Participatory Thread: New Music

Posted on April 9, 2012    Posted by      308 Comments

I was just kvetching on Facebook about not having a whole lot of time to find new bands I could like, and then I smacked my head and went, duh, I have tens of thousands of people to recommend music to me.

So: Hey what newer bands are you listening to these days? Share a link, and explain why they work for you.

Caveat: By “newer band” I mean bands/artists who either formed or started recording in the last five years or (if you can’t manage that) who formed/started in the last decade but have only become well-known in the last two or three years.

I make this note because if I don’t at least some of you will come at me with your favorite band from when you went to high school in the 70s/80s/90s/whenever. No. I assure you if the band formed before 2003 I already know about it.

Second caveat: Mention as many bands as you like, but maybe put in one band per post, because if you put in too many links in a single post it’ll get booted into my moderation queue.

To get you started: Birdy, covering “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” by The Postal Service. Because it’s pretty. Enjoy.

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308 Comments on “Participatory Thread: New Music”

  1. Of Monsters and Men: awesome folk-rock from far away: http://youtu.be/GZ-kXZsUa_w

    I love the lyrics; very well-written, and in the case of “Little Talks” I think the dialogue effect works pretty well.

    KEXP, btw, is a great place to find all sorts of cool music, new and old.

  3. HA! I should’ve said you should go to Whatever and ask people. OK:

    POLICA: sexy indie stuff. Female singer. Haunting. So far it work for all humans in the Terhune household.
    IamamIwhoami: weird Swedish pop. Very good stuff. Peep the videos. They’re great on their own.

    That’s all I got for now. More in the morning.

  6. The Barr Brothers, who made an appearance on Letterman a couple of months ago. Listened to it on the road home today, so it immediately springs to mind.

  8. One of the best bands you’ve never heard of….Civil Twilight:
    http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/holy-weather/id496556221

    First listens: Fire Escape, Move/Stay, Every Walk That I’ve Ever Taken…(although I really love the whole album. There are some really awesome gems on their debut album as well).

    Greatest evolution of a band since Achtung Baby (yeah I said it).

  9. School of Seven Bells–shoegaze and electronic/dreampop http://sviib.com/
    Grimes–postmod dance music with sf-ish themes–her first album was based on Dune. http://www.grimesmusic.com/
    Julia Holter — ambient meets Laurie Anderson http://juliashammasholter.com/
    John Grant–wonderful vocalist, great lyricist–“Jesus Hate Faggots” (an inditment against homophobia that’s funny) and “Sigorney Weaver” are great songs. http://www.johngrantmusic.com/

  10. Candlelight Red – http://www.candlelightred.com http://www.facebook.com/candlelightred @CandellightRed

    They (the music press) call it post-grunge, but it’s more just straight-forward hard rock/metal. They hail from Williamsport, PA, and have only been recording for the last year, together for the last three or four. In the interest of disclosure, the guitarist and singer (Jeremy and Ryan, respectively) are friends of mine, and as such, I help promote them when I can.

    They’ve opened for KISS (hand-picked as winners of a contest KISS was a part of along with Guitar Center), 10 Years, Egypt Central, Saving Abel, Sevendust, and are about to start a tour with Trapt tomorrow night in Wisconsin.

    As for samples, I offer these, all from their debut album, “The Wreckage”

    “Closer” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVoIfyVDtsA – Their debut single, currently getting lots of airplay on both terrestrial radio nationwide, as well as attention on Sirius/XM’s Octane channel. This is the official music video, which features some pretty nifty shots. Shot during the tenure of their former basist and drummer.

    “She’s Got The Look” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z8v7kzPO7c – The second single from the album, and of course a cover of Roxette’s “The Look.” Not the official video, but they just recently shot it in Pittsburgh, so it should be out soon. Did well in several head-to-head contests on different radio stations across the eastern half of the US, and is starting to get decent airplay. Great cover, IMHO.

    “Medicated” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWQLIh3l3rg – Not released as a single. One of their higher-energy live tunes, though. Closer to a mix of thrash and hardcore, so there’s screaming involved, just so you’re fairly warned in case that’s not your thing.

    The album is available on both Amazon and iTunes. Hope you enjoy the rock.

  11. Nice call on Birdy. Without knowing anything about your tastes, I can recommend:
    THE KILLS
    WHITE RABBITS
    MEG MYERS
    DIRTY PROJECTORS

    Also, I just downloaded 7.5GB of this year’s SXSW showcasing artists for maximum sampling pleasure. Here: http://www.sxswtorrent.com/
    I have accumulated upwards of 25GB of tunes from SXSW torrents over the past 6 years. Lots of dross, but enough gems to make it worth digging through.

  12. I listen to a lot of European stuff that isn’t as well-known in the states, so I’m hoping that will make these obscure enough…

    Lyriel – German folk/symphonic metal. Foeman’s Bride: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kosv4HRCw1Q . The video is fan-made, but has a better quality of sound than the others I found.

    I don’t know if this counts as a band, but it’s two YouTube musicians doing a fantastic cover of the Skyrim theme: http://youtu.be/BSLPH9d-jsI A male singer, and a female violinist/dancer. (She does both violin-ing! And dancing! At the same time!)

    Here’s Alexander Rybak, who is pretty famous in Europe as far as I hear, but I don’t think he’s as well known stateside: http://youtu.be/daqfr6DJsGc He’s also a violinist, and he sings.

    Here’s Pendulum, an Aussie band who does a bit of dupstep–but not too much, which is key. :D http://youtu.be/tEPB7uzKuh4

    And to finish it off, here’s Indica, with a song from their first English album: http://youtu.be/XsNfNKPxoJc . It’s an all-female symphonic/melodic metal band.

  13. If you have not yet listened to Girlyman, you should! They formed in the early 2000s, and their first album came out in 2004. They’ve since recorded six albums (one of which, Supernova, has just come out!), my favorite being Joyful Sign. http://girlyman.com/ Oh, and here’s their Margaret Cho-produced video for their song, “Young James Dean”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue_ia7Dikq0

    Also, I might have more suggestions for you, but what genres are you into? For example, would pop or hip-hop suggestions be welcome?

