Tag Archives: The Vaccines

THE 3rd Annual HUMMINGBIRDS ARE COMING 12.12.12 ****UPDATED******

4 Dec

*********UPDATED**********
The final 12!!!!!
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

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

Read the 2011 Hummingbirds
Did you know we predicted James Vincent McMorrow, Other Lives, La Sera and Widowspeak!

No Better Bands Then The One's Who Wear the Hummingbird

No Better Bands Then The One’s Who Wear the Hummingbird

Playlist:

Read the 2010 Hummingbirds
Did you know we predicted Best Coast, Sleigh Bells, Perfume Genius, Lord Huron & Tennis!

No Better Bands Then The Ones That Wear The Hummingbird

No Better Bands Then The Ones That Wear The Hummingbird

Playlist:

Where will she land? Tell us your favorite 2012 New Band and we will add them to our list!

November ’12 Picks — The Perfect Playlist for the End of Times

14 Nov

Doomsday Delights…the final list of music for the end of times.

Mayan calendars, apocalyptic weather patterns, locusts, temple completion. Oh it’s all coming down to 12/21/12 So let’s enjoy it with new music. Here are our top 10 bands, albums and what nots to make our November list or the last 30 days of our existence a memorable one. The perfect playlist of new bands for the end of times. Too bad these bands won’t make it past our little blog…or will they:

#10 –> April Maze
Melbourne duo, touring since ’10. Perfect Sad music for when you think back on the missed opportunities, the love lost, investment’s gaffed, etc. April Maze will be your last cigarette type moment. The new album is Two

#9 –> Dwntwn
When you want to dance in the streets with no clothes on…I know I’m going hear this band on Gossip Girl at some gala event to celebrate Blair’s new clothing line. Dwntwn’s new EP The Red Room

#8 –> The Vaccines
They go in the “BECAUSE WE WERE RIGHT” category. No band we were more sure about, well maybe Mumford, but The Vaccines new record Come of Age spills over with Johnny Rotten vocals and a soundtrack moment for the one last revenge eff. You know the one that got away, the one that dumped you HARD. Your cure is here. Needle up “All In Vain” and give her a call.

#7 –> Jonathan Boulet
This is the soundtrack to overthrow the final vestiges of your leadership. The song you have pumping in the car when you finally tell authority to eat shit. Possibly my favorite record of 2012! “You’re An Animal” is the song that should be played! Another band from down under. New record is titled We keep the beat Found the sound See the need Start the heart

#6 –> Darren Hayman and the Long Parliament
If you want to impress her or him by addressing the dinner party with your deep dark knowledge of the Essex Witch Trials which took place during the English Civil War, then spend the time with Darren Hayman’s Violence. It’s a considered listen and it will definitely give you a leg up and the “End of Times Dinner Gala”. Who knows we might all be considered witches and this is a guide to avoid your own persecution.

#5 –> Clinic
Are we supposed to care about bands from 1997 when the world is about to end..Hell yes we are, especially when Free Reign is their best record since 2002. Liverpool’s Clinic is the music playing while you question your life choices, you say to yourself “Why didn’t I do XXXX” you can fill in the blank.

#4 –> The Weeknd
You’re now counting minutes, no not that stupid Justin Timberlake movie In Time, but the real minutes, who knows if you even have electricity left. This is the record that will be playing when the last ounce of oxygen is removed from the planet. Why, because it’s that good that you want to hear it again and again and again and….The Weeknd is Abel Tefsaye of Toronto who was/is about to redefine R&B. Drake and Kanye droool at the feet of The Weeknd. Trilogy is when you pray that this really isn’t the end because you need one more record from this cat.

#3 –> Fear of Men
Man will surely be the reason why the world ends. Something we created, some manufactured food, only God knows. What I do know is that Fear of Men are the BEST BAND OF 2012…Really and truly. Fear of Men are the London/Brighton quartet of Jess Weiss, Dan, Alex and Mike

#2 Crystal Castles
Did someone say endless amounts of drugs because it won’t matter when we’re all dead. Bring on the heroin, the crystal, hell bring on the krokodil tears, ever since I read about that shit in Vice, I really wanted to get my hands on some of that Russian brain melter from Novokuznetsk. So as you drift up to Neverland with Pan and his little people, play the perfect psychotropic soundtrack…Crystal Castles (III). Hell if you can find a boat head to the Nordics and enjoy the grime party.

#1 –> The Walkmen
Only because it’s what I want to listen to on my last day on Earth. It’s the band that perfectly explains my mental maturity. From the youthful rage of “The Rat” to the timeliness of You & Me to the soberness of the new record Heaven. It’s what I want to hear when I reach the pearly gates and need to explain myself to my maker. Just play “Heaven” on repeat until it’s over. The record provides aural courage.

