Chad VanGaalen made Soft Airplane with a DIY attitude: he recorded the album in his basement using a tape machine and a JVC ghetto blaster, and then he used found sounds, unorthodox percussion, synthesizers, xylophones and accordions as instruments. (Maybe you could add his voice, which sometimes sounds like a saw, to that list.) Right in stride with his do-it-yourself spirit, Sub Pop has put out an EP of Soft Airplane B-sides for free. Songs like “Stuffed Animal” and “Twisting Magic Up” take advantage of an indie-pop, fairy-tale vision; for more on this theme, watch VanGaalen's videos, which he animates himself using storybook characters that could be sinister or innocent – you decide.

Download: Soft Airplane B-sides