  16. I’m kind of grooving on the Civil Wars lately. “Barton Hollow” is a really good debut album, and I say that as someone who’s not usually into country/bluegrass/blues all that much.

  17. Three Days Grace, The Bravery, Puddle of Mudd, Alien Ant Farm, Stone Sour, Buckcherry, Breaking Benjamin. Some of those have probably been around longer than a decade, but those are the “newer” bands I could think of off the top of my head. Sadly, the state of Houston radio is such that when we’re in the car we usually listen to the ’80s stations on satellite radio.

  22. Oh man. SJ Tucker, definitely! http://www.skinnywhitechick.com/

    She’s not new, but she’s not well known enough that she should be screened out by your requirements. She is very nerdy, her voice is awesome, and she has done several concept albums based on Cat Valente’s stuff.

    Also, I saw someone reading Agent to the Stars on campus today. Thought you might find that not entirely unpleasing.

  23. i’m partial to bluegrass stuff, this is a band from my neck of the woods and, while i’m not certain how nationally popular they are, they come up on pandora on a semi-regular basis for me.

  24. I have to give Beirut a shout-out. They’re mostly a folk band that got started in 2006 and I absolutely adore them. I don’t think they’ve made any songs that have become pop hits per se, but every album they make has at absolute minimum one or two songs you could listen to a thousand times easy.

    Here’s a few songs that I think captures their style pretty well,

    Vagabond
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpN2XAg2bQs

    Elephant Gun
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PermEZ18IXg&

    and Santa Fe

  30. Man, I have liked every single thing Tokyo Police Club has ever done, and I’ve caught them live at least four times. Three of those were great shows, two were simply superb, and one of those superb shows might actually have been transcendant.

    Their first EP, A Lesson in Crime manages to cram seven songs into 16 minutes, which is great if, like me, you can be mildly ADD about music. (Also: Not that much of an investment if it turns out you don’t like ’em!) Their next two releases are longer, but still quick (30 and 35 minutes). It’s all just well-produced, super-hooky, really melodic rock, with lyrics that should not make any sense but do. For starters I would check out “Citizens of Tomorrow” (which, science-fiction fans, has the benefit of being about robot masters enslaving humans on Mars) and “Juno,” or, you know, pretty much any other song by them.

  31. Tinariwen.

    Imagine Carlos Santana went to Mali and taught electric guitar to Taureg rebels. That’s not far from the truth. It’s a blend of guitar rock and Taureg musical traditions.

    While I believe the band has been around for a few decades, I think they only had albums start appearing over here in 2007, so that should count.

  34. I’m just going to go ahead and mention my favourite band of the last five or six years — The Hold Steady. From New York via Minnesota, they’re very familiar to a certain crowd but not at all widely known. — http://theholdsteady.net/ . The lead singer, Craig Finn, also has a solo album out now: “Clear Heart, Full Eyes”. Think old school rock, Springsteen via Dylan, often near spoken word poetry.

  41. I’m mighty partial to The Civil Wars (http://thecivilwars.com/ <—Free album for download there), if you like Folkish music. Some YouTube Links: Disarm http://youtu.be/FsK0mx_NoFw ; My Father's Father http://youtu.be/QGwnFz_5xRE

    You probably know about Sarah Bareilles, but do you know about her opening act – Elizabeth and the Catapult? http://youtu.be/jLAfmxC5lJI ; http://youtu.be/sXY0nd0Clkg

    And, a completely ecletic choice, but I like her albums a lot – Julia Nunes: http://youtube.com/jaaaaaaa

  44. I would recommend Man Man. Been around since 2007 but they were relatively obscure till recently where there music is starting to show up in odd places. Apparently they put on an awesome show. I recommend the song ‘Dark Arts’ as a good starting point

  46. Florence And The Machine: Get both their CDs, and all three EPs, but especially their latest CD, Ceremonials:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKZrZdajLzs&feature=related

    http://www.billboard.com/news/florence-welch-crowdsurfs-through-children-1005543752.story#/news/florence-welch-crowdsurfs-through-children-1005543752.story

    http://www.billboard.com/features/florence-the-machine-ceremonials-track-by-1005465362.story#/features/florence-the-machine-ceremonials-track-by-1005465362.story

    The scary thing is that, big and bluesy as her voice is, Florence Welch says there is no reason to believe she has learned all their is about training her voice, and believes she can sing even better!

  47. Twenty One Pilots.
    House of Gold is a good song, and my son did a cool stop motion video and cover of the song –

  48. You’ve heard of Vampire Weekend, right? Kids in Manhattan who listened to 80’s pop and a whole lot of Paul Simon growing, and it’s so very catchy. They even have a song about pretentiousness that culminates in a not-really- obscure punctuation reference.

    Devotchka! There’s a quirky Russian-sounding lead singer with an accordian, a violinist, a lady who alternates between sousaphone and upright bass, and the album ends up lush and melodic.

    Second the Black Keys. They also have a wonderful series of music videos, one of which stars Tricia Helfer.

  49. Note:

    I am going to sleep now, so between now and when I wake up, comments with more than three links are likely to go into the moderation queue. Don’t panic, I will release them when I wake up in the morning. But to lessen the chance of this happening, just put one band and one link per post (and then do more than one post).

    Night!

  52. Kolaveri Di. Recent hit from India! 52 million views on YouTube! And I’ll bet you never heard of it.

  55. Oh, I’m pretty certain you know Ok Go, but I want to be sure. They have a whole bunch of music videos that are one-take Rube Goldberg awesomeness or elaborate dance routines.

  58. Elsie by The Horrible Crows
    Sink or Swim by Gaslight Anthem – yes their later stuff is all Springsteeny, but has a more punk edge and references tom waits, Elvis Costello, Charles Dickens, etc, etc.
    Big Big Love by Little Birdy (Aussie outfit) BIG female vocal and quite different to just about anyone. If you can find message to God on youtube give it a try.

