The Sifting Pan

Helping you find those Indie Gems!


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Song of the Day! Passion Pit – Cuddle Fuddle

Who ever said indie gems had to be new? This is a little treat from the now immensely popular Massachusetts band Passion Pit and it glistens out from the band’s early and unknown days. Cuddle Fuddle is a whimsical fairy tale-esque song with a beat that never ceases from their 2008 EP Chunk of Change, which if you didn’t already know started out as a simple Valentines Day gift for lead singer Michael Angelakos’s love interest at the time. Well what started out as a gift found its way to the internet where the EP circulated and blew up big time, primarily due to the band’s song Sleepyhead. Since that point Passion Pit decided to get serious and got to writing and recording their spectacular debut album Manners, which in my opinion became one of the best albums of 2009. If you had asked me who my favorite band was at anytime between 2008 into early 2010 I would of most likely said Passion Pit, but sadly I’ve been exposed to bigger and better things and they have failed in keeping me interested with their lack of new material. I eagerly await news of the bands follow up album, which was slated for a spring 2011 release, but nothing of the sort exist at this time. It seems with all the hype and popularity the band garnished they have found no need to make new music and instead choose to re-issue Manners as a deluxe edition in 2010 and now sit on a gold mine in record sales. I really hoped early on the band would take the path of music, not profit, but what’s a band supposed to do when everything they’ve made is amazing electropop music that everyone can love and bang it out to. I guess for now I can just listen back to the good old days with some Chunk of Change as I patiently wait for a sophomore album from what used to be my favorite band.


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Song of the Day! Tim & Jean – Like What

Tim & Jean keep up their synth appeal from Mandurah, Australia

Within seconds Like What comes alive with an immediate synth hook that just holds your attention. I rather enjoy the pleasant feeling evoked by this Australian electro-pop and It just reminds me so much of the synth infused pop style that has swept Australia’s indie music scene. It’s hard to forget that Empire of the Sun paved this movement in Australian electronic music and Tim & Jean have that immediate simliar sound. The reality of it is that Tim & Jean are more alike the American electro-pop band Passion Pit then anything else. The song I Can Show You would immediately start to remind you of PP and that seems to be the trend as well with their other single Come Around. So what? I’m perfectly fine with a PP sound alike since they are pretty high up on my list of favorite bands. I need to get my hands on their debut album that also goes by Like What, which saw a release early last month, so I can throughly enjoy Tim & Jean.


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Song of the Day! Yip Deceiver – Obnoxia


Yip Deceiver give us Obnoxia from Canada

Here is another hidden gem with less then 500 listeners. This time exploring the always exciting genre of Indietronica. For those of you unsure of what Indietronica is look no further then this very song. Obnoxia is a great example with its synth high note bleeps and electro beats and all the while manages to keep that pacing and lyrical style so integrated in the Indie musical genre I can’t help but to draw comparisons between Yip Deceiver and Passion Pit. To me the Yip Deceivers have all the pep and catchiness of their counter part, but is just a little more tame in the vocal style when compare to the ridiculous falsettos of Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit. Regardless of how much they seem like Passion Pit, Yip Deceiver have all the workings to go off and make a name for themselves in the ever shrinking world of musical variety.