If this isn’t a Friday song to get you going into the weekend, I don’t know what is. Stumbled upon these guys this week and haven’t been able to stop listening to their song “Up.” Black Handed Kites, a duo from South Africa with a up-beat folk sound. Give a listen and enjoy!
Everyone should be heading into this gorgeous weather weekend with some good tunes so this Friday I bring you, Buxton and their third record and first on New West Records, Nothing Here Seems Strange.
All week I’ve been holding out on posting this and I think it’s because of how much I sincerely love this album and their folk-rock sound, I wanted to keep it a secret but what fun would that be.
The album starts off with some slow harmonies (but in a good way – “Wolves & Owls” and “Fingertips”) before ratcheting it up and kicking some serious butt. Just give “Blown A Fuse” a listen and it will all make sense, I promise. For whatever reason the harmony on “Broken From Bread” makes me think of the Grateful Dead, but the best of the album I believe is with the single, “Boy of Nine” and “Down In The Valley.”
If you are fan of White Denim, DAWES, Middle Brother, Ryan Bingham, Fleet Foxes, The Avett Brothers, Ryan Adams and the likes, you are definitely going to be digging the Buxton sound.
You ever listen to an artist/band for the first time only to discover they have been around for quite some time, have released a few albums and wonder, “where the hell have I been?” Well it happened to me last month with Frank Turner and damn, I cannot get enough of his record, England Keep My Bones, his FOURTH album. I now find myself listening to his previous works to catch myself up to what I’ve been missing but continuously being drawn back to his latest record which was released this past summer. Turner exudes a singer-songwriter, folk, punk style unlike anything I’ve ever heard.
Say hello to Frank Turner and give a listen to one of best albums of 2011.
Here it is my latest musical fascination, Kassidy. This Scottish folk rock band has been tabbed across the pond by some media outlets as “Britain’s Kings of Leon” and fall into line with the rabid folk obsession of Mumford & Sons, Fleet Foxes and the likes but they have their own distinct sound and that to me is refreshing. Their debut album Hope St. dropped earlier this year and I don’t think it will take too much longer for this quartet to wind up here in the states.
Been digging these guys from Asheville, NC since I stumbled upon their music last month. Give a listen and if you like, pick up the new album Miles of Skyline.
I swear there seems to be more and more great music coming out of Australia and Boy & Bear are the latest such group. After putting out a rocking EP, Emperor Antarctica, and spending some time touring with Mumford & Sons, the five-piece folk group are getting set to release their first full length record, Moon Fire next month. If the more upbeat, “Feeding Line” is any indication, this could shoot right up as one of the top albums of 2011. I haven’t heard the CD but from this single and their previous EP, these fellas have a bright future ahead of themselves. Lucky for us in the States, they are playing Lollapalooza in a couple weeks (followed by two NYC shows)! Give a listen and judge for yourself. And if at first listen you start thinking it sounds a little Brandon Flowers/The Killers-ish, you’re not alone.
Another band from across the pond that has grabbed my attention is To Kill A King. There is not much to go off of right now but the folk-rock quintuplet from London do have a single out, “Fictional State.” Give a listen.
Last night was one of those concerts you really appreciate, intimate venue and musicians who you could tell were genuinely having fun. Plus the venue, Veil at the Silverton, is a really great place in Vegas to catch a show.
I was super excited not only to see Brett Dennen in concert once again but also the opening act DAWES and let’s just say neither disappointed. DAWES ripped through a 45 minute set playing a handful of songs off their new album Nothing Is Wrong, which came out two weeks ago, and work off their debut album North Hills including the crowd favorite “When My Time Comes.” Two little side notes, last night bassist Wylie Gelber could have been mistaken for the Treme character Sonny played by Michiel Huisman and please if you haven’t already, check out Taylor Goldsmith’s side project Middle Brother which I still can’t get enough of.
A quarter after 9 p.m. Dennen took the stage in Las Vegas for the first time. He definitely had the crowd dancing throughout while jamming on both his acoustic and electric guitars to deliver a 90 minute set that spanned his catalog and also included a couple sing-a-longs. As expected, he performed a lot of new material off his latest disc, Loverboy including “Dancing at a Funeral,” “Comeback Kid,” and “Sydney (I’ll Come Running).” The highlight of the show however was the four song encore which began with Dennen playing “Heaven” and “Ain’t No Reason” acoustically before being joined by his band and DAWES for a rocking cover of Steve Miller Band’s “Swingtown.” Closing with “Blessed” the song that put him on the musical map was a perfect way to cap the night.
