Faye Blais

When someone melodically declares, “I wanna show you the inside, so won’t you come in,” you listen. This is the captivating and honest nature of Faye Blais, the Canadian singer/songwriter who has been seen swooning crowds from around campfires in Northern Ontario to the stages of Taiwan, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand for more than ten years. Self-taught from an early age, Blais released her long-awaited debut “First Tooth” in 2005. The independent album, recorded at Hamilton’s Crossfade Studios, characteristically resounds with upbeat odes to the greater things in life and gentle reflections upon her cross-country adventures. She sounds like a mix of Regina Spektor and Canada’s own Feist. This Sudbury, Ontario native and world traveler lead the trio Faye & The Slacks around Taiwan in 2007-08, garnering much attention overseas, and being tagged as “one of Taichung’s most energizing new bands.” Upon arriving in Australia in early 2008, Faye teamed up with pianist/producer Brad Viterale (aka Mr. Bardley) to complete her second full-length release “Two Pieces.” Quoted as “a collection of deep, soulful songs that paint an elaborate masterpiece of life's ups and downs,” this new album takes listeners on a musical journey that shines through in Faye”s honest, true-to-heart nature. Faye, completed both Australia and New Zealand tours over this past year, included performances at Woodford Folk Festival and Port Fairy Folk Festival, astounding crowds with her constant flow of fresh tunes and unique sounds.She is set to perform throughout Australia over the coming months before heading home to tour Canada in August.

@ Ontario, Canada

♫ Indie, Folk, Pop
♥ Something's Changed (mp3)
▸ Myspace
▸ Official Website

Al Lewis & Sarah Howells

Acoustic folk pop duo Al Lewis and Sarah Howells caught my eye not too long ago. I’ve always been a sucker for folky pop duo’s especially when at least of them is female, after listening to one of their songs on Myspace I knew that Al and Sarah were not going to be the first exception to that ‘liking folky pop duos’ rule. Al en Sarah met through either fate or coincidence, on the tube one night, traveling home from separate acoustic shows. Having both only recently moved to London, they decided to keep in touch. Jam sessions turned to writing sessions which resulted in a number of London shows together and the Skin & Bones EP released last month. Skin & Bones features five acoustic gems that because of their simplicity in melodies and blended voices do really let you feel it through to your bones just like their EP is called. Tracks as Skins & Bones and Sinking Boat show you that this duo is one to look out for!

@ London, UK
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Pop
♥ Sinking Boat (mp3)
▸ Myspace

LMTY Shorts: Tegan and Sara, The School, Imogen Heap

Tegan and Sara's new album will be called "Sainthood" and will be released October 27th. It will contain 13-15 tracks. Visit their official website to watch a video about it.

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UK indie pop favorite The School is about to release their next single 'And Suddenly' The are releasing it on a split single. The single will not be on the album so make sure you buy a copy! You can order it over at Rough Trade, Norman Records and Slumberland Records.

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Watch the stunning video for Ellipse album track Canvas exclusively at MSN Music and check back at Imogen Heaps official website on Tuesday July 21st to find out how to download the video for free!

Chloe Hall

It had been a while since the last time that I was looking at Myspace for new music until I found the Australian singer-songwriter Chloe Hall last week with some random browsing.
Chloe Hall is an engaging, intriguing and charismatic performer, but it’s the simple, undeniable quality of her songs that will make you want to listen to her songs non-stop. Tragedy is met with grace, loneliness is met with a wry humour – the sun never entirely leaves Chloe’s moody autumnal sky. From her early days as a teenage-troubadour on Australia’s folk-circuit, through years of touring both in Australia and, more recently, North America, Chloe has blossomed into an exciting international artist. Her new album “Outside“, due for release in 2009, reveals the fulfillment of Chloe’s development into the serious recording artist she has always been threatening to become. Chloe is currently on a mission to get 10.000 listeners to her new album and I was more than happy to help her to reach that goal. If you want to be part of it too, read more about it here and start listening to the fully streamable new album Outside.