  59. My biggest musical crush I’ve had in some time is Los Campesinos. They have four records, and each has been more self-assured than the last; whether that’s a good thing is open to debate, I suppose. They manage to express the frustrations and wonder of new relationships while wrapping it in melodies that are complicated without being noticeably so. Their youth really comes through in their first record, (http://youtu.be/Tk0vQhxyR5Y), but I find it all incredibly infectious. And I’m a sucker for their lyrics. For example, the first song from their prior record starts with one of my favorite opening lines on any record — “Let’s talk about you for a minute” — a suggestion that the narrator proceeds to utterly disregard as he talks about himself for the rest of the song. (http://youtu.be/vMewAkVBFck) And even on their latest record, they still manage to hit a sweet spot between bitter and hopeful, as here: http://youtu.be/RPz00pX0kMU.

  60. About as mixed a combination as you can get; my brother, who is a fossil supreme but also very eclectic in his tastes, is always asking for recommendations, and these are some that worked for him.

    Eli “The Paperboy” Reed, who is quite young and white and from Brooklyn, and sounds like he just walked out of a Motown studio in 1966

    Scary Kids Scaring Kids — another one of those alt-indie kind of bands, I just happen to like them.

    The Noisettes, who sound so different from CD to CD that some people think they’re more than one band.

  62. Jon & Roy. For a starter song, check out ‘Another Noon’ or ‘Little Bit of Love’.

    Full disclosure: I think they formed ten years ago in a bar in Victoria, British Columbia. If you managed to catch them in said bar, I will apologize profusely. And be very confused.

  65. Deal of the century here. Three bands that all release their music as Pay What You Want. As a bonus? They’re all kickin’ rad.

    Bomb the Music Industry

    http://www.bombthemusicindustry.com/

    Ska/Punk from NY with chiptune influences. I’d suggest starting with To Leave or Die in Long Island, but the latest album, Vacation, is kind of like a punk rock Beach Boys.

    Next up? Defiance, Ohio

    http://defianceohio.terrorware.com/

    Folk punk band from, guess where? That’s right. Indiana. I don’t get it either. Except that Defiance, Ohio sounds cool. Nice folky music with a harder edge than what the hippies were doing. Listen to The Great Depression and if you manage to get Oh Susquehanna out of your head you are a better ear worm exterminator than I am.

    Finally, we have RVIVR

    http://www.rumbletowne.com/rtr/rtr-releases/RTR-009

    That’s the link to their first LP. Straight up pop-punk from Olympia, WA. Ignore the mullets, that’s just what they do. Even the girls. I love Seethin’, but all their stuff is good.

  68. I’ve definitely got to throw my vote in for The Civil Wars (“Tip Of My Tongue” is one of my favorites: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-RtrpwIME0) and they’re poised to blow up huge — they’ve got a song in The Hunger Games soundtrack.

    Matthew Mayfield has been in bands longer than the five-year limit, but his solo career just squeaks in under the wire. I love his song “Open Road” — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7hI542VGPs — but be warned the video is kind of a weeper.

    Finally, I’ve really started to get into Halestorm. I originally looked them up because of their song “Here’s To Us” which was on Glee… but I also fell for “Familiar Taste Of Poison” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHZKPYQnsmc&ob=av2n

  69. For especially weird moods only: That 1 Guy. His studio stuff is cool, but for a real idea of what he does, you’ve got to watch one of the live videos:

  77. The Rumour Said Fire – The Balcony. Real pretty folk pop kinda music and Danish to boot :)

  83. I recently got hooked on Chairlift, whose music I would describe as sort of a brainy ’80s synth-pop, but better. One of the songs from their first album was used for peddling ipods; their new album, “Something,” is superior in just about every respect.
    http://www.chairlifted.com/

  88. Ooh, and Girls. Their album from about 2 years ago is grand! Mashes together the sneery vibe of the young Elvis Costello, the sunshiny sleigh bells of the Beach Boys, a bit of shoegaze and a whole lot of heartbreak. does that sound bad? It’s not, it’s great:

  89. Thank you, waaronw and michaelpulsford, for introducing me to Walter Sickert and to War on Drugs! I am loving both of these.

  90. Katie Herzig, because she has the prettiest voice I have heard in a while, and because she mixes poppy electronic sounds with beautiful strings and percussion. Phenomenal. This song is from her 2008 album Apple Tree, but The Waking Sleep from last year is, if anything, even better.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z0m5GWRaSk

    Also super upvote Of Monsters and Men. Currently best album of the year for sure.

  91. Oh, and someone mentioned Polica – they’re amazing. But I think Roma di Luna, the lead singer’s former band, might be even better. They’re a little less bluesy and a little lighter:

  92. Have you found Amy MacDonald yet?
    http://www.amymacdonald.co.uk/gb/home/

    She is a singer/songwriter from Scotland, but before you roll your eyes at that, I’ll say that she has a pop vibe, and is not at all what you’re thinking when you read “singer/songwriter from Scotland” (not that there is anything wrong with the genre you’re imagining- there are some great songs there).

    And, as a sneaky way to get an older artist in, I found her via my Pandora station built around Sinead Lohan, who is an Irish singer/songwriter from the 90s. I find that Irish music is like Irish beer- what they export (Guinness, U2) is pretty damn good, but what they keep at home (Beamish, Sinead Lohan) is awesome, too.

  93. Talk to Spider Robinson. He’ll have enough recommendations to keep you busy for a year. Or more.

    Some I could recommend:

    Nadeah (on youtube, see cgfvJOGo6n ).
    Works with a brilliant pianist, has both wonderful and awful tracks.

    Die Heuwels Fantasties (Youtube ? Sure! noCC_SUqGyQ )
    Electro pop from South Africa. In Afrikaans.

    And of course, there’s more from Gianni and the folks of Walk off the Earth than the Somebody that I used to know cover. Own stuff and amazing looping stuff like this: youtube tJ8nkJ1_Ee0

    This should do for now…

  95. I second Of Monsters and Men! I just discovered them last week, then The Tattered Scroll mentioned them a few days later So really, that’s THREE recommendations. ;-)

    I’m in an ethereal mood right now: Active Child and Swimming are both great, as is Man Without Country (they’re more like electro-ethereal). From your occasional music post, you seem to have off-beat/eclectic tastes and sometimes seem to like interesting/different vocals; you might like these.
    http://activechildmusic.com
    http://swimmingband.com
    http://manwithoutcountry.com

  98. Darn, you said over three links go to moderation but that was three links. Sorry; I just put them together because they seemed to go together music-wise.

