cancel-the-astronautsI am so far behind with basically everything that I can almost see myself coming around the other way. I should be finishing up my first lecture of the new semester, but I just can’t bear spending much more of my Saturday on a talk that most of my students are going to doze through anyway. So instead, I’m offering you a long overdue edition of A Free Man’s new music recommendations.

Edinburgh quintet Cancel the Astronauts is hard not to love. They make driving, electronica tinged indie pop that is guaranteed to stick in your head. Cancel the Astronauts fit in nicely with fellow Scots Mersault and Frightened Rabbit with a bonus subtle nod to the Glaswegian godfathers of indie pop, Belle and Sebastien. Their debut EP, “I Am The President Of Your Fanclub (And Last Night I Followed You Home)” is out now on Cancel the Astronauts - I Am the President of Your Fanclub (And Last Night I Followed You Home) - EP. The more I listen to it, the more I like it – highly recommended.

MP3: Cancel the Astronauts – “Country Song”

Every time I do one of these music posts, I’ve got a Swedish one-man band from Omaha’s remarkable Series Two Records and this time is no exception. Sweet Sweet Concorde hails from Orebro and while the music is a bit more electronic than what I usually like, but the anodyne vocals, strong songwriting with a hint of garage psychedelia has kept me coming back to it for the last month or so. Think Loney Dear or maybe the Postal Service.

Sweet Sweet Concorde’s debut LP “A Life in the Canopy” can be purchased from Series Two Records by sending 13 USD (postage paid to anywhere in the world) through paypal to: seriestworecords@gmail.com

MP3: Sweet Sweet Concorde – “Mr. Tanner”

deletedscenesWashington, DC-based band Deleted Scenes has been on my iPod for months now and I’ve been dreadfully remiss in not giving them a nod. “Ithaca” has become one of the rare songs that comes through my inbox and makes it into regular play. Their debut album, “Birdseed Shirt” has received praise from bigger outlets than this one, but I’m never shy about offering my two cents. It’s another psychedelia inspired album, featuring slightly jarring rhythms a la Talking Heads mixed with some indie-folk sensibility. It’s definitely a grower, as the more I listen the more I like.

Deleted Scenes’ “Birdsheet Shirt” is out now on What Delicate Recordings and is available for purchase here or on Deleted Scenes - Birdseed Shirt.

MP3: Deleted Scenes – “Ithaca”

I’m having a hard time getting a grip on Donny Hue and the Colors. Not musically, the Brooklyn collective fits squarely in my apparent theme for the week of psychedelia inspired indie, this time paired with “harmonica laced hoe down folk”. What I can’t get a grip on is what the band’s latest record is – they’re nothing of not prolific and their publicist is as determined as a terrier. From what I can tell, they’ve got a digital only release called “Telling Tales” featuring Donny Hue’s song writing craftsmanship, acoustic guitar and harmonica and a proper record, “Letter to New Virginia” which was recorded in a barn in the titular state. So, if you like “Oh Lord”, I’m going to send you to the band’s website and let you pick from one of the several releases they have listed.

MP3: Donny Hue and the Colors – “Oh, Lord”

grizzlyowlsIf you’re not in the mood to take a chance on a new band with your hard earned dosh, check out Bakersfield, California duet The Grizzly Owls. The band’s latest EP, “I Am a Shootist” (available for free here), features music that wouldn’t be out of place in a black and white spaghetti Western. Dark, minor keys but with a cleverly tongue-in-cheek tone. A little bit Nick Cave, but with Meg White’s offbeat vocals.

If you like what you hear on the free EP, The Grizzly Owls have a couple of more available to buy on The Grizzly Owls.

MP3: The Grizzly Owls – “Father of the Revolver”

Last, but not least, is Pennsylvania singer-songwriter Damien Derose who records as Peasant. Simple on the surface – a guy and an acoustic guitar – but the lo-fi, melancholy and lyrical songs, often accented by surprisingly lush instrumentation, makes Peasant’s full-length LP, “On the Ground” utterly compelling. Brings to mind Elliott Smith, Iron & Wine and Jose Gonzalez.

Buy Peasant’s “On the Ground” from Peasant - On the Ground.

MP3: Peasant – “Impeccable Manners”

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