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Band of the Day (6.22.11) The Dø

One of our new faves are The Dø

Band of the Day (6.22.11) The Dø

Amazingly enough bands these days bands still have that raw association with The Beatles. The goofy British humor, the lightly distorted guitars, the eco-sounds of trains and cars all make The Dø much like The Beatles. They claim to be a folk/pop band that formed in 2007. The members hail from Paris, France and Helsinki, Finland and the music plays with hip-hop, eco-sounds, classical and a little goofiness similar to Architecture in Helsinki. Think MIA with one part Beatles, one part Bjork and a whole heck of lot of CocoRosie. The band’s debut record was called A Mouthful and was released within Europe in 2008 and was released in the US last April. The new record “Both Way Open Jaws” just hit the streets and

Don’t forget on July 1st…look for “The Best of 2011…So Far” and the secret link to our “Giving you the Bird Vol. 1 Playslist” to celebrate our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY.

Vitals:
Hometown: Paris, FR and Helsinki, Finland
Members: Dan Levy and Olivia B. Merilahtin
Sonic Soulmates: The Cardigans, Blonde Redhead, Bjork, The Fiery Furnaces and CocoRosie
Trackables:
“Smash Them All (Night Visitors)” –

“Too Insistent”

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Official — Listen to the entire album here!

Tags: Arizona Turk, Band of the Day, Best New Band 2011, Best New Band of 2011, Best New Music 2011, Best of 2011...so Far, Bjork, Dan Levy, Finland, France, Giving You The Bird, Hear, Helsinki, Mia, Olivia B. Merilahtin, Paris, sonic soulmates, The Cardigans, The Dø, Trackables

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Categories 2011 Best New Bands, Band of the Day, Giving You The Bird Anniversary, HEAR, Trackables

Bitch is back — Band of the Day (6.20.11) Sun Airway

20 Jun

Sun Airway is to music as beer is to summer...f'n perfect!

Band of the Day (6.20.11)

We’re buried in bands and electronically buried in MP3s. So many tracks, bands and albums to wade through, we really don’t know where to start. Arizona Turk had a mild stroke with our hiatus, but we’re back and the bitch is ready to burst with some tracks and bands that will blow your mind. Let’s begin with our schedule for this week. Starting tomorrow we will be counting down the Top 10 Band of 2011…SO FAR. We’re also celebrating our 1 year anniversary so as a gift to our loyal readers, we’re “Giving You the Bird”…literally, the playlist for download. Let us know your email and the playlist will be in your inbox. Happy listening and thank you for being here for the ride.

Our Band of the Day Today is Sun Airway. If you’ve followed our little blog since 2010, you’ll know we had a little band crush on Lord Huron. Actually we still do…but he’s so big now, we’ve sent him off to the masses for their enjoyment. A happy graduation of sorts. We compared Huron to the layered “Pet Sound” for the Little Mermaidians. That oceanic version of Animal Collective. Well Sun Airway is like being on the ship that sails over Lord Huron’s underwater dream. Click here to hear a little Huron. Sun Airway is the comfortable pun intended blanket of sunshine that envelopes you when you hear great summer tunes. It’s relaxing layered psych pop that makes for a great Saturday afternoon in the heat of summer. I love Sun Airway and they will hopefully get past the hipster union and make a name for themselves. Enjoy the tracks below, because we’re in love…again.

Vitals:
Hometown: Philadelphia-based project
Members: ex-A-Sides Patrick Marsceill and Jon Bathmus
Sonic Soulmates: Lord Huron, Animal Collective, Here We Go Magic (Featured on NBD 3.25.10)
Trackables:
“Waiting On You” – Love the summer sound

“Oh, Naoko” – From their original EP, and as Pet Soundy as you can get. Great track

“Swallowed By The Night” – Here is my description…the soundtrack to a bearded hipster Carnival Cruise line to Ensenada

