Are there garages in Lambeth? If so, Palma Violets rocks theirs
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2013 (1.22.13) Palma Violets
You readers may have missed the stellar list our contributing music stalker posted back in December. Well it included Palma Violets one of the bands that turned our heads yet again. Just perfect bone crushing punk harmonies. It’s not surprising that these closet garage rockers hail from Lambeth outside of London. Hell we might be too late. NME already crowned them with their song of the year with “Best of Friends” hear below…but we might just catch the jetstream and claim that as something brilliant to keep an eye on! Their debut album 180 hits the street on February 26, 2013!
Vitals: Founded: 2011 Hometown: Lambeth, London, UK Members: Sam Fryer (vocals) and Chilli Jesson (guitar), Pete Mayhew (keyboards)
Will Doyle (drums) Sonic Soulmates™: U2 Boy era, The Libertines?? maybe…Arctic Monkeysesque Trackables™: “Best of Friends” – It’s catchy and the lead comes off like a combo of Sid and Bono —- Boy era Bono.
One of our favorite new bands is here to stay Ex Cops
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2013 (1.8.13) Ex Cops
Ahh man, back to the grind. Real life is busy and crazy this week, but NewBandDay life is calm and ready to take over the world. We received our Christmas gifts and man were we stoked. Ex Cops, with their kick ass 2012 EP is prepping with a new LP on 1/22/13 True Hallucinations. Grab it on vinyl here…The sound reminds us of Best Coast but with a dude on lead and with the new single holy cow they sound like Teenage Fanclub or even a little like Girls. With the addition of the players Kai, Leif and Sam, this record is sure to crush in early 2013.
Vitals: Founded: 2011 Hometown: Brooklyn, NY Members: Brian Harding, Amalie Bruun, Kai Kennedy on lead guitar, Leif Young Huckman on bass, and Sam Bair Sonic Soulmates™: Trackables™: “James” – New single very Teenage Fanclub!
Doomsday Delights…the final list of music for the end of times.
Mayan calendars, apocalyptic weather patterns, locusts, temple completion. Oh it’s all coming down to 12/21/12 So let’s enjoy it with new music. Here are our top 10 bands, albums and what nots to make our November list or the last 30 days of our existence a memorable one. The perfect playlist of new bands for the end of times. Too bad these bands won’t make it past our little blog…or will they:
#10 –> April Maze
Melbourne duo, touring since ’10. Perfect Sad music for when you think back on the missed opportunities, the love lost, investment’s gaffed, etc. April Maze will be your last cigarette type moment. The new album is Two
#9 –> Dwntwn
When you want to dance in the streets with no clothes on…I know I’m going hear this band on Gossip Girl at some gala event to celebrate Blair’s new clothing line. Dwntwn’s new EP The Red Room
#8 –> The Vaccines
They go in the “BECAUSE WE WERE RIGHT” category. No band we were more sure about, well maybe Mumford, but The Vaccines new record Come of Age spills over with Johnny Rotten vocals and a soundtrack moment for the one last revenge eff. You know the one that got away, the one that dumped you HARD. Your cure is here. Needle up “All In Vain” and give her a call.
#7 –> Jonathan Boulet
This is the soundtrack to overthrow the final vestiges of your leadership. The song you have pumping in the car when you finally tell authority to eat shit. Possibly my favorite record of 2012! “You’re An Animal” is the song that should be played! Another band from down under. New record is titled We keep the beat Found the sound See the need Start the heart
#6 –> Darren Hayman and the Long Parliament
If you want to impress her or him by addressing the dinner party with your deep dark knowledge of the Essex Witch Trials which took place during the English Civil War, then spend the time with Darren Hayman’s Violence. It’s a considered listen and it will definitely give you a leg up and the “End of Times Dinner Gala”. Who knows we might all be considered witches and this is a guide to avoid your own persecution.
#5 –> Clinic
Are we supposed to care about bands from 1997 when the world is about to end..Hell yes we are, especially when Free Reign is their best record since 2002. Liverpool’s Clinic is the music playing while you question your life choices, you say to yourself “Why didn’t I do XXXX” you can fill in the blank.
