Often, we find our thoughts directed towards music of our past. Nothing wrong with that! But times have changed so dramatically. There’s no longer decent Top40 radios, the singles market is excruciatingly crowded, and there is no longevity for bands anymore. The discovery-directed FM stations of our past are no longer the norm. Play lists on most classic stations will destroy your sanity after you have heard a song – any song- three or more times in an eight-hour period, then AGAIN the very next day.
There is no band who has half a hope of being discovered among the three thousand new releases just pushed into the queue at (dare I say it?) iTunes. Record stores have been destroyed by the uncaring strengths of big box stores (Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, etc) only to find their own decimation.
The Big 4 labels are soon to become the Big 3. Independent labels are only able to attract a small group of adherents.
Worse, most new musicians have grown up on a steady diet of 10 guitar chords, basic pounding on the drums, and little else but a rudimentary grasp of rock and roll from the last 20 years. That means little cross- genre influence has crept into new Rock and Roll with little skill sets to innovate and create healthy hybrids of awesomeness.
Now that I’ve depressed the hell out of you, it does serve well to note that there are great bands out there regardless of their being very difficult to locate. So let’s take the weekend to help each other out and zero in on those bands that each of us have discovered but the rest of us may not have.
I’ll start with one you all have heard me go on and on about, Heartless Bastards, out of Texas. I also have a love for The Black Angels, also from Texas (Austin), and Canada excellent Black Mountain. I have others but the rest of us really want to hear new bands the rest of you are privy to.
Please, hit the comments and bring enlightenment to what has been an otherwise dull Site this past month.
I like Nico Vega. I agree music after the 80s started going down fast.
If you have You-Tube links, try and supply those.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOkKufaZ84s
*eyeroll*
Here’s a truncated of artists that have put out exceptional records this year (and most of them have “longevity,” with previous releases to their names):
Cloud Nothings
Leonard Cohen
Mark Lanegan
Ceremony
High on Fire
Torche
Rufus Wainwright
Beach House
Sun Kil Moon
Japandroids
Gojira
The Flaming Lips
Twin Shadow
The Gaslight Anthem
On that’s just on the rock side of things, taking into consideration the rockist attitude around these parts. Download Spotify. Try something new.
Americana artist Angela Easterling, is as good as anyone in the business. Her 2011 release, “Beguiler” was flawless. In 2012, she released what is very possibly, the first French-language Americana album, “Mon Secret”.
I discovered Lelia Broussard in a Rolling Stone contest. Though her sound has been evolving, her current releases, “Masquerade”, and “Wolves Are At My Door” are pure, pop perfection.
“I discovered Lelia Broussard in a Rolling Stone contest. Though her sound has been evolving, her current releases, “Masquerade”, and “Wolves Are At My Door” are pure, pop perfection.”
I found Lelia Broussard on Bandcamp and love her music. Another artist I found on there is Archie Powell amp; the Exports.
I think one thing that bugs me about a lot of newer bands is that everything sounds the same – they get stuck in one genre and never get out. Unlike bands such as The Who, Queen, Led Zeppelin, etc, that tailored the music to fit the song while still remaining true to their own sound.
I really like the band Dawes… They definitely wear their 70’s, Laurel Canyon sound on their sleeves, but they’re a really good band!
The Ropes. The Sounds. The White Lies.
First “non-popular” bands I can think of off the top of my head that are awesome. (Although, it could be argued The Sounds are a “big” band, but I’ve not run into a single person who’s heard of them – which is weird.)
Love all of these mentioned bands, particularly The Sounds.
I wasn’t too fond of the last Sounds album (way too over-produced and “modern”). But the first 3 albums are nearly masterpieces.
I liked that one quite a bit. In fact, “Wish You Were Here” still gets played quite often.
Just saw someone listed Rufus Wainwright. Gotta agree there. Rufus Rocks.
Nice list, son!
~Tanner’s Dad
L.A.’s semi-new prog-rock band “Into the Presence”. 2nd LP on the way. Saw ’em open for VAST a couple years back and for the first time in years, a new band blew my mind. Check ’em out if you haven’t already.
Here’s a link to one of their tunes that they shot a video for:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek8ac7gD5Q0