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Band of the Day (10.20.10) Crystal Fighters

20 Oct

Band of the Day (10.20.10) Crystal Fighters

Congrats to the Arizona Turk, he officially has a baby Turk and we’re so happy for him. To celebrate the birth of his baby girl we’ve chosen one of his favorite bands of this year. They officially put him in a good mood…for the Turk, that’s saying a lot.

Crystal Fighters este de Navarre, Spain. 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. There sound is so inventive and unique, we can’t wait to share. They’re MGMT wrapped up with Gogol Bordello and ancient instruments that make their sound worthy of Band of the Day. Give them a listen.

Here is the background from their Facebook:
‘Crystal Fighters’ is the name of an unfinished opera written by singer Laure’s deceased grandfather during his final months of insanity. She came across it while clearing out the reclusive old man’s remote abode in the Basque countryside, and quickly became obsessed with the scrawls contained within it. Captivated by its seemingly prophetic contents, the band took on the name which all, in their way, attempt to expand upon the wild and deranged spirit of the old man’s writings.

Rad right?!?!?! They’re a creative bunch of dudes and I hear their live shows are second to none. So tape up the windows, invite over 1000 of your closest friends, take off your shirts, put on Crystal Fighters and your night is made.

Hear:
“Swallow” – This is the raddest track of all.

Download — Crystal Fighters – “Swallow”

“Xtatic”

Download — Crystal Fighters – “Xtatic Truth”

“Follow” –

Download — Crystal Fighters – “Follow”

Follow:
MySpace
Facebook

Band:
Sebastian, Gilbert, Graham, Mimi, Laure

Band of the Day (10.19.10) VETO

19 Oct

Band of the Day (10.19.10) VETO

So thank God for our kick ass music excavators. Arizona Turk has been on a roll lately, introducing the fans to incredible new music. Our newest family member Bristian, Nordics King, blew up my Inbox with some pretty amazing stuff as well.

Today’s BOD, VETO bring electro-dance, rage rock direct from Copenhagen. The music is aggressive, but the vocals and lyrics have a Kasabian flare. Their breaks set-up the dance floor for Kasabian style choruses. Their music is tightly programmed but not overproduced like Perfect Circle or many many others. Their a cleaner, quicker version of Bloc Party with a mix of Dismemberment Plan. Their down-temp tracks are very Depeche Mode in styling. This perfect combination shows that electronic music is truly the world’s music. If you didn’t know, you would have guessed that the boys of Veto were from Brooklyn. VETO has a gigantic Danish and European following after two consecutive years of touring. They’ve yet to break-through in the US. Again, it’s time for the international NBDers to make VETO big! Take a ride with these tracks and let us know your thoughts.

Hear:
“Blackout” – Grind out track that will get your blood pumping.

“You Say Yes I Say Yes”

“Bring It On”

Band:
Troels Abrahamsen
Vocals, Keys, Programming

David Krogh Andersen
Guitar

Mark Lee
Keys, Programming

Jens Skov Thomsen
Bass, Keys

Mads Hasager
Drums, Programming

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Band of the Day (10.14.10) Carl Broemel

14 Oct

Band of the Day (10.14.10) Carl Broemel

Do you hate it when your favorite band’s guitar player decides to step out and make a solo record? Most of them make crap, I have no idea why, maybe it’s the comfort of your family band, or the fact they hire less talented musicians to play with them. I’ll use a few examples of crap. James Iha of the Smashing Pumpkins recorded a big fat smelly dud with Let it Come Down. Or how about Main Offender by Keith Richards? Slash has tried, but failed, Ace Frehley, bomb? Nine times out of ten, the experiment goes awry. Except with one obvious one….John Lennon. But that doesn’t count. He was the soul of The Beatles and when the soul leaves he can create a masterpiece with or without Paul. Though I will say, there are big piles of steaming crap on some of those records. Maybe it’s just the Gestalt theory that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Each of these parts only works as part of the whole.

