Tag Archives: Best New Music 2012

STAFF PICKS: The Arizona Turk’s Incredibly Impressive Best of 2012 Lists

30 Dec
He is a menace to us all. The Arizona Turk's 2012 Best of List

He is a menace to us all. The Arizona Turk’s 2012 Best of List

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 breaking. The dude is a new band savant.

The Turk’s Favorites for 2012:
Bands:
1. Savages – London she punks
2. TOY – His #2, Hummingbird #1
3. Palma Violets – Closet garage rockers from Lambeth outside of London
4. Merchandise – Tampa’s leather greasers are 2013 darlings…calling it now!!!
5. Wild Moth – Post Punk dudes from SF.
6. DIIV– His #6, Hummingbird #6
7. Dads – New Brunswick, NJ emo dudes. See them Uncorked in Jan. WOW!!!!
8. POLIÇA – We liked Grimes better this year, but POLIÇA was on the top of the Turk’s mind…
9. Stumbleine – 1 of 3 dubsteppers from Swarm, now solo Londoner
10. Fidlar – LA based dudes who bring surf punk back!
11. Boys – Denver Rock Chick

Songs:
1. “Husbands” – Savages

2. “Motoring” – TOY

3. “Mid Air” – Paul Buchanan

4. “Lay Your Cards Out” – Polica

5. “Best Of Friends” – Palma Violets

6. “Mourning Glow” – Wild Moth

7. “Heavy To The Touch (think about tonight, forget about tomorrow)” – Dads

8. “Tomorrow” Niki and the Dove

9. “No Waves” – Fidlar

10. “If You Want Me To Stay (For A While)” – Shark Week

TWO BONUS B-SIDES THAT YOU SHOULD FIND AND BUY FOR YOUR COLLECTION
“Hard to Pretend” – The Donkeys b-side to “Won’t Let You Down” 7″

“Bright White Shimmering Sun” – TOY b-side to “Lose My Way” 7″

Hear them here

Albums:
1. Merchandise – Children Of Desire
2. TOY – TOY
3. Polica – Give You The Ghost
4. DIIV – Oshin
5. π – You In Colour
6. Dads – American Radass
7. Wild Moth – s/t (10″)
8. Pallbearer– Sorrow and Extinction
9. Wild Moth – Mourning Glow EP

ALBUMS YOU AND YOUR MOTHER’S SHOULD OWN BY NOW…IF NOT PLEASE SUPPORT AND BUYS THESE GEMS FROM THIS YEAR.
Japandroids – Celebration Rock

The Chromatics – Kill For Love

Tame Impala – Lonerism

Best Reissue:
Ride – Going Blank Again with Live at Brixton DVD

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
#1 Toy

Staff Picks Best of 2012: Arizona Turk’s Incredible List for 2012

Hummingbird Awards 2011
Hummingbird Awards 2010

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The Best New Band of 2012 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #1: TOY

29 Dec

There is no better band in the land for 2012. Toy will be an amazing rock fixture for years to come.

There is no better band in the land for 2012. Toy will be an amazing rock fixture for years to come.


Best New Bands of 2012 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #1: TOY

This was an insane voting process, so democratic, then BOOM the big guy takes control and pulls a dictatorship on the NBD staff and just votes in TOY as the best new band of 2012. Why?:
1. They are the best rock band of 2012, hell the best band of 2012.
2. They actually wrote an album that held together over 12 tracks
3. Like Maiden and Black Sabbath before them, Toy is able to create diversity, a 4 minute rock anthem followed by an 8 minute mini novel, similar to an album like Powerslave with “Aces High” then “Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
4. Nobody but nobody has re-created a record like A Storm in Heaven from The Verve. Did you know that The Verve was an airy, dreamy rock band with layered guitars or did you just know them from “Bittersweet Symphony”?
5. They will become popular from their softer side hear “My Heart Skips a Beat”, but we hope they don’t abandon their rock DNA hear “Lose My Way”

You’re probably asking, “Seriously New.Band.Day, Toy is better than Grimes, Jessie Ware, The Lumineers, etc.?” we would say “Thank you for the comment passionate kind reader. Absolutely, Toy is much better, they dare to tackle a rock genre that is for most parts dead. They don’t beat around the bush hear their opening track and they sure as hell aren’t going to follow the trend of going all folk on us.” I love when our readers write us. Toy is our #1 Hummingbird of 2012. God it feels good to get that of our chests. I think the Turk and the Muse will be sending me hate letters for the next six months, but don’t worry, they will have their unsolicited time to share their picks tomorrow see their 2011 and 2010 picks.

