Posted on May 8, 2012 by papergarden

Ever since October of 2011 we have been blasting I Can Chase Dragons! at high volumes in the PGR office. Our fascination started with the release of the single “Diving For Sunken Treasures” and it snowballed from there. Maybe it was the catchy whistling in this debut track that put our ears on the edge of their seats, eagerly waiting each new release. So it is our pleasure to bring to you yet another amazing new track “Republique.”

ICCD! is the solo project of Julio Gudiño, lead singer of Mexico City’s biggest indie band, The Plastics Revolution. We stumbled upon these guys in the middle of a sidewalk jam session at Barton Springs as SXSW 2011 came to an end. Julio led the band for hours but the crowd would not let them stop, even to the point of them having to play some songs twice. He is no stranger to being the frontman of a band and is now pushing his musical limits to the electronic dream pop side of the spectrum. Drawing influences from Panda Bear and El Guincho as he loops electric textures combining organic and synthesized sounds with lyrics in English and Spanish.

He is currently going to school in Boston and polishing up his live set to include a drummer, bassist and visuals that will blow your mind so be on the lookout for East Coast tour dates in the very near future. He also started a Mexican indie label, Dos Pelícanos, and their first act of awesomeness was to release the I Can Chase Dragons! debut album “Expansión” in January. You can purchase it for just $7.92 on iTunes or name your price on Bandcamp.

Last but not least, feast your eyes on the video below of  “Ceder y Crecer” and start day dreaming of flying kites in sun-filled skies and palm trees blowing in the wind.

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Posted on March 6, 2012 by papergarden

Ira Lee produces some of the most bizarre and haunting music we have ever heard. Yet, somehow the bizarre produces a result of unexpected beauty and addiction. We first listened to Ira Lee a couple years back in Montreal when the idea for Lovely Hearts Club first came to fruition.  Now, years later, we see the evolution of his multi-talented character which has transcended from upbeat piano pop to dark and experimental R&B.

Combining key elements of underground hip hop in the style of Busdriver and MC Chris with the raw and obscure vocal style of rock icon Tom Waits, Ira Lee is onto something – and it’s something we love.

Though we first knew of Ira Lee in Montreal, he is quite the traveler – and it shows in his music. The track we’re featuring here, for example, is titled “Drinking Alone In Paris”.

His latest video is titled “Seven Days in Amsterdam”, and features beautiful cinematography immediately bringing to mind the films of Larry Clark.  Ira Lee is an artist across many mediums including film, comedy, visual art, and music…we can’t wait to see what he’s going to come up with next!

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Posted on February 13, 2012 by papergarden

Time and good karma have a funny way of repeating themselves sometimes and coming full circle.  Here and now is one of those times, as we tell you the tale of Paper Garden Records’ first ever release and the Lovely Hearts Club’s newest addition – former Eagle Seagull front-man, Eli Mardock.

Eagle Seagull was the inspiration and jumping off point behind Paper Garden Records‘ entire existence back in 2005.  The town of Lincoln, Nebraska brought the two together, and from there both parties grew into their early adulthood years, quickly gaining international critical acclaim.  With their debut album very much at the forefront of the new indie-rock sound (think Arcade Fire and Handsome Furs), Eagle Seagull began to see shows and tours flow in from the likes of The B-52′s, Tokyo Police Club, Gnarls Barkley, Blonde Redhead, The Faint, and more. In the wake of this immediate success the big, bad major labels came calling, and needless to say, won the signing battle over the humble Paper Garden Records.  After enduring nearly every major label cliche known to man and numerous setbacks to to release of their follow-up album, Eli and the band eventually decided to go their separate ways.

In the two years since the band’s demise, Eli has been hard at work recording and producing his first solo LP, “Everything Happens for the First Time”.  Mixed in Brooklyn by Justin Gerrish (Vampire Weekend, The Strokes), the record is set for release in Summer 2012 and marks a new beginning for both Eli Mardock and Paper Garden.  We are so excited to be working with Eli on his solo record and just couldn’t be happier about this phenomenal family reunion.

Eli will be making his way down to SXSW this year as well, playing the Paper Garden/My Old Kentucky Blog party @ Uncorked on 3/15…stay tuned for more on that soon!

