Duet - A Sunday Smile

I didn't like Beirut's Balkan style at first listen, but they've grown on me. Since then, I've been trying to find some other types of music that's similar, and came across Kocani Orkestar, the real deal over there. So, imagine my happiness when I found that the two did a duet, of Beirut's A Sunday Smile recently. It's a fantastic listen.

A Sunday Smile - Beirut feat. Kocani Orkestar

Hype - Buy

Around the World - Belgium

The next stop brings us to the next letter - B. Starting us off with the Bs is the country of Belgium, located in Europe and bordered by France, Germany, Luxemburg and the Netherlands. Due to it's location, the country has been involved in a number of conflicts, from the Eighty-Years War to the two World Wars. Most notably, it was the location of the Battle of the Bulge during the Second World War.
Musically, the country has a lot of surrounding influences, and the band that's been selected for this country is dEUS, an Indie Rock band that's located out of Antwerp. Founded in 1989, the group has undergone some changes over the past decade, bringing in a number of sounds, ranging from rock, pop, electronic and a couple others. Since 1994, they've released four albums, the latest released in 2005, although they were on a break from 2000 to 2004. They are expected to release their next album this year.

Bad Timing - dEUS

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New Alternate Routes

One of the best groups that I came across last year was The Alternate Routes, who I was able to see twice when they came up to Vermont. They've been on the road for a while, and they've played a couple of songs that either didn't make it onto their first record, Good and Reckless and True, or they've since been writing. Here's some new things from them:

Louisiana - The Alternate Routes
Desdemona - The Alternate Routes
I Go Away Stoned - The Alternate Routes
My Old Lady - The Alternate Routes

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Cover & Original - All Apologies

This week's C&O comes from a Nirvana song that I didn't really like to begin with, but one that's grown over time. Upon later listens, this has become one of my more favored Nirvana song - it's a very sorrowful and down song.
Kathryn Williams has an interesting take on the song, retaining much of the same feel, but with a more interesting background instrumentation here, while Ben Gibbard, of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service has his own rendition that doesn't add or subtract anything from this.

All Apologies (Nirvana) - Ben Gibbard
All Apologies (Nirvana) - Kathryn Williams
All Apologies - Nirvana

Hype - Buy

iTunes Free Music of the Week

Here's the free swag from iTunes this week. I wasn't terribly impressed.

Woman - Raheem DeVaughn
Esta Noche Pedro Capó
Just Got Started Lovin' You - James Otto

New Artist - rane

Rounding out the acoustic-indie rock day here is another band that I've seen when they came up to Norwich University when I was a student there: rane. Off all the bands that I found during college, I think rane is one that I remember the fondest.
Operating under the genre of 'Progressive Pop', these guys are best described as Indie-Jam. They have some absolutely fantastic guitar-work and some really good lyrics out there, combined with a good, mellow sound. Over the course of their albums, they have consistently held a constant, rich sound.
These guys do a really good job balancing the sound between the mellow and a good pace and beat. Additionally, vocals and instruments are also nicely balanced. Usually, I'm not a huge fan of jam-rock. Here, however, something makes up for it and they can easily get away with jamming.

Magnetic North - rane
From The Vine - rane

ProjectFlood Live EP

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New Artist: Ryanhood

Today's the day for indie-rockers, I guess. These two guys are called Ryanhood. They've been around since 2003, when Ryan Green and Cameron Hood (thus, Ryanhood) traveled to Boston, where they've since toured with larger artists and have released several, self-released albums, with another just completed and on the way.
I got to see them when they came by Norwich University when I was a sophomore or Freshman in college - I can't remember the exact date. They're currently located out of Tucson, Arizona, although they have a fantastic New England Indie sound. According to their website, they've opened for Jason Mraz, Carbon Leaf, Mat Kearney, Matt Nathanson and a couple others, which makes sense because their music falls into that general category.
Soundwise, they're two guys with guitars, more in the acoustic genre, with a pretty good touch. They sound like they can be a bunch of different groups, as they seem to have influences from a bunch of places - Simon and Garfunkel certainly, but there are some influences from the bluegrass and rock world.

Their next album is called The World Awaits, and features the following songs:

• Okay
• The World Awaits You
• Around The Sun
• Mature
• Helpless Hopeless
• Stopless
• Nothing But The Real Thing
• Alright
• Divides
• Back Into Blue
• Appy Jam
• Born To Run To You

Here's a couple of good tracks to listen to:

Gardens and Graves - Ryanhood
You Used To - Ryanhood

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New Artist - We'll Write

One band that's come to my attention is We'll Write, who hail out of London, England. These guys are a duo who's sound goes right into the acoustic guitar sound that's quite good. Listening to their music, they've got some interesting songs, particularly with their lyrics. Among some of their songs, they write about "vengeful deities, dancing zombie girls, old men with moon shaped faces and sleeping all day", which is more than enough to get me interested.
Two songs in particular stuck out for me, both off of their first EP, called Old Moon Face: Lying for the Song and Never Seems to Rain, both which seemed very reminiscent of some of the music that I listened to in college, when we'd get an indie band in for a coffeehouse performance. These guys fit the tone and feel perfectly. While their first EP isn't perfect - these two songs are the best on there - they have a good sound that's well on it's way towards refinement to something better in the future.

Lying for the Song - We'll Write
Never Seems To Rain - We'll Write

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Grace Potter: Live at the Waterfront

Christmas just came early. Earlier this summer, I went to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals when they came up for a concert at the Burlington Waterfront. It was an absolutely amazing, amazing concert, probably the best one that I've ever been to. I have some bittersweet memories of it now, because it was when I went on my first date with a now ex, but that doesn't bother me that much now.

Someone just posted the concert on Archive.org.

This is one concert that would have absolutely blown the roof off of any building that they could have played in. They played with so much energy and, dare I say, grace. I know I talk about Grace a lot here, but give this show a listen, and this is why I think she's one of the best new musicians out there now. Plus? It's got a very long-sought after cover/duet with Josh Ritter. Here's my original concert review. If you listen to one concert this year, listen to this one.

