Artist Making Waves: Ancient Mariner [indie folk / indie rock]

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Hailing from Aurora, Colorado, Gabriel Jorgensen, the young man behind the folky project Ancient Mariner, has released two tracks in the past couple months that are taken from his soon-to-be-released debut EP entitled In Solitude. As the title hints, the extended play was written one lonely night in which "every terrible thing inside of [Jorgensen] was revealed, and set before [him]" after he had taken a break from playing, writing, and even listening to music for a period of time. On top of that, he even recorded the EP in a small isolated cabin in the Rocky Mountains.

After listening to the first two tastes of In Solitude, "Acedia" and the title track, it's evident that the tranquility of the mountain cabin and Jorgensen's haunting writing experience have reflected well onto the recordings. "Acedia", which means apathy or indifference, is a rich, fast-moving song that starts off with a resonant acoustic guitar melody and busy, textured drumming and then some distorted, hypnotizing synths creep in to accompany Jorgensen's smooth vocals (that reminds me of Thom Yorke at times and wouldn't sound out of place in a Local Natives song) and slip away just in time for the beautiful electric guitar hook and Jorgensen's melodic "ooohs" that occupy the final verse and coda. On the other hand, the title track, "In Solitude", is a slower, more meditative song carried again by Jorgensen's delicate voice and another nice acoustic guitar riff, but it swaps the synths and electric guitar for chimy keyboards and a dark, ominous string section.

With these first songs so different from one another I'm excited to hear the rest of what Ancient Mariner has to offer on his forthcoming debut. Keep an eye out, like I'll be doing, for In Solitude, being released sometime soon.

Artist Making Waves: MØ [electronic / indie pop]

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Attracting comparisons to Grimes, Purity Ring, Lykke Li, Little Dragon, and Nite Jewel, Copenhagen's MØ has just released her 4th track, and new single to her upcoming debut effort, entitled "Waste Of Time", on which she continues the choppy R&B-influenced vocals and rich electronic soundscapes that have inhabited her previous tracks.

The only reason this Danish electro-pop musician is being compared to such artists is because she just so happens to be a female singer with a great voice who chooses electronic music as her backdrop. It's like saying that Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear sound the same, but basing it on the fact that they just both do folk-based music with vocal harmonies really well. While she may share some fundamental musical elements with the aforementioned female artists, MØ, aka Karen Marie Ørsted, sets herself apart from the herd with her hard hitting beats, soulful voice, modest use of vocal samples, and occasional electric guitar flourishes.

Listen below to her 4 current singles (which are all amazing!) that she has released in the past year and be on the lookout for her debut album release sometime this year via Sony Music Denmark.

Swell Album: Half Moon Run - Dark Eyes [indie rock / indie folk]

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Although you may still have yet to catch wind of this Montreal-based, Craigslist-formed indie rock band, Half Moon Run have been paving quite the path to success for themselves. Having opened for Metric, Patrick Watson, Of Monsters And Men, Wintersleep, and Mumford & Sons in the wake of last year's Canada-only release (via Indica) of their outstanding debut album Dark Eyes, the four-piece (recently added 4th member not pictured above) have been subjected to thousands upon thousands of adoring fans of indie rock, folk, and indie pop, including one sold out show where they played to 18,000 eager Mumford & Sons fans.

While Half Moon Run may not sound very much like any of the aforementioned artists, their eclectic sound, which is influenced by the four members' common love for Radiohead, Grizzly Bear, and Fleet Foxes among others, and multi-instrumental stage performance have attracted the attention of not only those bands' loyal fans, but also Mumford & Sons label Glassnote Records. They were recently added to their roster to join the ranks of other indie greats Phoenix, Two Door Cinema Club, GIVERS, The Temper Trap, and CHVRCHES. This kind of exposure and the global release of Dark Eyes will be sure to give Half Moon Run the attention they deserve.

The twelve expansive songs on Dark Eyes combine the complex arrangements and electronic elements of Radiohead, the darker indie folk of Lost in the Trees, the vocal harmonies of Fleet Foxes, and guitars and percussion reminiscent of Local Natives to leave you with an album that varies track to track genre-wise but manages to hold itself together thanks to lead singer Devon Portielje's capturing, soulful voice.

Listen to a handful of songs from Dark Eyes below, stream the album in its entirety via RollingStone here, purchase the album online here, and look for it on record store shelves sometime in June.

Swell Album: Young Man - Beyond Was All Around Me [indie pop / indie rock / dream pop]

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Apparently, Young Man, aka Colin Caulfield, has finally matured and isn't really seeing himself as a youngster anymore. Not only does his outstanding new album Beyond Was All Around Me explore themes of maturity, retrospect, and hope for the future, but Caulfield has decided that this third full length, which is being referred to as the final chapter of the Young Man trilogy (see Ideas of Distance and Vol. 1), will be his last and that he will be dropping the Young Man moniker altogether as he plans to bring us a new project in the near future ('Man'? or maybe 'Old Man'?...jokes). On a side note, as I see the change fitting, I still find myself wondering why these now-grown-up hip hop artists (Bow Wow excused) still hold true to the 'Young/Yung/Lil' prefixes, but on second thought, you don't usually see much change in the hip hop world.

