I first stumbled on Keep Shelly in Athens (KSIA) from another BOD Danniel Radall. He shares the same love that I have for the downtempo, electronic mastery that RΠЯ and Sarah P. deliver. They are a XX/XY mystery Grecian duo and they truly call Athens home. Their sound is a blend of hardcore downtempo maestros like Kruder and Dorfmeister and modern day pack leaders like Air. I think you’ll enjoy these unusually warm Fall nights with a little KSIA. Here are two tracks for you to enjoy:
I love José González…bottom-line, he’s inventive, his voice is soft, elusive but pure. He’s made me cry before and his music has been there with me through some pretty amazing moments. I think his music has made those moments amazing. So when I heard that that Junip, his original trio of very talented folksters prior to his Zero 7 fame, were releasing a new single, I couldn’t wait. “Rope and Summit” is exactly what you would expect from José González and his trio of all-stars. It has the perfect blend of acoustic guitars, synth and drums to perfectly set the undertone for José’s voice. JUNIP are amazing in that you can’t help but wonder who provides the music. In most José González tracks you get lost in his voice and the sounds comes second. But in JUNIP you don’t get that. Elias Araya is on drums and Tobias Winterkorn plays keyboards.
Fort Collins, CO is home to Colorado State University and also touts it’s 36,000 acres of open space. I dug deeper and discovered that Fort Collins was voted the #1 Best Place to Reinvent Your Life: AARP Magazine – May & June 2003 edition. Then I got it, it all clicked. I stumbled on Candy Claws from one of the many fave music blogs out there a few months back. I grabbed a few MP3’s and listened and didn’t know what to make of them. They’re spacey, airy and fresh. I felt good after hearing their music. Especially the single, “Sunbeam Show” it just did me right. It brought that open airy feeling and covered me like a waterfall of sound. Refreshing and a great sound to reinvent a genre. Candy Claws hails from Fort Collins, CO and it’s so obvious that the fresh mountain air has inspired their sound. I love these guys and I think they have the depth to influence the Animal Collective/Fleet Foxes crowd. They’ve upped the ante on the core “Pet Sounders” and they’ve added something, it’s a freedom of sound. It’s not repetitive, it doesn’t harmonize with itself, it sounds a bit more free and I think you’ll agree.
Hear:
“Sunbeam Show”
“Silent Time on Earth”
Someone might want to tell these guys that they have to split royalties. Here is the council of Candy Claws:
Band Members:
Kay – singing, samples
Ryan – singing, sounds
Marty – guitars
Riley – bass
Jonathan – keyboards
Meghan – keyboards
McKenzie – percussion
Wesley – drums
Karen – Mountain
Sarabeth – Mountain
Celeste – Voice of the Jungle Princess
Ahhh Canada is back and this time it’s in the form of a Fucked Up band member and a smash your face in rock sound. I never get sick of good rock music. Yeah Ben Cook’s vocals sound a little like Alex Turner or even more Britt Daniel of Spoon. It’s good shit and I think it’s time Ben Cook stop with the projects and stick with Young Governor. Love this shit.
Hear:
“Virginia Creeper”
Here is the GUVLUVMixtapeVol.1 – Dude I grabbed my skateboard, slipped on the Chukka boots and destroyed the streets with this on my walkman. This is good good stuff.
Manchester, London has given us great music over the years, Lonelady is the latest to hit the scene. Lonelady is Julie Campbell. She’s a mix of Annie Lennox, Kate Bush and Niko. She belongs in 1982, but she’s not a retro 80’s New Wave chick. She’s got soul, she’s a folk singer and she’s classic. Nerve Up was released earlier this year and she’s destroying the UK press. The US has yet to discover her sound, or if they have those people are keeping it a secret. Spread the word, enjoy her music and take a listen to two new tracks.
Hear:
“Marble” – You’ll notice the similarities here…she’s got a little Siouxsie Sioux in her.
“Intuition” – This is her single and it’s darn good.
These boys have a knack for acoustic, folky indie rock. Their simple songs are emotional and classic. I know they’re not new, but they also deserve to be the Band of the Day. Anything to spread great music. The boys are from Crouch End, London and they are heavily influenced by that Fleet Foxes type sound, and the shimmering voice of Jack Steadman is amazing. There are harmonies that rival those of CSN and there are those moments that Steadman stands alone and he bares his soul for us. I love these guys and it’s time they get the love they deserve here in the US. Thank you to Arizona Turk for turning us on to this amazing band.
Hear:
“My God”
“Word By Word” – Quite possibly a candidate for song of the year. Steadman’s voice rivals Nick Drake and Conor Oberst
Band:
Jack Steadman
vocals, guitars and bass
Jamie MacColl
guitars, bass and vocals
Suren De Saram
drums and chanting
Ed Nash
bass and keys
Band of The Day (9.7.10): Ablehearts
Brooklyn, NY sound maestro Thomas Arsenault, brings the emotionally driven Ablehearts to us. The Flood is a collection of sound mixes and noise compilations, powered by Thomas’ Bon Iverish vocals. Listen to two new tracks and understand that when Thomas gets past the experimental stage, we’re going to have a massive star on our hands. His creativity is powerful and “2012” is a showcase of what he does best.
The Best Description of Ablehearts:
” Beautiful melodies, fractured song structures, jittery electronic loops and melancholy folk guitar” – Doron Sadja
Hear:
“2012′
“You Are the Girl For Me” – I think I fell in love with this so called “girl” for Thomas. I love this track!
