Rose Elinor Dougall is the love of my 2012. Her EP with The Distractions is so distracting that I can't listen to anything else.
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (2.20.12) Rose Elinor Dougall
It seems as if the female lead is gaining traction again. I don’t know if the females really ever left, but the music hitting my InBox these days seems to be so much better from the ladies. I’m in love with Rose, have been since her 2010 LP. Not only is quite hot but the new EP that hit my Inbox back in January has me stirring. The Distractions who accompany Ms. Dougall are shoegazey with such great guitar riffs i feel like I’m listening to My Vitriol or early Cure. Her lyrics and Hope Sandovalish voice are emotional and alluring. The two together sound like The Sundays discovering Teenage Fanclub. Rose’s roots are in that Spectorian sound having been part of The Pipettes, but that is long gone from her repertoire, it’s been replaced with something special. The Distractions EP is worth the listen, I’ve posted my favorite track below.
Vitals: London, UK
Members:
Rose Elinor Dougall – Vocals, Keys
The Distractions:
Tom Dougall – Guitar
Ralegh Long – Guitar, Mandolin, keys
Georgia Lee – Bass, Vocals
Martin Dean – Drums
Sonic Soulmates™: The Distractions = ’90s Brit-alt pop My Vitriol, Teenage Fanclub or The Sundays, Rose = Hope Sandoval, Holly Miranda
Trackables™:
“I’ve Always Known” –
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
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 (2.20.12) Apteka
I commute a lot. This gives me time to pour through the massive amount of music that The Turk sends me. Often times, I am balancing my shuffle’s choice of some live Radiohead track or some horrible garage punk mess. It’s not often that I get to pull the iPhone out of my jacket pocket to see which band is playing. The most recent incident was last on my flight home from Columbus, OH. At first I thought it was a new record from Janes. That didn’t get me overly excited, having heard the past few from them. I seriously think Perry lost his edge. He’s doing reality TV for God’s sake. Apteka has the ’90s sound with a Perryesque vocal lead but they sound current. They’re like a pair of retro shoes. They look classic, but feel (sound) current. Love these Chicago boy.
Vitals: Chicago, IL
Members:
Adam Lukas, Dino Balocchi, Jesse Hozeny, and Dave Narey
Sonic Soulmates™: Jane’s Addiction, Screaming Trees
Trackables™:
“Gargoyle Days” –
“In Clouds” –
This Many Boyfriends are what The Housemartins are to a Monday morning...good fun!
UNCORKED™ – Best New Bands of 2012 – This Many Boyfriends
Is anyone else having this issue where you feel like everyone knows what you’re listening to…Facebook streaming and Spotify have made me self conscious of my guilty favorites. Now that everyone knows what I listen to, I feel like you’re judging me. Don’t judge my love for Neil Young, Nada Surf, Pearl Jam, Echo, etc. It’s okay, sometimes I want to be reminded about the past. Music is the greatest story every told…you can go back to a song and it reminds of exactly the moment you heard it first or last. So here’s to guilty pleasures. This Many Boyfriends is derived from the happy bouncy 90’s Britrock pop dreams of Teenage Fanclub, the cynicism of The Smiths and their obvious love of Norman Cook and The Housemartins. Good solid happy poppy English rock for a Monday.
Vitals:
Hometown: Leeds, UK
Members:
Daniel Boyfriend – Guitars
Laura Boyfriend – Drums
Richard Boyfriend – Vocals
Tom Boyfriend – Bass
Sonic Soulmates™: The Smiths, The Lodger, The Housemartins
Trackables™:
“Young Lovers Go Pop!” –
Thank you Porcelain Raft for creating a fantastic record. Thank you Maria Scalera for the photo
Uncorked™ Porcelain Raft
Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit…the Muse always tells me that it’s good luck if you say Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit first thing on the first of every month. So that’s a little rabbit foot for all of us on NewBandDay…I have to admit when I first heard today’s band I thought it was a new track from Beach House. Good compliment right? Porcelain Raft is Italian-born singer/songwriter Mauro Remiddi. Raft is a solo project of dreamy indie pop with a whole lot of Beach House, a sprinkle of Real Estate and the upbeat vibes of Neon Indians. Strange Weekend the debut full-length of Procelain Raft was released on Secretly Canadian in January of 2012, followed by a tour with M83 and Smith Westerns. Grab the new album here:
Vitals: Hometown: Brooklyn/NY Members: Mauro Remiddi Sonic Soulmates™: Beach House, The Drums, Real Estate, Neon Indian Trackables™:
“Put Me to Sleep”
Definitely a dry spell. Can’t even remember the last band we profiled from Toronto, ON…after a little research, it just so happens to be the one year anniversary of our last Toronto band. That’s right, the Black Pistol Fire, sure thought they were gonna big. There’s still time. What does that mean? Have the hipster journalists finally left the cleanest city in the world? Maybe or just maybe we were waiting for Pow Wows to emerge. Maybe there’s a backlash up north, the underwater dreamscapes may have finally been drowned out by the re-emergence of some good ‘ol garage rock. The MC5 style, dingy clubs, heavy distortion, Elvis crooning, leather and greased up locks. I chose three tracks from Pow Wows debut. The three that made me feel good inside, the ones that showcase good rockmanship and some catchy hooks. Think of The Cramps and The MC5 sucker punching Bowie and dragging him to a biker bar. Really Bowie in a Biker Bar, leather and no make-up. Love it!