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Posted on January 19, 2012 by papergarden

The success of Indy-based BONESETTERS hinges on their restrained and straight forward songwriting to create a fine balance of fast-paced alt-rock and acoustic indie folk. They stick to the essentials: guitars and drums with catchy vocal hooks. No superfluous effects or over-saturated reverb…a refreshing change in today’s indie music scene if you ask us!

Their debut album, SAVAGES, came close to never being heard when their previous label Mossback Records folded in early 2011, but with persistence and a successful Kickstarter campaign the band was able to drop the album last month. And thankfully so, for it has been a delight to our ears here at LHC. Grounded in a love for poetry and librarians, frontman Daniel Snodgrass delivers lyrics that are sincere admissions of ordinary life made poignant, sung with a voice that falls somewhere between Nathan Willet (Cold War Kids) and Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes). The instrumentation is clean and tight, with a few strings and horn arrangements to supplement their catchy riffs and melodies. Take a listen to “Maypole“ below and hear it for yourself.

Film IN music covered an acoustic performance of another one of Bonesetters’ standout tracks, “You Are Shaun Gannon”, which was filmed at Village Green Records. Just watch it out below. Currently the band is playing a string of shows throughout Indiana in support of the album with a spring tour in the works.

Upcoming shows

1/27 – Muncie, Indiana w/ Vacation Club, Everything NOW! + She Does Is Magic at Be Here Now

2/4 – Indianapolis, Indiana @ Helter Shelter w/ Bears of Blue + RiverDastardly

3/24 in Indianapolis, Indiana @ Butler University w/ Chandelier Ballroom

The Bonesetters “You Are Shaun Gannon” from Film IN Music

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Posted on December 30, 2011 by papergarden

Lovely Hearts Club Presents: Conveyor – Mukraker

We have been hooked on Conveyor ever since their EP “Sun Ray” landed on our doorstep. (Note to bands: handing out your music on freaky orange 12″ vinyl is one sure way to get a label to give your demo a spin.) Unfortunately, we caught wind of this Brooklyn based quartet too late and missed out on their CMJ show. Apparently they impressed a few folks so much that We Listen For You decided on “Sun Ray” as the first ever We Listen For You Record Club selection. Now we have three copies of this beautiful wax at Paper Garden & Lovely Hearts Club headquarters and in no way is that depressing! Conveyor has this rare ability to repeat the same few lyrics over and over and over with their folk-inspired melodies and catchy synth to the point that you feel it in your bones. BreakThru Radio has pinned them as a hybrid between Iron & Wine with Caribou but we can’t shake this feeling that they are channeling their inner Aqueduct at times.

Well out with the old and in with the new in 2012 because One Thirty BPM has just premiered a new track called “Mukraker” and have deemed it Conveyor’s best song yet! It definitely has got everyone we know excited about their forthcoming full album.  The band has also began locking down tour dates across the entirety of the US for Summer 2012, so be on the lookout for a live show in your town!

You can stream the track here or head over to their bandcamp starting January 2nd for a digital fix, until the 7″ split with fellow Brooklynites Illuminator is available.  Conveyor has also brought us a delicious new treat in the form of BreakThru Radio’s Hear & There session, where they cook up a stripped back version of “Mukraker” in a posh Williamsburg kitchen. Even though the band is extremely busy making new music for us they still find time to chat with fans on the internet so get to following them on Twitter and Facebook. Hope to see everyone who lives within a 30-mile radius of Glasslands on January 5 as Conveyor gets down with ILLUMINATOR, Teletextile, and fellow Lovely Hearts Club band, Snowmine.

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Posted on December 5, 2011 by papergarden

Lovely Hearts Club Presents: Low Roar – Tonight, Tonight, Tonight (LHC #41)

Our friends over at INDIGENOUS are due major kudos for this Lovely Hearts Club addition. Ryan Karazija is the man behind Low Roar, who just released his debut, self-titled album this November. What perfect timing of this release, as it’s so nice to have something a bit sad to put in the headphones on these cold, short days of winter. Ryan moved from San Francisco to Iceland and began writing this album as he found himself in a state of loneliness struggling to provide for his family in a foreign land. Anyone who as ever picked up and left a stable life in hopes of finding something new/better/different or just to escape from their past knows this feeling of despair, fear of the unknown, and hope of what’s to come.

