Mimas - The Worries (V0)

Mimas are are a dark independent band from Denmark. Their sound is something like if you took the post-rock progression and intensity found in Godspeed You! Black Emperor and mixed it in a broken blender with 90's emo and a horrifying male post-surgery Tegan and Sara. I've heard people say they also sound like Sigur Rós's take on Built to Spill. They call themselves "death indie," which normally is grounds for being presumed annoying but it's okay because I heard their music before I read the description on their last.fm page.

Seriously though, these guys fuse vocals with post-rock in a way I wasn't really sure was possible before hearing them. It's almost like post-rock pop, and it's delicious.

And they don't skimp on the brass. <3. Download here, buy it here.

Uffie - Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans (V0)

I am going to be perfectly honest with you. Going into this album, I expected to take off my headphones at the end completely disappointed and bitter, with knew assurance that pop was a lost genre. Frankly, Uffie being called the "original Ke$ha" didn't excite me in the least, and I pressed play with my cheek already propped up on my palm, bracing for cringe-worthy, vain lyrics, auto-tune (yawn) and the catchy beats that are typical of pop music. Bad stuff.

And what I got was cringe-worthy, vain lyrics, auto-tune, and catchy beats. On Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans, Uffie talks about her lack of motivation, talent and ability to care. She also mentions how it's all about her, how lucky she is to have made it in the music business because of how untalented she is, and her haters. I really would not like to get into how much I abhor when this is mentioned in music in any form, but let me tell you, it's a very large amount.

But, looking beyond my malice for modern pop and its repetitive nature, I came to enjoy this album. Not like a guilty-pleasure,-I'll-listen-to-it-if-it's-on-but-I-will-NOT-scrobble-this-in-case-my-indie-cred-takes-a-blow typed thing. No really. I really liked it. It's fun, it talks about love and loss and being a slut, cars and being cooler than thou, and there's even a little section about how good crackers are in Art of Uff. It's mindless, it's narcissistic, it's... well, it's pop. The beats are actually good, though. Catchy, but still obtaining an air of that professional touch.

This all being said, Ke$ha's got nothing on Uffie.

Favorite songs: Pop The Glock, Art of Uff, MCs Can Kiss, Difficult, Neuneu

My Rating: 8.4/10

Download.

Bad Veins - Bad Veins (V0)

I heard about these guys about a week before I saw them. They were touring with Two Door Cinema Club and Funeral Party, whom I all had the pleasure of seeing last Wednesday. It was a great show, and I was thoroughly impressed by everyone.

Bad Veins is actually just two guys playing guitar and drums over backing tracks that get belted out by a tape player. They even have this very gaudy tape player on stage with them during shows, and it plays all the horns, synths and overdubs and it makes their sound rich and full. They sound pretty unique, but some of their songs actually remind me of a more composed The Bravery. They utilize telephones and megaphones to distort the vocals and the intensity of the songs never fail to impress.

After the show we went and talked to the guys for a while, and he gave me a free download ticket for their self-titled album. Cool dudes.

Check these guys out, they're only just now reaching their full potential.

Download here and buy it here.