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.

new K.flay

yup.

it's k.flay so I am predispositioned to like it. however, the sirens in the song make me kind of anxious for some reason. ironically, the track is titled "Rest Your Mind". guess, I'll just have to take the advice and listen again.

this video also makes me a bit uneasy...

San Cisco

This West Australian indie rock band is well, awkward. In the good sense of the word?

But in all seriousness I dig their beachy vibes and playful twists on the average hooks.

listen.


watch and listen.

Daughter

I had Daughter on a playlist somewhere a few years back, I believe it was their song "Landfill". I remember finding the song stuck in my head and eventually picked up my guitar to learn it. With every new track the London trio has put out since I feel the same poetry and beautiful intimacy that captivated me back then take hold once again.

Watch the watchlistentell session of their song "Medicine" and feel it for yourself:



and the amazing sessions performance of "Youth:



you must also listen to the fore mentioned —I like this raw video of a live performance a lot because you can really hear the sentiment in her delicate voice. It's beautiful.

New Album Releases

A double dose of electronic indie pop released today: woahhh.


Passion Pit//Gossamer

Personally, I am not the biggest fan of the bands follow up album. It just seems to me that the framework is missing. Lead singer Michael Angelakos' captivatingly personal lyrics are just hidden behind sub-par sounds and his efforts to continue playing off his high pitched voice. The album is about half and half for me. But hey, I definitely think it's worth a listen.

That being said here is one of the songs that I do like:

Purity Ring//Shrines

Okay, so I already knew half the album as it is previously released songs and I've already raved about the consistency of the hits produced by this band. I can honestly say that after listening to the rest of the album I am still just as impressed with Purity Ring's ability to produce a hit every time. My favorite new track off the album:

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.