The Sifting Pan

Helping you find those Indie Gems!


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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! Maritime – Paraphernalia

Maritime are based in Milwaukee

How about some nice casual indie rock to make your Sunday afternoon just that much better. Look no further then the upbeat indie pop/rock band Maritime. Maritime’s swift alternative sound mixed with a laid back attitude make for a great combination of fun and easy listening. Paraphernalia is a great track to highlight from Maritime’s fourth and latest album Human Heart and is one of the more solid tracks i’ve heard so far. Released very early last month, Human Heart exemplifies the band’s signature sound and shows that these guys still mean business even after four studio albums. I haven’t been following Maritime for long, but the band first caught my interest with what I might consider one of my favorite songs of all time- Parade of Punk Rock T-Shirts. It’s a shame I waited so long to actually get into Maritime because they’ve apparently been putting out amazing music for years. It’s never too late to play catch up though.


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Song of the Day! Joywave – Golden State

Joywave discuss the Golden State from Rochester, New York, odd…

Vibrant indie rock that is right in sync with today’s progressive alternative music scene. Golden State is a like a nice sweet piece of indie music pie with just the right amount of everything inside. This crusty and delicious single has managed to earned a spot on my most played list of recent times. All baked good similes aside, Joywave’s music seems rather similar to music you might find the indie music market today, but still somehow maintains a unique sound of its own. I wish I knew more about Joywave but it seems that the band did not form until the very end of 2010 and can still be considered very new. One nice thing I found out it is that Joywave released an 11 track mixtape for free in March. If you’re interested in getting your hands on the mixtape titled 77777 then you can head over to Joywave’s website.


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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.