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August 2, 2014 by 4 Comments

The National is an American indie rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, in 1999, and currently based in Brooklyn. The band’s lyrics, which have been described as “dark, melancholy and difficult to interpret”, are written and sung by Matt Berninger, a baritone. The band has recorded six studio albums; the most recent, Trouble Will Find Me, was released in May 2013 and was nominated in the 2014 Grammys for Best Alternative Album.

Find this song on iTunes on the album Cherry Tree.  Find their most current album here: Trouble Will Find Me

Post Inspiration:Preciousandfregilethings

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Do You Feel

July 11, 2014 by 10 Comments

José James, 36, is a singer songwriter from Minneapolis, and is best known for performing and blending modern jazz and hip-hop. James joined the Blue Note roster in 2013 when he released his breakout album No Beginning No End to wide acclaim. With its irrepressible lead single “Trouble,” the album release found José making national TV appearances on Conan, Late Show With David Letterman, andTonight Show With Jay Leno.

The New York Times praised his “cool and confident” album, adding that it “sounds like the result of the black-pop continuum, jazz and soul and hip-hop and R&B, slow-cooked for more than 50 years.” NPR Music raved that “James makes utterly contemporary music,” noting that he “skirts categories with ease, fitting in with current R&B innovators like Frank Ocean or Miguel, yet maintaining a strong awareness of a lineage that stretches from Ray Charles to Marvin Gaye to Lou Rawls to Maxwell.”

Find this tune on his 2013 Album titled: No Beginning No End

José James official site and his full bio can be found at: josejamesmusic.com

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Everything Trying

March 1, 2014 by 9 Comments

“Damien Jurado is an American indie rock singer/songwriter from Seattle, Washington. He quietly built up one of the strongest catalogs on the indie scene, earning high critical praise yet somehow never quite getting his proper due. Nick Drake had a definite impact on much of his work, but Jurado modeled his career on more idiosyncratic, unpredictable figures like Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, or Randy Newman — songwriters who followed their own muse wherever it took them, whether fans and critics agreed or not. Many of Jurado’s best songs spun concise, literate tales of quiet everyday despair, which often earned him comparisons to short story writer Raymond Carver.”

His website can be found here: damienjurado.com

Liked this? Check out Jurado singing Sheets.

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Holy

February 16, 2014 by 13 Comments

Frightened Rabbit is a Scottish indie rock band formed in 2003 and based in Glasgow. Find their new 2013 album on iTunes here.

Liked this? Don’t miss the band’s top hit: The Woodpile.

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Half Moon Run

December 21, 2013 by 15 Comments

Half Moon Run are a Canadian indie rock band based in Montreal. The band members previously lived in British Columbia (Comox) and in Ottawa. They have have opened for such artists as Monsters & Men, Patrick Watson, Mumford & Sons and City and Color. Critical acclaim has included praise for their three-part harmonies.  Like this? Check out the group’s other major hits Full Circle and Call Me In the Afternoon which have had over 2.5 million views on Youtube. Their album titled Dark Eyes was released in July 2013 and can be found on iTunes here. The band’s official website can be found here.

“I’m going to be cheeky here and pick one band […] Half Moon Run – potentially one of the most important bands debuting an album this year. It’s progressive without being pretentious.”

~ Ben Lovett, Mumford & Sons

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Damien Jurado

December 3, 2013 by 14 Comments

“Damien Jurado is an American indie rock singer/songwriter from Seattle, Washington. He quietly built up one of the strongest catalogs on the indie scene, earning high critical praise yet somehow never quite getting his proper due. Nick Drake had a definite impact on much of his work, but Jurado modeled his career on more idiosyncratic, unpredictable figures like Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, or Randy Newman — songwriters who followed their own muse wherever it took them, whether fans and critics agreed or not. Many of Jurado’s best songs spun concise, literate tales of quiet everyday despair, which often earned him comparisons to short story writer Raymond Carver.”

His website can be found here: damienjurado.com

This tune can be found on his LP titled Caught in the Trees at this link.

