Just Rolled In: Local Natives - "Coins" [indie rock]

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"Coins" is the latest cut from Local Natives' highly anticipated third album Sunlit Youth, hitting stores September 9 via Loma Vista Recordings. What starts out as a subtle bluesy track quickly unfolds into a lustrous, impassioned affair, replete with airy synths and velvety vocal harmonies, fitting in nicely alongside the arsenal of strong singles recently released in support of the new album.

Listen to all four singles below and preorder Sunlit Youth here.

Swell Album: The Migrant - Flood [indie rock / folk rock / psychedelic / blues] (FULL ALBUM STREAM)

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The Migrant is the moniker of Danish musician Bjarke Bendtsen, which, intrinsically, is what he is—a migrant. Although Bendtsen is from Copenhagen, he is also a sporadic resident of Austin, Texas, a place he says "has everything a Dane needs" and where he even has a second backing band (for US tours), the first being in his natal city. He has been performing as The Migrant for five years now and has four albums to show for it, the latest being Flood, which was released this past January.

Flood is essentially a guitar record, something that is, unfortunately, becoming more and more archaic in the constantly changing world of indie rock. Throughout the album, Bendtsen skillfully draws from his colorful palette of influences—rock, folk, blues, psychedelia—to produce captivating songs that range from soothing ("Flood", "Silence", and "Row Row") to rocking ("Belly of a Man", "Water", and "Tiger"), and ones that find a happy balance between the two ("The Climber" and "Give Up").

While listening to Flood, a couple of my favorite bands/musicians come to mind. Bendtsen's nimble fingerpicking and tender vocals alongside the driving percussion on "The Fixer" wouldn't sound out of place on a Dodos record, while his occasional quivering voice and falsetto tend to give off Thom Yorke vibes, which would make sense seeing as Radiohead is one of his main influences.

Similarities and influences aside, Flood is an excellent indie rock album from start to finish with equal doses of folk and psychedelia injected into it. The fact that The Migrant isn't already flooding the blogosphere with his new album is beyond me, but he's got the perfect chance to change that this upcoming weekend in Austin, where Bendtsen will not only be playing with his local backing band at SXSW, but he will have a handful of songs featured in an independent film called Limbo that will be showing tomorrow (March 18) at the festival.

Check out the tour dates on his website or Facebook page and stream the entire album for free below. To listen to his first three albums in full, head on over to The Migrant's BandCamp page.

Just Rolled In: Zachary Cale - "Wayward Son" and "Hold Fast" [folk / acoustic blues]

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Brooklyn-via-Louisiana bluesy folk musician Zachary Cale has just released two new singles from his upcoming fourth record Blue Rider entitled "Wayward Son" and "Hold Fast". Ditching the backing band present on his previous record Noise of Welcome, Cale sharpens the focus on his visual lyricism and intricate finger-style acoustic guitar playing, making it clear as to why his songwriting has been compared to that of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, and Elliott Smith. Cale's serene acoustic ballads coupled with his reverbed, mellow vocal delivery also bears a striking resemblance to Kurt Vile's more laid back songs.

Listen to Zachary Cale's two new songs below plus a great song from last year's Love Everlasting 7". Visit his Bandcamp page to download these two songs for free and to explore more of his extensive back catalogue until Blue Rider's release on September 24.