@ Australia
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Indie
♥ Shipwreck (mp3)
▸ Myspace
▸ Official Website
+ Free Album Stream

LMTY Shorts:A Fine Frenzy, Seabear, Chantal Kreviazuk

A Fine Frenzy's first single of her new upcoming second album "Bomb in a Birdcage" : Blow Away is out to buy everywhere!

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Seabear have been really busy in the studio last months and their second album is almost finished. It will be released in January 2010. Finally! And then we will start again... well to play in all the wonderful cities around our globe. More news about that later.

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Chantal Kreviazuk new album called “Plain Jane” will be out on September 22. Read more about it here.

Boat Beam

Beam Boat are Josephine, Alisha and Aurora. One Australian, one American and one Spanish. No joke. They use the guitarstrings, viola, cello and piano to create music that sounds like The Cinematic Orchestra and The Divine Comedy. Their voices sing songs such like Fiona Apple or Tori Amos but also as writers who sing like Sylvia Plath or Süskind if Patrick were dedicated to it. Boat Beam was inspired by the great music of Johann Johannson, The Dresden Dolls and PJ Harvey. Their songs are inspired by their experiences. Their music sounds like books, movies, and traveling; in short a life. Josephine came to Madrid in 2006 after passing through the world and having played in several bands in her country (Terapin and Sparkadia). She met Alisha in Spain, which had violated its service combos classical, jazz and rock. And together, they gave with Aurora, a cellist who had stepped up tables Madrid half. Boards were able to square the circle with only three vertices. Call it a miracle. Call it destiny. Call it Boat Beam. The fact is that since they joined their talent and effort, they generated quite a buzz on the underground scene in Madrid. Rumors were started of a group that filled the halls with their touching repertoire. Very positive reviews made others want to experience the thrill of discovering something great. Now it's no longer a rumor, it is no longer underground. Boat Beam now have released their first album "Puzzle Shapes" and the whole world will be able to verify the truth of all the rumors. There are three girls in Madrid that play pop classics, current and timeless. Those three girls are Boat Beam.

@ Madrid, Spain
♫ Indie, Pop
♥ The Rain Pauly (mp3)
▸ Myspace

Let Me Tell You: Kate Walsh's Light & Dark

The build-up to the release of Kate’s new album continues to pick up pace. We can now reveal the new album will be released 31st August and will come in two formats – CD and Download. The album will contain 12 brand new recordings whilst the iTunes version will contain a bonus track. The full track listing is:

1. As He Pleases
2. Trying (listen)
3. June Last Year
4. Greatest Love
5. Light & Dark (listen)
6. Seafarer
7. Be Mine
8. 1000 Bees
9. On The Stage
10. I Cling On For Dear Life
11. Old Man
12. Gather My Strength
13. On & On (iTunes only)

The album will be preceded by the first single ‘June Last Year’ (24th August – Download only). But, as a teaser of what’s to come, Kate has made a limited run of 500 7” singles featuring the title track from the album ‘Light & Dark’ and ‘Trying’ - this song features Turin Brakes. The 7” single is available to purchase from today and on top of the vinyl, you’ll automatically be sent high quality mp3s of the two songs + a bonus track - ‘Sitting Pretty’. Click here to order... The album will be available to pre-order shortly from iTunes and Amazon.

Let Me Tell You: Kate Nash, Dolores O'Riordan, Terra Naomi

Kate Nash has started recording her second album. Three days in resulted in roughly laying down 5 tracks. Read more about it on her MySpace blog.

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Dolores O'Riordan is now offering a free download of the track, "Stupid", from her upcoming second soloalbum No Baggage. It is available at http://www.no-baggage.net It's available for a limited time only, so head on over and download today!

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Terra Naomi is planning on releasing an EP with a selection of 6 songs from her upcoming album, and she will also release an acoustic album which will be available ONLY at live shows. The EP from the album will be available on her website, and will be a limited edition, signed CD.