While I look forward to what Colin Caulfield has up his sleeve post-Young Man, I am enjoying his 'final chapter' to the fullest. Although he has come a long way, sonically and lyrically, since his 2009 dorm room recordings that got him noticed, Young Man still knows how to produce rich pop melodies that capture the listener, leaving them with a desire to hear more. With Deerhunter/Atlas Sound mastermind Bradford Cox and Animal Collective's Panda Bear listed as his main influences, you can hear how much they've had to do with his maturing, in regard to his relaxed vocals, airy guitar work and melodic song structures. A new addition to this final album is an impressive string collection that produces more contemplative, dreamy soundscapes that at times recall Pink Floyd.

Treat yourself to a listen to two great tracks, "In A Sense" and "Unfair", from Young Man's Beyond Was All Around Me, which is out now on Frenchkiss Records. Better yet, see if the Rolling Stone album stream below works for you (I think it's only available in the US) and purchase the amazing album here.

Artist Making Waves: Gaston! [indie rock / indie folk]

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photo by Ashley Renee

With just a little over six months playing together, a handful of shows under their belt, and a recent posting of their first two home recordings on their SoundCloud, San Francisco's Gaston! is definitely the youngest band blogged about so far on holaOLA, but don't let their age fool you. This quartet of close friends and current roommates in SF's "The Mission" delivers a sprawling, infectious sound (in which every instrument and voice perfectly complements the others) that is so refined that it could easily be mistaken for that of indie rock veterans.

Taking the name of their apartment's signature tuxedo cat, Gaston! consists of Jeremy Williams (vocals/guitar/percussion), James McDonald (lead guitar/bass/vocals), Brad Schumacher (drums/vocals), and Will Moran (keyboards). Check out Gaston!'s catchy indie folk jam "Road" and the slow-building, Doors-influenced "Shelter" below and follow/like their SoundCloud and Facebook pages for more tracks and concert info being released soon.

Just Rolled In: Hebronix (ex-Yuck) - "Unreal" [indie rock / slowcore]

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One week after hearing the upsetting news that London-based Yuck frontman Daniel Blumberg (sitting on the bike above) has decided to leave his outstanding 90s indie rock revival band "to focus on other things", our chins are lifted (or possibly left in the 'shoegazing' position) by the Yuck-y sounds of his new "thing", Hebronix.

Blumberg's new music sounds an awful lot like Yuck but with the slower tendencies of his piano-based solo project Oupa. While the remaining 3 members of Yuck are still set to record their second LP without Blumberg, ATP Recordings will release Hebronix's debut effort Unreal July 8, which is produced by Neil Hagerty (pictured with Blumberg above) of Royal Trux/Howling Hex fame. Appropriately, Hebronix and fellow slowcore indie rockers Low have hooked up to play a handful of shows around the UK for the rest of April.

Listen to the eponymous single from Hebronix's debut Unreal  below followed by a song by Blumberg's former band Yuck and his other solo project Oupa. Pre-order Unreal here.

Artist Making Waves: Wampire [indie rock / synthpop / lo-fi]

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Complete with organs, tape hiss, lo-fi vocals, and an overall spookiness, Portland, Oregon's Wampire live up to their horror film-inspired name while nodding proudly to their precursors, Ariel Pink and John Maus. The duo recently signed to Polyvinyl Records, home to Portland pals STRFKR and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and is set to release their debut album Curiosity on May 14, which, excitingly enough, was produced by Unknown Mortal Orchestra's bassist, Jake Portrait, who rubbed off some of UMO's sound in the process. One half of Wampire, Eric Phipps, describes the record as "a platter with an assortment of sounds", so if you're curious, have a listen below for a few different tastes off that platter.

Just Rolled In: Poliça - "Tiff (feat. Justin Vernon)" [indie rock / electronic pop / R&B]

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Following their collaboration with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon at Coachella this past weekend, Minneapolis, Minnesota's Poliça have released the single version of the moody, atmospheric song "Tiff" in which Vernon and lead singer Channy Leaneagh share vocal duties. This is the first new music we've heard since last year's beloved debut Give You the Ghost.

"Tiff" continues the soaring indie-rock-and-R&B-infused electronic pop sound that got heads bobbing on Give You the Ghost but could possibly be mistaken for an unreleased B-side of Justin Vernon and Poliça members Leanagh and Ryan Olson's soft rock supergroup Gayngs. The soulful voices of both Vernon and Leaneagh are passed through filters and blended into one another, as per usual with their aforementioned supergroup, to be braided in nicely with the brooding synths and the sensual bass line that carries this slow-burner. With a slow song this good, I can't wait to hear the faster material from Poliça's upcoming sophomore release.

Listen to "Tiff" below with a couple other different sounding standout tracks from Poliça's debut album, which you can buy here. Keep an eye out for their followup record being released later this year.