New Artist Discovery: Local Natives

Very good band here. I originally discovered them back in January but never got around to posting them. I won't say much about them because I want them to capture you with their music. I've embedded their player below and recommend listening to "Airplanes" first. Give a full listen though as I believe they are a band worth purchasing (of course after you buy fun. and Mumford & Sons)

Similar to (but different enough): Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, Freelance Whales, Broken Bells.

Mucho New Bands - Part One

Typically I would post a semi-in-depth look at a personal newly discovered artist in my "New Artist Discovery" series but since I haven't posted in quite some time I'm backlogged. So I've been compiling a list of many new bands I've come across in the last 8 months. It's too much to have big separate "New Artist Discovery" posts on each artist like I do and I want to catch everyone up quickly because they won't be new bands much longer. Anywho, here is the list of bands you should check out with my quick blurb on them. (Writers Note: Most of them were undiscovered or not popular at the time I heard of them and may be popular now...my fault for not posting them when I originally heard them so you could have an edge over your friends for the "new band you've discovered"). I'll cover the "Mucho New Bands" series in a number of posts, so stay tuned or grab the RSS feed. Enjoy:

Derby -
Why Should You Listen? - Because you haven't heard a band like this in a while that effectively uses the clap as a rhythmic element and makes the song better because of it.
Listen Here to the whole player but if I was to pick a couple I'd say "If Ever There's a Reason" (great song), "Don't Feed the Bear", etc...

Style - Uhh, indie something but not really sure on this one.
Similar to: Tough one here because they are pretty unique. I could see elements of Weezer (however they don't sound like), Noah and the Whale and a few others I can't think of right now.
Free Song -

---

Andy Shauf -
Why Should You Listen? - Because he has some fun indie folk rhythms. He takes indie folk to a slightly different level with some pep in most of his songs. If you liked Jeremy Fisher that I posted a while back then you'd like this guy. Slightly tamer than Fisher but still fun to listen to.
Listen Here to "Your Heart", "You Remind Me", etc...
Style - Indie folk rock, canadian folk, indie
Similar to: Denison Witmer, Joe Pug, Jeremy Fisher

---

The Portland Cello Project -
Why Should You Listen? - How many cello bands are out there that are interesting and do indie works? Also, Portland puts out some of the best music in the country and they happen to hail out of there.
Listen Here to "Seeds May Fall" (great tune), "Tallymarks", etc...
Style - I have no idea. You can't classify them. I mean they are a bunch of cellists that cover songs like "Toxic", "What Goes Around" and then invite indie artists to sing their songs with their background...so yeah, I have no idea.
Similar to: No one. How can you be similar to a cello indie band?

New Artist Discovery: Gregory Alan Isakov

Well, he isn't "new" but he is new to me. He's been around since 2005 but I've never paid him attention before. Now I am after listening to his latest album "This Empty Northern Hemisphere", which is fantastic and worth the buy. Gregory Alan Isakov is categorized as acoustic, folk, singer-songwriter but he stands out above the rest. Throwing in a light banjo on some songs, using hard strummed acoustic rhythms and sparse drums, he does it different than most and that's where I find my like for him. If I had to compare him I would say he has some of the good elements of Joe Purdy but with more drive, some of Joshua James but with more upbeat songs. Combine that with very good songwriting and you've got one of the hardest names to say in the business: Gregory Alan Isakov.

You can listen to him on his site. Listen to "That Moon Song", "Evelyn", "Big Black Car", "San Fransciso", etc... In fact just hit play on the player and let it go. It's completely worth it.

New Artist Discovery: Mumford & Sons

Really unique and cool band hailing out of the UK called "Mumford & Sons". They carry a style of indie folk rock but they have some really unique sounds. Some songs they combine fast rhythms and an old folk irish/english tune and others they carry a similar sound to The Avett Brothers but with more complete instrumentation. They use the acoustic really well for rhythm and their banjo playing adds a ton, but I think it's their harmonies and singing together on lines that really adds the force behind their music. And I think that's where they are very different from The Avett Brothers. I wouldn't put them in the same category as Avett but I would say they have some similar styles, but if you don't like Avett you could like these guys. Regardless they have a great sound.

If you are just hearing them now no worries, you're not behind. They just released their first official album back last October 2009.