Free Music: Tirzah Lemmens

Growing up performing with her father, Tirzah Lemmens has been an aspiring musician from an early age. In the spring of 2008, Tirzah was awarded a residency at the Contemporary Music Center, an invitation only artists' colony on the island of Martha's Vineyard, MA. Here, she spent four months of intense writing, performing, and recording alongside twenty other selected artists and music executives. During her time at the CMC, in addition to performing with artists every week, she was able to work on developing her musical style and refine her songwriting. Tirzah grew up in a small town in Minnesota and attended Northwestern College in St. Paul. After graduating this spring, Tirzah finished her debut EP, “Songbird” which can be downloaded now for FREE, with NoiseTrade, and has started working on a full album. Combining a variety of influences including Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson, Colbie Caillat, Fiona Apple, Etta James, Aimee Mann, Over The Rhine, Leigh Nash, and others. The EP features five beautiful songs all with Tirzah's pure, ethereal vocals in the piano-driven folk pop songs. All lyrics are wrapped gracefully around genuine stories and meditations on life.

@ Minneapolis, USA
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Pop
♥ Wish (mp3)
▸ Myspace
+ Free EP

Let Me Tell You: New Imogen Heap Single: First Train Home

"First Train Home" first single from Imogen Heap's upcoming third album "Ellipse" premiered yesterday at KCRW radio. The ones that have missed out yesterday, now can have their first listen over at Stereogum, where "First Train Home" is streaming.

UPDATE: You can also listen to the stream, right here at LMLI, enjoy!

Let Me Tell You: The Social Services, Sia, Amy Kuney, Immaculate Machine

The Social Services announced on their MySpace that they are working on their second album. "The most exciting thing at the moment is the new songs new songs new songs that we are churning out like a 24-hour pop factory. They're not quite ripe for your ears yet but soon they will be" The record might be called "'I work down a mine and you've got no front teeth'. Or it might not" they joke in their announcement. They're also playing at a couple of small festivals over the summer.

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Immaculate Machine released a new musicvideo for "Sound of the Alarms" one of the tracks from their most recent album 'High On Jackson Hill'. Watch it on YouTube.

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A recent tweet from Amy Kuney suggest that she's working on a new song called "Fireworks", probably one of the first songs for a new album? I really hope so.

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Twitter is really a useful source for news in the musicindustry, Sia tweeted yesterday that she's working on a new album which means that there will be no shows of her till later in the year. More details will follow.

The Iveys

The Iveys are Arlen, Jessica & Jillian. The brother/sister band grew up in West Texas, about fifty miles outside of El Paso surrounded by family and a love for music. Growing up they listened to all of our dad’s old records, from The Beatles to the Rolling Stones, Queen to The Eagles. It really influenced their songwriting in a positive way. The musical influences are hard to miss when you hear their soaring melodies, rich harmonies and heartfelt lyrics. During the time they spent at Sonic Ranch Recording Studios working on the songs for their album they were introduced to noted Italian producer Ettore Grenci who began recording with them in late 2008. With the additional guidance of Stephen Short and Tony Rancich their self-titled debut album was completed and released in 2009. "On this album they put a lot of focus into our harmonies", says Jessica, “It’s a big part of who we are as a group.” They recently released the music video for their single “Back When it was Our World” and are now looking forward to touring the country this summer. “Our music is something we can share,” Jillian says, “Something that’s alive and that can spread, touching everyone.”

@ Tornillo, USA
♫ Pop, Rock, Country
♥ Running Out (mp3)
▸ Myspace
▸ Official Website

Let Me Tell You: The Swell Season Announce New Album : Strict Joy

The Swell Season, the Oscar-winning duo of Frames frontman Glen Hansard and Czech ingénue Marketa Irglova, are putting the finishing touches on ‘Strict Joy,’ (Sept 29/Anti- Records), the follow-up to their beloved, surprise hit 2007 film and gold-certified soundtrack ‘Once.’ The twelve new, original songs on ‘Strict Joy’ were recorded last year and document a time of great change.

