Music - Albums - Videos

The Sea and Cake is a pop/rock group with a pronounced jazz influence, which formed in the mid-90s in Chicago, Illinois out of the ashes of renowned local bands The Coctails and Shrimp Boat.

The group's name came from a willful reinterpretation (in the wake of an accidental miscomprehension) of "The C in Cake", a song by Gastr del Sol. Along with Shrimp Boat and The Coctails, groups related to The Sea and Cake include Tortoise and Gastr del Sol. Starting with 1997's The Fawn, the group has relied on electronic sound sources, such as drum machines and synthesizers, to color its music, but has retained its distinctive post-jazz combo style. The band has shied away from releasing singles, preferring the album format. Contrary to his multi-instrumentalist role in Tortoise, John McEntire essentially plays only drums in The Sea and Cake. Members Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt each have released solo albums. The cover art of The Sea And Cake's releases are largely paintings by Eric Claridge and photographs by Prekop. (Postcards of some of the One Bedroom-era photos were sold on the band's 2003 tour.) Prewitt has been involved in publishing his own comic books and doing graphic design. The band was on hiatus from 2004 to 2007, returning with Everybody. The band's most recent album, Car Alarm, was released in October 2008.
Line-up
* Sam Prekop (vocals, guitar)
* Archer Prewitt (guitar, piano, vocals)
* John McEntire (percussion, drums, some synthesizer)
* Eric Claridge (bass, synthesizer)
Discography
Albums
* The Sea and Cake (1994)
* Nassau (1995)
* The Biz (1995)
* The Fawn (1997)
* Oui (2000)
* One Bedroom (2003)
* Everybody (2007)
* Car Alarm (2008)

Ratatat is a New York City electronic music duo consisting of guitarist Mike Stroud and synthesizer driver and producer Evan Mast.

Mike Stroud and Evan Mast first met as Skidmore College students, but they did not work together until they recorded several songs under the name Cherry in 2001. Their 2004 debut, Ratatat, was written and recorded in Mast's Crown Heights, Brooklyn apartment on Stroud's PowerBook. The album is entirely instrumental with the exception of vocal excerpts at the beginning and end of selected tracks. The group debuted by releasing the single Seventeen Years on Evan and his brother's record label Audio Dregs in the US and Rex Records in the UK. Seventeen Years was released again on Evan and his brother E*Rock's record label Audio Dregs. They then signed for XL Recordings, releasing their debut album and the single Germany to Germany. Ratatat occasionally remixes others for collected release on Ratatat Remixes Vol. 1 (which garnered the attention of Rolling Stone), as well as the later second volume, both of which were self-released in co-operation with Audio Dregs.
Discography
Studio albums
* 2004 - Ratatat
* 2004 - Ratatat Remixes Vol. 1
* 2006 - Classics
* 2007 - Ratatat Remixes Vol. 2
* 2008 - LP3

Piano Magic is a musical collective formed in the summer of 1996 by Glen Johnson, Dominic Chennell, and Dick Rance in London, England. Their sound has been described as ambient pop, post-rock, indietronica.