Vitals: Hometown: Toronto, ON Members:
Rocky Rircardo
Kelly MacGrewver
Jay Share-It
F. Scott Baudelaire
Juarez Laredo Sonic Soulmates™: The MC5, The Cramps, Bowie getting all sweaty Trackables™:
“Seeing Black”
You won't need a ladder to reach the top boys. You're too good. HOWLER photo by Robert Carino
Uncorked™ Howler
Holy fack, these boys sound like so many bands it’s hard to pin them to one Sonic Soulmate™. Really, I’m struggling…what? You’re begging me for one? Just one…fine The Strokes impregnated in some dark alley under a pile of trash by the Cramps. Hell, Jordan Gatesmith, the primary Howler is only 19 years old and he and his Minny pals created a record that is so damn good! The record came out yesterday. By the way these boys will be the band in every commercial, every video game, hell they may even be better than the aforementioned bands. They’re hooks are so catchy, not even a catfish could escape. I’m hooked and the entire 2012 America Give Up record is worth the vinyl purchase. Thank you Turk. I think you will agree. Enough of my yapping, just listen.
Vitals: Hometown: Minneapolis, MN Members: Jordan Gatesmith on lead guitar and vocals, Brent Mayes on drums, Ian Nygaard on guitar, Max Petrek on keyboard, and France Camp (real name Jay Simonson) on bass Sonic Soulmates™: The Vaccines, Surfer Blood, The Strokes Trackables™:
“Back of Your Neck”
Class Actress sheds light on what can be good in 2012.
Uncorked™ Class Actress
I’m a sucker for female leads. I’m also a sucker for minimalist electronic music. The stuff you can create on your kid’s toys…all said, simple beats and unlayered tracks may replace the cluttered underwater gargle we’ve been dealing with over the past two years. Class Actress is one stellar example of the mid-80’s Kate Bush led Depeche Mode tribute sound. Elizabeth Harper is the muse that leads Class Actress, having been at electronic music since 2009, she drafted the help of producers Mark Richardson and Scott Rosenthal. They created what is today one of our favorite late ’11 and early ’12 faves. Where Chairlift bores and drones, Class Actress soars. Her new record Rapprocher was released late 2011 it good and her following is growing fast. Elizabeth is Alexis Krauss of Sleigh Bells without the anger, she’s what makes music great these days. Here’s to a new age of female leads in 2012.
Vitals: Hometown: Brooklyn, NY via Philadelphia, PA Members: Elizabeth Harper Sonic Soulmates™: Twin Sister, Depeche Mode, Kate Bush, Chairlift Trackables™:
“Weekend”
Is this becoming the year of selfish band names? I Break Horses bring home cooked Swedish dream pop.
Uncorked™ I Break Horses
When we listen to music, we often joke here about how it made you feel. It most cases, we don’t feel anything. In some cases we tap our toes and in the rare case we get that chill up our spine and the hair on our head tingles. I’m not a scientist, so I can’t explain why that happens, but I can say that’s a good thing. I remember the first time I heard all of my favorite bands. I Break Horses isn’t your typical dream gaze XX/XY duo. Fredrik Balck, is the instrumental guy, and Maria Lindén who handles the vocals met in 2008 under unusual circumstances: both self-professed hypochondriacs, visited the same online medical sites, discovered they shared friends as well as a passion the same music. Their tracks aren’t layered in heavy shoe gaze wall of sound, rather, they take the Washed Out route and keep the instrumentals simple. Maybe two-three layered tracks with Maria’s beautiful voice adorning the sound. They use their fear of dying as inspiration for their lyrics, focusing on the fragility of life. I will say that the first time I heard Hearts that chill ran up my spine and NO I wasn’t worried that I had some rare spinal virus…Thank you again to AZ Turk for adding them to his Top Gems of 2011
Vitals: Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden Members: Fredrik Balck, Maria Lindén Sonic Soulmates™: Washed Out, Jesus and Mary Chain, Echo Lake Trackables™:
“Hearts”
The ghosts of Port O'Brien come to life with a record built for a Hummingbird Award - Ryan Stively
Uncorked™ Ryan Stively
Port O’Brien breaking up messed with my head. I loved their last record Threadbare so much, it was a combination of Built to Spill and Bowerbirds. Folky, fuzzy and good. Then they dissolved the unit, Van floated over to WATERS and Ryan Stively, the long-time member and co-conspirator has now stepped out to create some southern fried, San Francisco gems on his debut record Soft Kingdom. It was recorded over the span of 6 months on borrowed and leftover studio time with former tour-mate and Portland multi-instrumentalist Cory Gray (Carcrashlander, Desert City Soundtrack). It’s part Broken Social Scene, part National brooding and a whole lot of Wilco (Tweedy) or even Bridwell’s stylings for Band of Horses…hell even a little M. Wardy. These 8 tracks could rival any record we’ve heard in the past 6 months. Buy it here.
