Sellaband, a unique crowd sourcing site which allows emerging independent artists to take seed money from fans until they amass enough capital to record a full professional studio album, has announced its second fan funded breakthrough.

Less than four months ago Jacob Kongaika, performing under the artist name Cubworld, decided to take a chance and upload his music on SellaBand. "I saw this as a long term plan, I was thinking more in the lines of 5 or 10 years, before I would have reached my recording budget", comments the artist. But soon after the first fans (Sellaband terms them, "Believers") bought Parts in his future recordings, things took a different turn for Cubworld. He became one of the leading artists on SellaBand and a mere 150 days after signing up, he had acquired the full $50,000. "The last 24 hours have been really mad", comments SellaBand Managing Director Johan Vosmeijer. "There were still 1,000 Parts left for Cubworld, which is a healthy $10,000, but they sold in less than 24 hours."

Check out music from Cubworld, and congratulations to Jacob!

See Also:
Musical IPO's? Sellaband offers fan financing a new twist

I have so much fun finding new bands to be in love with, and when I do stumble across something that makes me go all squiggly inside, it's like the first warm day of spring. Guillemots aren't exactly new, they've hit the meaty part of the UK chart's twice however, the band hasn't made a significant leap to this side of the pond, yet.

Energetic and innovative avant-garde indie rock, reminiscent of Flaming Lips, or maybe even Broken Social Scene.

Take the jump to watch Guillemots perform Made Up Lovesong #43 from an episode of Top of The Pops(RIP).

(Thanks DoCophenhagen!)

January will play host to some rather well anticipated album releases, including new music from The Shins, Of Montreal, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and an iTunes exclusive EP from Yo La Tengo. We'll let Puddlegum give you the full list, but we're here to hit the high points.

You may remember The Shins new album Wincing The Night Away being passed around like a doobie at a Pink Floyd show just a few months ago, much to the shagrin of their label, SubPop. The first single, "Phantom Limb" is now up for grabs with the approval of the label. It's good, frankly not great, and I find it to be lacking a lot of the raw quality that I really love about The Shins. I've been a good boy, refraining from downloading the advance copy which is circulating so, I'll save the remainder of my they-got-big-and-sold-out disdain for release day, which happens to be the 23rd.

Also floating around in the ether are two tracks from the upcoming Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and Of Montreal's difficult to pronounce single "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse." The new Of Montreal is bouncy and catchy with lots of synth piano, and plenty of mood swings.

Also releasing a new album and deserving of quite a bit more attention are Ohio's Six Parts Seven. The Washington Post says about Six Parts Seven "Their tunes are sweetly folkish in mood but rather than verse – chorus – verse song structure that might make the absence of a vocalist noticeable the music gently swells towards peaks keeping the focus on the guitar interplay." We just call them, "Gooder than some other bands," and, "Kinda like Beulah." Snag a copy of their song, "Stolen Moments" while it's hot.

Light on cash after the holidays but looking for new music anyway? Jamendo has a great solution. We've mentioned Jamendo before but, they've just hit another milestone on their way to free music dominance. Now, over 2000 albums and counting can be downloaded for free, legally (yes, legally.. ) from Jamendo's catalog.


The chart shows the meteoric rise of Jamendo over the last 2 years. They've also launched some new features since the last time we took a look, such as transparent artist donations and the ability to find music similar to that of any artist which make Jamendo a strong contender among a sea of Web 2.0 start-ups.

Congrats to Jamendo on busting through the two thousand album mark, keep up the great work guys! We've found a few great artists through Jamendo including Tryad, Revolution Void, Shex and Zeropage.

[via Creative Commons]

I've often mentioned Magantune as an example of an upstart company doing things the right way. This is another great example. A six minute video explaining how Magnatune works (non-exclusive contracts, 50/50 split with artists, etc) and showcasing just a few artists from Magnatune's stable.