    Anyway, here’s a one-off recommendation: The Puppini Sisters, characterized as “swing-punk”; their name and some of their (singing) style comes from the Andrews Sisters; try Jilted or Walk Like an Egyptian (yes, the Bangles’ song) from The Rise and Fall of Ruby Woo. I’ll feel stupid if I found this group (or any others I mention) from your blog, BTW. ;-)

    http://www.thepuppinisisters.com

  99. Pathar mentioned SJ Tucker above; I recommend the trio Tucker’s part of — Tricky Pixie. Kinda filk I suppose, which I’m not into, but OMG “Alligator in the House” is hilarious and very well done! I first heard it at Renovation, which turned me onto them. The rest of the album, “Mythcreants,” is groovy, too (they’re really beyond filk but sure, kinda ren-faire-ish).

  100. I assure you if the band formed before 2003 I already know about it.

    I’m trying not to take this as a challenge…

    In fact, I’m just going straight to bed.

  101. Last recommendation for now (all of these are ones I’ve found/bought in the last 6 months BTW and I believe all are from within the past 5 years…definition post-2003).

    Jack & White – they’re kind of alt-country-pop I guess. Not my usual but very groovy and mellow-but-upbeat to listen to.
    http://jackandwhite.com

    Whoops, forgot to link to Tricky Pixie in my previous comment:
    http://www.trickypixie.com

    Now to explore all the other recommendations….

  105. I just heard Lissie’s cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Go Your Own Way on the radio the other day, and I just love it. She sounds a bit like Stevie Nicks, I originally wondered if Nicks had released a solo version. Lissie is an American folk rock artist and Paste Magazine’s #1 best new solo artist of 2010.

  107. Ima chime end with more folksy stuff.
    My favorite being a little band from my home state: The Pine Hill Haints. They refer to their music as Alabama Ghost Country, and I find that a very fitting description. Very nice stripped down sound. Washtub bass, drummer just plays a snare drum with brushes. Singer plays guitar and his wife plays the washboard. Everyone in the band plays multiple instruments, so there’s mandolin, fiddle and banjo here and there. This might be the best quality recording of them on the youtubes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ0IzKp1jxw
    for a really good violin track : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG5OxAsoPVI
    And this is a quick 3 song set (6 min) from a show in Mobile http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUPAxkjiFJo
    They have a pretty good following in the south east. Don’t know bout outside of it though. They are a really great band though, for anyone into the current surge of interest if folk/rock.

  108. My newest musical craze — one that I suspect will be with me for a long time — is an indie-rock band with blues roots-rock vocals, out of Tennessee, called The Features. I actually came to them when the following song, How It Starts, was recently featured in the new commercial for the 2013 Ford Mustang.The commercial I refer to has the cars paint jobs morphing into different , cool looks, as the cars drive down the street. And the sound is just a hypnotic blend of lead guitar, hard-driving rhythm section, (drums and bass guitar,) and shimmering keyboards!

  109. I think my Pine Hill Haints one go caught up in moderation. Oh well, besides them though there’s been some other really nice English stuff besides Mumford and Sons in the last while. My favorites Being Laura Marling and Johnny Flynn. They come from the same group of talent as the Mumford lads. (Mumford and Sons were Laura’s backing band on her first album, like she also sung back up for Noah and the Whale on their first one.) Flynn does some stage acting and the like too. My favorite videos from them: Laura http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR-AOZfLh7w
    and a beautiful live recording from her first album. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCmY6I74k1M

  112. British folk-rock “Dry the River” who have been described as Mumford and Sons meets Radiohead. Debut album has just been released.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5g-DeG0MJc and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR3Dv74htec&feature=relmfu

    Do you know about English-singing bands that formed before 2003 in Norway? Try Midnight Choir, alt-country outfit – no longer active but you have the advantage of discovering an awesome contemporary band with a decent back catalog to wade through. They were produced by Chris Eckman of Seattle-based The Walkabouts, also much better known in Europe than in America. Their Amsterdam Stranded album is a good place to start.

  114. Give Katzenjammer a go, they’re a Norwegian band who’ve released two albums to date: “Le Pop” and “A Kiss Before You Go”. I think it’s great music to play along with using your ukelele!

  116. Within the last 5 years? Well, I’ve only been aware of these for the last two years, I hope that counts:

    Esperanza Spalding “Radio Music Society” it has an old soul groove with a jazz twist; Esperanza is a fantastic composer, player and singer.

    Fitz & the Tantrums “Picking Up the Pieces” great small-combo R&B, with fantastic male and female vox

    The Bo-Keys “Got to Get back!” Memphis soul

    The Like “Release Me” power-pop in go-go boots

    Imelda May “Love Tattoo/Mayhem” ; they are good enough to back Jeff Beck in a tribute to Les Paul, and then tour the world with him, 50’s rock and torch songs

    Spinnerette “Spinerette” Brody Dalle from the Distillers put out an album produced by Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, sonically lush, sometimes brutally loud, great album.

  118. I don’t listen to much new music, but I heard a band called Mumford and Sons on NPR as I was driving to the airport a couple of years ago. I immediately bought and downloaded their album to my phone so I could listen to it on the trip, and thanked Hedy Lamar (and others) for inventing the technology that allowed me to do so.

    Mumford and Sons was also recommended by Brando April 9, 2012 at 10:42 pm, so I tip my hat in that direction.

    Kate Bush and Leonard Cohen have recently released new albums, by the way.