Vitals: Hometown: Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA (Right in our own backyard) Members: Ryan Stively (Port O’Brien), Cambria Goodwin (Port O’Brien), Graham LeBron (Rogue Wave, Album Leaf) and Joey Ficken (Sea Wolf) appear. Sonic Soulmates™: Bowerbirds, Wilco, Broken Social Scene, Rogue Wave, M. Ward Trackables™:
“We Forget Everything”
Arizona Turk loved them, so should you. I Heart Sharks.
If you’re not familiar, this is our key feature, we’ve called it Band of the Day, BUT starting today for 2012, we’re going to rename Band of the Day to Uncorked…these are what we consider the BEST NEW BANDS of 2012, the ones you should put on a playlist and listen to religiously. We love them so we share.
So if you read our blog religiously you know Arizona Turk. He’s our primary music excavator, digging for new bands and truly a maverick of music. His 2011 Year End Gems was shocking, bands that we’ve barely heard a whisper of and HIS FAVORITE NEW BAND is I Heart Sharks. We questioned him but he responded with “Just listen.” So we did and we pledged after that first listen to UNCORK them first in 2012. The first band to be Uncorked on NBD. Kind of a big, deal. I Heart Sharks, it’s German synth rock with an added Brit rock clean guitar flare and the vocal stylings of Friendly Fires. Their love of 80’s First Wave is clearly evident and I think it might be the first time A Brit, A German and a Parisian (we think) have created music together…well maybe not the first time, but definitely unique. They met sometime in 2007 in one of Berlin’s many clubs, toured a little bit through Germany, played Festivals and late last year we got their first full-length. Think of them as Scandinavian electro-pop with Berlin’s house music and the perfect dash of British flare.
Vitals:
Hometown: Berlin, Germany DE, Paris, FR, London
Members:
Pierre Bee
Simon Wangemann
Georg Steinmaier
Sonic Soulmates™: Friendly Fires, Passion Pit, Foals
Trackables™:
“Summer” –
Jeremy Charles thank you for this perfect photo of our #1 Best New Band of 2011. The Hummingbird Award is well deserved.
Best New Band of 2011
#1 Hummingbird Award – Other Lives
I like what we originally said back in May:
The band is really seven years old, forming under the name Kunek, they created an EP and made Stillwater, OK proudly scream for their hometown heroes. An album a name change and now a new record and Other Lives thrills America with a beautiful record. Think Wolf Parade, sprinkle the bells of Sigur Ros and a tad bit of National brooding without the guttoral leads. It’s a DNA favorite of Southern fried folk. Tamer Animals is a great record and one that I think you’ll be raving about all year. Buy the record here –> on LP
To add to that:
The band is so good, they deserve to be opening for Radiohead. They were the most viewed artist at NewBandDay in 2011, and the album never left our playlist. We’re not from Oklahoma, but I’ve been to Stillwater. I wish we saw them in 2009 when their first unnoticed record hit the streets. Stillwater, is a college town, but seriously something interesting is happening in the middle of the US. Even Radiohead noticed. We do tend to bend our own rules here…Other Lives’ first record was released in 2009, but to little fanfare. The blogs loved it, but it was mildly picked up. It took two records for the band to perfect The Red Dirt sound. Tamer Animals might be considered the water shed moment of the sound. It’s The National’s tear jerking vocals and songwriting, but the sounds are more layered and a little more airy. It doesn’t slip into the dream state, but it’s edges on it. Tabish’s vocals are so alluring, you can’t help but sing along, or hum along and you’re begging for the next track. The album is amazing and it’s worth a listen over and over and over and over…If you’re about to say “Other Lives isn’t a new band.” We say “We don’t care and you’re a lame music snob who needs to find another blog to read.” So take that and enjoy the best new band of 2011.
Vitals:
Hometown: Stillwater, OK
Members:
Jesse Tabish (piano, guitar, lead vocals)
Josh Onstott (bass, organ, Backing vocals)
Jenny Hsu (cello, piano, Backing Vocals)
Colby Owens (drums)
Jonathon Mooney (piano,violin, guitar)
Sonic Soulmates™: Mercury Rev, The National, Wolf Parade
Trackables™:
“For 12 (Demo)” – The song that made Thom Yorke stop for a listen.
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.
NewBandDay 