Lucy Rose

Lucy Rose, full name Lucy Rose Parton, is from Warwickshire, England. She started out playing drums, but became dissatisfied and turned to pursue a singing career. In 2008, she met and became close to Bombay Bicycle Club frontman Jack Steadman and performed for their acoustic album Flaws in 2010. She also began collecting her own musical thoughts and attempted to gather other band members, such as former Razorlight guitarist Björn Ågren,  and continued to tour throughout 2010. In 2012 she signed to Columbia Records and released her debut album Like I Used To. She and her bandmates recorded the album in her family's nuclear bunker in the basement, and the local billage hall. The full-length release featured many of her songs she played on tour, such as "Night Bus", and "First". 

This girl's voice is one I aspire to become similar to. Her voice is so sweet, but not necesarrily innocent. Her songs are very stripped down, using mild guitar and ochestra, with emphasis on rhythm and drums, which probably comes from her involvement in drums in the past. A prime example of her extraordinary sense of rhythm is her song from her debut album, "Lines". The tempo changes probably twenty times in the song itself. There's the intro, then it abruptly shifts into the first verse, and then again into the chorus, and another totally different tempo for the bridge. The amazing part is that it's almost a trick question of sorts. Her voices carries the exact sames beats over the entire song. Each note is worth the same amount of beats the entire time. The catch: her drumming and her guitar changes. It's really interesting to listen to; that's what drew me in the first time I heard the song. Parton's amazing ear for technicalities really adds to her music. 

Check out her website: http://www.lucyrosemusic.com
Listen to/watch her music: http://www.lucyrosemusic.com/video/detail/shiver/

Au Revoir Simone

Au Revoir Simone is a Brooklyn indie pop band which features three friends who met on a bus ride to New York.  The girls, Heather D'Angelo, vocals/drum machine/keyboard; Erika Foster, (vocals/keyboard; and Annie Hart, vocals/keyboard, became fast friends and began writing songs together. The band was formed in 2003, and the name Au Revoir Simone comes from a minor hcaracter in the Tim Burton comedy Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. Their first album, Verses of Comfort, was released in 2006; and their second, Bird of Music, came a year later. Their third, most acclaimed album thus far: Still Night, Still Light, boosted the trio'd profile immensly. Deciding to regroup, they took a break, but returned in 2013 with their fourth album, Move in Spectrums. 

I cannot say enough about this band. I had the miracluous opportunity to see them live in concert this past summer. To top it off, it was a live show in the gardens of Villa Aperta in Rome, Italy. In case you are unfamiliar with the place, Villa Aperta is this beautiful, massive white marble palace placed on top of a hill, and when you are in the gardens at night, you have an overview of the entirety of Roma, and it is absolutely breathtaking. Now add in great music, and you have where I hope where I will appear when I die and go to heaven. The show was fantastic. 300 people, max. I was in one of the closet rows to the stage. They had three keyboards, one for each girl, and they sang and grooved in place while furiously banging on keys. A dream come true. 

Afterwards, I got the chance to meet the ringleader, Erika. I was super, super nervous. And she came over and we had a fifteen minute conversation, like we were old friends. We talked about everything from hair to what I was doing in Rome (I live there during the summer), to hometowns, and colleges. She even complimented me on my earrings, claiming "You're only fourteen? You're so mature for your age! So pretty!" Just like that. She was one of the coolest, down-to-earth people I have met in my life. It was an expirience I will never, ever forget. Check out this group, please. 

Website: http://www.aurevoirsimone.com

{for week of 10/31}

The Preatures

The Preatures are an Austrailian rock band formed in 2010 in Sydeny. Guitarist Jack Moffitt and bassist Tom Champoion were friends in high school, and they happened upon singer Isabella Manfredi when all three attended the Austrailian Institute of Music. At first, they formed a cover band together, mainly playing Rolling Stones and other rock covers, before they got singer/guitarist Gideon Bensen and drummer Luke Davison to form the Preatures. They signed with Mercury Records in 2012, and released their first EP, Shaking Hands. The second EP, Is This How You Feel? won the prestigious Vanda & Young Prize, placing forever under the watchful eye under many new fans. Their their third album, Blue Planet Eyes, arrived this fall.

