Fresh Tracks: Santigold, Jack White, Miike Snow, Andrew Bird, The Shins, Hundred Waters, Ezra Furman, Beach House, Poor Spirits

It’s been a while since I posted… Honestly, I had a bit of a lull where I just wasn’t discovering too much of anything worth while. Fortunately, things are picking up! Here are a few tracks I’ve recently added to my personal collection!
Enjoy!

Santigold

On my last post I shared a couple singles Santigold released Prior to launching her album, Master of My Make Believe, the 1st of this month (May 2012). I LOVE this album! It is amazing from start to finish! Even though the year is young, I am confident it will make my top ten of 2012. Do yourself a favor and listen to Master of My Make Believe in its entirety!

Jack White

Jack White is a “Jack of all trades” in the world of music! The talented musician is commonly known as the front man for The White Stripes, founder and collaborator of The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, as well as his acting roll in Cold Mountain. Now the musical genius goes solo. Jack White’s solo project has been a smashing success! His new album, Blunderbuss, released April 24th, 2012, is currently the top album in the US. I have listened through the entire album multiple times now, and I can honestly say I appreciate this album and truly admire this man! I personally get a very bluesy vibe from much of the album, and unlike my brother who seems to listen to anything and everything blues, I am picky about blues music.

Love this

I’m so jealous my niece got to see Jack live!

Miike Snow

Miike Snow is an electro-indie band from Sweden made up of childhood friends Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg. The duo added a third member, American songwriter, Andrew Wyatt. I loved their self titled debut album back in 2009, and the new Happy To You album released March, 2012 is no disappointment. Best electronic music of 2012 after TRUST. The videos are strange, but then, strange often translates to genius! 

Andrew Bird

  
American indie folk artist Andrew Wegman Bird plays multiple instruments from the violin to the glockenspiel. He was taught the Suzuki method of playing violin from age four. His new album Break Yourself, released March this year, is overall very pretty. The track Hole In The Ocean Floor is by far the star of the show for me. I listen to it repetitively. It’s extremely beautiful, really… the blend of violin and acoustic picking, along with Andrew’s haunting vocals. Pure bliss.

The Shins 

 

I’m not crazy about the new Shins album as a whole. Port of Morrow released in March of this year. It is the third album by the indie rock band out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The track It’s Only Life is my personal favorite, very simple, clean, and pretty. 

Hundred Waters

Hundred Waters is a brand new discovery for me. A most excellent find!  From Gainesville, Florida, this eclectic dream pop band infuses folk, jazz, and electronic. And they do it well! Their self titled debut album released April of this year, and it is a truly well-rounded album from start to finish. Best of 2012? Some of the vocals remind me of Bjork.

Very “Bjork” sound

Ezra Furman

Another track from Ezra Furman, who I adore, off his new solo album, The Year of No Returning, released back in February. I love it. Such a unique voice. Enough said. 

Beach House

Baltimore, Maryland, Beach House is an indie dream pop duo. I would describe their sound as lazy, psychedelic, and mesmerizing. Victoria Legrand’s vocals are almost ethereal. It is a very unique sound that may require a certain brooding or sentimental mood to listen to, but it is quite good. Their previous album, Teen Dream, is ingrained in my brain. I’ve only touched the surface of the recent,  Bloom, dropping the 15th of this month, but I’m sure it will become just as familiar with time.

Poor Spirits

 

I discovered this electronic/dance artist sometime late last year, but held off on sharing it since there was very little info and limited access to the music. It is very low profile. Over the past couple months not much has changed, I still can’t dig much up. Apparently Poor Spirits is one individual, California native moved to New York. The album Forever Cruising released sometime late 2011, and I somehow managed to download it. All I know is I’ve been listening to it, and I genuinely like it. If you can get your hands on the album, I recommend it.

That’s all for now folks.

Indie Discoveries: The Maccabees, Niki & The Dove, Laura Gibson, Die Antwoord, Ezra Furman, Imogen Heap

The Maccabees

This band’s name was chosen by flipping through the Bible and picking out a random word. The Maccabees were a Jewish rebel army who took control of Judea. Despite the religious connotation, the band members insist that none of them are religious. The Maccabees are an indie rock band from London, England. As I listened to Given To The Wild, their new album released in the U.S. this January, I found myself comparing some songs to Arcade Fire, and others to Coldplay. The band enjoys making others feel special. They invite kids to see their gigs, allowing them to occupy the front row. Felix (guitarist) explains that their eyes light up and the kids look at them just as he looked at other bands in his youth. Because it means so much to them, it means a lot to the band.

I get an “Arcade Fire” vibe from this song!

Niki & The Dove

There is no Niki… and there is no Dove. This Swedish electro-pop duo is comprised of Malin Dahlström  (vocals) and Gustaf Karlöf (songwriter). They are not a recent discovery, however this new video for The Fox is. This track is from their forthcoming album due out… sometime this year. Love the song, love the video, anxious for the new album!

Laura Gibson

I recently listened to folk singer/songwriter Laura Gibson’s new album, La Grande, released this January. The album is simple, and I found most of it rather redundant, with the exception of the track Skin Warming Skin, which has a cozy, happy vibe and pretty melody. Please enjoy the song by clicking on the following link:

http://secretsignsandlullabies.com/mp3/LauraGibson-04-SkinWarmingSkin.mp3

Die Antwoord

I am very picky when it comes to hip-hop… much of it I find annoying, and I can do without excessive profanity. An exception is my discovery of late: Die Antwoord (The Answer). This dynamic duo from South Africa is extraordinarily unique, to say the least! I am intrigued by female vocalist Yolandi Visser’s youthful voice, punky hair, and vivacious energy. She is petite but packs a punch! Sidekick Watkin Tudor Jones, aka: Ninja, is a strong rapper, his verses delivered with confidence. The two vocalists are backed up by DJ Hi-Tek, who envelops their swagger with electronic/rave style vibes! Recently they performed their latest song, I Fink U Freeky, on David Letterman. 

“There’s your half-time show!”

Ezra Furman

I am a HUGE fan of this quirky artist! You may be familiar with his roll as the front-man for Ezra Furman & The Harpoons. The exciting news is that he is going solo, his first album, The Year of No Returning, dropped this month! 

Imogen Heap

English singer, songwriter, and composer Imogen Heap has a forthcoming album… possibly this September. Here is a new track, Xizi She Knows, filmed in Hangzhou, China! Enjoy!!