While the most recent releases have seen them operating with a traditional band format, they originally started their career with the intention to base their recordings around their small nucleus and whoever else would like to contribute. Glen Johnson is the only remaining band member from the original trio. Piano Magic was formed in the summer of 1996 by Glen Johnson, Dominic Chennell, and Dick Rance in London, England, as a 'bedroom-studio' project with the intention to base their recordings around their small nucleus and whomever else would like to contribute. Originally reluctant to perform live, they gave way to label pressure when their first single proved popular on BBC Radio 1 John Peel show & was awarded Single of the Week in Melody Maker. While recruiting Paul Tornbohm to play drums at these gigs, they pointedly refused to play or sound like any of their released material. Popular Mechanics appeared on i/Ché in 1997, a debut album which the press variously described as "ethereal electro pop atmospheric soundscapes" or "simply delighting in... making silly noises" & which the band thought of as "Small Beat, pre-chip... radiophonics". It included vocals by Hazel Burfitt and Raechel Leigh but, with Rance having quit the band, combined two previous single releases with a set of new recordings by Johnson and Chennell. The duo then briefly recruited American music students, Alexander Perls, Jen Adam and Ezra Feinberg to complete the band, though Chennell too had departed by the time of the second album release Low Birth Weight in 1998, a record described as "dreamy, trance and organic psychedelia". It introduced the vocals of Caroline Potter who would sing on one further album.
Related Projects
* Cedric Pin and Glen Johnson have recorded as 'Future Conditional'.
* Glen Johnson has recorded as 'Textile Ranch'.
* Glen Johnson has published a collection of short stories and poems titled 'Angel Kagoule'.
* Dominic Chennell has recorded as 'Dominic de Nebo' and with the group 'Carphology Collective'.
Discography
Official full-length releases
* Popular Mechanics, (i/Che, 1997)
* A Trick of the Sea, (Darla, 1998)
* Low Birth Weight, (Rocket Girl, 1999)
* Artists' Rifles, (Rocket Girl, 2000)
* Son de Mar, (4AD, 2001)
* Writers Without Homes, (4AD, 2002)
* The Troubled Sleep of Piano Magic, (Green UFOs, 2003)
* Disaffected (Darla, 2005)
* Part Monster (Important, 2007)
Official single releases
* Wrong French, (i/Che, 1996)
* Wintersport, (i/Che, 1997)
* For Engineers, (Wurlitzer, 1997)
* Music for Rolex, (Lissy's, 1998)
* There's No Need for Us to Be Alone, (Rocket Girl, 1998)
* Fun of the Century, (Piao!, 1998)
* Mort Aux Vaches, (Staalplat, 1998)
* Music for Annahbird, (Piao!, 1998)
* Amongst the Books, an Angel, (Acetone, 1999)
* Panic Amigo, (Morr Music, 2000)
* I Came to Your Party Dressed as a Shadow, (Acuarela, 2001)
* Speed the Road, Rush the Lights, (Green UFOs, 2003)
* Saint Marie EP, (Green UFOs, 2003)
* The Opencast Heart EP, (Important Records, 2005)
* Never It Will Be the Same Again [Limited Edition of 100 copies], (EN/OF, 2006)
* Incurable EP, (Important Records, 2006)
* Dark Horses EP, (Make Mine Music, 2008)

MONO is a post-rock instrumental group from Tokyo, Japan. Mono was founded in January 2000 by guitarist Takaakira Goto. Working by himself, Goto completed most of Mono's demo tracks, partly influenced by guitarist Loren Connors.

By late 1999 Goto began the search for band members; the first to join was fellow guitarist and long time friend Yoda. Soon afterwards the two guitarists linked up with bassist Tamaki and drummer Yasunori Takada. The group soon released a 4 track EP entitled Hey, You on the small independent label Forty-4. Following Hey, You Mono put together its first full length album, Under the Pipal Tree in 2001 on Tzadik Records. Under the Pipal Tree, along with the EP, introduced Mono's style, which is focused on layered guitar melodies. All of Mono's songs are entirely instrumental, and Strings and pianos are also prominently featured in several songs. Under the Pipal Tree was met with somewhat mixed reviews and was referred to by Goto in a 2006 interview with Phil McMullen as a "very, very young album". Whilst recording the album, the September 11th attacks took place, which were to have a significant effect on Mono's later work. In 2002, Mono finished their second album, One Step More and You Die. Many critics considered this as having a more distinctive sound than the preceding album. An abbreviated tour in parts of New York and Sweden took place after the album's release. The length of the tour and the behavior of some of the American crowds, who Goto said in the McMullan interview were "always talking a lot and drinking beers and making a lot of noise" left the band somewhat unsatisfied. Soon afterward, Mono moved on to a new project in direct response to the aftermath of September 11th. This album was titled New York Soundtracks and was recorded in collaboration with several important members of the New York experimental scene, such as DJ Olive, Jackie-O Motherfucker, and Loren Connors. New York Soundtracks consists of remixes of all of One Step More and You Die's tracks.
Relationship with fans
Mono, like most bands associated with the underground music scene, tries to maintain a strong relationship with their fans. Goto, in a recent interview with Semtex Magazine, pointed out that for Mono, promotion is not a priority, they tour "to meet the crowd".
Members
* Tamaki Kunishi – bass
* Takaakira "Taka" Goto – guitar
* Yoda – guitar
* Yasunori Takada – drums
Albums
* Under the Pipal Tree (2001)
* One Step More and You Die (2003)
* Walking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined (2004)
* You Are There (2006)
* Hymn to the Immortal Wind (2009) U.S. Billboard Heatseekers #40
EPs
* Hey, You (2000)
* Memorie dal Futuro (10") (2006)
* The Phoenix Tree (2007)
* Destroy Independent Music! (2006-2007, Temporary Residence Limited) sampler
Other works
* New York Soundtracks (One Step More and You Die Remixed) (2004)
* Mono / Pelican Split (2005)
* Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain (Collaboration with World's End Girlfriend) (2005)
* Gone: A Collection of EPs 2000-2007 (2007)