Break Glass if needed:
NEW MUSIC FOR BEING CHASED BY ZOMBIES OR AN ANGRY MOB: GRAVEYARD

NEW MUSIC FOR THE MOMENT WHEN STANDING IN A CONVERTIBLE, HAIR BLOWING IN WIND: HEY SHOLAY ((o))

NEW MUSIC FOR THE MOMENT YOU REALIZE YOUR LOVED ONES ARE ALL GONE…so sad: HOW TO DRESS WELL Total Loss

NEW MUSIC FOR THE LAST RUN ON THE MOONLIT BEACH WITH YOUR LOVE…so romantic: BEACH HOUSE Bloom

Send us your picks….

The full playlist is here on Spotify:

UNCORKED™ – Band of the Day (1.18.12) HOWLER

20 Jan

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”

“Beach Sluts”

Follow:
Facebook
Official
Spotify

THE SMALL PRINT Must See Bands @ Coachella 2012

10 Jan

We're like the AAA for Coachella, they might be in small print, but they're great bands none the less.

I got a comment from someone that said all the music we feature sounds like “Underwater Radiohead Drivel” I wrote him back and had him listen to the 132 bands that we featured, that weren’t of that ilk. I do agree that most of today’s band can be categorized into three camps “URD”, “Spectorian Female dream sounds” and “Folk Americana”. Seriously, rock has been long buried because most of America has accepted that Nickelback is rock music. So we’re stuck in this weird moment in music….it doesn’t upset us, it just drives us to find something special. We really did pour through the bands of 2011 to find the bands that will make a difference. If the Coachella line-up is any indication, we weren’t the only ones to notice how great they were. Here is the list of our best of 2011 bands playing in Indio this year:

Other Lives – #1 2011 Hummingbird Award Winners
EMA – #4 2011 Hummingbird Award Winners
The Vaccines – #3 2011 Hummingbird Award Winners
Girls – 2011 Best of Tracks and Album Winners and one of our favorites in 2010.
Yuck – 2011 Best of Tracks and Album Winners and one of our favorites in 2010.
Keep Shelly in Athens – BOD in 2010
Real Estate – 2010 mid-year Best of and BOD 2.5.10
Gardens & Villas
– Featured BOD 11.11.11
We Were Promised Jetpacks – Featured back BOD 4.27.10
The Big Pink – They played last year and we featured back in early 2010

Personal Loves but not necessarily featured on NBD for various reasons:
Pulp
Destroyer
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Laura Marling

LISTEN TO OUR PRE-SELECTED SPOTIFY PLAYLIST HERE

Editor Picks Top 10 Gems (Albums and Tracks) of 2011 and Final Wrap

31 Dec

Editor's Gems of 2011 - Top 10 Tracks and Albums

Editors Picks Top 10 Gems Albums and Tracks of 2011

So that’s it. One more year down the drain. Good, I love moving forward. This has been one of those odd years where the new bands were good, the sophomore albums were unusually FANTASTIC. Really, I had a hard time clearing our albums from Girls, Toro Y Moi, Cults, White Denim, etc. These albums are so great that I truly believe we are at a water shed moment in the music industry. Where the social connected world has created ARTIST, who can create and share. We listen, we judge, they create more and boom, we have great records. I hope the Apple created .99 cent song world is over and that we’re headed back to an age of records. Oh well. We’re not there yet, so I’ll share my final lists for 2011. It was a great year for the Muse, Turk and me. We have new little Hummingbirds fluttering around our homes, even more inspiration to weed out the Top 40 drivel and put on some quality music for our little ones to dance to.

EDITORS PICKS Top 10 Albums of 2011
10. CultsCults
9. White DenimD
8. Young GalaxyShapeshifting
7. The VaccinesWhat Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
6. EMA Past Life Martyred Saints
5. YuckYuck
4. James Vincent McMorrowEarly In The Morning
3. DonkeysBorn With Stripes
2. Other LivesTamer Animals
1. GirlsFather, Son, Holy Ghost
If want to grab these and our Hummingbird winners on vinyl just grab them here

EDITORS PICKS Top 10 TRACKS of 2011

10. Nurses – “Fever Dreams”

9. Kurt Vile – “Jesus Fever”

8. Sun Airway – “Waiting on You”

7. Dirty Beaches – “True Blue”

6. Cults – “Oh My God”

5. Yuck – “Georgia”

4. James Vincent McMorrow – “If I Had A Boat”

3. Girls – “VomitGirls – Vomit

2. Other Lives – “Tamer Animals”

1. White Denim – “Street Joy”

HEAR THE ENTIRE LIST ON SPOTIFY RIGHT NOW

PLEASE SUPPORT THESE BANDS. I read a post from the lead singer of Pepper Rabbit last night and he stated “It’s very hard to be an “indie band” these days. You spend 100% of your time trying to get the band to another level, 75% of the time on tour losing money, and the rest of your time in either complete elation, or complete doubt.” So support them, love them, show them how much you care. Share them in this new socially connected world and claim them as yours. Claim them like a lover because they work their asses off to do it for you. I love new bands and I will spend every hour of my life finding something new for you.

