Listen Up!: Horse Feathers

Horse Feathers

Folk/Indie Band

Oregon, USA

for whatever reason i've really been into folk inspired music recently and can't seem to get enough of this band.  seriously. non-stop on my itunes.  think very iron and wine but add in a whole bunch of fantastic strings. great music for doing nothing to.

You will like them if you like: Iron and Wine, The Great Lake Swimmers, The Tallest Man on Earth, Tracey Chapman

Songs to Listen to: "Curs in the Weeds", "A Burden", "Vernonia Blues", "The Drought", "Blood on the Snow" 

- J

**just as a side-note I've decided to reformat these posts a little.  the reason I'm not posting so often is because doing posts the way I did before took an absurd amount of time.  instead of telling you why these bands are so wonderful, from now on I'll leave it up to you to decide. however I do want to make the search for the music a little easier so from now on I'll be adding links.  let me know whether or not you like this format better.  

Listen Up!: Peter Broderick

i know i've talked quite a bit about what all this new severely over-processed music has done to the music industry, and while i can hardly say that i don't enjoy a good dub beat any less than the next guy it's certainly nice to take a step back every once and a while.  enter Peter Broderick, a 24 year old musician and composer from oregon.  he began his music career by essentially learning to play any instrument he could get his hands on.  while he's spent a few years doing work with groups of other artists (Zooey Deschanel, Dolorean, Laura Gibson) shorting after his tour in 2007 with Efterklang, he began to record his own solo music, the most recent album being How They Are. albeit a little strange (as most great musicians are) i really appreciate that Broderick isn't afraid to explore empty space within his music. i think layered silence in music is fascinating because the anticipation grabs your attention and forces you to listen more than any catchy beat could ever do.  while he remains an incredibly talented individual (i'm not kidding. he's able to play the guitar and piano at the same time...i'd like to see you try that) he isn't afraid to keep things simple and honest and allows the listener to really focus on one element at a time.

You will like him if you like: James Taylor, Damien Rice, Nils Frahm, Iron and Wine

Why he's important: his willingness to explore silence and how that can function within music is something that i don't see being done anywhere else to any great effect (i really hope he continues to explore this further). on top of having a beautiful voice, Broderick also has strong musical composing chops.  i think a lot of listeners need to be reminded of composing as art form separate from most other popular music and as something that hasn't died with beethoven but is still in fact very valid and current and worthy of our generation of listeners appreciation.

Songs to listen to: "Sideline", "Guilt's Tune", "With the Notes in my Ears", "And It's Alright", "With a Key"

- J

Listen Up!: Fredrik

back to some music that's a little more easily digestible than yesterdays (again, sorry about that, but i just had to) Fredrik is another band i've been wanting to blog about for awhile.  they are a swedish indie experimental band. front man Fredrik Hultin and bandmate O.Lindefelt originally created the band as a duo however have continued to bring on other artists to help with the creation of their albums.  for their release Na Na Ni in 2008, they banned with other artists to create a group fo six, but more recently for their release of Trilogi, they added Anna Moberg.  i think this bringing on of different artists really helps them to keep their sound so fresh and interesting. the music they create is quite solid at the base with lots of hard rhythms and downbeats, however the beautiful part about it is the intricate bells and guitar riffs which float over everything.  this kind of airy music seems to be highly linked to northern europeans (you only have to look as far as music heavyweights Jónsi and Bjorn to see it).  it must have something to do with the landscape or climate.  what i love most about it is that it's energy isn't overwhelmed by its lightness.  there is still a strong driving force behind everything which you both feel and hear.  probably the best description of the band's album Trilogi comes from musicremedy, 

"Together they represent a trilogy of contemporized viewpoints of the Lovecraftian dream passage - orientation at great cost and understanding at the risk of sanity."

unreal

You will like them if you like: Jónsi, Solander, Radiohead, Zero 7, Oren Lavie

Why they are important: the music is simple and soft, yet has an unstoppable driving life force behind it.  none of their songs can be labeled happy or sad or melancholy or whatever because they are constantly mixing elements of darkness and lightness which keep each piece in constant motion.  what i admire most is that they don't simply rely on their own capability as artsits, but are always willing to take on others visions and opinions and thus each time they create something, while it still holds the same basic idea, it never gets stale.

Songs to listen to: "Na Na Ni", "Angor Sleepwalking", "Holm", "11 Years", "Locked in the Basement", "Milo", "Ava", "Viskra", "Black Fur" 

- J

**P.S. if you have trouble finding their stuff on youtube (which is fairly difficult to navigate) listen to them at their myspace page here

Listen Up!: Flux Information Sciences

ok...stick with me on this one because it gets a little weird. Flux Information Sciences is a noise rock trio formed in 1996 (i know, usually i write about newer artists, but this group has been holding my attention in a vice grip since i first heard them).  the last album they put out was in 2001 with a release called Private/Public, and soon after this they went their separate ways, with front man Tristan Bechet forming his own label Pinksock Records and putting out various other experimental albums.  however during the time this band was together, they managed to create some really bizarre but captivating stuff. i don't know that i can fully explain why i'm so drawn to it and i'm sure some of you will disagree with me that this band should even be recognized.  i think it has something to do with their intoxicating rhythms which are really the only element which holds their music together (for the most part).  each song begins very simply, usually with a single beat or note, but very quickly digresses into a symphonic mess with disconnected phrases and some really absurd sound effects.  you never end up quite where you started with their music and are left at the end feeling quite disoriented and strangely energized.  or at least that's what it does to me.  i really suggest to give this band a try, even if they don't become a spotlight on your iPod, because their music truly is an experience.

