It was the beginning of a self-inflicted dive down a rabbit hole of self-exploration and personal analysis. End goal: greater self-awareness. Never have I had such a potently powerful musical experience!
The video for The Ettes‘ “Teeth” reminds me a bit of “Red Light Bulb” from Madeline — if only in its gender-bending nature. This Nashville band blends the heritage of their hometown with an old-timey folk-like garage sound. It includes a wicked guitar solo, country-tinged folk-pop vocals, and a cool guitar swagger. Read More »The Ettes: Teeth (Video)
You can make a valid argument that bouncy throwback pop heavily influenced by folk-pop artists from the 60s and 70s are not only a dime a dozen, but they all fit a fairly consistent mold. When it comes down to it, you’d be pretty much right — for the most part. But that doesn’t really matter, because these bands tend to also be great more often than not. Foxymorons aren’t your run-of-the-mill folk-pop group, and thus the mold is broken for them. They make their own mold and you can hear that displayed perfectly on “Skinny Cow Blues”. Read More »Foxymorons [Feature]
Neon Rain brings the tone down a notch on their sophomore release, Wintersong. Here is a precious batch of melodies that send the heart right back to a place we never want to face. This Noisetrade.com break out artist has brought us something desperately special and tantalizing, straight from the darkest coffee shop of Nashville. It is soft bellowing tunes like “To The Moon” that gives us a reason to believe in a higher being. Something this simple yet wholly engaging is hard to hear without feeling the sting of zen, nirvana, and other such spiritual antiquities. Read More »Neon Rain: To The Moon [Track]
Meet Harlem, your new favorite garage/thrash band. Based in Austin, by way of Nashville, they recently released their sophomore album,… Read More »Harlem [Feature]
Contemporary folk-pop is an arena that is swamped with imitators, yet a select few artists stand out above the rest. Andrew Belle is one such artist thanks to the inclusion of female backing vocals and boisterous orchestration. “Static Waves” hits all the right points – it’s catchy and plush and clean and colorful. There’s a lot going on here, a lot more than your typical artist fitting this genre descriptor. It’s easy to hear why Belle was selected to open for Ben Folds, although I’d also put him in the same camp as masters like Andrew Bird. Read More »Andrew Belle: Static Waves [mp3]