Follow our favorites — all the Hummingbirds

Signing off
RE NBD

STAFF PICKS: Arizona Turk’s Gems of the Year – Top 10’s of 2011

30 Dec

The Arizona Turk's Gems of 2011 - Top 10 Tracks, Albums and Bands

Now that the Hummingbirds are distributed to the fine bands of 2011, it’s time for us to celebrate our Excavator Picks for 2011. The Excavator is a specialist only employed by NBD. They dig and dig and dig for the best tracks and bands.

Arizona Turk is the king of excavating, going to shows, buying records, digging the blogs and he finds some dandy gems. Here are his picks for the 2011 Top Tracks. Who better than the best gem of them all Arizona Turk.

Arizona Turk’s Gems of the Year – Top 10 Tracks of 2011
10. The Men “Bataille”
9. Trophy Wife “Canopy Shade”
8. Tribes “We Were Children”
7. Para Siempre “No Way Out”
6. Summer Camp “I Want You”
5. Sports Bar “Anisa, Nah She Don’t Live Here No More”
4. S.C.U.M. “Amber Hands”
3. Tours “Tough Lately”
2. Acid Kicks “Life Dreams”
1. I Heart Sharks “Summer”

LISTEN TO ALL OF THE TURK’s PICKS ON SPOTIFY

Arizona Turk’s Gems of the Year – Top 10 ALBUMS of 2011
10. Vaccines What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?
9. Youth Lagoon The Year OF Hibernation
8. EMA Past Life Martyred Saints
7.
Little Girls Cults
6. James Vincent McMorrow Early In The Morning
5. Slowness Hopeless But Otherwise
4. True Widow As High As The Highest Heavens And From The Center Of The Circumference Of The Earth
3. Washed Out Within And Without
2. I Heart Sharks Summer
1. Donkeys Born With Stripes

Just missed:
Miles Kane Colour Of The Trap
Chapel Club Palace
Metromony The English Riviera…I know they have been around forever
The Antlers Burst Apart …couldn’t leave it off
The Men Leave Home
Sports Bar Demo
Cinemascopes Cinemascopes EP

My favorite album of the year:
The Horrors Skying

Welcome Back:
Death in Vegas Trans-Love-Energies

Best Reissues:
1. Talk Talk Laughing Stock (VINYL)
2. Ride Nowhere – 2 disc Rhino set
3. Archers Of Loaf Icky Mettle
4. Disco Inferno The 5 EPs
5. This Mortal Coil

AND HE EVEN GAVE US HIS TOP 10 BANDS OF 2011 (Though most of these will be on our 2012 list)
Arizona Turk’s Gems of the Year – Top 10 BANDS of 2011

10. Little Girls
9. Dirty Beaches
8. Belong
7. Cinemascopes
6. Blouse
6. Slowness
5. True Widow
4. I Break Horses
3. Swimming
2. James Vincent McMorrow
1. I Heart Sharks

THE 2011 AWARD LINKS:
ALL THE 2011 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD WINNERS
LISTEN TO ALL 13 HUMMINGBIRDS PLAYLIST HERE
BUY ALL THE HUMMINGBIRD ALBUMS HERE

Best New Bands of 2011 HUMMINGBIRD AWARD: #3 The Vaccines

22 Dec

Everybody loves them because they're better than everyone. The Vaccines!


Best New Band of 2011
#3 Hummingbird Award – The Vaccines

Don’t hold it against us because The Vaccines are so damn popular, but rather, you should relish in it, enjoy it. They are so good and we were there back in January. We were sent the single “If You Wanna” and we thought the same thing…two minute romp Strokes style. So we wrote them off in 2010. Then What Did You Expect From The Vaccines, and truly, we didn’t expect it to be this good. Really, it was shockingly Is This It good. They’re better than any rock band of the last 2 years. Truly, Surfer Blood and the likes all wish they could be The Vaccines.

Vitals:
Hometown: London, UK
Members: Justin Young, Árni Hjörvar, Freddie Cowan, Pete Robertson
Sonic Soulmates™: The Strokes, Chapel Club, Surfer Blood
Trackables™:
“Blow It Up”

“Wrecking Ball (Ra Ra Ra)” – This song plays every time I play my FIFA 2012 on my iPhone!

Follow:
Facebook
Spotify

Original Post: Band of the Day 1.26.11

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

Best of 2011…SO FAR — The List

24 Jun

Battery about to die and it's at :11 minutes for the 11 best of 2011...eerie.