1. Intro
2. Ah Mary
3. chat
4. Treat Me Right
5. Stop The Bus
6. Here's To The Meantime
7. chat
8. Belladonna
9. Apologies
10. chat
11. Lose Some Time
12. Falling or Flying
13. Pretty Good (John Prince) w/Josh Ritter
14. Mastermind
15. Over Again
16. Who Knows
17. Joey
18. If I Was From Paris
19. Watching You
20. Nothing But The Water(Part I)
21. Nothing But The Water>
22. Drums>Nothing But The Water>
23. Nothing But The Water(Part II)
24. Encore
25. Cortez The Killer (Neil Young)
26. Big White Gate
27. Come Together (The Beatles)

Whole Show

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Around the World In 80 Bands - Austria

For this next trip, we're going to Europe, and back several hundred years, to 1700s. The country is Austria and the artist is possible the greatest musician that the world has ever seen: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Mozart was a musical genius from a very early age. Over the course of his lifetime, he composed more than 600 pieces of music, most of which are still played today and is regarded as one of the most influential figures in classical music.

Austria has long been a focal point of classical music, with numerous well known composers from the country, including Mozart, but also Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, Anton Bruckner, Johann Strauss, Sr., Johann Strauss, Jr. and Gustav Mahler, all big names in classical music. Often, musicians would travel here, to Vienna, where they would perform for the Royal Family, making the city as important as major entertainment cities such as Hollywood, LA, London or New York are today.

Here is my favorite piece by Mozart, Concerto in A Major for Clarinet K. 622, performed by the Indiana University ad Hoc Orchestra, conducted by Chen-Sheng Lee.

I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Rondo: Allegro

Hype - Buy

Prior Stops:
Australia
Argentina
Azerbaijan
Algeria
Afghanistan

New Video - Hang Around

Gregory Douglass has created a new video for his song, Hang Around, off of his album Up and Away.

Hang Around - Gregory Douglass

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Josh Ritter on Letterman

Last night, Josh Ritter performed for the second time on The Late Night with David Letterman, playing their song To The Dogs or Whoever, from their latest album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter. Watch here, it's a fantastic performance:

To the Dogs or Whoever - Josh Ritter

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Mountain Tops are Nice from the Distance - José González B-Sides

One of my absolute favorite artists that I've come across in recent years is José González, who plays the guitar with such an incredible style. He's since produced two records, Veneer and In Our Nature, two absolutely incredible records that are well worth checking out if you haven't already. In addition to his two main records, Gonzalez has put out several EPs, each consisting of a couple of songs. Here's my selection of Jose Gonzalez B-Sides that are just fantastic.

This is my first attempt at a B-Sides compilation, hope that you enjoy.

Born in the US (Bruce Springsteen) - José González
Hand On Your Heart (Kiley Minogue) - José González
Hints - José González
Last Snowstorm of the Year - José González
Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division) - José González
Neon Lights - José González
Sensing Owls - José González
Smalltown Boy - José González
Storm - José González
Suggestions - José González

Mountaintops are Nice From The Distance - Zipped

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Grace Potter: Live at the Higher Ground

Archive.org has been updated and one of the latest from the Higher Ground is one of Grace Potter's concerts that was part of her three night stint before New Year's, which are always a great concert to go and see. This is a fun one to listen to, and one that I've been eagerly awaiting for a while now, ever since I didn't make it out to this one. Here's the entire thing:

Intro
Mastermind
Treat Me Right
Stop The Bus
Meantime
Falling or Flying
Ah Mary
Ain't No Time
Take it All Away
If I Was From Paris
Sinking Man
Nothing But The Water >
4-way Drums >
Nothing But The Water
Sweet Hands
Apologies
Over Again
Big White Gate
Jet Airliner (Steve Miller Band)
Encore Break
Piss On Your Hand

Hype - Buy - Look

Ashes to Ashes

I can't wait.

Ashes to Ashes - David Bowie

Hype - Look

Show Review

I wrote this up back in December, just before Christmas after seeing the Adam Ezra group in concert:


After seeing the Adam Ezra Group with Carbon Leaf, I was able to see them again shortly after when they came up to play at Nectar's. I'm happy to report that the speakers were able to keep up with the musicians this time around (remembering the sound quality of the last time that I was here, with Grace Potter & The Nocturnals)

The opening band during this show was called Carlson, which broke my okay streak of good bands for the past couple of performers. These guys have spirit, I'll give them that, and a bit of youthful energy of a band newly formed, but they have a long way to go here.
Sound-wise, they sound somewhat like a not-as-good Bright Eyes, at least vocally. Bright Eyes can pull off their sound. These guys can't.
This show seems to be made up of songs from David Bowie's album, Ziggy Stardust. It's a very uneven affair for these guys - a couple of songs are covered okay, such as Star Man and Ziggy Stardust, but the majority of these aren't that great.
They do pull out some good sounds here and there, particularly their guitarist, but for the most part, this isn't consistent. The two vocalists had a hard time sticking together, as well as the instrumentals - guitars, drums and bass also had some trouble lining up to any good level. There are times when they get into an energetic rock song that sounds like most rock songs out there, but this isn't a consistent thing by any means.
My first impression of these guys was that they're a couple of college students who thought that a band was a good idea. While that idea remains fairly unclear, they do have some potential, but it's a little ways down the road. What we have here is an initial foundation that could certainly lead somewhere down the road, but that's a fairly unclear path at this point, and to make any sort of prediction now would probably be premature. Hopefully, they'll settle on a sound that'll at least work. Some more practice sessions in the garage probably won't hurt either.

Random quote from guy : Oh, everyone still sober? My bad.

Ziggy Stardust and the Space Invaders from Mars - Entire Set covered

Adam Ezra Group

These guys where a huge step up from the Carltons. They started off strong with their jam/rock/funk sound. Like last time, they've got a good mix in vocals and instruments that's pretty together. Their sound works really well in Nectar's, and they drew a pretty good crowd. And, once again, it looked like they were having fun on stage - they've got a great energy and vibe for the crowd. They seem to have an even greater energy than before, when they opened for Carbon Leaf, which is great.
It seems that this smaller venue is really where these guys are at home, at least for now - their energy really works in a smaller place such as Nectar's, especially with their higher energy songs. While this might change over time, they really dominated the space and sound of the room, and got the crowd moving up in front. They didn't just go for the high energy, which is a plus in their direction - several songs slowed down the pace, but not so much the intensity and focus. This was a bit of a step up from my first viewing of them, which I was very pleased to hear. I think these guys have quite a bit of potential within New England, and hopefully down the road, larger portions of the country. That being said, I think that there's still minor things to be done with their sound at times, but they're well on their way.
I only stayed around to listen to these guys to around 1:30. I had an hour drive back home and didn't want to get too tired for the drive back - There was probably another six or seven songs beyond what I have written down on the set list.

