A guitar that sounds better because it isn't perfect.
A handmade sleeve. A tiny label. A song recorded in a bedroom.
A record passed from one friend to another.
But perhaps most of all, indiepop has always been intimate.
This compilation brings together songs from different corners of the indiepop world, connected by the same spirit: melody, independence, friendship, intimacy, and the simple joy of making and sharing music.
There are no rules about what indiepop should sound like. It can be jangly, noisy, sweet or melancholic. What matters is the feeling the sense that these songs were made because someone had something they wanted to say, sing, or share.
And maybe that's why the pop kids have always found each other.
The effort sees release digitally via Sweet Cheetah Records' Bandcamp site and includes contributions from Deaf Club (CA), MK Naomi (MA), Toilet Rats (MN), Oh Condor (OH), FVRMN (Japan), Holy Hands (MA), Kill Surf City (IN), Chris Broach (IL), Hauntu (CA), and Palm Ghosts (TN)!
The entire compilation was expertly mastered by Dan Coutant (Coliseum, Hostage Calm, Iron Chic, etc.) at Sun Room Audio, and cover art was contributed by Evil Jay (Boris, Dead Milkmen, 7 Seconds).
100 percent of the proceeds from sales of this effort will be donated to Border Angels, a non-profit organization that promotes a culture of love through advocacy, education, by creating a social consciousness, and engaging in direct action to defend the rights of migrants and refugees.
New York-based independent label Worry Bead Records brings artists like Remember Sports, Squirrel Flower, 22° Halo, 2nd Grade, and Pink Navel together for ‘True Names,’ a benefit compilation to raise funds for the Trans Youth Emergency Project. The compilation has been featured by Stereogum, Dork, Treble, Atwood Magazine, and other outlets.
“The comp also has demos and live versions of tunes from Squirrel Flower, Remember Sports, 2nd Grade, (T-T)b, and more great acts.” – STEREOGUM
"True Names feels like a sampler from Matador Records in 1998. It’s a killer indie music mixtape with proceeds going to support Trans Youth." –TURN & WORK
“A collective of artists including Remember Sports, Squirrel Flower, 2nd Grade, 22° Halo, and Pink Navel have joined forces for a new compilation album titled ‘True Names’, set to benefit the Trans Youth Emergency Project.” – DORK
"Very rarely do you find a band that, while new in the scheme of time, simultaneously sparks a feeling of fond and reverted sense of comfort; the kind you get when returning to the bands that were accomplices through milestones and memories." -Post Trash
“Since forming, the band has cultivated and perfected a unique blend of hushed folk melodies along with the crushing subtlety of Elephant 6 style production […] taking a cult classic poise amongst the most taught folk knots and rock n’ roll softies alike.” -Ugly Hug
Organized by HATETOQUIT and Brooklyn band Hiding Places, Merciless Accelerating Rhythms: Artists United for a Free Palestine features 55 contributions from artists across the U.S. and U.K., spanning genres from Ambient Electronic to Jazz.
All proceeds from sales of this compilation will be donated directly to Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) and Palestine Legal.
Based on anti-apartheid artist, leader and poet, June Jordan’s poem, “I Must Become A Menace to My Enemies,” dedicated by Jordan to Agostinho Neto, former President of The People’s Republic of Angola, the album’s title “Merciless Accelerating Rhythms” encapsulates a form of political organizing beyond “walking politely on the pavements,” and emphasizes “becom[ing] the action of [our] fate,” acting in a form of “retaliation.”
Ben Kweller's rendition of this early Adam Green classic goes all out in its production, transforming a lo-fi indie folk ballad into full on power pop! And yet with his unmistakably tender vocal chops, Kweller conveys the nuance and feeling of the original track. The two have been close friends lo these many years, and so we believe that Kweller has some hidden insight into lines like Pardon me anyone, where is the nearest shore? we're all in this together and the police are at the door. Someone do my laundry or smash me through the floor to that tropical vacation buried underneath the store . Truthfully, we hear in this version of "Her Father and Her" a pitch perfect homage, a decades long friendship, and the respect of one songwriter to another.
Shimmy-Disc shared the first-time vinyl release of I Killed The Monster, an 11-track compilation of songs written by the celebrated American music legend, Daniel Johnston, whose classic LPs 1990 and Artistic Vice were produced by Kramer — the former at his legendary Noise New York recording studio and the latter at Daniel's home in West Virginia — and released on Shimmy-Disc in 1990 and 1991, respectively.
The compilation, originally shared as a CD-only release in 2006, features standout performances of Johnston classic by some of indie music's greatest talents, including: Danielson & Sufjan Stevens, Kimya Dawson, Dot Allison, Mike Watt, Jad Fair & Kramer, Jeffrey Lewis, LUMBEROB, R. Stevie Moore, and more. Kramer produced and mixed most of the songs on the LP, and he himself delivers one of the most startling tracks on this release, Daniel's great masterpiece, "Bloody Rainbow."
All of the songs included on the compilation were re-mastered by Kramer in 2022, and will be available on vinyl for the very first time, and on a limited edition cassette, which will also feature an additional 10 tracks (for a total of 21), from the original 2006 CD-only release.
To celebrate the recent release, today, Shimmy-Disc has shared a lyric video for LUMBEROB's rendition of "Honey I Sure Miss You," created by LUMBEROB himself.
Said LUMBEROB of his take on the track:
"'Honey I Sure Miss You' is the second song off ARTISTIC VICE, a record I always preferred to 1990, somehow. The 'honey honey' motif in my version has always made me laugh and I am generally hoping that future covers of Daniel embrace the danceability of his grooves as I tried to do here."
'Stay Tuned: Season 2' contains all songs from Perpetual Doom's beloved TV theme song cover series. Every Thursday, a new track will premiere until the season is over. Twenty classic TV themes by your favorite indie artists. 📺🎶
It's hot out and our Summer 2022 compilation is here to cool you down!
30 refreshing indie tracks from bedroom pop's best and brightest, guaranteed to cure (or give in to) your summertime sadness.
All profits made from this comp will be donated to l'ECG, a community-run center in the Guillotière neighborhood of Lyon. It's a collective living space, a food bank, a class struggle organisation base and much more.
Please consider contributing if you have the means! <3
These charity compilations would be absolutely nothing without the generosity from all the artists involved. Thank you to all who took part in the making of this release, for sharing a piece of your art for this project and for your continued support.
Baby! It's time for Spring 2022! This spectacular compilation featuring 27 amazing artists is the perfect soundtrack for the season. It may even be our best seasonal compilation yet..
All proceeds will be donated to Chrysalide, Lyon's Trans Rights center.
chrysalide-asso.fr
Happy listening and don't forget your allergy pills. The pollen is crazy.