Featuring interview segments with Artemis, DJ Markitos, Mija and Jan Hanford of Human Response, the six minute video touches on the differences between Magnatune and the majors, the diversity of music at Magnatune, and the fan to artist interaction that comes with a growing net-centric label.

Indie band "The Golden Sounds" are trying something completely different this year.. touring to nowhere and playing for audiences that could be described as nano-sized.

"As I travel, I intend to set up and play small shows at hotel rooms, bathrooms,rest stops, old country roads, pretty much anywhere i end up alone. Then I will video and document it and put it up online. That will be the only way you can see the tour, since no one will know where i will be performing....and if they do find out, well i'll just keep my hotel room locked and they can sit in the hall. It's just me and the internet audience...so i guess you could say i'm not going for the highest grossing tour of 2007."

We'll try and check in with The Golden Sounds as they take on this totally unconventional tour. Meanwhile, download "Elizabeth" by The Golden Sounds.

[via Digg]

I'm constantly amazed at the quality of music being generated in my town. This treat, may be one of the single most visually entertaining music videos of all time. Halifax's own Jimmy Swift Band's song "Turnaround" is a driving, electronicly inspired rock anthem that shouldn't be missed.

The band's bio says, "Half of JSB's repertoire consists of organic instrumental material with influences ranging from Daft Punk to St. Germain, while the other half displays mature songwriting, powerful vocals and memorable melodies within the framework of concise arrangements. Although both elements of the band's sound are starkly different, they combine the two effortlessly to bring the audience on an unforgettable journey with each live show."

Turnaround is a part of the latter, with strong vocals and a powerful melody. Watch the video here.

Download live Jimmy Swift Band performances from Archive.org

[via A Quiet Revolution]

Your Standard Life tipped us to a great new Christmas song available from indie band The Singles. It's jangly, sparkling retro-pop that makes you want to dance around the Christmas tree, al la Snoopy.

Retro flavored Christmas tunes make me want to drink Egg Nog and burn small chunks of tree in the big brick hole in the wall.

Check out more from Detroit based The Singles at MySpace.

Download "Baby It's Christmas" from The Singles

These United States have managed to channel the spirit of 1966 in really interesting ways. The second I heard "Business" I was hooked. It's charming, it's cute and it just screams good mood; plus, it picks on "workin for the man" and, really, can't we all handle a little anti-work anthem?

DoCophenhagen writes, "What a great way to start my week. Through an email from a collegue in Savannah, USA I was introduced to these guys. And I Can't stop listening to them."

These United States is set to tour Europe soon. Check out more from them at MySpace, and if you happen to be in a city they hit, go see them rock the house.

Download "Business" from These United States

[via DoCophenhagen]

DoCophenhagen turned me on to an amazing artist from Göteborg, Sweden . They (very tersely) write, "I have been listening to this band for hours and hours," and it's easy to see why.

Winter Took His Life is the work of Susanna Brandin, a dreamy and melancholy treat for that rainy Sunday afternoon. Quiet, introspective and emo but, with a total lack of the pretension that usually accompanies those qualities. As I grow older (but not old..) I find I'm often just looking for simplicity. Not simplicity of thought, or composition but, that indefinable X factor which is born of simplicity in arrangement that is so hard to melt down. Winter Took His Life nails that quality for me, It's moody, it's beautiful and above all, it's simple.

If you took away all the production equipment ever used by the Cocteau Twins, and simply left them with an acoustic guitar, an echo-chamber sounding room to record in, a small digital recorder, and all that angst filled tension and release, I imagine what you'd be left with would sound almost precisely like this.

Two words... Windom Earle. A total self produced treat, and strong supporter of the Creative Commons license, Windom Earle has managed to rock their way to wider recognition outside of the sleepy Maritimes.