  121. Not recent in NZ but there is a small New Zealand band which I love called The Feelers which I think everyone ought to know about. I hear that New Zealand’s third best folk duo also once opened for them.
    Check out and enjoy from the other side of the world:

    Astronaut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_m8UWc9nco&ob=av2e
    Venus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OfWFhD8FXE&ob=av2n
    Arm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwxKF-oRkpo
    Stand Up:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efVfykZF6xE
    As Good As It Gets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi8AHUwgcMo&ob=av2n
    The Fear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaNqaaeBb9k&ob=av2e

  125. Pearl and the Beard

    I suspect they’re new; I only encountered them yesterday via a friend’s post on Google+ and haven’t done any checking into them yet. I’ve only heard the couple of songs they play in the first 10 minutes of the video below, but I liked them enough to share!

  128. Last one for now (I’m at work and should be, you know, working). I’m going to push the envelope (time-wise) with John Jorgenson. Gypsy jazz is still alive as long as he’s still playing guitar. Not Django but maybe as close as possible (I don’t mean that as a challenge but if anyone wanted to name names of other more likely candidates, I’d be happy to find out more). There are probably better videos but it’s pretty good and if it’s in memory of Danny Gatton it’s alright with me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIdbcaI6PTY

    (First recording, I think, was ’93 so I got in with the decade exception clause; I’ve only been listening to him for the past two years or so and I don’t think he’s generally well-known but not positive).

  129. Oops. My bad math. On John Jorgenson 1993 was more like 20 years ago. Age-related math mistake.

    Well, it seems like it was only ten years ago… Man, I’m old.

  130. Rebecca Loebe (http://rebeccaloebe.com/) has been touring for a while, but came to a minor bit of national prominence when she made it to the battle rounds on the first season of The Voice. She’s ridiculously talented, and sings about love, bees, and zombies with the best of them.

  131. Since I pooched that one up I’ll mention Wrinkle Neck Mules from Richmond. You can look for them on YouTube but I think most of the videos of them sound like crap. Tray samples from somewhere like Amazon and don’t forget to listen to “Liza.” Dark, dark country though not all of their songs are like that. In fact here’s the link for Amazon and the Liza EP. It includes their cover of Mickey Newbury’s “Why You Been Gone So Long.” http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QZVTSG/ref=sr_1_album_8_rd?ie=UTF8&child=B000QOKO4C&qid=1334057402&sr=1-8

    If you google “why you been gone so long,” you’ll see a lot of other interesting people seem to have covered the song as well.

    I really must be going. Workworkwork…

    1993! Sheesh! Ow, my brain cells hurt!

  137. I suggest Grayceon, a 3 man proggy postrock/metal group fronted by a female cellist/singer. Absolutely amazing.

  139. I haven’t seen Shearwater mentioned yet. They’re my favorite folk-and-rock fusion band. I particularly recommend the albums Palo Santo (Extended Version) and The Golden Archipelago, and they’ve got a new one out which I haven’t heard yet but WILL SOON. :)

    Their website is shearwatermusic.com.

  141. I just dropped about 12 links into moderation… Kill that one and I’ll break it up.

    One of the early comments mentioned Thaoh. Well, last year she teamed up with another musician, Mirah, to produce Thao & Mirah. Different styles, different voices creating fascinating songs ranging from wispy alt-country to kitchen sink electronica productions to funk to junkyard somethingorother. My favorite album from last year. Rubies and Rocks is my favorite.

    Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside. Jangly rockabilly. Start with Write me a letter.

  142. Jared Mees and the Grown Children. There’s a slight resemblance to Cake — due to the trumpet and the lead singer’s phrasing. Otherwise, many of the songs have a certain density as they run through a number of changes (timing / emotional) in 4-5 minutes. W.W.J.B.D. is a great “life on tour” song: you’re not dying, your soul just can’t keep up with the van.

    Deep Schrott. The world’s first bass saxophone quartet. Also German. They hooked me with their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Oh Well

  143. I’ll second Fitz & The Tantrums and add We Were Promised Jetpacks. They got my attention b/c of their name, but I love their sound as well — totally different from F&tT, very noisy.

  144. Mr. Gnome. A sonically dense guitar and drum duo from Cleveland. Current favorite for blasting through the headphones and drowning out the background office noises. Or pegging 11 while driving down the highway.

    Cate Le Bon. Welsh singer I can barely understand, I just like how she sounds. Basic rock.

  145. Madeline. If you like Neko Case, you’ll probably like this. I like her voice better than Neko’s.

    From England, there’s Willy Moon who’s put out three fascinating videos and is supposedly recording an album. Either he’s actually popped up from out of nowhere or it’s a really well done attempt to guerilla market a total studio production. Check out I wanna be your man.

  156. @Brett: speaking of great Swedish pop sounds: I’ve recommended the enormously talented Norwegian/Swedish Ane Brun on a prior music thread but I more recently discovered Frida Hyvönen with Dirty Dancing

    One of my favourite discoveries in recent months has been Other Lives with standout tracks like Tamer Animals

  157. This isn’t a recommendation for any particular group, but I started listening to Greg McVicar’s Undercurrents show when WEMU picked up the feed for their overnight programming. It’s an extremely eclectic mix of Rock, Folk, Blues, Reggae, Dub, Electronica, HipHop, World and Roots music, Native American and whatever takes his fancy. You can find it at http://www.undercurrentsradio.net . The site has playlists and links to stations that stream his show.
    He has introduced me to a lot of groups, several of whom have already been mentioned in this thread.

  161. Those Darlins’ are new(ish) and cool. I discovered them because they were opening for The Old 97’s (the Old 97’s have been around a looooong time, but they are one of the best live shows around).

    “Be You Bro” by Those Darlins’

  162. losthighwayrecords.com

    Enjoy…..
    Black Joe Lewis
    Honey Honey
    Hayes Carll
    Ryan Bingham and the dead horses

  165. My fave from the past 5 years is the first Fleet Foxes album (self titled). Great lyrics, melody and performance. A little like CS&N brought into the new millenium. Their second album (Helplessness Blues) is also great, but not quite as good as the first.
    I’ve often talked to friends about the fact that there have been few if any “excellent” albums produced post 2000. Even friends in their 20’s agree that they can name half a dozen outstanding albums from before 2000, but would have trouble noting more than one or two since.

