New Music Part Deux

So I've decided to share new music I find with whomever decides to read my blog. You may or may not like any of the bands, and you may only like one out of the many I post.  But if you have the time, they are all worth checking out. I have an eclectic taste in music, so most people should be able to find at least one musician they find interesting on here. There will be more postings to come showcasing underground artists, new or old, because good music deserves to be heard and shared around the world.  

 I also want to share with others a website that is very useful in viewing who these bands are, called MusicTonic.com. It is like Pandora, YouTube, and Grooveshark all rolled in to one with added features that makes browsing very convenient and discovering new music and catching videos very easy. So check it out,  Musictonic.com. Jukesy,com is also convenient in viewing videos of artists and catching all of their songs and even discovering new music, but MusicTonic is a better version of that.

NEW MUSIC I FOUND:

I will begin with my favorite discovery of the past month, and that goes to an older gentleman who has spent  the past four decades trying to make it in the music biz, and finally his soul has been heard.  Enjoy!

Charles Bradley: At the age of 63, and battling the music industry for a greater portion of his life, Bradley has finally been able to release his first album. It revives the soul of America, allowing you to genuinely fell his emotions, which emanate through the songs, and many of them you can feel true heartache and struggle.  Bradley's voice is bluesy and gritty yet soulful and funky. And he’s got that scream, oh that scream; a yell which is much like that of James Brown. He is a man that has been through some hard times. He spent his whole life trying to make it and he spills it all out in the track “Why is it So Hard?”. As he sings the chorus “Why is it so hard to make it in America?” his voice wails, as if he is on the verge of breaking down. Every soothing note he sings just warms each beat of your heart. All his trials and tribulations erupt together on the last track “Heartaches and Pain”. Life is hard, and we feel it in his voice, yet the track feels oddly optimistic about it all.

Songs: The World, Why Is It So Hard, How Long, No Time For Dreaming

The Sheepdogs: A new age 60s/70s rock and roll band.  Taking their cues from the Allman  Brothers, Creedence, Humble Pie, Guess Who and the Stones, these prairie boys have a sound that is completely faithful to their 70s rock roots, while remaining thoroughly original and fresh. Powerful vocals, a twin guitar attack, stacked harmonies, moody keys and steady grooves all blend together to form an engaging batch of originals. They bring back true 70's rock here in 2011.    

Songs: I Don't Know, I Don't Get By

Patrick Sweany: On a given night (or on a given album) he'll swing through blues, folk, soul, bluegrass, maybe some classic 50s rock, or a punk speedball. He's a musical omnivore, devouring every popular music sound of the last 70 years, and mixing them all together seamlessly into his own stew. He has a good raspy blues voice, mixed with a grungy rock & roll style of the Black Keys. Guitar influences were Leadbelly and Lightnin' Hopkins where as his vocal influences came from the likes of Ray Charles. Similar Artists are Dan Auerbach, The Raconteurs and The White Stripes.  

Songs: Them Shoes, Rising Tide, Sleeping Bag

The Black Angels: 

The group name is derived from a song by The Velvet Underground who is a major influence for the band. The sound of the band is  wonderfully 

dark, mesmerizing psychedelic rock music, and one of their secrets is vocalist Alex Maas, who sounds a bit like the devil trying to be coy.

Major influences which can be heard in their sound include The Doors, Pink Floyd, Joy Division, Verve, The Raveonettes, and more. Similar Artist that are current include Dan Auerbach, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and The Warlocks

Songs: Young Men Dead, Better Off Alone, Entrance Song, Telephone, Bad Vibrations

The Romany Rye: The band could be categorized as indie folk-rock and draws comparisons to the likes of Neil Young, My Morning Jacket, and Ryan Adams. Kings of Leon guitarist Matthew Followill, whose band has its early roots in country rock, as well as Matt Costa, dubbed them a band to watch in 2010. They have a similar Guitar/Rock style of The Black Keys, accompanied by Lyrical similarities of The Bright Eyes.

Songs: Love Song, Black Hair, Long Way Down 

Grouplove: Grouplove is a Los Angeles quintet who brings out the feeling of the California Sun and just released their first self-titled EP at the end of this past January.  Whether the band’s honey-hearted, sugar-coated indie-bop-pop will work across an album-length release remains to be seen, but this set is a nugget of golden pleasure, petite, but perfectly proportioned.  They are very colorful with their stage designs, outfits, happy beats, and in their voices. They have a very buoyant and gleeful sound. Similar Artists include Foster the People, Phoenix, MGMT, Vampire Weekend, and The Kooks.

