Avoid This

I'm going to avoid the confusing mess that is my life to write about my new love...Daytrotter.

I'm sure that unlike most indie geeks on the interwebs, I am the last to discover Daytrotter. It's this great indie rock website of reviews, features and gossip about all your fav indie bands. However, what sets this site apart from the Pitchforks of the world is its regualr offering of free MP3s.

Now, these are no ordinary recordings. Artists stop by Daytrotter's studio, AKA Futureappletree Studio One in downtown Rock Island, Illinois. The bands lay down some live tracks of what they're playing at the time. some of the songs are old favorites while others are brand new songs they're trying on for size. The tracks are all high quality and unique. They have that great live feel. One can listen and choose to download if they like. My iTunes is quickly filling up.

So far, I've enjoyed sets by Eef Barzelay, Someone Still loves You Boris Yeltsin, Jolie Holland, and Tokyo Police Club. I'm looking forward to a future set by Grizzly Bear in early May.

In addition to the free music, Daytrotter's artwork is primarily provided by illustrator Johnnie Cluney. His simple drawings in what looks to be Crayola markers add a DIY theme that runs through the website.


Additional art in the form of a comic strip is contributed by Joe Sayers. I love simple, off-the-beaten-path comic strips. There appears to be a new one each week, but I've only seen two in the week I've visited the site.



Like any self-respecting music site, Daytrotter provides insightful features, interviews, and record reviews. I've really enjoyed their series of week-long record reviews that record the musings of a music fan 's first week with a new record. I know this feeling of picking up new things as you listen and liking totally different part each day.


Bonus: Daytrotter usually covers the French "Take Away Show Series" so that you don't have to search through a website totally written in French. The "Take Away Series" follows a band while they walk through the streets of Paris playing their music to the locals. The Arcade Fire and the Shins were definite favorites.