Florence & the Machine

Calling all Kate Nash and Feist fans..! Florence & the Machine is a sexed up merge between Nash and Feist. Her grindcore inspired tunage is very deep, and yea kind of dark and mysterious. One thing this girl can do is SING, her vocals are soulfully deep and very mature sounding for a 20-year-old bombshell. Her garage-bluesy sound fluctuates between being severe yet delicate. Her colorful vibrant style is posh and matches perfect with her swanky demeanor. Her cover of 'Hospital Beds' by Cold War Kids is provocatively impressive. She released a few demos such as 'Kiss With a Fist' and 'Dog Days are Over' which are both undeniable sweet. She has spunk and sass that isn't overbearing, listen and you'll understand!



Kiss With a Fist

Dog Days Are Over

Jaguar Love

As we all age and mature, so does our taste in music. But, despite all of our acquired tastes there is always a certain band or artist that we specifically love and enjoy despite how many years roll on by. In high school, I have to say that I was a HUGE Blood Brothers fan. I know, I look back on the era where the scene sprout with the grungy band t-shirt and the home sewn skinny jeans were "In" and I'm like what the heck was I thinking. Yes, we were all young and had a lack or lapse of judgment but one thing for sure that I still today do not take back was my love for the Blood Brothers. For those of you who feel me on this band, they're back..... Well not completely, Jaguar Love has our beloved Blood Brothers sound but with an indie spunk twist. The band is composed of members from 'Pretty Girls Make Graves' and 'Blood Brothers' and they have that same crazy energetic vibe that us old Blood Bros fans can relate too. Front-man from the Blood Bros, Johnny Whitney, is still waling his lungs through-out their premier album, 'Take Me to the Sea." Check them out, even if you never were a fan of the Blood Brothers. They're different, whimsically eerie, and a trip!

Greg Laswell

I first heard Greg Laswell at a Ingrid Michaelson concert almost a year ago and I was immediately impressed. He is one of artists that you are memorized by not only his handsomely scruffy appearance but every aspect of his performance. I remember when his set started, from the first note I was his. Well, not in a possessive delusional way but in a way where he had my complete attention. I even forgot at the time that I was in a dingy bar like atmosphere because when he sang along with the piano keys nothing else existed but the music. Performances like those are musical treasures that are hard to find in a pool of talent, but worth every moment seeking. His latest album, "Three Flights From Alto Nido" is really a treat. Slowly but surely he is climbing that musical mainstream ladder, and before you know it he will be at the top.

High and Low, footage from show in January of 08.
How The Day Sounds

Rachel Goodrich

On the last blog posts note, if you are a fan of Ingrid I am positive you will fall in love with Rachel Goodrich. She has a similar twinkly indie-folk sound yet she is a tad more upbeat. The unique thing about this gal, is she configured a way to stir in psychobilly with her acoustic accented music. She is truly different that a lot indie artists sprouting across the mainlands. Her latest album, "Tinker Toys" is honestly the most ridiculously charming and witty collection of songs I've heard in awhile. She uses unusual instruments through-out her album such as a kazoo as well as spoons and even pots and pans. Weird, yes but brilliant! It seems as if Rach is not afraid to break free from the array of common sounding indie artists by setting her own clever musical standards. It is youthful and I assume she will be commercialized sooner than later. Just wait, I smell a apple commercial brewing! hahaha

a reflection on Ingrid Michaelson...

I was skipping through all my old pictures and videos I have taken through-out the last year and I stumbled upon some amazing photos and footage I took from an Ingrid Michaelson show I attended at the Troubadour last January of 08. Talent is talent despite whether an artist may be mainstream or underground. Lets not deny the fact that Ingrid is successfully a break-through artist this past year, but her sudden dive into mainstream waters is well deserved and admirable. I truly think this singer-songwriter's talent should be heard, acknowledged, and loved for years to come.


Corner of Your Heart

The Mystery Jets

They are huge in the UK, but haven't blossomed yet in the states. The Mystery Jets are musically influenced by classic artists such as The Kinks, The Cure, and even the Beatles. They fused their influences' classic sound with a spiffed up modern twist. Their fashionable swagger and dynamic pop bouncy rhythm with background 'oohs and awes' is instantaneously engaging. They are full of energy and their raw powerpop meshes well with their heavy English accented vocals. Their latest album "Twenty-one," has quirky singles such as 'Half in Love with Elizabeth' and 'Young Love.' Well known and successful artists such as Kate Nash, Laura Marling are featured on a few of their tracks as well as Justice and Florence and the Machine have remixed some tracks also. If mainstream artist have noticed these British boys, then you should too!

