Nude Beach photos were fun to look for, but their music is just as good. Hummingbird #9
Best New Bands of 2012 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #9: NUDE BEACH
There was a time in my life where it revolved around my jean jacket, my shaggy hair, my need to date any girl that looked like she was wearing ripped up jeans and a loose fitting shirt and quite possibly a mutual desired love for The Jam. It’s good to know that that phase has passed, but the sonic soulmates of that ERA keep cropping back up. Most of which absolutely suck, really they do. Only one or two will last longer than their actual predecessors, not to say that the early pop rock Gods were any good either. They had their time and it passed, but with our generation of Millenials who believe that nothing existed before 2000, here is something to remember. Every band has a Sonic Soulmate. Even your beloved Radiohead. Nude Beach is quite good and deserves to be on this year’s list. They skate the Costello riffs and The Jams rip and tear to produce a high quality record. We look forward to their follow-up LP and some tour dates.
Vitals:
Home: Brooklyn, NY
Members: MChuck Betz, Ryan Naideau, and Jimmy Shelton
Sonic Soulmates™: 1983 guitar pop bands see Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, The Jam, The Alarm
Trackables™: Notable tracks from his release II, but listen to the whole damn thing “Walkin’ Down My Street”
“Radio” – Tom Petty
“Some Kinda Love”
The Weeknd is better than Frank Ocean so we gave him a Hummingbird
Best New Bands of 2012 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #10: THE WEEKND
I hate secrets. Especially when they are about me. So why is The Weeknd such a secretive dude? Why won’t he tell us the truth or remove the shroud and celebrate his greatness. We want an interview! Here is what we do know, his music is absolutely amazing, he is Abel Tesfaye, he released three mix tapes in 2012, he signed to Universal Republic, he has important friends, he is a man, he sounds like Drake and R. Kelly, he is one of our favorite new artists for 2012, he just won a Hummingbird. So here is what we said last month…and enjoy our gift to you! He should be #1, but dude your Trilogy came out too late this year. He skyrocketed up our list around September and held onto to Spot 10. We even got several hundred votes from readers for him.
Vitals:
Home: Toronto, CA
Members: Abel Tesfaye
Sonic Soulmates™: R. Kelly, Drake
Trackables™: Notable tracks from his release Trilogy, but listen to the whole damn thing “This Morning”
“Wicked Games”
“House of Balloons/Glass Table Girls”
Best New Bands of 2012 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #11: FEAR OF MEN
Really, Fear of Men should be our anthem for 2012. 2012 was our Lillith Fair 2.0. More women leads, more female solo artists and no men, anywhere. Here’s what we said about them in our “Fresh Nectar” report back in November…they made our playlist for the End of Times
“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” EPs and some great tracks made up their year as we await a full length any day now. we’re now 2 for 2 with female leads. Did we mention that this was the
Vitals:
Home: Brighton, UK
Members: Jess Weiss, Dan, Alex and Mike (last names not available)
Sonic Soulmates™: Veronica Falls, St. Etienne, GRMLN
Trackables™: “Green Sea” single — one of our favorite songs of the year.
A Hummingbird is the most prestigious award a new band can receive. Hands down, if you win one, your life will never be the same.
First of all let me thank you, again! This is the Second Annual Hummingbird Awards and we owe it to you. This has been an amazing year for us here at NBD. We profiled another 200 bands, bands have thanked us and you fans have been supported us. So to close out this year, we’re going to count ‘em down STARTING NOW. It’s time, we’ve taken the last week to study our picks. We’ve found a few things..
1. The Rock Band rose from the ashes and then died again…
2. This may be the year of the AMAZING female and XY/XX duo. Screw that lilith crap.
3. Telling stories are so much better when you’re 60+
4. It doesn’t take much these days to become a star…slinger
5. The singer songwriter will never die
6. Elvis isn’t dead he may have just been reborn in an opium den
7. Arizona Turk has a lot to say about the list…though he’s very quiet these days
8. The Ark is now full
9. Our favorite band of the year is another shocker
10. Hummingbirds are amazing birds…Your Band Wants To Win a Hummingbird!
The Tallest Man on Earth changed our world that's why he is the Hummingbird
Best New Bands of 2010 Hummingbird Award: #1 The Tallest Man on Earth
Yep, this is it…the Number 1 Hummingbird. The voice, the songwriting, the perfection that is the final Hummingbird is The Tallest Man on Earth. Why, you ask? Well, the Swedes dominated music this year, with artists like The Radio Dept., Sambassadeur and Little Children being a key source of our favorite bands. Hell, two out of our top three Hummingbirds come from Sweden. Kristian Matsson is an exquisite songwriter/poet:
Why are you stabbing my illusion?
Just cause I stole some eagle’s wings
Because you named me as your lover
Well, I thought I could be anything.