‘Strict Joy,’ which borrows its name from a work by Irish poet James Stephens, was co-produced by Hansard and Peter Katis (The National, Interpol), and recorded mostly at Katis’ Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, CT. In addition to Hansard and Irglova, the album features Frames members Colm Mac Iomaire (violin), Joe Doyle (bass), Rob Bochnik (guitar), Graham Hopkins (percussion) plus guitarist Javier Mas (Leonard Cohen), pianist Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), percussionist Chad Taylor (Chicago Underground Duo), horn players Steven Bernstein and Clark Gayton from Levon Helm’s band, and others.

1. Low Rising
2. Feeling the Pull
3. In These Arms
4. The Rain
5. Fantasy Man
6. Paper Cup
7. High Horses
8. The Verb
9. I Have Loved You Wrong
10. Love That Conquers
11. Two Tongues
12. Back Broke

Let Me Tell You: Bomb In A Birdcage Albumart?

This afternoon the albumart for A Fine Frenzy's new album 'Bomb in a Birdcage' was updated. All news surrounding Alison's new album is exciting althought to me, this albumcover (clickable) seems more like a temporary thing to show of the logo and the new promotional shoot they are going to use for the new album. What do you think?

UPDATE: A Fine Frenzy also used this albumart in the announcement she made today on MySpace about "Bomb in a Birdcage" that is coming September 8, so it might be the final albumart afterall. She also states that the album "features 11 infectious, bubbly, fun tracks infused with gorgeous lyrics and danceable beats" sounds definitely different than One Cell in the Sea to me!

Let Me Tell You: The Narrative, Dash & Will, guest.

The Narrative's debut full lenght is still in the works and it may take a while before it's released but in the meantime they've posted a demo of a song called "Fade" on their MySpace it's a song they've been playing live so people that have seen them may recognize it. I really like the song, so I hope they release some additional demos soon.

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Indie pop duo Dash & Will have a new song called "Too You Too Dumb" that you can download for free. Download the free track HERE. This free download is for this month only, so get it while you can!

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Pop rock duo guest. have their new website up. It features new merchandise, a bio, fully streamable audio and a blog. They are still workin on it so if things aren’t looking right, they will be fixed soon.

Let Me Tell You: Imogen Heap, Susan Enan, Alva Leigh

Imogen Heap is currently on a whistle-stop promo tour of the USA and will be popping into Santa Monica's KCRW radio station on July 10th to premiere 'First Train Home' the first single to be taken from upcoming new album 'Ellipse'. Tune in at 10:20am PDT or listen online to catch Imogen...

Susan Enan's debut album Plainsong will be available for pre-sale from her website on the 21st July 2009. Plainsong will also be available as a download before the end of the month. More news on that to follow very soon. The blog over at her website is now up and running. Check out the blog and news pages for more details as things unfold this month. Or, the best way to be kept up to date is to sign up to the mailing list.



Alva Leigh got a publishing deal through Position Music! They will be representing her new record which is one song away from being finished. For more information about Position, visit the website. Alva is also redoing an old song of hers "Nashville" for her upcoming album. She's also shooting some more photos for the cover this week.

Natalie Prass

Natalie Prass is a Nashville based singer-songwriter that has been singing/writing/recording/performing since elementary school. She took one year at Berklee but it was too cold for her, so she moved to Nashville. Where she started to work on her debut, 6 song EP. This EP, entitled Small & Sweet has been released in the meantime and contains 6 songs with a smart blend of folk, pop and soul. Natalie wants anyone to enjoy the EP under optimal conditions and has even written a manual for it that says: “I get cozy. I love my surroundings. I take everything in and get super comfy cozy. I'm constantly seeking to be inspired and I hope you are someone who sought me out to find a little extra inspiration. I hope you listen while laying on your floor, or eating your favorite snack, or looking at a variety of pretty pictures. I hope after listening you will want to make something, whatever that may be. Write your friend a letter, construct a popsicle stick house for your pet rock, patch up the hole in your jeans with a crazy colored fabric, cookies (yum), whatever, you get it.” So get relaxed, and have a listen at last.fm where Small & Sweet is fully streamable.

