Micachu and the Shapes

Experimental act out of the UK headed by classically trained multi-instrumentalist Mica Levi or "Micachu". Together, Micachu and the Shapes create a particularly unconventional (grimey pop) sound which is the result of some homemade instruments and a wealth of creativity behind them.

c h e c k. i t.





The bands most recent album NEVER was released this past July. The band released a video for each song on the album, which you can find at the bands site (the coolest band site i've ever seen) here.

Deep Time

The framework of human existence has not heard a  sound quite like this experimental pop duo from Austin.

Photo © Kaden Shallat.

Deep Time is the creative production and ever changing personality of singer, guitarist, and organist Jennifer Moore and drummer Adam Jones. Their most recent self-titled album came out this past July on Hardly Art out of Seattle. Every song on the album offers a similarly mesmerizing beat that is almost annoyingly catchy but undeniably delightful.

// this. video. //
     

Ellie Goulding

After special ordering her album Bright Lights from the UK in 2010 it was quite clear that I had become addicted to Ellie Goulding's music. The first thing that caught my attention was her voice: light and delicate but still holding a course quality around the edges; it was unlike any voice I'd heard before. Even more unique is the amount of control she has over it. The second thing? her lyrics: intricately metaphorical while remaining personable and honest. Third thing, she is an incredibly talented musician and songwriter. Plus, the girl is gorgeous.

From an acoustic folk background Ellie eventually found herself in the electronic pop genre after connecting and collaborating with electronic producers such as Starsmith who went on to help produce her debut album Lights that came out in the UK in March of 2010. After the release of her album Lights in the US in 2011, Ellie continued to tour in support of an album that was a year old back in the UK and her older fans had to await the release of her second studio album. Well, soon the wait will be over. Goulding just announced the October 9th release of her follow-up entitled Halcyon.

 

I've always appreciated the intimate quality of her stripped down acoustic sets. It's what got my attention to begin with and what continues to hold it.

Here are a few examples:

My favorite Ellie song performed mic-less:

"You can fall if you want to It's just a matter of how far. You've treasured your home town but you've forgotten where you are"

Kids These Days

my first thought: damn, kids these days are talented. my second: could i still be considered a kid?

Kids These Days is a group out of Chicago compiled of seven very unique talents that lend themselves to a sound that reaches a multi-genre audience. Their sound is a seemingly perfect mix of blues, rock, indie hip-hop, jazz and soul. I shot their set at Bunbury Music Festival this past month and was blown away! This group really has a sound like nothing I've ever heard before.

Imagine Dragons

Fuse a little pop with some rock, electronic, and alternative sounds — that's all it takes to Imagine Dragons. I know, right? mind boggling.

To get the full experience take a listen to some tunes by the group out of Las Vegas.

The band released their latest EP Continued Silence this past Valentines Day. Since then the band has received increasing visibility after their single "It's Time" was used in the trailer for "The Perks of Being a Wallflower".

Most recently, the boys are back in the studio working on their upcoming full length entitled Night Visions due out September 4th.

New Ellie Goulding

a new Ellie track ft. Tinie Tempah...yup.

 

click the image ^ for a free download

Rubblebucket

Rubblebucket is kind of like an onomatopoeia for the kind of music this band produces: everything mixed into one.
This band out of Brooklyn combines trumpet, sax, trombone, multiple percussion instruments, guitar, bass and vocals to create an ultra unique sound —mixing styles of indie, pop, dance, jazz, and funk.

The music alone is enough to keep you interested, but see one live performance and you just may be hooked.

  

 

 

new* fthrsn

fthrsn is out with a new track for the start of the summer; a light track with some heavy breathing. take a listen!

Hey Ocean!

Found out about this band through a friend from BC.

Hey Ocean! is a group made up of three talented musicians from Vancouver. Their style is distinct, drawing from multiple genres, the end product sounds something like a pleasant mix of pop and jazz with delicately laced vocals to top it off. They are like a breathe of fresh ocean air.

It's Easier to be Somebody Else by Hey Ocean!

Kimbra

Kimbra Johnson is an incredibly talented singer/songwriter out of New Zealand. Her sound is loosely classified as jazzy multi-generational pop with a modern touch that is unlike any other artist I've heard; her lyrics are dangerously vulnerable making them unavoidably personable; her voice is strong, captivating, and highly versitile. What else can I say about this girl?

