Princeton

Princeton is a new chamber pop band out of California. They are very poppy and being compared to Ra Ra Riot, Vampire Weekend, and Noah And The Whale. The band is made up of twin brothers and their childhood friends. Princeton's full length album is entitled Cocoon of Love and it is definately worth a listen for anyone into the new indie pop music crase. I believe this band will gain a lot of notority in 2010. I saw them earlier this year opening for Ra Ra Riot and they put on a really good live performance. Here is their website because it was a little hard to find due to the fact that Princeton University kept popping up in search engines instead.

Martina and Clive Krantz from Andrew White on Vimeo.

Princeton - Download

The Civil Wars

The Civil Wars are a relatively new band out of Nashville and Alabama. Joy Williams and John Paul White perform together in an intimate acoustic setting. They craft elegant harmonies together with their minimalistic instrumentation of guitar and piano. Their live performances sound just as rehearsed as their recordings so you know they are full of talent. They have already been featured on Grey's Anatomy and I believe they will be a staple on the show just as Mat Kearney, a fellow Nashville songwriter, has become. I reccomend this for any fans of The Swell Season. Also you can download a free live album recorded at Eddie's Attic on their Myspace.





The Civil Wars - Download

NPR Radio

This is the coolest and most practical gadgets that I have seen in a while. The NPR radio lets you listen to any NPR programs whenever you want. It runs off of your homes WI-FI and lets you control it remotely. For someone that loves the station but hates dealing with podcasts, frequencys full of static, or NPR just isn't in your area then this is for you. Check it out here. The best part about it, there's no subscribing to do. Once you buy the radio hook it up to your internet and you are good to go.

Noah And The Whale

I posted a while back the new Noah And The Whale album. They also made a film that goes along with the album from start to finish. It bears the same title as the album "The First Days of Spring." You can view it thanks to Vimeo here.

The First Days of Spring - A Film By Noah And The Whale from charlie fink on Vimeo.

John Mayer

I find John Mayer to be one of the most talented guitar players in the MAIN STREAM (I didn't say world). But the thing that really sets him apart for me is his sense of humor. He knows that he is an asshole and he loves it. Several years ago I saw John Mayer Has A TV Show on VH1 and I didn't get it. I was too young to really understand his sense of humor and what he was all about. That is no longer the case. Please check out some of these videos to be able to understand his sense of humor. If you are a John Mayer basher then maybe you'll find it funny that he can make fun of himself and Kanye.

Makin' Music with John Mayer from John Mayer

If you didn't like those here is a good clip of Justin Timberlake making fun of him

Justin Timberlake doing a John Mayer Impression on Fallon
Uploaded by johnkeils. - See the latest featured music videos.

The Shouting Matches

Upon doing some more Justin Vernon research (it's a minor obsession) I discovered that he is/was in a two-piece blues band called The Shouting Matches. The members are Justin Vernon (Bon Iver, Volcano Choir) on vocals and guitar and Brian Moen (Land of Talk, Laarks) on drums. The band recorded an ep in 2007 and it has been sitting on a computer ever since. The ep entitled "Mouthoil" has yet to be released according to Amble Down Records, which I believe is Justin's record label. I emailed the manager of the label and he told me the ep "was never released, and it will be released eventually." I would really like to hear this album because the few songs I've heard via myspace and youtube have a really gritty southern blues feel to them. I wouldn't expect such a sound from a band based out of Wisconsin. I will definately be keeping track of this band. Maybe with Bon Iver taking some time off there will be new developments for The Shouting Matches.

Update: The Shouting Matches played their first show in years and apparently it will be their last forever. Here is a great video though of Justin and Brian in all of their Bluezy glory.









The Shouting Matches (Myspace)

La Blogotheque

I am a very big fan of director VIncent Moon. It's refreshing to see single shot videos done with bands in creative ways. I get a little annoyed by how close he gets to the artist, where you are seeing the details on Jonsí's shirt but you don't see the full band. Nevertheless the La Blogotheque's Take Away Shows series of films is amazing. Please check out this one from Sigur Rós and look for something similar to the from me in the future.

P.S. Notice the Drummer's sweet tiger shirt

Sigur Ros - Við spilum endalaust - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Vincent Moon's Take Away Shows Website

Eau Claire Jazz Band ft. Justin Vernon

It doesn't matter what Justin Vernon puts his name on because I will buy it. The latest in my Vernon collection is his performance with his high school jazz band. The full performance was recorded and put onto Amazon to buy. If you have to money please buy it because it all goes to support the school. I was under the impression that the album would only have Justin singing on his own songs but I was wrong. He sings on every song and they are really good jazz/big band ensembles. Please check this music out and support a good cause.







A Decade With Duke ft. Justin Vernon - Download

The Album Leaf

I haven't been this excited for an album in a while. February 2, 2010 I will actually purchase this new Album Leaf cd.

Mixing in Iceland from TheAlbumLeaf on Vimeo.

O' Pioneers!

O'Pioneers is the new Levi Jeans commercial featuring a reading of a Walt Whitman poem. I have never been into poetry but this video really inspires me to read some. The image below is a still from the video. This shot is very brief but with the music building and the poetry closing it is a really powerful shot. I know a lot of people are criticizing this advertisement campaign but I commend it for at least being original.

In B Flat

This is one of the most original ideas for cooperative music that I have ever seen. The fact that is ambient music makes it even better for me. Check out the site. Just start clicking all the youtube videos at the same time and listen as it all flows together.

In B Flat

New Dodos video

Signs of Life Video

Here is a new Signs of Life song. A full band version will sound much better and will hopefully happen soon.