Their sound is mostly based off of clasic rock and what they call gothic soul, but in my opinion, they use much more vintage melodies than they give themselves credit for. Songs like "Is This How You Feel?" and "Cruel" especially have throwback sounds that reminisce of the 80's. Coincidentally, the Preatures are commonly compared to Haim, a band I previously touched on. Anyway, this album is pure gold in my opinion. It's very original, and the songs pretty much entirely different form one another, but they all have the specific sound you come to associate with the band after listening for awhile. They have a very unique sound. I am completely in love with the classic guitar and bass hooks that play, as well as Manfredi's low, tonal melodies. You don't often see something so fresh and original,  ever, these days. I'd reccomend this band to anyone I saw on the street, I think it's a sound that everyone can appreciate, which is a good thing.

Check out their website: http://www.thepreatures.com
Listen to their music: https://soundcloud.com/thepreatures

{for week of 10/24}

alt-J

Okay, alt-J is so well-known now that's it's almost tacky. Not that alt-J could ever be tacky. But I am in love with them, so let me have my moment, and then I'll shut up. For those who don't already know, alt-J is an English indie-rock band, which was named for the triangle that appears when pressing "Alt" and "J" on a Mac. They were formed in 2008, originally called FILMS. All four members met at Leeds University and spent two years practicing before grabbing a deal with Infectious Records in 2011. The group came into play with their singles Matilda and Fitzpleasure. The group's first full-length studio debut, An Awesome Wave, arrived in 2012, earning them several prestigious awards. The following year, they jumped into worldwide tours, before releasing This Is All Yours a couple of months ago.

It is probably impossible to not love alt-J. The flowing rhythm of "Breezeblocks", or the soft tones of "Every Other Freckle," or the hard jabs of "Left Hand Free", there is nothing that this band cannot do or accomplish. They have all their bases covered. Their first album flows perfectly into the second, and they both contain the perfect amount of rock and folk. You can practically tell the record is going to be good by the album art. The more abstract an indie cover is, the better it will turn out to be. Both of alt-J's are shapes, the second more crudely-drawn, and the first seemingly photographic. Also, if an album has intros, you know thought was put into it. You only put intros in an album if you are confident enough to add them, otherwise people will think your album more of a flop.

What more is there to say? Alt-J is a force to be reckoned with, and will continue to be.

Check out their website: http://www.altjband.com
Music: http://www.altjband.com/music/

{for week of 10/17}

Ghost Beach

Ghost Beach is a fairly new band, they were formed in 2013 in Brooklyn, New York; mainly circling the talents of Josh Ocean, who does vocals, bass, and synths; and Eric Mendelson, who does guitars, synths, and samplers. The duo claim to draw inspiration from the 80's, and this is reflected in the music they produce. They cite Peter Gabriel, the Police, and Talking Heads as influences. Fun fact: their name was drawn from a 1994 episode of Goosebumps. They have released two EPs, Modern Tongue, and Miracle, which came before their recent debut full-length album, Blonde. Since then, they picked up speed, attracting the attention of many DJ's, and giving the band many remixes, which they published with different remix albums. 

Out of all of the songs that appear on Blonde, my favourites would have to be Miracle, Been There Before, and Close Enough. They all have really nice hooks in them that make you stay interested, and the overall sound makes you want to get up and dance. Ghost Beach claims to be "tropical grit pop", and while the term sounds pretty abstract, I think that if you think about it, you realise it's true. They do breathe that 80's vibe with their guitar riffs and background electronic slow-burn. Ocean's voice is also very 80's-esque, and I think the combination of the two really makes the band shine. The music is spontaneous, and generally fun. Sometimes I'm against all the electronic club thing that can sometimes occur in bands with a lot of synth, but in this case, it works. It's on the verge of club music, but the guitar saves it and turns it into more indie-rock instead. Also, another key factor: there's hardly any bass. In a lot of these songs, you literally cannot find a lot of background base. In fact, I went so far as to remove all but bass in Garageband, and my thoughts were proven correct. There is some in bridges occasionally, but it's a rarity. This is an extremely smart play by Ocean and Mendelson. This is the saving grace, in my opinion. It turns potential club music into wonderful indie rock hits. Well done, boys. 

