The Sifting Pan

Helping you find those Indie Gems!


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Song of the Day! Ida Maria – Bad Karma


Ida Maria brings all kinds of Bad Karma from Nesna, Norway

I honestly think that nothing but good can come from Ida Maria’s Bad Karma. This foot stomping rock’n’roll track echos the likeness of female pioneer rocker Joan Jett. I’m really digging the classic sound and wouldn’t expecting anything less from the rebellious queen of new Norwegian rock. Bad Karma is a single from her upcoming second album Katla, which already saw a release in Norway last fall but isn’t set for an international release until June 7. Her debut album Fortress Round My Heart was a brilliant way to come on to the scene and has set the bar pretty high for a sophomore release. From what I’ve heard so far I don’t think we’ll be disappointed.

Fun Fact: The song Bad Karma is also featured in the soundtrack of Scream 4.


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Song of the Day! Grouplove – Colours

Grouplove may have formed in Crete, but they are based in Los Angeles, CA

For a group of five strangers that met each other in Crete, i’d say they make some pretty fine music. Grouplove was formed when the members all befriended one another and realized their similar aspirations to make music while in Greece. Since forming, the band has put together the Grouplove EP and is currently hard at work on their debut album set to release sometime in September. Now September is quite a ways away but I’m perfectly fine with soaking in the bands EP and their first single Colours. I rather enjoy the off centric vocal delivery of lead singer Christian Zucconi and the way it keeps my ears from straying away. You can hear the amount of heart that all of Grouplove puts into their music when listening to Colours and I really love bands with a true passion for what they do. Grouplove are finishing up their UK tour before they switch over to North America where they will be touring with Sifting Pan alumni Walk The Moon. For full tour dates check out their website.



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Song of the Day! The Dead Weather – The Difference Between Us


The Dead Weather bring us their wonderful collaboration from Nashville, Tennessee

Ok, so what if The Difference Between Us isn’t the newest song to come out, but it does not change the fact that it is an excellent song by a band consisting of an alternative rock dream team- Alison Mosshart (of The Kills), Jack White (of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs), Dean Fertita (of Queens of the Stone Age) and Jack Lawrence (of The Raconteurs and The Greenhornes). The Dead Weather released their second and latest album Sea of Cowards nearly a year ago this time and it still holds the same pristine value to me now as it did then. The album excels in dishing out bluesy grunge rock that just hits you hard and not to mention amazing vocals that switch between Mosshart and Mr. White. After countless spins in my car’s CD player and tons of scrobbles through Itunes it was rather easy to come to the conclusion that Sea of Cowards was one of the best albums of 2010. I could easily go track by track listening without issue, in fact I enjoy the songs that much more when I listen to the album front to back. If you haven’t had the chance to listen to Sea of Cowards then stop what your doing and go find a copy, you will absolutely not regret it.


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Song of the Day! Middle Class Rut – I Guess You Could Say

Middle Class Rut lead the Alt Rock Revival front from Sacramento, CA

If you have not been exposed to the alternative rock of Middle Class Rut yet then you’re in for a real treat. This unpredictable rock duo, comprised of Zack Lopez and Sean Stockham, capture so much more then your average band seems to in their anthemic rock songs. I Guess You Could Say is a prime example of the band’s ability to trek so much ground within one song. I’m just saying that the musical variety they employ is pretty damn awesome, especially with such piercing and memorable lyrics to top it off. Believe me when I say this sort of thing is a reoccurring theme on their album No Name No Color. I highly recommend listening to New Low* or Cornbread if you want to get a further idea of what the bands sound is like. Middle Class Rut is nice enough to offer No Name No Color in it’s whole glorious entirety streaming on Soundcloud.

*I highly recommend you atleast watch the video to this song. New Low, in my personal opinion, is one of the best tracks to come out of 2010.


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Song of the Day! Florrie – Call of the Wild

Florrie gives the call of the wild from Bristol, UK

Don’t just play off Florrie like she’s your average British pop singer. Florrie is a bona fide drummer, model, and is now going to pursue a solo singer/songwriter career. On top of it all this Florrie refuses to sign with a major label and distributes all her music free to her fans from her website. The best part about Florrie isn’t that she’s a gorgeous model or even a talented drummer, but that her music is so damn appealing! Have you not heard that sick surf-style guitar slide in Call of the Wild? She brilliantly mixes elements of pop with electro beats and adds some trendy guitar riffs to bring it all together. This is the kind of music I wish broke out into the mainstream, because pop music like this I can more then handle. Call of the Wild can be found on Florrie’s first EP Introduction, which was released last november. Luckily we do not have to wait much longer for another release because according to her website she’ll be releasing her second EP in the coming weeks and like always it will be offered for free via her website.