I don't care one bit if the headline makes sense or not, it's how I feel about this next band. Just the other day I casually asked a friend of mine if he had heard of any new bands recently that were really worthy of noting. He told me "listen to Of Monsters and Men they are the next big thing." Boy was he right! Within 60 seconds I was hooked and purchasing their EP.
I was stunned that this band was from Iceland too! Call me ignorant, call me crazy, call me an American but I haven't seen anything this epic come out of Iceland since the Olympic team that almost beat Coach Bombay and his Mighty Ducks. In all seriousness though it isn't often you get bands from there making it big in the States.
This band deserves every single bit of recognition they are starting to get and I honestly hope they are here to stay for a long long time. They draw comparisons to so many different bands I've heard through out my life yet sound so fresh and so new. They are one of the purest bands I've heard in quite some time.
Their style can best be described as 1/3 Mumford and Sons, 1/3 Arcade Fire and 1/3 Ska. When you put all three of those together along with VERY catchy hooks in all of their songs you get this amazing feeling bubbling up inside you that can really only be subdued by humming along.
Their first album My Head Is an Animal is set to be released in the States soon and I cannot wait. If it is anything like the EP we are all in for quite the treat. Please please please give this band a listen if you haven't heard of them yet. I apologize in advance for you having to walk around all day tomorrow singing this in your head.
Hope you enjoyed that! Let us know what you think in the comments section and check back soon for another very exciting new band!!!
So, in keeping with this week's theme of bands from the northern most part of the UK, I present, Frightened Rabbit.
My brother showed me this band after he had seen them open for Death Cab for Cutie this past summer, and from there, my love for them has only grown. Formed back in 2003, the band was only made up of lead singer and guitar player, Scott Hutchison at that time. It wasn't until 2005 that they had an actual three-piece band, which has since grown to five members. And for now it seems like that's where they'll keep it.
Taken by: William Haun
Very similar to We Were Promised Jetpacks (see our other post), Frightened Rabbit brings another awesome Indie voice to the music scene, along with BADASS Scottish accents. They've released three, full length studio albums and are said to be working on another which will hopefully be out later this year. I love this band's sound! They use a lot of reverb and echo in many of there songs which gives them this HUGE sound. From their drummer to the keyboard player, everything plays so well together. A lot of good bands never become great through, an amazing singer is hard to find. But they have one! That's why they're great! The tone in his voice is perfect, and he sings fantastic melodies on top of the already music. I think it'd be pretty hard not to enjoy his voice and the music. They have a very mature sound for an Indie Rock band. They understand the benefits of using musical texture and layering, and you can tell they put a lot of time into putting everything together.
Their two, latest albums would definitely be my favorite. The Midnight Organ Fight and The Winter of Mixed Drinks both have amazing singles, and are very listener friendly albums... meaning, there isn't a bad song on them! Tracks like Modern Leper and Swim Until You Can't See Land prove that these guys can not only produce one album with amazing songs, but two, and probably a whole lot more. That's the great thing about having an insanely creative leader like Hutchison.
So there's only one thing left for you to do.... Check them out! What have you got to lose? I even made it easy for ya (click play).
See? They're freaking awesome! Let me know what you think with a comment.
Let me just start this post with a story. I'd say about two years ago I went to a concert with two of my friends. The show was for Jimmy Eat World and they were one of my favorite bands at the time. I took to my seat on the balcony eagerly waiting for the opening band to come on so they could quickly finish and get the hell off the stage. Just then a quartet of guys with real heavy accents walked up to the beautiful Wiltern stage. The lead singer mumbled something and then they launched into a set that left me speechless. Jimmy Eat World came on after them and they were awesome as usual but I couldn't stop thinking about that opener. That opener was We Were Promised Jetpacks.
These guys play with such an energy that it is really hard to not be in awe of their presence. How this band hasn't blown up yet is really beyond me. They are currently building a pretty nice following here in the States but are already pretty well known in Europe. They are almost Scotland's answer to the British Arctic Monkeys. As fast as these guys play they are able to change tempo's in a song almost flawlessly and make it sound really natural.