  168. Guster has been around long enough to be excluded by your rules, but they seem to have been mostly a regional thing in the Northeast, so maybe they’d be new to you. They certainly were to me.

  171. Gomez – even though they have been around since the mid 90s I think. Still trying to figure out how I missed them until now.

    Also, Noah and the Whale – they remind me of the Waterboys

  172. Wow, given the huge amount of coverage they’ve been getting on NPR, Rolling Stone, and the New York Times as well as all the music blogs and indie rock radio, I’m amazed that no one has mentioned the Alabama Shakes yet. Truly amazing young band out of Athens, Alabama that despite all the apparently overheated hype is *well* worth checking out. Lead singer/guitarist/bandleader Brittany Howard has a raw, stunning, powerful voice and her band plays tight, usually short rock ‘n’ roll songs with strong flavors of soul, r&b, and the blues. Their album actually comes out today, officially (last week on iTunes), and they’re doing a ton of live dates and promotion around the country to support it, including an appearance on Leterman on Thursday.

    Here’s their first official video, for the song “Hold On” but you can find a bunch of other good videos on YouTube, and full live sets on Archive.org and elsewhere. My favorite new band in a long time, and one that’s heading for the big time fast.

  173. If you ever liked Creed, even a little, I humbly suggest checking out Alter Bridge (http://www.alterbridge.com)–which is basically Creed with a different lead singer and (to my mind) much better songwriting.

  182. Porcupine Tree. They’re not exactly a new band but they’re hardly well known either, even now. At least, not in the US outside of progressive rock circles. I supose if they had a breakthrough album, stateside, it was 2007’s Fear of a Blank Planet. PT is often compared to Pink Floyd, but I think that’s somewhat misleading. The main thing they share in common with Floyd are the lush, multilayered soundscapes that can really give audiophile sound systems a good workout. Otherwise, they don’t sound too much alike, at least not to me.

    My Ashes – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh9K_QrdIaQ&feature=related

  183. I’m not sure anyone will reach this far down, but I felt compelled to throw a band in the mix. I downloaded their album based solely on their name: Trampled By Turtles.

    The opening of the song “Wait So Long” took me right back to Firefly and I was hooked.

  184. I’m throwing another one out there for everyone. Josh Ritter has been around for a little while (about ten years) but his song “Another New World” absolutely floored me.

  185. Monster Truck_ The Brown album EP. Good old fashioned rock n’ roll. Out of Hamilton Ontario, Canada.

  186. The Airborne Toxic Event is a White Noise reference, I think. The po-mo book, not the movie. Rather enjoyable for po-mo stuff.

  190. I’ll throw in a plus-one for the Airborne Toxic Event, even while admitting that, for years, I’d assumed it was a Buffy reference until I read Delillo and realized that Xander was quoting it.

  191. Since the Avett Brothers have already been mentioned, and the Carolina Chocolate Drops are already getting pretty well known, I’ll throw one more NC band out: American Aquarium.

    They’re fun on CD, but when you see ’em live, you WILL feel that kickdrum in your chest and love the impact.

  192. There’s a Canadian performer named Royal Wood that I can highly recommend. He has two albums out now, soon to be followed by a third. He has a real subdued tone without being depressing. In terms of individual songs, I’d recommend “Get On Top of Your Love” and “Lady in White.” Also, he does a cover of “Pumped Up Kicks” that is incredible. You can listen to it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzLEEEpFoDE

  193. I have been grooving to a few of the bands from this “kids” album lately: http://www.dofunstuff.net/

    Specifically Rabbit!, Radical Face and RickoLus. I’d love to get my hands on more Steve Foxbury
    music but he hasn’t released anything official. I’ll post more links to the individual bands in separate posts, but “Do Fun Stuff” is a great album on its own.

  198. Awolnation – go find the official video for “Not Your Fault” because it’s quite possibly one of the most fun music videos ever, and certainly since the heyday of MTV, like, back when it was FOR music.

    There’s lots of good stuff to be found in the … eh, I guess we can call it alt rock genre these days.

  209. Gotye, featuring Kimbra (so you get to hear his music, and be introduced to her voice!)
    “Somebody That I Used to Know” A song with both sides of a break-up – it’s an awesome song. His music is good, and all his videos are quite interesting, too. I watched Youtube interviews where he talks about some of his artistic choices. He is very popular in Australia, and getting to be in Europe. He’ll be on Saturday Night Live this weekend, too. (yes, I’ve become a fan)

  211. Here’s two acts that are pretty new. The first, Dead Sara, is a guitar driven, female fronted indie rock band from Southern California that just came out with their (fantastic) debut album today:
    http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dead-sara/id514151707
    And the next, just to be different, is a French Canadian “grungy bluegrass” band called Canailles, who’s second album also just came out today (their first came out last year, I believe):
    http://canailles.bandcamp.com/
    Both new, engaging, and completely different styles!

  212. John – WYSO (91.3), the Yellow Springs, Ohio NPR station has the World Cafe on afternoons from 1-3 pm. The host, David Dye, features lots of new bands. WYSO also has a program called Excursions from 10-1 that plays a variety of music you won’t hear on commercial stations and includes a lot of new music. Check it out.

  214. I forgot about The Tallest Man on Earth! He had one of my favorite albums from 2010 and there’s a new one coming out in June, I think. A lot of reviewers made comparisons to Dylan, while I heard more Richard Thompson in his lyrics and guitar playing.

  221. Someone mentioned Abney Road and steampunk. I think they meant Abney Park. They formed outside of your timeframe, but they went steampunk in 2006. They were good before, if you liked industrial bands, but they are even better now. This is one of my favorites:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtAAEJSayMI

    Another of my favorites, formed in 2007, is Asteroids Galaxy Tour. You’ve heard them, even if you don’t realize it. They were on a Heineken Commercial:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5h-LAvQDCQ

    This last one is kind of hit or miss. The good songs are really good. The bad ones, well… It’s Fol Chen, they’ve only been active the past couple of years.

  235. Foxy Shazam. They opened for The Darkness this year and were *fantastic*; I was an instant fan. They’ve apparently been around since 2004 but I think they’ve only recently come into their own.

