Orange Alert's Music Minute

Releasing a digital maxi-ep, Austin's Masonic has charmed their way into my headphones and they should be in yours as well. When you add in the vicious red faced tiger on the cover of The Human Blade (released Dec. 5th) you have a gorgeous collection of indie pop driven by the voice of Eryn Gettys.

Listen to: Everytime This Happens (mp3)

One of my favorite band at the moment is Massachusetts' Passion Pit, but when I received a cover of their big single "Sleepyhead" from a band called The Mummers (no, not the Murmurs) I wasn't too sure. Then I clicked on their myspace page and was completely stunned. From the beauty of their arrangements to the fascinating range in the voice of Raissa, there was a very pleasurable quality to their music. This past week they offered up their latest single "March of The Dawn" for free here. This song appears on the album they release back in August, "To Tell the Tale (Part One)". Part is scheduled to be released in the new year.

The Faunts are a band that I have been meaning to write about for a while now, and it is mainly because I have become addicted to their remixed album that was released last months. The Faunts themselves are a group of Canadian-electro-spacerockers, but in the gentle (and sometimes rough) hands of friends like Cadence Weapon, Saxon Shore, San Serac and more they begin to take on a whole other quality. It pulsing and strange, but always moving.

Listen to: Memories of Places We've Never Been (TH White Remix) (mp3)

Geek pop from London that grim and sugary and all together catchy and depressing at the same time. A Block of Yellow began when the dual dueling Vox & Guitar boys, Alex Whalley and Anthony Nastasi, wanted to get their crafty song-craft beat-powered and basified in truly beautiful fashion. Recruitment of Dan Tomas on bass line creating bass and Rich Baker on beat creating drums followed and rounded out the quartet. Shows in their home base London, Ontario, Canada and further environs followed. This music is fun, but still there is this looming feeling that there is just something not right.

Listen to: You Shook My Head (mp3)

I am all for the Holiday spirit and I love how a local station here goes to an all Christmas format for an entire month, but if you have heard the Trans-Siberian Orchestra or Rockin' Around the Christmas tree one too many times then here are a couple solutions.

One of my favorite female vocalists of the moment, Elin Lindfors has recorded a Christmas song with both of her bands The Deer Tracks and Twiggy Frostbite and they are both fine added to you holiday rotation.

Listen to: The Deer Tracks - Christmas Fire (mp3) and Twiggy Frostbite - Bells & Chimes (mp3)

Another solution and an annual tradition in my house are the series of Santastic Remix albums. Volume 4 was officially released on December 1st, but currently all four albums can be downloaded at this site. This year's album features mashes by Dj BC, Go Home Productions, Voicedude, Voicedude, and more.

Listen to: DJ Schmolli - Pumping Up Christmas (M/A/R/R/S vs Destiny's Child) (mp3)

Finally, while you are fully in the Christmas spirit check out this digital-only Christmas benefit album for Amnesty International. Featuring exclusive tracks from My Brightest Diamond, Au Revoir Simone, No Kids, Figurine, Papercuts, Au and more this album would serve any indie kid or indie parent proud this holiday season. I'll Stay 'Til After Christmas is a homespun affair if there ever was one - the idea for the album came from a recent tradition that Gill and his wife Reda Rountree have had for the past several years where they would make a compilation CD of Christmas music to give out as a gift to friends and family - and, since the two are friends with plenty of musicians, they decided to compile an original Christmas album to share with the masses. The album cover was also designed by Rountree and the photo on the cover was taken by Gill's younger brother, Andrew.

Listen to: Le Loup -"Shenandoah" (mp3)