Holy shat these guys are fantastic. I’m not the biggest garage rock, fuzzed out, dirty guy. But if you’ve been reading NBD long enough, you’ll notice that if the band is great, they’ll get their due. Broken Water is Nirvana meets shoegaze. They’re Olympia’s finest new specimen of whir, fuzz and dirty, amplified guitars coupled with echoed vocals. They’re not some PacNoWest rip-off band. They’re inventive and super cool. Super cool in the way they weave in and out of the heavy. They use the reverb as a way to spray emotion on you, but they pull back to the clean guitars and Abigail’s vocals just in time to prevent a complete overload. It’s a great threesome organization and they are well deserving of the props. Thank you to Arizona Turk for turning me onto these guys.
Band:
They formed in 2008 and seem to be residing in several bands up in the Olympia area. SISTERS, Oly’s Congratualtions, etc.
Hear: “Memory” – It’s Nirvana guitar riffs, Cobain stylings, but I would compare this track most to Dinosaur Jr. F’n love it.
“Dead Light” – It’s dark and haunting, but not droney. It’s got enough grit and grime to make you feel dirty, but Abigail’s vocals clean you up to show to the parents.
Macabre music makes for great Fridays. I love BALAM ACAB because their music takes you to the lowest depths but an angelic airy voice keeps you from sinking down to the bottom. It’s a clever way to play with sounds, and it’s what makes their music so great. Alec Koone is the mastermind from Ithaca, NY. Dude is only 19 and he’s crushing it. Not sure I’ve seen too many artists come from the Gorges, but this one will make a name for himself. I think you’ll love the sounds.
Most of the time, Minneapolis means a chilly trip to visit some buyer at Best Buy. Now I have reason to celebrate, catching a live show from Dark Dark Dark. They’re established with some roots in the self-proclaimed “Chamber Folk/Indie” space. What I gather, is that means loads of instruments, small recording spaces and chillingly awesome vocals. Take a listen to the two tracks below, I love Nona’s vocals and I think you’ll find they’re not another Montreal want-to-be. They’re classic and inventive. Familiar and new. Listen and pre-order the new LP. Nona is a beautiful cross between Zee Avi and Fiona. Thanks again to my Music Muse for this great find.
Band:
Marshall LaCount, Nona Marie Invie, Jonathan Kaiser, Todd Chandler, Walter McClements, Brett Bullion, Mark Trecka
Hear:
“In Your Dreams” – World sounds coupled with Fiona Apple vocals. Tapping pianos turn this track into something special.
Breathe Owl Breathe, the trio of Micah Middaugh, Andrea Moreno-Beals and Trevor Hobbs, hail from Lansing, Michigan, Northern Michigan, where it’s a bit cooler and a bit more woodsy. Their songs, band name and emotion chill you to the bone, but there’s something child-like that surfaces in Middaugh’s lyrics. I sense pain, but I also sense that Middaugh and crew have complete control over the emotion. They’re folk driven, of the likes of Fleet Foxes, with a little Bill Callahan, a sprinkle of Nick Drake and whole mess of Edward Sharpe and The Young Republic. They haven’t had an album in about two years, but the band made it over to Daytrotter in April for a session. If you don’t love Daytrotter than you just don’t know about it. Download a free session of Breathe Owl Breathe now from Daytrotter. Please download and support these guys. I get the sense that a new album is coming this fall. Thank you to my Music Muse for turning me on to BOB.
Hear
“Swimming” – Middaugh converses with us about his desire to take a dip while Andrea provides a Feist like falsetto from the swimming hole.
Band Member Bios:
Micah Middaugh is a marathon runner, printmaker, carpenter, a wildlife; a folk archive of North Michigan’s woodlands. Micah scribbles songs, plays guitar, banjo, thimb piano, and plastic toys.
Colombian-born Andrea Moreno-Beals grew up in Ann Arbor, a gifted classical cellist from the Rudolf Steiner school; part Bach, part Bossa Nova, part Bluegrass. Andrea lends an ethereal voice to her cello and banjo.
Trevor Hobbs is a physical geographer-drummer ( ;D ), currently residing in Lansing, Michigan. His steady beats and brushes add to the band’s repertoire of violins, vibraphones, glockenspiels, and percussions
Paris boys bring heavy loaded dance music with quick guitars, synths and a drum beat to get your arse moving. Since 2004 they’ve matured, think Bloc Party meets Muse. I’d be shocked if these guys are the top of the Must Hear list for 2010. As much as I loved Bloc Party’s first record, it’s about as much I like these dudes. Listen to the attached track and let us know what you think. This will be your new favorite band, it’s my favorite new music of the day!
Paper Crows is the London synth duo Emma Panas and Duncan McDougall. They’re a mix of Kate Bush, a bolder XX and Portishead. I’ve got the only three tracks I can find on every playlist. They met at music college in Killburn and they started recording in hidden session in Duncan’s bedroom. If this is what they create hidden in a loft, what will we get with a studio recording?
They’re current tagline….
Stop. Revive. Survive. I’ll add Repeat.
They are really one of the best new bands hitting. I can’t believe they only have three tracks.
Hear:
“Stand Alight” – I posted the SoundCloud tracks because the original is sooooo good. Please listen.
NewBandDay 