At the tender age of 12, the kiwi performed the national anthem before 27,000 people at the Auckland vs Waikato NPC rugby final. If that doesn't give you an idea of just how poised and talented this girl is maybe a listen to some of her tunes will.

Recently, Kimbra's vocals in Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" have been highly noted and don't get me wrong, that song is brilliant but there's just something about her originals that caught my ear a while back and continue to hold it...

Kimbra's debut album Vows was released this past fall in both New Zealand and Australia and is set to release in the US on May 22nd. If you like what you hear go get it!

To this day "Two Way Street" remains my favorite Kimbra song, and the Sing Song session my favorite version of it — the video shows a bit of her spunk too:



"Settle Down" at Sing Song Studios:

Young The Giant

First off, I apologize for it being so terribly long since my last post; I have been making some ridiculously exciting life plans in the past month that are just starting to come together (sorry this statement must stay a bit elusive or else I'd be writing a long drawn out thing that no one wants to read, kind of what this is becoming anyway..)


This post is dedicated to an incredibly talented group of musicians out of Irvine, California, Young the Giant. The indie-rock band released their first studio album in 2010 — claimed the 3rd best rock album of the year by Amazon.com and claimed the all time best by.. myself.

First off, lead singer Sameer Gadhia's vocals alone are beautifully addictive. Add the band's personable lyrics, incredibly upbeat and catchy sound and you have a seemingly perfect mix of rock and pop.








Young the Giant also had some of the coolest album artwork of 2010.
Wondering who designed it? I was too. So I did some research. All the designs were created by Invisible Creature, a design and illustration studio out of Seahurst, WA. Visit the site here and check out some of their other projects.

Before you go, watch the band's "In The Open Sessions" video of their song Every Little Thing.



I'll be at their show in Detroit on February 28th, anyone else?

Lucy Rose

There's just something about a good Brit accent that get's me every time and Lucy Rose is no exception. Her bangs and petite frame do well to hide her big voice and quirky personality.

You may have unknowingly heard her voice on Bombay Bicycle Club albums Flaws and A Different Kind of Fix. (you can even catch a glimpse of her in the video for Shuffle in the BBC post below)

She may very well be the next big singer songwriter out of Britain, so I advise you take a listen.

Best Remixes of 2011

Damn, it's already 2012?

So, since it's the new year I thought I would start it off right by recapping some of my favorite remixes from 2011. Check them out! Oh, and Happy New Year!

1. Rolling In the Deep (Deathstar Remix)
Something about this remix always seems to get me pumped for, well, pretty much anything.
Adele - Rolling in the Deep (Deathstar Remix) by The Baroque Life

2. Lights (Bassnectar Remix) Almost anything Ellie Goulding related assures that I will love it, which means I've heard my share of Ellie remixes. But of all the "Lights" remixes out there, I think Bassnectar did it best.
Ellie Goulding - Lights (Bassnectar Remix) by Bassnectar

3.My Body (K.Flay Remix)
One of my favorite artists remixing another one of my favorite artists... how could it be anymore perfect?
My Body (K.Flay Remix) by Young the Giant

4. I'm God (Instrumental)
This song is a remix of the Imogen Heap song "Just for Now". There's just something about the trance-like quality of the song... I can't even explain but it's worth a listen.
Clams Casino - I'm God (instrumental) by all inc.

5. Summit (Aylen Remix)
It must be pretty difficult to remix a song that is already damn good but I'd say Aylen did an awesome job. (the most recently released mix on the list)
Skrillex Ft Ellie Goulding - Summit (Aylen Remix) by The Baroque Life

Miike Snow

Miike Snow is not a person, but a Swedish indie electronic pop band comprised of Christian Karlsson,Pontus Winnberg, and Andrew Wyatt.

Their single "Animal" was an instant blogger favorite in 2009. Since then everyone has been looking forward to hearing some new tunes.
The bands second album is due out sometime in 2012 but until then take a listen to their newest song "Devil's Work"

Sleigh Bells

because music is better than studying...

Electronic indie pop duo Sleigh Bells, guitarist Derek Miller and singer Alexis Krauss, just announced the release date of there upcoming album Reign of Terror; February 14th. (that's valentine's day for those of us who tend to ignore the holiday). Just remember, music will never leave you lonely...

