I know, I know. I haven’t blogged at all lately. Not making excuses, but I’m moving, and work is killing me. The good news is, there’s been all sorts of new music floating my way…so expect some blog goodness soon.
For now, though, I wanted to share this gorgeous tune that Passenger and Stu Larsen did on Balcony TV yesterday. Holy heck, I love Mike’s voice and his witty lyrics, and I’m now all about checking out Stu’s stuff. It’s mellow, but happy and a perfect way to get your Friday afternoon chill started off right.
If you dig Passenger’s sound, you should definitely pick up his latest album All the Little Lights. It’s ah-may-zing. It seems to have disappeared from iTunes and Amazon in the U.S. for download (thank goodness I bought it the day it came out!), but you can buy the import hard copy CD on Amazon still.
When I moved to NC in 1998, I came with a fella. We made it a lil’ shy of two years, but then called it quits. I spent the next two years of my life redefining myself…It’s when I discovered my love of live music and my affinity for unheard of bands. One of the CDs I spent ages listening to was Philly native Bree Sharp’s Cheap and Evil Girl. She had another record that followed it, but fell off of the grid for awhile.
A couple of years ago, Bree resurfaced, playing with an electronica-influenced rock band called Beautiful Small Machines. I somehow completely missed that they released a single last month, a cover of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” – completely Bree-ified, rocked out with banjo, and I loooooove it. Luckily, I follow some awesome music bloggers. The RSL posted the video just the other day…and it’s freakin’ awesome. It deserves this week’s Friday spotlight.
If you dig BSM’s version of the song, you can download it on iTunes.
My good buddy and top Atlanta music blogger, Allison from RadioPotato, was visiting Charlotte and was keen to visit The Evening Muse, my absolute favorite venue in town. It didn’t matter who was playing, she said, so off we went to see Shearwater – a band I knew nothing about. But hey, they’re from Austin, they have to be promising, right?
This is a band of musical dudes. Originally started a few years ago by two members of the critically acclaimed indie band Okkervil River, and now fronted by one of those fellas, Jonathan Meiburg, the band has an interesting mix of operatic vocals, soothing melodies, strategically used on stage mixing, and a driving rhythms. I adored Danny (Reisch? I’m not sure if this is right) who was playing drums for them – insanely fantastic – but apparently, he is filling in for their full-time drummer on this tour and on this newest record. And Lucas Oswald, the little guy that could play everything – guitar, keys, drums, mixing board…flat out fabulous, and obviously just a little talented.
As a gal who loves a happy pop song, this was definitely outside my box, but I found myself really digging some of their tunes. “Animal Life,” off their new album Animal Joy, is unbelievably catchy and it’s been stuck in my head for the last two days…so it’s definitely worthy of Friday Awesomeness. So worthy, in fact, that I’m posting it 5.5 hours before Friday. It’s that good!
I encourage you to check out their other tunes, especially the song “Breaking the Yearlings” a dark, cacophonous, pounding ditty full of metaphor. A writer’s dream, really, which might be why I like it so much.
Deliriously infectious new music from Imagine Dragons.
Me and my family have had a really crappy couple of weeks. I definitely need a positive boost of energy right now…and luckily, my favorite little Vegas/Provo, UT band, Imagine Dragons, has it for me. This sizzling five-piece is just so smokin’ hot…their sound is alternately hypnotic and infectious, and more addictive than a bag of M&Ms. Last Tuesday, they released a six-song EP, Continued Silence, that is absolutely break-out material. This band is going to be a household name very soon, especially after they showcase at SXSW next month.
While “It’s Time,” clearly the single, is a carryover from their last effort, the five other songs are new. I’m loving “Radioactive,” but am utterly OBSESSED with “On Top of the World.” I played it 23 times on my drive back to NC from NJ the other day, and that is not an exaggeration. It is full of snaps, claps and whistles and is “pure gold,” as Stephen, keyboardist for Saints of Valory, summed up nicely. It is perfectly awesome and perfectly appropriate for a 70+ degree day in Charlotte.
This is only a 1.5 minute snippet that’s available on SoundCloud…but I highly recommend picking up the entire Continued Silence EP at Amazon or iTunes.
I’m sitting in New Jersey right now, looking outside at a beautiful sunny day, and the weather folks are promising temperatures in the 50s today. Winter is definitely in the rearview mirror…And I could not be happier! Bring on sunshine! Bring on 80 degrees!
Meteorologists are the only one with bright forecasts these days. Seems like there’s beaucoup de new music on the horizon in my world. Lots of my old and new favorites are putting out new music this spring. Because I love ’em, I’m just going to make a short list here of the new music that’s come out recently or that IS coming out soon… So go pre-order and get your hands on some hot new stuff for spring!
January 10 – Red Wanting Blue – The Vanishing Point (Buy now on Amazon | iTunes)
January 22 – Son of a Bad Man – Here’s to The Falling In (Buy now on Amazon | iTunes)
jrzygyrl.com 