@ Nashville, USA
♫ Folk, Pop, Soul
♥ Jenny (mp3)
♥ Small And Sweet (mp3)
▸ Myspace
+ Full EP stream

Let Me Tell You: Nat Johnson, The Postmarks, Noah and the Whale

Nat Johnson has signed with Damaged Goods records. Nat Johnson is former singer, songwriter and guitarist of Monkey Swallows the Universe who released two critically acclaimed albums earlier in the decade The band split in 2008 and Nat embarked on a solo career. Nat has now assembled backing band The Figureheads and will release the debut album ‘Roman Radio’ later this year.

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"Go Jetsetter" from the forthcoming second album Memoirs At The End Of The World by The Postmarks is up on their MySpace. The Postmarks recorded Memoirs themselves between August of 2008 and February of 2009 in their home recording studios, taking a collaborative approach to the process. The resulting 13-track album combines the band’s proclivity for gritty, atmospheric pop songs with enchanting melodies that draw significant inspiration from film soundtracks. Memoirs is a leap forward for The Postmarks, expressed with ambient textures from dub reggae, horn arrangements from classic soul, and elements of experimentation reminiscent of sounds heard at the birth of electronic music.

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We are very excited to announce Noah and The Whale's new album 'First Days Of Spring' will be out on Monday 31st August! The album will be accompanied by a film read more about it here. They also are giving away the first track of the album "First Days Of Spring" for free. The track is said to mark a change in direction for the band, moving away from their happy folk sound to a more grandios, darker sound. Download the free track here.

For more upcoming album releases you can always check here.

Besides Daniel

Sometimes a photo tells more than thousand words. When I stumbled upon Besides Daniel's MySpace profile I knew I had found something beautiful. Besides Daniel is an indie-folk band from Atlanta. Aiming to inspire love, beauty, and creativity, Besides Daniel writes songs about love, faith, daydreams, and adventure. These songs reflect the musical influences of Elliott Smith, Iron & Wine, Pedro the Lion, Sufjan Stevens and Conor Oberst. The basic members of Besides Daniel are singer-songwriter Danny Brewer (acoustic guitar, vocals) and Susanne O’Day (vocals, keys, glockenspiel, melodica). Other members include Aaron Schorch, Emory Goocher, Jeremiah Borrego, and more! Besides Daniel create beautiful folk pop songs that you'll love immediately mainly due to the beautiful harmonious vocals and compelling melodies.‘I am the Fall, You are the Spring,’ the most recent full length album, was released independently by Besides Daniel in 2007. Besides Daniel released a 5 song EP entitled 'the Clay the Seed the Stone' in June 2009.

@ Atlanta, USA
♫ Acoustic, Folk, Indie
♥ Stay (mp3)
♥ Peace Is A Comin' (mp3)
▸ Myspace

Let Me Tell You: Free The Civil Wars Album

I've listened to Joy Williams' music since she released her debut album eight years ago. After releasing four albums she took a break from music. This year she released a new EP, that is more in the singer-songwriter genre and less poppier than her previous releases. Not only is she making music again, she also joined forces with John Paul White and created the band The Civil Wars. Together they play beautiful harmonious folk songs. To promote this new project, they are giving away their first live album featuring 10 beautiful songs for FREE, no hassle, no email required, just click and DOWNLOAD.

Let Me Tell You: Third album Gregory and the Hawk

According to a recent tweet Gregory and the Hawk has started recording her third album and will be recording for the next few months. Two of the songs, Frebeight and Guy Lovin Girls, that will be on the new album are up on her MySpace, This is what she wrote about it on her website:

Hi, thanks you for visiting, you can find all of our released songs quickly on itunes or by mail ordering albums from us at our website or our newest album from fat cat. I have uploaded two unreleased versions of newest songs here on my myspace. they will be on next album, recording now. these are my last shows in july ‘09 in japan for the summer. after that, and thru autumn, there will be recording and a break to compose thoughts.

Be also sure to check her "Bob: The Album" project, which may have some additional songs that are going to be on the new album.

