NewBandDay » 2011 Best New Bands

Best New Bands of 2011 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD: #1 Other Lives

New.Band.Day — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:10:10 +0000

Jeremy Charles thank you for this perfect photo of our #1 Best New Band of 2011. The Hummingbird Award is well deserved.

Best New Band of 2011
#1 Hummingbird Award – Other Lives

I like what we originally said back in May:
The band is really seven years old, forming under the name Kunek, they created an EP and made Stillwater, OK proudly scream for their hometown heroes. An album a name change and now a new record and Other Lives thrills America with a beautiful record. Think Wolf Parade, sprinkle the bells of Sigur Ros and a tad bit of National brooding without the guttoral leads. It’s a DNA favorite of Southern fried folk. Tamer Animals is a great record and one that I think you’ll be raving about all year. Buy the record here –> on LP

To add to that:
The band is so good, they deserve to be opening for Radiohead. They were the most viewed artist at NewBandDay in 2011, and the album never left our playlist. We’re not from Oklahoma, but I’ve been to Stillwater. I wish we saw them in 2009 when their first unnoticed record hit the streets. Stillwater, is a college town, but seriously something interesting is happening in the middle of the US. Even Radiohead noticed. We do tend to bend our own rules here…Other Lives’ first record was released in 2009, but to little fanfare. The blogs loved it, but it was mildly picked up. It took two records for the band to perfect The Red Dirt sound. Tamer Animals might be considered the water shed moment of the sound. It’s The National’s tear jerking vocals and songwriting, but the sounds are more layered and a little more airy. It doesn’t slip into the dream state, but it’s edges on it. Tabish’s vocals are so alluring, you can’t help but sing along, or hum along and you’re begging for the next track. The album is amazing and it’s worth a listen over and over and over and over…If you’re about to say “Other Lives isn’t a new band.” We say “We don’t care and you’re a lame music snob who needs to find another blog to read.” So take that and enjoy the best new band of 2011.

Read the original post on 5.12.11

Vitals:
Hometown: Stillwater, OK
Members:
Jesse Tabish (piano, guitar, lead vocals)
Josh Onstott (bass, organ, Backing vocals)
Jenny Hsu (cello, piano, Backing Vocals)
Colby Owens (drums)
Jonathon Mooney (piano,violin, guitar)
Sonic Soulmates™: Mercury Rev, The National, Wolf Parade
Trackables™:
“For 12 (Demo)” – The song that made Thom Yorke stop for a listen.

Download: for_12_demo.mp3

“Tamer Animals”

Download: otherlives_tameranimals.mp3

Follow:
MySpace
Facebook
Official Site
Spotify

WHAT ARE THE HUMMINGBIRDS?
2011 Winners

Hummingbird Award #13: Lana Del Rey
Hummingbird Award #12: WATERS
Hummingbird Award #11: Suuns
Hummingbird Award #10: La Sera
Hummingbird Award #9: Sun Airway
Hummingbird Award #8: White Denim
Hummingbird Award #7: Dirty Beaches
Hummingbird Award #6: Widowspeak
Hummingbird Award #5: Charles Bradley
Hummingbird Award #4: EMA
Hummingbird Award #3: The Vaccines
Hummingbird Award #2: James Vincent McMorrow
Hummingbird Award #1: Other Lives

LISTEN TO ALL 13 HUMMINGBIRDS PLAYLIST HERE
BUY ALL THE HUMMINGBIRD ALBUMS HERE

Best New Bands of 2011 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD: #2 James Vincent McMorrow

New.Band.Day — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:01:26 +0000

yes he recorded the entire record in this tranquil forest. James Vincent Mcmorrow deserves the accolades and the #2 Hummingbird Award

Best New Band of 2011
#2 Hummingbird Award – James Vincent McMorrow
He’s Irish, his songwriting is heart wrenching and he might be as good as Bon Iver. That’s a bold statement, but it should give you some context as to why James Vincent McMorrow is our 2nd favorite new artist of 2011. I would say he has the talent to rival Cody Chestnutt and James Blake. Buy Early In The Morning

Vitals:
Hometown: Dublin, Ireland
Members: James Vincent McMorrow
Sonic Soulmates: Bon Iver, Perfume Genius, Damon McMahon of Amen Dunes
Must Hear Tracks:
“If I Had a Boat” – McMorrow’s smokey voice sings of freedom from that trapped place in his seaside cottage. Quite possibly my favorite track of the year.