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Tags: Arizona Turk, Band of the Day, Best New Band 2011, Best New Band of 2011, Best New Bands of 2011, Best New Music of 2011, Giving You The Bird, Happy 1 Year, Here We Go Magic, Jon Bathmus, Lord Huron, Naoko, OH, Patrick Marsceill, Pet Sound, Philadelphia, sonic soulmates, Sun Airway, Swallowed By The Night, Trackables, Waiting on You

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Categories 2011 Best New Bands, Band of the Day, Best of 2011...SO FAR, Giving You The Bird Anniversary, HEAR, Trackables

Band of the Day (6.1.11) The Antlers

1 Jun

Long Overdue, Brooklyn Hipsters Bring A New Record and More Love

Band of the Day (6.1.11) The Antlers

Long overdue is how I describe our band for today. Their 2007 “In The Attic of the Universe” and 2009’s “Hospice’ were quality rock/electronic records. They have an inventive sound, recording extended tracks in their bathtubs, with the dueling XX/XY vocals. Their sound has evolved into a mature electronic sound. I’m proud to post The Antlers and they deserved the nod so long ago, but we weren’t here so long ago, so don’t blame us. The best way to describe their sound, one part moody brit electronics of South, one party Elizabeth Fraser, and a drop of Grandaddys lo-fi electronic sound.

Buy the new album now Burst Apart and get “Hospice” on MP3 for free…
Vitals:
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Members:
Peter Silberman
Michael Lerner
Darby Cicci
Sonic Soulmates: South, Cocteau Twins, Grandaddy, Air
Trackables:
“Rolled Together” – A mellow Airish track that will pull you way up to the clouds

“No Widows” – Cocteau Twins meet South

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Official Site
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Tags: Air, Arizona Turk, Band of the Day, Best New Artist of 2011, Best New Band of 2011, Best New Bands of 2011, Best New Music, Best of 2011, Brooklyn, Darby Cicci, Michael Lerner, No Widows, NY, Peter Silberman, Rolled Together, sonic soulmates, South, The Antlers, Trackables

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Categories 2011 Best New Bands, Band of the Day, HEAR, Trackables

Band of the Day (5.23.11) Seapony

23 May

Seapony are what make music. Spector soul with a lot of dreamy spice.

Band of the Day (5.23.11) Seapony

There was a time last year where all we could talk about at NBD was the power of Tennis. The married Denver couple that sailed the high seas of the Atlantic, wrote amazing songs about inlets and seaports and then crushed it with a fantastic record. We missed that series of knock-offs, that usually follow successful indie trends. Days, months and almost a year went by before we heard a knock-off or at least a band that sounded similarly good. Seapony does the dreamy, female led 50’s pop that made 2010 a great music year. Seapony does that Phil Spector sound so well, you almost forget that you’re listening to contemporary music. The Seattle trio, give us one of our favorite tracks of 2011…so far. You’ll be getting this in your email box if you a fan on Facebook. The album releases on 5/31…pre-order it here. By the way we love them even more for their midwestern roots..Oklahoma and of course Lawrence, KS home to our Music Muse.

Vitals:
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Members: Seapony is songwriter Danny Rowland, singer Jen Weidl, and bass player Ian Brewer
Sonic Soulmates: La Sera, Tennis, Eternal Summers, Emily Haines
Trackables:
“Always” – My fave from these lads…one of our 5 for 11.

“With You” – Tennis served well in 2011. Good solid Spector 50’s pop track

“Dreaming”

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Tags: Always, Arizona Turk, Band of the Day, Best New Band of 2011, Best New Band of 211, Best New Bands of 2011, Danny Rowland, Dreaming, Emily Haines, ETERNAL SUMMERS, Ian Brewer, Jen Weidl, La Sera, Phil Spector, Seapony, Seattle, sonic soulmates, Tennis, Trackables, WA, With You

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Categories 2011 Best New Bands, Band of the Day, HEAR, Trackables

Band of the Day (5.16.11) The Donkeys…are RAWSOME!