Set List
1 - Shine the Light on my Sister, Mama
* 2 - "For a while"
* 3 - Small Town City (Thanks!)
* 4 - Waiting (New Song)
5 - I say ... turn around ... take one dime
6 - All the Time ... sings out
7 - all my memories ... in my eyes. walk around this down with my hair pulled down.
8 - On The Crawl
* 9 - Western Man
* 10 - sometimes you just slide, back on the road down an open path ... back on the long...
11 - Ain't No Use (Adam Solo) (don't think twice it's alright)
12 - For a thousand years or more (Cover) no mess? romance? (Adam & Turtle)
13 - Coste Seega Rege? - South African (Adam & Turtle)
14 - Cover Man
(The band played on until past 1:30. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish writing down the set list, as my laptop ran out of battery power.)

So, pretty good night, if you ignore the first band. Adam Ezra's supposed to be back up in Vermont soon, and I'll definitely try and make it out to see them again.

Judas - Adam Ezra Group

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C&O - Can't Find My Way Home...

This week's cover and original is a favored song of mine, Blind Faith's Can't Find My Way Home. This version happens to be the electric version of the song, rather than the acoustic, but it works. The cover version comes from the Adam Ezra Group, which was released on their EP Crawl, as a hidden track. This is a really good copy, with some great guitar work, and the group's vocals really takes on their own sound with this song, a bit slower and more deliberate.

Can't Find My Way Home (Blind Faith) - Adam Ezra Group
Can't Find My Way Home (Electric Version) - Blind Faith

Hype - Buy

Around the World In 80 Bands - Australia

The next stop around the world continues in the same hemisphere from our last stop, this time with Australia. One of the oldest inhabited areas in the world, going back 40,000 years, the country was first claimed by Great Britain in 1770, where they placed six colonies. In 1901, these colonies joined together to form the Commonwealth of Australia. It's also home to some incredibly talented actors and musicians, including Heath Ledger, who died last night.
The artist that I'm using to represent this country is The John Butler Trio, a funk/jam band that has since released three successful albums in the country, and who's music has spread to the US. They have a fantastic, if offbeat sound that's quite distinctive, mainly through Butler's guitar style.

Better Than - John Butler Trio

Hype - Buy - Look

Prior Stops:
Argentina
Azerbaijan
Algeria
Afghanistan

Oscar Nominations Released

The nominations for the Academy Awards was just released today, quite a few good selections. I'm rooting for Falling Slowly and 3:10 To Yuma. Here's the music that's been nominated:

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Dario Marianelli - Atonement
Alberto Iglesias - The Kite Runner
James Newton Howard - Michael Clayton
Michael Giacchino - Ratatouille
Marco Beltrami - 3:10 to Yuma - Bible Study

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG)
"Falling Slowly" - Once
Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and: Marketa Irglova
"Happy Working Song" - Enchanted
Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"Raise It Up" - August Rush
Nominees to be determined "So Close" - Enchanted
Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"That's How You Know" - Enchanted
Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis - The Bourne Ultimatum
Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland - No Country for Old Men
Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane - Ratatouille
Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe - 3:10 to Yuma
Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin - Transformers

Upcoming Album - Vampire Weekend

One of the bands to come out of last year was Vampire Weekend, an indie rock group out of New York City. They tore up the music blog scene towards the end of last year, and they deserve it.
Of all the groups out there right now, these guys probably have the best sound. They have influences from africa and indie-pop music.
Their first, self titled album is due out next week on the 29th. The album's a killer one - it has some absolutely fantastic tracks: Mansard Roof, Oxford Comma, A-Punk, Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, Campus, among others. They've got a great drum and guitar lineup, as well as some absolutely fantastic lyrics and song writing.

M-79 - Vampire Weekend
Campus - Vampire Weekend

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iTunes Free Music of the Week

Two songs this week from iTunes. I didn't get either of them.


Takin' Off This Pain - Ashton Shepherd
The March - Astra Heights

80 Bands Around the World: Argentinia

I missed last Friday's post for this feature, so this is the first of three. Today's stop is Argentina, down in South America. The artist representing the country this time around is Federico Aubele, who currently lives in Buenos Ares.

I think of this music as a sort of world-electronica. There's a real fusion of sound here, along with the feel of 4hero or Thievery Cooperation. The music here is influenced by a number of American styles, from Jamacia, Mexico, the US, and of course, Argentina.
His first album was actually produced by the Thievery Cooperation, entitled Gran Hotel Buenos Aires, and was released in 2004. His latest album, Panamerica, was released in 2007.

En cada lugar - Federico Aubele

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Prior Stops:

Azerbaijan
Algeria
Afghanistan

Duet - Leo Abrahams and KT Tunstall

This week's duet comes from artist Leo Abrahams and KT Tunstall, from the upcoming album The Unrest Cure, by Abrahams. This is a shorter version off of his myspace site, but the full version is free on UK iTunes today.

City Machine - Leo Abrahams and KT Tunstall

Hype - Buy

Geek Mix

Geek Weekend for me, and this week's mix will go right along with that theme. It's a particularly fun time for this - Anyone read about the large-scale UFO sightings earlier this week in Texas?
This weekend, I've got:

• Convention, where I'll be trooping with the 501st
• Spamalot
• Cloverfield

Here's a good set of Sci-Fi related songs that'll fit well:

All Along The Watchtower (Galactica Version) - Bear McCreary
Cosmic Castaway - Electrasy
For Science Fiction - Maritime
Firefly Main Title - Sonny Rhodes
It's My Turn To Fly - The Urge
Mr. Spaceman - The Byrds
Pressure Suit - Aqualung
Sci-Fi Kid - Blitzen Trapper
Space Oddity - David Bowie
Texas Stars - Carbon Leaf

Hype - Look

New Artist - Gregory Douglass

A couple weeks ago, I posted up my best new discoveries of 2007, a good list of new and upcoming artists that I'd come across and really enjoyed. One of the singers that I came across is a fellow Vermonter, Gregory Douglass, who hails from Burlington Vermont.
I got a tip from someone, pointing me out to this guy, and on a whim, I purchased his latest album, Up and Away, which was a 2006 release from Emote records, and was impressed from the start.
The album's really grown on me, with a fantastic, easy sound. He covers the piano, vocals and guitar, and has some really good lyrics to go along with it. I just covered another singer called Jason Spooner, and he's got a really similar sound to him. He's playing in Vermont tomorrow night at UVM and next month at the Higher Ground. I'll be heading over to the February show, if not tomorrow night's, because I'd really like to see him live in person.
In the meantime, vote for the video for Hang Around here, where he's up against several artists such as Mary J. Blige, Bloc Party, Colbie Caillat, Feist and a bunch of others.