Julie Peel

After many months or even years of checking Julie Peel's MySpace, she finally is going to release her debut full-length album, Near the Sun, September 2009 on American Laundromat Records. Previously featured on ALR compilations including Just Like Heaven (a tribute to the Cure), Gigantic (a tribute to Kim Deal), Dig for Fire (a tribute to the Pixies), and Cinnamon Girls (a tribute to Neil Young), this will be Julie’s first solo full-length release. She counts Aimee Mann, Beth Orton, Neil Young and Joni Mitchell among her influences, and their impact is not hard to discern on Near the Sun. Julie’s lo-fi, guitar-driven pop recalls the likes of Ida, Anna Ternheim, Caithlin de Marrais, and Mirah, but bears her own distinctive indie sensibility and style.
Born in Cannes, Julie was raised between France and Canada, and sings entirely in English on this album. As a child, she tended toward self-determination. Her independent spirit is evident throughout Near the Sun, which Julie recorded, mixed, and produced on her own. Spontaneity was key in the creation of this album, as evidenced by tracks such as ‘Innocence.’ “I composed it and wrote the lyrics in under an hour, and recorded it very quickly right after,” she reveals. “... I guess this song is what represents me the most.” The undeniably catchy track ‘Living in a Movie,’ (one of my favorite tracks on the album) replete with irresistible hand-claps; a sweet and somehow cinematic tune that demonstrates Julie’s capability to craft pop songs at once familiar is just one of the songs off Near the Sun that compels repeated listens. Keep an eye out for Near the Sun, and look for her hitting the road across the US later in 2009!

@ Montreal, Canada
♫ Indie, Folk, Pop
♥ Living In A Movie (mp3)
▸ Myspace
▸ Official Website

Let Me Tell You: New Ellipse Albumart

Yesterday, the album cover of Imogen Heap's upcoming album Ellipse was updated on amazon. I really really like it, and wherever possible, I made me even more excited for the new album. Be sure to check out her recently posted "Ellipse Album Trailer" on YouTube.

Let Me Tell You: Bomb In A Birdcage Tracklist

I am going to try something new on LMLI; regurarly music news updates that will mainly consist of news about upcoming albums, albumart, tracklistings etc. Hope you like it!

There's also some news on the upcoming album from A Fine Frenzy; "Bomb In a Birdcage". Unfortunately there's no albumart yet, but what we do have is a tracklisting:

1. Wouldn't Do
2. New Heights
3. Electric Twist
4. Blow Away (listen)
5. Happier
6. Swan Song
7. Elements
8. World Without
9. Bird Of The Summer
10. Stood Up
11. Beacon

Vandeville Falls

The first time I listened to Vandeville Falls' music on MySpace I immediately recognized Jenny's voice, although I did not know where I had heard it before. Until I found out that she was the lead singer from the Silverfall which I featured here last year. It immediately solved the questions about the lack of new Silverfall material! Vandeville Falls is fronted by lead singer and songwriter Jenny Bailey. After realising that it was deeply impractical to travel between Jenny’s home town of Mexborough in South Yorkshire and London to rehearse, the band are now all London-based. Their influences encompass Fleetwood Mac, The Smiths, Cyndi Lauper, Coldplay, David Bowie, Rufus Wainwright, Elton John, Jewel and many others far too numerous to mention! Jenny’s lyrics have warmth, maturity and depth, combined with a natural storytelling charm; their ability to come up with classic pop hooks (When I Fall and Hey Now, to name but two) stands with the best. The band have just finished recording their first album with producer Ian Grimble, who has worked with acts as diverse as The Cranberries, Texas and The Manic Street Preachers. The album, ‘Ten Years Of Talk In Mexico City’, will be available in August ’09 on Kit Records. ‘Movies’, the first single taken from the album, is available now on iTunes, along with a non album B-side, a stunning reinterpretation of the old dancefloor classic ‘Your Loving Arms’. All songs I've heard from the album so far are amazing, so be sure to go out and buy it when it's in stores!

@ London, UK
♫ Indie, Pop, Rock
♥ When I Fall (mp3)
▸ Myspace
▸ Official Website