From the September 14th issue of Eye Weekly, "The thing about being from the east coast is that you can be pretty sure the rest of the country will ignore you until forced not to. Mostly unknown due to the gaping cultural void between Fredericton and Quebec City, Windom Earle has been an instrumental synth-rock staple in Halifax for four albums now. A home-recording project for man-about-the-North-End Stephan MacLeod, Gold Wave is the band's most delirious outing yet. Opening with an oddly garage-rocky version of "Get On Into It," (which appeared on a MacLeod-curated compiIation last year), they turn in the highly original "Forked Wrist Waltz" before getting all squishy and delicious with "Guitorgan." Not only worth seeking out; worth writing the band to beg them to tour this way."

It's high-energy 80's inspired madness that just makes you feel all squiggly inside. Big synths, driving beats and committed vocals make Windom Earle worth checking out. You can buy the self-produced and published album "Goldwave" (number one album of the year on Halifax's CKDU 88.1!) or download every track from Windom Earle's previous releases. For more on how front-man Stephen MacLeod stitches together a project that encompases up to 12 musicians, check out this great article from HFX.

Take the jump to watch Windom Earle perform "Kitten vs. Pegasus" live

Have you ever heard a really amazing cover version of a hit song? Something that totally turns convention on its ear, and lays it all out for you in a way you'd never imagined before. I can think of a few (John Mayer's cover of Radiohead's "Kid A", or Erlend Oye's DJ version of The Smiths "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"), and I've added a new one to my list, as well as dicovering a really amazing band from Arizona.



Mat Weddle (in the video above), seen here covering Outkast's "Hey Ya" is also the lead singer for Obidiah Parker, an eclectic group who name among their influences bands like Stevie Wonder, Dave Matthews Band, Jars of Clay, Bill Withers, Ben Folds, Wilco, Damien Jurado, Counting Crows, Pedro the Lion and Stavesacre. No free downloads available but, a great sampling of streamable tunes on MySpace is plenty to encourage you to buy their self-titled EP.

[via Sample The Web]

Cover tunes are a tough bargain. Sometimes you're totally impressed with the way a performer interprets a hit from the past, and sometimes you're completely turned off. In the case of Mumpsy, I'm floored. Paula Abdul's recording career must be spinning in its grave, and Mumpsy has earned a new spot, deep within the cockles of my heart.

Your Standard Life says, "Straight up now tell me, do you really wanna hear Mumpsy turn a Paula Abdul classic into a heartfelt ballad? YES you do." I whole-heartedly agree. Mumpsy takes Paula's big hit "Striaght Up" and slows it down until it's ready to snap, add one part electronic organ and one part completely charming male vocals, stir.

Listen to Mumpsy's version of "Straight Up", courtesy of Post Records. And, if you dig this, stay tuned; Mumpsy's next release, an EP entitled 3 People will be out in February 2007. Post Records also promises the EP will be followed later in the year by Mumpsy's next full-length, Avocado.

[via Your Standard Life]

There's something about being Scandinavian that immediately adds a bit of cachet to any musical career - and Norway's Datarock are no exception. These nu school tracksuit wearing BMX bike riding ravers are building a great reputation with their fresh new sound that fuses electro and indy influences. Norwegian acts such as Royksopp and Annie have already put their country on the musical map and Datarock are the next to watch out for.

Q Magazine has described them as 'disco electronica with a surprising treat', and if you want a taste Datarock have also been good enough to put up a top Web site featuring plenty of downloads, videos and even their own video game.

Download the video the new Datarock video 'Fa Fa Fa' here.

Download their funky video game for PC here.

Aussie band The Grates have already made it to household name status in their home country, but the rest of the world still remains unconquered; Not for long by the sound of it. The Grates are poppy, punky and just a little bit angry.

Your standard life writes, "NME, Spin, Filter and Rolling Stone have all touted The Grates as a band to watch," adding, "two girls and a guy who make high-energy fun-pop-punk."

You can download their current single, "Science Is Golden" for free at your standard life. Compare to The Muffs, The Amps, or other energetic female led pop-punk with total flavor. Just the thing for Thanksgiving travel, enjoy!

[via your standard life]