The brand spanking new video for “Give Up”, (recently premiered via Prefix) depicts this image of self-reflection so beautifully and raw that it might just bring a tear to your eye. It’s nice to be reminded that we are capable of feeling the melancholy brought on by Low Roar, and for that we are thankful.  So take a seat or lay down in your room with the lights dimmed and stream “Tonight, Tonight, Tonight”. Then head to iTunes and pick up the whole album, you won’t regret it!

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Posted on December 1, 2011 by papergarden

Last month we helped The Emerson bar in Brooklyn celebrate their 1-year anniversary by depleting their stock and listening to live music curated by Paper Garden Records. A last minute schedule change opened up a spot for our new Lovely Hearts Club friends Tavo Carbone (vocals/guitar) and Heather Sommerlad (on the violin), 2 of the 9 members of Horse’s Mouth. Tavo would agree he is a bit strange, which is a good thing because his odd sense of humor helps form a refreshingly off-beat, old-timey folk pop.

We have yet to see the full band perform but after their impressive set at The Emerson, one highlight being when Tavo and Heather sang into the violin, we are very much looking forward to seeing the rest of the collective in action. Here we have featured a colorful music video of “In The Woods”, directed by their good friend Andrew Kaluzynski. If you give “As I Climb” a stream on Soundcloud and dig it, then why not stream the rest of the debut, self-released album on their bandcamp page. They are currently recording a follow-up album so keep an eye out for these guys.



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Posted on November 14, 2011 by papergarden


Hours of listening to demo submissions eventually paid off when we opened The Great Afternoon‘s email to find that the banjo isn’t just for making bluegrass tunes. Christina Ward has been rocking out on the banjo along side bassist Kris Knechel and Brian Huggins on drums for over a year now. Her soothing vocals carefully guide us through some of life’s tougher realities while leaving a bit of hope for better days. Their first EP is not all doom and gloom as much as it is foot-tapping and and head bobbing thanks to a perfect blend of drum and bass lines with the unexpectedly soulful banjo picking.

The band has been playing a handful of shows around their hometown of New Jersey in support of their first EP “The Great Afternoon”, which was released just a few months ago in August. Here’s a stream of ‘Science Fiction’ but don’t stop listening there, head to bandcamp or Facebook to stream the full album and maybe even make a purchase for just $7!

The Great Afternoon will be playing Friday, November 18 at the Tritone in Philly and again at the Bus Stop Music Cafe in Pitman, NJ on Saturday, November 19. Check them out if you are in the neighborhood and let us know what you think!

Update: We are so excited to get to meet The Great Afternoon in real life right here in Brooklyn, February 24th at Roots Cafe on 639 5th Ave starting at 8 p.



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Posted on November 11, 2011 by papergarden




Our Australian friends have been extremely busy since we last featured Regurgitator on the Lovley Hearts Club. They recently put out a hilariously diverse album, Superhappyfuntimesfriends, on just about any format you could ask for, including playbuttons, vinyl, CD’s and tapes. Maybe after 17 years of being awesome they have decided to just do whatever they please because this album ranges from 80′s-Wild Nothing-esque to the Beatles to “99 Problems” in a matter of seconds. The fans aren’t mad about it either because the August/September national tour had SOLD OUT shows in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Geelong, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth.  Additionally, they have just been invited to play the Big Day Out tour (alongside Kanye, Architecture In Helsinki, Battles, Foster The People, Das Racist), in 2012!

The video for their first single “One Day” is not safe for anyone who gets queasy at the site of red construction paper being splattered against the wall as limbs are being chopped off and then mutating into a monster who eats its killer. What?  Just watch the video.



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Posted on November 1, 2011 by papergarden

Welcome the youngest member of the Lovely Hearts Club, Damien Fairchild, aka For all the Girls. He’s just like any other 13-year-old boy, crushing on girls, except he makes retro-folk love songs for them. Since he can’t drive yet, he pretty much sits at home in Provo, UT and makes music, probably while texting seven different girls at once. While most kids are playing Call of Duty, Damien is working hard to release his debut album “For all the Girls” on his 14th birthday February 14th, 2012.

Damien recently emailed us this fun video, directed by his good friend and fellow musician Drew Danburry, which made our jaws immediately hit the floor. We hope you enjoy listening and watching the video for “Phylicia” as much as we did. Help Damien start saving for college or buy his first car by showing your support over at CD Baby.



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