So you’re asking what is your point NewBandDay? Well I have for you Carl Broemel of Nashville, TN. Yes the lead guitarist of My Morning Jacket, that Carl Broemel. His new solo record All Birds Say was released in September and it’s good enough to separate itself from the crap mentioned above. Yeah sure an MMJ record is great and it’s only great because Broemel is lead guitarist. He’s inventive but clings to the roots of Kentucky plucking. He has the bluegrass down, coupled with piano and a good voice. He’s no Yim Yames, but he’s not trying to be. He brings the steel pedal, horns and the like to a quality record. You’ll find a Broemel and Broemel on the liner notes, that’s because Carl got a chance to collaborate with his father who is a former member of the Indianapolis Symphony who provides clarinet, baritone sax, and bassoon. This record has been on my turntable for days and I keep hearing more and more each time I listen. It’s a little Ron Sexsmith, Andrew Bird even a little 60’s Bread. I think you’ll find it pleasant and a record to enjoy in the dampening fall climate indoors.

Hear:
“Carried Away” – My Favorite Track. slide guitars, piano, great vocals, etc. etc.

MP3 – Carl Broemel – “Carried Away”

“Life Leftover”

“In The Garden” – Probably the closest thing to a MMJ track.

Follow:
CarlBroemel Site
Facebook

Band of the Day (10.13.10) Eluvium

13 Oct

BOD (10.13.10) Eluvium

It’s really late and I’m having one of those dive deep into my head nights. I needed some ambient music, so I scurried through my care package from my good friend Arizona Turk and our newest excavator and noticed the new Eluvium record. Similes is the fifth album from Portland, Oregon ambient musician Matthew Cooper, under the name Eluvium. The record includes, for the first time, vocals from Matthew. It’s an amazing record and it should be THE record that get’s Eluvium to a place of stardom. It’s not just a sound noise experiment, it melodic, death defying and melodic. Matthew’s voice is similar to another haunting late evening favorite Matt Berninger of The National. It’s not often we write about bands that have 5 records, but it is often that we dream of deserving, hard working musicians getting their day in the sun. Matthew deserves much love for his beautiful records and it’s so worth taking a Saturday night and deep diving into his catalog. For now, I have two tracks for you and I know you won’t be disappointed.

Hear: (I uploaded the two best vocal tracks because they are the best tracks. I love them both…spread his love)
“Making Up Minds”

Download — Eluvium – “Making Up Minds”

“The Motion Makes Me Last”

Download — Eluvium – “The Motion Makes Me Last”

Follow:
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Eluvium.Net

Band of the Day (10.12.10) BIGCOLOUR

12 Oct

BOD: (10.12.10) BIGCOLOUR

I remember the first time I heard The Police. I can’t say I was of the age where I could see them live, but it was a sound that struck me as inventive. The lead singer playing bass, the drum beats I couldn’t tap my toes to and the layered guitars with reggae overtones and a smattering of garage punk. So there’s this guy from Chicago that seems to have some buzz around him. His name is Brian Brissart and he’s cleverly owning his sound. I know comparing him to The Police is a big “No No” but dude has a direction that people are comfortable with and it sounds great. It’s a combination of Toro Y Moi’s spectacular chillwave vibe, The Police’s vibe and Real Estate’s Indie rock feel. He has a couple of EP’s out, his newest is Meshes of the Laughternoon. Listen to a few tracks below.

UPDATE —- Just got an email from the label and BIGCOLOUR just released the fantastic EP Centuries of Summer and you can download it for free from his BandCamp here.

Listen and love it.

Hear:
“Crevasses” – The Police guitar and vocal vibe. My favorite track from the new EP

BIGCOLOUR – “Crevasses”

“Stork” – Probably the most accessible track from Brian. Love it and I wouldn’t be shocked to see it splattered all over the blogs.

Download – BIGCOLOUR – “Stork”

“Power Stranger” – Love this track too.

Download – BIGCOLOUR – “Power Stranger”
His live band includes:
joseph andert
jordan vouga
alex auby

Follow:
MySpace
Facebook

Band of the Day (10.11.10) Little Children

12 Oct

BOD (10.11.10) Little Children

Today is a huge day, a day we celebrate because we have a new music excavator. Someone to own The Nordics, digging ever deeper to find us the best new music from the great North. Bristian comes to us from Lund in southern Sweden, he’s a music junkie and he’s been introducing us to new music for sometime now. Please read his bio here

With Little Children, Linus Lutti’s musical alias since early 2009, the tone is the quiet, emotional and sincere. He’s from Stockholm and his voice is soft. The low-key style is his thing, it’s an unmatched tone, but the arrangements of sparse guitar, horns and woodwind instruments could rival that of Bon Iver. Add a jazzy touch like that of John Legend or Jamie Cullum and you have the perfection of Little Children. See Little Children touring London in November…

Hear:
“Hold On” – This song will make our top 25 for the year.

