TOP INDIE BANDS - WEEK 22 2014

Yeah, yeah, so some douchebag rap star married some dumbass reality star over the weekend. If you're anything like me, you're gonna be in SERIOUS need of BitCandy's other website, NoKanye.com, over the coming days. Perhaps we should develop NoKardashian.com, too? Give us your thoughts in the comments. And let's not forget about Jack White's attempts to involve himself in the media circus earlier this week by revealing he was asked to appear on Yeezus while simultaneously trying to reignite a beef with The Black Keys. Get over it, Jack, nobody cares about you or your music these days! Anyways, enough of my obligatory ranting as it's time for this week's top indie bands featuring Banks, St. Lucia, Hozier and more...

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BANKS – DROWNING

Queen Banks is at her best when she's pissed off. And in her new song, “Drowning,” she's pissed OFF. “From the girl who made you soup and tied your shoes when you were hurting, you are not deserving, you are not deserving” is def the greatest lyric of 2014 so far. The lame-ass dude who had the ignorance to fuck with Banks is gonna get burned on her upcoming album, Goddess. My new favorite feminist icon. (Step aside, Beyoncé.) Unf!

ST. LUCIA – ELEVATE – CURATOR BECA

If you thought St. Lucia was a just a socially awkward bro with a laptop and a pair of Beats on stage, then think again! Jean-Phillip Grober is joined by a whole host of talented musicians when in concert, who together put on one of the most spectacular live experiences on the current festival circuit. Don't believe me? Check out this new video for “Elevate” featuring a bunch of high-energy live footage filmed on GoPro cameras at the band's recent headline shows in San Francisco and Los Angeles and then get back to me, mmkay?

HOZIER - SEDATED

Is that Jennifer Lawrence? I'm pretty fucking sure that's Jennifer Lawrence... And that only makes this slow-burning second single from Irish singer-songwriter, Hozier, all the more perf. Perf voice, perf lyrics, perf facial hair, perf everything... Not gonna lie, this isn't as immediate as Hozier's debut single, “Take Me To Church,” but trust me, it's a grower. Anyways, it's good to switch shit up every now and then. Bring on the debut album, Hozier!

LYKKE LI – NO REST FOR THE WICKED (LIVE ON KCRW)

Lykke Li's vocals sound exactly the same here as they do on the recorded version of this song. I'm very impressed! And here's me thinking she was nothing more than Sweden's answer to Nelly Furtado... “No Rest For The Wicked” wasn't my thang at first, but after hearing it on my radio over 100 times, it's definitely my thang. (You're still my number one, “I Follow Rivers.”) Shout out to the KCRW and Morning Becomes Eclectic crew for delivering yet another awesome live session. No seriously, they always sound SO fucking crisp.

TRUST – LOST SOULS/EELINGS (LIAR REMIX)

If you regularly read this column, then you should know by now that Trust's second album, Joyland, is EVERYTHING to me. And if you don't regularly read this column, then sort your life out... Anyways, one of the more banging cuts on the album, “Lost Soul/Eeelings” recently got the remix treatment by Liar. The Bucharest-based producer combines skittering percussion, neon synths and the occasional groovy-ass bassline to transform the former club anthem into something a lot darker, not to mention longer... As if I have a problem with either of those thangs!

SEGO – 20 YEARS TALL

Introducing Sego, a dance-punk duo hailing from Los Angeles, who James Murphy should totally fucking sign to DFA Records. Just saying... Anyways, hit play on the seriously smart “20 Years Tall” if you're a fan of early Bloc Party, Tokyo Police Club or LCD Soundsystem, obvs. (Nice music taste, bro.) Dat bass, dat guitar, dat synth, dose drums... Hide yo kids, hide yo wife, as the DFA revival has officially begun!

LAURA WELSH – HERE FOR YOU (ACOUSTIC) – CURATOR BECA

The best thing about “Here For You” by Gorgon City, or as I prefer to call them, the shit Disclosure, is Laura Welsh's voice. So fuck it, I hereby declare “Here For You” a Laura Welsh song! Here's the London singer-songwriter performing a breath-taking acoustic rendition, and I'm sure you agree with me, it's SO much better than the original. Right in da feels... She recently signed to Polydor, so I'm looking forward to hearing more solo material from Laura in the very near future, minus the shit Disclosure. Moving swiftly along...

JULIEN BRACHT – SUN

And now for something completely different... There's nothing quite like sex, drugs and Julien Bracht to start a Monday morning. No seriously, this could be the greatest one night stand in the history of one night stands! Who doesn't fucking love tits, beards and shellfish? Shellfish gives me chronic diarrhea, actually... TMI? Anyways, “Sun” is the first single to be released through the German producer's new record label, Trust. Mad props, dude is only in his early 20s and already breaking some SERIOUS ground in dance music.

NEW NAVY – ZIMBABWE

Time for a vintage classic, and by “vintage classic,” I obvs mean 3 years old! Music moves fast these days... Nothing says “summer” like “Zimbabwe” by New Navy. If this went undetected by your radar the first time around, then prepare to be taken away to a much happier, sunnier place upon hitting play on this pop gem. It's been a long time coming, but according to their Facebook, the Sydney trio are currently adding the finishing touches to their debut album, tentatively titled Freddo Frogs Are Dope, so make sure you keep it locked. (Nice legs, by the way.)

JOSH RECORD – WIDE AWAKE – CURATOR BECA

Stop everything! After what feels like months of waiting, Josh Record has finally announced he's gonna be releasing his debut album, Pillars, in July. It includes all of the spine-tingling songs already featured in this column, including “Bones,” “The War” and “For Your Love,” and here's another one, “Wide Awake.” This is actually one of my favorite songs by the London singer-songwriter so far, its haunting piano building up to an outpouring of falsetto and probably the most epic chorus he has EVER written. Love it, love it, love it. BRB, fangirling.

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Oh crap, so I'm afraid that's it for this week's top indie bands! I'm back on Friday for more, but in the meantime, keep the party going in the comments...

About Jess Grant

When Jess Grant isn't writing on music, she can be found playing it – on her guitar, on her ukulele, and on her recently acquired mandolin. Playing it hideously, she ought to add. Jess also studies. She studies the English language, to be precise. Jess is currently on her way to a degree in the subject, and enjoys starting and never finishing novels, screenplays, and poetry in her spare time. She also likes dogs. Lots of dogs.