New Music, Part One
In accordance with the Almighty List, I am on a quest to discover 25 bands or musicians that I’ve never heard of in 2014. Here’s your first installment, Gentle Reader – five groups and my thoughts on them. If you have any musical suggestions for me, I’m wide open! Leave a link in the comments.
The Task: Discover 25 bands etc., like I said above.
The Execution:
1. Walk Off The Earth
While fooling around with my Ukulele and looking for plausible songs to play, I ran across a site with all sorts of tabs accompanied by videos to let you hear the song before you gave it a shot. I found Aux Champs-Elysées, a song that I remember fondly from high school French class, and this amazing video:
Now, bear in mind that most of their other songs are nothing like this cover, and you should be alright. Personally? On seeing this, I desperately wanted to BE them. Bonus? Hot boys who hi-five with cymbals.
2. C. W. Stoneking
Oh, Pandora, how I love and hate you. One of the many entries on this list that I’m sure Pandora will be responsible for, C. W. Stoneking has an old-timey sort of blues feel to his music. I also really dig his voice.
Also, his band is called the Primitive Horn Orchestra, which wins a bunch of points from me, and apparently he uses a special type of guitar that was popular with street musicians in the twenties and thirties. Yes, please.
3. Margot and Nuclear So-and-So’s
Another selection thanks to Pandora. When I first heard their song Paper Kitten Nightmare, I just had music on in the background while working on something else – either the novel, or the blog, or whatever else I might have been writing. Deep in thought after a troubling paragraph, I had to stop and ask myself – “Is… is that fella meowing?”
He was.
When I finally looked into the lyrics, they were rather more disturbing than one might think from the music, if one weren’t paying attention.
4. Eleni Mandell
This was recommended after listening to a song by She & Him song on the Youtube, and I can absolutely see why – Eleni Mandell’s voice, and musical style, remind me quite a bit of Zooey Deschanel’s band, back before she got all famous with the acting and whatnot. At least with this song, there’s a certain serenity to her music.
She also reminds me a bit of Eliza Doolittle – no, not that one. This one.
5. Sara Bareilles
Shameless pop music? Well, maybe not shameless – I have issues – but yes. While I was in Anchorage, visiting an old beau, he introduced me to this song by singing it in the shower. Grinning bashfully, after he’d toweled off he showed me the music video:
Damn it, that song’s catchy, and the video pokes enough fun at itself to really enjoy. I especially love the ending, where she’s out-of-key and being asked to leave the store.
The Verdict:
Well, obviously this item isn’t done yet – not by a long shot. So far, though? Obviously I’m enjoying finding new music.
Do you have music that I should be listening to? Bands that I should be aware of? A favorite song by one of these artists? Let me know!
Tagged: Artists, Bands, Exploring Musical Tastes, Music, Songs, The List