I can’t wait until next week. I’m anxious and excited and I just want to get it over with…you understand, the anticipation to tell someone some good news. So I’m all alone in a dark hotel room, I think the electricity just crapped out on me, so it means I have :11 minutes on my Mac to make this shizzle fo real. SO here it is, 11 Bands for 2011 in all it’s glory… THE BEST OF 2011…SO FAR

11. Other Lives – This is the band that won’t leave my playlists for 2011. I love them hard.
“Tamer Animals”

10. Suuns – 2010 year end dandies have captured our hearts in 2011.
“Arena”

9. Code Pie – The BSS of 2011. Canadian love children with layered sounds.
“Love Meets Rage”

8. Widowspeak – We were there in the beginning. We’ve heard from the fans and we’ve watched them skyrocket up our PAGEVIEW list. Wow. They have more traffic then all of the 2011 bands combined. Just listen.
“Harsh Realm”

7. Sun Airway – Found them to be the most delightful band of 2011. I think they’ll move up the charts by year end.
“Waiting On You”

6. The Vaccines – They are the ROCK darlings of 2011 and if you haven’t heard their singles then you’re trapped in a Chilean coal mine.
“Blow it Up”

5. The Antlers – One word “FINALLY” they’ve hit the hipster mainstage. We love them.
“Rolled Together”

4. The Donkeys – The Turk found these San Diego stoney garage boys.
“I Like the Way You Walk”

3. Seapony – The Trio from Seattle is our Tennis of 2011. So Spectory good.
“Always” – A little early Cure guitar riff.

2. James Vincent McMorrow – Do you know me? Really have you been reading us for awhile? Then you know we love Singer/Songwriters and JVM is better than them all this year.
“If I Had A Boat” – Try not to tear up.

1. Star Slinger – Dude has been a DJ for less than a year and his stuff is otherworldly.
“Mornin'”

GIVING YOU THE BIRD…THE WHOLE 2011…SO FAR PLAYLIST —>

Band of the Day (1.26.11) The Vaccines

26 Jan

UK boys on the rise...Best New Band of 2011? The Vaccines


Band of the Day (1.26.11) The Vaccines

Buzz buzz buzz, well sometimes bands just deserve it. The Vaccines have been buzzing through London on the backs of two quality singles. The first, released in August, 2010 “If You Wanna” — hear below — quickly gave The Vaccines the air coverage they needed. It’s a 50’s diner track coupled with Surfer Blood vocals. It’s a GREAT track. The second single, “Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra)” was released in November. A fast paced track that gets from here to there quickly. Much like the career arch of The Vaccines. Traditionally we wait on these so called buzz bands for do something impressive before we feature them, but these may just be The Strokes of this decade. Their songs are anthems, not just power pop punk, but 1:50 anthems that beg for you to hit repeat. With DNA attached to The Horrors and Jay Jay Pistolet, the band has the world a buzzin’ so we’re in, count us one of the many who believe the hype. I personally believe that this band will rise to the top and get the US recognition it deserves. We have to make it our duty to help these GREAT London acts make a name for themselves in the US. IT’s TIME. So we say “Today you just found your favorite new band.” 2011 is Rock Heaven

Did we mention that this is the Year of Rock? Well check this out…see Coachella line-up, three rock headliners, see Wolf People, see Black Pistol Fire…we believe The Vaccines will lead this charge! It’s time.

Vitals:
Hometown: London, UK
Members: Justin Young, Árni Hjörvar, Freddie Cowan, Pete Robertson
Sonic Soulmates: The Strokes, Chapel Club, Surfer Blood
Must Hear Tracks:
“If You Wanna”

“Blow it Up”

Follow:
Facebook
MySpace
Official Site

Trend Update: 2011 is Rock Heaven

20 Jan

2010 was the worst year for rock since 1960. Not so for 2011....

2010 was the worst year for Rock music since 1960. The end-of-year figures for the music industry were horrific, we’ve mentioned this a few times, but only Train’s “Hey Soul Sister” reached the Hot 100 Top 10, and they aren’t rockers. In the UK only three songs classified as “rock” appeared in the Top 100 singles. Of those three singles, the highest-ranked Glee’s Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” at No. 25 and Florence And The Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” at No. 93. So is Rock dead? You tell us…we’ve already posted 4 bands that may bring it back

The Rock Bands of 2011
Black Pistol Fire – The Black Keys, Creedence Clearwater of 2011
Wolf People – Tame Impala and Dungen of 2011
Disappears – Lou Reed Iggy Pop of 2011
The Vaccines – The Strokes of 2011

So is the trend line moving? Check out the Coachella head-liners? Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Strokes, Black Keys? Looks like rock to me. Then the rumors of big rock acts having records Strokes, etc. Who knows, but we’re calling it now. Follow the trend line here or add the RSS feed for 2011 Rock Heaven here