cars and trains: my birthday present to myself.

CARS AND TRAINS is exactly the type of music I like.

I'm a big fan of the undefined genre of semi-experimental folksy electronic indie stuff. This is the type of music I listen to while making art. There's a sort of peacefulness to it, paired with a chaotic element that mirrors my mind's unruly creative process.

What makes cars and trains even more appealing to me is that I can see a bit of myself in Tom Filepp, the man behind the many instruments or sound-making devices that create this music. Filepp spent high school screaming in hardcore/metal bands. He later broadened his musical interests to include hip-hop, many types of electronic music, and folk, such as Guthrie, Seeger, Dylan, etc. I like to think of my pre-teen self who refused to listen to anything but hip-hop until 10th grade when a friend of mine paved the way for my obsession with angsty emo music. And then...well, I just listened to a lot of different stuff. I guess it's considered common for teenagers to delve into subcultures based on a certain genre of music they listen to, only to realize when they're a bit older that they were stupid to limit themselves. But for some reason, this common ground makes me like this guy more.

Filepp will be releasing his new album Rusty String in the near future. You can listen to two tracks from the album below. "Fake Plastic Guns" has been said to have "a bunch of kind of crazy childhood sort of stuff in it." As someone who is slowly becoming an actual adult, I love kind of crazy childhood sort of stuff. Happy 22nd birthday to me.

dl: CARS AND TRAINS - The Wires From My Broken Record Player (YSI)
dl: CARS AND TRAINS - Fake Plastic Guns (YSI)
(multi-instrument electro-folky music)
- buy it - site it - space it -

roads till redemption: ripping off the best.

ROADS TILL REDEMPTION kind of just seems like just a guy from Georgia who recorded some tunes in his bedroom. Because he is.

In his case, however, it's awfully charming. His music is quite good, but if he had been the product of a large music studio...I'd probably be bored. This isn't to say that I love him because he's so "exclusive and indie!" No. He's just one humble ass motherfucker. He downright admits that his sound isn't completely original, heavily influenced by artists such as Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, The Postal Service, Bright Eyes, and The Doors. Together, influences like this form one of my favorite emerging sub-genres...electro-folk. Maybe even electro-alternative country, but who can keep track with all these genres these days? Not I.

But maybe Jeremy McCann-Deas could, because he is one multi-talented fellow. He plays guitar, bass, and harmonica. He programs! He produces! He edits! He sings! He dances...!? Okay, well I've yet to see him dance, but when would he even have time to dance with all that music on his brain?

Long story short, "93 Million Part One" is the laid-back jam of the summer. It makes me want to retreat to my porch, to rock alone and drink from a handle of Jack Daniels with my golden retriever at my feet. And I don't even have a porch! Or a dog. Or a rocking chair.

DOWNLOAD: ROADS TILL REDEMPTION- 93 Million Part One
DOWNLOAD: ROADS TILL REDEMPTION- Killing The Urge

FRIEND Roads Till Redemption

BLOGWATCH (french edition): Can you see the sunset from the southside? has a great song for those who enjoy modern new-wave, as well as a remix by Alan Braxe & Fred Falke. CallmeMICKEY has one of my fave French dance jams, "I Am Somebody" by DJ Mehdi f/ Chromeo, as well as an additional track from Mehdi's upcoming album Lucky Boy.