Hang Around - Gregory Douglass

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Apologies - Free Download

Like Grace Potter? Go over to Amazon.com - her song Apologies is up for free download, here.

New E-Mail / Myspace

Alright, a couple of changes. First, my e-mail address is changing for the site - all music queries and things like that, please e-mail Carry.You.Away.Music [@] gmail.com. (Remove the brackets)
Second, I'm getting back into the myspace thing, for bands. I've had a bunch of groups contact me, and I'd love to add you guys on, always a good place to find newer groups. Address there is:

http://www.myspace.com/carryyouawaymusic

That's all, move along, move along...

Cover & Original - All Along The Watchtower

All Along The Watchtower is one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs, and it's one of those songs that's covered a lot. Off all the covers that I have, it's got the most versions, good and bad.
There's quite a bit of variety here. The definitive version, by Jimi Hendrix, seems to be the one that's the most copied, although there are some other groups, such as the Dave Matthews Band (who features it regularly in their concerts), who'll do their own take. My favorite version is probably Bear McCreary and BT4's version, which was featured in the show Battlestar Galactica, which was really cool.
Some of the versions that I'm not a huge fan of is the Alexi Murdoch and Blues Traveler set and the one by the Grateful Dead. Just didn't work for me really.

It's an interesting song, with a number of different meanings through the lyrics. Dylan started writing the song after a motorcycle accident and when he began reading the bible, and there's several biblical and end-of-the-world references in the lyrics.

All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) - Bear McCreary
All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) - The Fratellis
All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) - Dave Matthew's Band
All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) - The Grateful Dead
All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) - Bryan Ferry
All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) - Alexi Murdoch and Blues Traveler
All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) - Eddie Vedder and the Million Dollar Bashers
All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) - Jimi Hendrix
All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) / Best of You (Foo Fighters) - Prince
All Along The Watchtower (Bob Dylan) - U2
All Along The Watchtower - Bob Dylan

Hype - Buy

iTunes Free Music of the Week

Not a bad take this time around for iTunes today - the television pilot is pretty good, and the songs are listenable.

Sarah Connor Chronicles Pilot

Shockwave (Edited Version) - Black Tide

Llama - Monareta

Thank You - Angie Mattson

New Artist - British Sea Power

I realise that these guys have actually been around for a little while, but they've only recently popped up on my radar, with their latest album, called Do You Like Rock Music?. They've got a fantastic, high-energy sound, something along the lines of Joy Division or the Arctic Monkeys. Their guitar has that high, metallic sound and they've got a solid drum section to back it up.
Their latest album, Do You Like Rock Music, was released in the UK on January 14th, and has an expected release date in the US of February 12th. This is their third album, and was fronted by the Krankenhaus? EP, which had the song Atom on it.

They've also got quite a tour going:

Jan 17 2008 Spring and Airbrake Belfast
Jan 18 2008 Whealans Dublin
Jan 20 2008 Waterfront, Norwich Waterfront, Norwich
Jan 21 2008 Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Jan 22 2008 Rescue Rooms, Nottingham Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
Jan 23 2008 Irish Centre, Leeds Irish Centre, Leeds
Jan 24 2008 The Brewery, Kendal The Brewery, Kendal
Jan 26 2008 The Arches, Glasgow The Arches, Glasgow
Jan 27 2008 Academy 2, Manchester Academy 2, Manchester
Jan 28 2008 Academy, Oxford Academy, Oxford
Jan 29 2008 Komedia, Brighton Komedia, Brighton
Jan 31 2008 Koko, London Koko, London
Feb 1 2008 Digital (formerly The Zap), Brighton Digital (formerly The Zap), Brighton
Feb 10 2008 La Danse, Paris PARIS
Feb 15 2008 Botanique, Brussels Brussels
Feb 16 2008 Rotown, Rotterdam Rotterdam
Feb 17 2008 Paradiso, Amsterdam Amsterdam
Feb 18 2008 Ampere, Munich Munich
Feb 19 2008 Cookys, Frankfurt Frankfurt
Feb 20 2008 Lido, Berlin Berlin
Feb 21 2008 Molotov, Hamburg Hamburg
Feb 22 2008 Geb, Koln Koln
Feb 25 2008 Casbah San Diego,California
Feb 27 2008 The Echo Los Angeles, California
Feb 28 2008 Spaceland Los Angeles, California
Feb 29 2008 Cellardor Visalia, California
Mar 1 2008 Bottom of the Hill (Noisepop) San Francisco, California
Mar 3 2008 Doug Fir Portland, Oregon
Mar 4 2008 Neumo’s Seattle, Washington
Mar 5 2008 Plaza Club Vancouver, British Columbia
Mar 8 2008 Hi-Dive Denver, Colorado
Mar 19 2008 Waiting Room Omaha, Nebraska
Mar 20 2008 Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, Iowa
Mar 21 2008 Triple Rock Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mar 22 2008 Canopy Club Urbana, Illinois
Mar 22 2008 Canopy Club Urbana, Illinois
Mar 24 2008 Empty Bottle Chicago, Illinois
Mar 25 2008 Eagle Theatre Pontiac, Michigan
Mar 26 2008 Grog Shop Cleveland, Ohio
Mar 27 2008 The Basement Columbus, Ohio
Mar 28 2008 Phoenix Hill Tavern Louisville, Kentucky
Mar 29 2008 Billiken Club St. Louis, Missouri

Atom - British Sea Power
All In It - British Sea Power

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Around the World in 80 Bands - Azerbaijan

The next country down the list for Around the World in 80 bands is the Republic of Azerbaijan, which is located between Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Iran. Currently, parts of the country are under occupation by Armania after the Nagorno-Karabakh War that occurred in 1994. There's quite a bit of facinating history with the region, which can be found here.