16 May

San Diego is not a whale's vagina it's home to The Donkeys

Band of the Day (5.16.11) The Donkeys

The Turk was on fire last week, sending me some true gems. He’s a sucker for being the guy that finds the Gem of the year. He almost did in 2010, but The Radio Dept. was my find. Haha, all said and done, he’s a master of the dig and finds some amazing bands. The next several weeks will be peppered with his new favorites. Check out The Donkeys today. These boys from San Diego, Timothy DeNardo, Anthony Lukens, and Sam Sprague first played together as teenagers, and Jessie Gulati joined later in a band named the Moon and Sixpence soon after graduation. They have three albums under their belts, full of tunes sparkled with “Dad listened to this when he was in college” sound. It’s raga mixed with garage guitars and a Doors keyboard underpinning that makes me wonder whether these guys are 24 or 64. Born With Stripes which is a marvelous collection of tunes or an album of psych-rocking Sixties style geared most for the Indian in the desert exploration. Buy it on LP here. There is a track on this record that is probably my favorite of 2011, and the record is skyrocketing up our list at the NBD office. Listen to “I Like The Way You Walk” and tell me you love it! Hell they actually are self described as “Rad and Awesome had a baby.” or as we call them RAWSOME. Love the San Diego vibe and the psych-rock groove. 1111 Facebook fans so the band is gaining traction.

Vitals:
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Members: Timothy DeNardo, Anthony Lukens, Sam Sprague and Jessie Gulati
Sonic Soulmates: Pavement, Wilco, The Thrills
Trackables:
“I Like The Way You Walk” – Might be my favorite track of the year. DOWNLOAD IT HERE

“Born With Stripes” – Retro-psych rock —- Title track.

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Dead Oceans – Label Site

Tags: 2011 Humming, Anthony Lukens, Arizona Turk, Band of the Day, Best New Band of 2011, Best New Bands of 2011, Born With Stripes, Gem, Hear, I Like The Way You Walk, Jessie Gulati, Pavement, Sam Sprague, sonic soulmates, The Donkeys, The Thrills, Timothy DeNardo, Trackables, Wilco

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Categories 2011 Best New Bands, Band of the Day, HEAR, Trackables

Best New Band of 2011 – Band of the Day (5.11.11) Girls Names

12 May

Lo-Fi boys from Belfast bring garage rock. Girls Names

Band of the Day (5.11.11) Girls Names

Nice day today. Really a pleasant successful day. I was trying to consolidate my thoughts around what’s been happening in the music scene in 2011. It’s an odd year. No real movement like 2010’s Pet Sound. If anything, it’s a year of effortless garage rock. So many bands scaling back on production, recording in some shithole studio or their own garage and creating good ol surf rock. I wish I was alive in the late 60’s to enjoy some of the best drum/clean guitar surf, I wasn’t so I have to relive it with some good ‘ol 2011 versions. Girls Names are Belfast’s favorite boys with a little Morrisey swagger and a whole lot of clean guitar garage rock. Think Velvet Underground meets White Stripes. Listen to three of our favorite tracks below.

Vitals:
Hometown: Belfast, Ireland, UK
Members: Cathal Cully and Neil Peel and Claire
Sonic Soulmates: The Smiths, 1st Wave rock, Velvet Underground, Black Tambourine, Weekend
Trackables:
“When You Cry” – Good lo-fi track that conjures up the 80’s

“Lawrence” – We got married in Lawrence.

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Tags: Band of the Day, Belfast, Best New Band 2011, Best New Band of 2011, Cathal Cully, Claire, Girls Names, Ireland, Lawrence, Neil Peel, sonic soulmates, UK, When You Cry

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Categories 2011 Best New Bands, Band of the Day, HEAR, Trackables

Band of the Day (5.4.11) – EMA

4 May

90's dirty basement rock, Sleigh Bells vocals and a new record...GOOD STUFF!

Band of the Day (5.4.11) – EMA
EMA – Erika M. Anderson, former lead of the California noise-folk band Gowns, a band she led with her BF, brings a celebratory record. She was the darling of SXSW this year and she is the darling of our eyes. By the way it’s been over 20 years so it’s safe to use Nirvana chords without being ridiculed, but now it’s cool. She cleverly creates self harmonies, layered with those 90’s rock riffs, piano notes and snare drums. She makes me feel so dirty with “Milkman”, but soothes me and clears my guilt with “Breakfast”

It’s cool shiat and I think you’ll find her busting through on 2011 best of lists.