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Friday Night with Frightened Rabbit

November 8, 2013 by 19 Comments

Frightened Rabbit is a Scottish indie rock band formed in 2003 and based in Glasgow. The band played this tune on the Late Show with David Letterman last month.  Find their new 2013 album on iTunes here.

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I’ll keep my lanterns lit

November 6, 2013 by 12 Comments

Memory rushes in, then washes you away
I am losing you to the sea
I’ll break from the weight of my mind,
but your ghost I will gladly bear
and with all your grief in my arms I will labor by singing light
I’ll keep my lanterns lit x8
If you had a single fall,
You just could not last forever could you?
You just could not last for me

~ Son Lux, Lanterns Lit

Ryan Lott, 34, better known by his stage name Son Lux, is a post-rock and alternative hip hop musician based in New York City, New York. He spent much of his childhood moving from place to place. Born in Colorado in 1979, Lott lived in California and Connecticut before landing in Atlanta for high school. He had been playing classical piano since age six; he also played the guitar; and in Georgia he picked up the drums and began learning pop and jazz piano as well. (Source: allmusic.com)

Find this song on the album titled Lanterns on iTunes.

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Typhoon

August 23, 2013 by 15 Comments

Typhoon is an American indie rock band that began in 2005 and is based in Portland, Oregon. Typhoon’s music has always been marked by complicated arrangements and careful orchestration. Live performances routinely involve 12 or more band members playing at once. The group masterfully combines indie rock instrumentals and vocals with violins, percussion, hand claps, xylophone, horns and a choir of other instruments, making for inspiring and catchy songs.  To date they have released two albums Hunger and Thirst (released September, 2012) and White Lighter (released August 20, 2013). On August 4, 2011, Typhoon made their television debut on Late Show with David Letterman, performing “The Honest Truth”. (Source: Wiki)

Find Typhoon at iTunes @ White Lighter and Hunger and Thirst .

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Kodaline

June 29, 2013 by 16 Comments

Kodaline are a Dublin-based Irish alternative rock quartet.  In December 2012, the BBC announced that Kodaline had been nominated for the Sound of 2013 poll – a poll which surveys music critics and industry figures to find the most promising new music talent.

For Kodaline, music isn’t just music. “It’s therapy,” says singer Steve Garrigan.  “When we write music, the first thing we think of is, it’s therapy for us. Then we think of how we can use that feeling to touch as many people as possible.”

Music should have a purpose,  you know, – says Steve, Our purpose is honesty.

Steve, Mark and drummer Vinny May – all aged 22 and 23 – have been working towards this moment for much of their young lives. Growing up in houses just two minutes away from each other in Swords, Steve and Mark met aged eight, when they were the only boys in the school choir. “We were there to pick up girls, of course”, jokes Mark.

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Aunt Martha Band

January 3, 2013 by 17 Comments

The Aunt Martha Band was formed in 2008 and is led by Tim Noyes (guitar/lead vocals), Brian Kim (violin/bass), and Garrett Leahy (drums).  All three members are originally from the greater Boston area.  The “band draws comparisons to the always moving and incredible Ray Lamontagne, Tim’s soulful yet gritty vocals are wise beyond their years. If you didn’t know the boys were in their twenties, you’d think these tunes were written by men who had already lived a full life and then some.”

Thank you ColdDeadHeart for pointing me to another great band.

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Saturday Afternoon with Sharon Van Etten

December 22, 2012 by 16 Comments

Sharon Van Etten, 31-year old singer-songerwriter, was born and raised in suburban New Jersey. Her songs are described as having some echoes of folk tradition but generally in a more personal, introspective space.  Van Etten’s folk music evokes the open landscapes and lonely expanses of Middle America.  A dedicated choir student during her childhood, she began writing songs on her guitar as a high school student and, upon moving to New York, start playing them in concert.  She has released three albums including “Tramp” in 2012.

Sources: Thank you Colddeadheart for introducing me to Sharon Van Etten. Wiki and Itunes Bio were bio sources.

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