  241. At the risk of sounding too (insert 2010 equivalent of bubblegum) I really like Owl City, which is basically a guy who puts together music in his basement. He does good imagery, somewhat abuses the autotuner, and made it utterly without sucking up to the big labels. At least initially.

    I also like Modest Mouse when they aren’t making unnecessary dissonance.

  242. D. M. Domini already took my best suggestion of Pendulum, even though they fall at the far end of your date requirements (formed in 2002, though I think not so popular until more recently).

    D. M. Domini already linked to “Watercolour,” which is quite possibly their best song, but I also really like “Witchcraft,” so here a link to that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogMNV33AhCY

  243. Trying to post something The Scalz-meister might like instead of whatever my fav stuff is ATM. Probably going to fail anyways.

    1) Blood Red Shoes. Their new album is very cool, their other albums are a bit on the angry side, but also very cool. Might need to go to 7 Digital to get them as they aren’t in iTunes US.

    2) The Kinetiks (http://thekinetiks.bandcamp.com/ ). Local band that is fun to listen to. Especially their more recent 2 albums.

    Also I second Rodrigo y Gabriela. Very good listen. Now to go back and closely peruse the comment thread…

  255. I think this guy is a bit dated but I seem to see his video all over the interweebs these days:

  259. Also, Soul Track Mind from Austin. A fantastic band, and a great live show, usually with dancers about too.

  260. Plunge Beats Electronics industries Eyes Purchase of On the internet Music Secondment MOG Nyc – Beats Electronics, the issue which enables high-end headphones, is with the final stages of negotiations to purchase online music servicing MOG, the newest York Times reported. OUR EDITOR RECOMMENDS Dr. Dre, Jimmy Iovine Bring to light Unique Beats by Dre Models at Ny Experience Beats By Dr. Dre, HTC Ink Mobile Phone Deal Fiscal details weren’t available. Beats was formed on reggae somebody Dr. Dre and tell of companies past master and The american luminary show mentor Jimmy Iovine. Not too large ago, Taiwanese cellphone troop HTC paid $300 million representing just a the greater part define contents the company. Iovine has in the defunct declared in all events thirst for to transfer you a phone-based music promise appointment with high-quality audio, according to the Times. MOG could snuff it with that plan as it streams music at the penetrating kilobits type a second, well-founded paper. A compounding “would close the loop concerning a vertically integrated present,”Ross Rubin, an analyst at delving moored NPD Group, told purchasing. “The playback device, the maintenance and also the listening device could be optimized for Beats.”

  263. Sconding THE JEZABELS – one of the best Aussie bands in many a year, up there with GOTYE for song writing, and beating him with amazing melodies.

    Also AMANDA PALMER, but you of course know all about her though dunno if you’re much of a fan.

    KIM BOEKBINDER whom I found through AFP as well as THE JANE AUSTEN ARGUMENT.

  266. These are great choices. My recommendation, Grouplove.
    Not to self promote but our site, BestNewBands.com, was created specifically for people who don’t have “a whole lot of time to find new bands”.

  267. Beachcomber’s Windowsill by Stornoway.

    Liam Finn is a chip off the old block.

    Boy & Bear

  269. Was going to chime in and recommend Mumford and Suns (you know you just can’t sing a depressing song when you’re playing the banjo) and Bombay Bicycle Club, but see that I’m late to the party. Oh, well, I’ll just +1 them.

  271. Busby Marou – an Australian duo you may have heard on the compilation “He will have his way” covering Better Be Home Soon. This is one of their better songs “Underlying Message” with some very nice Ukelele work http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnEB3gqxRnw&feature=fvsr
    If you have the time follow that with their song “Biding my Time”.

    For those mentioning Gotye we did tell Mr Scalzi about him in his 7th of Jan post on falling Ukeleles!

  273. Frank Turner. Oh my god, Frank Turner. I heard him as an opener for Dropkick Murphys last month and I can’t stop listening. “England Keep My Bones” is an amazing album, start to finish.

  279. Magic Silver White, again from Melbourne, Australia: http://soundcloud.com/magicsilverwhite/over-under

    She draws from,and synthesises, a few things: the ‘motorik’ end of the krautrock spectrum, ’60s Italian pop, and a love of epic synth pop. She does this brilliantly, in my humble opinion.

    (I studied with her, too, in RMIT’s Sound Art course. She was one of the bright lights.)

  280. Sophia Brous, trained as a jazz singer but with fingers in many pies, has a newish band just called Brous. She has a classic-pop approach to melody and harmony – I think of people like Bacharach, Nancy Sinatra, Lee Hazlewood – but transforms it in a modern-sounding way. There’s a strong Morricone influence in there too. Epic! Singalong goodness!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7SXhRTswXQ

  281. A few people have mentioned Gotye. Tim Shiel, who plays in his touring band, produces his own music under the name Faux Pas. He makes quite brilliant electronic pop, which manages to be both haunting and a good-time singalong: http://soundcloud.com/iamfauxpas/sets/faux-pas/

    (His blog is always entertaining too. Check out ‘which 90s sitcom character would you hire to manage your indie band’: http://www.iamfauxpas.com/2012/04/which-90s-sitcom-character/

  282. Oh: and: I would be remiss if I didn’t mention experimental folk-pop duo Children Of The Wave. They build up these wonderful soundscapes by layering field recordings and obscure instruments from around the world, then bust out singalong choruses over the top. Their album ‘Carapace’ from about two years ago is a delight (especially the single, ‘Something Good’), and they have a new one out soon too.

  285. Other groups that are probably more well-known that are well worth listening to: Dar Williams (particularly “The Ocean”; she’s probably the best lyricist working today), Nickel Creek (tragically broken up, but transcendent when they were together; check out Sean Watkins’ “Let It Fall” and yeah, pretty much everything else they’ve ever done), and Sarah Slean (you absolutely must hear “John 23rd” before you die).

