indie rock cafe

With a new album out and an eclectic and exciting discography behind them - albeit it's only a few dozen songs over six years - IRC's artist of the week is Minneapolis band Vicious Vicious. (photo above: the band looking really vicious.)

Originally a solo project and moniker of musician Erik Applewick, who recorded a set of songs on a four-track 2002 self released album titled Blood and Clover, Vicious Vicious sparked a passionate reaction from their hometown Minneapolis indie community, thanks to the additions of band members Darren Jackson, Alex Oa, and Martin Dosh, who helped provide the musical talent that made Applewick's songs even more impossible to ignore.

Since then, Vicious Vicious, an unlikely name for a band that is about as vicious as a poodle, has released only two additional albums. Nevertheless, the wait paid off with each release demonstrating a maturing, exciting and eclectic mix of pop, funk, psychedelic and rock influences that essentially make the band's sound stand out among so many other indie groups that are praised but really aren't half as good as Vicious Vicious are.

Parade was released in September of 2007 to rave reviews - even making the 2007 best album lists of many popular blogs and music sites.

You can stream many of the songs from Parade, and their other releases, on the band's official website. Don't be surprised if you find yourself listening to the entire stream of songs more than once - they are just that good.

Vicious Vicious first caught the attention of the indie underground fan base and bloggers in a significant way with the release of their 2005 album Don't Look So Surprised, which contains a number of memorable songs, not the least being the catchy, 'play that again' song "2 Much Time on My Hands" (not a cover of the 70's band Styx's song by the same name).

Vicious Vicious - 2 Much Time on My Hands

Since the release of their latest album Parade in September 2007, songs like "Rain Parade", "Ho Baby" and other well-produced indie pop songs have increased the band's popularity.

According to Vicious Vicious' official website, Applewick and the others are working on new material for yet another album to possibly be released in 2008. Let's hope so, because these guys are on a serious roll.


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  11:44 PM February 24, 2008   

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Best 2009 Indie Releases

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Roman Candle - Oh Tall Tree In The Ear
Built to Spill - There Is No Enemy
Fanfarlo - Reservior
Family of the Year - Songbook
The Middle East - The Recordings of the Middle East
Freelance Whales - Weathervanes
Echo & The Bunnymen - The Fountain
The Sun - Don't Let Your Baby Have All The Fun
Kings of Convenience - Declaration of Dependence
Foreign Born - Person To Person
Real Estate - Real Estate
Elephantom - Swim. Towards The Sun
Wiretree - Luck
Them Crooked Vultures - s/t debut
Volcano Choir - Unmap
Au Revoir Simone - Still Night,Still Light
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
The Raveonettes - In and Out of Control
Ramona Falls - Intuit
Holiday Shores - Columbus'd The Whim
Why? - Eskimo Snow
Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms
Cage The Elephant - Cage The Elephant
The Dead Weather - Horehound
Portugal The Man - The Satantic Satanist
Port O'Brien - Threadbare
Broken Records - Until The Earth Begins To Part
Headlights - Wildlife
Bango or Freakout - Upside Down EP
The Clean - Mister Pop
Sin Fang Bous - Clangour
Passion Pit - Manners
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Brazos - Phosphorescent Blues
Spring Tigers - Spring Tigers EP
Sea Wolf - White Water, White Bloom
The Big Pink - A Brief History of Love
Bodies Of Work - Flyers
The XX - XX
The Black Hollies - Softly Towards The Light
Sonic Youth - The Eternal Youth
Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
Modest Mouse - No One's First and You're Next
Generationals - Con Law
BLK JKS - After Robots
White Denim - Fits/Exposion
Rodrigo y Gabriella - 11:11
Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk
Atlas Sound - Logos
The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You
Califone - All of My Friends Are Funeral Singers
Taken By Trees - East of Eden
Chet - Chelsea Silver, Please Come
Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young
Washed Out - Life of Leisure
Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
Deer Tick - Born On Flag Day
The Clientele - Bonfires of Heath
Iron & Wine - Around The Well
Pete Doherty - Grace/Wastelands
It Hugs Back - Inside Your Guitar
Peter Bjorn and John - Living Thing
Conor Oberst & The Mustic Valley Band - Outer South
Paper Route - Absence
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Throw Me The Statue - Creaturesque
The Dodos - Time To Die
Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
M. Ward - Hold Time
Deastro - Moondagger
The Decemberists - Hazards of Love
Matt & Kim - Grand
The Antlers - Hospice
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
The Brakes - Touchdown
Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs
Franz Ferdinand - Tonight
Frightened Rabbit - Quietly Now
We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls
The Times New Viking - Born Again Revisited
A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Ashes Grammar
Pet Lions - Soft Right
Paramore - Brand New Eyes
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Beware
Bishop Allen - Grrr
Cage The Elephant - Cage The Elephant
Birds of Avalon - Uncanny Valley
Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
Ben Kweller - Changing Horses
The Acorn - Heron Act
The Twilight Sad - Forget The Night Ahead
AC Newman - Get Guilty
Dan Auerbach - Keep It Hid
Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen
Beirut - March of the Zapotec & Realpeople: Holland
The Most Serene Republic - And The Ever Expanding Universe
Patrick Watson - Wooden Arms
Woodpigeon - Treasury Library Canada
Wye Oak - The Knot
Vica Voce - Rose City
Pomegranates - Everyone, Come Outside!
Dananananaykroyd - Hey Everyone
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
Akron/Family - Set Em Wild, Set Em Free
Lemon Sun - Run With the Faithless
Eels - Hombre Lobo
Fruit Bats - The Ruminant Band
Mellow Down Easy - Cosmisutra
The Mary Onettes - Dare EP
Odawas - The Blue Depths
The Veils - Sun Gangs
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz
White Rabbits - It's Frightening
Loney Dear - Dear John
The Lonely Forest - We Sing The Body Electric
The Uglysuit - self-titled debut
Handsome Furs - Face Control
Vampire Hands - Me & You Cherry Red/Cuz It's a Beach Funeral


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