TGIF and this Friday we head across the pond for some righteous new music courtesy of Clement Marfo & The Frontline. The seven member posse led by Marfo is a mixed bag of fun incorporating everything from hip-hop, rock, funk, pop, R&B, soul, ska and more. Think energy and excitement when listening to this London group and look out for big things in 2012.
Below is the video for the current single “Overtime” but click HERE to listen to “Shock & Awe” my favorite so far.
Big shout out to my friend Taj for his recent pass along of The Jungle Giants, he nailed this one. If you follow my blog you know I think the world of the music coming from Australia these days and wow, I sure hope the Brisbane quartet make it to the states soon. From the minute you listen to their self titled EP you can’t help but crack a smile and start tapping your foot or just break into a full on dance. You’ll be jumping for joy for The Jungle Giants and their indie pop sound if you’re a fan of Two Door Cinema Club, Walk The Moon and the likes.
2012 is here and I have to say I got a good feeling when I came across the piece by MTV on Buzzworthy Artists to Watch in 2012 since not only do I listen to 9 of the 11 artists/bands but more so some of these have been the soundtrack I’ve been preaching for some time. I also wonder what rock MTV has been hiding under regarding some of these artists. But in case you don’t know the artists either, you best get caught up fast.
On the list:
Walk The Moon – these guys are solid and put on some of the best shows I saw in 2011.
Alabama Shakes – I’d be shocked if they do not blow up right after SXSW this year. Holy amazing Brittany Howard’s voice.
fun. – anyone who remembers The Format should already be a huge fan of fun. Plus a little track with Ms. Janelle Monae doesn’t hurt!
C’mon Avicii is on this list? So nobody has heard this song before I guess and he doesn’t have any EDM tracks that are played in the clubs.
And Dev had a couple HUGE songs last year….. This one, no?
Frank Ocean and Lana Del Rey, guess they aren’t as big as I thought they already were.
Wallpaper on tour last year with The Dirty Heads, this I didn’t see coming but ok.
Electric Guest and Kendrick Lamar – you two I’ll have to get up to speed with.
To say I’m excited about tonight is a massive understatement. If you find yourself in Las Vegas I highly recommend you make your way to The Cosmopolitan at 10 p.m. tonight where Allen Stone will be performing at Book & Stage. Click HERE to read what I wrote back in October and if you haven’t already, make sure you pick up his self titled album.
If you feel like getting down and listening to an incredibly talented musician, tonight is the night to waltz yourself over to the show. Heck, it’s free so you really have no excuse.
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.
While I love to share new music with my friends, I like it even more when a friend introduces me to a new band/artist and man was I lucky this time around. For the last month I have been infatuated with IAMDYNAMITE, an explosive rock outfit consisting of guitarist Christopher Martin and drummer Chris Phillips. It is Detroit Rock City with these two Michiganders and their debut album, SUPERMEGAFANTASTIC, is something you need to get on top of yesterday.
I cannot wait until next Tuesday when The Black Keys drop their seventh studio album, El Camino. While the first two tracks that surfaced on the internet, “Lonely Boy” and “Run Right Back” are killer, they don’t do the album nearly enough justice (do some searches and you can find all the tracks to stream). Holy amazing this is a rocking disc. In my head I hear TBK original sound but also channeling rock legends like the Stones, Peter Frampton and Led Zeppelin. Just listen to “Little Black Submarines” below and prepare to be blown away (*hint: 2:07 mark it gets loud!). If there is a way to close out 2011 with a bang, this is it as El Camino comes cruising into the spotlight.
First and foremost, this stuff is hard. The amount of music that is released each year and narrowing it down to 50 is damn tough but I have to give Josh Johnson at PASTE Magazine much credit for his solid lists of 50 Best Albums and 50 Best Songs of 2011. There are definitely more than less bands/artists on his lists I have been jamming out to heavily over the past year. Again, I love this list, tons of great music but a couple names I didn’t see that personally I think should have been included, GROUPLOVE, Girls, Justice, Allen Stone, SuperHeavy, NewVillager and Boy & Bear to name a few. What’s missing that you fell in love with over the last year?
| 50 Best Albums |
| 50 Frank Turner – England Keep My Bones |
| 49 Mates Of State – Mountaintops |
| 48 Drake – Take Care |
| 47 Real Estate – Days |
| 46 Holy Ghost! – Holy Ghost! |
| 45 Those Darlins – Screws Get Loose |
| 44 Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring For My Halo |
| 43 The Joy Formidable – The Big Roar |
| 42 Wild Flag – Wild Flag |
| 41 James Blake – James Blake |
| 40 Portugal. The Man – In The Mountain, In The Cloud |
| 39 Gillian Welch – The Harrow And The Harvest |
| 38 Over The Rhine – The Long Surrender |
| 37 The War On Drugs – Slave Ambient |
| 36 Mister Heavenly – Out Of Love |
| 35 Childish Gambino – Camp |
| 34 Seryn – This Is Where We Are |
| 33 The Head And The Heart – The Head And The Heart |
| 32 Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire |
| 31 Telekinesis – 12 Desperate Straight Lines |
| 30 Tom Waits – Bad As Me |
| 29 Feist – Metals |
| 28 Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes |
| 27 Black Lips – Arabia Mountain |
| 26 The Low Anthem – Smart Flesh |
| 25 The Antlers – Burst Apart |
| 24 TV On The Radio – Nine Types Of Light |
| 23 The Belle Brigade – The Belle Brigade |
| 22 The Black Keys – El Camino |
| 21 Charles Bradley – No Time For Dreaming |
| 20 Beirut – The Rip Tide |
| 19 Cults – Cults |
| 18 Wye Oak – Civilian |
| 17 The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow |
| 16 Yuck – Yuck |
| 15 Deer Tick – Divine Providence |
| 14 Adele – 21 |
| 13 Radiohead – The King Of Limbs |
| 12 Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean |
| 11 St. Vincent – Strange Mercy |
| 10 The Decemberists – The King Is Dead |
| 09 M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming |
| 08 Dawes – Nothing Is Wrong |
| 07 Wilco – The Whole Love |
| 06 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – It’s A Corporate World |
| 05 Middle Brother – Middle Brother |
| 04 tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l |
| 03 My Morning Jacket – Circuital |
| 02 Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues |
| 01 Bon Iver – Bon Iver, Bon Iver |
Do You Hear The Music? 