Tag Archives: alternative rock

Suggestions From All Around – Snarky Puppy, The Lone Bellow and Polaris Rose

To get 2015 off on the right foot, some great suggestions have floated in from friends and other bloggers.  But before we get started, happy to say that two of the artists we featured when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees were announced made it through (see the post)!

First up is Snarky Puppy.  Thanks, Ben!  This Brooklyn based group of jazz fusion musicians, a self described “quasi-collective”, migrated from the University of North Texas .  Their website lists a dozen members, but the video below makes you wonder if that number grows on some tracks.  The video for “What About Me?” is from the live performance set-up they used to record their latest CD “We Like It Here”.  If you find the beginning of the guitar solo at 3:00 a bit ethereal for your tastes, hang in there till things pick up at about 3:45.  And if you want to hear one of the other guitarists strut his stuff, check out “Jambone”.

Meanwhile, on another street in Brooklyn we find the alt-country trio The Lone Bellow.  Thanks Dennis and Maureen! They are about to release their second album, “Then Came the Morning”, and will  apparently be on Jimmy Kimmel tomorrow night to play “Cold As It Is” from that album.  Hear that track before everybody else, and also try out the album’s title track. No shortage of great backing musicians in the Big Apple!

Last but not least is the duo Polaris Rose from Los Angeles.  They were mentioned on the excellent blog “The Delete Bin”.  Thanks, Rob!  No matter how cold a winter you’re dealing with, these harmonies and lush guitar tones will make you feel like you’re in the California warmth of the videos.  “Perfect View” is from their new album “Telescopes”, and “Chartreuse” is from their debut EP “The Moon & Its Secrets”.

 

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New Music Courtesy of The Delete Bin

Found a new blog to follow, The Delete Bin, by Rob Jones of Vancouver, Canada.  A few weeks back he put together 16 recommendations to add to an autumn playlist, and here are a few favorites.

The Last Internationale is a trio fronted by singer/bassist/guitarist Delila Paz. They play a mix of hard rocking numbers and acoustic folk tunes in a classic rock vein. Lots of politically conscious titles and lyrics in their repertoire like “Killing Fields” and “Workers of the World Unite”, and they’re not afraid to tackle Trayvon Martin in a style reminiscent of Dylan’s “Hurricane”. Not much of a surprise they caught the ear of Tom Morello who signed on as their executive producer. Here’s the first track from their debut album “We Will Reign”, “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Indian Blood”. And on the new album Delila pulls off a nice cover of the classic “Baby It’s You”.

The Wind and The Wave is an Austin, Texas folk duo Patricia Lynn and Dwight Baker. Their first album “From The Wreckage” is available now.  Spend some time with this promo video that introduces the band and features some live performance clips.

If you like late 70’s / early 80’s pop and want to be the first kid on your block to check out videos that have barely dozens of YouTube views, check out Ransom and the Subset. Their debut album “No Time to Lose” is just out this month. Here are two tracks from the new release, “Anna” and “Million Out of Me”. Pure fun.

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New Music from Jenny Lewis, The Rosebuds and Ryan Adams

At the end of July, Jenny Lewis released her new album “The Voyager”.   A TV and movie actress until she was in her early 20’s, Jenny turned to music and formed the band Rilo Kiley in 1998.  The band stayed together till 2011 and produced several albums and a few indie hits.  Here’s Jenny playing “Just One of the Guys” from the new album, followed by a video from the Rilo Kiley hit “Portions for Foxes”

The Rosebuds are a band from North Carolina based on the duo of Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp. They’ve put out a series of albums since 2003, and their latest “Sand+Silence” came out in early August.  Here’s “In My Teeth” from the new album, and if you like it try “Esse Quam Videri” (the state motto of North Carolina “To be, rather than to seem”).

On September 9th, Ryan Adams is scheduled to release his new self-titled album. The fact that self-titled albums are most often an artist’s first effort may imply that Adams is looking for a bit of a rebirth 20 years into his career. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Adams talked about his battle with Meniere’s disease and the fact that he’s feeling ready for his first concert tour since 2009. Here’s an audio track of a live performance of “Stay With Me” from the new album, and the official video for “Gimme Something Good” with a spooky story line featuring Elvira – not sure what to make of that.

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New Music from Spoon, Neon Trees and The New Pornographers

In a couple of weeks Spoon will release their 8th album “They Want My Soul”. Their last three albums reached #1 or #2 on Billboard’s Top Independent Albums chart.  Here’s a live performance of “Rent I Pay”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-yAjwnz6aU

A few weeks after Spoon’s album shows up, The New Pornographers will release “Brill Bruisers”.   The album is on Matador Records which coincidentally was Spoon’s first label.   Here’s the video for the title track. If you “CLICK HERE TO PAINT IT YOURSELF” on the video, a window will pop up where you can – paint it yourself! Try it!!

Back in April, Neon Trees issued their third album “Pop Psychology”. The band got its big break when the Killers asked them to join their 2008 North American tour. The Killer’s drummer had once played in a band with Neon Trees’ bassist Branden Campbell. Here’s a performance of the albums’s first track “Love in the 21st Century”, and in case you’ve forgotten it here is a link to Neon Trees’ first big hit “Animal”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG2jssxIFRk

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Bob Mould Keeps Bringing the Alt Rock

Bob Mould just released “Beauty & Ruin”, the 11th solo album from the frontman of the influential punk band Hüsker Dü and the 90’s band Sugar.

The video for “I Don’t Know You Anymore” puts you through about two minutes of concept set-up with Colin Meloy of The Decemberists, but rewards you with an enjoyable tune reminiscent of Mould’s earlier work.

Sugar only lasted for a few years in the early 90’s, but produced a few albums that made the top 10 on the UK indie album charts. A favorite song form their second album is “Your Favorite Thing”. The sonic connection with Mould’s brand new work is pretty clear

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsAyegnKWI4

Hüsker Dü gets credited as an important American punk band of the early 80’s, and as one of the bands that pushed American music down the alternative rock path – integrating a bit more melodic sense into its fast and powerful sound. See what you think of Hüsker Dü’s “Makes No Sense At All” from the band’s fourth album “Flip Your Wig”. And if you hang in till the 2:30 mark, Hüsker Dü pays homage to a TV show that put their hometown of Minneapolis forever on the sitcom map.

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