Dallas Green, everybody.
One of my favorite singer-songwriters.
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The A-B Theory is an up-and-coming band from Dallas, TX that features electro style music with a Ben Gibbard-style voice by Jesse Smith.
The reason the album art looks so goofy is because:
1) it was taken from a photograph of the album
2) Jesse spray painted all the CD cases by hand
review by Sophia Shah
On Visiter, Dodos guitarist Meric Long alternates between fingerpicking and breakneck strumming while playing in confounding alternate tunings. Logan Kroeber's clattering, locomotive percussion (which includes shoes outfitted with tambourines) is every bit a lead instrument as Long's guitar, and a big reason the band's music has garnered comparisons to the less abstract moments of Animal Collective and the output of other new-primitivist bands like High Places and Yeasayer.
"Yoko", Beulah's fourth and final full-length release in 2003, show's the maturity the band developed over it's existence from '96-'04. With thoughtful and provocative lyrics and their regular exquisite musical blend, "Yoko" will have you yearning for another Beulah release...
It really tears me up to know that will never happen. However, founder Miles Kurosky has apparently been preparing a solo album. Let's hope for the best.
Beulah-Yoko:
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Lucky for you, I've got a trick up my sleeve. If you enjoy "Yoko," and want to hear a nice acoustic spin to it, check out the acoustic demos:
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The Blond Gypsies I discovered when I was living in Sayulita, Mexico last year. They performed every Thursday night at a local restaurant in town and I became an immediate fan! Latcho and Andrea are married and have been performing together for decades all over the world. They're both German which is kind of strange to hear such incredible Flamenco soul come from anyone without some sort of Latin background, but they certainly don't fall short in any way. Latcho plays lead guitar. He is amazing, and his wife Andrea plays so steady along with him. I am so surprised they aren't more well known, because the talent is definitely there, but I feel lucky to have seen such great music from these two live so many times, for free! If you like the Gypsy Kings, you will love Gitans Blonds!!! Enjoy.
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Co-founder of Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew released his solo album "Spirit If..." last summer and it is nothing short of fabulous. Featuring cameos from many of Broken Social Scene's current and former members like Feist, Stars, and Dinosaur Jr., the album is composed of ambiguous and suggestive lyrics. "Spirit If..." has an air of shabby romanticism that manages to maintain a feeling of exquisiteness at the same time. The vocals are blended at a level that allows for comprehension, even if the words themselves aren't always understood. Allow time for this album to sink in because it is only after many listens that it's true distinctiveness sets in.
TBTF - Kevin Drew (Live in Vancouver)
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City and Colour is an acoustic side-project fronted by Dallas Green, who is most famous for being a member of the band Alexisonfire. The name City and Colour stems partially from Dallas' humble nature, as he was uncomfortable releasing material under his full name, instead preferring a stage name. Dallas being a city, and Green a color, the name is very fitting indeed. This is the second release by Green, the follow up to Sometimes, which went Platinum in Canada and received the Juno Award for Alternative Album Of The Year (2007).
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Since im in the soundtrack realm i figure why not. Here is another one from another music movie August Rush. A better quality film if i do say so myself... even had me tearing up a bit, but anyways. This soundtrack has some various songs that revolve around guitar tapping. The songs are performed by Kaki King, and are really cool sounding. There are also some classical mixed with rock on the album, and even an acapella song that sounds great. Its good sounding album and if you particularly like the guitar tapping done by kaki king, i suggest you look into one of her solo albums as well. Cheers.
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This is the soundtrack from the movie Once that came out in 2006ish. It was a Irish musical and the movie itself i would say is below quality, but the soundtrack is excellent. Done primarily by a man by the name of Glen Hansard, this soundtrack features a lot of great music that is primarily acoustic with a few full band pieces and one that is more on the comical side where the main instruments are toy keyboards (Falling from the Sky). Some of the highlight songs are "Falling Slowly" "If you want me" and "When your minds made up." This is one album that you should definitely listen to more than once because the more you hear it, the more it grows on you. Enjoy!
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Sea Wolf is the stage name of Alex Brown Church, a singer/songwriter from Los Angeles, California. He originally started the group "Irving" but a lot of the songs he wrote didn't mold to the group's style so he began performing as Sea Wolf with various musicians backing him up for performances in LA and demo-recording sessions in Seattle. "Leaves in the River" is Sea Wolf's first full-length album and it is packed full of uniquely melodic indie/folk tunes that won't disappoint. Although it is only February, this album would be a perfect addition to your Fall playlist (right alongside Death Cab for Cutie of course)! But for now, you'll just have to pretend that you're raking a big pile of leaves or going for a walk in the park while you give the album a listen...or a million!
Here's my obsession song, "You're a Wolf"...enjoy!
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This is Andy McKee's second album, released in 2004. It features the songs The Friend I Never Met (written for the late Michael Hedges, a great influence of Andy's), and Africa (a cover of the hit by Toto).
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Previously:
Andy McKee - The Art of Motion
Minnesota native Caroline Smith, makes up for in raw talent what she lacks in age. Caroline possesses a unique vocal quality that can be roughly described as a cross between Jenny Lewis, Feist & Joanna Newsom. Caroline and her talented band of instrumentalists offer indie music fans something exquisite. With lyrics that are sincerely eloquent, perceptive, amusing, bitter and melancholy, this 7-track EP is sure to please. Caroline's songs thoughtfully illustrate common human experiences and with each listen her potent lyrics & charming melodies have the capability of lingering in your head for days. But enough of my ranting, discover for yourself.
The Tragedy of June 11
"So my friend and I, threw a few back at our favorite pizza place, and she opened her mouth, showed me her teeth and said 'Fuck. Those guys are lame'. Arm in arm, with her sunglasses on, we finally learned not to look back now."
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You may have contributed to the more than 20 million views for his Youtube videos which were posted by the independent record label Candyrat. At one point, Andy held the #1, #2 and #3 positions for top rated videos of all time on YouTube! Here is his most famous, Drifting:
Andy McKee is praised by many as the most promising fingerstyle guitarists to arrive on the scene in quite some time.
At first, Andy's passion was the electric guitar, as he started out learning Metallica, Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani, and Dream Theater. Then, on Andy's 16th birthday, his electric guitar-playing cousin inspired him by taking him to see a guitarist named Preston Reed perform live at a clinic. McKee bought an instructional videotape from Reed and began to learn more complex guitar techniques from it. He began to take influence from guitarists such as Michael Hedges, Don Ross, Billy McLaughlin, and Tommy Emmanuel as he taught himself the instrument.
It is Andy’s passion for the music, attention to song structure, and diverse melodic content that elevates him above the typical guitarist. He is known for his extensive use of altered tunings, partial capos, percussive hits, and tapping. But in the hands of Andy these are not mere parlor tricks, they are compositional tools used to create some of the finest crafted music for the acoustic guitar.
This album is my favorite release by Andy McKee, featuring the incredibly addictive "Rylynn", the flagship song "Drifting", and the amazing finger picking outro in "When She Cries". It is also Andy's most soulful album to date. If you like it, buy it.
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