Elizabeth Powell is my favorite female voice in indie music. Quarry Hymns is bringing me back to the beauty that was Applause Cheer Boo Hiss, and getting me so excited for this album. I love how the song progresses. Cloak And Cipher will be out August 24.

Land Of Talk – Quarry Hymns

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Warpaint is gorgeous. There is something about fragile female vocals combined with lo-fi guitars and synths that resonates deep within me. Exquisite Corpse has noodled its way into my favorite albums of the year. It kind of reminds me of what Land of Talk would be like if they had three Elizabeth Powells. This video for Stars is still a little fresh and needs to be seen by more than just a handful.

Warpaint – Billie Holiday

Warpaint – Stars

Warpaint – Elephants

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Flotilla was the loveliest thing to arrive in my inbox last week, and they couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. I spent Thanksgiving day listening to this album (didn’t think Mom would be as into the Lupe mixtape), and was rewarded with a sense of calm, nostalgia and overall love. They remind me a little bit of a subdued Land of Talk (also from Montréal!), and the beginning of “Court and Sparks” sounds just like this Death Cab song I can’t place. In reality they are doing their own thing, with an incredibly dreamy lead singer, and wonderful lyrics like, “the motor runs loud/let’s me space out/ we don’t talk” (my favorite part of any roadtrip) and “I’ll stay in my kitchen, keep an eye on the stove/ and if you lure me out my house might burn/ and I might forget I ever had a child/ and will let all of the foxes in the house run wild” (just awesome). Often their songs shift and it’s almost like transitioning to a new song, which sometimes works better than others, “Charlie, I’m Through” features a banging little disco interlude towards the end. My favorite songs (though in reality I’d probably post like five if I could) all occur back-to-back, and would be perfect for a snowy night-time drive, the ultimate bliss.

Flotilla – Court and Spark
Flotilla – Charlie, I’m Through
Flotilla – Two Boys

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Out of all the Feists and Marissa Nadlers currently carving their way through the indie rock scene, Elizabeth Powell has to be my favorite. I was totally mystified when I saw Land of Talk play two shows my freshman year, eventually spending an entire summer trying to figure out how I could get all the tracks from their Applause Cheer Boo Hiss EP without traveling to Montreal. There is something about the fragility of her voice that makes me melt to the core. Since then, Powell has been touring with Broken Social Scene and steadily releasing new LOT material. I was really disappointed with their Some Are Lakes LP, but the snippets I’ve been hearing from their upcoming Fun and Laughter EP is making me forget about those ill fated endeavors.  They seem to be returning to the structures that made their first EP too strong.  Here’s to hoping they’ll be touring the Northeast sometime soon.

Land of Talk – May You Never

Land of Talk – Summer Special

Land of Talk – Sea Foam

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