Subject: Interesting New Music
Date: Wed Jul 16 02:09:57 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:Man, I tried......I tried hard.....even watched most of the KEXP (one of the nation's truly great radio stations) thing......but that just doesn't float my boat in the least. Needs LOTS and *LOTS* of bagpipes, imo. That's about as far from "captivating" as one can go. No offense, of course - and please, when you figure out who your favorite Sri Lankan cajun band is, let me know. (Seriously.) And don't let my reaction get in the way of further and future ideas -'cause I like 'em - in general.
Date: Wed Jul 16 08:37:02 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:Sorry you didn't like Young Fathers. I generally despise all hip hop, so I have no deep allegiance to their music ... other than their being Scottish. ;)
While you were on the KEXP site, did you check out other live performers? These guys have quite the job, one I'd love to have:
Dum Dum Girls
Chvrches
Au Revior Simone
Eleanor Friedberger
Lykke Li
Warpaint
Daughter
Future Islands
Phantogram
Angel Olsen (folk singer for those contemplating suicide)
James Blake
Toro y Moi
Arctic Monkeys
and on and on
Hey, they even have Macklemore
I'll be going back to their youtube channel and spending a few zillion hours listening and watching. The KEXP studio is really good, and they can really record live music.
Date: Wed Jul 16 09:59:38 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:I didn't last night, but have occasionally in the past. I often listen to their live streams of reggae and world music.
Date: Sat Jul 19 10:04:59 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:Faux Paw (pronounced fox paw)is a group of recent college grads who have been playing together for about 4 years. They did local gigs and regional festivals for a while and put out an album about two years ago ("Too Close is the New Too Far."). The music was a nice listen with influences from Steely Dan and others, yet a somewhat distinctive, laid back style. They lacked nothing for talent but were not breaking through. http://fauxpaw.bandcamp.com/
In the past year or so, they decided to try to push to a higher level. They put together a new album, injected a bit more energy and tempo, associated themselves with an upstart indie label, and went on tour on the East Coast. They released their album about 10 days ago, and it is gaining some traction. They are receivig national air time, getting attention from music bloggers, and their new label is doing a nice job of promoting.
The new album is titled, "Cocktail," has six songs, and four of them are departures from their previous sound. The guitars are a bit noisier with more prominent percussion and little residual of the sleepiness that dominated "Too Close is the New Too Far." Even the lyrics seem more inspired. The only track that preserves their old style (and it was worth preserving) is "Guys with Trucks."
The link below will take you to their label's Facebook page, and you can stream "Cocktail" for free. You will also notice that their label, Jurassic Pop, is running hard with the new indie trend of putting out albums on limited edition vinyl. Jurassic Pop gives this a twist by making the vinyl a visual attraction.
Link: Faux Paw, "Cocktail"
Date: Sun Jul 27 04:06:23 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:Caught this guy's show tonight. Very nice stuff. Several good youtube clips besides the one I'm posting. The ones from eTown are worthwhile if you like this one. Writes and sings way beyond his chronological age --- which just recently became 21, believe it or not. And he's a small-town Okie. I'm just not sure how one develops and blossoms like this guy has by this age. A true talent.
Link: Parker Millsap
Date: Sun Jul 27 11:09:35 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:Ok, I'm hooked! I may have to check out a Parker Milsap cd on Amazon.
Btw, any relation to Ronnie Milsap?
Date: Sun Jul 27 11:14:06 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:Just found the "Parker Milsap", self=titled CD on Amazon. New for $7.98 should be here before the end of the week. Thanks for the link TN. I needed some new tunes for my on the road times.
Date: Sun Jul 27 13:38:21 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:Ronnie is from western NC, close up against the TN line, and spells his name with one "l", I believe, so I'm virtually certain there's no relation. Btw, Parker looks an awful lot like a young Leonardo DiCaprio from more than about 20 ft. away. Nice guy, too.
Uupdate: hmmmm.... I just looked online, and I can only find one album listed (and the Amazon reviews of same are impressive), but he had two for sale last night. Maybe one was an EP or something. And what may be his strongest lyrics yet in a song is newer than both (see link below). (warning: religious content)
Link: Not on his albums (I'm pretty sure)
Date: Sun Jul 27 15:52:51 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:The CD I ordered had a 5 star rating (with Amazon) and an artistic drawing of a guy...not sure who the guy is supposed to represent.
I agree with you, TN, about him looking like a young Leonardo.
Btw, I didn't see an lp (vinyl) listed; maybe the last one sold?
