If  you're expecting some alternative punk duo to greet you when you listen to this record, then think again. What you'll find instead is a gorgeous blend of ethereal, folky indie pop sound that, well, sounds great as in-flight music.

The band is actually made up of duo Eric Hillman and Brian Holl. Gathering influences from bands like Broken Social Scene, Radiohead, Bon Iver, Bjork and Aqualung; the duo echoes off the same laid-back, melodic and sometimes eclectic indie folk as their influences.

Anywhere But Where I Am comes with 13 tracks and was released over at BandCamp on New Years Day 2012. 

The Nashville, TN duo kicks things off with the song From The Lake To the Land. Starting serenely with simple guitars and a reflective mood, the track seems fit as a lullaby to a dark, dreary day. There's a slight haunting feel to it, much like exploring a lush forest in the early morning.

Meanwhile, title track Anywhere But Where I Am, is a personal favorite in the album. This one is a 3 minute instrumental piece featuring classical piano playing. It's a gorgeous track that sparks both a hint of sadness and fond memories. On the other hand, final cut, Fake Arms, combines simple guitars and Damien Rice-sounding vocals.

Overall, you'll find some great company with this album. All of the songs feel as if they live and breathe with you and would make the perfect soundtrack to your everyday musings.

The record is currently offered at a name-your-price option at BandCamp. Apart from the duo, it also features Charles Asch  and Hitoshi Yamaguchi  on cello and  Ben Voce on violin. Take a listen and grab the download.

Related Links:
Flights on BandCamp
Flights on Facebook
Flights on Tumblr

It's always exciting to stumble upon a record that you know will be a part of your daily music routine for a long while. Dylan Pratt and his album, Lifters & Leaners, is one of those records.

The album is a first for the singer/songwriter. Armed with an acoustic guitar, a soft and melodic voice along with beautiful lyrics; the album is the perfect capper after a long hard day at work. It also features quite a few guest musicians helping him complete the songs.

Much of the record is composed of sweet, acoustic classic folk. So expect this album to be your perfect companion on dreary days, when all you want to do is cuddle in the comfort of your bed or maybe stay-in and enjoy a quiet evening.

Dylan Pratt proves that sometimes all you need is a guitar, good lyrics and a voice to create lovely music. Lifters & Leaners takes a stripped down approach to songmaking. Almost all of the tracks exude an acoustic sound with a few actually plugging in and employing electric guitars.

Although the artist impresses with his upbeat indie rock tracks like, Soap Box and Beasties; he excels in his quiet singles best. Fall Awake has that country folk vibe reminiscent of Dan Fogelberg or most 60s/70s classic folk artist. Another track, Peace Will Never Come, is as simple as it can get. Pratt has a knack for accompanying beautiful melodic guitar playing with endearing lyrics. His expressive voice lends sincerity to the words he sings which is quite important for most folk songs like this.

Meanwhile, title track, Lifters & Leaners also exhibit this gorgeous relaxing folk sound. This last song balances with the upbeat opener and leaves listeners with a nice remembrance of the record while at the same time urging them to listen to it again soon.

Dylan Pratt definitely has his niche covered. The album features good recording with snippets of raw, even DIY quality here and there. This just adds to the candor and appeal of the record. It's a compilation worth checking out especially for folk lovers everywhere.

Related Links:
Dylan Pratt on BandCamp
Dylan Pratt Official Website
Dylan Pratt on Facebook
Dylan Pratt on River Jones Music Label
Dylan Pratt on Last FM

The California Condors is not just the name for the largest North American land bird, but also the equivalent of a 3 piece West Coast crew that plays some infectious contemporary indie rock along with a slight 60s/70s touch.

These Orange County natives count The Beatles, Willie Nelson and Neil Young among their influences. Indeed their distinctive sound echoes with this influence.

Calm Carnivore is a 12-track album that's filled with skillful writing, great arrangements and spot-on performance. It's a feat rarely seen among bands today, let alone newcomers in the industry.