#4 –> The Weeknd
You’re now counting minutes, no not that stupid Justin Timberlake movie In Time, but the real minutes, who knows if you even have electricity left. This is the record that will be playing when the last ounce of oxygen is removed from the planet. Why, because it’s that good that you want to hear it again and again and again and….The Weeknd is Abel Tefsaye of Toronto who was/is about to redefine R&B. Drake and Kanye droool at the feet of The Weeknd. Trilogy is when you pray that this really isn’t the end because you need one more record from this cat.
#3 –> Fear of Men
Man will surely be the reason why the world ends. Something we created, some manufactured food, only God knows. What I do know is that Fear of Men are the BEST BAND OF 2012…Really and truly. Fear of Men are the London/Brighton quartet of Jess Weiss, Dan, Alex and Mike
#2 Crystal Castles
Did someone say endless amounts of drugs because it won’t matter when we’re all dead. Bring on the heroin, the crystal, hell bring on the krokodil tears, ever since I read about that shit in Vice, I really wanted to get my hands on some of that Russian brain melter from Novokuznetsk. So as you drift up to Neverland with Pan and his little people, play the perfect psychotropic soundtrack…Crystal Castles (III). Hell if you can find a boat head to the Nordics and enjoy the grime party.
#1 –> The Walkmen
Only because it’s what I want to listen to on my last day on Earth. It’s the band that perfectly explains my mental maturity. From the youthful rage of “The Rat” to the timeliness of You & Me to the soberness of the new record Heaven. It’s what I want to hear when I reach the pearly gates and need to explain myself to my maker. Just play “Heaven” on repeat until it’s over. The record provides aural courage.
Break Glass if needed:
NEW MUSIC FOR BEING CHASED BY ZOMBIES OR AN ANGRY MOB: GRAVEYARD
NEW MUSIC FOR THE MOMENT WHEN STANDING IN A CONVERTIBLE, HAIR BLOWING IN WIND: HEY SHOLAY((o))
NEW MUSIC FOR THE MOMENT YOU REALIZE YOUR LOVED ONES ARE ALL GONE…so sad: HOW TO DRESS WELL Total Loss
NEW MUSIC FOR THE LAST RUN ON THE MOONLIT BEACH WITH YOUR LOVE…so romantic: BEACH HOUSEBloom
I love Girls but I think we love Christopher Owens more…
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (11.5.12) Christopher Owens
I don’t know how I feel about this. It would be like Jack White going solo after the first two White Stripes records. Christopher Owens leaves Girls after a second record that quite possibly was the best record of this decade. His solo record is good, which shows us that the band Girls had far more depth. The Tullesque flute coupled with the electric guitar sounds like early Fleetwood and later Midlake combined. I’m sold, but dude don’t burn us and give your Girls bandmates a chance and do another record in 2013. We really do, did and still do love Girls —> read for yourself WE WERE RIGHT!!!
Vitals: Founded: 2012 Hometown: SF, CA Members: Christopher Owens Sonic Soulmates™: Midlake, Girls, Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull Trackables™: “Here We Go”
GRMLN is Yoodoo Park. Lo-fi great music. Listen to his EP now!
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (10.22.12) GRMLN
Lo-fi, still living in his parent’s basement and he’s only a Sophomore at UC Santa Cruz. Isn’t that the school where you have clothing optional Wednesday’s? None-the-less it’s a great segue to the stripped down sounds of GRMLN. It’s lo-fi, single guitar, vocals, electronic backing. Think Dirty Beaches, but Yoodoo has melody. It’s clean, crisp and a little Jack Whitey.
Vitals: Founded: 2012, started making music in 2010 Hometown: orange county to santa cruz Members: YooDoo Park Sonic Soulmates™: Lo-fi clean guitar Jack White, Dirty Beaches Trackables™:
We first heard him with Ben E. Kings “Stand By Me” — Clever
Listen to his new EP Explore here. love “Love.Think.Die” & “Coral”
Amazing rockadelica from London will knock your socks off.
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (10.14.12) Toy
Phew…we thought this year of rock was going to boil down to Tame Impala and that Nirveatles crap. What a sham…then, oh then we hear Toy and our hearts skipped a beat. Psychadelia from London, makes us think of our Primal Scream days, but I have to say they are better. They have melody and they rock the sh*t of the place. You can get lost in their music like that of early Verve, see “Already There” and then call us and tell how amazing that song is. We beg you to listen to “Dead and Gone” and tell us that you aren’t in love. Oh and they’re on Heavenly Records, a trusted label of quality. We dare you….Thank you.
