC’s work, this remix is a snazzy energetic, electronic-enhanced reworking which is probably better than the original. Check out the mp3 below.

Ra Ra Riot - Boy (RAC Mix)

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Symphonic indie rock outfit Ra Ra Riot released their first full-length album, The Rhumb Line, in 2008 and after more than a year of recording and production they’re ready to release their sophomore album— The Orchard. The ten-track album, which was produced by the band from Syracuse alongside Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla, Andrew Maury from the Remix Artist Collective (RAC), and Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend, Discovery), is set to hit your nearest record shop on August 24.

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Ra Ra Riot - ‘Shadowcasting’ (from the forthcoming The Orchard)

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The Orchard, which was named for the small farm house where the band recorded much of the album, is available for pre-order through Barsuk, in six different formats (including magenta vinyl). Also, their song “Boy” is up for free on iTunes and their website — if you want to check it out. Ra Ra Riot are currently gallivanting around North America in an extensive tour which lasts through late November; the tour dates are on the band’s myspace. For me, The Orchard is much calmer, laid-back and generally easier to listen to than the band’s last release, although it lacks some of the attractive energy found on The Rhumb Line’s “St. Peter’s Day Festival” or “Too Too Too Fast.”

Check out the set list as well as the video of “Keep It Quiet” below.

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Canadian band Tokyo Police Club are gearing up for the release of their second LP entitled Champ, which is set for sometime in early June. On the band’s website they are offering a free download of ‘Breakneck Speed’ from their upcoming album. They’re currently finishing their US tour before they embark on a European tour next month.

Tokyo Police Club - ‘Breakneck Speed’

Here’s a few tracks off Elephant Shell:

Tokyo Police Club - ‘Your English Is Good’

Tokyo Police Club - ‘Graves’

Spring tour dates:

04/17 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival
04/27 – Millvale, PA @ Mr. Small’s Theater
05/29 – Neustrelitz, DE @ Immergut Festival
05/30 – Hamburg, DE @ Ubel Und Gefahrlich
05/31 – Berlin, DE @ Lido
06/01 – Cologne, DE @ Luxor
06/02 – Munich, DE @ 59:1
06/04 – Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
06/05 – Brussels, BE @ Le Botanique
06/07 – Manchester, UK @ The Ruby Lounge
06/08 – London, UK @ Scala
06/11 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival
06/29 – Brooklyn, NY @ Prospect Park Bandshell (with Passion Pit)

British trio The xx really came into their own last year and ever since, DJ’s, producers, and kids with computers have been remixing their laid-back simplicity. So here’s a few originals alongside some newer renditions.

The XX ‘Intro’

The XX ‘Crystalised’

The XX ‘VCR’

Florence + The Machine ‘You Got The Love (The Very Best Remix)’

DJ Sniek ‘The XX Intro (Remix)’

Wait What ‘Islands Is The Limit (The Notorious B.I.G. vs. The xx)’

The XX ‘Crystalised (Popular Damage Assimilation Remix)’

Band of Horses are getting ready to release their third LP Infinite Arms (Brown/Fat Possum/Columbia) on May 18. After the release, the band is planning a European/US tour (click here for dates). Here’s the video for one of their new songs ‘Compliments’ which is available to stream and to download for free on their website (alt).

Band Of Horses - ‘Factory’

Band Of Horses - ‘Compliments’

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Angus & Julia Stone - Big Jet Plane: Download