His lyrics stitch together stories of potentially impeded regal dreams, the coming of Odin’s Wild Hunt, death, heartbreak and love diverted. His voice is ashy, with a nasal flare, similar to great Dylan tracks, but when you hear his live sessions, he loses the falsetto and you hear a pure beauty. His comparison to Dylan is not just of the vocal nature, but how he exposes you to the colors of words through song. You get lost in his words forgetting it’s just a man with a guitar, he’s a story-teller. This was a year that The Music Muse and I went to many shows, but no other show captured our souls more than seeing TTMOE at the Brookdale Lodge in the Santa Cruz mountains. He wrapped his words around the crowd of 200 and we were all shaken. He didn’t stop creating either, he did showcases, EPs, LPs, etc. He produced quality music the entire year.
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.
Vitals:
Hometown: Dalarna, Sweden
Members: Kristian Mattson
Sonic Soulmates: Bob Dylan, John Vanderslice not too many others can be compared to him
Tracks of the Year:
“King of Spain” – Regal dreams are the best dreams, but not when you’re lover is trying to hold you down.
“You’re Going Back” – Seriously this is just one guy and his guitar.
“The Wild Hunt” – One of the greatest opening tracks of an album. He’s waiting for Odin to arrive and he’ll be leaving in the fall.
It's All Yours Pomegranates, go get the Hummingbird
Best New Bands of 2010 Hummingbird Award: #2 The Pomegranates
Seriously, in November we all thought the #3 best new bands were set. The Pomegranates had a nice single hitting the college radio charts and so we profiled them. Then I spent a few weeks with the new album One Of Us and I was impressed. I spent time with them on my headphones on BART, on my car stereo, on my home stereo. Every time the shuffle pulled up one of their tracks, I stopped to check who it was. It hit me on a trip to Columbus, I listened to “Prouncer” and realized that these guys are worthy of the #1 spot for our Hummingbird Awards. What about The Radio Dept? What about Jim Jones Revue? Well The Pomegranates hit #2 and we’re confident in saying that they are that good. The album is a collection of fuzzy surf sounds, 90′s Brit Rock and early 80′s new wave. They’re Surfer Blood mixed with Blur with a dash of U2 Boy. These guys are GREAT and they are one of the Best New Bands of 2010.
Vitals:
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Band Members: Joey Cook – Vocals, Guitars/Keyboards, Isaac Karns – Vocals/Guitars/Keyboards, Jacob Merritt – Drums, Daniel Lyon – Vocals/Guitars
Sonic Soulmates: Blur, Oasis, U2, The Radio Dept. and of course Surfer Blood
Tracks of the Year:
“Prouncer”
“One of Us” – Spacey, shoe-gaze love track. Might be my fave. A little U2 bass line
The Radio Dept. Will be the biggest band from 2010
Best New Bands of 2010 Hummingbird Award: #3 The Radio Dept.
They were our favorite band of 2010 mid-year. We anointed them perfect because their album was and still is perfect. It is our album of the year, but they were surpassed. It doesn’t mean that they aren’t worthy of our #1. The band was a pure concept in 1995, named after a gas station in Lund, Sweden, they disbanded soon after, then in 2009, they reformed with new members and became pure perfection. With an ode to the synth modern wave rock of the 80′s with bands like The Pet Shop Boys or The Cure, their music is tightly arranged allowing for airy simplicity in the synth. It isn’t sad or morose like the My Bloody Valentines, but relaxing and fun like The Pet Shop Boys. So sad they’re not #1, but there are two bands that just did it better in 2010. We love The Radio Dept. and we know they will be one of the 2010 alums that will be BIG BIG BIG!!!
Vitals:
Hometown: Malmö / Stockholm, SE
Band Members: Daniel Tjäder – Keyboards, Martin Carlberg- Guitar, Johan Duncanson – Guitar and vocals
Sonic Soulmates: The Pet Shop Boys, The Cure, My Bloody Valentine
Tracks of the Year:
“Heavens on Fire” – My favorite new song since 2000.
“Domestic Scene” – Best opening track to an album since “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Things are looking up for Chapel Club photo by Ben Rayner
Best New Bands of 2010 Hummingbird Award: #4 The Chapel Club
Okay so this was my Christmas present for Arizona Turk. I had them at #10, but moved them up to Christmas Day as a gift to him and all of our fine fans. For the love of the baby Jesus, this band is quite good. They have the Interpol, Joy Division, mood rock down. They’re gonna be very big having just signed to A&M and they can write a great song. Really love their style, it’s new but classic sounding. Listen with pleasure…Merry Christmas
Vitals:
Hometown: London, UK
Members: Lewis Bowman, Michael Hibbert, Liam Arklie, Alex Parry, Rich Mitchell
Sonic Soulmates: Interpol, JJ72, My Vitriol, Joy Division
Tracks of the Year:
“The Shore” – It’s so darn good, you’ll listen to it twice.