Vitals: Founded: 2012 Hometown: London, UK
Members: Tom Dougall
Dominic O’Dair
Alejandra Diez
Maxim Barron
Charlie Salvidge Sonic Soulmates™: Primal Scream, Tame Impala, Verve Trackables™: “Dead and Gone”
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (9.24.12) New War
How often can you say, “Wow those dudes sound they came from the 80′s” a lot right? More than feels acceptable, but hey that’s quite alright, the 80′s were indulgent and eclectic. Wearing a little eyeliner and some lipstick was ironic and buying expensive things became the norm. But how often do you hear someone say, “Dude that band sounds like U2 being impregnated by Frankie Goes to Hollywood”….never. What made Frankie absolutely acceptable, was their tribal sound. What made U2 great was not their desire to to change channels on a 500 ft. TV screen, but was their Irish rebellion DNA. That DNA mixed with Frankie’s flashiness, gives us New War. To make it easy, they sound a heck of a lot like Kasabian. That’s it. New record is S/T and it’s good.
Vitals: Founded: 2012 Hometown: Melbourne, AU Members: Chris Pugmire, Jesse Shepherd, Melissa Lock Sonic Soulmates™: U2, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Kasabian Trackables™: “Revealer”
Alt-J is worth the listen. The Leeds lads would rather you call them ∆
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (9.14.12) Alt-J
Leeds, no football club wants to be caught dead playing at Elland Road. You not only risk the punishing play on the field, but the fan abuse is unrivaled. It’s not surprising that a band like (∆), pronounced Alt-J was birthed under that protective shell. They like the culture of the football fans, is one of a kind. Although, they’re not punishing, just lushing…a new word I just made up. It’s hard to pin them to one sound. Maybe they lean a little to the right with Nurses, Animal Collective, or maybe a little more left and Radioheady, but it’s the upbeat almost danceable nature of the music that gets me and the NBDers jazzed. Yes these lads one the Mercury Prize, so it’s not a surprise that they are on our watch list. And by the way F*(K Pitchfork for that craptastic 4.5 review. I feel good when I lis tento tracks like “Something Good” or “Ms” maybe it’s the bells or the strummy guitars. A track ends and I get the same feeling I used to get before an exciting first date with that lady I fawned over. Alt-J is that band that will make your weekend better.
Vitals: Founded: 2011 Hometown: Leeds, UK Members: Gwil, Joe Newman [guitar/vocals], Gus Unger-Hamilton [keyboards] and Thom Green [drums] met at Leeds University in 2007 Sonic Soulmates™: Midlake, Nurses, Animal Collective Trackables™:
“Breezeblocks” – Amazing single
Nude Beach – The best band to google search, is one of 3 bands you must hear this year. 2012
We’re going be concise here, but here are three bands we love and the ones to watch out for in 2012. We’ll uncork them when we find some time!
TEEN: NY band, been chopping away since 2002. Member joined as the keyboard player for the indie-psych band Here We Go Magic in 2008. First major LP In Limbo
Vitals:
Maia Ibar has recently left the band leaving the lineup as follows:
Teeny Lieberson – Guitar/Keys/Vocals
Lizzie Lieberson – Keys/Vocals
Jane Herships – Bass/Vocals
Katherine Lieberson – Drums/Vocals Myspace Facebook
Trackables:
“Unable”
Nude Beach: Brooklyn, early 80′s Elvis Costello, all-eras Tom Petty. Good new record II a band you should be tracking.
Vitals:
Chuck Betz, Ryan Naideau, and Jimmy Shelton Facebook
Trackables:
“True”
Terrible Truths:
Vitals:
Liam Kenny
Rani Rose
Stacey Wilson
Trackables:
“Don Juan”
Jessie is Ware you want to be on August 20th to hear her new record.
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (7.12.12) Jessie Ware
Jessie Ware first hit our radar when we heard “Strangest Feeling” we thought it was good, and we even enjoyed her vocals in SBTRKT, but the early press on her new record Devotion is what made our our ears stand-up. Listen to Devotion in it’s entirety below from The Guardian. I like to believe that she is our modern Sade with a little more power. Really. We here at NBD trace our musically DNA from the 80′s. We were all tricked and believed that Depeche Mode was unique or that Metallica was original, the reality is that music is derivative. It’s the bands like Metallica and Depeche Mode that improved on their predecessors. We’re now listening to artists redeliver the 80′s heavy synth accompanied by poppy soul singers or duets. Jessie Ware does to Whitney Houston what Bon Iver did to Steve Winwood. We hope that gives you context.