Check out their website: http://ghostbeachmusic.com

Check out some of their music: http://ghostbeachmusic.com/music

{for week of 10/3}

Sarah Jaffe Is a Force To Be Reckoned With

Sarah Jaffe, from Texas, weaves electro-soul into her acoustic folk music. One of her lyrics on her debut EP reads "I'm a testament to old and new," and that could never be more true. Her bluesy voice combined with acoustic pluckings created a unique indie sound that gave her credit in the music world. Jaffe burst into the music scene in the late 2000s, playing live shows and recieving recognition in several categories at the Dallas Observer Music Awards. Her initial EP, Even Born Again, dropped in 2008, and sent her spiraling into fame. She went on an international tour and was praised by American and U.K. press. She signed a deal with Kirtland Records in late 2009, and proceeded to release her official debut, Surburban Nature. In 2011, she released a home-recorded EP tited The Way Sound Leaves a Room, and then followed with The Body Wins in 2012. Her latest release has been Don't Disconnect, which came out earlier this year.

Sarah Jaffe started fairly acoustic, but in her latest album, she has turned to more electro-pop, infringing on some R&B. Her voice is suited perfectly for this, with her crooner tendencies and slight lilts in her syllables. She adds creative lyrics with meaningful themes into happy pop loads that make you ponder the true meaning of the song. Also being a self-proclaimed feminist, Jaffe projects her opinions in songs like "Shut It Down" and "Lover Girl". Other songs, like "Vulnerable", reveal some of her darker relationships she's had in the past. All in all, I respect her as a person immensly. Her music is very classic, I think even if you heard it on the radio a bunch, you wouldn't necessarily get tired of it, unlike a lot of things that are on the radio right now.

Check out her music/videos: http://sarahjaffe.com/media/
Check out her website: http://sarahjaffe.com

Hey Marseilles

The band Hey Marseilles, a seven-piece band from Seattle, is my latest obsession. It was formed in 2006 by vocalist Nick Ward and guitarist Matt Bishop. Both were attending the University of Washington. They soon roped in Ward's roommate, pianist/accordionist Philip Kobernik. Their debut album, To Travels & Trunks revealed the band's very unique sound, one that seemed to channel almost the Decemberists and other chamber pop groups. The band showed at many different festivals that year. Starbucks featured them on their compilation, Sweethearts, Vol. 2 in 2010. Three years later, their album Lines We Trace appeared on the Thirty Tigers Label, and they played at Lollapalooza and other festivals, cinching the group as a popular acoustic band.

Okay, this band has two albums out; Lines We Trace and To Travel & Trunks. They both completely go with each other, which is very hard to do nowadays, considering the gap between the two was three years. They both have an indie-acoustic orchestral kind of vibe, with creative melody lines. But the absolute best part of this band is the lyrics. I am such a sucker for good lyrics. And these are so twistingly clever and played so well into the songs that it just makes you happy to hear it. In the song To Travel and Trunks, Ward sings, "If karma could dance, she'd tango forever/ and I'd sell my sleeves for some cloud-ridden weather/ can't you see heaven won't wait for us?/ salutations and and prayers are too laborious".  I don't know about you, but the absolute cleverness combined with the beautiful background melody and the guitar makes me want to cry. So pretty.

If you'd like to try a couple songs, I recommend "Tides", "To Travel and Trunks", and "Elegy." All three are beautiful songs that use piano and guitar but also incorporate more unusual instruments like the accordion or the saxophone.

Listen to some of their music: http://heymarseilles.com/media/
Try their website: http://heymarseilles.com