Download: 01-if-i-had-a-boat.mp3

“Like the River” – Winding through the acoustic mind of McMorrow sounds much like that or Ray Lamontagne.

Download: 04-like-the-river.mp3

“This Old Dark Machine” – Andrew Bird styled recordings. Love it.

Download: 02-this-old-dark-machine.mp3

Follow James:
Official Site
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter
Spotify

Original Post: Band of the Day 2.7.11

WHAT ARE THE HUMMINGBIRDS?
2011 Winners
Hummingbird Award #13: Lana Del Rey
Hummingbird Award #12: WATERS
Hummingbird Award #11: Suuns
Hummingbird Award #10: La Sera
Hummingbird Award #9: Sun Airway
Hummingbird Award #8: White Denim
Hummingbird Award #7: Dirty Beaches
Hummingbird Award #6: Widowspeak
Hummingbird Award #5: Charles Bradley
Hummingbird Award #4: EMA
Hummingbird Award #3: The Vaccines

Best New Bands of 2011 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD: #3 The Vaccines

New.Band.Day — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:21:06 +0000

Everybody loves them because they're better than everyone. The Vaccines!

Best New Band of 2011
#3 Hummingbird Award – The Vaccines
Don’t hold it against us because The Vaccines are so damn popular, but rather, you should relish in it, enjoy it. They are so good and we were there back in January. We were sent the single “If You Wanna” and we thought the same thing…two minute romp Strokes style. So we wrote them off in 2010. Then What Did You Expect From The Vaccines, and truly, we didn’t expect it to be this good. Really, it was shockingly Is This It good. They’re better than any rock band of the last 2 years. Truly, Surfer Blood and the likes all wish they could be The Vaccines.

Vitals:
Hometown: London, UK
Members: Justin Young, Árni Hjörvar, Freddie Cowan, Pete Robertson
Sonic Soulmates™: The Strokes, Chapel Club, Surfer Blood
Trackables™:
“Blow It Up”

Download: 02-blow-it-up.mp3

“Wrecking Ball (Ra Ra Ra)” – This song plays every time I play my FIFA 2012 on my iPhone!

Download: 01-wreckin-bar-ra-ra-ra.mp3

Follow:
Facebook
Spotify

Original Post: Band of the Day 1.26.11

Best New Bands of 2011 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD: #4 EMA

New.Band.Day — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:05:48 +0000

California dreaming with post punk love music from Oakland, CA's EMA

Best New Band of 2011
#4 Hummingbird Award – EMA
I had a very hard time choosing this spot. There are about 10 bands that deserve to be in our Top 10 Best New Artists of 2011, but truly, we can’t fit them all. The Hummingbird Award is special. It’s for those bands that make a dent in the universe. Do something extraordinary…create a stellar record, great series of singles, great live artist, whatever it is, the artist needs to make an impression, much the like the loveliest bird on Earth, the Hummingbird. EMA made her mark early in the year. She’s a little bit country, a whole lot of 80′s industrial goth and a layering of folky noise that will make you regret falling in love with her. I think she’s the type of woman that just makes you feel regret, but addiction at the same time. You know what I’m talking about. We just adore EMA here at NBD, and by the way, I’m writing this on BART as I pass by her exit here at West Oakland, so take that EMA.

Vitals:
Hometown: West Oakland … originally from South Dakota
Members: Erika M. Anderson, Nicole Anderson, Nicky Mao, Leif Shackelford
Sonic Soulmates™: Zola Genius, Sleigh Bells, Early Hole
Trackables™:
“The Grey Ship”

Download: ema-the-grey-ship.mp3

“Milkman” – My favorite track by her!

Download: past-life-martyred-saints-milkman.mp3

Click here to listen on your iPhone or iPad
EMA – “The Grey Ship”

Follow:
Facebook
Spotify

Original Post: Band of the Day 5.4.11

Best New Bands (Artist) of 2011 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD: #5 Charles Bradley

New.Band.Day — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:55:04 +0000

The wiseman bringeth on his Daptone debut. Charles Bradley #5 Best New Artist of 2011