You can listen to them at lala or they have a player on their website...sorry lala took away the embedding so I can't put the whole album on here. I highly recommend listening to:
The Cave, White Blank Page and heck, listen to everything. It's all so good.

(thanks Chad for the heads up on these guys)

New Artist Discovery: Fun

The name of the band says it all. This is a downright fun band to listen to. The lead singer you might recognize from "The Format" who recently split and formed this new band. They only have one album and it's completely worth purchasing. (thanks aaron for gifting me this gem) The player below will cycle through all of their songs, but it is a must to listen to the second player below which is playing my favorite track: "Walking the Dog".

New Artist Discovery: Freelance Whales

Well, they aren't quite "new" anymore but they are new enough that some have not heard them. Give them a listen sometime. They have a great sound with a lot of different musical elements going on that somehow works together for a pleasant sound. Take a listen to the whole album but specifically "Hannah" to get a feel for them.

Weathervanes - Freelance Whale...

Broken Bells - The High Road

Cool new collaboration between James Mercer from The Shins and Danger Mouse from lots of stuff, particularly Gnarls Barkley:


The High Road

Broken Bells | MySpace Music Videos

New Artist Discovery: Joe Pug

Some of you by now have heard of this man Joe Pug but if you haven't well you're in luck, cause you're about to hear him. I heard Mr. Pug on Relevant's podcast last week and I am hooked on his folk fantasticness. Instead of me blabbing on about this man I'll let you take a listen for yourself.

Hymn 35 - Joe Pug


With Joe Pug I'm picturing Bob Dylan's songwriting (see "Hymn 35" above) and grittiness met Joe Purdy's folk styling and produced a Joe Pug. I think this guy has a lot of great songs and lyrics and combine that with his voice we have ourselves a great artist here. Expect his songs to be all over movies and tv soon and in your iTunes playlist.

And you may ask "What is the best thing about Joe Pug right now besides his great singer/songwriter ways". Well, free cd's, yes free cd's. Check it out here. He wants to spread his music for it's substance, so he's going to send you any number of sampler cd's for free. Just email him.

Say Hi to "new" music

Apparently, Eric Elbogen has been producing music in Seattle for years under the name "Say Hi To Your Mom" and recently shortened it to just "Say Hi". His latest album, Oohs & Aahs, has a catchy track called "Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh" that I first heard on the free Barsuk Records sampler from Amazonmp3.com, which also features Mates of State, Menomena, and Death Cab for Cutie.

Also check out www.ilikesayhi.com/music.htm for more free songs from each of his 6 albums.

*Editor's note: Do not confuse this band with THIS:

If Jason Heard It, You Will Heard It - Part One - Blind Pilot

My brother Jason is the ever music recommender and a good one at that. I'll be posting the last 6 months of recommendations from him over the next week. Starting off is...

Blind Pilot
Style: indie folk-rock, west coast indie pop
Sounds Like: Iron & Wine, low key version of The Shins, Bon Iver
Listening Sites: main (has player), purevolume, myspace, npr studio session
Listen to: "One Red Thread", "Go On Say It", "Oviedo"
My comments: This band is a must listen, must buy, I love their sound. They only have one official album "3 Rounds and a Sound" and it's one of those that keeps you listening in one sitting and doesn't have a bad song on it. Go see for yourself, this band breaches many different styles including indie, folk, indie folk rock. Must listen. Portland produces another great band.
Bonus Question: Who does their singer sound like? (I can't figure it out)

Good things come out of Charlottesville

Catchy Single of the Week from iTunes:

Band: Parachute
Song: Under Control

Of course, this might be last week's single. So hurry if you want it for free.

New Artist Discovery: Niamaj

You might at first think this music is a B-side of some of Tribe's old albums but no, it's Niamaj from 2009 and he's the real deal. He is someone who understands what Hip-Hop is and what Hip-Hop always should be, just like Tribe Called Quest defined back in the day. Check out the songs below to hear what I'm talking about. If you're a fan of Tribe, you'll love this stuff. Adding in alternative sounds, real beats on real instruments, smooth rhymes, true artistry and a group dynamic like Tribe, Niamaj makes hip-hop real again. I guarantee this guy is going to explode onto the scene as the renewed movement of real hip-hop picks up steam, just like Q-tip meant it to be.