Check out the Reign of Terror teaser:


Reign of Terror track list:
Track List:

01. True Shred Guitar
02. Born To Lose
03. Crush
04. End Of The Line
05. Leader Of The Pack
06. Comeback Kid
07. Demons
08. Road To Hell
09. You Lost Me
10. Never Say Die
11. D.O.A.

Also, here are some oldies but goodies:

Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill by marinak

11 Sleigh Bells Tell 'Em by djeddieo

Lykke Li

Lykke Li ("Lick-ee Lee") is a 24 year old singer-songwriter hailing from Sweden. Her songs speak of love and of growing up, reflected in the titles of her albums: Youth Novels and her sophomore album released earlier this year, Wounded Rhymes. A couple of years ago I heard her song "Little Bit" and fell in love with the creativity of her songwriting and the uniqueness of her voice. Her music is a mix of pop, indie rock, and electronic, but there are elements of her sound that make it difficult to classify into any one genre.

I saw her front and center at Lollapalooza this past summer and she blew me away. She's just as lively and crazy on stage as you could imagine by listening to her music.

Here are a couple photos I took at the show:



Photo © Hélène Dryden

Check out this video of an acoustic version of her song "Youth Knows No Pain".


Lykke Li has come a long way since 2008 and even made it as far as the moon. Yup, you read correctly:


watch the rest of her "Live on the Moon" videos here.

Yuna

A very talented artist out of Malaysia, Yuna's soft vocals and delicate lyrics are the type to get stuck in your head for days.

Here is her most recent single "Come As You Are"
Come As You Are by Yuna Music


As a barista the title of her single "Coffee" caught my attention but all the songs off her Ep "Decorate" are well worth a listen... my current favorite? Someone Out of Town

Yuna - Decorate (EP) by Yuna Music

HIGHLIGHTED ARTIST: fthrsn

fthrsn (Macklin "Mackie" Underdown) is a musician/producer out of Ann Arbor, MI where he currently studies performing art technology at the University of Michigan. His pop/indie sound is so distinct it is difficult to compare him to any other artist.

fthrsn released his EP "Hysteria" this past Wednesday, October 5th












Have a listen:

hysteria by fthrsn

Download a free copy of Hysteria here.


Get to know fthrsn:

Q: how did you get into music?

i started playing bass and guitar at age 12. it was a natural thing
for me, something i would be practicing constantly. i remember sitting in my room learning how to play an entire album on one instrument by ear; it really helped train my ear, which is one of my most valuable
traits musically. my brother-in-law showed me pro tools and reason at
15, and since then i’ve been doing computer music production. it’s
crazy to listen to old songs i made in reason and see where i’m at
today... it’s a humbling, funny experience, and i’m so glad my hard
work has paid off in its way.

Q: You have an artistic background; how did that influence your creativity?

tying into my musical background, my mom is an artist and art
professor, so i grew up seeing her process and all of her artwork on
every wall in my house. it’s great having her to talk to about art,
the artistic process, the challenges of making art as opposed to
making a living, etc. because she has been experiencing that since she
was younger than i am. this has really helped me get a better grasp of
what art is in general, and this certainly applies to my approach to
making music.

Q: how you describe your genre/style of your music?

i’ve never been good at describing my sound in a genre sense, but my
friend cory (kohwi) probably gave me the best term for the fthrsn
sound: lofi crooning, namely in response to “nothing’s the matter”. i
combine a lot of influences (motown, 50s/60s pop, phil spector, dale
earnhardt jr. jr., all of my musical peers here in ann arbor, and
more) into my sound, and i feel this project is the result of that.

Q: why "fthrsn"?

tom "the makeout king" auty and i were at a party discussing the internet music culture we're involved with. i was talking about my frustrations with new music i was hearing and some other stuff and decided i would change my online identity based on the first thing i saw in the living room of this house. boom: the words father son on a poster. being like every other band, i dropped all the vowels and made it one word. it was intended to be sarcastic, but now i'm just a sarcastic asshole wannabe

Q: what do you want fans to get out of your music?

i just want people to hear the tunes and hope that they’ll get stuck
in their heads. i love catchy pop tunes, so this is my way of adding
to that very broad area of music.

Q: what you get out of your music?

making music is a way for me to explore, create, and just do something
that i love. the great thing about having a moniker like fthrsn is
that i can be someone i’m not, even though fthrsn is very much who i
am, you know?