Vitals:
Founded: 2010
Hometown: Brixton, London
Members: Jessie Ware
Sonic Soulmates™: Sade, Whitney Houston, Tracey Thorne
Trackables™:
Listen to the the title track “Devotion” here.
Poolside bring rafting with jean shorts to a whole new level
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (6.12.12) Poolside
I’ve been super busy. Not like any of you readers give a hoot about my life, but I’ve been meaning to tell all of you about our new favorite obsession…POOLSIDE. If that’s not the best summer sound band name, then I suspect you’re from Siberia. The sun is needed for happiness you pale Vitamin D—eprived ruskie. Get on a donkey and ride out to the coast with the cool sounds of Poolside. We first became obsessed with their epic rendition of “Harvest Moon”. Who knew Neil Young was a hipster pool party companion. I see dudes in jean shorts with long beards and pinner shades floating in a Silverlake pool…That’s what I envision when I hear Poolside, oh yeah maybe Beck stopped by for a little acoustic smoke-out.
Vitals:
Founded: 2010
Hometown: LA/SF
Members: Filip Nikolic, Jeffery Paradise
Sonic Soulmates™: Kenny Loggins, Toro Y Moi
Trackables™:
“Slow Down” – Kenny Loggins, Caddyshack, Danny, Chevy, Murray….that’s all I can think about here.
“Harvest Moon” – If Gilmore met Young and made an odd looking female spawn.
Albert is no Daniel and Pujol is a great rock band.
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (6.12.12) Pujol
I know it’s Daniel’s last name, the founder and mastermind of the band, but do you, Daniel, understand our challenge? The Cardinal now Angel is darn lucky his parents didn’t punish him with a double entendre for a first name and that he could hit a baseball 450 ft. Angel fans all over the Anaheim area could be rooting for a slugger named Rip or Harry. It still amazes me that ESPN hasn’t done the play on words with his name, but I guess when you can hit a leather ball over a wall, they’ll let you be named anything. That is the same gracious gratitude we’ll give Daniel and his boys of Pujol. Because the band doesn’t sound like shit, they deserve the respect. But guys, how do I tell my Twitter followers that I am going to see Pujol at the club tonight. Either way, I love to rock with Pujol, Jesus guys, impossible to write about you, just listen to them.
Vitals:
Founded: 2009
Hometown: Nashville, TN
Members: Daniel Pujol, Adam Tanaka plays drums. Sean Thompson plays lead guitar and Joey Scala plays bass.
Sonic Soulmates™: Supergrass, I sense a bit of Corgan in the falsetto, Black Lips and the late great Jay Reatard
Trackables™:
“Providence”
Kishi Bashi is pure Joy for your mid-May afternoon. Enjoy
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (5.17.12) Kishi Bashi
Some little bird told me that Kishi Bashi made her cry at his show in Boston. I said, “Come on, tears? This isn’t the 1984 Victory Tour with the Jacksons”, but I will say that his Flaming Lipsish soft orchestra approach is alluring. His live shows are mesmerizing and women, children and men may spontaneously weep, but it’s his layered complicated approach that will get him the notoriety he so deserves. Fall in love with Kishi like we have, the video game accompanying tracks make for a joyful experience, hear “Bright Whites” as he blends Eastern sounds with Western friendly tracks. Two tracks below. New record 151a is available here.
Vitals:
Hometown: Norfolk, VA
Members: K Ishibashi (aka Kishi Bashi) – He is a one man army of orchestral layers, Japanese vocals, and pure joy
Sonic Soulmates™: Flaming Lips, Brian Wilsonesque Smile,
Trackables™:
“It All Began with a Burst”
The Arizona Turk is one the primary contributors to New.Band.Day. He’s been a fixture since 2010 and his picks are ahhhhmazing. They may seem confusingly unfamiliar, but that’s why we love him. His picks sound odd today, but if you look back over the past several years, you’ll notice that those bands are just now […]
She is our #1 Band Crush of 2012. Hands down a well deserved Hummingbird. After 3 years and four LPs she’s taken artist sensibility and created a wonderful record.
Don’t deprive yourself of Jessie because she may have crested to the mainstream. Just don’t be that guy…enjoy Jessie for the fact that she is one of the best new artists of 2012.