Monade is a Bordeaux, France-based post-rock band which was initially a side project of Lætitia Sadier, one half of Stereolab. In the late 1990s, the All-City imprint released a 7" split of Monade's "Ode to a Keyring"/"Witch Hazel" [the b-side of the split featured materials by post-rock group, M, featuring David Pajo of Slint].

These songs were recorded by Sadier with Rosie Cuckston of the band Pram. The two songs featured on Monade's initial 45 were re-recorded for the group's first full-length record, Socialisme Ou Barbarie [Drag City]. They have released two albums to date on the Duophonic label which is partially owned by Sadier herself. The first album, Socialisme ou Barbarie: The Bedroom Recordings was released in 2003 after being produced part-time over a period of six years. Their second album, A Few Steps More (2005), marks a more cohesive stage in the band's development. There is now a regular lineup, and it was recorded using studio equipment. The album has been roundly praised and criticised for its superficial resemblance to the sound of Stereolab, but several reviews have commented more on the harmonic structure of the album, which almost seems to blend symphonically at times. Asked about on the album's themes in an interview for Eye Weekly, Sadier commented: "I was trying to write to the individual and the capacity to listen to one's desires. Also, I tackled the idea of becoming. I think that's quite an important notion: that things should be allowed to become. I became a singer and it took me years and I want Monade to have a chance to become a band." The name "Monade" was taken from Cornelius Castoriadis' concept of the "monade psychique" (psychical monad), which was the term Castoriadis used to describe the undifferentiated infantile psyche, before its shattering into the ego, super-ego, and id through the process of socialization. Lætitia Sadier has stated that the name has a double meaning the word "monade" is from the root word "mono-" (meaning "one") and etymologically related to the sound recording term "mono", which stands in contrast to stereo, and therefore is a reference to Monade as a solo side project to Stereolab. The title of Monade's first album pays tribute to a libertarian Marxist political group founded by Castoriadis, Socialisme ou Barbarie. In March 2008, a new Monade album was released, without any promotion, called Monstre Cosmic.
Discography
* 2003: Socialisme ou Barbarie: The Bedroom Recordings
* 2005: A Few Steps More
* 2008: Monstre Cosmic

Mogwai are a Scottish rock band from Glasgow. Formed by Stuart Braithwaite and Dominic Aitchison in 1995, Mogwai has since become one of the most influential and best known names in post-rock.

The band was originally signed to renowned Glasgow indie label Chemikal Underground, but are now distributed by different labels, such as Matador in the US and Play It Again Sam in the UK. They have also developed their own label, Rock Action Records, named after Stooges drummer Scott Asheton, who had his name changed to Rock Action. Their style has been influenced by bands including Dirty Three, Joy Division, Pink Floyd, The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and post-rock pioneers Slint. During 2004, the band supported tours by two major influences, Pixies and The Cure. Mogwai's style has easily identifiable connections to genres like shoegaze, math rock, art rock and occasionally instrumental metal. Mogwai (meaning "ghost" or "devil" in Cantonese) is named after the creatures from the film Gremlins, although guitarist Stuart Braithwaite comments that "it has no significant meaning and we always intended on getting a better one, but like a lot of other things we never got 'round to it.
Studio albums
* Mogwai Young Team (1997)
* Come on Die Young (1999)
* Rock Action (2001)
* Happy Songs for Happy People (2003)
* Mr Beast (2006)
* The Hawk Is Howling (2008)

Migala was a rock-based experimental band hailing from Madrid, Spain. The band was known for its complex, varied, and often cathartic musical arrangements, heavily influenced by pop, post-rock, folk, and traditional Spanish music.