Best New Band of 2011
#5 Hummingbird Award – Charles Bradley

As we mentioned back in March, this might be the oldest New Band (Artist) ever featured at NBD. Charles Bradley is a modern soul man, writing and singing from truth of experience, Bradley owns his words and you can feel it. This wise man of soul brings a timeless classic to our ears with his new debut record No Time for Dreaming. Soulful, heart-wrenching vocals make you feel as if the 60′s never ended. Charles heals his broken heart on this record and you can hear every painful to healing moment. You might argue that 25 year career puts Bradley out of the New Band territory, but we argue that this is truly is break-out moment. You’re never too young to fly like a Hummingbird

Vitals:
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY (Bushwick)
Members: Charles Bradley, The Menahan Street Band (Leon Michels, Toby Pazner, Nick Movshon, Aaron Johnson, Mike Deller, Daniel Fodder, Dave Guy, Homer Steinweiss, Fernando Velez, Bosco Mann)
Sonic Soulmates™: James Brown, Bill Withers, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Tyrone Davis
Trackables™:
“Golden Rule”

Download: 03-golden-rule.mp3

“The World is Going Up in Flames”

Download: 01-the-world-is-going-up-in-flames.mp3

Click here to listen on your iPhone or iPad
Charles Bradley – “Golden Rule”
Charles Bradley – “The World Is Going Up In Flames”
Widowspeak – “Burnout”

Follow:
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Original Post: Band of the Day 3.22.11

Best New Bands of 2011 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD: #6 Widowspeak

New.Band.Day — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:45:11 +0000

I haven't been this in love since last week. WIdowspeak soothes my soul. So deserving of the Hummingbird

Best New Band of 2011
#6 Hummingbird Award – Widowspeak
Ahhh the Spectorian sounds of 2011 all started back in January or maybe it was the hangover from 2010. Tennis, Cloud Nothings, etc. all slammed us with the airy 60′s pop female led bands. Our favorite and our fan favorite was Widowspeak. No band got more attention on NBD this year than Widowspeak. Why? A. They’re good. B. They had a new record hit mid-year and C. Molly crushes the vocals. This three time zone trio is a treat and we hope you find them Top 10 worthy on your list.

Vitals:
Hometown: Chicago, IL or Tacoma, WA or Brooklyn, NY
Members: Molly Hamilton, Michael Stasiak, Robert Thomas
Sonic Soulmates™: Cloud Nothings, Eternal Summers, Mazzy Star
Trackables™:

“Harsh Realm”

Download: 03-harsh-realm.mp3

“Puritan”

Download: 1465-puritan.mp3

“Burnout”

Download: 02-burnout.mp3

Click here to listen on your iPhone or iPad
Widowspeak – “Harsh Realm”
Widowspeak – “Puritan”
Widowspeak – “Burnout”

Follow:
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Original Post: Band of the Day 1.6.11

Best New Bands of 2011 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD: #7 Dirty Beaches

New.Band.Day — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:09:47 +0000

Emanating from the underground is a new sound that chills the bone - Dirty Beaches

Best New Band of 2011
#7 Hummingbird Award – Dirty Beaches
You might hear Alex and think it’s a novelty, but I assure you that it’s not. The “dirtiness” is a great description, he sounds like the aura of Elvis emanating from an opium den. It’s dirty, etherial and mind altering. Just listen to the tracks below and you’ll find that they’re unique enough to give him the nod for one of the greatest new artists of 2011. Enjoy.

Vitals:
Hometown: East Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Members: Alex Zhang Hungtai; solo performer, sound-smith, and trans-Pacific nomad. Born in Taiwan, Hungtai has made Toronto, Honolulu, Montreal, and Vancouver his homes.
Sonic Soulmates™: Lou Reed, Roy Orbison, Misfits, if Depeche Mode came from the 60′s and early 60′s beat bands…
Trackables™:
“Lord Knows Best”

Download: 06-lord-knows-best.mp3

“True Blue”

Download: 05-true-blue.mp3

“Sweet 17″

Download: dirty-beaches-sweet-17.mp3

Click here to listen on your iPhone or iPad
Dirty Beaches “Lord Knows Best”
Dirty Beaches – “True Blue”
Dirty Beaches – “Sweet 17″

Follow:
Official Site
Spotify

Original Post: Band of the Day 1.12.11

Best New Bands of 2011 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD: #8 White Denim

New.Band.Day — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:45:41 +0000

"Street Joy" is such a good track, that you'll have to hear their whole collection - White Denim

Best New Band of 2011
#8 Hummingbird Award – White Denim

Yeah we don’t really give a hoot that they’ve been playing music since 2006. A couple of records under the belt and D finally gives them a break-thru moment! The new record D is rock your socks off good. “Street Joy” is 2011′s “Bittersweet Symphony” or something like that. It’s so good, you’ll want to Spotify the bands first record. I just used “Spotify” as a verb. Crap…I was so irritated when I actually had to accept “text” as a verb, now that kid at the 7-11 is gonna say “Dude just Spotify me the song.” White Denim is like our faves here at NBD, Tame Impala. If that gives you any indication of their sound then why the hell are you reading this post, get listening.