Read the original post here

Vitals:
Founded: 2012
Hometown: London, UK
Members: Tom Dougall
Dominic O’Dair
Alejandra Diez
Maxim Barron
Charlie Salvidge
Sonic Soulmates™: Primal Scream, Tame Impala, The Verve, Echo and the Bunnymen, Spiritualized
Trackables™: From their S/T debut record
“Dead and Gone” – Quite possibly my favorite track of 2012.
“Lose my Way” – Quite possibly my second favorite track of 2012
“Colours Running Out” – Wow what an opening track

Follow TOY:
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Official

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
#1 Toy

Hummingbird Awards 2011
Hummingbird Awards 2010

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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
Twitter

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

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Best New Bands of 2012 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #3: JESSIE WARE

27 Dec
Hummingbird #3 Brought to you by one of these best artists of 2012 Jessie Ware

Hummingbird #3 Brought to you by one of these best artists of 2012 Jessie Ware

Best New Bands of 2012 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #3: JESSIE WARE
I am struggling with this pick. Really and truly, I actually think Jessie Ware is the #1 Best New Artist of 2012, but I also think that Alabama Shakes and The Lumineers made their impact in 2012. Here is the rub, they really don’t need our help here at NBD. Not that it makes our list any less legit, but I’m not handing out Grammy’s here. This isn’t about record sales, this is about a band that will withstand the test of time and be there in 10 years. I don’t think the Lumineers will be there and Alabama Shakes needs some song-writing and arrangement help. The album got a little tedious and didn’t exploit her voice like it should have. So that’s why our list DOESN’T include those two super chart busters. Jessie Ware should be #1 in any other year, but frankly #2 and #1 are just a hair strand better in our minds. We love Jessie’s production quality, her danceable mood driven tracks and her ode to 80’s stylistic sounds like Lisa Stansfield to make her our second favorite female lead of the year. We love Jessie Ware and we know she will not be going away any time soon.

Vitals:
Founded: 2010
Hometown: Brixton, London
Members: Jessie Ware
Sonic Soulmates™: Sade, Whitney Houston, Tracey Thorne
Trackables™: From her debut LP Devotion
Listen to “110%”, “Strangest Feeling” and “Wildest Moment” the title track “Devotion” here.

“110%”

“Strangest Feeling”

Follow Jessie Ware:
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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
Hummingbird Awards 2011
Hummingbird Awards 2010

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Best New Bands of 2012 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #4: Alt-J (∆)

26 Dec
Alt-J deserves the Hummingbird Award

Alt-J deserves the Hummingbird Award

Best New Bands of 2012 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD #4: Alt-J (∆)
This might be a record for us, two bands back-to-back from Leeds. First Hey Sholay now Alt-J, although this civic rivalry may be problematic since most of the Hey Sholay lads are from Sheffield…either way, something is brewing in the water and it’s not ale, it’s a penchant for good quality music that leads the pack in some of the best new bands of 2012. We loved Alt-J back in September and we still love the Awesome Wave LP, hell they won a Mercury Prize…not why we loved them, but rarely does a winner of that prize suck. Read the original Uncorking here.
Alt-J is definitely still riding the hang-over of the 2011 layered electronic, dreamy sonic sounds of Animal Collective and Midlake, but at times we hear the timeless Fletwood Mac beauty shine through. Please listen to “Breezeblocks” and tell us you don’t love these guys.

Vitals:
Founded: 2011
Hometown: Leeds, UK
Members: Gwil, Joe Newman [guitar/vocals], Gus Unger-Hamilton [keyboards] and Thom Green [drums] met at Leeds University in 2007
Sonic Soulmates™: Midlake, Nurses, Animal Collective
Trackables™:
“Breezeblocks” – Amazing single

An Awesome Wave

Follow Hey Sholay:
Alt-J Website
Facebook

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 (∆)
Hummingbird Awards 2011
Hummingbird Awards 2010

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UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (11.4.12) Christopher Owens

4 Nov

I love Girls but I think we love Christopher Owens more…

UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (11.5.12) Christopher Owens
I don’t know how I feel about this. It would be like Jack White going solo after the first two White Stripes records. Christopher Owens leaves Girls after a second record that quite possibly was the best record of this decade. His solo record is good, which shows us that the band Girls had far more depth. The Tullesque flute coupled with the electric guitar sounds like early Fleetwood and later Midlake combined. I’m sold, but dude don’t burn us and give your Girls bandmates a chance and do another record in 2013. We really do, did and still do love Girls —> read for yourself WE WERE RIGHT!!!