Download now: Little Children – “Hold On”

“Salvation”

Download now: Little Children – “Salvation”

Follow:
MySpace
Facebook

Band of the Day (10.7.10) Warpaint

7 Oct

BOD: (10.7.10) Warpaint

All girl quartet Warpaint has been on the LA scene for some time now. Over three years of hard core touring, and a few EPs, the band has really found their groove. With a new LP hitting stores this fall, we’ve find the cherokee ladies of Silverlake perfectly mixing electronic sounds with layered vocals. As Cat Power goes retro cover chic, Warpaint smashes it live with the likes of John Frusciante mixing new tracks. Time to make Warpaint your favorite female artists of 2010.

Hear:
“Elephants”

Download — Warpaint – “Elephants”

“Billie Holiday” – Arranged by Red Hot Chili Pepper John Frusciante, this track is vocals first and very pleasant

Download — Warpaint – BillieHoliday

Band:
Emily Kokal /// vocals, guitar
Theresa Wayman /// vocals, guitar
Jenny Lee Lindberg /// bass, vocals
Stella Mozgawa /// drums, keys, vocals

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Facebook

Band of the Day (10.6.10) Moon Duo

6 Oct

BOD: (10.6.10) Moon Duo

San Francisco is a hot bed for new music. I’m not kidding, see Tamaryn and The Fresh and Onlys. Don’t believe me, we don’t care, because we’re here and there is a sound forming. Moon Duo is the finest of what SF has to offer. Their a wall of spooky sounds and their wall includes a shoegazey horrorific approach that keeps you listening. Our friends at the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride were looking for new music for this year’s event and we at NBD suggested Moon Duo. Sanae Yamada and Ripley Johnson formed Moon Duo in the City in 2009 and their latest EP is kraut driven and it reminds us of BRMC with a mix of Royal Trux and a dose of Turbonegro.

Hear:
“Escape” – Surf rock for the night dwellers.

Download – Moon Duo – “Escape”

“Motorcycle, I Love You”

Download – Moon Duo – “Motorcycle, I Love You”
Band:
Sanae Yamada
Ripley Johnson

Follow:
MySpace
Facebook
MoonDuo.Org

Band of the Day (10.5.10) Miniature Tigers

5 Oct

BOD (10.5.10) Miniature Tigers

Brooklyn indie pop rock, dabbed with a little Supergrass are what make Miniature Tigers great. So they made the trek to the big slope from Phoenix, but it was worth it. You all are probably snickering saying, “Dude Miniature Tigers were so Band of the Day in 2006.” Possibly, and yest CMJ did award them the top crown in 2008, but it’s Fortress that will define this band. Tell it To the Volcano was a fine record for these boys, but they released it smack dab in the in The Vampire Weekend years and they got lumped into that genre. It’s this latest record that makes them special and worthy of the daily jeweled crown. Miniature Tigers have perfected that Brit Rock Supergrass sound and they’ll make it bigger than Supergrass did. Those poor guys released fantastic records every year, and the US just ignored them…

Hear:
“Goldskull” – You’ve heard this single by now and it’s fantastic. WIll make the NBD Top 10. It’s GREAT!

Download –>Miniature Tigers – “Goldskull”

“Egyptian Rose” – The second best track on the album, showing their love for 90’s Brit Indie rock…piano in tow!

Band:
The band is made up of frontman-guitarist Charlie Brand, Rick Schaier on drums and vocals, Algernon Quashie on guitar, keyboard and vocals, and Alex Gerber on bass and vocals.

Follow:
MySpace
MiniatureTigers.com

Band of the Day (9.30.10) Sambassadeur

30 Sep

BOD: (9.30.10) Sambassadeur

I’m in a female vocalist mood this week. Stumbled on three very good bands led by females this week. Sambassadeur are a Swedish pop band formed in 2003 in Gothenburg actually in Skövde, a much smaller town in Sweden. Anna Persson has a silky voice with a twinge of attitude. The band are signed to the Labrador label, releasing three studio records. Their third album, European, was released in February 2010. I think I’ll call them The Younger Sibling of The Cardigans with a flair for the Metric, Emily Haines dramatics. Best description I have. “Albatross” is a great track and makes the album download worth the listen.

