This past month has been a fantastic one for new music. I've come across some fantastic new artists, as well as some older ones who're back for more. Here's what I liked:
Broken - Tift Mirritt
I heard this track on the radio (Point FM 104.7), and fell for Mirritt's voice and lyrics. Her rhythm and sound mesh perfectly with one another with a great country-folk-rock feel.
Tu Es Ma Came - Carla Bruni
Another radio discovery, this time via NPR, Carla Bruni is probably also the most important person that I've reviewed thus far - she's the first lady (or the equivalent) of France - she's married to Nicolas Sarkozy, and has just released her second album, Comme Si De Rein N'etait, which has a great acoustic feel.
Freeze Ray - Neil Patrick Harris
The first song off of Joss Whedon's brilliant internet geek musical, Freeze Ray is a fun little romance that bubbles with optimism and shyness.
Flame - Bell X1
Bell X1 is an interesting Irish group that has a lot in common with Snow Patrol. Flame is a really fun introduction to them.
Jacqueline - James Hunter
James Hunter is back with his fantastic 50s/60s retro sound with this track, Jacqueline.
Back in Black (AC/DC) > Indecision - Carbon Leaf
Carbon Leaf is one of my favorite bands of all time, and they've been working on new material. This is one of their latest songs, and a good cover to boot.
Crossroads (Robert Johnson) - John Mayer
I came across this track via Archive.org from one of Mayer's latest concerts, which really fits with his blues style. It's a fantastic cover of Robert Johnson's song, with a good dose of Eric Clapton's version thrown in for good measure.
Arms of a Thief - Iron & Wine
Serpent Charmer - Iron & Wine
Iron and Wine's latest single, Love Song for a Buzzard, which has these two songs as B-Sides, are perfect additions to one of my favorite albums from last year, The Shepherd's Dog. These two songs are two additions to an already perfect album.
Something Is Not Right With Me - Cold War Kids
The Cold War Kids are back with their second album, Loyalty to Loyalty. This track captures their sound once again nicely, with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.
Many Lessons - Bantu Feat Ayuba
Mighty Intelligence - Dread Skeezo feat Dream Maximum
These two songs are from an album who's review is forthcoming - African/Islamic hiphop/rap, which is utterly fantastic. These two songs are two of the best tracks of a stellar album.
Slipping Away - Cory Woodward
I'm not entirely sure how I came across Cory Woodward, but I'm really enjoying his laid back and interesting sound with this song, Slipping Away. I particularly like the guitarwork here - it's simple and elegant and flows nicely.
Evil is Alive and Well - Jakob Dylan
Something Good This Way Comes - Jakob Dylan
Bob Dylan's son Jakob has become a musician in his own right, first with the band The Wallflowers, whom I fondly remember from my high school years with hits such as One Headlight and 6th Ave Heartbeak. These two songs are reminiscent of some of the elder Dylan's music, but different. Both of these are fantastic. My review for this is also forthcoming.
Measure of a Man - We'll Write
We'll Write is one of my favorite 'Geek Bands'. This one's about the end of humanity by robotic enslavement. It doesn't get better than that.
On My Way - Kara Grainger & Amos Lee
Amos Lee has had a good year this year, with the release of his latest album. I came across this girl, Kara Grainger, and was surprised to find that the two collaborated on this song. She's got a fantastic new album out now, with a nice country-folk feel to it, and this song is a good representation of that.
Put On Your Sunday Clothes - Michael Crawford
This track was from the Wall-E soundtrack, one of my favorite movies of the year. It's old school, quaint and perfect for the movie. If you haven't seen it yet, I'd highly recommend it.