Ever watch "Music and Lyrics" hmmm doesn't the melody sounds familiar?

Cocoon

Despite the stereotypical sound of Indie music, I have to admit that I am a fan of those cutesy pleasant trah-la-las band that are soothing to listen to. Cocoon, a two-piece band, is one of those bands that follows the standards of smooth mellow indie. Their latest album 'My Friends All Died in a Airplane Crash' is full of melodious rifts and sweet-sounding vocals that can't possible be displeasing. Songs like 'Chupee' and 'On My Way' are gorgeous and blissful. Their album sort of takes you on this dream boat that floats through cloud 9, yea that sounds weird but music has mystical effects on me at times. Just check them out they are delightfully intoxicating!

Room Eleven

Okay, so I go through music phases, and there is such a phase that is and will always remain timeless. That phase for me is jazz. I'm a dire fan of old school cabaret jazz and I hold classic artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Louie Armstrong close to my heart. It is hard to find artists today with that classy cabaret feel and sound until I came across Room Eleven and their latest album "Mmm Gumbo", and I have to say they give me my jazzy fix. They mastered mixing that old school sound while remaining youthful and fresh. These days it seems as if kids are into what is supposedly 'in' or 'trendy' when it comes to music, and I think it is time for cabaret jazz to make its comeback and Room Eleven could help bring back our soulful jazzy roots and bestow the appreciation of sophisticated and tasteful jazz upon our youth.

Ben Kweller

Dear ole Ben Kweller.... Yes, he has been around for awhile, but I can't help but add him to my collection of artists you have to hear because he helps me remain sane with his classic array of sentimental songs. I have to say that I'm not a fan of country music but Benny adds a tad of a soulful country feel to his folk-pop collection of songs that is functional and that I can considerably tolerate and appreciate . His ballad-type songs are uptempo and can be sort of drowned in mushy-gush but you cannot deny their lyrical beauty. Hands down, 'Sundress' and 'Thirteen' are my fave tracks on his self-titled album due to their tender appeal. I have to admit that I don't really care for his new tracks on his new EP "How Ya Lookin' Southbound? Comein..." The EP is a lot more country compared to his old albums but that's just my opinion you be the judge!

Natalie Portman's Shaved Head!!!

GaGaGaGLAM rock to the MAX!! Hence their bizarre name, Natalie Portman's Shaved Head blends electro, pop, funk, and glam rock stylishly. Their new-age trend-setting vibe is loud, vibrant, and fused with 80s style make-up and flashy attire. Teenage sex and underage social drinking with a underlying hipster clashed tone are motives behind their disco pumping beats. You can kinda describe them as a functional jumble of CSS, Gravy Train, and even the Peaches. They are loud, colorful, funky-fresh, but if I could use one word to entirely describe their sound it would be......BOMB hence their song 'Sophisticated Side Ponytail' hah!


natalie portman's shaved head - sophisticated side ponytail from thatgo on Vimeo.

Uzi & Ari

Uzi & Ari, are an experimental Electronic Indie group you can compare to The Album Leaf and even Thom Yorke. Their music twinkles and chimes through dreamy melodies. They use a wide range of different instruments from the organ and synthesizer to even the French horn. Their latest album, Head Worms, starts off slow and intimate and blooms into something big beautiful and eloquent. Vocals are somber yet pretty and yea, even spellbinding. Their videos for Mountain/Molehill and Asleep in Armor are well thought-out, creatively poetic, and pure cinematic art. If you are a fan at all of experimental mellow fusion you'll really enjoy them. They are strange, mysterious, and just bizarre at times but definitely a musical mystery worth solving.

I Was A Cub Scout

They ended as soon as the begun... I Was A Cub Scout was a short-lived synthpop band that recently split last June, but music is timeless and despite their non-existence their work still should be heard, loved, and appreciated. This two-piece band is a diamond in the rough with feminine-ish airy vocals, and synthesized electro-indie freshness. These British boys some how mastered in the short existence devising romantic lyrical verses infused with high-spirited drum solos. It is simply cute, and you can't help but eat them up. Yum.


Our Smallest Adventures

Pink Squares

GOOD shoes

These boys' musical indie-pop talent rise from non other than London chap! Good Shoes mixes their British indie sound with poppy catchy tunes. Their latest album, Think Before You Speak, is artistically silly and naturally caffeinated. There are never any dull moments on their albums and their constant bounciness can make you jittery as if you have been injected with sugary goodness for days. They sing songs about remaining sane in such a boring hometown, and lets face it don't we all just want to get the f*** out! Okay, alright I won't let my small town bitterness get too involved wit this music review but just enjoy their youthful brilliance. You won't be disappointed.