The album is a first for the crew but they've been garnering impressive reviews so far. Their sound has been described by Brandon Ferguson from the OC Weekly as containing "...genius songwriting...smooth voice(s) and excellent guitar work." When you listen to the band, it's not hard to see what would prompt this adulation.

Opening single and title track, Calm Carnivore, exudes with a 60s/70s rock and roll vibe. The facial hair these guys sport aren't just for show. Their sound makes me think that I'm listening to a hippie rock band from the years past. The melodic vocals and signature guitars play a big role as well.

Meanwhile, Leave No Mark, is a melodic track that's accompanied by sweet guitars and that Beatle-esque vibe. Growing Weed, is a quirky little track featuring lyrics like "I wanna grow like a weed and ruin your garden...strangle all your flowers pretending I'm their friend. Stealing all their sunshine, I will see them wilt until the very end."

Overall, Calm Carnivore is a very good record. It might not be everyone's taste but it certainly was mine. The album caters to those who have a soft spot for folk and classic rock. If you're into this, then you'll definitely find a nice treat in this record. Give it a download.

Related Links:
California Condors on BandCamp
California Condors on Facebook
California Condors on The Muse in Music

Hailing from South Dakota, classically trained singer, pianist, violinist and violist, Rachel Ries astonishes with her brand of music. And although this album is a couple of years old, it's still worth listening to.

Without a Bird, Rachel's second album, is composed of a folk jazzy sound with beautiful lyrics. It first came out back in 2007 under Rachel's own So Dak Records. Her first album, For You Only, was initially released back in 2005 and was completely recorded in a vintage analog system. This second album was also done in analog, thus exuding a beautiful vintage feel. It's the type of songs you'll want to play at home on a laid back evening, relaxing and just taking in the moment.

If you love your vintage 30s and 40s jazz pop, then it takes just one listen to fall in love with Rachel Ries. Her capacity to add a modern touch to these vintage style songs is amazing and that's not even counting her gorgeous vocals.

Mixing her beautiful piano sounds, jazz/blues style vocals, eloquent lyrics and lovely melodies; the album is a delight to listen to. Some of my favorite tracks include Chicago with its Regina Spektor-vibe; Learning Too Slow and its mid-tempo, slightly country sound; as well as When Will You Be Mine which is one of the best tracks reminiscent of 40s and 50s sultry singing sirens.

Overall, this album is definitely a great find. One of the best records I've listened to in quite a while. Currently, Rachel is slowly but surely compiling and preparing songs for a possible album. It's certainly one to watch out for. In the meantime, grab this release. It's available as a free download under Rockproper.com.

Related Links:
Rachel Ries Official Website
Rachel Ries on Myspace
Rachel Ries on Facebook
Rachel Ries on Rockproper
Rachel Ries on Tinderbox Music

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States License.

Formed in late 2008, the five-piece band of Jeremy Freer (piano/guitar/vocals), Sarah Myers (violin/vocals) and Kaylan Mitchell (cello) manages to seize new-age pop and classical music, applying their own twist with a violin and cello.

Perfect Season is produced by the band along with Dave Feeney and was recorded during February and March this year. It introduces the addition of Ashton Hopkins (bass) and Jaclyn Phillips (drums) producing a 12-track record of raved up, string-heavy music.

One characteristic that separates The Juliet's music from other bands is the use of strings, not as fillers but as forefronts to the tracks. Once you've listened to their sound, there's a noticeable orchestra vibe combined with uptempo material - imagine The Beach Boys sharing the stage with Johannes Brahms.

The album has genuine pleasures to offer. Whether it's the guitar heavy Heart In Heart or the piano-utilizing G.W.N.L., it will not disappoint even the most astute music lover.

The track entitled A Perfect Season is simply amazing. The soulful vocals of Freer matched with Shyer's seamless violin creates a heart-melting ballad that brings you back to long conversations over coffee or cuddling on a lazy Sunday morning.

One of my favorites is It's Simple which features an upbeat melody and catchy lyrics. It has a playful vibe and soothing violin solos that make you want to hit repeat.

The Perfect Season is a great follow-up album. The Juliets have lived up to their undeniably good music, delivering talent-packed songs that will seamlessly fit into everyone's playlist.

