Well, recently I decided I was bored of my average 400 song iTunes playlist and I needed open up my eyes (or ears in this case) to more music. I remembered my girlfriend mentioning something about downloading full albums and discographies off bittorent, so of course that's what I did. I downloaded some of the albums of bands I already knew, then I looked around for some more undercover bands.
A great website my girlfriend told me about was www.pitchfork.com. It features undiscovered indie bands and artists (indie and folk is my preferred genre of music) and the website features interviews, music videos, and full biographies of certain bands. It's really a great place to discover good artists & bands.
I also tried to remember some of the bands from her old ipod that died awhile ago. I came up with a few, but I was craving more. Going back to pitchfork, I discovered a variety of bands that appealed to my taste. Some include: Fleet Foxes, MGMT, Little Joy, Beirut, Andrew Bird, Animal Collective, The Dodos, She & Him, Sigur Ros, Okkervil River, Grizzly Bear, Panda Bear, and so on. I will be explaining a few of the bands listed, and try to open up your eyes to a great genre of music as well.
Fleet Foxes
Seattle's Fleet Foxes are led by vocalist/guitarist Robin Pecknold, who fashioned his band's earthy, harmony-rich sound in honor of such perennial '60s artists as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, the Zombies, and the Beach Boys. Mixing baroque pop with elements of classic rock and British folk, the band took shape in 2006 as Pecknold was joined by guitarist Skyler Skjelset, bassist Bryn Lumsden, drummer Nicholas Peterson, and keyboardist Casey Wescott. After playing only a handful of shows, the band generated a healthy amount of label interest and caught the attention of local producer Phil Ek, who had previously helmed records by Built to Spill and the Shins. Ek worked with the band on its Sun Giant EP, which was issued by Sub Pop Records in spring 2008. The band's self-titled debut full-length followed that summer.
Some of the most-appreciated and favorited songs of the folk band Fleet Foxes include: Mykonos, White Winter Hymnal, Blue Ridge Mountains, Sun Giant, and Oliver James. My personal favorite is Mykonos.
[youtubevid]7TbmLkwMHwo[/youtubevid]
Okkervil River
Okkervil River began as a mutual project of Will Sheff (vocals, guitar), and Seth Warren (guitar). They met and collaborated together when both were still in high school in Meriden, NH. After relocating to Austin, TX in the late 90’s, the duo decided to re-assemble the band with the addition of Zachary Thomas (vocals, bass), Jonathan Meiburg (vocals, banjo), and drummer Mark Pedini. In 1998, the group self-released their first disc, the “Bedroom” (EP), followed a year later with their debut album “Stars Too Small to Use”. During the succeeding years, the band regularly played live on numerous occasions, including an appearance at the South by Southwest festival in 2000. The group’s second album, Don’t Fall in Love With Everyone You See, showed up in 2002, re-affirming the band’s cult following all over the Texas music scene. Since that time, Okkervil River has released a few more full-length albums and several EPs. On April 17, 2006, Okkervil River signed with Virgin/EMI in Europe. On August 7, 2007, the band released their fifth full-length, entitled “The Stage Names,” released, again, on Jagjaguwar. Pitchfork identified the album as “Okkervil River’s most emotionally devastating record yet, and without doubt one of the year’s best.”
Personally, Okkervil River is tied as my third favorite band along with Fleet Foxes as of now, and some of my favorite songs by the Okkervil include: For Real, Black Sheep Boy, Lost Coastlines, and Red. All have their unique sound. May I include that on their latest album Will Sheff, lead singer, sounds mad-not angry mad, but mad as in going mentally crazy. It's a nice touch.
[youtubevid]PyHMDWvjnWU[/youtubevid]
MGMT
MGMT (previously known as The Management) is an American musical duo based in Brooklyn, New York consisting of Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. Originally with Cantora Records, they signed with Columbia Records/Red Ink/Sony in 2006.
On October 5, 2007, Spin.com named MGMT "Artist of the Day". On November 14, 2007 Rolling Stone pegged MGMT as a top 10 "Artist to Watch" in 2008. The band was named 9th in the BBC's Sound of 2008 top 10 poll. They were also named as Last.fm's most played artist of 2008 in their Best of 2008 lists. Their debut album Oracular Spectacular debuted at number twelve on the UK album chart, and hit number one on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. It was named the best album of 2008 by NME. MGMT also appeared prominently in Australia's Triple J Hottest 100 2008, coming in 2nd with "Electric Feel", 5th with "Kids" and 18th with "Time to Pretend."
MGMT's techno-funk really appeals to me. It's somewhat of a mix of and indie band with Daft Punk, and that creates a unique sound. What really amazes me is that it consists of only two dudes. Some great songs by MGMT are The Youth, Kids, and Pieces of What.
[youtubevid]bIEOZCcaXzE[/youtubevid]
Little Joy
Last but not least, my personal favorite band at the time, Little Joy. Scruffy Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti will add a Little Joy to our lives this fall with the release of the debut album from his side project with Binki Shapiro and Los Hermanos singer/guitarist Rodrigo Amarante. Little Joy comes out November 4 via Rough Trade.
As previously reported, Little Joy will hit the road with Devendra Banhart and Gregory Rogove’s Megapuss this fall. There’s plenty of overlap between the two groups: Moretti contributed lyrics and vocals to “Theme From Hollywood”, from Megapuss’ forthcoming album Surfing, and is drumming with Megapuss on tour. Amarante played some bass on the Megapuss record, and so did frequent Banhart collaborator, Little Joy producer, and Little Joy touring member Noah Georgeson. As if all that isn’t enough, Rogove is also a touring member of Little Joy.
Little Joy is a great mix of folk and good 'ole independent music. With the vocals of Binki Shapiro, the drumming talent of Fabrizo Moretti, and the guitar & vocal magic by Rodrgio Amarante, the band is sure to not disappoint. Some of their greatest songs from their newly released albums include: The Next Time Around, Brand New Start, and Unattainable.
[youtubevid]TxEpngNm_Us[/youtubevid]
Thank you for taking the time to read and share my interests in this specific genre of music. I am proud to say that my iTunes library has expanded to more than 4100+ songs and more than 100+ artists, respectively.
All these bands have their unique style and sound, and are definitely worth the listen. For more great bands and artist recommendations, I will give a list of websites:
www.pitchfork.com
www.last.fm (recommend the "similar artists" tab)
www.shepizzle.com
www.kevchino.com
Take note that these websites mainly deal with underground/indie bands and artists.
Thanks,
Cameron
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by DaCheat