The artist for this country is Alim Gasimov, who's considered one of the foremost and popular singers in the country, with nine albums under his belt, performing under the Mugham style. Their popularity has brought them touring in Europe and North America. He got his start at the age of 14, when he entered a music contest, only to be laughed off stage. Despite that, he continued with his music. In 1999, he won the prestigious UNESCO Music Prize, one of the highest international awards for music.

Iraq Täsnifi - Alim Gasimov


Other stops:

Algeria
Afghanistan

Hype - Buy

New Artist - Jason Spooner

I just came across this guy - Jason Spooner. Hailing from the state of Maine, he's got a nice acoustic sound somewhere along the lines of Paul Simon. Just listening through the songs available from his website and myspace account, he's got a really good sense with the guitar and with some very good lyrics to his songs.
His first album, Lost Houses, was released in 2002, while his second and latest, The Flame You Follow, was released last year in 2007. This guy's one that I'm going to look into more closely, because from what I've heard, I've loved.

Black and Blue - Jason Spooner
The Flame You Follow - Jason Spooner

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Around the World In 80 Bands - Algeria

Stop number two takes us to the African country of Algeria. Representing the country this time is Khalèd, (Khaled Hadj Brahim) (pronounced ch-loch). Algeria is located on the northern shores of Africa, bordering the Mediterranean sea and is the second largest country on the continent.

Khalèd started music at an early age, at 14, playing for weddings and other social events. He considers himself a raï singer, which has caused some problems in the country since the 1980s. In 1985, Algeria claimed the raï style as a national music, which angered fundamentalists in the country. Khalèd received several threats, which forced him to move to Paris, France. Since then, he's released numerous albums, his most recent being Ya-Rayi in 2004.

El Harba Wine - Khalèd

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Prior Stops
1 - Afghanistan

New Video - A-Punk

I've talked about Vampire weekend before. They're a fantastic new group out of New York. If you give them a listen, you'll hear a very unique sound that has influences from afro-pop, indie, rock and who knows what else. I'll be doing a longer writeup on these guys closer to the album's release, but here's a new video from them:

Their first self-titled album comes out on January 29th.

A-Punk - Vampire Weekend

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RIP - Sir Edmund Hillary

Sir Edmund Hillary died earlier today at the old age of 88 of heart failure in New Zealand. You might recognize his name - he was the first person to the peak of Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world in 1953. He was a particularly well known explorer after that, climbing numerous other peaks in the Himalayas and participated in another expedition to the South Pole.



Wild Mountain Nation - Blitzen Trapper
Mountain To Sound - Spoon

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Happy Birthday Dave Matthews

Today is Dave Matthew's birthday - he's clocking in at the grand old age of 41 (Thanks for the correction!) today. Happy Birthday to him!

Eh Hee - Dave Matthews


(Sorry for the lack of posts today- I've been out of the office, taking some sick time for a bad neck. )

Evolution of ... The John Butler Trio

The John Butler Trio first came to my attention three years ago, in 2004, shortly after they released their second album Sunrise Over Sea, and the song Zebra.
Hailing from Australia, the group has a very unique sound that makes them stand out in the folk/acoustic rock scene. They've done really well for themselves over there, with numerous awards and high selling albums.

Their first major album was called Three, and introduced the group's first sound in 2001 - John Butler's drawling voice, their guitarwork and lyrics. It would be fairly easy to compare these guys to the sort of hippy-rock that their image suggests, but it goes a bit beyond that to my ears with this album. The songs here have some really good guitar solo work that really sets them apart from most acts.

Media - John Butler Trio

Their next album was released in 2004 to more airplay and attention. Entitled Sunrise Over Sea, along with an EP released in the second year (What You Want), this album held a progression in sound from their first album. More contained energy is apparent right from the start with Treat Yo Mama, while the energy fades to some more delicate ballads. The result is a fantastic album that's tight, high quality and in the case of some songs, a departure in style to what's probably best described as country-funk. The entire album has a sound of it's own, which is what attracted my attention in the first place with their lead single, Zebra, and with songs that have kept me listening. There's also an improvement in their guitar work, which is apparent when you listen to Mist.

Company Sin - John Butler Trio
Something's Gotta Give - John Butler Trio

The band came back last year in 2007 with a pretty good follow up called Grand National, which, like Sunrise Over Sea, received quite a bit of airplay on the radio. This album is similar, with the same off-beat sound and fantastic guitar work that characterized Sunrise, but with a sound that feels a little softer, restrained and a bit more for the mainstream audience. It's a good album, but retreading over ground that Sunrise broke through already, which isn't really a bad thing at all. Grand National is a fantastic third album, and isn't a direct copy of either albums. It's got the same tight instrumentation and vocals, with lyrics that are more directed, such as in Good Excuse.

Better Than - John Butler Trio

I almost had a chance to see these guys right after Sunrise Over Sea was released, when they came to Burlington. Tickets were $3, and must have sold out really quickly, because I missed out. I'm sure they'll be back in the US sometime soon with some new material.

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iTunes Free Music of the Week

This week's iTunes free music:

Time to Pretend - MGMT
Quien Eres Tu (Featuring Trey Songz) - Maria Jose
Pressure - Celebration

Shins Member Arrested

Rut-row. This doesn't look like good news, Shins keyboardist Martin Crandall has been jailed for striking his girlfriend, Elyse Sewell. The full details are here, and this is what she wrote on her livejournal regarding the incident:

Think you had a shitty weekend? Nah. Why not compare it to mine? . . . On the drive home (home?) from Albuquerque to Portland, my ex-boyfriend got sh*tfaced and roughed me up in a Sacramento hotel. I escaped from the room through a blitzkrieg of violence and talked to hotel security, who called the fuzz.

This isn't a good thing, ever. Hopefully there's some mistake here, but from first glance, it's disappointing. It really sucks when people who's music you admire, or anyone you admire for that matter, does something incredibly stupid like this.
This is something that should NEVER EVER be tolerated.

Caring Is Creepy - The Shins


Just to clarify, both were arrested, because they both blamed the other. They're both due in court soon.