The band is made up of Adam Thompson (vocals, guitar), Michael Palmer (guitar), Sean Smith (bass) and Darren Lackie (drums). Their first full length album came out in 2009 and was titled These Four Walls and it was quite an impressive debut. The songs that will grab you by the you-know-whats are It's Thunder and it's Lightning, Quiet Little Voices and Roll Up Your Sleeves. They also slow it down with the beautifully atmospheric Keeping Warm which in 8 minutes delivers through out. Overall a very good album. Their second album In The Pit of the Stomach is just as good and a little bit more mature. Literally every single song is amazing and different.
The second album was so good that I just had to see them again. I took a friend who had never really heard of them a few months ago and he was blown away. An hour after the show once we both regained our ability to hear properly his response was "one of the best shows i've ever seen in my life, top 3 for sure." More people need to know about this band as they surely are one of the best up-and-comers out there today. Give it a shot would ya!? It's awesome, I promise.
I am not sure who out there watched the Grammys last weekend but if you did then you were more likely than not blown away by a certain country duo. They played literally for only one minute right before Taylor Swift took to the stage but MAN O MAN DID THEY KILL IT! This one minute of a song was so impressive that it sent me straight to my computer to find this Jack Sparrow look-a-like.
What I found was The Civil Wars.
The Civil Wars are a country/folk (more folky for you country haters) and are comprised of Joy Williams and John Paul White. If you didn't know any better you would be convinced that these two were love birds but as it turns out Captain Jack...err I mean John Paul White is married to someone else! It is a testament to how good they are to assume they are involved because their chemistry sizzles. Every song off of their first full length album Barton Hallow is quite impressive. From the beautiful opening on the first track "20 Years" to the haunting "The Violet Hour" this album is something that shouldn't be overlooked. The gem of the record is undeniably the title track "Barton Hallow" and if you haven't heard it yet then I strongly recommend you watch this...
...pretty awesome, huh?
I can't help but get an early Black Keys/White stripes vibe from this song and I think eventually this could be their bread and butter. That isn't to say that the rest of the album is not magnificent, because it is, but it is a slower pace and leaves more room for both of their voices to shine through.
Long story short is if you haven't given this band a shot yet then stop reading this and go buy this immediately!
Primarily using sample tracks on his albums, Gotye, born Wouter De Backer, is a Belgium born, Australian implant who has put out three albums over his decade long music career.
Virtually unknown outside of Europe and Australia, Gotye has risen in popularity in recent months in part, because of his out of the ordinary sound and hugely popular single called "Somebody That I Used To Know," off his latest album Making Mirrors. That single has more than 73 MILLION views on YouTube and a cover of the song by Canadian band, Walk Off the Earth, has also helped garner him mainstream attention.
I didn't even know about him until I was shown the cover of the song by my friend, Matt (big ups). From there, I fell in love with his universal lyrics in the song and the style in which he delivers them. The chorus of the song is incredibly well sung and heartfelt. The guy has MAD singing chops! Intense control of his voice, but it almost feels like he's not even trying... must be nice. HA! The song also features little known Kiwi (New Zealand) singer, Kimbra.
The song, which is definitely my favorite on the album, is basically about a bad breakup. I think most people can relate to it, I know I can.
"But you didn't have to cut me off. Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing. And I don't even need your love, but you treat me like a stranger and it feels so rough."
The rest of the album, Making Mirrors, is probably one of the most eclectic albums I've ever listened to. The nice thing about Gotye is that you never really get comfortable with his sound on the album. Almost every song has a totally different feel and style to it. I've heard people call it Indie Rock but I think I'd place it as more Experimental Rock because of his use of samples and different genres. It feels like a complete music experience. One song can be completely Indie, then the next with very strong blues and jazz features in it.
I don't think the album as a whole has universal or mainstream appeal, but I don't think that's what he was going for. Like most musicians, he probably doesn't care if people like it or not, luckily a ton of people do. I'd say give him a shot and take a listen. I personally love the album and think it's a great combination of normal and abstract sounds. But don't stop with just "Somebody That I Used To Know." The entire album is fantastic and worth the money. Check him out.
"Eyes Wide Open" off the album, Making Mirrors.
I hope this was a good post! Please comment and share your favorite bands with us! Always looking for more to listen to.
