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It’s rare these days to come by some truly amazing music videos. Videos that accompany the song as an art, rather than showing off how cool the band is. Johnny Flynn’s music lends itself to a clean palette for directors, ready for them to create something that will be a visual bed the song will lie upon.

“Barnacled Warship” off of his latest record “Been Listening” is just flat out amazing. Directed by Christian Devita (lead storyboard artist on Wes Anderson’s ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ and Tim Burton’s forthcoming ‘Frankenweenie’) this video is almost a-ha worthy in a very different way.

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Summer Darling have got the right mindset. Why be in a band when the odds of making it big are about the same as having a one night stand with Angelina Jolie? Because they love it, love the scene, and because they probably wouldn’t be able to stop making music if they tried.

When it came time to release their self titled album “Summer Darling”, they made it available as a free download. I probably wouldn’t have listened to them if this wasn’t the case. Sad, I know. But this has become more of the norm these days. People want to listen to free music. (and can)

But here I am weeks later after the album was released, waiting impatiently for my vinyl copy to arrive. And yes, I shelled out $15 for it. ($19 with shipping)

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A new Boston band has hit the streets. Echo Kings have a well polished sound that will definitely get you grooving. Pulling influences from all over the place, their debut album is one that lets you know these guys know what they’re doing.

The members have been touring with other well established bands for years but it seemed the time was right for them to come together as a group.

They’ll fully admit that they’re not the next groundbreaking band with a “sound like no other”. But their goal is for people just to have fun while listening to their record and at live shows. They’ve definitely accomplished that. It’s packed full of tracks with dance grooves, synth lines, and catchy vocals you’ll be singing over and over.

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Photo Credit: Jonpaul Douglass
There is really only one way to describe the debut release “Connect The Dots” from Rabbit!—fun. That may sound like you’re getting ready for a club banging mix of an album. If that’s what you’re looking for, then move along. (but they did cover a Black Eyed Peas tune which threw me off a little bit…)

The group benefits from the male/female mix and ever changing instrumentation. Some songs are based around electronic grooves, some are stripped down performances, and some are full out productions. They all come together to create an incredibly perfected sounding debut album.

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The producer/engineer in me loves hearing when collaborations with artists go extremely well. A) because the end result is normally pretty damn good. B) because it shows there’s still a need for producers!

The DIY approach to making a record is definitely something I admire as well. But a good producer can take the pressure off of the artists and have them perform at their best, forgetting about all of the stress a studio can bring on. Someone who can make those final decisions when a band is in question of their work and what to do next is always helpful to have around.

This sounds like what happened with Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin on their 3rd record “Let It Sway”. After self-producing 2 solid records, they decided to trust a producer to help them out. And the results are absolutely phenomenal.

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Photo Credit: Caroline Desilets

During a time when crunchy, controversial, and over hyped albums are making noise on the internet, it’s extremely refreshing to hear some fresh, real, authenticity in music. Leif Vollebekk’s debut release “Inland” is roughly 40 minutes to think, zone out, or wash away some form of stress you didn’t even know you had.

Leif is a singer and songwriter, but I hate to limit him with that label. “Inland” goes way beyond the style of a traditional singer/songwriter. Leif’s not a guy sitting around strumming chords and singing some poems. Sense of traditional musical time can be lost while listening as melodies and occasional strings float through the album. It only takes 10 seconds of the opening track “In The Morning” to let you know you’re in for something a little different.
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The Shape of the Earth have been in heavy rotation since their release of the stellar album “Do I Dare Disturb The Universe”. You want to root for the underdog who is actually better than the sure bet? Then check these guys out.

They’re what I love most about bands. They do it for the sincere love and passion but obviously have the hopes of making some waves. If those waves come? Great. If not? They’ll keep pushing on and doing what they love to do.

This is the case on their latest EP “The Romantics”

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Some albums sound effortless, like the record button was hit and out came a finished product. Some albums sound like they were painstakingly slaved over and have lost any of the initial spark they started with. And then there are albums like Josh Ritter’s “So Runs The World Away”.

Ritter’s latest release fills a different hole in what a record can be. You can tell each song has been carefully crafted into an incredibly solid and cohesive album, yet the songs sound fresh to the listeners ears. The hard work and challenge Ritter (and crew) went through to make this record doesn’t manage to hurt the sound that flows out of the speakers.

“I felt at times as if I was hovering just above myself, watching the mediocrity of my afternoon threatening to spread across months and years into a lost decade. And with nothing to show for myself would anyone ever believe how hard I had worked? The shadow hung and I held on, hoping for a single verse of something, anything at all that I could love.”

Good thing Josh Ritter decided to hang on. What was crafted on “So Runs The World Away” is something that seems to mark a special place in his career and holds a special place in my listening library.

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There are so many things to love about music. Sometimes you hear an album and just sink into a happy state of pure enjoyment. The album passes by track after track and you don’t even realize how much your mood has changed since you put it on.

This is what happened when I first put on the album “The Learner” from Griffin House. I hadn’t heard of him before listening to this record but that makes me all the more excited. Griffin house has released several albums over the past decade so now I have some more great listening to do.

And if his past albums are anything like “The Learner”, I’ll be even more impressed by him.

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The Stone Foxes don’t mess around. You want some straight up down and dirty rock? They’ll give you that without a flinch.

I’m sure I’m not the first to point out a comparison between them and The Band. Their sound is not what brings this comparison to mind. It’s more about their attitude towards playing, writing, and recording music that strikes up this comparison. No one really takes the lead. They do whatever is right for the song, just like the The Band.

No fluff, no egos, and certainly no studio trickery. What you hear is what you get. And from I hear, their live show is where it’s at.

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Take Radiohead, throw them in a room with typical bluegrass instruments (banjo, mandolin, fiddle, etc) and imagine what sounds would come out of that room. You imagining? Probably not too bad, right?.

Now take Radiohead out of that room and throw in 5 guys who actually know what the fuck they’re doing with those instruments, yet have the same brilliant experimental nature of Radiohead.

You are now listening to the Punch Brothers.

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