Date: Sun Jul 27 16:31:34 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:Yeah, that's the new one; "upon further review", the older, self-released one is called "Palisade", and it's supposedly very stripped-down and sparse. And without the fiddler, Daniel Foulks (who fits him perfectly, I must note). Probably the one you ordered is more "accessible", as they say.
I forgot to mention in my previous comment that he recently toured New England with (the wonderful) Patty Griffin, and will be in Europe this fall with OCMS (who I also saw here 2-3 months ago). Nice work if you can get it.
But....before Europe, he'll be in Indiana, August 16th - "Bacon, Blue, and Brew Festival" in Batesville, which is between Indy and Cincy, just off I-74.
Date: Fri Aug 8 09:41:28 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:This is not brand new music, but it's only a year old. I am not sure how this escaped my attention considering it was released on one of my favorite labels.
Son Lux is an Indiana University grad and Indy area resident. He is part of the Sisyphus project with Sujan Stevens and Serengeti. I heard "Laterns Lit" in the car this morning and nearly pulled over to give it full attention. I guess my brain was ready for this sound, because the song really pulled me in.
The clickable link below goes to the SoundCloud site for steaming this song.
Here's the link for the video specifically made for this song: http://youtu.be/kGRCzfWa1_g The video is gorgeous but distracts from the music; I'd listen to the SoundCloud audio before diving into the video.
Link: Son Lux, "Lanterns Lit"
Date: Fri Aug 8 12:28:39 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:Love his voice, like the style of music. The ending is quite different from what I expected.
Date: Sat Aug 9 16:50:10 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:Btw, the Parker Milsap CD that I bought is great! Every tune is good and a few are more than good. If I could get my CD/DVD writer to burn a cd I would send anyone a cope if they wanted it.
I can't figure out what happened to my CR/DVD player-recorder-writer! It worked a month or so ago but now it will only play cd's and dvd's...not record them. It goes through the motions of burning a cd but at the end it says something like "bad cd" when trying to play it back. I know the cd's are, at least *were* good a few weeks ago. Maybe it is something in my computer that messed up??? This device is fairly new; maybe 2 yrs old and not used a lot. Any ideas guys?
Date: Sat Aug 9 18:46:02 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:Glad you like it! One week from today, down in Batesville. Although a festival is probably not the best way to experience him.
Date: Sat Aug 23 10:46:50 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:Back on the subject of "Who's your favorite rap artist from Japan?", we have Kero Kero Bonito. She was featured prominently on this week's version of SiriusXMU's indie rock top 15. She's a 22-year-old Japanese artist whose music epitomizes the concept of a work in progress. She seems to have some of the basic components of Swedish star Lykke Li if Lykke Li were attempting to be campy in a formulaic manner. I guess what I'm saying is that if you try too hard to be edgy, you come across as clownish.
Here's a SoundCloud offering: https://soundcloud.com/kerokerobonito. The first song is the rap-styled "Sick Beat". The lyrics are an odd mix of English and Japanese and the result is ... different. The second song is, well, self-titled. Seriously, who names a song after herself? I'm guessing the song itself was inspired by something from the Beat Generation, but please! Just stop. The third song is an oozing ultra pop tune that makes me miss the days of ripping the needle off the record with a satisfying tearing sound.
And if that isn't enough agony, there's a bit of self-indulgence called, "Homework" (click link below). It seems to have been composed on an electronic toy piano (does such a thing exist?).
As TN says, what this music needs is more bagpipes. A lot more bagpipes.
Link: Kero Kero Bonito, "Homework"
Date: Sat Aug 23 12:42:43 2014
User: MikeC
Message:Can't listen to rap. Not enough cowbell.....
Date: Sat Aug 23 12:53:23 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:Don't fear the rapper...
Date: Sat Aug 23 15:45:44 2014
User: TNmountainman
Message:If "Japanese rap" can be considered formulaic, then that stuff is. Although perhaps that third one is a slightly *different* formula.
That said, I can imagine (barely) a certain syncopated rhythm that would 'somehow' lend Japanese to rap - in the right hands, that is. A Japanese version of Psy? *That* said, despite how 'funny' the Japanese fixation is(was?) with American cowboy culture, etc., ultimately it can't beat the long odds as coming across as clownish and derivative. (Not that it tries to not be.) I can't quite imagine Japanese rap rising above that same ceiling.
Not trying to be critical (really), but don't forget the first word there in your own thread. I guess "interesting" is in the ear of the beholder, though.
