It's Getting Easier to be Green

Maybe you're the kind of person who holds the values of Earth Day all year long. Or, you might be kind of tired of hearing about climate change every time you listen to NPR. Either way, you should check out Cloud Cult.

They are the most environmentally friendly band touring today, but they are not at all about using your ears as a vessel to push an environmental agenda into your brain. This is merciful, for the tunes are catchy enough for this plan to work.

Craig Minowa, the brains and voice behind Cloud Cult, writes indie-pop tunes that are delightful and sometimes devastatingly melancholy. He also happens to have rejected numerous offers from record labels in favor of his own eco-friendly label, Earthology. Every CD that he sells is in a recycled jewel case and sealed in a corn-based shrink wrap.

You can find out more through a profile produced by Public Radio International's Studio 360 called "Creative Minds Go Green".

You should also check out The Elliot Potter Show, where tracks from Cloud Cult's latest album Feel Good Ghosts (Teapartying Through Tornadoes) is getting crazy spins, as they say in the business.

Cloud Cult - Story of the Grandson of Jesus from Feel Good Ghosts (Teapartying Through Tornadoes)

Cloud Cult - Breakfast with my Shadow from Aurora Borealis

Indie Epics

Indie heavyweights Death Cab For Cutie and My Morning Jacket both have new CDs coming out later this year. Both have released advance singles from their new collections of work, and both singles clock in at more than eight minutes.

Death Cab's "I Will Possess Your Heart" has a five minute introduction featuring a driving bass line and slowly building orchestration. When Ben Gibbard finally opens his mouth, we learn that he will...er...possess your heart. Maybe he's been watching The Temple of Doom in anticipation of the new Indiana Jones movie.

My Morning Jacket's "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Part 2" starts off as a big departure from MMJ's latest output on Z. Some electronic ambiance and bleeps and bloops start things off before Jim James comes in with all of his reverb-saturated glory. Though I haven't heard any other songs from MMJ's forthcoming Evil Urges, this track suggests another change in direction for Louisville's finest. Thus far, this moody new sound fits the band well.

While most radio programs would shy away from playing eight minute rock songs, Elliot Potter relishes it!

Death Cab For Cutie - I Will Possess Your Heart

My Morning Jacket - Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Part 2

The 80s in 08

I'm starting to get that bleached-jean feeling again.

The 1980s sound is back in full force with new releases by Aussie outfit Cut Copy and French composer Anthony Gonzalez, aka M83.

Cut Copy's In Ghost Colours takes over where 2004's Bright Like Neon Love left off, but in the process refining and maturing the band's sound. I think it's safe to say that Cut Copy isn't influenced by the music of the 1980s, but rather is creating new music to extend the Reagan era into a post-W world. After a couple of listens, I found myself bobbing my head and making awkward herky-jerky movements that some, though not many, would consider "dancing." My wife was amused.

M83's Saturday = Youth pays homage to young love through synthesizer-drenched compositions that call to mind the best of 1980s cinema. It is no surprise that Cocteau Twins producer Ken Thomas also produced Saturday = Youth, though I was shocked by how different this album sounded compared to my previous exposure to M83. I was ready for dramatic instrumental compositions with a thunderous crescendo, and instead found myself transported back to my pre-teen years.

Cut Copy - Lights and Music

M83 - Kim & Jessie