My latest find is Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros- their single 'Home' has such a wholesome, comforting sound- perfect for those miserable tail-end-of-winter days, like a musical Irish Stew. I hope they make it big here, it's an excellent song.
There are about ten of them in the band and you get a real familial vibe from the choons, they burst into cheerful banter and laughter. The mixture of brass, whistling, guitars, banjos and keyboard work in harmony creating a happy, boisterous noise without becoming jumbled.
They remind me of a band I saw recently at Union Chapel called Moriarty who were supporting Andrew Bird who looked like they'd rocked right out of a traveling caravan. They put on an amazing show though; they were really magnetic to watch- the lead singer oozed confidence and mystery and they all crowded around the microphone gazing intently at the audience playing their harmonicas and strumming their banjos.
There are plenty of really good folky exports making their way over from the Big Pond. One beginning to see success here is Local Natives- intricate, laid-back folk rock with melting harmonies and excellent facial hair. I've been hooked on their debut 'Gorilla Manor' on wintery walks to work.
Cat Power remains one of my favourite American 'folk rock' artists, so I've added a couple of her tracks on there too. She was notoriously unpredictable live due to alcohol problems and messy relationships, which adds to the magnetism. She's all about the breathy vocals and her songs have an oldy worldy feel to them. I love this photo of her- Not Safe For Work though!
I can't write about modern American folk without mentioning Bon Iver. For Emma, Forever Ago was a phenomenal album. The songs conjure up images of him sitting in that log cabin up the mountain, staring out at the wilderness with a big log fire strumming away... This is still the perfect soundtrack for cold, wintery walks.
It's not really folky but I've also added a Beach House track to my American gems playlist. Ethereal as fuck- I really like the new album 'Teen Dreams'.
I can't figure out how to add music to this bad boy yet so check the playlist out on Spotify if you've got it...(I sneaked some Sufjan on there). Enjoy.
spotify:user:ronniemeade:playlist:3bnL0b9TLE86crU47nrJyZ
No comments:
Post a Comment