Songs: Gold Coast, Naked People, Colours 

Lykke Li: I meant to add this artists to my first post of "Discovering New Music", because her latest album is worth listening to.  The arrangements are driven by syncopated handclaps and off-kilter drums, but now, voice creaking with heartache, she sounds like she's casting dark spells rather than serenading daydreams. Li dips into garage rock and wintry folk, but her guiding spirit seems to be Phil Spector, and she laces the music with booming percussion and girl-group-style romantic melodrama.  I think the syncopated handclaps with her unique  voice is what captured me, but she is also an amazing performer along the likes of Florence + The Machine. Similar Artists: Florence + The Machine, Oh Land, Edward Sharp + The Magnetic Zeros, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Xx

Songs: Youth Knows No Pain, Get Some  

Blockhead: Is a down-tempo hip hop producer with a jazz electronic vibe to him. Mainly instrumental tracks but mixes in a few voices samples here and there. He weaves between horns and acoustic guitars while adding classical vocals over skittish boom-bap drums . He even finds time to throw in a body-winding bassline, the kind that could’ve easily found itself on the soundtrack to a 70s feature film.  Has worked with Atmosphere and Aesop Rock Similar Artists: Boombox, RJD2, Wax Tailor

Songs: The Music Scene, The Art of Walking, Music by Cavelight 

Mod Sun: Stands for Movement On Dreams. Stand Under None. He is a 24yr old rapper who started off by playing the drums at 14. He has created a new genre he refers to as hippy-hop. He's kind of a skater version of Asher Roth who looks like Shaun White but has faster rhymes. He writes all of his own rhymes, and produces all of his own beats. You can download 3 of his early albums for free off his website, and I actually find them to be better than the last two albums that are for purchase. 

Just go to http://modsunmusic.com/category/media/music/free-mixtapes/  

Songs: Thought You Should Know, Paradisity, No Girlfriend, Party In The U.S.A. 

Appalachia Rising: 

Rising Appalachia is a genre-bending force of sound that uses vocal harmony, lyrical prowess and diverse artistic collaborations to defy cultural clichés and ignite a musical revolution.The two 'frontmen' are 2 sisters, Leah & Chloe, who harmonize well with each other and carry a lot of soul in their voices.  They are true musicians that bring energy to the stage.  But I wouldn't consider this solely in the genre of bluegrass because the songs aren't very fast like traditional bluegrass songs and they have a lot of depth to them.  One plays guitar and violin and they both can play banjo and tambourine. The band features a stand up bass, two kick drums accompanied with an array of hand drums, and occasional horns. One of their drummers can beatbox as well but in general the overall feel is very simple and focuses on the harmonized vocals of the two sisters. The lyrics and sound of the song can also be very poetic. 

Songs: Rise, Oh Death, Nobody's Home, Sandanski

Yael Naim: Influenced by Norah Jones and Joni Mitchell, she has a soft voice, and piano is key in most of her songs.  You can feel a heavy Jazz influence, and she in fact does a good jazz rendition of britney spears' 'Toxic'. 'New Soul' his her top hit that has even been featured in an apple commercial, that of course is the most poppy of all her songs.  She has a very soft voice but it can be strong at times with the right lyrics and that is why I thinks she is most similar to Fiona Apple.  Other similar artists include Ingrid Michaelson, Sara Baraeilles and Feist.

Songs: Go to the River, Stupid Goal, Far Far

von Thord: von Thord is a Swedish two man band playing non-genre‐bound string beat. With only cello and bass, von Thord still sounds like a full 5‐man band. Playing beaty music impossible to put into a genre, they always leave their audience breathless and longing for more. If you like bluegrass or jazz, then this is a band for you The music is classical, jazz, rock or world music, but all at the same time in a wild mix  They use their instruments in a way most did not know was possible . The cello and double bass combination cannot be smoother. The boys pluck their strings like slap bassists. They tap their instruments like percussionists. They slide like blues guitarists. They rock it like electric guitarists. The cello has never sounded so unlike a cello! The bass never sounded this good! 

Songs: Wedding Night, Smoke on the Water

Keep an eye out for:
2Cellos: 2Cellos are Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser. With over 5 million hits on YouTube, their passionate, dueling cellos version of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" has taken the world by storm. They will be touring with Elton John this summer, and will be releasing their first EP consisting of hot covers.  They are extremely talented and you should look for their album come the end of June. 
 http://www.myplaydirect.com/2cellos/details/25779402
http://www.2cellos.com/tour

Odd Future: a.k.a ODWGKTA:  This is a bizarre rap group composed of 3 separate rap groups and 11 total different artists.  They are very outspoken with their lyrics, on-stage performance, and videos.  They are on the rise and I suggest you check out their website, it is pretty entertaining.   http://www.oddfuture.com/

New Albums:
Raphael Saadiq- Stone Rollin'
Brett Dennen- Loverboy