The album is available as a pay-what-you-want/free download.

Related Links:
The Juliets on Bandcamp
The Juliets on Tumblr
The Juliets on Myspace

It flows from fast tempo beats and repeating electronic sounds reminiscent of the chaotic commotion to the slow harmonic and relaxing melodies taking us on the journey through the streets of the night. And although some of the songs might take you back to the early days of Moby, Gray's album is filled with original cuts ready to become part of your playlist.

In the words of the netlabel: "Montréal I/II is an eclectic mixture of influences; often polarized between the warm & festive tones of summer to the deeper and more solitary moments of winter". Its true, the album is a fusion of different styles, taking a carefully planned and executed journey from ambient to drum 'n' bass to electronic and beyond. It features heavy use of eeire vocal snippets and samples from the media intertwining them with the dreamlike melodies.

Although the tracks gently flow from one to another creating a feeling of a movie soundtrack there are certainly those that can easily stand the ground all by themselves. One of such tracks include Childhood Obesity. Probably one of the most heavy influenced by media samples, the track beams with soft electronic beats and voice snippets taken from a TV programme highlighting the issue (you can watch the video below).

The album does come with a few shortcomings as seen in the slightly awkward mixing of some of the tracks. Overall, however, Montréal I/II is more than just a treat and a need to have download for all the genre fan.

Related Links:
Zachary Gray on Camomille Netlabel
Zachary Gray on Bandcamp
Zachary Gray on MySpace
Zachary Gray on Twitter

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

It's not often that I write about purely instrumental music, but I just could not let this one go without a good review. Suspended in Light might have it's weak spots here and there overall, however, the combination of the beautiful piano melodies and occasional violin contributions all dressed up in some modern enchanting electronic sounds seem to work just perfectly. So if you are looking for something to keep you company throughout the long workday, Lyndsie Alguire's compositions might just be your answer.

If you already decided to give Suspended in Light a chance, you can find your free download and even more information on the artist on the Camomille Music's website.
And when the netlabel starts off by saying things like "With the right amount of chance, sometimes you fall upon wonderfull people creating equally wonderfull music. It's the kind of encounter that makes having a netlabel worthwhile," you should already know you are in for a real treat.

What makes this 15-track album truly special is Lyndsie's piano work which, above anything else, seem to emanate with pure positive take on life. With the sweet optimistic melodies the songs might just turn your average gray day into a day that made you dream again.
So don't waste any more time and take a listen, but if for any reason you still feel like taking the album for a little test drive before the final 'download' commitment, be sure to check out to the three of my favorite tracks, Dawn Goes Down, How to be Still, Suspended in Light, and Syncopation.

Lyndsie Alguire is currently based in Montreal where she continues on the path of an exciting musical career. With her classical piano training started at a young age, it comes with no surprise that her compositions seem light, effortless and, at times, even flawless. Although Lyndsie started writing her own music when she was only 13, it was not until later on than she discovered the magic of combining classic with modern, and started to experiment with electronic sounds to spice up her repertoire.

Related Links:
Lyndsie Alguire on Camomille Music
Lyndsie Alguire on SoundCloud
Lyndsie Alguire on Bandcamp
Lyndsie Alguire on Facebook
Lyndsie Alguire on Last.fm

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Originating from 1230 AD, the Carmina Burana is a set of medieval manuscripts consisting of 254 poems and dramatic text. It was an epic piece of text that was created by theological students mainly to satirize the church. Most of the works centered on subjects such as wealth, the nature of life, financial abuses, joy of Springtime and even the pleasure and perils of drinking.

The Carmina Burana was translated into a beautiful cantata by German composer, Carl Orff in 1937. The composer's version of the Carmina is now available as a free download right on FMA. Performed by none other than the MIT Choir under the direction of Dr. William Cutter (2006).

This is a great piece of classical/medieval music brought to life in these modern times.

The album itself might be tough to digest for people who aren't really keen on classical cantatas. However, it's quite a treat for those who enjoy this type of musical exercise.

