At the end of 2009 Transparent talked to some bands about music they were excited about. Everyone namechecked Girls, then turned on us on to a lot of other bands we were totally unfamiliar with. It was overwhelming and we're only just now getting around to listening to it all. No Demons Here's "Cradles" was a particular standout, blending the stuff that was common in music last year (lo-fi! vocals buried so deep you have to listen to a song 15 times before you figure out what they're saying!), with a candid openness that is unflinchingly honest and a little uncomfortable. It's bedroom pop in the truest sense of the word, and while it is a huge bummer to hear a dude sing about how his eighth birthday was pretty much the pinnacle of his life, letting his voice turn into blown out speaker decay and then transition into a fractured guitar solo. Buy the tape here, And if that's not your thing, it's all available for free download on his MySpace.
Download: No Demons Here, "Cradles"