Vitals:
Hometown: Austin, TX
Members: Josh Block (drums), Steve Terebecki (bass), and James Petralli (guitars, vocals)
Sonic Soulmates™: Tame Impala, Boyish U2, Shabazzzzzz
Trackables™:
“Street Joy” – So so so so so so GOOD!

Download: streetjoy.mp3

“Drug (BJorn Remix)”

Download: white-denim-drug-bjorn-remix.mp3

Click here to listen on your iPhone or iPad
White Denim “Street Joy”
White Denim – “Drug (Bjorn Remix)”

Follow:
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Original Post: Band of the Day 8.23.11

WHAT ARE THE HUMMINGBIRDS?
2011 Winners
Hummingbird Award #13: Lana Del Rey
Hummingbird Award #12: WATERS
Hummingbird Award #11: Suuns
Hummingbird Award #10: La Sera
Hummingbird Award #9: Sun Airway

Best New Bands of 2011 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD: #9 Sun Airway

New.Band.Day — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:36:05 +0000

Hummingbird Award #9 Best New Band Sun Airway

Best New Band of 2011
#9 Hummingbird Award – Sun Airway
I don’t how it works really. The bands just stick in our heads. Sun Airway is only on our list because of our band crush on Lord Huron. He’s the Little Mermaid hipster. We keep getting caugt in the seaweed and we just can’t get out. Sun Airway drives home the underwater dreaminess for 2011. They are amazing. We’re not just saying that…they really deserve the nod.

Vitals:
Hometown: Philadelphia-based project
Members: ex-A-Sides Patrick Marsceill and Jon Bathmus
Sonic Soulmates™: Lord Huron, Animal Collective, The Pomegranates, Here We Go Magic (Featured on NBD 3.25.10)
Trackables™:
“Swallowed By The Night”

Download: 04-swallowed-by-the-night.mp3

“Oh Naoko”

Download: 03-oh-naoko.mp3

“Waiting On You”

Download: 05-waiting-on-you.mp3

Click here to listen on your iPhone or iPad
Sun Airway “Swallowed By The Night”
Sun Airway – “Oh Naoko”
Sun Airway – “Waiting On You”

Follow:
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Spotify

Original Post: Band of the Day 6.20.11

WHAT ARE THE HUMMINGBIRDS?
2011 Winners
Hummingbird Award #13: Lana Del Rey
Hummingbird Award #12: WATERS
Hummingbird Award #11: Suuns
Hummingbird Award #10: La Sera

Best New Bands of 2011 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD: #10 La Sera

New.Band.Day — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:59:58 +0000

Capturing that moment when an artist is about to crack the mainstream...hear La Sera now. Photo by http://www.lesphotosduphil.fr

Best New Band of 2011
#10 Hummingbird Award – La Sera
Ahhh, we love when an artist decides to step out and take a chance on their own. La Sera or Katy Goodman took a pause from Vivian Girls, grabbed a few friends flew to Seattle, recorded an album, two videos and has created one of the purest Spectorian albums of 2011. She is a beautiful specimen.

Vitals:
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Members: Katy Goodman (bass, vox), Jenn Prince (guitar, vox) and Jonathan Weinberg (drums, vox, keys)
Sonic Soulmates™: Tennis, My Bloody Valentine, Phil Spector 50′s ladies
Trackables™
“Devils Hearts Grow Gold”

Download: 09-devils-hearts-grow-gold.mp3

“Under the Trees”

Download: 08-under-the-trees.mp3

“Dove Into Love”

Download: 10-dove-into-love.mp3

Click here to listen on your iPhone or iPad
La Sera “Dove Into Love”
La Sera – “Under The Trees”
La Sera – “Hearts Grow Gold”

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Original Post: Band of the Day 2.2.11

WHAT ARE THE HUMMINGBIRDS?
2011 Winners
Hummingbird Award #13: Lana Del Rey
Hummingbird Award #12: WATERS
Hummingbird Award #11: Suuns