I still like hearing/seeing your ideas - stuff I'd likely never otherwise come across.
Date: Tue Oct 21 17:04:54 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:Fyi; From my Aug. 9th, 15:50 post...the problem all along was NOT my cd burner/player, it was all in Itunes being deleted due to an error on my part, maybe.
Buzz, I still enjoy your postings about interesting music. To quote TN "..stuff I'd likely never otherwise come across".
Date: Tue Nov 11 12:50:11 2014
User: FilthyMcNasty
Message:By the way, the above song is by a 17-year-old Irish musician who has been recording for several years. She was recently signed by the record label started by the group Chvrches, who have been discussed on this thread and Denny's synthesizer thread. Chvrches make their money off their pop sound, but their creative genius goes far deeper than that. Knowing that SOAK is on their label is a bit of an affirmation that we are seeing a rising star. (SOAK's vocal approach is unusual, perhaps at the confluence of Likke Li and Joanna Newsome.)
Date: Tue Nov 11 13:45:09 2014
User: hotnurse
Message:Good tune. Like you said, Buzz, haunting.
But, the video has me curious as to why when there is a close-up of her on the skateboard you see a fence a foot or so to her left (towards the sea). When the cam pans out to include the sea the fence is not there even though you can see the side lines of the pavement.
Date: Tue Nov 18 21:38:56 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:In the mood for some really mellow, brand new indie folk music? The first installment on an album due out in the next month or two, this will be Jessica Pratt's second album. I would drive a while to see her in concert….
Link: Jessica Pratt, "Back, Baby"
Date: Tue Nov 18 21:44:30 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:And here's some pretty new indie rock from hottie's turf. Faux Paw is really good local talent. Keep an eye out, hottie, and see these guys live.
Their most recent release is on a truly indie label called, "Jurassic Pop," also out of Indianapolis (and Cleveland … don't ask).
Do these boys a favor and give it a listen, and maybe buy their 12".
Link: Faux Paw "Cocktail" by way of Jurassic Pop
Date: Fri Dec 5 22:24:16 2014
User: BuzzClik
Message:Against my better judgment, I am breaking my trend and putting up a top 40 song on this thread. The point of this thread, after all, is to explore relatively unknown artists who are making great music. I'm doing this because I generally consider top 40 pop music to be unfiltered garbage, but this song really struck me.
I was wandering around a grocery store, where I never shop, looking for a rare item. This song came filtering through, and I pulled out my phone ran Shazam to figure out what it was. It was "Lips Are Movin" by Meghan Trainor (of "All About the Bass" fame). It was so cleanly retro and totally Motown that I was excited to get home to listen to the whole song.
The first 30 seconds doesn't appeal to me, but it really takes off from there. The distinct bass drum, the funky sax, and the simple construction of a really catchy tune.
File this one under Guilty Pleasures.
Link: Meghan Trainor, "Lips Are Movin"
Date: Fri Jan 2 10:27:01 2015
User: BuzzClik
Message:I'm going to catch up with a few songs from 2014. Each song will have its own posting to allow easy clickage.
The first song is "Class Historian" by Broncho. Indie brain candy.
Link: Broncho -- "Class Historian"
Date: Fri Jan 2 10:33:27 2015
User: BuzzClik
Message:Next up is Sleater-Kinney. These ladies are indie icons who, up until late summer/early fall had not put out any new music for several years. An indie blogger from NYC (Brooklyn Vegan) vowed to play a Sleater-Kinney song every week on his show until they got back together and started releasing new music. Now, he plays their new stuff every week, and everybody is happy.
Link: Sleater-Kinney, "Bury Our Friends"
Date: Sat Jan 3 12:55:51 2015
User: hotnurse
Message:Buzz and Mike, I finally got a chance to listen to several of the tunes you linked...good stuff there, and I am now following Jurassic Pop on fb.
Have you guys heard of or listened to any Parker Milsap? Take a minute and check out his Disappear and Forgive Me to name a few. My fav new group.
Date: Sat Jan 3 13:36:05 2015
User: BuzzClik
Message:I will stumble upon some Americana artists every now and then, but I had not encountered Parker Milsap. He's an interesting artist. Sort of bluesy, country alternative.
Good suggestion, hottie.
(Very cool about following JP on fb. Totally grassroots.)
Link: Parker Milsap, "Forgive Me"
Date: Sat Jan 3 13:56:20 2015
User: hotnurse
Message:Ok, now for a little bit of fun and something different check out Stirling's "Roundtable Rival", (someday I will get postings links to here down down pat).
