I’m no stranger to discovering new music already in my collection. One such band is The Horde And The Harem, who’s song “Gold Rush” has been an obsession of mine since I unearthed it a few weeks ago. “Gold Rush” was released on their Harvest EP way back in 2010. So after a quick Google of the band yesterday evening, I discovered they have a brand new LP out (day of, nonetheless!) called A Long Midwinter… out February 2!

Seattle and Austin are both towns with very distinct personalities, both as cities and through the musicians that reside within. Yet here is one man — Jack Wilson — that flirts with geography, calling both locations home and melding together the two sounds for a style of folk-based americana rock that is entirely captivating.

Of all Fleet Foxes‘ collective works to date, none have impressed me as much and as thoroughly as “The Shrine / An Argument”. Off their latest LP, Helplessness Blues, the song is a medley of sorts, an elongated story with various movements. It’s downright exciting to see the song played out in an eight-minute video, created by front-man Robin Pecknold’s brother Sean. The song is epic in the truest of senses.

Look around the indie music scene in Seattle, and likelihood is that you’ll see the fingerprints of Erik Blood popping up all around. He’s a former member of Turn-Ons, released a superb album a few years back called The Way We Live under his own name, and has built up quite an impressive list of releases in which you can find his name listed under “Producer” (including The Moondoggies, The Lights and Partman Parthorse!). Now we can add Soundtrack to his growing repertoire.

Orca Team is Seattle’s answer to twee-ish post-punk beach pop, and they prove it with their new HHBTM Records 7-inch single. Title track “Take My Hand” is packed with a 60s-pop bass, a jangly guitar, reverb-soaked vocals, and hefty stomping drums with plenty of cymbal rides.

Andrew McAllister has a few albums under his belt, but listening to his recordings under Conrad Ford might set you on a path for differing expectations. You see, Conrad Ford was a country music outfit, and his new project under the moniker Vanish Valley is far from that earlier style.

The Glasses‘ Story Problems was a favorite of mine from a few years back, so it’s with great anticipation and excitement we receive Love Is Queer. Their latest LP is filled with just as many lovable pop hooks as the last album, both vocal and instrumental. This is twee-ish indie pop at its greatest; plenty of jangle-guitar, packed with male/female vocals, and filled with lyrics that simply make you happy.

I am a huge Carissa’s Wierd fan. If you are too, you know exactly what I’m talking about — the die-hard fan gets a little extra out of the music, hears a little bit more, and has a deeper, seemingly one-on-one experience with it. New music, for a band that parted ways several years past, is enough to bring tears to your eyes. “Tucson” b/w “Meredith & Iris” is such material and Hardly Art has made the latter from the single available for stream.

“The Secret Plume” is the latest video from Seattle artist Virgin Of The Birds and it features early video of some very unique dancers. In fact, we saw a similar dancer in The Robot Ate Me’s video for “On Vacation”, which was eerie and surreal. Here, however, it complements Jon Rooney’s melodies, which are often timeless.

After a little hiatus, a little band from Seattle called Wonderful has returned. On their new song, “Rainbow Colors”, we are treated to a colorful style of pop somewhere along the lines of experimental pop outfit Le Loup. But Wonderful came a few years before that band, having released their debut in 2003. “Rainbow Colors” features plenty of chant-like vocalists, heavily thumping drums, and overall colorful vocal and instrumental harmonies.