Vitals
Hometown: West Oakland … originally from South Dakota
Members: Erika M. Anderson, Nicole Anderson, Nicky Mao, Leif Shackelford
Sonic Soulmates™: Zola Genius, Sleigh Bells, Early Hole
Trackables™:
“Grey Ship”

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EMA Official

Tags: Band of the Day, Best New Band of 2011, CA, EMA, Grey Ship, Leif Shackelford, Nicky Mao, Nicole Anderson, Oakland, Sleigh Bells, sonic soulmates, South Dakota, Trackables, US, West Oakland

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Categories Band of the Day, HEAR, MP3, Trackables

Band of the Day (4.26.11) Jeniferever

26 Apr

Swedes rule again. Love this record.

Band of the Day (4.26.11) Jeniferever

Well I was and still am but soon to be outed closet fan of Smashing Pumpkins. Many bands have attempted to rewrite the dueling lead guitars or the searing solos of Iha and Corgan. Jimmy’s anthemic drum beats were one of kind. I miss the Siamese Dream version of SP, it all fell apart when they decided that ego and bravado was more important then writing and producing a good record. Melancholy can suck it, it’s greatest value was it’s Lenny Kravitz like karoke tracks, but we’ll always remember the perfection of Siamese. It wasn’t a surprise to hear several bands ripping off the early SP sound, CandleBox, etc, but rarely did you see a band that literally named themselves after a demo track. Jeniferever is a band from Uppsala, Sweden formed in 1996. Their music is ambient indie rock, it’s melodic, and each track drives to anthemic finishes. They’re Sigur Rós in English. They’ve released several EPs, a two full lengths with the third that just hit stores last week. Silesia, is triumphant and it’s brilliance is why we feature the boys of Jeniferever. We love the “Waifs and Strays” and you little buzzers will too. Listen and love like we did. By the way JE is our first Swedish band of 2011. We featured almost a dozen last year…LET’S GO NORDES!!!

Vitals:
Hometown: Uppsala, Sweden
Members:
Fredrik Aspelin
Kristofer Jönson
Olle Bilius
Martin Sandström
Sonic Soulmates: Sigur Rós, My Vitriol
Trackables:
“Waifs and Strays”

“A Drink To Remember”

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Tags: A Drink To Remember, Band of the Day, Best New Band of 2011, Best New Bands of 2011, Fredrik Aspelin, Jeniferever, Kristofer Jönson, Martin Sandström, Olle Bilius, Sigur Ros, sonic soulmates, Sweden, Trackables, Uppsala, Waifs & Strays

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Categories 2011 Best New Bands, Band of the Day, HEAR, Trackables

Band of the Day (4.25.11) Crystal Stilts

25 Apr

It's a Rock. Get out from underneath it and try something good Crystal Stilts

Band of the Day (4.25.11) Crystal Stilts

Call me old fashioned…how dare you age me like that…whatever, but I have an affinity for the lo-fi. The lo-fi guys that keep it authentic, Jack White style, when they enter the recording studio. The mics, the drums, the guitars, even the strings, whatever, just to know that a band respects history is worth the listen. To be frank. which I am clearly not, but ProTools can suck a dick in my mind. Bands who employ drummers that play in the vertical stand-up position deserve a fucking high-five and my $20 for the vinyl. Crystal Stilts is cool 1st Wave new wave reborn under the stripped down garage genre. It’s like taking Jesus and Mary Chain, replacing the shitty electronics and giving them heavy amplification. These guys are not “New” per se, but this new album, In Love With Oblivion, catapults their hipster 2008 status to a new stratosphere. Alight Of Night, their first album after a string of here-today-gone-tomorrow singles and EPs, was good and it captured the hearts and minds of the DUMBO crowd. In Love With Oblivion, stretches them to new areas, good songwriting/crafting, organs, guitars and melody. Good record and good guys. Now go buy the damn thing and spread the word bird.