Date: Sat Jan 3 14:29:33 2015
User: hotnurse
Message:Buzz, it sure looks like Charlie in the clip at 15 sec. Maybe not....but still a funny video.
Date: Tue Jan 20 22:17:40 2015
User: BuzzClik
Message:Here's some ear & eye candy from Spain.
Link: Deers, "Bamboo"
Date: Wed Jan 21 10:42:20 2015
User: hotnurse
Message:Ok, I watched/listened to all three: Panda Bear...a lot of Pink Floyd influence and cute graphics...I liked it
Deers/Bamboo...feel-good beat and video, I liked it but wouldn't buy it.
Glass Animals/Gooey...Wierd video! Ok tune but boring to me.
Thanks for keeping me up with what's out there.
Date: Wed Jan 21 11:13:32 2015
User: BuzzClik
Message:hotnurse -- Of the three I just posted, Panda Bear is making the biggest splash. Panda Bear is actually Noah Lennox of Animal Collective fame. He's put out a new album, and "Boys Latin" is the tease. I'm glad you liked it.
I avoid posting the routine and common pop-sounding songs, some of which is nice but boring. I only put up stuff that sounds interesting and different to me and hopefully has some appeal to others.
Since you mentioned buying or not buying: I buy very little music -- only to support acts or certain labels. And then, I tend to buy physical media only, like cassettes and vinyl. I access a ton of digital music through Amazon's Prime, Rhapsody, and SiriusXMU.
Date: Sat Jan 24 15:42:03 2015
User: BuzzClik
Message:Not a big hip hop fan, but every now and then a song will grab me.
Makonnen Sheran is an Atlanta recording artist who made a bit of a splash when Drake remixed his song, "Tuesday." (http://youtu.be/avFq9errZCk)
I love this line about him in Wikipedia: "He is of mixed race background, having African, Indian, Irish, Belizean, German, and Chinese heritage. His mother was a nail instructor and has worked in the beauty business for over 30 years. His grandmother was an opera singer, which influenced his musical career." Wow. Mr Five Continents who got his rap influence from his opera-singing grandma.
Anyway, he goes by the somewhat self indulgent name of Ilovemakonnen, and I really like the teaser release from an upcoming EP. It's called "Super Clean." Like many hip hop songs, it's laced with salty language (not for those with delicate sensibilities), but it really backs off the heavy beats and in-your-face approach. It's not for everyone, but I find it interesting.
Link: Ilovemakonnen, "Super Clean"
Date: Sat Jan 24 17:55:01 2015
User: hotnurse
Message:I would like to hear it without that "oo,ooooo,oo,ooooo" over-powering the lyrics and music. The jury is still out here.
Date: Sun Jan 25 10:48:19 2015
User: BuzzClik
Message:And for something completely different, we have Cooked Books. This is a new group out of Bloomington IN (I think there's a college there, but I could be mistaken). This is a more hard-driving sounds with lots of guitars and grinding vocals.
Yes, I know you're saying, "Hey! Isn't that kinda like Jay Reatard's 'It Ain't Gonna Save Me'?" (http://youtu.be/dG65eqfg6bc) Well, maybe, but it reminds me more of the faster stuff from Faux Paws, like EZG (https://soundcloud.com/jurassic-pop/faux-paw-ezg).
But, I find that as I get older, every new song reminds me of an old song, so I try to quit saying it out loud.
Give it a listen. See link below.
Link: Cooked Books -- "Excommunicator"
Date: Sun Jan 25 13:40:42 2015
User: hotnurse
Message:Actually, the only two notable colleges in Indiana are Notre Dame and Purdue.
I like that tune! It reminds me of the late 60's bands that were a blast to attend and the times when I first saw "head banging" before it was head banging.
Date: Mon Jan 26 11:23:56 2015
User: TNmountainman
Message:User: BuzzClik:
"I will stumble upon some Americana artists every now and then, but I had not encountered Parker Milsap. He's an interesting artist. Sort of bluesy, country alternative.
Good suggestion, hottie."
Not that it matters, Buzz, but I first brought Parker Millsap to this thread back in July (see above, July 27 ---> August 9) after catching his live show here. (And hottie jumped on the idea.) In fact, your post about Son Lux followed one of the posts about Parker. Since I'm usually time-challenged, I don't catch up on this particular thread very often, even though I like to investigate your ideas.
And I'll renew my recommendation to see him live if'n you get the chance. Powerful performer.
Carry on.
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