Although Migala have split up, giving their last concert at the Festival Internacional de Benicàssim, member of the band continue to be involved in various musical projects: Abel with El Hijo, playing with the musicians Raül Fernandez (also known as Refree), Xavi Mole and Kieran Stephen; Coque Yturriaga with num9; Kieran Stephen, Jordi Sancho, Diego Yturriaga and Ruben Moreno with Fantasy Bar. El Hijo has released 2 eps to date and will be recording an album at the beginning of next year. Fantasy Bar have finished recording their self produced first album, and num9's record will be out in November (on Acuarela Discos). Nacho Vegas, ex-guitarist Manta Ray, was a member of Migala from Arde up til the Increible Aventura, while at the same time releasing albums under his own name and with his band, Las Esferas Invisibles. Some of the band members also work in independent Spanish cinema.
Discography
* Diciembre 3 a.m. (1997, Acuarela)
* Así duele un verano (1998, Acuarela)
* Arde (2000, Acuarela)
* Restos de un incendio (2001, Acuarela)
* La increíble Aventura (2004, Acuarela)

Menomena is an indie rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, made up of Brent Knopf, Justin Harris, and Danny Seim. All members of the band share singing duties and frequently swap instruments while recording.

Danny Seim stated in an October 2008 interview that a new Menomena album is presumably expected in the beginning of 2009. "In a perfect world, we would have been done with a new record. Fall ’08 would have been great. But then that’s moved to January ’09 … we hadn’t seen one another in awhile and we’re seeing each other for some European dates, and a festival date here and there. We’re moving on a U2 time frame......... We have a ton of material to use and we have to structure the stuff, pick up instruments and find songs. I’d love to say January ’09 but maybe I just like the way those words sound."
Official music videos
* "Trigga Hiccups" (2004)
* "Cough Coughing" (2005)
* "Wet and Rusting" (2007)
* "Rotten Hell" (2007)
* "Evil Bee" (2007)
Full-length recordings
* I Am the Fun Blame Monster! CD/LP (self-released, 2003; re-released FILMguerrero, 2004)
* Under an Hour CD (FILMguerrero, 2005)
* Friend and Foe CD/LP (Barsuk/FILMguerrero, 2007)
EPs
* Rose EP (self-released, February 2001)
* Scissors and Blue split EP w/ Societa Anonima (Cut & Paste Collective, 2001)
* Wet and Rusting EP (FILMguerrero, 2006)
Singles
* Posh Isolation / Tung Track 7" (Polyvinyl Record Co., 2005)
* Wet and Rusting / Gay A 7" (City Slang, 2007)

Fredo Viola is an American singer/songwriter and multi-media artist. He was born in London, England but has resided in the US for most of his life. He currently lives in Woodstock, NY. He graduated from Tisch Film school at NYU - but has always been most passionate about music. Viola lists some influential artists as Shostakovich, Britten, Bartok, Stravinsky, and Belle & Sebastian to name a few.

He became an internet hit on youtube with "The Sad Song" in 2004. In 2007 he signed with French label Because Music and plans on releasing his debut album late 2008. In late 2007, Fredo devoted his attention to a long series of live to digital performances he called "cluster videos," releasing one per month on his website. "Cluster Videos"
In late 2008, working in collaboration with a Flash design team in Spain ("Aer visual studio",) he released an interactive web site which also serves the function of displaying his new interactive videos. The videos come in unusual shape (circular, hexagonal) as well as widescreen rectangular, and can be turned during playback. "The Turn Website"

Electrelane were a British alternative rock band, formed in Brighton, England in 1998 by Verity Susman and Emma Gaze. The band comprised Susman, Gaze, Mia Clarke, and Ros Murray. Their music draws from wide range of influences including Neu!, Stereolab, Sonic Youth, and The Velvet Underground.