Definitely check out "Wake Up" on his myspace site and the song "The Vibe" below.

The Vibe - Niamaj

(also heard this one on the relevant podcast)

New Artist Discovery: Vetiver

I can't claim this one too much as a discovery since I heard it on the relevant podcast but I can put it up here as one. I normally do an introspect for the new artist but I don't believe you should be busied with my words, just listen to their music instead. Specifically check out "Everyday" and "Sister". "Everyday is one of those great songs that could easily make it onto a movie with Zach Braff. Here's their whole album:

Vetiver - Tight Knit

The Whitest Boy Alive - Rules

If you're anything like me, you've been sitting around asking yourself, "When are we going to see the next great funky-disco-indie-rock album out of Norway?" Well, my friends, the wait is over.

Check out "Rules" from The Whitest Boy Alive. They started several years ago as a electronica-type band, but have since picked up actual instruments and they continue to make some cool music. I especially enjoy the flow of the bass lines, the well-placed guitar fills, and the Stevie Wonder-esque keys. "Rules" is a follow-up to their previous album, "Dreams", which I stumbled upon purely because I liked the band's name... The importance of an interesting band name!

Here are a couple of tracks from the new album.

1517 - The Whitest Boy Alive

Intentions - The Whitest Boy Alive

Two Post Scripts - The guitarist/vocalist was in Kings of Convenience and they are now based in Berlin, not Norway.

New Artist Discovery: City and Colour

Great sound coming out by a year old band called City and Colour. Take a listen to the songs below, especially "Sleeping Sickness". This band is a side project from the frontman Dallas Green of Alexisonfire. They have a really good sound and this is one side project that has some validity and promise to it. I'm a big fan so far and I highly recommend that you check them out. Apparently they are great live, much like Alexisonfire is known for. Check out their main site and the audio player on it. And check out their imeem page. (if I had to pick similar artists I would say: Dustin Kensrue and Copeland...but that doesn't even do Dallas Green justice)

Sleeping Sickness - City And Colour

Waiting - City And Colour



(by the way, not sure if you put this together: Dallas=City, Green=Colour)

New Artist Discovery: The Gaslight Anthem

What is Punk Rock Soul? The Gaslight Anthem is. They have a very interesting sound to them with roots in punk, roots in rock and a bit of soul in some of their songs. I would recommend this band to someone who likes punk from time to time but likes a more traditional rock slightly more. While I probably wouldn't pay for an album of theirs I would buy a few of their songs from their second album, including "The '59 Sound".

By the way, can you tell where they are from based on that picture above? (hint: think springstein)


Thanks Jason for the referral.

New Artist Discovery: Jukebox the Ghost

Take Queen, the Sean Na Na Band, The Killers, Apollo Sunshine, Weezer and put them in a smoothie maker you've got Jukebox the Ghost. What does that mean? Well that means you have a completely unique band that has parts of great bands...and a lot of quirkiness and fun in the music. Definitely check out this band, especially the songs: "Hold It In", "Good Day"...and seriously, everything.

Enjoy their video Victoria

Thanks Jason for the recommendation, you were right, this is right up my alley.

New Artist Discovery: Monument, Monument

Got a recommendation from one of my most trusted music sources (and friend) Rob. He found a link to a new band called Monument, Monument that offers a free download to their new cd. From what I hear so far I really like them.

Thanks Rob, you're a gem...and a doll.

Fiction Family

As previously mentioned, Jon Foreman from Switchfoot and Sean Watkins from Nickel Creek have started a band called Fiction Family. They were toying with calling themselves The Real SeanJon, but I think they were just looking to get sued by a rapper.

Anyway, their album is coming out in January and you can download a free mp3 of their song, "When She's Near" by going here. They don't sound like Switchfoot or Nickel Creek, they just hit the spot.

Enjoy!

Adele - who knew?

It's rare that I hear an artist for the first time on SNL and really like them. Usually, if I haven't heard the musical guest, it's because I've purposely avoided them. I had never heard of Adele before Saturday, and I am very impressed with her. She's got a strong, soulful voice. Here's the video for her single "Chasing Pavement".

And here's a clip from her album, "19". It's a little different from the other songs on her album, but I'm a sucker for the bassline.