Hey everyone!
For this first music blog post, I'd thought I'd just give you guys a little peek into what I'm listening to while writing and surfing the internet absentmindedly. So here are the five artists that are blaring through my laptop speakers right now.
Hamell on Trial
Hamell on Trial falls into a category of music, called anti-folk, that I have very little prior experience listening to. In reality, I don't think the genre has an exact definition, but, judging by Hamell on Trial's new album, the music seems to run against what can be considered folk. The instrumentation is simple but played with furious energy and, like jazz music, lends itself to lots of improvisation. The lead singer, Ed Hamell, fills his lyrics with political commentary and intensely personal touches which, combined with his passionate guitar playing, make for very excitingly genuine tunes.
Listen to: Artist in America, The Happiest Man in the World, Richard's Got a Job
OK Go
Due to an early obsession with YouTube and some carefully choreographic movements on treadmills, OK Go is a band that has been on my radar for several years now. I bought their album Oh No around that same time and, around five year after the fact, I still come back to their music time after time. Their songs, especially the ones on Oh No, are infectiously catchy and the quality is so tow-down fantastic you can't help but imagine the work the band puts into each and every song. I recently listened to their newest album and, while it lacked the infectious energy I had expected, the well-crafted instrumentation and lyric work are by no means diminished by time.
Listen to: Invincible, Do What You Want, No Sign of Life, This Too Shall Pass
The Fratellis
I used to spend a lot of time in my younger days searching through the bowels of iTunes to feed my deep desire for new music to listen to. Along the way, I'm guessing around the time one of their songs were featured in an iPod ad, I found the Fratellis. A three-piece rock band composed of three guys from Glasgow, The Fratellis are a curious bunch as each of the members legally changed their last names to Fratelli when the band formed. Two members even changed their first names as well. Their music is stupidly catchy and Fratellis are constantly experimenting with their sound, both in and out of the recording studio. One of the members even joined a thrash metal band during a time when the Fratellis were disbanded.
Listen to: Henrietta, Flathead, Chelsea Dagger, Baby Fratelli, My Friend John, A Heady Tale, Tell Me a Lie
So Many Ways
A more recent discovery for me, So Many Ways is a pop-punk band that serves up loud and passionate music with ripping guitar and guttural gang vocals. This is exactly the type of stuff that I eat up like freakin' Skittles. Handfuls at a time, people. Handfuls. I haven't had a lot of time with these guys to say much else than I dig their stuff. Their most recent offering has taken them down a more hardcore path, something that put me off a little bit, but their first EP still brings the jams that get my head a-bobbing.
Listen to: I've Made a Huge Mistake, 37 Chambers, Dirtfoot
NEEDTOBREATHE
A solid member of my all-time favorite bands list, NEEDTOBREATHE have had me hooked since I first heard the resounding chorus of Washed By the Water. While their latest album didn't feel quite as complete as previous offerings, these South Carolina guys bring some of the most consistently awesome music to the table album after album. Their style straddles the lines between Southern rock, pop, and singer-songwriter and their diversity is one of their most admirable qualities. That and having immense hearts after God make NEEDTOBREATHE a must listen-to band and must-see live act.
Listen to: Spare the Time, Restless, Washed by the Water, The Heat,The Outsiders, The Girl Named Tennessee, Something Beautiful, Let Us Love, Oohs and Aahs, Keep Your Eyes Open, Devil's Been Talkin', State I'm in, Feet Don't Fail Me Now, Brother
Thanks for reading everyone! I hope some of these artists will touch your fancy.
No comments:
Post a Comment