Although the band has strong feminist and political views in their personal lives, they generally preferred to not communicate that directly to their fans or through their music; one exception is their inclusion of the protest song "The Partisan," which they began playing while on tour in the United States during the months preceding the 2004 Presidential election. The band, when playing live, had a reputation for a focused and thrilling show that minimized audience interaction and rarely included more than one encore.
Electrelane went on indefinite hiatus in 2007.

Cyann & Ben is a Parisian Post-rock and dream pop band. The band has released three albums, and was signed to Gooom Disques and is now signed to Ever Records.

Discography
* Spring (2004 - Gooom Disques)
* Happy like an autumn tree (2004 - Gooom Disques)
* Sweet Beliefs (2006 - Ever Records)

Calla is an indie rock band formed in North Texas in 1997. The band has been based in Brooklyn, New York for most of its existence.

Band members
* 1997-present, Aurelio Valle (guitar, vocals)
* 1997-present, Wayne B. Magruder (percussion, samples)
* 2003-present, Peter Gannon (bass, guitar)
* 1997-2004, Sean Donovan (bass, keyboards, samples)

Battles is a critically acclaimed American experimental rock band. The band's line-up includes ex-Helmet drummer John Stanier, ex-Don Caballero guitarist Ian Williams, ex-Lynx guitarist Dave Konopka, and Tyondai Braxton (son of avant-garde jazz musician Anthony Braxton),

Who also plays guitar and keyboard and creates live voice samples. Following a string of EPs, the band released their debut album on the Warp Records label in February 2006, which was titled EP C / B EP. It is a compilation of their increasingly hard-to-find early releases, EP C, B EP and the single Tras. Their first full-length album Mirrored, recorded by Keith Souza at Machines with Magnets, was released on May 14, 2007. The album received positive reviews and appeared on several top album lists for 2007.
The first single from the album, "Atlas," was released on February 21, 2007 as streaming audio, and the accompanying streaming video was released on February 28, 2007. It was voted "Best Single of the Week" by NME magazine, and received a glowing review in the British Clash Magazine, as well as ranking at number one in the second Dandelion Radio Festive Fifty. The song was performed by the band on BBC television's Later With Jools Holland in November 2007. The song also went on to be featured in the Media Molecule developed video game Little Big Planet, available for the Playstation 3.
Members
* Tyondai Braxton - guitar, keyboards, vocals
* Dave Konopka – bass, guitar, effects
* Ian Williams – guitar, keyboards
* John Stanier – drums

Archive are a London, England-based musical group, whose music spans electronica, trip hop and progressive rock.

Between 2002 and 2005 the band released three albums with Craig Walker, formerly of Power of Dreams, as singer, to growing popularity and critical acclaim, including a large following in France and Poland. These albums have seen Archive gradually turn away from their roots in Electronica and Trip hop and towards more psychedelic and progressive style of bands such as Pink Floyd, Mogwai, and The Secret Machines. The band also composed the soundtrack to the French film Michel Vaillant, released in November 2003.
2008: Archive are currently finished with their forthcoming album, which has already been deemed "they're greatest and most unparalleled" work to date, and is due to release in the first quarter of 2009. This will be their last of a five album licensing deal with Warner Music.
Members
* Maria Q - vocals
* Pollard Berrier - vocals, guitar
* Dave Penney - guitar, vocals
* Steve Harris - guitar
* Jonathan Noyce - bass
* Lee Pomeroy - bass
* Darius Keeler - synthesizer, piano
* Danny Griffiths - synthesizer, samples
* Smiley - drums
* Rosko John - vocals, MC
Former members
* Craig Walker - vocals, guitar
* Roya Arab - vocals
Studio albums
* Londinium (1996)
* Take My Head (1999)
* You All Look the Same to Me (2002)
* Noise (2004)
* Lights (2006)
* Controlling Crowds (2009)