Acoustic & Original

Back to some of the regular features this week, we have two versions of an Alternate Routes song, entitled Who Cares, which was featured on their debut album, Good and Reckless and True, while this second version is on their recently released Brooklawn Sessions, a disc of all acoustic versions of these guys songs.
The differences between these two songs is huge - some acoustic songs are just a little more quiet, but these guys have really re-worked the song. The original is powerful and has an incredible beat, but the acoustic version has an almost bluegrass feel to it, which is a big departure, which is really cool.

Who Cares (Acoustic) - The Alternate Routes
Who Cares - The Alternate Routes

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80 Bands Around the World: Afghanistan

Most people are familiar with Afghanistan nowadays, with the rise of the Taliban during the 1990s and the invasion by US forces in 2001, people have seen the country as an extremely violent place in the world. Readers of the book The Kite Runner, will also know of the country.

There is a music culture there though, with some really interesting sounds, here, especially with this artist.
The musician that I found with Afghanistan, and the one who'll be starting off this adventure is Ahmad Zahir, one of the biggest names in Afghani music. He was born in in 1946 and died in 1979, breaking into the music scene in the 1960s. He composed music based on traditional poetry, and became well known for his voice. He released a number of albums to widespread fame in the region, and recently, two of his songs were included in the Kite Runner movie soundtrack. He died at the age of 33 under extremely suspect circumstances, and has never had a rival for his fame in the country since.

Yarak-e Ma - Ahmad Zahir

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Around the World In 80 Bands

Something that I've been interested in for a little while now has been World music, either traditional or contemporary works. I've collected, over the past couple of years, a number of songs from various nations around the globe. It's fascinating to see the huge differences in styles between countries, which isn't all that surprising when you consider the huge differences in countries from around the world.
Unfortunately, most people only are really familiar with the music of two countries - the United States and the United Kingdom. This is to be somewhat expected, given that we'd be generally more familiar with music from our own home (at least for those of us in those countries). So, in an effort to help show the diversity in the music of the world, I'm going to be embarking on a regular feature over this coming year, highlighting eighty different groups from around the world from eighty different countries, Around the World in 80 Bands.
Some countries were easy to find a representative band, while a couple others took some narrowing down, and even more required a bit of research and some learning on my own part to complete the list. Some artists were born in the countries and gained fame elsewhere, or have had their career there. In some cases, there are a couple of countries that I'm more familiar with that I'll include a bonus band or two to cover the country - this won't however, add to the 80 count.

See The World - Gomez

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My Mix

I can't think of a good title for this mix of songs. I was fooling around with play lists on iTunes - I swear, it's a compulsion sometimes, when I came up with the first five songs, when I realized that I had something good here. When I got home from work, I pulled another dozen songs together to come up with this final list. I think that it's the best play list that I've come up with in a while. Let me know what you think:

Everybody Knows - Ryan Adams
Hang Around - Gregory Douglass
When The Pain Dies Down - Chris Stills
Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car - Iron & Wine
Hard Sun - Eddie Vedder
Good Man - Josh Ritter
Who You Are - Cary Brothers
Pressure Suit - Aqualung
Time Is A Runaway - The Alternate Routes
Toy Soldiers - Carbon Leaf
See The World - Gomez
Trouble - Ray LaMontagne
Place To Be - Nick Drake

Have a good weekend! Next week, regular features & an announcement for a new feature.

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Carry You Away's Best Songs of 2007

It was difficult to narrow down just ten songs out of everything that I've heard this year. But, here are the songs that I feel are the best that I've heard or enjoyed.

10 - Rangers, A Fine Frenzy

From A Fine Fenzy's debut album One Cell in the Sea, this song has a really good sound to it, with a pace and energy that really matches her tone. The chorus is a really good one, followed up with some fantastic lyrics. Everything really comes together nicely here for this tune. This song really turned me onto A Fine Frenzy, and will keep me listening for years to come.

9 - Heart Made of Sound, The Softlightes

The video for this song really got me hooked here, and brought me back time and time again for listen after listen. This song gives me the same feeling that I had on my best summers here in Vermont - sounds weird, but for some reason, I connect this song to walking around Burlington Vermont on a sunny summer afternoon. The sound here is bright, energetic and just fantastic. Even when I'm in a horrible mood, I'll listen to this and it'll bring me right back up.

8 - Seed of Wonder, Jesca Hoop

This song sounds really different, with some absolutely fantastic guitar work and vocals from Hoop. It's unconventional, with influences from Hip-Hop and alternative rock. It's got a lazy beat that's incredibly catchy.

7 - Hard Sun, Eddie Vedder and Everybody Knows, Ryan Adams (Tie)

This is a tie for me, because both songs remind me of the other. Hard Sun is a good, solid rock song, one that reminds me of driving on a highway, while Everybody Knows brings out the same feeling - both have a good beat behind it backed by lyrics and a sound that just works, really well.

6 - Vermont Avenue, Ferraby Lionheart

I didn't take to this song at first, but it grew on me quite a bit as time went on. Lionheart's voice is like gold here, lazy and seductive, with lyrics that match that. The guitar and drum work is wonderful, and I like this song more and more as time goes on.

5 - In the Mausoleum, Beirut

Beruit's back with more of a fantastic Balkan sound. This song starts off with a fantastic beat and sinks in with some fantastic vocals and lyrics. What's really catchy is the use of other instruments, such as their distinctive use of a trumpet and stringed instruments. This song floats along wonderfully through the entire three minutes.

4 - Time Is A Runaway, The Alternate Routes and Who You Are, Cary Brothers (Tie)

This was another tie for me, between Time is a Runaway and Who You Are. Neither song really stands out on a technical level, but both songs really grabbed me for their sound and lyrics. Who You Are has a wonderful LA sound to it with a fantastic beat and energy, while Time is a Runaway has some fantastic lyrics coupled with their vocals and background instrumentation. Both are songs to relax to.

3 - Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!, Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans

Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albanians come forth with this fantastic ballad-like song that exhols the wonders of mounted cavelry, looking at their use through history. As a history person, this is just a wonderful song to pull apart line by line, and it's got such a fantastic song to go along with it.

2 - Ah, Mary, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

I knew that my #2 song would be a Grace Potter song, but it took me a little while to figure out which one. I went with the first one that I heard, Ah Mary, a sort of protest song that pulls you in nicely with Grace's fantastic voice before cranking it up a notch exactly a minute in as it turns to something you'd expect from some of their idols, like Neil Young. Their studio version seems to be a little subdued - go see this live for the full effect.