The Perfect Playlist for the End of Times. That’s right you Top 10 Doomsday Delights all compiled and ready to gooooooo!!! Now enjoy your final 39 days.
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (10.22.12) GRMLN Lo-fi, still living in his parent’s basement and he’s only a Sophomore at UC Santa Cruz. Isn’t that the school where you have clothing optional Wednesday’s? None-the-less it’s a great segue to the stripped down sounds of GRMLN. It’s lo-fi, single guitar, vocals, electronic backing. Think […]
The Perfect Playlist for the End of Times. That’s right you Top 10 Doomsday Delights all compiled and ready to gooooooo!!! Now enjoy your final 39 days.
Three new nectarly fresh records to listen to…in their entirety. Don’t be a song slut, please listen to what they recorded. Do you just eat filling in the Oreo? I didn’t think so.
STAFF PICKS – Our own Arizona Turk finally put pen to paper and sent us his 2011 GEM list stuffed with reverb, sonic soundwaves and spacey dreams. My mind is a whirl with all this great stuff. Read his list, like the bands on Facebook and listen to his playlist on Spotify. There are some real GEMS in here….Top 10 Bands, Tracks and Albums of 2011.
No other band put a dent in our 2011 universe, then Other Lives. They are big now, but even back in May of 2011, the band was still small. Now they’re touring with Radiohead and they are so deserving of our #1 Hummingbird Award for 2011. Get the album, tell your friends you’ve been listening since early 2011, and make them your new favorite band of 2011 and for all-time.
We don’t care that everyone knows who they are…they deserve to be voted onto the list of Hummingbird Award Winners. Listen and enjoy what everyone in The UK loves. They are better than any rock band since…The Strokes.
I love you, I hate you, I love you again, don’t leave me…please. That’s how we feel about our 4th Best New Band of 2011. EMA is Amazing and we want you to love her as well.
Age ain’t nuthin but a number. That’s right this 64 year-old soulman brings electrifying emotion to our ears. His Daptone Record is quality and well deserving of the Hummingbird.
Best New Bands of 2010 Hummingbird Award: #1 The Tallest Man on Earth
He is the reason why I love music, why I love to share music, why we endure the crap…he is the gem that was excavated one Winter morning back in February, and now he is THE MOST IMPORTANT NEW ARTIST OF 2010. Thank you Kristian for making and creating.
Best New Bands of 2010 Hummingbird Award: #2 The Pomegranates
Fuzzy Cincinnati, Ohio surf rockers bring a fantastic new album to 2010. I think these guys have just enough quirk to break-thru. They’ve been grinders on the road and with 3 LPs and a few EPs, they deserve the accolades. Love them and so will you! Hear two new tracks now a grab the Daytrotter session NOW! They DESERVE THE HUMMINGBIRD!!!
Best New Bands of 2010 Hummingbird Award: #3 The Radio Dept.
They were voted #1 in our mid-year Best of 2010 list. They are perfection in motion, they’re Pet Shop Boys sounds are a new way to make the [Second] Wave worth it’s rise. The Radio Dept. has an amazing album and will make our final three Best Albums of 2010, posted later this week. We love The Radio Dept. and we know you will!
Best New Bands of 2010 Hummingbird Award: #4 Chapel Club
Chapel Club is Morrissey trapped in a Interpol video. They destroy the stereotypes of the Second [New] Wave, and make it fun to listen to again. They mix The Smiths, Interpol, My Vitriol, Glenn Danzig and Joy Division all into one. The single “The Shore” is brilliant and we are thankful that the Arizona Turk pulled an all-nighter to find this gem. Merry Christmas
Best New Bands of 2010 Hummingbird Award: #5 Jim Jones Revue
Seriously the Best Band of 2010 and they’re only #5…WOW, this is much harder than I thought it would be. They’re Little Richard, The Misfits and Jerry Lee Lewis all wrapped up in an angry little package. I love em soo much, I hope this endorsement gets you to listen. Listen to 2 new tracks.
This is the final post of 2010. The Top 10 Albums from Me the Editor. Damn it’s been a great year musically. If you said this year in music sucked, then you weren’t listening or reading. If you have a friend and you’re a friend then pass along NewBandDay.com to them. It’ll be their New Years Resolution, or yours if you’re looking to be a better friend. The albums are here. So go download them…NOW! See you next year.