  286. Many of my suggestions have already been made (Girlyman, Mumford and Sons, Black Keys, Florence and the Machine, Young the Giant, Breaking Benjamin, Gotye). For a nice hard edge, I’d add Seether, especially “Tonight”, “Country Song”, and a surprisingly moving yet rocking version of “Careless Whisper”. It took me a while to realize that I was a fan – I kept hearing their songs on the radio and thinking, “Hey, I like that.” It just took a little while for that to add up to “so I guess this means I’m a Seether fan.” Perhaps the name put me off.

    Again for the harder edge, I’d strongly suggest Rise Against’s “Savior” and Stone Sour’s “Say You’ll Haunt Me”.

    Finally, Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now”.

  288. Seconding Esperanza Spaulding. “Radio Music Society” is great, as are her earlier discs. Also, anyone who takes the Best Newbie Grammy from Justin Bieber should be a hero to us all.
    In the same vein, Robert Glasper just released a new album of nu-soul filtered through a killer jazz trio.

  289. Turns out that by the time I got here, pretty much all I have is +1s… Both “The Naked And Famous” and “Joy Formidible” push the same buttons for me as “The Yeah-Yeah-Yeahs”, which I know John already likes. “Young the Giant” and “Seether” are not very similar but I like them both, and neither is a one-note wonder. “Awolnation” you are not likely to get confused with anyone else. Hmm – would “Paramore” be cheating? They’re less than a decade old, but had their moment of fame in 2008 or so.

  293. The recent albums from Macy Gray and Joan Osborne – both cover albums – offer some fresh takes on older music, so although they violate your rule, I will still reocmmend these.

    For new music, I wanted to add We Landed on the Moon! with a song called Ships in Parts, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

    Sorry I don’t have any links handy to these.

  296. Love this thread – already found lots of new stuff.

    I second the recommendation for Amy Macdonald. Only her debut album is available on iTunes, but she has a second album out in the UK and a third one coming this year. Her debut album is one of the best albums I know – every song is outstanding.

    Another UK singer/songwriter that I don’t think anyone has mentioned is Laura Marling. Wonderful lyrics and musicianship (though unfortunately she’s terrible live). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA3w6p96Ff8&feature=related

  298. I’m getting to this very late, but here are some folks that haven’t been mentioned yet:

    Cloud Cult is more than five years old, but their 2010 record “Light Chasers” is a big departure — it’s an almost ’70s-style concept album, mixing SFnal concepts with more introspective stuff, and it’s hugely wonderful and inspiring.

    Here’s the video for “The Exploding People” — http://youtu.be/FUsjoe-sHhE

    Bess Rogers is a great NYC singer/songwriter with a new record, “Out of the Ocean” — there’s a “Video ” (the single cover with music behind it) for the song “Anchor” — http://youtu.be/ElTOMoWdv_Y.

  299. And a couple more:

    Laura Stevenson and the Cans — another female bandleader with a conventionally pretty voice, though she has some unexpected power behind it. This is “The Healthy One” — http://youtu.be/GMt5XqcqSBY.

    And, to go very different, Le Butcherettes are another band with a female leader, but they’re much punkier and nastier. This is “Henry Don’t Got Love” — http://youtu.be/rE2MECap2TU.

  300. Two more to finish up:

    First, in the all-important genre of surprisingly young white guys willing to make fools of themselves for no good reason, there’s the very catchy “Nervous” by Pikachunes: http://youtu.be/bBzksVwM8d0.

    And the great Mieka Pauley has a new record, “The Science of Making Choices,” coming out any time now. I couldn’t find good videos of the two great songs I know from it so far — “Wreck” and “Never F*ck a Woman That You Don’t Love” — so here’s “All the Same Mistakes,” from her first record (which is still less than 5 years old and so is on topic) — http://youtu.be/WWerKgdMpBw.

  304. I adore Mumford and Sons, and the 14 year old likes them too. Their harmonies can make hairs rise on the back of my neck, and their lyrics are thinky (“The Cave” is based on freakin’ PLATO!).

    Gotye reminds me of early 80’s Peter Gabriel.

    Michael Frante (best known for Say Hey!) does the best music that makes me want to dance or clean house.

    Since you were never a 12-year-old girl, you probably won’t get the squee out of One Direction that I did when I saw them on SNL. Their lyrics are sweet, their singing ranges from OK to good, their dance moves aren’t TOO machine-like and the , and when I WAS 12, I would have hidden my love for a band like them like a dark scandal. But they’re likeable and talented. I think that Zayn Malik, the one with the pompadour, might get Justin Timberlake levels of famous someday, he stands out.

    In other I’m-too-old-for-this news, Taylor Swift’s music is growing up, I’m thinking she might be a force with which to be reckoned someday. The fact that when and interviewer asked her if she was a virgin, she replied “When you talk about virginity and sex publicly, people just automatically picture you naked.” That’s one of the best comebacks to sexism (who asks young men if they’ve had sex?) I’ve heard in a while. And her contribution to the Hunger Games soundtrack (backed by a band who has other tracks, co-written by T-Bone Burnett!) “Safe and Sound” is achingly lovely.

  306. Sorry, typo, meant to say Rupa & the April Fishes fun even if you aren’t a polyglot.

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  308. [center]

    [img]http://i34.tinypic.com/156zoz5.png[/img]

    Artista: VA
    Titulo del Album: Carlos Jean, Combustion Soundtrack
    Año: 2013
    Genero: Dance
    Calidad: Mp3 a 256 Kbps
    Tamaño: 101 Mb

    Tracklist:

    01. Moving Up (feat. Aqeel)
    02. I’m Not Driven
    03. Prisioners (feat. Ferrara & DJ Nano)
    04. Hungry Games (feat. Electric Nana)
    05. I’ll Never Let You Go (feat. Aqeel)
    06. So Young (feat. Electric Nana)
    07. Wasting Your Life (feat. David van Bylen)
    08. Fire Up (feat. Electric Nana)
    09. Someone (feat. Electric Nana)
    10. Time
    11. High
    12. Last Lap
    13. My End
    14. The Jewellery

    Download/Descargar: http://uploaded.net/file/bzq4ly08/carjean2013-DFK.rar

    [/center]

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