Opening with "O Fortuna," you might be surprised at just how familiar this piece is. Even if you might not be a fan, listening to this actually brings back nostalgic moments. It's one of those tracks that gets overly played in epic battle scenes in several Hollywood films. The song has been used in hundreds of movies and television shows, a few of which include 300, Jackass, and The Lord of the Rings.

Omnia Sol Temperat and Olim Lacus Colueram are only two of the more melodic pieces. The latter being an aria that has to be sung in falsetto to express the singer's suffering. It's a lovely, very expressive piece that captures the cynicism and despair of the character.

According to the concert program notes, "Carl Orff’s principal aim evident in Carmina Burana has been a "total theatre" where music, words and movement (this piece is often choreographed) work together in producing an overwhelming effect. He sought models of such a work in two cultural traditions: classical Greek tragedy and Italian Baroque musical theatre."

People who might not like classical pieces might still find something special in this record. If this MIT version is a bit too classical for your taste, there's a more rock and roll version done by Dr. Phibes and the Ten Plagues which features several movements from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana as well.

Related Links:
Carmina Burana on Free Music Archive
Carmina Burana on Wikipedia

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 United States License.

Tracks to Sync, June 2011 (MP3 Mix) is a pretty cool monthly compilation from Free Music Archive. This time around, the mix was inspired and made especially with the FMA online producer in mind. The songs focus on instrumental ambient tracks from new and up-and-coming artists in the indie online music world.

There have been several "Tracks to Sync" mixes released on the site as well. Some of the previous ones include two versions of Ten Tracks to Sync, one featuring selections at FMA prior to 2011 and ones that were gathered right at the onset of the year. There's also a special compilation aimed for YouTubers to choose from and use in their videos. 

Most singles used in the comp album uses a creative commons license. Listeners are encouraged to take advantage of the tracks, make it their own, share it or use it for their projects while giving credit to the artists. It's a great way of spreading music around. More than that, the mixes are meant to be enjoyed as a great soundtrack to your workday.

Tracks to Sync, June 2011 takes 10 tracks from artists like Slumgum, a jazz/improv/classical quartet that spurt out unusual ensembles enough to make your day a little more interesting.

Another artist who's single doesn't fail to make a mark is the Voyageurs' with ESPCP. This 10 minute space-rock psychedelic song takes you on a real nice trip; lovely as a background mood track. The group is currently a part of White Moon Recordings, a label where you'll find a host of home-recorded electronic folk mixes to tickle your fancy.

Other tracks that I especially enjoyed include Ode to a Baby Snowstorm from Ghost Dust Machine and Russian Ilya Bitekhtin's project, Ilocanblo , with it's electronic cut, Tighsfactor.

All in all, the album is definitely worth the checkout. If you're looking for a cool eclectic instrumental background to your work day, give this a download.

Related Links:
Tracks to Sync on Free Music Archive
Tracks to Sync on Lood

On their Facebook page, Chicago band Singing In The Abbey describe their sound as Thom Yorke meets Julie Andrews. I can see where they are coming from. On Winter Demos there is a dramatic theatrical flair that is balanced by the strings and indie pop structure.

Annie Higgins plays piano and sings; she has put this band together centered around her piano and songs and is joined by Donna Milleron on cello and vocals, Katie Cooperon on violin and vocals and the lone guy, Jason Toth on percussion.

"The Blue Lake Special" features a nice balance between the strings and piano and has a bit of one of my favorites, the lonely trumpet.

On "EC Hughes" Annie sings, "Now swing on the highest swing, now knock those fuckers down, take another look, who's standing now" which she says as a statement not a question. Though the language is a surprise, it gets the point across.

"Winter Demos" certainly takes after it's title with both the music as well as the lyrics. It is a captivating listen that you should check out.

Singing In The Abbey has a new album out called Wake Up, Sardis! that you can find on their band site linked below along with a video of the band in action playing "Winter In Chicago".

Related Links:
Singing In The Abbey Website
Singing In The Abbey on Myspace
Singing In The Abbey on Facebook
Dedicated Ears Legal Free Album/ep List