posted by Alex on January 4, 2012
My last album from 2011! It has been an eventful, exciting year, but I’m ready for the new music 2012 will bring. I’m a complete sucker for beautiful male voices. Don’t ask why, but if a guy has stunning vocals, I don’t give a fig what the rest of the band or the lyrics sound like. Every Kingdom is the first studio album from British artist Ben Howard. I heard “The Wolves’” first, and I knew I had struck gold. My favorite part of the song starts at around 2 minutes; Howard gets really into the music and you can truly feel his passion. (For me, that usually makes for a great song). The other track below, “Only Love,” is beautiful, musically impressive, and so frickin’ catchy. A total package.
But…Sucks to be an American. As of today, Howard is scheduled for a number of shows, all in Europe. Unless he changes travel plans, we’ll have to be satisfied with Digital Ben. Luckily, Every Kingdom is truly the perfect start to a new year of music.
Ben Howard – Only Love (Downloaded 1496 times)
Ben Howard – The Wolves (Downloaded 1039 times)
» To download, right-click title & “save as”
» Love/Like/Hate it? Please rate it.
» Meaningless labels: Amazing Voice • Brit-Pop • Catchy • Male vocal
(26 votes)
Loading ...posted by Susanna on November 29, 2011
The Kooks are catchy if nothing else. The band was formed in 2001 in Brighton, East Sussex, and has released three albums on Virgin. Their first album, Inside In/Inside Out, shot them straight to fame in the UK as it achieved platinum status in the UK, Australia and Ireland. Their second album, Konk, was released in 2008 and debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and found lesser success in the United States. With influences ranging from Bob Dylan and The Beatles to more recent artists like Lykke Li and Phoenix, you never know what you’re going to get from The Kooks.
The band’s most recent album, titled Junk of the Heart and released in September 2011, comes as a pleasant surprise. While the sound is different from either of their previous records, it is just as magnetic as before. Junk of the Heart brings on a more modern sound with the same poetic lyrics. The single, also “Junk of the Heart,” is reminiscent of albums past with the poppy, bubbling happiness that The Kooks are known for. My favorite track though is “Killing Me,” which starts off with a soothing beat and jumps into a lovely, swaying harmony that you can’t help but sing along with. “Rosie” is one of the faster paced tracks on the record and is destined to be a hit on the radio. One of the more surprising tracks on this album is “Time Above the Earth.” It is slow and winding, showcasing the vocals of Luke Pritchard and producing a feeling of self-revelation. The Kooks have a variety of influences and three albums that are all successful, yet each has its own unique sound. It is nearly impossible to pick one word to describe the sound of The Kooks, but one thing I know for sure; they write catchy songs. You’ll be singing along with your best British accent in no time.
The Kooks – Ooh La (Downloaded 323 times)
The Kooks – Killing Me (Downloaded 357 times)
» To download, right-click title & “save as”
» Love/Like/Hate it? Please rate it.
» Meaningless labels: Brit-Pop • Catchy • Male vocal • Poppy
(16 votes) Loading ...posted by Patrick on July 31, 2011
We wrote about The Drums way back in the 0h-9, when their smash single ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ was nearly unavoidable. The band has a new album out in September and the first single ‘Money’ is perfect pop fuel for a not-long-enough weekend.
The Drums – Money (Downloaded 746 times)
» To download, right-click title & “save as”
» Love/Like/Hate it? Please rate it.
» Meaningless labels: Brit-Pop • Catchy • Danceable • Male vocal • Poppy • Upbeat
(13 votes) Loading ...That’s the best anwesr of all time! JMHO
posted by Leigh on June 15, 2011
I like to think of myself as relatively well-traveled, but I have never heard of nor been to the Isle of Wight. The Isle of Wight is England’s largest island, was an independent kingdom in and of itself in the 5th Century and was called home by both Alfred Lloyd Tennyson and Queen Victoria. The Beatles song “When I’m 64” refers to a cottage there and Bob Dylan recorded several songs while on the Isle of Wight. Thank you, Wikipedia.
What Wikipedia did not tell me is that the Isle has been harboring its very own indie-rock secret, The Shutes, for quite some time now. With a timeless sound and discussion-worthy lyrics unabashedly informed by the isolation of living and making music on a historically-rich and fundamentally picturesque island, The Shutes manage to craft their music in such a way as to touch a broader audience. Their music is driven, with bass, guitar and drums all equally leading the way, complementing each other in the sometimes surfy path of their collaboration, lightened by the haunting, plaintive and androgenous vocals of frontman Michael Champion.
Hear them for yourself. From their EP, Hits Like Mourning, self-released late last year, to their new track “Silk Screen Shots,” recently released as a free download, to their brand-new single “Noah’s Arc” released just last month on London’s Cross Key Records, you have no shortage of material to peruse. (And the vid for “Noah’s Arc” below is pretty cool as well.) Here’s hoping that when these guys need a getaway from the Isle, that they will make their way across the Atlantic, or to wherever you may be.
Myspace ||Facebook || Bandcamp
The Shutes – Silk Screen Shots (Downloaded 338 times)
» To download, right-click title & “save as”
» Love/Like/Hate it? Please rate it.
» Meaningless labels: Beautiful Lyrics • Brit-Pop • Driven • Male vocal • Rollicking • Surf
(16 votes) Loading ...Fell out of bed feeling down. This has bigrhtneed my day!
Good to see a talent at work. I can’t match that.
January 27th, 2012 at 3:36 pm
Thanks for sharing – I’m loving his sound! – Jessica
March 19th, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Just got a chance to see Ben at South by Southwest here in Austin last Friday. He is absolutely wonderful live!