Magnolia Recommends: Indie

April 2021

We’re pretty big fans of music. But there’s a lot of it out there! So we’re here to make some vinyl record recommendations from artists in the Indie genre that we love! Who knows – you might just discover a new favorite artist!

Here are our

Indie Vinyl Recommendations: April 2021

Big Thief – Two Hands

Big Thief began recording Two Hands just days after the completion of their third album U.F.O.F. They traveled from the lush, verdurous nature of Bear Creek Studio in Washington to Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, where the arid, dry desert influenced their writing. Adrianne Lenker of the band remarked that, “Two Hands has the songs that I’m most proud of; I can imagine myself singing them when I’m old. Musically and lyrically, you can’t break it down much further than this. It’s already bare-bones.”

More Like This: Julien Baker, Soccer Mommy, Lucy Dacus, Haley Heynderickx

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The National – I Am Easy To Find

The National evolves with every record they make. Themes of loneliness, anxiety, melancholy, and poetic, often enigmatic imagery are woven into their work, but sonically their albums are quite distinct from one another. I Am Easy To Find takes a big leap forward, namely in the presentation of the vocals. Rather than only having lead singer Matt Berninger’s low timbre dominating each song, female voices provide substantial layers and depth to every track, providing a unique choral and orchestral sound to the record. Music critic Robert Christgau said that the new direction creates “a musical whole that feels consistently interactive and empathetic and also not so glum – even when you can’t pin down exact meanings, it makes love sound possible.”

More Like This: Arcade Fire, Band of Horses, The War on Drugs, TV on the Radio

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Bon Iver – 22, A Million

Justin Vernon and his fellow Bon Iver bandmates have a unique ability to instantly captivate listeners. They’ve been doing it from their smash-hit debut For Emma, Forever Ago, to their GRAMMY award-winning sophomore record Bon Iver, and have continued innovating and creating vast, intricate sounds alongside often obscure lyrics throughout the rest of their discography. The GRAMMY-nominated 2016 record 22, A Million is no exception. It signaled a significant shift in the band’s sound, departing from the woodsy-folk acoustic sphere and incorporating more synthesized and electronic elements and hip-hop influences, along with brass instruments and vocal effects. If your goal is to truly get lost in layers of music, this album is your first-class ticket.

More Like This: Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine, Gregory Alan Isakov, Sufjan Stevens

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girl in red – if i could make it go quiet

A relatively new face in the indie music scene, 22-year-old Norwegian singer / songwriter / producer Marie Ulven’s debut album as girl in red, if i could make it go quiet, is sure to enchant you. Her upbeat indie-pop songs that put her on the map revolve around the topics of queer romance and mental health; her music was discovered on Soundcloud and her career has been on the fast track up ever since, garnering millions of streams and listeners. Her debut album was written and recorded while in lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lead single “Serotonin” was produced by Billie Eilish’s brother and collaborator FINNEAS.

More Like This: King Princess, beabadoobee, Clairo, Declan McKenna

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Better Oblivion Community Center – Better Oblivion Community Center

When two singer / songwriters – both of whom are well known for writing songs that can cut to the emotional core – come together, it’s a thing of beauty. Better Oblivion Community Center is one such merging of talents. Phoebe Bridgers and Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst joined forces in 2018 to write their self-titled debut record, released in 2019 after secret recording sessions and cryptic teasing of the album’s details. The project allowed both artists to stretch their creativity to form a sound different from their individual solo acts. Reviewer Sam Walker-Smart gave the album high praise, saying the album “effortlessly blends country, electro elements and alt-rock with ease. It’s as if the LP was simultaneously recorded in 2018, 2007 and 1993, a tonal greatest hits of hard-hitting emotion and fist-pumping fun.”

More Like This: Japanese Breakfast, Caroline Rose, Waxahatchee, Faye Webster

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Angie McMahon – Salt

Australian singer-songwriter Angie McMahon has an incomparable way with words. On her debut studio album Salt she sings in both a low, gravelly alto near-whisper and a powerful upper-range belt to lyrics like “I wonder why I’m feeling lonely / when there’s plenty of ways to be alone / I guess I spent all of yesterday on my phone” and “Friend I am a slow, slow mover…trying to be kind, kind, kinder / crawling in another world.” Listeners can relate to her in almost an instant, as she sings about love, loss, loneliness, and the female experience over both ethereal piano and distorted, driving guitar. Her Springsteen-esque storytelling and her Stevie Nicks-style vocal power will do nothing less than astound. More Like This:Courtney Barnett, Gretta Ray, Gang of Youths, Alex Lahey

Look for plenty more recommended vinyl records to follow!

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