Tag Archives: #2

Best New Bands of 2013 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #2: London Grammar

29 Dec
Photo by: Mr Paolo Zerbini Annie Lennox should be proud of Hannah Reid's vocal doppelganging. Lovely band and lovely record

Photo by: Mr Paolo Zerbini
Annie Lennox should be proud of Hannah Reid’s vocal doppelganging. Lovely band and lovely record

Best New Bands of 2013 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #2: London Grammar

The Turk is gonna have a small seizure when he sees this post. That’s right I unilaterally changed the vote for #1 new artist. That’s right, the Hummingbirds are my passion, although inspired daily by the Arizona Turk. After going through the votes and re-listening again and again to the top 5, I just felt London Grammar was #2. If you don’t know them by now, then you will very soon. London Grammar is as good as Florence and the Machine and she even reminds us of the power of Annie Lennox. Most of you, who think you are on the hipster’s cutting edge, once listened and enjoyed Florence. You also enjoyed The Lumineers and I bet you even have Coldplay Parachutes on CD because you just can’t part with it. It’s fine these bands all start with you and your passion and end up in stadiums and marrying A-list actresses. We don’t really care, we just love finding new artists. I think London Grammar will be as big as Florence and many will compare her to the younger Eurythmics Annie Lennox, because female leads are smashingly successful and Hannah is that good. With Florence it’s just her vocals, the music is so so. With London Grammar, Hannah Reid is just as talented, but the guitars, electronics and Dot Major’s mixes and the producing supporting her bring me to tears every time I listen to it. London Grammar will be your soundtrack for love lost. It’s a heart wrenching record and we love it for that reason. Thank you guys!

Founded: 201
Hometown: Nottingham, London, England

Members: Vocalist Hannah Reid (23) and guitarist Daniel Rothman (23), Dot Major
Sonic Soulmates™: Annie Lennox, Florence and the Machine, Bat for Lashes, Chvrches & The XX
Trackables™: The LP released in 2013If You Wait
Listen to “Nightcall” & “Strong” <— this is my song of the year!, & "Metal & Dust"

Follow London Grammar:
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Hummingbird Awards – ALL YOUR BEST NEW BANDS FROM 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013:

Hummingbird Awards 2013 RECAP
#13 MS MR
#12 Swim Deep
#11 Holy Milk
#10 Mutual Benefit
#9 Diane Coffee
#8 Haerts
#7 Holograms
#6 Autre Ne Veult
#5 Hookworms
#4 Blood Orange
#3 Dustin Tebbutt
#2 London Grammar

Hummingbird Awards 2012
Hummingbird Awards 2011
Hummingbird Awards 2010

Best New Bands of 2012 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #2: GRIMES

28 Dec
I'm sure you've heard her this year and that's why she deserves the Hummingbird

I’m sure you’ve heard her this year and that’s why she deserves the Hummingbird

Best New Bands of 2012 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #2: GRIMES
Hours and hours and hours we debated over our #1 Hummingbird…it wasn’t an easy choice and many bands not only missed out by a hair, they didn’t even make our top 12. Sad but true. Grimes is not a new artist per se. Some of us have been allured by her siren voice since 2009, but it took a stellar LP like Visions for her to really shine and break-through. We put her experimental harmonizing of Halfaxa behind us and truly were treated with a perfect record. Not many artists can move past this phase. I don’t think Cocteau Twins ever moved beyond it and we know that many artists go in the opposite direction and move way too far into the art and we lose them forever. Grimes chose the perfect year to blossom her flower and we loved it. Thank you for “Genesis”, “Be A Body” and my personal favorite no not “Vanessa” from 2011, but “Colour of Moonlight” of 2012. So good. She truly embodies what an artist is and should be in 2012. We look for more over the next 10 years, maybe a little less falsetto harmonizing and some amazing lyricism will push her to #1 in 2013.

Founded: 2009
Hometown: Montreal, Cananda
Members: Claire Boucher
Sonic Soulmates™: Stacie Q, Polica, Class Actress
Trackables™:
“Oblivion”
“Be A Body”
“Colour of Moonlight”

Follow GRIMES:
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Her Website
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Hummingbird Awards – ALL YOUR BEST NEW BANDS FROM 2010, 2011 and 2012:

Hummingbird Awards 2012
#12 Rose Elinor Dougall
#11 Fear of Men
#10 The Weeknd
#9 Nude Beach
#8 Class Actress
#7 Johnathon Boulet
#6 DIIV
#5 Hey Sholay
>#4 Alt-J (∆)
#3 Jessie Ware
#2 Grimes
Hummingbird Awards 2011
Hummingbird Awards 2010

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

27 Dec

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.

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

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

Follow James:
Official Site
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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 2010 Hummingbird Award: #2 The Pomegranates

28 Dec

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

Daytrotter Session: HERE

Original BOD Post: 11.4.10

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2010 Hummingbird Awards
Hummingbird Award #20: Crocodiles
Hummingbird Award #19: Miniature Tigers
Hummingbird Award #18: Gamble House
Hummingbird Award #17: Tame Impala
Hummingbird Award #16: Paper Crows
Hummingbird Award #15: Perfume Genius
Hummingbird Award #14: The Fresh & Onlys
Hummingbird Award #13: Tennis
Hummingbird Award #12: Memoryhouse
Hummingbird Award #11: Karkwa
Hummingbird Award #10: Lord Huron
Hummingbird Award #9: Sleigh Bells
Hummingbird Award #8: Crystal Fighters
Hummingbird Award #7: Efterklang
Hummingbird Award #6: Best Coast
Hummingbird Award #5: Jim Jones Revue
Hummingbird Award #4: Chapel Club
Hummingbird Award #3: The Radio Dept.
Hummingbird Award #2: The Pomegranates