1 - Boy With A Coin, Iron & Wine

And my number one song of the year - Iron & Wine's Boy With A Coin. Like Grace Potter's album, there were a bunch here that could take the #1 spot, but there's something here. Maybe because this song stands out so much from Sam Beam's other songs and typical sound, or maybe because it falls into a fantastic beat and rhythm, this song just completely blew me away when I first heard it.

There you have it, the top 10... er... 12 songs of the year. Here are the ones that didn't quite make it:

Dreamworld, Rilo Kiley
Sea Legs, The Shins
Down The Line, Jose Gonzalez
Rumors, Josh Ritter
The Pretender, Foo Fighters
Dashboard, Modest Mouse
Keep The Car Running, Arcade Fire
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
Love Song, Sara Bareilles
Pressure Suit, Aqualung
Sci-Fi Kid, Blitzen Trapper
Eh Hee, Dave Matthews

There were others, but overall, fantastic year for music. Let's see what's next.

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Concert Online

Back in October, I posted up a review for a concert, Cary Brothers, Kate Vogele and Matt Nathanson. While poking around Archive.org, I came across the Matt Nathanson portion:

Intro
Car Crash
Wedding Dress
Lucky Boy > (I Want You to Want Me) !
Angel > I Saw
Princess > (Jesse's Girl) [Rick Springfield Cover] > Princess
Come On Get Higher
We Live as We Dream Alone (Gang of Four Cover) > Pretty the World...
Bent > Such Great Heights (Postal Service Tease)
To the Beat of Our Noisy Hearts
Falling Apart
Still
Suspended
Forgiveness
Gone
Laid
Don't Stop Believing (Journey Cover) w/Kate Vogele & Cary Brothers
Amazing Again > Losing My Religion (REM Cover)
Answering Machine
Hungry Like the Wolf (Duran Duran)
All We Are

A lot of covers in there - Nathanson seems to like doing a lot of songs. Enjoy!

And thus it begins...

The end has begun - the Iowa voting starts today, so if you're in that fair state, go out and vote. Preferably for Obama, who I've been following, but the main thing is to get out and vote.

The Times, They Are A-Changin' - Bob Dylan

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The Top Ten Albums of 2007

The following list was at times very, very hard to come up with, while at other times was very easy. Early on, I knew what my top album of the year was from when I heard the first song on it, as was the second and third picks. The rest required quite a bit of deliberation.
There was a lot of good music this year. I added 2257 new songs to my music library this year, 6.3 days and 12.63 gigabites. That's a lot of music. I found a lot of new albums that I'd never heard, rediscovered some old music and generally immersed myself in everything. Along the way, I came across a lot of good music, and some bad music.

Here's ten albums that I really liked, but they just didn't crack the top ten:

20 - Say No To Being Cool, Yes To Being Happy, The Softlightes
- I loved these guys sound all the way through, great first album.

19 - The Flying Cup Club, Beirut
- They've followed up their first with more Balkan-flavored sounds.

18 - The Reminder, Feist
-1,2,3,4 was stuck in my head for much of the summer and fall. There are plenty of worse songs out there, so I'm fortunate for that.

17 - In Our Nature, Jose Gonzalez
-Jose Gonzales followed up his fantastic first album with a fantastic second album - another cool cover and more acoustic rock goodness.

16 - Good and Reckless and True, The Alternate Routes
- Ryan Adams fans might like this one. It's an all around solid rock album.

15 - Kismet,Jesca Hoop
- Hoop brought a fanastic, unique sound that really was pretty cool.

14 - Dylan, Bob Dylan
- This compilation of Dylan's music pulled together a fantastic set of his entire career. A must.

13 - Neon Bible, Arcade Fire
- These guys had some really good cuts off of this album - it's tight, together and really well done all around. Canadians were on fire this year.

12 - Little Voice, Sara Bareilles
- This first album really impressed me from her first song Love Song, but overall, the entire thing did really well, and was really solid.

11 - Who You Are, Cary Brothers
- Cary Brother's first album was a long anticipated one from me - I don't think that there was a track on here that I didn't like. From the fantastic Who You Are to Blue Eyes, this is another guy who's going to have a good career ahead of him.

Here are the albums that I loved:

This was an earlier album in the year that's come up and down on my list before settling here at number ten. I've been a fan of The Shins for a while now (Yes, I found them when the rest of the world did with Garden State), but I loved both of their earlier albums. This one didn't disappoint, with the fantastic Phantom Limb, Sea Legs, Australia and Girl Sailor. They brought along their fantastic sound and even better songwriting skills for a third fantastic time.

This album showed me that not all country is bad, and more importantly, reinforced that country songs are really storytelling songs, and that they can be really good at it. Here is a fantastic concept album of the use of horses in warfare throughout history. The title track blew me away, and as a historian, really impressed me with some of the songs.

Spoon was a band that took a bit of time to grow on me, but I was incredibly impressed with Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, their latest independent album, which is at best described as minimalist, with some fantastic new songs from them, such as Underdog, Don't Make Me A Target, and Rhythm and Soul. It's a great addition to their already really good repertoire.


Brandi Carlile's follow up to her first album really surprised me this time around - my first impressions of her was lukewarm, but right from the start, this album really impressed me, and after seeing her live in concert, her energy and sound completely blew me away.

One In the Sea impressed me from the start A Fine Frenzy's voice. It's delicate and powerful at the same time, and coupled with her songwriting, was an incredible first effort. Her songs are both light and somber, especially with Ashes & Wine, Rangers, Hope For The Hopeless and most of the others on there. Seeing her perform with Brandi Carlile this year was a big highlight here.

This was apparently one of the most anticipated albums of the year, and for good reason. Rilo Kiley pulled out a fantastic effort here, bringing a sound that reminded me a bit of Fleetwood Mac, but with an angry indie-rock singer edge to it.

Dreamworld - Rilo Kiley

I caught Josh Ritter opening for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals earlier this summer, and really had a fun time - their latest album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter is a marvel of storytelling and a nice bridge of country-folk and rock music. There's some really cool stuff here musically, and their song writing skills are certainly sharp from some of the songs here.

