Upon creating my holiday iMix, I stumbled upon this track by a Leeds-based group, Buen Chico. Their newish album (released in October) featured this season appropriate jam:
Giving Your Gifts by Buen Chico

With every minor-chord followed by some rammy happy chords, this jam makes me feel like a teenager again, instantly transporting me back to my Pennsylvanian high school days of rushing to see the next Supergrass feature in the NME , my asymmetrical haircut flapping in the breeze ala Rachael from Slowdive. So transported in my reverie was I, that I did a little research on these dudes and found that, lo and behold, they offset the emissions associated with producing their last album! RAD! As you know, I love it when my worlds collide.

NewConsumer.com reported on the story back in August and included this quote about their eco-intentions from Morgan Tatchell-Evans, who fronts Buen Chico:

"Basically, global warming is a theme present in quite a few of our songs, so we want to put our money where our mouth is. Obviously virtually anything you do as a band or with any project will have a potential carbon footprint, but there are things you can do to minimise the effect. Hopefully as we go on we'll be able to tighten up on emissions related to other things we do as well. I think it's important for any artist to speak up about what is one of the most critical issues affecting the world at the moment. We just have to try and sweeten the deal with some hummable tunes!"

Hummable, indeed! And applaudable, too! This rounds out the roster of indie-darlings who not only have downright lovely records, they care enough for their fans and the environmental impact of their music. Andrew Bird, anyone?! Kelley Stoltz, anyone?! Guster, anyone?! Take that, Pitchfork!

Come on! Give me more ammo! What other indie artists are out there making great music while being environmentally-conscious?

Labels: Andrew Bird, Buen Chico, carbon neutral, guster, Kelley Stoltz, sarah