Vitals:
Founded: 2012
Hometown: SF, CA
Members: Christopher Owens
Sonic Soulmates™: Midlake, Girls, Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull
Trackables™: “Here We Go”

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UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (10.22.12) GRMLN

23 Oct

GRMLN is Yoodoo Park. Lo-fi great music. Listen to his EP now!

UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (10.22.12) GRMLN
Lo-fi, still living in his parent’s basement and he’s only a Sophomore at UC Santa Cruz. Isn’t that the school where you have clothing optional Wednesday’s? None-the-less it’s a great segue to the stripped down sounds of GRMLN. It’s lo-fi, single guitar, vocals, electronic backing. Think Dirty Beaches, but Yoodoo has melody. It’s clean, crisp and a little Jack Whitey.

Vitals:
Founded: 2012, started making music in 2010
Hometown: orange county to santa cruz
Members: YooDoo Park
Sonic Soulmates™: Lo-fi clean guitar Jack White, Dirty Beaches
Trackables™:
We first heard him with Ben E. Kings “Stand By Me” — Clever

Listen to his new EP Explore here. love “Love.Think.Die” & “Coral”

Follow:
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Twitter
BandCamp
Tumblr

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UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (10.14.12) Toy

14 Oct

Amazing rockadelica from London will knock your socks off.

Amazing rockadelica from London will knock your socks off.


UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (10.14.12) Toy

Phew…we thought this year of rock was going to boil down to Tame Impala and that Nirveatles crap. What a sham…then, oh then we hear Toy and our hearts skipped a beat. Psychadelia from London, makes us think of our Primal Scream days, but I have to say they are better. They have melody and they rock the sh*t of the place. You can get lost in their music like that of early Verve, see “Already There” and then call us and tell how amazing that song is. We beg you to listen to “Dead and Gone” and tell us that you aren’t in love. Oh and they’re on Heavenly Records, a trusted label of quality. We dare you….Thank you.

Vitals:
Founded: 2012
Hometown: London, UK
Members: Tom Dougall
Dominic O’Dair
Alejandra Diez
Maxim Barron
Charlie Salvidge
Sonic Soulmates™: Primal Scream, Tame Impala, Verve
Trackables™: “Dead and Gone”

New Album S/T

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Official

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UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (9.24.12) New War

24 Sep

New Band Alert! NEW WAR from Australia!

New Band Alert! NEW WAR from Australia!

UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (9.24.12) New War

How often can you say, “Wow those dudes sound they came from the 80’s” a lot right? More than feels acceptable, but hey that’s quite alright, the 80’s were indulgent and eclectic. Wearing a little eyeliner and some lipstick was ironic and buying expensive things became the norm. But how often do you hear someone say, “Dude that band sounds like U2 being impregnated by Frankie Goes to Hollywood”….never. What made Frankie absolutely acceptable, was their tribal sound. What made U2 great was not their desire to to change channels on a 500 ft. TV screen, but was their Irish rebellion DNA. That DNA mixed with Frankie’s flashiness, gives us New War. To make it easy, they sound a heck of a lot like Kasabian. That’s it. New record is S/T and it’s good.

Vitals:
Founded: 2012
Hometown: Melbourne, AU
Members: Chris Pugmire, Jesse Shepherd, Melissa Lock
Sonic Soulmates™: U2, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Kasabian
Trackables™: “Revealer”

New Album S/T

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UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (9.14.12) Alt-J (∆)

14 Sep
Alt-J is worth the listen. The Leeds lads would rather you call them ∆

Alt-J is worth the listen. The Leeds lads would rather you call them ∆

UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (9.14.12) Alt-J

Leeds, no football club wants to be caught dead playing at Elland Road. You not only risk the punishing play on the field, but the fan abuse is unrivaled. It’s not surprising that a band like (∆), pronounced Alt-J was birthed under that protective shell. They like the culture of the football fans, is one of a kind. Although, they’re not punishing, just lushing…a new word I just made up. It’s hard to pin them to one sound. Maybe they lean a little to the right with Nurses, Animal Collective, or maybe a little more left and Radioheady, but it’s the upbeat almost danceable nature of the music that gets me and the NBDers jazzed. Yes these lads one the Mercury Prize, so it’s not a surprise that they are on our watch list. And by the way F*(K Pitchfork for that craptastic 4.5 review. I feel good when I lis tento tracks like “Something Good” or “Ms” maybe it’s the bells or the strummy guitars. A track ends and I get the same feeling I used to get before an exciting first date with that lady I fawned over. Alt-J is that band that will make your weekend better.

