Willie Simpson

Tag: indie pop

  • The Olivia Tremor Control, Love Athena, Memories of Jacqueline 1906, Black Foliage (Itself)

    The oddly named Olivia Tremor Control hail from Ruston, Louisiana, and are probably the most beautiful thing ever to come out of that place.  Along with Robert Schneider’s Apples in Stereo, the OTC were founding members of the Elephant 6 Collective, the group of like-minded psychedelic  enthusiasts who sought to re-inject the world with the…

  • The Apples in Stereo, I Told You Once

    When I was 17 years old, I first heard Her Wallpaper Reverie, a sort of mini Apples in Stereo LP, and I was blown away.  It was the first time I’d ever heard anyone from the Elephant 6 Collective, and they were making the exact sort of music I was missing in the world.  In…

  • Willie Simpson, Funeral Business

    I first wrote this song when I was a senior in college in 2006.  I had it kicking around until this past Spring when I decided to revive it.  I brought in my friend and musical genius Ian Wehrle to help me flesh out the lyrics and the bridge, and then I brought in guitar…

  • Paul McCartney, Sloan, Waterfalls, Coming Up

    TLC ripped it off.  No doubt about it.  This song, “Waterfalls,” was a hit in England, but it was the first song of Paul’s unable to reach the top Billboard 100 despite the previous single, “Coming Up” reaching #1 in the US.  Hmm…”Coming Up” is one of my favorite songs ever, but I can’t embed…

  • Islands, Vapours Review

    Nick Thorburn, leader of Islands and co-founder of the now deceased Unicorns outfit, is my favorite young songwriter.  His 2009 LP, Vapours, is my favorite record of 2011, and the more I play it, the more I love it.  In the world of indie rock, Islands is big but have yet to transcend the “scene,”…

  • Islands, Rough Gem

    Part 90 of my countdown blasts forward with one of my favorite group, Islands, and there video “Rough Gem.”  From their debut record Return to the Sea, “Rough Gem” is a beautiful kaleidoscopic indie pop song that swirls, spirals, and cyclones all over your ears.  It’s a gorgeous cacophony of genius modern pop.  I’m not…

  • The Top Ten Most Played Songs on my iPod

    Did you know that when you plug your iPod into your computer, iTunes can arrange your iPod’s mp3s by plays, from most played to least? It’s pretty fascinating to see what you’ve been listening to exclusively, and how many thousands (yes thousands of times) you’ve clicked play on certain songs. Well, I’d thought it’d be…

  • The Magnetic Fields, Grand Canyon

    In part 43 of my youtube countdown, I present to you the Magnetic Fields singing “Grand Canyon,” one of their great songs off their epic 69 Love Songs album.  The Magnetic Fields are the brainchild of serially depressed genius Stephin Merritt.  To me, Stephin is lyrically as brilliant as Bob Dylan..yes, I know what I…

  • The Unicorns, Tuff Ghost

    If you’ve been visiting my site, you realize that a lot of my youtube favorites come from another era.  Well here’s one from a more recent time.  Part 18 of my countdown continues with the Unicorns, Tuff Ghost.  Hailing from Montreal, the now defunct Unicorns were fronted by silly pop geniuses Nick Diamonds (real name…