Vitals:
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY, USA
Members:
JB Townsend
Brad Hargett
Andy Adler
Miss Frankie Rose – Was featured on NBD in July of 2010.
Kyle Forester
Sonic Soulmates: The National, Jesus and Mary Chain, Joy Division
Trackables:
“Flying Into The Sun”

“Through the Floor”

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Tags: Andy Adler, Band of the Day, Best New Band of 2011, Best New Bands of 2011, Brad Hargett, Brooklyn. NY, Crystal Stilts, Flying Into The Sun, Garage Rock, JB Townsend, Joy Division, Kyle Forester, Lo-Fi, Miss Frankie Rose, sonic soulmates, Through The Floor, Trackables, USA

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Categories 2011 Best New Bands, Band of the Day, HEAR, Trackables

Best New Band of 2011 Band of the Day (4.21.11) Slowness

22 Apr

SF based and ready to gaze - Slowness

Band of the Day (4.21.11) Slowness

Okay okay okay okay….if you read NBD every day you’ve noticed that I’ve been dormant. Well I apologize. My MacBook died. Literally. Photos, music, documents, all locked away behind my hibernating Mac. It was my good friends at Keane Mac repair that 7xed my Mac and brought NBD back to life. So happy today and so happy that I met a place that does something well! Cheers to you my friends!

Coincidently, I’ve been waiting almost a week to post about our new favorite Arizona Turk derived obsession….SLOWNESS! Yes it explains my posting strategy for April, but their music was well worth the wait. You know we love the local music scene in SF, but we’ve never put limits on our posts. We just find it fun to feature bands from our own music backyard, this market for some reason took a shit in the 90’s and 00’s and it’s just now having it’s moment…again. Drone rock can be fun, the shoegaze theme hasn’t really worn thin, but it’s the hipster version of a jam bands. It’s just darker arenas, less patchouli, and heavier distortion. We like to stick our nose down to our shoes to the Phishes of the world, but let’s be honest if you give them an amp and hair in their face you have Phish goes shoegaze. That being said Slowness takes the best of the genre and delivers a perfect EP. Harmonies, wailing whining guitars and eerie vocals. I liken their sound to one of our faves The Raveonettes, even Autoluxie a bit. Really a great band and I’d expect to hear Geoffrey Scott, Julie Lynn and Scott Putnam bouncing around the country and on the festival circuit very very soon.

We’re back, we have a new hard drive and we’re ready to rule the world.
Vitals
Hometown: SF, CA, USA
Members: Geoffrey Scott: guitars, vocals, loops Julie Lynn: bass, keys, vocals Scott Putnam: drums, vocals
Sonic Soulmates: My Bloody Valentine, The Raveonettes, Autolux
Trackables:
“Slowboat”

“Black & White”

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Tags: Arizona Turk, Autolux, Band of the Day, Best New Band 2011, Best New Band of 2011, Best New Bands of 2011, Black & White, CA, Geoffrey Scott, Julie Lynn, San Francisco, Scott Putnam, Shoegaze, Slowboat, Slowness, sonic soulmates, The Raveonettes, Trackables

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Categories 2011 Best New Bands, Band of the Day, HEAR, Trackables

Band of the Day (4.12.11) Code Pie

13 Apr

Who are we fooling, no one, these guys are amazing. Code Pie

Band of the Day (4.12.11) Code Pie

Ready from a new record from a band you’ve never heard but you should have been anticipating since 2007? Are you antsy, anxious but yet unaware of what the hell I’m talking about? Good, because you should curious about Code Pie. Code Pie is a Canadian indie rock band founded in the early 2000’s in Montréal by singer and guitarist Enzo Palermo. Other band members are Salvatore Ciolfi (guitars), Michel Semienchuk (bass), Vince Varano (drums), Eva Boodman (trumpet) and Rebecca Lessard (cello). They’re part Broken Social Scene, with the layered melodic noisy mess all accompanied with a subtle horn. They could also be confused with Architecture From Helsinki, but no matter what you say or how you compare them, Code Pie is a stand-out and they deserve your hopeless Facebook post for more music. So get with the program and follow your new favorite band.