Vitals:
Founded: 2011
Hometown: Leeds, UK
Members: Gwil, Joe Newman [guitar/vocals], Gus Unger-Hamilton [keyboards] and Thom Green [drums] met at Leeds University in 2007
Sonic Soulmates™: Midlake, Nurses, Animal Collective
Trackables™:
“Breezeblocks” – Amazing single

An Awesome Wave

Follow:
Alt-J Website
Facebook

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UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (7.12.12) Jessie Ware

12 Jul

Jessie is Ware you want to be on August 20th to hear her new record.

UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (7.12.12) Jessie Ware
Jessie Ware first hit our radar when we heard “Strangest Feeling” we thought it was good, and we even enjoyed her vocals in SBTRKT, but the early press on her new record Devotion is what made our our ears stand-up. Listen to Devotion in it’s entirety below from The Guardian. I like to believe that she is our modern Sade with a little more power. Really. We here at NBD trace our musically DNA from the 80’s. We were all tricked and believed that Depeche Mode was unique or that Metallica was original, the reality is that music is derivative. It’s the bands like Metallica and Depeche Mode that improved on their predecessors. We’re now listening to artists redeliver the 80’s heavy synth accompanied by poppy soul singers or duets. Jessie Ware does to Whitney Houston what Bon Iver did to Steve Winwood. We hope that gives you context.

Vitals:
Founded: 2010
Hometown: Brixton, London
Members: Jessie Ware
Sonic Soulmates™: Sade, Whitney Houston, Tracey Thorne
Trackables™:
Listen to the the title track “Devotion” here.

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UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (6.19.12) Poolside

19 Jun

Poolside bring rafting with jean shorts to a whole new level

UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (6.12.12) Poolside
I’ve been super busy. Not like any of you readers give a hoot about my life, but I’ve been meaning to tell all of you about our new favorite obsession…POOLSIDE. If that’s not the best summer sound band name, then I suspect you’re from Siberia. The sun is needed for happiness you pale Vitamin D—eprived ruskie. Get on a donkey and ride out to the coast with the cool sounds of Poolside. We first became obsessed with their epic rendition of “Harvest Moon”. Who knew Neil Young was a hipster pool party companion. I see dudes in jean shorts with long beards and pinner shades floating in a Silverlake pool…That’s what I envision when I hear Poolside, oh yeah maybe Beck stopped by for a little acoustic smoke-out.

Vitals:
Founded: 2010
Hometown: LA/SF
Members: Filip Nikolic, Jeffery Paradise
Sonic Soulmates™: Kenny Loggins, Toro Y Moi
Trackables™:
“Slow Down” – Kenny Loggins, Caddyshack, Danny, Chevy, Murray….that’s all I can think about here.

“Harvest Moon” – If Gilmore met Young and made an odd looking female spawn.

Follow:
Poolsite
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UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (3.1.12) Grimes

1 Mar

Grimes is it

UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (3.1.12) Grimes
By the way, let me just emphatically state this, I LOVE GRIMES! I want that t-shirt made now, hell, just buy it here. She is my muse for the dark times. Maybe she’ll be playing on 12.22.12 when that rolling ball of fire engulfs the world. Whatever the scenario, the new record Visions is a mixture of her 80’s electro-pop obsession from her first two records with a dash of polished digitalism. It’s a beautiful record and one that I would have played over and over and over again in 1986 while playing Ultima IV, or in 1994 playing Sega or today while playing Spotify. We don’t use love lightly around here, but Grimes is our lover and we are obsessed little puppies waiting for our next little aural treat.

Vitals:
Founded: 2009
Hometown: Montreal, Cananda
Members: Claire Boucher
Sonic Soulmates™: Stacie Q, Polica, Class Actress
Trackables™:
“Be A Body” – My prediction for a chart topper…wow

“Colour of Moonlight” – My secret obsession

The entire record:

Follow:
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Her Website
Twitter

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