Jim Jones Revue Bursting with Enthusiasm for the Hummingbird
Best New Bands of 2010 Hummingbird Award: #5 Jim Jones Revue
Seriously, when I first listened to the promo from the label, I thought it was a re-issue. I listened again and swore it was something I had a vinyl from 1962. Then I did a Google search for Jim Jones Revue and I was blown away. I downloaded everything I could find, called my Arizona Turk, published as much as I could and spread the word. This was by far the most energetic, speaker busting, kick your ass band of 2010. If Little Richard, Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis were blended together with a 5 Red Bulls, poured over ice and served, you’d get Jim Jones Revue. Don’t adjust your speakers/headphones, just take off your shoes and prepare for a body changing experience. Jim Jones Revue deserve a permanent place on your iPod, vinyl shelf and iTunes account.
Vitals:
Members: VOCALS / GUITAR, RUPERT ORTON : GUITARS, ELLIOT MORTIMER : PIANO, GAVIN JAY : BASS, NICK JONES : DRUMS
Hometown: London, UK
Sonic Soulmates: Elvis, Misfits, Little Richard and every piano poppin’ doowop band from 1956-today.
Track of the Year:
“Hey Hey Hey Hey”
Best Coast - Hanging with Ronnie and the Hummingbird Award
Best New Bands of 2010 Hummingbird Award: #6
Bethany Cosentino is Best Coast and she makes me feel good inside. We fell in love with her back in April. She can grind it out on her electric guitar, or break your heart with her vocals. Think Jenny Lewis with a vendetta to crush you. Her album was one of the best of the year and her summer track “All Summer” for Converse with Kid Cudi is our #1 track of the year. She will be here for a long, long time. Crazy For You is instantly likable and a good album, I love it as much as I did back in June. It’s definitely lasted the test of time. It’s shocking that 2010 was her debut year. We love you Beth and we’re so happy that you were our first BOD @New.Band.Day
Vitals:
Hometown: Eagle Rock, CA (Los Angeles)
Members: Bethany Cosentino
Sonic Soulmates: Jenny Lewis, Surf Rock and the sounds of a bad break-up
Track of the Year:
“All Summer” – Watching the video makes this even better. Who’d uv thunk that a TV commercial would bring the song of the year. Kid Cudi and Beth together the greatest XX/XY duo.
“Boyfriend” – When she’s by herself, you’ve gotta love the grind. Another Top 10 track of 2010.
Best New Bands of 2010 Hummingbird Award: #7 Efterklang
Efterklang isn’t new, actually these Danish boys have been making music for some time. But it’s us stubborn Americans who choose to ignore anything not from Brooklyn or Silverlake. I’ve spent the better part of 2010, talking about bands from everywhere, not ignoring the 50 states, but exposing you to music all over the world. Crystal Fighters are Basque, Tame Impala is from Perth, but two regions have dominated the music scene this year, Canada and The Nordics.
Efterklang is upbeat, pianos, horns, strings and just great 80′s modern rock with a twist. It’s hard for me to believe that these guys aren’t from Canada, but they’re not…The Danes rule today and we love them a TON!
Vitals:
Band Members: Mads Brauer, Casper Clausen, Thomas Husmer & Rasmus Stolberg, Rune Mølgaard has also been a member for many years, but he has taken a more secluded role the recent years.
Hometown: Copenhagen, Denmark
Sonic Soulmates: Stars, The Dears, Broken Social Scene (Must be obsessed with Canada Rock)
Tracks of the Year:
“Modern Drift” – Quite possibly the best song of the year. It’s mind blowing how good this song is!
Original BOD Post: From our Facebook profile on 3.1.10
Efterklang was also part of our Best of 2010…So Far
Best New Bands of 2010 Hummingbird Award: #8 Crystal Fighters
We fell in love with them back in the summer, and in October we profiled them. Emails and comments followed, because Crystal Fighters are probably the most inventive NEW sound of the year. Este de Navarre, Spain and their Basque blood-line inspires the eerie flavor of traditional Basque folk music with catchy energetic dance tracks with MGMT style vocals, resulting in an uplifting sound unlike any other. We really wanted to put them higher on our Hummingbird list, but you be the judge. If you haven’t heard them, well CONGRATS, because today is going to be a great day. I know we will see them in our Top 3 next year. Thank you to our Music Excavator, Arizona Turk for finding this gem.
Vitals:
Members: Sebastian, Gilbert, Graham, Mimi, Laure
Hometown: Navarre, Spain
Sonic Soulmates: MGMT Gogol Bordello, Traditional Basque sounds
Tracks of the Year:
“Swallow” – This is the raddest track of all.
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.
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2013 (5.24.13) Marriages Oh hey how are you? Yes we’ve been tweeting and not blogging, sorry. We got sucked into the world of twitter passing along new music, so if you’re in the mood follow us @newbandday So you all know the Arizona Turk, right? I am convinced he’s […]
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.
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.
RT @EYJr: Best wishes to the Rockies organization. Thankyou for my time with you. Truly a blessing to be with the city of Denver. Thankyou … 5 days ago
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.