Hear:
“Albatross”

Download —>Sambassadeur – “Albatross”

Band Members:
Anna Persson, Daniel Permbo, Joachim Läckberg, Daniel Tolergård

Follow:
MySpace
Facebook
Band site

Band of the Day (9.29.10) Lower Dens

29 Sep

BOD (9.29.10) Lower Dens

Jana Hunter, brings spaced out mid-fi, fuzzed out sounds with Lower Dens. Having worked with Devendra Banhart early in her career, Jana cut her teeth with Phosphorescent and CocoRosie. Lower Dens is the resurfacing of Jana, away since late 2007, and she is the first artist to be featured on Devendra’s label Gnomonsong.

Lower Dens is a foursome that co-habitats in Baltimore, though Jana is originally from Texas. Their sound is reminiscent of early 80’s rock, with clean guitars, fuzzy synth and awesome vocals. I won’t place them in the XX category, but they sure do cross over that sonic sound several times on this album. Jana’s voice is a combination of Mazzy Star, PJ Harvey and the gutteral sounds of Fiona Apple.

Hear:
“Tea Lights”

DOWNLOAD NOW Lower Dens – “Tea Lights”

Download their DayTrotter Session —> Don’t know DayTrotter? Go there now to get a FREE SESSION. Love the Daytrotter.

Band Members:
Jana Hunter
Bookends
Teddy
Stella

Follow:
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter

Band of the Day (9.28.10) Mystery Jets

28 Sep

BOD: (9.28.10) Mystery Jets

It’s a miracle or a damn shame that British bands don’t break in the US. So many labels try, but the mainstream American ear is primed for processed drivel. It’s people like Arizona Turk me and our faithful listeners who understand, support and evangelize their favorite Brit rockers. I told the stories about Doves, Travis, etc. etc. etc. etc. but for God’s sake, someone please take Mystery Jets and make them big. They have 45,000 followers on Facebook, three albums and that’s not enough. They need a TV show, a big movie, an iPhone ad, a VW campaign, something. I put Mystery Jets in the UK files as “Yet Another Fantastic Example Of Sunken Atlantic Treasures.” Maybe it’s the trek across the Atlantic, but never-the-less, here is some good old fashion afternoon listening.

Mystery Jets, stormed onto the scene in 2006 from Eel Pie Island. Yes this is a real place, a tiny island on the river Thames and it was a musical haven in the 60’s. In 2010 they introduced Serotonin, their third record, and it’s good. They bring big, rock pop sounds that are complex but don’t suffer from any Northwest echoed vocals. It’s what you expect from a big bad British rock band. It’s heartfelt, and it gets right to the point. It’s synthesized with clap machines and 70’s glam riffs but it quickly delivers Rush type vocals with simple clean British guitar riffs. The 80’s synth is an accompaniment, not a detriment. I say they’re one part The Coral, a dot of Travis, a sprinkle of The Killers, frosted with Geddy Lee vocals. By the way, Mystery Jets have more Facebook followers than Geddy Lee. Go figure.

Hear:
“Melt” – My favorite track from the new record

Band:
Kapil Trivedi
William Rees
Kai Fish
Blaine Harrison
Henry Harrison

Follow:
MySpace
Facebook
Twitter

Band of the Day (9.27.10) How to Dress Well

27 Sep

BOD: (9.27.10) How to Dress Well

How to Dress Well is Tom Krell, a Bon Iverish vocalist that accompanies 90’s R&B beats. A clever sound from a clever man. He is a daytime philosopher from Cologne, Germany and a nighttime DJ who’s created a brand new sound. His vocals are eerie, his sound is familiar but unique. I think you’ll find this album one of your favorites of the year. Love Remains came out on September 21st. Get it here. Think Jodeci with a drop of LL Cool J, a spoonful of Tangerine Dream and a pound of Bon Iver.

Hear:
“Take It On”

How To Dress Well – “Decisions (feat. Yuksel Arslan)”

“Endless Rain” – It sounds like Jodeci was hijacked by Bon Iver

How To Dress Well – “Endless Rain”

Follow:
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MySpace
Band Site