The Sifting Pan

Helping you find those Indie Gems!

Tag Archives: Music


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Song of the Day! Heypenny – Purple Street


Heypenny are not messing aroun-na-na-na-na-nd from Nashville, Tennessee

I’m sorry, but i’m going to have to ask you to abstain from listening to this track if you can’t handle music that is packed with some energy. Right off the bat Purple Street jumps into full cycle with a pretty intriguing vocal delivery. I’m all about this track because i’m all about fun and energetic indie pop. And not your twinkle twinkle xylophone indie pop, but the ‘Hey everyone sing along and tap your feet to this catchy and carefree beat.’ I commemorate Heypenny for truly being such a unique band in their style and approach to the genre. The band has been around since 2009 and have released two albums and an EP so far. Purple Street is a single off their latest album A Jillion Kicks which came out earlier in February of this year. They probably couldn’t have picked a better title for an album packed full of so much pep and energy. I will defiantly be keeping my eyes peeled for future efforts from Heypenny.


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Song of the Day! The Dodos – Black Night

The Dodos noodle like no other from San Francisco, CA

Edit: Looks like French Kiss Records has taken down The Dodos from soundcloud. You’ll have to make due with a link to their music video instead. : (

Music Video: The Dodos – Black Night

Swift upbeat folk music lead by the beat of a steady drum would be the simplest way to sum up The Dodos latest track Black Night. Sometimes the beauty of a song lies in its simplicity and ability to hold your attention. I don’t know what it is about these Dodos but this is the kind of lively folk music I can enjoy without being subjected to the usual folky borefest I tend to find within the genre. I think it could have something to to do with the nonstop intense acoustic noodling these guys dishout so well on multiple tracks. The Dodos latest album No Color, which just saw its release last month, maintains a fairly fast paced tempo throughout and eases up for only one or two tracks. The new album, as a whole, is pretty spot on in terms of what The Dodos are aiming for, but i’m not really walking away swept off my feet or anything. Maybe I just need some time for the band to grow on me, or maybe I’m just predisposed to not like this genre of music. I’ve heard nothing but great music come from these guys so far, and I normally can’t stand folk music so I’m going to have to go with the latter on this one.


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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.


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Song of the Day! Lettercamp – Denial Twist (White Stripes Cover)

Alright, so you find a pretty awesome cover of a song you really like by a band you love and your telling me it’s not getting posted to your music blog right away? Yeah right. Lettercamp bring us their electro pop take on The White Stripes 2005 single Denial Twist. I’d like to think that the results are pretty damn good and I have to give major props to Lettercamp for pulling off such a successful White Stripes cover. They succeed in turning a great alternative rock track into a pop music dance hit, which is no easy feat. Even if Lettercamp’s twist on Denial Twist isn’t your cup of tea you can at least respect the attempt put forward by this indie four-piece and recognize them for having the guts to take on such a monster track in the first place.