Rumors - Josh Ritter


I first was introduced to Ferraby Lionheart with Vermont Avenue, which sort of lurked at the back of my head for a couple of months while I heard more and more from him over the summer. Quickly, his unique sound won me over with some really great songs from this album. Like A Fine Frenzy, this is a fantastic debut album from a newcomer that I'll be looking forward to hearing more about.

Before We're Dead - Ferraby Lionheart


This was almost #1. It's really, really close, because I love Sam Beam's sound, and to hear this album compared to his other ones is a huge jump. The sound became rich, with lots of peripheral instruments, while not loosing one bit of the fantastic sound and style that he employed for his first two albums. He's no longer a guy playing acoustic guitar in a closet, he's out there and brought a wonderful album with him. I can't wait to see what's next.

Innocent Bones - Iron & Wine

This is Somewhere was easily my most anticipated album of 2007, from the beginning of the year when I first learned that the Nocturnals were putting out their first studio album. I loved it from the beginning, and not because they're from Vermont. It's because they've got an incredible sound, and have moved to a somewhat more mainstream rock sounds that really works with Grace's vocals and the band's talents. Their first two albums were fantastic, don't get me wrong, but this album just plain rocked. And in person, these guys were like nothing else I've really seen, with an incredible amount of energy. Easily my favorite album of the year.

Mastermind - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

Tomorrow, the best songs of 2007.

The Best New Discoveries of 2007

Now that the new year is upon us, I'm going to spend the week looking back on what I liked from 2007. First up, the best new artists that I came across.

Last year was particularly rich in music for me over the entire year, but even more since I've started this site. I've come across a number of really good artists. Many thanks to everyone who's gone out and shared a little of what they've liked with everyone. I've gone out and purchased more music than I ever have before, through iTunes and hard copy and even vinyl. Here's some of my favorite new discoveries this year:

Adam Ezra Group
These guys I just discovered a couple of weeks ago, and are a smaller indie band out of Connecticut who've just started out and are playing smaller gigs around New England. If you like Dispatch or Blues Traveler, you'll likely like these guys. They've got a ton of songs up for grabs on their website, and they've got a pretty energetic live show.

Small Town City - Adam Ezra Group

The Alternate Routes
The Alternate Routes really released their first CD back in 2005, but they re-released Good and Reckless and True to fairly good radio coverage - You've probably heard Time Is A Runaway on the radio. I got to see them twice this summer, and their first album is a fantastic first effort on their part, there's a bunch of really good sounds. A good one for any Ryan Adams fans out there.

Time Is A Runaway - The Alternate Routes

Blitzen Trapper

These guys were highlighted on NPR, which led me to check them out. They've got a bunch of really good songs and a new album out this year that I really enjoyed, especially Sci-Fi Kid and Wild Mountain Nation.

Sci-Fi Kid - Blitzen Trapper

Ferraby Lionheart

I loved this guy - Ferraby Lionheart's got a wonderful sound along the lines of Rufus Wainwright. He's been busy this year, with his first album, called Catch the Brass Ring and a self-titled EP. Catch the Brass Ring was in my time five albums of the year, and comes highly recommended from me.

Vermont Avenue - Ferraby Lionheart

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irgova
These two guys starred in the movie Once, which I've heard a lot about. Neither are actors, but singers, and covered a Dylan song for the soundtrack I'm Not There, which I also want to see (I think I have to wait until DVD). They also contributed to Once's Sountrack.

You Ain't Goin' Nowhere - Glen Hansard and Marketa Irgova

Gregory Douglass

Douglass was recommended to me earlier this summer. He's another Vermont musician, and has been doing gigs in the area. Hopefully I'll be catching him next February when he comes to the Higher Ground. He's got a really easy sound, somewhere along Rock and Soul. He just released his latest album Up & Away, which is quite good.

Hang Around - Gregory Douglass

Jesca Hoop

I think Jesca Hoop is one of my favorite new artists of the year. A breakout hit from Myspace and KCRW in California, she's really gotten big in the blog world with her really unique sound and songwriting. Kismet is her debut album this year.

Money - Jesca Hoop

Jess Clemons & The Cooperative

Jess Clemons is another musician who I'd gone to high school with (the other being Grace Potter from the Nocturnals). She's about to release a self titled album that sounds really good, and is someone to check out if you like Grace Potter.

Make-Out Song - Jess Clemons & The Coopertive

Kate Nash

Kate Nash, out of England, has her first album, Made of Bricks, coming out soon. She's got a really cool sound. She's got spunk and energy, and her entire first album is a fun one to listen to.

Foundations - Kate Nash

Priscilla Ahn

I saw Ahn open for Cary Brothers earlier this year, and she did fantastically on her own. She's done a bit of work with other artists before, with Cary Brothers and Amos Lee, providing backup vocals, and now She's released her first self-titled EP earlier this year and should have her first album out shortly, which I'm looking forwards to.

Lullaby - Priscilla Ahn

Sara Bareilles

Bareilles became a big internet hit with myspace and iTunes earlier this summer with her song Love Song. She has an incredibly strong voice and is probably one of the best female singers to come out this year. Love Song's getting a lot of radio play, but there are a bunch of good songs on her album.

Love Song - Sara Bareilles

Skye

Skye came to my attention with a fantastic cover of Gorillaz's song Feel Good Inc. She was a singer with another band, but is now solo, having released her first album Mind How You Go recently. She's got a soft, easy sound that's good for chilling out.

What's Wrong With Me? - Skye

The Softlightes

I found these guys with their video for their first single, Heart Made of Sound, which is probably one of my favorite songs of the year, and probably one of the best videos that I've seen. Very creative. These guys have a wonderful sound with their first album, which came out earlier this spring, Say No To Being Cool, Yes to Being Happy. If you like Death Cab for Cutie, these guys sound similar, and very upbeat.

Heart Made of Sound - The Softlightes

Vampire Weekend

I suspect that these guys will make their big splash next year when their first album is released. They've already been huge this year on the internet, and it's easy to see why - these guys are fun and interesting and really out there. They've got a weird afro-indie sound that's pretty cool. I suspect that they'll be one of the bigger indie bands to come out this/next year.

Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend

Some other groups that've been around for a long time that I just came across:

Josh Ritter
Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albanians
Brandi Carlile
British Sea Power
Cary Brothers
Arcade Fire

Coming Up, the best Albums and Songs of the year.

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