Vitals:
Hometown: Montreal, CN
Members: Enzo Palermo. Other band members are Salvatore Ciolfi (guitars), Michel Semienchuk (bass), Vince Varano (drums), Eva Boodman (trumpet) and Rebecca Lessard (cello)
Sonic Soulmates: Broken Social Scene, Architecture in Helsinki, South, Lord Huron
Trackables:
“Morning After”

“Love Meets Rage” – The title track and quite possibly my favorite track of 2011. SO f’n good.

Grab the new record Love Meets Rage …you won’t be disappointed…promise it’s full of songs culled from 2-3 years worth of jam sessions.

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Tags: Band of the Day, Best New Band of 2011, Best New Bands of 2011, Broken Social Scene, CN, Code Pie, Enzo Palermo, Eva Boodman, Love Meets Rage, Michel Semienchuk, Montreal, Morning After, Rebecca Lessard, Salvatore Ciolfi, sonic soulmates, Trackables, Vince Varano

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Categories 2011 Best New Bands, Band of the Day, HEAR, Trackables

Band of the Day (4.11.11) Early Winters

11 Apr

Great new global artist of 2011 Early Winters

Band of the Day (4.11.11) Early Winters

Maybe it’s the anticipation for our NewBandBaby or it’s our Spring mood, but we’re in the mood for some fun loving soulful folk sounds. The Civil Wars were our last post, soft, acoustic XX/XY duetables. Today we have Early WInters, with Carina Round sounding a whole heck of a lot like Norah Jones, Stevie Nicks or even a little Dolly Parton with a strong backing band. The members of Early Winters are not college bandmates, or from the same town, they’re British born singer-songwriter Carina Round, Canadian artist Justin Rutledge, L.A. Producer Dan Burns and Pedestrian bassist Zac Rae. They decided to form this group, they had to figure out a way to get everyone in the room at the same time…Skype was the answer.

Vitals:
Hometown: Los Angeles / Toronto / England
Members:
Carina Round
Justin Rutledge
Dan Burns
Zac Rae
Simon Smith – Bass
Scott Seiver – Drums
Sonic Soulmates: Norah Jones, Cardigans, Fleetwood Mac, Dolly Parton
Trackables:
“Spanish Burn”

“Tough Love”

Grab the new album

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MySpace
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Tags: Band of the Day, Best New Band of 2011, Best New Bands of 2011, Cardigans, Carina Round, Dan Burns, Early Winters, Hear, Justin Rutledge, Norah Jones, Scott Seiver, Simon Smith, sonic soulmates, Trackables, Zac Rae

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Categories 2011 Best New Bands, Band of the Day, HEAR, Trackables

Band of the Day (4.6.11) The Civil Wars

6 Apr

The Civil Wars are a duo in harmony. No War Here.

Band of the Day (4.6.11) The Civil Wars

Sometimes fate does get involved when it comes to hearing you favorite new band. This morning it was Facebook and one of my trusted music mavens to introduce me to The Civil Wars. They’re a combination of The Swell Season and some of our favorite XX/XY duos. WIth a classic folk slant that would make our Southern roots happy, hence the band name. The two started as strong solo artists, but it was a chance meeting, fate, that brought the two together. Though, I wouldn’t say that attending a song-writing camp is fate. “We actually met at what’s considered a songwriting camp,” Williams laughs. They were actually assigned roommates, that’s the fate part. They have a strong melodic harmony, but they shine better when they sing to one another. It’s very Starsesque, but add in a little Swell Season emotional sexual tension.

Vitals:
Hometown: Santa Cruz, Calif./Florence, Ala.
Members: Joy Williams and John Paul White
Sonic Soulmates: The Swell Season, Buddy & Julie Miller, Ray LaMontagne. Stars
Trackables:
“Barton Hollow” – Title track, a little