You will like them if you like: Sonic Youth, Broken Social Scene, The Mars Volta

Why they are important: they start with something extremely simple and take you somewhere so completely foreign that its hard to know where you started. it's a true experience through sound, as opposed to using words to communicate a specific meaning.  there is no definite way to describe their music and so remains more or less mysterious. whether or not you like it, it grabs your attention.

Songs to listen to: "Love", "Priceless Memories", "Luxury and Excitement Meet", "Celebrity Cruises"...i leave it up to you if you are adventuresome enough to explore more

- J

Listen Up!: Pomplamoose

if you haven't heard of them yet, you best start listening. Pomplamoose is an indie youtube band from san fransisco comprised of talented artists Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn. they joined forces in 2008 to create the band and started pumping out covers of popular songs on youtube.  their philosophy is essentially, what you see is what you get.  the two play every instrument themselves and create all the vocals including harmonies out of recording of their own voices. no lipsyncing.  their music videos on youtube, however, are what really set them a part from other artists. each video is cleverly constructed to show every single instrument and every single voice you hear on the track.  it truely is amazing the sound they are able to create out of so very little.  their popularity continues to grow as they have recently been featured on several Hyundai commercials singing popular christmas carols. because they create and mix all the sounds themselves, their music is incredubly organic and underprocessed which makes it truely special to listen to.

You will like them if you like: Regina Spektor, Feist, (honestly they are so incredibly unique i challenge you to find more artists very similar to them)

Why they are important: they prove that truely special music does not need to be created in a massive studio and over proccessed to the point of oblivian (such as music's sad recent obsession with autotune).  their music is true and honest and interesting.  they take popular music and show how it can be completely deconstructed to its base elements making each interpretation completely unique.

Songs to listen to: "Nature Boy" (Nat King Cole cover), "La Vie en Rose" (Edith Piaf cover), "If you think you need" (Pomplamoose original), "Makin' Out" (Mark Owen cover), "Jungle Animal" (Pomplamoose original, compliation with Allee Willis)

- J

Listen Up!: The XX

this is one of those rare bands that manages to capture cool in their music without even trying. an indie band from the UK officially formed in 2005, their roots go way back as lead singer romy madley croft and oliver sim grew up together as children.  their debut album xx  released in 2009 was met with rave reviews and peaked the worlds interest in this mysterious band.  their music is now all over television as it was featured on episodes of Gossip Girl, Lie to Me, Hung, Grey's Anatomy, Law & Order, and 90210.  these semi-gothic misfits are known for being incredubly quiet about their private lives and manage to stay under the radar by simply not speaking. drummer jamie smith has been known to literally not say a single word during interviews.  this laid-back, quiet, mystery comes through in their understated music.  simple guitar riffs and smooth, lazy vocals are characteristic of all their work. none-the-less their music is catchy and interesting.  perhaps most interesting of all is the fact that they claim that none of their songs are implicitly about sex despite what would appear to most people to be highly sexual lyrics. even so their lyrics are highly poetic such that mutiple interpretations to the meaning of the lyrics are possible, which is the original intent of the band.  i look forward to seeing what this band comes up with next.

You will like them if you like: Two Door Cinema Club, Crystal Castles, Florence + The Machine, Passion Pit, Boards of Canada

Why they are important: The XX manage to create a new era of cool through their smooth, lazy vocals and spacey guitar riffs over strong underlying beats.  Their relaxed and airy approach to music is refreshing in that they don't do this for anyone but themselves.  It seems a privilege that we get to listen in on what they create.

Songs to listen to: "Crystalised", "Islands", "Shelter", "Stars", "You've Got The Love" (a cover of Florence + The Machine)  

- J

Listen Up!: Jónsi

i was so excited to here that Jónsi, the front man of one of my all time favorite bands Sigur Rós was coming out with a solo album.  i've always been fascinated by the way Sigur Rós was able to capture the essence of Iceland through their expasive chords and Jónsi's soaring vocals.  however while Sigur Rós's music comes across as being very meloncholy and thoughtful, Jónsi amps up this same musical style with youthful insight. the music is still wonderfully epic in it's nature, but is approached from a completely new angle filled with hope and eager anticipation.  i've always admired him for his focus on the musical construction itself over everything else. in a world were the majority of artists fall back on the simple Pachelbel's Canon chord progression, it's so nice to see someone pushing the compositional boudaries of what pop music can actually sound like and experimenting with an array of instruments.  His solo album entitled Go is absolutely necessary for every music lover to here. You will not be disappointed.

You will like him if you like: Radiohead, Bjork, Frakkur, Mogwai

Why his is important: Jónsi is pushing the boundaries of what pop music is.  He explores the importance of musical composition over lyrics in communicating a message. He's infusing an already important band's style with more youthful energy making it relevant again for our generation of listeners.

Songs to listen to: "Go Do", "Animal Arithmetic", "Boy Lilikoi", "Sinking Friendships"

- J

Listen Up!: Laura Marling

Laura Marling is an incredible young artist from Hampshire, England.  While her roots stand strongly in folk music, she tours with various Alternative artists, and you can see the influence in her work.  A talented guitar player and wonderful lyricist, her music is soulful and poetic.  Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim released in Feburary 2008 was nominated for the Mercury Prize (a prize awarded to the best album in United Kingdom and Ireland).  She followed this with her album I Speak Because I Can in March 2010, which was also nominated for the Mercury Music Award and entered the UK album charts at Number 4.

You will like her if you like: Mumford and Sons, Noah and the Whale, Florence + the Machine, The Avett Brothers, Joni Mitchell

Why she is important: Her mature, poetic lyrics well preceed her age.  Her angelic voice is powerful and melodic without overpowering the music.  A perfectly simple voice to overlay complex lyrics

Songs to listen to: "New Romantic", "Ghosts", "Rambling Man", "I Speak Because I Can", "Devil's Spoke"

- J